Wood 'n' Soul

Today was a good day for getting lots done on this project.

Here is a picture of the face frame, doors and drawer fronts laid out. The near door front has no finishing on it, nor do the three drawer fronts in the back, which accounts for the difference in color and tone. They will all look alike when I get done.

I worked on the carcase today. I got most of it final cut and only have a few more to do, then I’ll start putting the dados and rabbets in for the walls. I’ll also cut out some of the plywood in the back to make it easier to install.
Finish carcase cutting tomorrow - I’ll also start on the drawers tomorrow - probably in the after noon.

Boy was it cold today!! Or at least for here in wine country. Rainy too. And more tomorrow.

I cleaned my shop this morning first thing - which I like to do after a finish a job. Kind of a fresh start. It seems to clear my mind, and put a finshing touch to the delivered project and a clean start to the next.

There is something both exciting and just touch melancholy when a project leaves my shop. Exciting because someone will have a beautiful piece of furniture or cabinetry to enjoy, and the project has been accomplished, and a teeny bit melancholy to see a friend leave, a chapter close.

I got out the face-frame, doors and drawers for the bath cabinets of Leopard Wood and Mahogany.

I did final cuts on the doors and drawers. They now have a rounded bevel edge as well. I have this really cool little plane that has a concave face. It is as fast or faster than routing or shaping a rounded edge AND, with a wood like Leopard Wood, tear-out is minimized to nothing! There is something about planing that makes one, or me at least, feel very in touch with the wood and the project.

I'll have some pix tomorrow - a bit on the slow side today. Must be the rain.

I'm building some really fun bathroom cabinets for some great folks in Sonoma County. The panels and drawer fronts are of Leopard Wood and the face frame is Mahogany.

Here are a couple of recent construction pix.

My assistant is one of my sons - the elder. He has a small shop, with his younger brother, in a corner of mine.

This is the project that we'll be following for the next few days. It is turning into a really beuatiful set of cabs!!

The long door is 60' long [the top part of an 8' high closer door] and made up of three pieces edge glued. All of the door panels for all of the cabinets in this project are made up the same way. All joints are hand jointed using my hand planes - I don't think it takes any longer this way than using a power joiner.

Well - I'm part of the greater blogosphere.

This blog is a bit of a rarity it seems - it is about making fine wood furniture and cabinets. I can't find much about such things on the net - if anyone reads this and knows of other blogs like this, let me know.

This blog is for my clients, friends and anyone else interested in making beautiful furniture and cabinets of wood. It is a passion and a dream.

I started, as most of us do, working with my Dad - building furniture, toys and such. I guess I really started working in earnest with him when I was about 7 or 8 - or about 50 years ago. I remember well the first "real" piece we did together - a chest of drawers for my brother and I. We had that for a long time - until we got separate bedrooms, then my brother got it for his bedroom. My Dad and I made a desk, chest of drawers and blanket chest for my bedroom.

He did a lot of his work on a ShopSmith. A good deal of my work is done with hand tools, though I'm a total Festool guy as well. I use what ever does the best job the quickest.

I just finished an armoire today for a young man, 2 1/2 years old. He thought the best part was the closet where he could go hide - I just wish I could fit in!!

This armoire is made of Red Oak with Granadillo pulls. It is about 36"w X 42"h X 16"d. The drawers have nice hand-cut half-blind dovetails. The frame is mortise and tenon construction. The finish is hand rubbed and polished to a nice satiny gloss. My guess is that this young man's grandchildren will will it to their children... or at least I hope so.

Tomorrow it is back to work on the Leopard Wood and Mahogany bath cabinets.