Project Information
I built this pie safe for my wife using a plan published in Woodsmith Magazine in 1998.
This is the first project that I have built from pine. I enjoyed the challenge of working with the knots. The pine is from a pile of left over shiplap siding from when we had our barn resided several years ago. One side is very rough and after both sides are planed smooth, it is 3/4" thick - just what I wanted.
The only real change that I made from the plans was to cut dovetail joints for the drawer fronts instead of using rabbets. I took the easier route and bought the tins pre-punched. Just trimming them to size was enough to draw some blood! There was a section in the plans on "distressing" the piece to make it look old. I decided to skip this step, confident that my six and eight year-old boys are more than up to the task. I did, however, use square pegs through the mortise and tenon joints and wrought head nails to try to give it an older look.
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I like the way that the two adjustable shelves work. There are four vertical standards with 45-degree notches cut every three inches and four matching supports. Here is a photo of one of the supports in place:
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The back pieces are joined with splines glued into every other groove to make it like tongue and groove.
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The pie safe is finished with shellac. I made a mixture of clear and amber, about three parts amber to two parts clear.
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This is the first project that I have built from pine. I enjoyed the challenge of working with the knots. The pine is from a pile of left over shiplap siding from when we had our barn resided several years ago. One side is very rough and after both sides are planed smooth, it is 3/4" thick - just what I wanted.
The only real change that I made from the plans was to cut dovetail joints for the drawer fronts instead of using rabbets. I took the easier route and bought the tins pre-punched. Just trimming them to size was enough to draw some blood! There was a section in the plans on "distressing" the piece to make it look old. I decided to skip this step, confident that my six and eight year-old boys are more than up to the task. I did, however, use square pegs through the mortise and tenon joints and wrought head nails to try to give it an older look.
.
I like the way that the two adjustable shelves work. There are four vertical standards with 45-degree notches cut every three inches and four matching supports. Here is a photo of one of the supports in place:
.
The back pieces are joined with splines glued into every other groove to make it like tongue and groove.
.
The pie safe is finished with shellac. I made a mixture of clear and amber, about three parts amber to two parts clear.
.