Cherry stereo cabinet WIP - Updated Again w/More-Almost Done-Ready for finishing

[DaveO]

My parents wanted a stereo cabinet to hold their stereo components, XM radio receiver, and CD collection but were unable to find anything that fit the area they wanted it located in nor in the style they liked. I said that I would make it for them if they provided me the specs.
Here's what I got to work from -

Keep in mind my Dad is a fine draftsman, but not a woodworker so disregard some of the notes like stock dimensions and staining the Cherry

At one of the early spring lumber runs I got some sweet, wide Cherry from Ivey, the boards were only 6' long but most were 11½" wide and almost perfectly clear. It's been air-drying in my shop since then.
I cut the boards in half to make them more manageable, and ~39" was longer than any part of the cabinet.

In a stroke of genius I decided to mark the ends of the boards so after ripping them to fit my jointer I could glue them back in their original orientation -

The wide boards were then ripped in half on the bandsaw to prepare them for jointing -

I proceeded to joint one face and then move over to the planer to flatten the other. I just got a nice set of hearing protection for Xmas (probably too late as my wife tells me I'm deaf as a rock) they really are nice there is no ringing in my ears after running the lunchbox planer. The only problem I found is that I can't hear that tell tale sound of my chip separator filling up and over loading the DC.

Argg...the mess -

After cleaning out my DC I resumed my milling operations. The stock now S2S goes back to the jointer to get a true square edge on it. I like to do this after planing so I can chose which way to run the stock over the jointer to avoid any chip-out. After straightening one edge I move over to the TS with a Freud GLR blade and straighten the opposite edge. Then you have a nice stack of S4S boards -

Using my markings I was able to glue up the top and 2 side panels each out of one board each to keep the grain and color consistent -

The glue up didn't seem to be effected by the different color clamps :roll:. The Besseys are definitely the lightest, the Jorgys have the best action. I was really glad to have my new clamp acquisitions to allow this much to be glued at once.
I pulled the panels out of the clamps today and cleaned up the glue and gave them a good 80 grit sanding and here's the results -

And now for the first in many questions as I embark on this project (actually I've already asked a few about it in the pre-planning stages)
I think I know the answer to this one but I would love confirmation and reassurance.
I plan on joining the shelves to the sides and the overhanging top to the sides in stopped dadoes. I shouldn't have any problems with wood movement if all the grain is oriented the same way (ie top and shelves long grain right to left, and sides long grain bottom to top)????

I've saved the remaining stock to do the RP doors and false drawers so the outside of the cab will have good color continuity. I will have to get some more Cherry to build the shelves. It's amazing how fast you can go through 40 BF of lumber in a project.
Hopefully I'll get the dadoes cut next weekend and the shelf stock milled and glued. I am going to wait until the carcass is glued up or dry-fitted and my new Freud door router bit set arrives to start on the doors. They will be my first venture into RP doors and cope/stick door construction...more questions I am sure.
Thanks for making it to the end of my long winded post. Please stay tuned to next Sunday for the next chapter.

Dave

 

[ScottM]

Dave, great blow by blow. It will look super when it is done.

 

[Travis Porter]

The glue up didn't seem to be effected by the different color clamps :roll:.

I caught that.:eusa_naug

 

[Travis Porter]

You aren't going to do adjustable shelves?

 

[DaveO]

You aren't going to do adjustable shelves?

No the shelf spacing my Dad gave me is too specific. In addition he would like it open backed and I am afraid that without a full back that I would have racking problems with adjustable shelves.

Dave

 

[sediener]

No the shelf spacing my Dad gave me is too specific. In addition he would like it open backed and I am afraid that without a full back that I would have racking problems with adjustable shelves.

Dave

I think if you fixed the center one and allowed the others to be adjustable you would be fine.

How did you decide to deal with the fake drawer again?

 

[DaveO]

How did you decide to deal with the fake drawer again?

Oh that will be questions for another day :roll: I am thinking of routing my rail and stile profile for the full length and then using a rabbeting bit remove the profile from the drawer section. That will allow me to inset the false drawer front panels and keep them flush with the rest of the door.

Dave

 

[Sealeveler]

Already great looking:icon_thum,love cherry.Thanks for the steps and pics,beautiful wood.Tony

 

[G_ville_worker]

Can't wait to see the final product!

 

[bluthart]

Great documentation Dave! I am learning a bunch just by reading this post. I am hopefully going to start some similar porjects in the near future - I am sick of all these Adirondack Projects! Keep us posted - looks great so far!

 

[PChristy]

Great job so far Dave :icon_thum- I love that Cherry - I think that 60% of my frames are Cherry - that reminds me :icon_scra I have got to get some more made - looking forward to next Sunday to read the next chapter

 

[JimD]

Looks good.

I do not understand why you would rabbet the top part of the doors for the panels. Why not do them the regular way, insert the panel into the frame? If you want them flush on the front, the raised panel bit has to accomidate but they are ususally made to do this. You just have to rabbet the back side of the panel to get the width of the tongue appropriate for the slot made by the cope and stick bit (typically 1/4 inch). Or they make a special back cutting router bit you can use.

Dados are fine but you could also just use biscuits for the shelves. It's quicker and simpler but the dados are stronger and are less likely to show if the fit isn't quite right. If you cut the dados on the table saw, they will go quickly once the dado set is installed. At least for the shelf dados and potentially for all of them, you can make the dado a narrower width - say 1/2 inch - and then rabbet the ends of the mating pieces to fit. This avoids having to set up the dado for exactly the thickness of your boards.

Jim

 

[Trent Mason]

Looks great Dave. Can't wait to see the next installment. :icon_thum

 

[DaveO]

Looks good.

I do not understand why you would rabbet the top part of the doors for the panels. Why not do them the regular way, insert the panel into the frame? If you want them flush on the front, the raised panel bit has to accomidate but they are ususally made to do this. You just have to rabbet the back side of the panel to get the width of the tongue appropriate for the slot made by the cope and stick bit (typically 1/4 inch). Or they make a special back cutting router bit you can use.

Dados are fine but you could also just use biscuits for the shelves. It's quicker and simpler but the dados are stronger and are less likely to show if the fit isn't quite right. If you cut the dados on the table saw, they will go quickly once the dado set is installed. At least for the shelf dados and potentially for all of them, you can make the dado a narrower width - say 1/2 inch - and then rabbet the ends of the mating pieces to fit. This avoids having to set up the dado for exactly the thickness of your boards.

Jim

Jim the reason I don't want to make the false drawers fronts as RP like the door panels is two fold. First that would make a really small panel, only 2-3" tall and I think that would look weird. Second I would like more of an illusion that these are drawer fronts by making them longer than the door panels and breaking up the vertical line of the stiles.
I could use biscuits, and have many times but I like a little more of a challenge, and hope this to be more of a fine furniture piece than a utilitarian cabinet. I got to impress my parents, they supply most of the tool fund :icon_thum:icon_thum


Dave

 

[FredP]

thats gonna be purrdy!:icon_thum lookin forward to the finished piece.

 

[TracyP]

Keep on posting the pics Dave. It is gonna be purdy!

 

[sawman]

Dave that will be gold mine for the tool fund once it is completed.
As to the shelves, with width of the shelves less than the width of the cabinent and using stopped dado's, do you plan to cut dado's from the back leaving a partial dado showing in the back or start the shelf dado so it will not be seen?
Ivey does have nice wood, I bought 200 bf of cherry from him over a year ago and still have some to be used for a Quaker dresser.
I will wait for the next installment of DaveO's WorkShop Series.

Later,
Albert :saw:

 

[DaveO]

As to the shelves, with width of the shelves less than the width of the cabinent and using stopped dado's, do you plan to cut dado's from the back leaving a partial dado showing in the back or start the shelf dado so it will not be seen?

Later,
Albert :saw:

Albert, I plan to cut dadoes that stop shy of both the front and the back. The shelves are not as deep as the cab is, and I don't care for the look of an exposed dado in the front. So the dadoes will be shorter and I will cut shoulders on the shelves to fill the space. I had thought about sliding dovetails from the front, but that isn't a challenge that I am up to on this project with limited stock and a deadline of mid Feb.

After pricing some additional Cherry stock today, I feel like I robbed Ivey blind with my original Cherry purchase:embaresse. I don't recall what I paid for it, but the same stock dried and sometimes S2S is going for $7-11 a BF :swoon::swoon:

Dave

 

[RandyJ]

Looking good so far, Dave. Keep us posted on your progress.
I know your parents will love it. You always do excellent work:icon_thum

 

[Gofor]

Altho it probably won't be acceptable for the look wanted, smoked glass doors over the top area (receiver, xmitter, xm areas) would allow use of an IR remote without having to have the doors open. That would also lead to using fabric/mesh inserts in the lower doors so the speakers could be heard.

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