Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 1:48 AM #1

Tom Deyette
Guest

Well I finally did it (Part One)..

Tom Deyette

>I made this jewelry chest as a Christmas gift for LOML. It is constructed using solid black walnut and black walnut plywood. Plans are from Wood Smith magazine issue 106. Measurements are approximately 40-1/2� tall x 18� wide x 12� deep.

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 1:49 AM #2

Tom Deyette
Guest

Re: Well I finally did it (Part two)..

Tom Deyette

>This was a fun project.

My first challenge was to find 3� black walnut stock for the Cabriole legs. I could have used glue-ups for the blanks however I wanted this chest to be special so I opted for the solid stock. I e-mailed and checked with many different local and not so local suppliers and finally found Adirondack Hardwoods in Saranac, NY had the 3� walnut in stock. They also ordered me a sheet of �� black walnut plywood. I scheduled a � day vacation from work and took a road trip to Adirondack Hardwoods. Owner Hal Moore greeted me and directed me to a large building that houses some of his hardwoods. He told me to take my time and select what I wanted. Just like a kid in a candy store I looked through thousands of BF of quality hardwoods.

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 1:51 AM #3

Tom Deyette
Guest

Re: Well I finally did it (Part three)..

Tom Deyette

>While sanding the edge banding, I learned how thin the veneer really is on the plywood after blowing through it with my random orbital sander. Luckily I had extra plywood so I made a new panel and took my time sanding from then on. Drawers were made using an edge rabbit joint as per the plan. The drawers are plenty strong but if I were to do it again I would have opted for dovetails or box joints for added aesthetics.

This was my first attempt at making Cabriole legs and I must say that I spent a good deal of the total project time working on them.

I had posted some finishing questions earlier (dealing with cold weather and finishing in the house) so this is what I ended up with. I sanded to 220 and applied a coat of BLO. I then applied a coat of 1 pound cut orange shellac followed by several coats of water based polyurethane (satin Ceramithane from Highland Hardware). I chose this finish because I had to apply it in the basement and wanted to avoid volatile fumes.

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 1:52 AM #4

Tom Deyette
Guest

Re: Well I finally did it (Part three)..

Tom Deyette

>Drawer liners were made using blue foam as a base. 6 drawers received a �� thick base and 3 received 1� thick base with table saw cut groves to hold rings. The bases were all coated with spray adhesive then covered with crush velvet cloth, which I purchased at the local Wal-Mart.

As a final note, as I said I gave the chest to LOML as a Christmas gift. It was the last gift she opened. Needless to say she was ecstatic with the chest. We have been dating for 9 years and as it turns out, the chest had 9 drawers, so I placed a diamond engagement ring in the 9th drawer. This REALLY surprised her and among tears of joy she said YES! (The rings in this photo are some of her �old� rings, once she got the diamond on her finger she would not take if off for a photo :^))

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 1:59 AM #5

Tom Deyette
Guest

sorry .. wrong message board

Tom Deyette

>....thanks for looking though. I re-posted on the main message board

Tom

PS: Remove [*] for e-mail

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 3:13 AM #6

Greg
Member
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83 posts

Registered: 1/2/04

Re: sorry .. wrong message board

Greg

>Tom,

Thanks for posting. It's gorgeous! I was just wondering how you turned it, though. :-)

- - -

I am always on the hunt for ephemera. It can be pictures, legal document, diplomas, manuals, personal letters and anything else that shows up. I try not to keep any of my finds. I read them, enjoy them, and then look for a permanent home. I have donated to museums, schools, fraternal organizations and even to the Weyerheauser Company. My finds are distributed here in the Pacific Northwest, but also California, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Connecticut. Helpful hint: Just about every county in the country has a museum of some sort. They are usually thrilled to receive items that reflect their history and culture. I recently had in my possession a personal letter from February,1946, that had been addressed from one APO (army post office) to another. Stamped on the face was "Return to Sender, Undeliverable Address". I had found it at an estate sale, presumably at the home of the person who originally sent the letter. I have no idea why the letter was kept all these years, but it had never been opened. I opened it and read it at home. It was written by an American woman who worked as a civilian for the U.S. government in post-war Offenhut, Germany. She had sent it to another American woman who was doing a similar job in Shanhghai, China. The letter was newsy and informative about the hardships of living in a bombed out country. No doubt the conditions in Shanghai were no better. I had no great expectations of success, but I googled the name of the intended recipient. The woman's first name is uncommon, and I came upon a woman of that name who had gotten married in California in 1947, the year after the letter was sent. Further, the letter had stated that the two women had worked together for the O.N.I. (Office of Naval Intelligence?) in San Francisco during the war, so California made sense. So I had the woman's current name, or at least it was current 64 years ago. More digging revealed that there is a couple living in the same California town as where the marriage took place. He is 97 and she is 91. (It's amazing what the internet can divulge.) I got the phone number and called. The husband answered. I introduced myself and told him I was looking for a woman and mentioned her maiden name. He said yes, that was his wife's maiden name. Then I said the woman I was looking for had worked in Shanghai after the war. He said, yes, his wife had worked in China. WOW, I had hit paydirt. We didn't talk for long, but he was enthused about receiving the letter, and I mailed it the next day. He promised to write back after the letter arrived. It has been just over a week, so I am eagerly waiting for his return letter. Hopefully it will take less than 65 years to get here. Greg

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 3:35 AM #7

Dave Peebles Lyons,Ohio
Guest

No problem Tom

Dave Peebles Lyons,Ohio

>Even though you posted it on the round side... It is still a beauty!!

Thanks,

Dave

Re: Well I finally did it (Part One)..

1/13/04, 1:29 PM #8

Tom Deyette (Hudson Falls, NY)
Guest

if its any consolation....

Tom Deyette (Hudson Falls, NY)

>....I did turn the brass "washers" or handle skirts located on the drawer faces using the metal lathe we have here at work....;^))

Take care....Tom

Well I finally did it (Part One)..

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