Blanket Chest - Part 3

The chest has been completed, including a piano hinge. Finish will consist of several coats of Waterlox (tung oil and varnish) followed by a few coats of wax.

Blanket Chest - Part 2

The chest is mostly done. The box has been completely assembled; the top has been cut to size and routed with a stepped roundover profile; the base (plywood with a solid oak border) has been routed with a bullnose that matches the top; and the legs have been cut and glued up (the masking tape holds the mitered corners together while the glue dries). A dry fit of the entire chest is shown below:

Blanket Chest - Part 1

Last week I started work on a frame-and-panel blanket chest. The wood is red oak. The chest is 34.5" long x 18.5" deep x 15.5" high. The rails and styles are 2.25" wide.

Shown below is a dry fit of the front frame (without the panels):



This is a dry fit of all of the frame panels that make up the chest:




Now it is time to put the panels into the frames and start the glue up. The front and rear panels are shown. The panels have been cut so that the grain will run continuously around the chest:


The top (not shown) has been glued up and is ready to be cut to size. Next week I will work on the top, the bottom, and the base.

Shaker End Table Completed

This project is now completed. It was finished with two coats of wipe-on gel varnish (General Finishes Georgian Cherry), followed by three coats of clear satin topcoat.

For more information about the table as it progressed, see postings dated Dec. 25, 2006, Jan. 8, 2007, and Jan. 19, 2007. The most challenging part involved turning the legs.

Now I just need to find a place for it.

Shaker End Table - Work in Progress

The table is almost done. Over President's Day Weekend, I glued up the top, made the drawer, and assembled all of the pieces. The edge profile on the top is a "thumbnail" which can just barely be seen in the photo.

The table needs a few minor adjustments, a final sanding, and then a finish. I will probably use a clear satin wipe-on gel varnish which will let the cherry darken naturally over time.

For more information about this project, see postings dated Dec. 25, 2006 and Jan. 8, 2007. The most challenging part involved turning the legs.

Shaker End Table - Work in Progress

I made a little mistake.

I thought that the tenons were a little too snug, and that the joints might be glue starved unless the fit was a little looser. So I took a shoulder plane and started removing material. I got carried away and made the tenons too thin. I'll have to buy some more cherry and re-cut the rails.

Shaker End Table - Work in Progress

Shown to the left is a Shaker end table that I am in the process of making out of cherry. Plans for the table can be downloaded from Wood online.

The legs are turned, tapered spindles. Prior to starting this project in early November, I had little experience using a lathe. So I started with some scrap poplar and turned six practice legs before using expensive cherry. Once I was satisfied that I could get reproducible spindles on the scrap, I ventured on to the real wood.

So far, the results have been reasonably good. The legs are satisfactory. The only real problem I had was with some chipping at the point of transition from square to round, but I can fix some of that with sanding and can hide the damage by turning the worst of the chips to the inside of the table.




After making the legs, I machined the necessary mortises, and then cut the the rails with matching tenons. Again, the results were pretty good. The mortise-and-tenon joints fit snugly, and when I dry fit the pieces, the base of the table fits together nicely, as shown in the photograph below:


Over the next couple of days, I will sand and then glue up the base, and then begin work on the drawer and top.