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Alternate Challenge Machinist Chest

7K views 37 replies 10 participants last post by  frankp 
#1 ·
I decided to go with reclaimed wormy american chestnut panels with ebony pulls and a boiled linseed oil finish.I may do the drawers in poplar to lend contrast..opinions?

I started by reading the entire article 10 times so as to get a real good idea of the build process the author is offering. As for the build design I really cant say as I approve but if we are staying with the joinery called for I will follow it.

But I will state now that I dont like:
1. The rabbit joint that holds the top and back on....as this chest is small and the handle is on the top it would lead to idea that it could be picked up from the handle but I just dont see a few brads and spot gluing holding the lid board on....my handles will be on either side.
2.drawer divider panel seems to just float at the front edge...seems to me that this would be a good place to warp and/or promote a vibration (the slide action being wood on wood) that would over time cause a failure.
I think that by shrinking the bottom drawer hieght 1/4 inch I could install a 1/4 inch guide frame just under the divider and lend support to whole cabinet as the till front rail is the only thing to keep the front from racking when open...any thoughts on this are welcome

I started with:

now I dont usually do this and dont recommend it at all but I cut the entire cabinet cut list at once. the reason being that I have enough wood to cover it and I wanted to see just how close it is to right. I left most of the parts oversized by a 1/4 and did refigure the face side to allow for portruding knobs. 7 pieces resized in all.
till panel
case sides(2)
case bottom
lid sides(2)
lid panel
just added 3/8 to the width
what I have so far is the case cuts scraped and sanded


to be continued

took me longer to type this then it did to do it...LMAO
 
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#32 · (Edited)
okay guys Im back...actually Ive been done a few days but really hate typing.

I was gonna go with poplar one the drawers but poplar really doesn't "say" anything...kinda bland...so I went to my old stand by pine


I didnt like the drawer sizes so I changed them up just a tad

after cutting everything to size I started to think about the drawer bottoms and what to use for them when a glint from the far corner caught my eye...I have some sheets of aluminum plate that have been there years...time to use some of it

with that choice made I cut my dados and rabbit om the drawer parts

assembly was really easy with the rabbits....

while the glue dries I will take these piano keys make some knobs

scrape off all the black paint to expose the ebony...make a few cuts on the band saw and I got these

now to mark the drawers so I can get them on straight

after drilling the holes in the right places I needed to sand those pencil lines off

putting the knobs on....that green on the side of the drawer is apple scented wax....the only wax I could find was the wifes christmas candle...oh well...looks like christmas just got a tad darker

here is the first look at the drawer layout

and here she is with 2 coats of BLO on.....may thin some poly onto it but I kinda like the way it has an old look to it....
 
#33 ·
I'm gonna let whoever gets it for Christmas finish the inside in whatever color they want and choose the brass handles or wood handles or maybe no handles...who knows but I don't want to poke any unnecessary holes in it......

Thanks for looking

tools:
tablesaw
bandsaw
dado blade
scraper
planes
belt sander
chisels
masking tape
tape measure
TB1 TB3
brad gun
3/4" brads
3/8" brass screws
mallet
phillips screwdriver
squares
straight edge
router table
router bits. 1/4 straight 1/4 box.. 1/2 cove
dovetail saw
marking gauge

all I can think of right now
 
#37 ·
Lawrence, this is awesome. I love the fact that you changed the drawer layout. I'm also in love with the way you mixed up materials and used up some old stuf that was in your shop. Awesome job and some great work. I'm glad to see that you are feeling a little better and that you were able to get back into the shop. Well done good sir. Well done.
 
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