| Project by MattD | posted 832 days ago | 2634 views | 28 times favorited | 37 comments | ![]() |
![]() |
This is my latest project that I completed last week for my 3yr old daughter. It took me about 6 months, probably 120 hours, and started out mostly as rough lumber except for the top boards which I bought S2S.
The external woods are black cherry and a few variations of maple. The drawer interior is poplar with cedar bottoms. It was finished with BLO, blonde shellac and wax.
I learned a lot about using hand tools on this. I did nearly all of the joinery and final shaping by hand with tools like spokeshaves, hand saws, mortise and bench chisels, planes and card scrapers.
For some reason, the idea of doing an inlay on the inside drawer stuck with me. I also figured that if it didn’t come out well, at least it wouldn’t be highly visiible, but I ended up happy with it. I had no idea how I was going to do this until I saw a David Marks episode where he did inlay into solid wood.
Any sort of comments or helpful criticism would be appreciated. One thing I’m not sure of is the hardware. I’m happy with it, but I’m keeping an eye out for alternatives.
-- Matt - Syracuse, NY































37 comments so far
DAN
home | projects | blog
6435 posts in 874 days
posted 832 days ago
excellent work !! crisp, clean lines
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
Thos. Angle
home | projects | blog
4015 posts in 854 days
posted 832 days ago
subtil and very refined. I especially like the shape on the corner posts.The inlay came out nice as well.
Good work
-- Thos. Angle
schroeder
home | projects | blog
511 posts in 1017 days
posted 832 days ago
beautiful!, I love the inlay! very Crafty! (I’ll be stealing that idea!) – thanks for sharing your work.
-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe
GaryK
home | projects | blog
9518 posts in 880 days
posted 832 days ago
Nice job! I have never thought of using inlay on drawer sides!
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
lclashley
home | projects | blog
243 posts in 1006 days
posted 832 days ago
Great piece Matt! I like how you used the same boards across the front, give it a real pro look. The inlay looks great as well.
Gary
home | projects | blog
443 posts in 1215 days
posted 831 days ago
Real impressive. She’s a lucky girl—furniture for life.
-- Gary, Florida
Gail
home | projects | blog
37 posts in 849 days
posted 831 days ago
This is a gorgeous piece, you should be very proud.
-- Gail, http://www.hometownwoodworking.com
Greg Mitchell
home | projects | blog
1383 posts in 960 days
posted 831 days ago
Great job! The inlay on the sides of the drawer is a great idea. I also like the hardware. Beautiful piece of furniture.
-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net
whit
home | projects | blog
61 posts in 868 days
posted 831 days ago
Nice looking dresser, Matt. I really like the inlay in the sides of the drawers. Many people look at the drawers to check for dovetails. What do you think they’ll say when they see both dovetails and an inlay. I think they’ll say “WOW”!!! Kudos to you.
-- Even if to be nothing more than a bad example, everything serves a purpose.
Bob Babcock
home | projects | blog
1808 posts in 977 days
posted 831 days ago
Gorgeous piece…lucky little girl. I wish I had started when my kids were little.
The inlays are a great surprise, nicely done on all counts. The subtle curve on the corners is a nice touch.
-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org
dewoodwork
home | projects | blog
111 posts in 847 days
posted 831 days ago
Excellent work Matt. Your attention in detail realy shines in the drawer faces and joinery. I love contrast and your choice of woods works very well.
-- Express creativity with wood, Dewayne. Vacaville CA.
cajunpen
home | projects | blog
5970 posts in 957 days
posted 831 days ago
Very nice piece of furniture. Well done.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
jembo
home | projects | blog
105 posts in 905 days
posted 831 days ago
Excellent work, thanks for sharing.
-- James - Geneva, Switzerland
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
14157 posts in 1052 days
posted 831 days ago
((applauding))
Love the design – and then the wood just accentuates the beauty. The inlay – brilliant and well done.
Bravo
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
snowdog
home | projects | blog
808 posts in 874 days
posted 831 days ago
Great work but I know what you mean about the hardware. For me it detracts from the overall beauty of the piece (which really dose look great). I think it is more personal preference but it was what caught my eye. The inlay in the side? What a great idea.
“top boards which I bought S2S.” What is S2S?
-- "so much to learn and so little time"..
Mark A. DeCou
home | projects | blog
1537 posts in 1297 days
posted 831 days ago
I love this work. The inlay on the drawer side is a great tip, and something I had not thought of doing before. YOu might see me do something artistic on the side of a drawer someday, and you’ll know that you were the inspiration.
For drawer pulls, and for something special, and just “you”, try making your own. I did some in copper, hammering the surface, and then soldering the pieces together with a propane bottle torch the first time. I made my own bolts with thick copper wire and a die, and my own nuts with chunks of copper and a tap.
If you like this concept, I have some hardware posted around on my projects you could look at for inspiration. Music Notes, Orchids, Flower Leaves, Oak Leaves, & Acorns.
It isn’t hard, I had never done it before, and just started doing it. Each project got a little more complicated and better.
For a 3 year old daughter, you could do hearts, flowers, Disney characters, shapes, who knows, there are lots of options.
Also, if you don’t like the copper, you could do them in wood, making your own knobs. I’ve done deer and elk antler, bone, rocks, turquoise, shells, and on and on, a bunch of weird stuff I have tried.
I found some chunks of petrified wood at the playground in the park one time with the kids. I picked up a handful of them spread out through the peebles, and have enough now to do a project. My kids kept saying,”look dad, watch me…..” I had my head down looking for petrified wood that day. Once they got a hang of what I was looking for, they stopped playing and helped me find rocks. Now, three years later, they are always finding cool rocks for me. I guess this is probably how “weirdness” gets its generational spreading.
admiring your project,
Mark
-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com
Bob Babcock
home | projects | blog
1808 posts in 977 days
posted 830 days ago
I keep coming back to look at this…I really love it. Definite inspiration for the future. My youngest daughter loves Calla Lilys. When I showed this to her she asked when am I going to build her one.
I’d love to see a blog on your drawer pulls Mark. I’d love to try that myself.
LOL…my kids have gone “rock hunting” with me many times. definitely spreading the “weirdness”.
-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org
MattD
home | projects | blog
129 posts in 835 days
posted 830 days ago
Thanks guys.
Mark – Great suggestion with copper and the other materials. It never occured to me I could hammer out copper this way without some serious tools or heat. I might give it a try! The pull on that one table you made is just great.
Snowdog – S2S is a designation for lumber meaning “Surfaced 2 Sides” meaning that a rough cut board is planed smooth on the top and bottom and both surfaces are hopefully parallel. Many lumber shops charge extra per board foot for lumber that is surfaced smooth, so you can usually get rough lumber cheaper. There is also “S3S” which adds one edge that’s jointed and squared and “S4S” which of course is smooth on on sides like lumber at Home Depot, etc.
-- Matt - Syracuse, NY
snowdog
home | projects | blog
808 posts in 874 days
posted 830 days ago
I showed my wife this project and guess what she wants on our (upcomming) slide out pantry draws. You guessed it, an inlay of some bird or flower. I’ll get you for that mattD <laugh>, I don’t have enough to learn already :) It really is a great idea you had.
I can’t wait to see your new hardware.
-- "so much to learn and so little time"..
NormiteLou
home | projects | blog
36 posts in 864 days
posted 830 days ago
Wow, nice work. I wish I could do somthing like that!
-- Normite Lou
scottb
home | projects | blog
3403 posts in 1218 days
posted 829 days ago
Simply beautiful.
Love the idea of the hidden detail on the drawer.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Chris
home | projects | blog
1462 posts in 882 days
posted 827 days ago
Wow! That inlay really makes it a unique piece of furniture.
-- Chris
Karson
home | projects | blog
25787 posts in 1292 days
posted 827 days ago
Great looking chest. The inlays are a great addition and make it very personal to your daughter
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Skinna
home | projects | blog
26 posts in 828 days
posted 827 days ago
that’s some truly beautiful work I am very impressed and I bet when your daughter is retiring and still has this beautiful item she will also be very impressed each and every time she sees it – superb work
-- Skinna - Australia... I won't stop at murder if that's what is necessary to get the job done
mot
home | projects | blog
4902 posts in 928 days
posted 827 days ago
Man that’s a nice piece!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
Dorje
home | projects | blog
1768 posts in 888 days
posted 827 days ago
Matt – Great work! I like how you very thoughtfully glued up the drawer fronts and carefully laid them all out so the grain is continuous. The top is gorgeous. The whole piece shows a lot of consideration to the wood and is aesthetically very appealing.
How did you join up the posts on the corners?
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
DaveJ
home | projects | blog
69 posts in 814 days
posted 812 days ago
Marking as a favorite – ‘nuf said!
-- Dave J. Oakdale, MN
Patrick Jaromin
home | projects | blog
284 posts in 724 days
posted 719 days ago
Simple, elegant, lovely. Thanks for sharing.
-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog
Blake
home | projects | blog
2753 posts in 766 days
posted 719 days ago
Just stunning. Wow. A gorgeous piece with beautiful details.
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com
coolbreeze
home | projects | blog
105 posts in 627 days
posted 623 days ago
I like the colors in this piece.Aside from the pretty detail, it has a relaxed feel to it.
-- Jason, AL
rikkor
home | projects | blog
11338 posts in 766 days
posted 623 days ago
This is a beaut. I am glad it came out of the archives so I could see it. Nice work.
Scott Bryan
home | projects | blog
20519 posts in 713 days
posted 618 days ago
Hi Matt,
I am glad this one came back up on the list. I love the look and cherry and maple together. This is a gorgeous piece. The large dovetails and inlay add really nice details to it as well.
Very nice post. It was a pleasure to look at it.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
mzmac
home | projects | blog
76 posts in 558 days
posted 532 days ago
Excellent piece very finely executed
PurpLev
home | projects | blog
2726 posts in 540 days
posted 437 days ago
Beautiful!
Cherry and Maple always go together so complementary.
-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.
mpatman
home | projects | blog
8 posts in 345 days
posted 264 days ago
Awesome, love the finish- this is a great piece and as a newbie gives me lots of inspiration!
Steffen
home | projects | blog
251 posts in 927 days
posted 226 days ago
This is beautiful…I love beautiful work that is hidden…
-- Steffen
Beginningwoodworker
home | projects | blog
4090 posts in 564 days
posted 146 days ago
Thats a beautiful dresser, you did a nice job.
-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker