Replies

1. 
   _mj_ | Apr 18, 2024 05:20pm | #1

   This works well:

   https://www.finewoodworking.com/2019/09/04/side-hung-drawers-the-smart-way

1. 
   bwkwood | Apr 18, 2024 08:51pm | #7

   Thanks for link to article. FWW Search didn't list this. This should give me the answers I need.

2. 
   Jkatzowitz | Apr 18, 2024 05:39pm | #2

   I use a similar style runner for my small drawers. My proportions are different than Gochnour's but I think they work and look great. In fact, I didn't enclose the drawers within a full size carcase, just to show them off.

   
1. 
   Bentusi | Apr 18, 2024 06:57pm | #3

   Wow, what an incredible piece. Looking at stuff like this makes me feel so inadequate but also sends jolts of inspiration through me.
   Few questions,
   Is there a mechanism in there to retain the drawers at the end of their runners?
   Also, did you come up with this design on your own? its so impressive.
   I'm just curious how such pros come up with stuff, the thought process, where you may draw your inspiration from, etc.
   Also, how long would you say you spend on this? i know I need to slow the hell down myself but I'm just curious how much slower I should be going lol

1. 
   Jkatzowitz | Apr 18, 2024 07:50pm | #4

   Thank you for the compliment!!!

   - There is no retaining mechanism for the drawers, they just pull out.

   - Yes I came up with the design concept. I found myself spending a fair amount of time laying out the drawer sides and thought I should make the drawer sides more visible, so I minimized the side structure to expose them. The other cool design element was do to my attempt to fix a mistake I made while hand cutting the top drawer dovetails. I accidentally cut off a pin as opposed to a tail which made the top drawer face too narrow to fit the carcase opening. So I added in the 3/4" wide pencil, pen, Exacto knife holder on the top left. I really like the asymmetrical design feature. Sometimes circumstances, planned or not, make the design better.

   I am a professional designer but not a professional furniture maker. I make things for friends, family, and fun. Consequently I don't keep track of my hours.

   
1. 
   Bentusi | Apr 18, 2024 08:24pm | #5

   What a slick idea,
   I remember when I was in grade school, an art teacher told me there was no such thing as a mistake.
   All mistakes CAN be turned into something beautiful.
   For some reason, that has stuck with me my whole life.

   This picture is the embodiment of that. So awesome.

   Oh, yeah, me too, although...I could not make something so amazing. For whatever it's worth, your work looks extremely professional...
   I was just curious how long something like this takes in a very rough sense. but yeah, now that I think about it, it's kind of a hard question. not sure I'd be able to answer it either XD

1. 
   Jkatzowitz | Apr 19, 2024 07:23am | #9

   I am a firm believer in the "mistakes provide opportunities to improve the design" philosophy. I accidentally learned that lesson during my first few weeks in college. I've been a convert ever since!

3. 
   jharveyb | Apr 18, 2024 08:29pm | #6

   It is a beautiful piece. Great design, well executed.
   When you talk about slowing down, I have a perspective on the amount of time it takes to do a project. Because I'm a pro, and get work by word of mouth or repeat customers, I always take whatever time it takes to do the best possible job. Sometimes that means taking several hours to make a jig or pattern that I use only for a few minutes. Sometimes it means having developed the hand tool skills to work faster with them than with a machine, or to do something that a machine can't. As I design, I consider how difficult/time-consuming each design feature will add/subtract from making the piece. I know at least one way to do each step of the project before I consider the design complete. Sometimes I think of a better/more accurate/faster way to do a particular step, but at least I have one good way in mind.
   When I'm designing, I usually have a few constraints to work within, whether it is the basic type of piece of furniture (dining table, captain's chair, carved pulpit, display cabinet, etc.) I add to that the wood species, scale of the piece, details of the space that it will go in (to integrate and connect it to its place) and usually some likes/dislikes of the customer. When making the piece, I always pay a lot of attention to the wood grain, color, etc, to either make the piece seem seamless, or to make the grain and color part of the design.
   A few years ago I started a thread by asking the question, "what are the design principles you rely on?" I'll try to find it.

1. 
   jharveyb | Apr 18, 2024 09:01pm | #8

   Here is the link to the design thread:
   https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/design-principles-we-use

1. 
   Jkatzowitz | Apr 19, 2024 07:27am | #10

   Ha, when you posted the above link I thought "I think I remember that thread". Yep, it was a great discussion on creativity and I was happy to be part of it!

   And thank you for the kind words.

2. 
   Bentusi | Apr 19, 2024 07:28am | #11

   I'm gonna give this a read through, Thanks for the link.

3. 
   phantomtrapper | Apr 19, 2024 10:38am | #12

   Yes, thank you for that link. What an absolute pleasure to read a post that is totally on topic, with well thought out replies.

4. 
   Jkatzowitz | Apr 20, 2024 07:58am | #13

   Just for fun, here's another example of me making a mistake and then turning it into a positive feature. My wife wanted me to draw a version of Picasso's "old guitarist" painting for her birthday. There's a long back story here but I'll spare you all the trouble of reading it. Anyway I took a quick look at the detail drawing I did and used the wrong dimension when I crosscut the horizontal frame member. Basically I cut it in half. I could have just put it back together with an end grain butt joint and lived with it, but I wouldn't have been happy. So after thinking about it I decided to join the two pieces with Maple splines. And then it really hit me, I could use six splines which would mimic the six strings on the guitar and the frame member would mimic the guitar fret board!

   Making the frame took me more time then it took me to do the drawing!