More tool cabinet progress photos

4/22/08, 10:48 PM #1

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA
Guest

More tool cabinet progress photos

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Hello Everyone,

Here are some more photos showing where I stand with my tool cabinet project.

I finished the glue up a couple weeks ago, then installed hardwood inserts at the mitered corners. This is a trick I picked up from an old copy of "Woodsmith". It helps to make the mitered corners look cleaner. After I completed that, I built a dovetail spline jig using an idea I saw in "Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton.

After I completed the jig, I cut the dovetail splines, then I milled up some walnut for the dovetail "keys". These were then installed with glue, allowed to dry, flush cut with a saw, then planed flush with a LA block plane.

I also made up a jig to help me get the drilling for the shelf support pegs as perfectly spaced as possible. I just used a piece of 1/4" hardboard and cut it to the width and height of the piece where the holes were to be drilled. I made some reference marks to make sure I always kept the correct orientation, and then drilled holes in it with the correct spacing. I then just clamped it in place and used a drill bit with a depth stop. If you notice, the side where the plane till will be (the side without the shelves installed) also received a set of holes. This is just in case I find that the plane till is not working out and that I want a cabinet totally comprised of shelves.

I milled up the lumber for the drawers last night and will hopefully be able to finish them this weekend. After that, I'm on to working on the doors.

See ya around,

My ugly mug

Dominic

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/23/08, 1:31 AM #2

Tom Colligan
Carpenter
Offline
266 posts

Registered: 1/7/05

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

Tom Colligan

>Real nice work, Dom; can't wait to see it finished. I thought of you as a hard core turner. How do you compare flat work vs. turning for your pleasure? Tom

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/23/08, 2:10 AM #3

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA
Guest

Turning vs hand tools

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Tom,

Yeah, a couple years back I was a "hard core turner". But I still had time for hand tools now and again. After my daughter arrived, I found that I needed some quite way to work in my wood shop. And I kept wanting to make more than just turned items. I got into wood working out of a love of creating furniture. So it just seemed natural to focus more on hand tools.

That being said, I still love to pick up a nice chunk of log and rough turn a couple bowls now and again! it's very therapeutic.

See ya around,

Dominic

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/23/08, 5:14 AM #4

Alan DuBoff
Guest

Nice looking cabinet!

Alan DuBoff

>

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/23/08, 4:33 PM #5

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA
Master Craftsman
Offline
3,699 posts

Registered: 1/5/04

Looking good Dom!

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Boy o' boy, it's comming along well. Killing a few 'lectrons I see 8^)

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/23/08, 5:09 PM #6

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA
Guest

Re: Looking good Dom!

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Thanks man!

Yeah, I had to restort to using my router for cutting the splines. I wish I had been as confident with my sawing and chiseling skills so that I could have pulled off doing most of the work by hand. But after SEVERLY messing up a mock up, I decided to use the "tailed" router and damn the consequences.

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/23/08, 9:25 PM #7

Jack Guzman from Maine
Master Craftsman
Offline
3,329 posts

Registered: 5/9/04

Re: Looking good Dom!

Jack Guzman from Maine

>That cabinet is going to be a beauty. Nice work. About your r***er operations.Some operations are easier to perform with power. Box joints for example would be pretty hard to do by hand. I think just about everyone here with a few exceptions use a combination of power and hand tools.I do all my dovetails by hand and most mortise and tenon work. When I need to drill holes for hinges I grab the eggbeater.I don't have any power tools near my bench,but sometimes a power tool just makes more sense.I would probably attempt hand cutting those corner dovetails,but that's just because I dislike jigs and routers intimidate me. Also if hand cutting didn't work out I'd most likely change the way I joined the corners.Make sure you show pictures of the completed cabinet.---Jack

- - -

I am a carpenter by trade.Also a handyman/Jack -of-all-trades.I work around my neighborhood mostly helping people keep up their old houses.I have a fairly large woodworking shop in my house where I work with both hand and power tools. At the moment I'm focusing on Windsor chairs building.I will build most anything if needed. I'm always learning,adapting,changing trying to broaden my woodworking skills.I work mostly with hand tools in my shop but will use power if it is a better way to get the desired result. My wife,Donna,and I live in the woods of Maine with our dogs,cats,and birds. We have 5 grown kids and six grandchildren. Woodcentral has been central to my growth as a woodworker. I pass through this place every day.

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/29/08, 12:24 AM #8

Chris Friesen
Guest

Re: Looking good Dom!

Chris Friesen

>Just curious why box joints would be harder to cut than dovetails, since they're basically just zero-angle dovetails.

I suspect that any slight variation from perfect would be easier to see, but the actual cutting would be identical, no?

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/29/08, 1:25 AM #9

Jack Guzman from Maine
Master Craftsman
Offline
3,329 posts

Registered: 5/9/04

Re: Looking good Dom!

Jack Guzman from Maine

>Box joints would be tedious to do by hand,in my mind.They're small and there are usually more of them than there are dovetails in a joint.I'm sure you could find a way to get good accurate results with box joints by hand but my point was it is a joint that is much easier to execute with machinery. How would you do it by hand?---Jack

- - -

I am a carpenter by trade.Also a handyman/Jack -of-all-trades.I work around my neighborhood mostly helping people keep up their old houses.I have a fairly large woodworking shop in my house where I work with both hand and power tools. At the moment I'm focusing on Windsor chairs building.I will build most anything if needed. I'm always learning,adapting,changing trying to broaden my woodworking skills.I work mostly with hand tools in my shop but will use power if it is a better way to get the desired result. My wife,Donna,and I live in the woods of Maine with our dogs,cats,and birds. We have 5 grown kids and six grandchildren. Woodcentral has been central to my growth as a woodworker. I pass through this place every day.

Re: More tool cabinet progress photos

4/30/08, 11:59 AM #10

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA
Guest

The dovetails won

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Well, about the box joints,......I was on the fence about using them. I figured that since the sides of the cabinet had dovetail splines, why not echo that joinery thoughout the entire cabinet?

I had to stay home yesterday to take delivery of a new clothes dryer and I decided to use the time and used my Leigh Jig to cut through dovetails for the drawers. I also milled up all the wood for the box style doors and used the dovetail jig on them as well. I got nice clean looking dovetails and I'm pretty happy with the results.

However, I have GOT to learn how to cut dovetails by hand! The noise was unbearable, I'm still coughing up dust, and the clean up took too long! After this project is completed, I'm going to be practicing my sawing a parring skills.

See ya around,

Dominic

More tool cabinet progress photos

Posts