Interior table framing

Re: Interior table framing

Wiley Horne

Drawer fronts are fabulous! I see rock strata. Terrific job.

Wiley

Re: Very Gneiss 

Re: Interior table framing

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The joinery is "good enough" grade. But when it comes to lumber selection I spend a lot of time considering possibilities. I sorted through 400 bdft of walnut, three times, to select the 2 planks for the top and something interesting for the drawer fronts.

On the fronts I went from excited to disappointed to satisfied. Daughter, the artist, declared that she likes it. I have an idea for a finger pull. Need to see if I can make 4 that look similar. Carving is not something I am good at.

ACTUALLY NOT

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

It seems to be some sort of metamorphized mud stone. It is not a very gneiss rock at all

Re: Interior table framing

Oskar

Thanks Bill for sharing. As always good pictures and explanations.

Your accent... *LINK*

Jim Matthews

Gneiss is pronounced "Noice!"


https://youtu.be/9fL5nAVGRkw

Re: Interior table framing

John in NM

Carving isn't so bad - you just do what you did with wood selection, commit a huge amount of time to getting it to look just right.

You are inevitably disappointed with the results at an intermediate stage, and then once you get used to it not quite looking as you imagined, you declare it satisfactory. Everyone else (like the client) is impressed by the results - they didn't have the interim disappointment because they didn't have an ideal vision in their mind that the result didn't quite meet.

Or more simply, treat the "wasted" pulls or knobs that are made and tossed as unacceptable like you would the time you spent selecting wood - part of the price of getting it right. After a while it gets vastly easier and few are wasted.

Re: Interior table framing

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I have been searching for where I put the "practice and duplicate" pulls for previous projects. I found the 20 turned "Shaker" knobs remaining after selecting 4 that were about the same. Then I found the dozen +/- rejected small knobs that were made for the spice boxes. All examples of the process you described.

I have no idea where the rejects are from desk I made some years ago. Unfortunate because daughter declared she wanted a variant of them and I can't remember how I made them- part machine and part hand shaped.

I'm on REV 5 and looking better....

daughter didn't like REV 5, back to square 1

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Now I see why someone advocated to choose the hardware first and work backwards on design. I'm done except for 4 tiny pulls.

Re: Interior table framing

Hank Knight

Beautiful table, Bill. Elegant, especially since the frame is necessarily stout to carry the the weight of the rock. I'll bet it's heavy. Very nice piece.

Re: daughter didn't like REV 5, back to square 1

Sgian Dubh

"Now I see why someone advocated to choose the hardware first and work backwards on design. I'm done except for 4 tiny pulls.

I think that would have been me, Bill. I can't recall for sure where I heard it, but I think it was Rupert Williamson who said it back in the late 70s or early 80s during a talk as a visiting lecturer to the course I was on. He's a quite well known furniture maker here in the UK.

I've always interpreted the guidance along the lines of ensuring that consideration of pulls or handles is an integral part of the design process rather than as an afterthought. In other words, don't build the piece until you've decided how doors, drawers, etc are to be opened and closed. After all, visible pulls are generally very much on show.

In your case, my first thoughts are that those drawer fronts need no further adornment, and that a method to open them that doesn't require pulls would be aesthetically attractive. I suspect it's too late for that, so perhaps a pull that's not visually too intrusive might be the best bet. Perhaps something that curves down slightly to provide a grip, and fixes to a recess in the the top edge of the drawers, or something slim and tear drop shaped in profile at the outer extremity that's orientated vertically on the drawer front to approximately match the grain orientation. Slainte.

comment

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Perhaps something that curves down slightly to provide a grip, and fixes to a recess in the the top edge of the drawer, this was the plan from the start. Rev 5 was a version of such a pull but daughter preferred a different shape. They are done but finish not cured yet. Went with walnut finger pull to largely avoid contrast that would set off the pull. The pulls will be located at the top of the drawer where they will largely disappear under the substantial overhand she requested. She is the art major and I don't second guess her decisions

I partially follow the hardware first rule in that I have an idea of the kind of knob/pull I intend to use. But I can not vision details till I have the piece done. For example....

I knew I wanted a drop or bail pull for this drawer. But until I had the drawer decorated I could not have visioned that this Period reproduction pull would be at home in this pattern. Period correct...not by a long shot. In fact the purveyor of the hardware recoiled at the ideal of mixing these historical furniture periods.

Have her pick what she wants

Clint Searl

Many online sources. Make it her problem.

Re: comment

Sgian Dubh

"Period correct...not by a long shot. In fact the purveyor of the hardware recoiled at the ideal of mixing these historical furniture periods."

Well, the pulls you've chosen rather neatly match the curves that link the berry inlays, so a good choice in my opinion.

I'm not aware of a 'rule' that says you can only match Georgian hardware with Georgian furniture styling, for instance.

I can't quite imagine a hardware dealer being so sensitive about the issue that a bit of mixing and matching of historical styles could bring him or her out in a rash or developing a case of the vapours - seems a bit precious to me, ha, ha. Slainte.

Re: I think ...

Hank Knight

I think something simple and linear would look nice on that piece. How about something like this:

she did

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

sent me a drawing of what to make out of wood with dimensions.

Re: I think ...

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I like that pull. How do you suppose one cuts the slot for the rectangular prism black part?

Re: I think ...

Bruce, a MN Galoot

Slot/wing cutter on a router table.

Two passes over a flat top kerf rip blade.

Re: I think ...

Sgian Dubh

"I like that pull. How do you suppose one cuts the slot for the rectangular prism black part?"

In general appearance it's similar to one I described earlier in this thread - I used the descriptor teardrop shape, I think.

But to answer your question ... plunge router, straight cutter, and either a side fence or a straight edge, (or guide bush plus/and/or housing [dado] type guide) plus a bench chisel to square the corners. I'd also prefer it if the black part of the pull was notched at either end plus a small rebate on both long faces of it in order to hide the router cut mortice or slot. Once the pull was fitted I'd probably just screw it in place from the back, although it could also be glued (and screwed). Slainte.

Questioning how it was made

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

As I studied this design some more I realized I may have made a false assumption of how it was made.

Slotted cylinder over the rectangular prism. Difficult to cut a slot in a cylinder. I would probably cut the slot and then turn the cylinder from the slotted blank.

Cylinder inset into the rectangular prism. This may be how the illustrated pull was made? In any case this approach would be easy. Turn cylinder, hand plane a flat , trim to exact length with shooting plane, glue it into the mating piece.

I don't like the contrasting wood. In general I don't like mixed wood in furniture.

If I ever use this design it will be made from one species and I will taper the cylinder at the ends.

Re: Questioning how it was made

Sgian Dubh

Ah, sorry Bill. I now realise you were asking how the pull was made, not how to fit it. Silly me.

I'd think it would be something along the lines of fixing shortish lengths of the oak dowel into a jig or fixture and running a groove, perhaps with a spindle moulder or router, then cutting to final length and gluing into place. Slainte.

Re: Interior table framing

Darrell LaRue

Awesome work.

And right when I needed to see that.

I'm making a small table with a pair of drawers, so this is exactly the kind of joinery & construction I was looking for.

Darrell

alternative

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Instead of attaching drawer runners to bottom of divider it is common to have the runner M&T into the front and back rails. This option is better for a large drawer. If you choose this option be aware that the locations needs to be perfect for the drawer to set flush with the front of the frame.