Latest blanket chest in progress

[Jerome B]

Jumping up and down with excitement no more mortises. Yeay!! Stiles are all in. Not all of them are pretty, but they are all in there. I didn't quite get my technique down until the last three. I decided that I didn't need anymore practice.



Jerome

[nelsone]

Looks good Jerome! What are the extra rails for in the 1st pic?

[Jerome B]

The extra rail is a bottom rail hat gets shaped to include a third foot that is centered in the middle. It also serves as a base for the drawer.
Here is a view of what it will look like. I will start shaping the bottom rail tomorrow.

Originally Posted by nelsone

Looks good Jerome! What are the extra rails for in the 1st pic?

Jerome B

[jeff...]

I think I'm looking at ERC (Eastern Red Cedar) but can't be for sure because some of it looks like black walnut - is there two different kinds of wood there??? If so that's ERC is a very challenging wood to M&T without a bunch of unsuspected splitting - great work it shows a lot of due diligence and skill on your behalf.

[nelsone]

Eagerly awaiting the next update!

You're not going to be like me and take weeks between updates are you!

[Jerome B]

Originally Posted by nelsone

Eagerly awaiting the next update!

You're not going to be like me and take weeks between updates are you!

Here is the latest update of the chest.


I probably won't get to do any more work on the chest for a couple of weeks.
I'll be at the Soc. American Period Furniture makers until Sunday. And then huba huba silage cutting time. We will probably be cutting silage for the next 2 weeks. Yuck. Don't ask me how many acres probably around 100. I bet the temp will be around that too. Did I say yuck already.


Jerome

[4yanks]

Great work Jerome. I am in awe.

[Travis Porter]

Is that a Powermatic 3520B I see? That is definitely not a hand tool. Where is the treadle lathe?

I might be game for doing the group blanket chest if I ever finish a set of cabinets and another project.

[Jerome B]

I like my hand tools, but I'm not crazy. Besides I tried making a treadle lathe and ended up making the biggest mess that the world has ever seen. It's a 3520A and the sad part is that I have had it for about three years and I have barely used it.

Some time in the next month or so I need to redo my traveling bench. It is a cross between a Nicholson and a French bench, it comes apart easily for easy transport and is cheap. I'll be tarting from scratch with hand tools. It should take a day or two to build. (yes even with hand tools) and it is a good warm up to building something more refined.

I was thinking of proposing that as a group project. I thought that it would allow folks to figure out what skills they needed to hone and it would be much less intimidating than something that is suppose to look purdy.

What do you think?

Jerome

Originally Posted by Travis Porter

Is that a Powermatic 3520B I see? That is definitely not a hand tool. Where is the treadle lathe?

I might be game for doing the group blanket chest if I ever finish a set of cabinets and another project.

[Travis Porter]

I am game and would be willing to host a session. I have been (and still am) a power tool junkie, but I am using more and more hand tools and learning the nuances and little tricks is key IMO. It is always fun to share knowledge in either direction.

[sapwood]

Originally Posted by Jerome B

Some time in the next month or so I need to redo my traveling bench. It is a cross between a Nicholson and a French bench, it comes apart easily for easy transport and is cheap. I'll be tarting from scratch with hand tools. It should take a day or two to build. (yes even with hand tools) and it is a good warm up to building something more refined.

I was thinking of proposing that as a group project. I thought that it would allow folks to figure out what skills they needed to hone and it would be much less intimidating than something that is suppose to look purdy.

What do you think?

Jerome

I'm interested.
You mean like this:


or this?



Roger

[Jerome B]

Sorta
It is a cross between the two.







Gotta run to upholstery class.

Jerome

Originally Posted by sapwood

I'm interested.
You mean like this:


or this?



Roger

[Jerome B]

This week I finally got a chance to get into the shop after being distracted by other stuff for weeks.




So far I have raised made the panels for the front, sides, and back. And I shaped the stiles. I was really surprised, by how difficult it was to use the panel raiser on the walnut without producing tons of tear out. I mean really surprised. The walnut was much more contrary than the cedar. I ran into trouble on forming the bevels of the panels and on molding a few of the stiles. I removed some of the tear out, but I left a bit of it. I decided that I was A) tired of messing with it. and B) This is not an exercise in perfectionism. I'll argue with it later. Perhaps.

I feel a little nervous about this, but the original has tear out and some huge mistakes in the molding of the stiles. This is to be expected in pieces made in this time period 1690. We'll see. I want it to look like it was made with hand tools, and appropriate for the techniques and standards of the time, but not sloppy. Oh what is a ex rather retentive lab technician to do.

Next I'll do some clean up, make the drawer, figure out how I am dealing with the finish (I know that it will involve shellac), and pull the wood for the top.

Jerome

[Trent Mason]

Looks very nice Jerome!

[4yanks]

Jerome,

Looking good. I wouldn't get too frustrated by any imperfections caused by hand tool use. While I am nowwhere near the Neanderthal you are, but I do like my hand tools. Any hand tool enthusiast or fan of antique furniture knows that perfection is only achieved with machinery, and that perfection lacks the character and charm of hand worked wood.