Happyness is .......

[DaveL]

Finding that there are more boards of cherry in the roof space you had forgotten about.

I have got back to a project I started about a decade ago, its a desk for the LOML, she is very understanding about the need to do other things first. I have got a good deal of the timber ready for the build so I will post pictures as it progresses.

 

[Mike G]

Happyness is............
























........spelled with an "i"

Excellent find, Dave. I think cherry is just about the only native hardwood i haven't worked with so I'll be interested to see how this goes.

 

[AndyP]

Looking forward to it Dave. Do you have a plan or sketch that you can wet our appetite with?

 

[Rod]

Should be well seasoned?

Rod

 

[Pinch]

Happiness is...

...travelling back home from a job feeling parched but all the drink has gone and you're too tired to pull in and buy some, when suddenly you remember... you have some cut melon in your cool box beside you - just the job!

Great stuff Dave!

 

[Froggy]

I love working with Cherry. I mostly use Oak (and generally prefer that as a finished product) but actually working with Cherry is much more pleasant than Oak. Looking forward to your WIP Dave.

 

[DaveL]

So here are some bits from those boards, I have cut them down, planed and thicknessed them for the tray that will hold the keyboard.

I used a few biscuits to help with the alinement, glued with TB3.

I cut the ends off using a nice hand panel saw and the shot them with my favorite hand plane the veritas bevel up jack. The cherry is nice to work, not as hard as the oak used on my last large project, giving nice end grain shavings.

 

[chataigner]

I love working with Cherry. I mostly use Oak (and generally prefer that as a finished product) but actually working with Cherry is much more pleasant than Oak. Looking forward to your WIP Dave.

Like you, I've tended to work in local oak, but I do like cherry. This project looks promising - more pics pls !

 

[DaveL]

There was a request for a picture of what I am trying to make, well here is a grab from Fine Woodworking, July/August 2003

desk by DaveL_, on Flickr
I have made the 3 panels that form the cabinet, that was all I had got done back in 2004, well I had cut the bits, I glued them up a few weeks ago. I now have got the pull out keyboard tray ready for finishing and have been working on the pull out surface that its above the drawers.

desk-parts by DaveL_, on Flickr
Having got the main boards glued up, I thought I would machine up the sliding dovetail for the bread board ends. I carefully routed a slot to remove some of the waste to make the load on the dovetail cutter a bit lighter, got just over half way on the first board and things got very odd. I could not get the board to move further along on the router table, I then tried backing up, thinking the slot had filled with the chips from the cutter. I could only move it back about 3", then there was that burning smell that I dread when routing. I stopped the router. With the power off I checked the slot from the end, lot of dust in the slot, I then realised I could lift the stock up from the table, at this point I thought stuff it, I have broken the cutter. :evil: I then found that the cutter had raise in the collet. I raised the collet up and released the cutter, very brown shank under the carbide, but the cutter was still in one piece. :eusa-pray:
The board has an over depth dovetail in part of it.
I cleaned the cutter up and decided I would stop before I broke or ruined something. I will check the damage tomorrow and hope to continue with the build.
I am trying to get all of the smaller parts cut to at least rough size as once I glue the panels together for the cabinet it will take up most of the walking about space in the shop.

 

[Mike G]

...........I have made the 3 panels that form the cabinet, that was all I had got done back in 2004, ..........

It's really important that timber is acclimatised to the environment in which it is going to stay. Are you sure you aren't rushing things a bit with this?

 

[DaveL]

I am taking it steady, I don't want to break into a sweat and spoil the finish. :lol:

 

[DaveL]

So back to the sliding dove tails this morning. The board I was working on yesterday has been consigned to the designer fire wood pile, might be able to salvage a little bit for odd things but the slot is shot.
So machined up a new bit, cut the groove, and then with the dove tail bit very securely tightened in the collet, I managed to machine the 2 boards without incident.
Next I had to cut the tail on the glued up boards. I did not touch the router, figuring if I left the height as it was the resulting tail should match the groove. I reset the fence, best guestiment, selected a bit of scrap the same thickness as the panel and ran it passed the cutter, twice, once on each side. The result was much too wide, so I moved the fence and repeated the process, 4 iterations later I had a good fit.
I machined a tail on the prepared end of the board, fitted the bread board end on and then ran that against the fence on the table saw to get the other end of the board prepared, here is the result.

Needs trimming to width and a sand, should be a good fit.
There was nothing for it but to glue up the cabinet.

Not enough clamps of the right size, had major over hangs all round, could also have used more hands, I still think Zaphod had the right idea.
About to go and remove the clamps to see if its the right shape to continue working on.

 

[AndyP]

Dave,
Thanks for posting the picture. This should like good. Hats off to you for working in such a confined space too.

 

[DaveL]

Hats off to you for working in such a confined space too.

Andy, I have too much stuff that might be useful, caught this from Dad, who makes me look like an amateur when it comes to hording things. I have had a bit of a clear out, but still have a way to go.
I have now managed to loose the remote control buttons for dust collector and air filter. [emoji31]

 

[RogerS]

....
I have now managed to loose the remote control buttons for dust collector and air filter. [emoji31]

I used my glue gun to glue one of those small carabiner type fixings which clips onto the belt strap on my trousers. I also have a rare-earth magnet attached to the underside of the air recirculator which is right by the door. Then at night I simply unclip and stick it onto the magnet so it's there ready for me the next day.

 

[DaveL]

The buttons are still lurking in an unknown place somewhere in the shop, I have find another remote unit and have put that on the dust collector. It has driven me mad looking for them.[emoji79]
I have made some progress withe the desk. I have cut and banded the packing for the drawer mounts. I have cut the tapers on the 2 legs, along with the mortises for the side rail. No pictures today but I should have some tomorrow.

 

[DaveL]

The buttons are still lost. [emoji31]

I have found that I bought the wrong screws to fix the hinges on, having cut the mortises for the hinges on the cover flap.

I have a box of No4s and I need No6s.
I have cut the mortise and tenons for the leg frame, needs a sand and then some glue.

I have started on the bifold doors that cover the drawers, machined most of the stock to size, cut the molding on it and got the frame for one dry fitted and then found that I have miss measured.

The doors are meant to be 11 1/2" wide, better this way than too sort.

 

[Phil]

The doors are meant to be 11 1/2" wide, better this way than too sort.

You need to move to metric measuring. So much easier.

Still measure twice cut once but all in mm's.

Cheers
Phil