Replies

1. 
   bduffin104 | Apr 23, 2010 02:11am | #1

   Could be spring fever

   Danmart,

   I like you work-in-progress pictures. Please keep them coming.

   Did you cut the veneers yourself by resawing?

   Are you working from a plan?

   Do you typically build this sort of "Traditional" period piece?

   What kind of wood?

   ............

   Here is my latest work-in-progress.

   I've been going through my bone pile and pulling out the old glue-lam beams ends and making stuff out of them. First is was my workbench and now this table.

   The cabriolet legs have carved claw and ball feet. Lots of band saw work. I am a novice carver but it"s fun.

   I dry-fit the legs and rails together to see how it was going to look. The block of wood resting on top represents the thickness of the final top, about 2 1/4" thick. All the rails are mortised into the into the legs and the angle blocks are mortised into the rails. The assembly was kind of loose and sloppy until I ran  the lag bolts through the corner blocks and drove them home with my impact driver, then "voila", rock solid.

   It's kind of fun doing "rustic' work. This is going to be an outdoor table next to the BBQ and it is a covered area so it won't typically get wet.  

   I like the proportions but am thinking of adding some band saw scroll work to the bottom of the rails and maybe a small carved area.

   What do you think?

   Bret

   
1. 
   oldusty | Apr 23, 2010 10:10am | #4

   Bret , Hey you are having too much fun with your scraps , there otta be a law against it , the poor lumber yards and all.

                   regards from paradise , dusty

1. 
   bduffin104 | Apr 23, 2010 09:44pm | #6

   Dusty, By using scraps I can still afford to build things for myself. Until I have some paying customers for my shop I'll be keeping my wood budget low. And yes, it is kind of fun cutting up old glue-lams and making things with them.

   Bret

2. 
   RalphBarker | Apr 24, 2010 12:45am | #7

   hefty, hefty

   That's going to be a nice hefty table, Bret. Just my opinion, but I think scroll work on the stretchers would look out of place with the heavy top, and definitely not outdoors-ish.

2. 
   hammer1 | Apr 23, 2010 09:20am | #2

   Wow Dan, that is some beautiful veneer, can't wait to see it buffed up. I don't get to do much in the way of furniture, mostly trimming houses and architectural work. I wanted to post some in progress pictures of the last piece I posted in the gallery but you are limited to 4 pictures. I did take quite a few during the process, not sure if the size is correct for the forum, I'll try a few.

   
1. 
   ring | Apr 23, 2010 11:06am | #5

   some thoughts on your piece

   That's a lovely piece, and I'm not gonna comment further on everything that's right with it, only that it reminded me of a problem that's come up for me and I think it's worth considering.  The beautiful muntin work and division of the glass doors is (IMHO) demeaned by what's inside.  Especially, the heavy lines of the shelf edges which visually cut the door at places that detract from the door itself.  What to do?  Well, several possible solutions come to mind but I don't have a perfect remedy.  Use glass shelves.  Use darkened glass or opaque glass for the door lites.  Design the piece so that the shelves are exactly behind the muntins.  My real point is that when designing such a piece, we makers often don't consider how it will look after it's loaded up with contents.  Maybe it's just me, but the photo of the finished piece would have been stunning if it were empty; this way it's an "almost perfect" piece.  

1. 
   hammer1 | Apr 25, 2010 07:06am | #8

   Thanks for the interest, David. The shelves are adjustable. There is a location that aligns with the muntins but that position may not accomodate whatever goes in the cabinet. I chose the muntin layout based on another piece of furniture in the house. The glass is not plain but it doesn't show in the picture. The straight on shot also doesn't show the perspective or depth of field that you see in person. It's actually difficult to see the shelf edges and since the cabinet isn't at eye level, that issue isn't the same as it would be in other circumstances.

   I've built entertainment centers in the past, wall units as well as stand alone pieces. Technology changes and some of those with spaces made for TVs become obsolete. I wanted this to be a generic cabinet that could be used for other purposes but still fit the items that owner has or may have in the future. We found that the heat generated by all the components in one space was too much and things have moved around. The TV is now on the wall, the DVD player has been replaced with a PS3 and the bookshelf speakers are now a mandolin on the cabinet and a cello on the floor that serve as speaker boxes, I like that idea.

   I've given up waiting for that "patron" that will let me do my thing and spare no expense. There is always that compromise of staying within a budget and meeting a reasonable deadline, you know how that goes. Originally, this was going to be a black lacquer cabinet with an oriental feel, solid doors with antique Chinese hardware. We thought the lacquer would get dinged up and I doubted that an IR receiver would work well with the playstation. The PS3 allows the TV to be used as a computer screen and there is a wireless Blue Tooth mouse and key pad. I like that idea, too. I could get used to visiting Knots from my Lazyboy.

3. 
   RalphBarker | Apr 23, 2010 09:59am | #3

   veneer vs. junk

   Love the look of the veneer, Dan, but what's up with piling junk on top of that classic MG in the background?  ;-)

4. 
   hammer1 | Apr 25, 2010 07:14am | #9

   Hey, Dusty. I cut the glass myself. It doesn't show that the glass is textured, sort of crinkled. Bought one of those carbide glass cutters which worked great. I didn't think about those miters until you mentioned it, 144 on those 2 doors. I seldom use my Lion trimmer but it was perfect for those stops. Thanks for the comments.