Work in Progress - Woodworking Talk

Robert M. · 10-31-2007, 10:18 PM

I am in the process of making a Cedar/Hope/Blanket chest for the LOML's grandauthers Wedding. The wood is sapele. It is 41" wide, 17" tall, and 20"deep. The front, back sides and corners are all half lap joinery. The top will tounge and groove. This is the biggest project I have taken on, and the most important. I sure don't want to mess it up. So far, all the errors I have made can be corrected. Comments, critiques or whatever welcome.

**TexasTimbers** · 11-01-2007, 11:32 AM

I have worked with Sapele building humidors so I do not have any large panel experience with it, and I always used quartersawn anyway because I liked the "ribbon" effect it gives that way.

Flatsawn Sapele which is not an extremely stable wood even after kiln dried. I would really consider the construction of that top carefully. You might use a floating breadboard design. We have had a debate about the need for a breadboard design here before.

I don't autoimatically think it is necesary but with Sapele which does not move like some wood but is certainly not one of the more stable woods on the planet it is worth considering.

Hopefully we have someone here who has worked with it on a large scale and has the benefit of experience to see how it performed over the period of a year or more. I know if it was me and i couldn't find out for sure from someone who has worked with it on a large scale like that I would use a floating breadboard design so the top would not twist and warp.

Alternate your grain orientation on the T&G part of the top and make sure no pith is present.