Some time ago I began to make a Gimson/Barnsley style chest in oak, discussed in this thread:
There have been many distractions since then but this week the weather has been bad so no archery or cycling. Also, the number of mundane furniture objects in the to-do list have been significantly reduced by making them. So, of I go on that chest. Perhaps some lads might be interested in one or two aspects of its making, so I’ll post from time to time as it progresses, if and when some less-usual aspect comes up.
Now, I did try to use the Knots pix-attacher but it decided to throw strange messages at me so I must resort to Photobucket. May I suggest right-clicking on the link and selecting “Open in a new tab”, as it seems the PB links no longer pull in the picture itself to the post. Cuh!
Here is the chest that inspired me:
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=Gimsonchest_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/Gimsonchest_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
And this is the current oak wood hoard, which includes much thick Q/S stuff – eat yer heart out Sarge! I used the large offcuts from the 3″ Q/S planks that I had to shorten to get them into the store. The offcuts supplied enough wood to make the shorter parts of the chest, including the curved bits. The panels and other parts are composed of various planks with a reasonable grain/colour match.
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010825_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010825_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010821_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010821_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
The curve for the chest top-side-ends and lid was derived from a rejected steam-bent chair slat. It was cut initially into two parts on the bandsaw.
The lump of oak that was to become the curved parts was first depleted of the curved piece eventually be used in the lid whilst the larger part was dovetailed all the way through on its ends whislt there was still a square face for reference, using a geet-big DT bit in the woodrat. This allowed me to make DTs with very skinny but accurate necks – not the usual way but necessary to allow large pins, which are the parts that stand proud and so need to appear significant in the final piece.
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010817_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010817_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010818_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010818_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
That remnant in the pic provided a handy template to mark put the pins, which were all handcut as I didn’t have a straight bit long enough and skinny enough to be used in the woodrat. Here is the (unassembled) result. I don’t want to push them fully home until they’re ready for final glue up. Those skinny DT necks are about 5mm wide and a lot stronger than they look.
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010808_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010808_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
Here is a pic showing the skeleton of the frame begining to take shape. The panels in the frame will all be half-floating – the bottom edge/ends with their tongues floating in the framework grooves and the top end tenoned to the frame. The tenons will be partly wedged through-tenons and partly blind Dominoes.
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010811_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010811_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
All the grooves are 12mm wide and 9mm deep, cut with a large spiral bit in a router with two fences or using a straight edge guide (for in-board grooves). It takes tooooo long with a plough plane.
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010815_edited-1.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010815_edited-1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
All the through mortises are made with a Festool Domino and squared with a chisel. That Domino is a wonder – accurate, fast and no breakout. The tenons will be either 8mm or 10mm depending on their job. The through tenons are cut with the bandsaw and will be wedged whilst the blind tenons will all be dominoes.
<a href=”http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/?action=view¤t=P1010809.jpg” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i466.photobucket.com/albums/rr22/Lataxe/P1010809.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>
Next post – fielding the panels.
Please feel free to ask questions and have a go at my heretical methods. 🙂
Lataxe, wondering if a Gimson spins in its grave at the sound of Dewealt 625 and Festool Domino.
Replies
Yep.. I could use that 3"
Yep.. I could use that 3" thick plank. No problem getting 8/4 when I need it but harder to talk a sawyer into doing the 12/4 without a fist full of $$ in my parts. Hope to see the chest when completed and I have always wanted one. I saw one just like it yesterday at a local flea market for $5 so I may opt to go that route. The fact it was made by a 12 year old boy on his lunch-break at school in the Orient doesn't scare me at all as to the quality or ethics of the work to produce it.! Just kiddin' of course, ha.. ha...
BTW... I thought I was having a bad day yesterday after breaking a 3/8 socket wrench with a 3/4" diameter 24" long pipe over the handle for leverage in an attempt to get the tightest torqued bolt off of a lawn mower blade I have seen in 62 years. I think they added J B Weld to the threads at the factory just to pis* me off. Then the 12' x 9' canvas drop-cloth that I was attempting to dye grey for a photo back-drop that came out somewhere between camouflage and "tie-dye" as the end result.
But.. after patiently waiting for those first 6 Photo Bucket links to open made yesteday mild in comparison. I will get to the other links latter in the day as I have a host of other chores to do around the house and shop as spring has finally arrived here. The pollen hasn't completely burst it's ugly head yet so there are dead-lines to meet to beat everything having a yellowish-green tint to it. :>)
Will be patiently watching the build. And please be sure to carefully point out any link where there is Festool involved so I am sure to see how "Sidney" did that phase of the work. ha.. ha...
In one of those fiesty moods.. could have been the fact I still didn't get the d*mn m mower blade off to put a new one on or the pollen is taking it's toll! Where'd I put that dust mask anyway?
Regards....
Sarge & All
It is a
Sarge & All
It is a terrible thang that you must live in a spot where no one gives you free wood. As you know, there are wood fairies here who bring the stuff in cartloads. All that nice oak was free, free! All I had to do was make a couple of tables for the fairies, using the less-nice bits. :-)
I blame Milton Freidman and them Reaganomics (otherwise known as greedonomics or "shock therapy" as Naomi Klein points out). Here in Blighty lunches are often free, along with the thinking.
Now, those recalcitrant nuts are best removed by swearing blue and issuing violent threats to them. Always they move albeit with reluctance. This spanner-snapping seems all the rage though, as the pedal spanner (for a bicycle pedal) that I have used for 30 years was lent to a cack-handed archer fellow, who immediately managed to snap it! When interrogated closely concerning his procedures it turned out he was hignorant of the fact that one of the pedals always has a left-hand thread........ Cuh!
So, Photobucket is slow for you, eh? Perhaps you are living in the wilds, where there is not only a lack of generous wood fairy but also a 1907 telegraph? Here in Galgate they give us broadband as otherwise the locals would feel slighted and burn down the telephone exchange as a signal of their hurt at being neglected.
Pollen! Unhappily I suffer from tree pollen - birch in particular, which often blows across the sea from Scandinavia by the ton at this time of year. So far not much sign; but any minute now I will be bleedin' from the ears and
[censored by the committee agin gross exudation talk]. It is the trees' revenge for all that wood-murder.*****
I have redsigned that Gimson chest to proper proportions and construction tekneeks. Obviously that Gimson lad got carried away with hisself and went too agrikultural. The final item will be 75cm long X 50cm wide X 60cm high. The floor will be a piece of posh plywood suspended on some crossbeams tenoned floor joist-style into the sides. More heresy. However, all visible surfaces will be finished with drawknife, spokeshave, gouge and handplane.
The difficult part will be the frame & panel lid, which must have a curve in it and will probably be attached with wooden hinges and have a wooden lock-clasp.
At present I am contemplating where I might add some chip carved edges without the thing becoming a dawg's breakfast.
Lataxe, trying to use every tool he has.
Looking good!
What are the approximate dimensions of your Gimson/Barnsley chest?
Good progress, sir. It's going to be a beauty.
It is about time, letting those Marcous go idle whilst slinging arrows at big round targets... o my,,,, whats next golf.
What is the contraption attached to your router, dose it use GPS. What ever it dose I am sure Sarge could have reached into his scrap bin and whipped up something to do the equivalent , go ahead tell me it makes a groove, slot ,dado , rebate or what ever you call it over on the other side.
As for those skkkkkkkkkkkkkkinnnny dove tails on the arched section, better pad the floor around your bench I would hate to make that piece twice should it accidentally fly towards earth.
Looking forward to seeing the progression of your chest, good to see you back in the shop.
Tom
Fruserations and Picatures
Ahhh, we finally see the true opinion that you have of this fine website sir. Do I detect a bit of longing for the good ol days? When posts were posts and you were oblivious to the fact that could be otherwise? Is there a sense of fruseration about posting these picatures? Or is that you have had your fill of Honey Due lists and your pent up need to build a rather large box is showing? Welcome to the real world....
Now that bit of stuff aside, you need a photo editor where you can make your picatures the correc side. I have been using photoshop and can preview a 800kb size that works. Now what I can't seem to do is post a pic and then add verbiage, then post a pic and add veribage.
All said, I am looking forward to further posts about this fine Box. So what is interesting for us who don't have a festoolrattrap machine is what the steps look like when you do use it. Timer function on a tripod will do the trick.
I do wonder how many men it will it take to lift this grand box when complete... esp when filled with coins of the realm!
Keep the posts coming, us lads love it.
Morgan
It's a Toro with a Tecumsem Gofigure. I understand they torque Haiti's out of the blade bolt for whatever reason. I put it on the back of my pick-up around noon and took it down the street to a friends with a impact wrench. I have a compressor but not impact wrench on hand as I don't really need one per se... Well obviously I do on occasion. Niormally a 24" pipe over a bar breaker socket wil suffice but not this bolt as the twisted and broke the socket hex after saturating the bolt with PB Blaster. Go Figure! ha.. ha...
My supplies of free is gone Lataxe. I had plenty of oak from storm downs but used the last about 2 years ago. I prepped 10,000 linear feet of pecan for a cousin and I got 2000 linear feet for my effort but.. I sold the majority of that as I mainly use oak. In lieu of wait for another large storm which I hope doesn't happen.... I;ll just buy as my supplier since 1978 is very reasonable.
BTW.. we have high speed cable nter-net but... just took forever for whatever reason....? Again... go figure as it could have been our server working on the main page or similar. I'll try the remainder latter.
Regards...
Now, those recalcitrant nuts are best removed by swearing blue and issuing violent threats to them... While using a air compressor driven impact wrench!
Lataxe..DZid I 'tick' ya off somewhere or sometime. No reply on my question about the basic dimensions of the chest.. Dang...
And could I ask where you found the basic information on it's construction?
I only ask because my oldest daughter (never askes me for anything?) wants a large chest and I would think that she would just love one like what you are making.
I wonder if I could ever make those long dovetails? To me, they look at least one meter long when viewing your photograph of them.
WillG,
I got carried away boasting about free QSEO to Sarge - but that reply did mention the dimensions you asked for albeit they are in metric, which may be unacceptable in certain states. :-)
The original chest is apparently now ensconced in Rodmartin Manor somewhere in the depths of Angland. I saw its piksher in an A&C book by Mr Rodel and also in one or two books concerning the Barnsleys and Ernest Gimson, the originators of the Cotswold style in furniture. They pinched all their motifs and dekors from the traditional wangles on various Cotswold carts, wains and barns.
I guesesd the construction of the thang, with a little help from various Knotters. I'll be keeping the basic approach but using those power tools to make internal joints whilst the primitive handtools will do all the finishing. Also, there is a certain cavalier attitude in my making, which I have found gets expressed in the finished "look" - roughish edges here and there; some chisel and plane marks, which will remain as "shadows" after the final hand-sand; slightly wonky cuts in the raised panel edges.
No one but thee and me will know the item contains dominoes and a plywood floor. :-)
Lataxe, who has been making tongues with a router and an LN140 skew today.
I guesesd the construction of the thang, with a little help from various Knotters. LOL...
All I neded to know.. Really... You make wonderfull things..
Lataxe:
Really enjoy your posts. Your continued reference to the Festool Domino really got me interested, so I tried one out and just had to have it. Amazing tool. Already I have found many uses. Please keep the posts coming. Not only interesting, but very informative. Between you, Derek and Sarge, I have learned a whole lot more than I ever would have on my own. Have to throw Rob Millard in; because his posts and blogs are second to none; except his terminology is sometimes over my head. Please keep up the good work.
Oak chest
Now this is sure an interesting chest, having never seen this style before your post has my attention. I like the mix of power tool interior and hand-hewn exterior in your methods - very interesting and will watch for up dates as the chest progresses. Maybe you have the ultimate answer to the Post :"What makes a good woodworker" - Having a style named after you!
Robert.
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