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#1 ·
Entry Closet Project

Closet Project

Well I am still in Ohio, and I am working on one incredible project. It is an entry closet for the house I built with my brother, which is not far from where I grew up.

No Ordinary Closet

This project takes the ordinary and ubiquitous closet to a whole new level. This is not made of sheetrock and 2×4's. It is of black lacquered panels and veneer with artistic lines and custom copper handles. The doors have a 70-30 split and feature hidden hinges that open 180 degrees. They are 8' high hollow core doors that I had to make myself.

Where you will see it all:

http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger#gallery Click on the album "Cooper Closet." You are free to look at anything else there too.

Understand This:

There currently are currently 195 photos on 2 pages. A few people have failed to realize that there is more than one page and missed some of the photos. I add photos daily. This is primarily for the clients to see my daily progress, but you can see it too. By tomorrow afternoon there will be three pages.

What You Will See

This is woodworking minutiae. If pictures say a thousand words I have written volumes here. The woodworking enthusiast will see the design stages through construction glue ups, vacuum pressing, door making, veneering, and dye work is the latest. There are only simple statements for the titles. There is not room to get wordy.

Nerves of Steel

Yes, I ran into trouble a couple of days ago when a caul stuck to my veneer. This type of work is not for anyone with a weak constitution. One screw up would mean a do-over that could buy a good used car. If I fall on my face here it will be in full view of the public.

It's not a "Talkie"

These are just digital shots in the shop but they are real and taken everyday. I have not advanced to video yet. Quite honestly this project would be too overwhelming to edit at this time.

Here is a peek-

Here is the basic view of the project.

Dry Fitting Doors

Here is an action shot from today.

Dyeing Small Door

And the final shot at the end of the day.

Small Closet Door

Call Me Lazy

I just don't have time to do a full blog on it. I know how you guys are for gleaning information from photos. That has been a good bit of my education. Right now I am just working my butt off to get back to my home in Montana, I am starting to turn into a Buckeye!

I hope you enjoy the photos. There is a download icon you can click if for some reason you find anything of particular interest.

Once again click on "Cooper Closet" at this link http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger#gallery.

One More Thing

There is one album that shows various views of the outside of the house including some really cool night shots that I took. You have to check those out.

Peace, Love and Woodworking
 
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#3 ·
Oh it's a gem alright!

I am so thankful for these clients. They have given me a lot of work, but what I value the most is that they have challenge me beyond my limits on every project. I have matured as an artist because of them.
 
#6 ·
I'm not sure that "lazy" would be one of the adjectives I used to describe you Todd. Now that I've spent a half hour oogeling the construction, you realize that you're morrally obligated to post the finished product here.
 
#11 ·
Great blog, Todd! I can see a vacuum system in the near future. Your work and Lee's are sure an inspiration to the rest of us. This project is one of the best of its type on this site. thanks for sharing your skills and knowledge. I sure hope you get home to Billings pretty soon. Winter in Ohio is not inviting. When you get home and go skiing at Red Lodge, give the Big M a hello for me.
 
#13 ·
This is why you are "the Master" Todd, and why people like me flock to be your understudies! A can't even imagine the pressure that must come when working with clients willing to spend that kind of money and expecting those kinds of results… I put myself under too much pressure as is making "free" boxes for my parents. I'd fold…
 
#20 ·
Entry Closet Progress

Making Progress-

I'm moving forward on my project but not fast enough. I am anxious to get home to my wife in Billings and she is anxious to have me home too. For now I am stuck in Ohio for at least another week as far as I can see.

Small Door Up-

I installed the small door on Friday and the clients are just nuts over the finish. I am pretty happy with it myself. Part of the veneer is done in straight red dye and the other part is done with layers of red and black.

The red is laid on first, followed by a light coat of black. Then the black is wiped off with more red dye. This allows the black to fill the pores but intensifies the red so that it comes back out. It is something that I just came up with and it is an amazing effect.

Entry Closet

Big Door Next

So now I am working on the big door and I should get it done this weekend. Right now I am in between coats on the coloring process and then I will start spraying the lacquer.

Here you can see a couple of steps in the coloring process.

First the red dye is applied and wiped in both directions evenly.

Entry Closet

Then the black dye is applied. It is important that it is applied evenly but not as heavy. Then the black will be wiped off with red.

Entry Closet

If you're hungry for more-

To see more go "Cooper Closet" at this link http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger. There are about 210 photos over several pages and you can see the whole project in progress. If you have been following just click on the last page button to get to the last few photos. I am still posting photos everyday.

Peace, Love, and Woodworking
 
#30 ·
Exciting Progress

Another Step Closer…

Tonight, I sprayed the final coat of lacquer and painted the groove in the door black.

Tomorrow I will hang the door first thing in the morning. The overnight dry time will allow the finish to cure sufficiently so that it may be handled with a hard finish.

Entry Closet Door

I installed the small door a few days ago and it went smoothly. The small door only weighs 48 lbs. The big one is 108 lbs. and keep in mind it is a hollow core door.

Entry Closet

Want More?

Go to this link and click on the album labeled "Cooper Closet" http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger.
I am still adding photos daily and there are 215 photos over several pages.

If you are new to woodworking you may find this visually informative. This project has been documented step-by-step for the clients to follow along. You will see everything from design to general construction, veneering, hollow core door fabrication, dye work, and finishing.

Outa Here…

Well I better get going and get rested up for a big day of install tomorrow.

Peace, Love, and Woodworking
 
#40 ·
Project Moving Forward

Success-

I installed the big door today with a helping hand. The careful planning paid big dividends in an incredibly smooth and accurate install.

Before doing the veneer work, I installed and fitted the doors. The doors were then taken to the shop and finished. The hinges were numbered and went back into the same locations. This meant that the final install required no additional adjustment. This is what I call jobsite theory, and it worked out this time.

Doors Installed

Getting a handle on it…

Now it is time to fabricate the dual copper handles. They will be bent to follow the contour of the design in the doors. I made a bending jig with a pattern on the leading edge to measure the work against. The design is also drawn on the board and followed for the bending process.

Bending Handle

I do not consider myself a metal worker, but it has great potential to go with my wood designs. So I had to figure out how to bend the solid copper rods. The basic principals are not too hard to figure out. The most important one here is consistent and even support for the metal during the bending process. The finished product seemed to turn out good and held the shape quit well on its own.

Copper Handle

More work…

The clients love the doors and want to change the lighting in the ceiling to better show the work. The recessed cans were not placed with this project in mind. This was not part of the original plans when we built the house. So now I will be taking care of changing the lights.

To see the full progress click on "Cooper Closet" at this link http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger.

I have been posting everything in the .Mac gallery and on LJ's but I need to get my website updated. It just goes to show how you guys rate!

I'm outta here-

Peace, Love, and Woodworking
 
#59 ·
OH, Baby It's Hot!

Exciting Progress..

I am making some great progress on my closet project. I currently have the copper rods in a machine shop where the parts are being fabricated.

The clients and I had talked about changing the lights to better illuminate the fine work that I have produced. While the metal work is being done I decided to go ahead and install the new lights.

WOW!

Man-OH-Man! Does it ever look fantastic!

Here is the closet with the old lights:

Entry closet installed

Here is the closet with the new lighting installed:

SV102347

And the side view:

SV102352

Handle It!

I bent the handles in a form that I made, marked out the leg locations and delivered them to a shop to have the parts fabricated.

A friend of mine, Jim Eyster, is doing the metal work. He has all the machinery to do such work because he is a gunsmith. In fact, he is one of the top gunsmiths in the nation and is active in helping train the junior olympic competition shooters. His son, Daniel, is running the CNC mill and is quite capable.

SV102320

SV102335

Here are the legs for the handles all ready to go:

SV102310

This detail shot demonstrates how the legs fit on the handles:

Legs for handles.

For all the details…

You can see it all step by step in the photo album "Cooper Closet" at this link http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger

Peace, Love, and Woodworking
 
#94 ·
The End is Near!

Getting Closer…

Well guys I can hardly stand it! I am getting so close to done on this project and yet there is so much to do. I just want to go home and be with my wife and my dogs so bad.

This job has been a nail biter every step of the way. The more I get done, the more work I have at risk if I should screw up. A mistake could cost the equivalent of a good used car - NO KIDDING.

If you want to do high-end work, the risk is high too. That is one factor most don't think about. This seems to fit my personality though, always pushing myself to the limit in whatever I do.

Now I'm A Machinist…

Well, not really. But I did get to do some work in the machine shop of my client. He is a hobby machinist and he has all kinds of metal working equipment in the basement. If I lived in Ohio (it seems like I do now) I would spend half of my time in the wood shop and half of it in the machine shop to add metal to more of my work.

Here I am cutting the allthread for the legs of the handles.

Cutting Allthread

Applying a brushed finish to the copper handle material.

Brushing the Handles

INTENSE!

Doing the handle layout without damaging the finish or drilling in the wrong spot was tense. It took me six hours to place 6 pieces the first day. It took 6 hours to place 2 pieces today. Technical, tough, tedious!

Installing the Handles.

Just a Dry Fit…"

OK, it looks done but it's not. The handles have had the initial fitting and now they will be removed and taken to the shop to be sprayed. I am supposed to get my finish in Friday afternoon.

Copper Handles Installed

It is exciting to see this kind of progress though!

For all the minutia in a step-by-step photo album you can check it out here http://gallery.mac.com/toddclippinger#100350&bgcolor=black.

This is just pictures with one line titles, the images say it all.

Share the Love~Share the Knowledge
 
#121 ·
One Step Closer!

Another Milestone

I am pretty excited to share with you guys today's progress. I got all of the handle pieces finished!

Next I have some touch up on the doors and the final install. I am sure I will have a full day of technical sweating.

I had to brush the pieces again on the wire wheel to brighten the finish. I then hung them from the ceiling and wiped them down thoroughly with acetone. This strips any oil from the surface.

I sprayed them with an acrylic resin lacquer by Sherwin Williams. The finish is rated for exterior use and specifically lists copper, aluminum, and bronze as compatible surfaces for use.

For clear coating these metals an acrylic coating is recommended. It may be water or solvent based but it has to be an acrylic, not a nitrocellulose type lacquer. Prepping the surface by wiping down with denatured alcohol or acetone is necessary. It is critical that you wear gloves so as not to contaminate the surface with body oil or sweat. Wearing chemical resistant gloves also protects YOU.

Here are a couple of parting shots showing the prep work and spraying.

Peace, Love, and Woodworking

Prepping the Copper Handles

Spraying the Handles
 
#148 ·
The End is Here!

Finished!

Well it's been a long journey and it did not end without one extra push.

I finished installing the copper handles Monday by 11:30. There was a couple of scratches but I was certain I could buff them out. This is a skill that goes with the territory. I worked on the finish for the next six hours and I could not get the finish to blend.

How to Remove a Scratch-

After exhausting all other options this is what I resorted to today:

Finish Coat

Yes you are seeing it correctly, I had to spray the doors in place to even it out. I had to remove the handles, mask off, and spray two coats to make it work. Fortunately it did. The traces of the scratch are gone and the finish is perfect. It is even and I did not produce any sags or runs. Vertical surfaces are a challenge.

The precatalyzed lacquer that I use is very repairable. This is one of the benefits of using it. One drawback is the stink, but the weather was warm and breezy so I was able to cross ventilate the house and it aired out very quickly.

Another benefit is that it dries very quickly. This means that I was able to install the handles after a long lunch without fear of damage to the finish.

The Finished View

Here is the completed project from the front and side view.

Closet Complete

Closet Side View

Here is an interior view.

Closet Open

The clients are just ecstatic! And so am I - this means I CAN GO HOME!

I have a small item to take care of for my mom and I will pick up my UHaul trailer tomorrow. Pack. Leave Thursday late afternoon. Drive 'till I drop. See wife and dogs soon.

Peace, Love, and Woodwoking
 
#149 ·
That is amazing work Todd! I would never have imagined that so much work could be put into a closet. You documentation of this project has been incredible and I know that myself, and many more here at LJs have learned an immense amount. Thanks for taking the time to post all of this for us.
 
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