Latest and probably my best proejct

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the critique Rob, interesting points

What do I mean be cleaner? The top rails in my view should be flush with the leg surface and not set back,

To be honest, i did consider this in the 3D CAD model (and varying the end overhangs), but the dining table I made a while ago has the top set in ths way, and as one can see both at the same time (dining room leads off from the lounge through double doors), I went for overhang so they were not too similar.

similarly the drawer fronts ought to have been made flush with the rail so that the overall 'stepped' effect (leg to rail to drawer front) is no longer there.

I was in a quandry about this for ages. Most furniture I have made has flush drawer fronts - in the end, I left it to my wife to decide which type of drawer she wanted and was quite pleased that she went for this type as it gave me a chance to try new techniques :lol:

The drawers have been well made but I question the use of handles on a piece like this.

Interesting thought.
Again, struggled for ages and even asked a few opinios on type of handles to make. In the end, I decided ot buy some rather than making them. I didn't really consider having no handles as I don't like the look of drawers without handles on most pieces I have seen - no handles always reminds me of cheap B&Q/ikea kitchens/furniture for some reason. Not to my taste

I would have also made the rail and fronts from one piece of timber so that the grain flowed from rail to drawer front.

Now this is something I would have always done with flush drawers (essential for that style in my opiniopn), but difficult with the type of drawer I made, and most of the rail is hidden too. I took the most figured and interesting wood and used that for the drawer fronts and when seen in real life, it actually works pretty well with the eye drawn to the figured drawer fornts and the rail sinking inot the background.

Also, the drawer fronts were made forom a single board on each side and the grain flows really nicely from drawer to drawer across the table.

The top looks good but I think it should have been made slightly thicker in keeping with the legs,

Now that's below the belt :wink: :lol: :lol:

I agree 100 %. The planks I could buy were 1 1/4" except for a single 2" plank. Should have shopped around

Tony has now accumulated a shed full of Brownie points from SWIMBO and can buy as much AC as he wants...can't be bad (better leave some for Waka tho' :lol: ) - Rob

Waka has so much cherry, that last time I was over, he gave me his offcuts :wink: :lol:


Thanks for the input Rob, very much appreciated.

 

[OPJ]

Thanks for replying Tony. That's a very interesting way to tackle a lap dovetail joint. I can see what you mean about the time it must save, where you can easily remove the waste between pins with a coping saw and don't have to spend an hour chiseling it out! I suppose someone's reading this and thinking "you could use a router" - yes, but one slip and it's gone wrong!

You also said in reply to Pete's post that you would expect the shelf to perhaps expand by as much as 2mm over time. It's not easy to tell from the photo', but did you make the notches a tight fit around the legs? I normally end up with a 1mm gap on mine - although it's never something I have planned for! :wink:

Rob (or Tony), I really like the idea of cutting the drawer fronts and rail from the same length of timber. I've seen Norm do something similar with a small plunge saw, but how would you tackle it? I imagine a router would leave rounded corners and the kerf of a biscuit jointer would be too wide? Jigsaws aren't always that reliable either... Just interested to hear your thoughts.

 

[motownmartin]

. I suppose someone's reading this and thinking "you could use a router".

Blimey, you must have special powers :lol:

 

[woodbloke]

Olly wrote:

I really like the idea of cutting the drawer fronts and rail from the same length of timber

The technique is as follows. Select the piece to be the rail and make longer and wider than needed. Bandsaw off a top and lower piece all the way along the length, leaving the section in the middle slightly larger than the height of the drawer. Mark out and cut the drawer front from this piece leaving two pieces from the centre left over, then shoot in the remaining bits (a long top and lower piece and the two bits from the middle) and glue up again to form a single board with a rectangular hole in the middle which ought to be a fraction smaller than the last bit remaining which is the drawer front...if the cutting and planing has been done with care then there ought to be a good match with the timber grain pattern - Rob

 

[OPJ]

Thanks for the explanation Rob, really appreciate it.

Sounds a lot easier than trying to do the job with a plunge saw as well!

 

[woodbloke]

OPJ wrote:

Sounds a lot easier than trying to do the job with a plunge saw as well!

The problem with using a plunge saw is the removal of the kerf material from the board. This will always mean that the drawer front is a lot smaller than the opening which is not what's needed...by slicing and re-gluing you obtain a drawer front that ought :roll: :wink: to be bigger than the opening and so can be shot in for a good fit. If you aren't careful enough tho' what will happen is that a mismatch in the grain will occur, 'specially in something with a very pronounced figure - Rob

 

[BradNaylor]

The top rails in my view should be flush with the leg surface and not set back

I agree that aesthetically this can look good; however uneven shrinkage between the thick leg and the thinner rail will make it almost inevitable that a tiny 'step' will appear in time. Better in my view to design in a step in the first place.

similarly the drawer fronts ought to have been made flush with the rail

I agree.

The drawers have been well made but I question the use of handles on a piece like this. I think I would have made them with a simple spring operated 'push to open' thingie :? (don't know the correct terminology but I know Hafle sell them)

I use these http://www.omlfittings.co.uk/product.php?prodId=861
They work well and look great but it really is a matter of personal taste. I don't like the handles Tony has chosen, but it's not my table!

Cheers
Dan

 

[woodbloke]

Dan - interesting analysis, hadn't thought about the shrinkage angle...you may be right, depends on the MC of the timber and the environment that the piece sits in.
Handles are always a personal issue and had I decided to fit them I like you wouldn't have fitted this type - Rob

 

[Anonymous]

You also said in reply to Pete's post that you would expect the shelf to perhaps expand by as much as 2mm over time. It's not easy to tell from the photo', but did you make the notches a tight fit around the legs? I normally end up with a 1mm gap on mine - although it's never something I have planned for! :wink:

The shelf is flush against the legs all round. Took a while but I cut it slightly oversized, then scribed it around the legs and finally planed the wood to size using a block rabbett plane


The handles were chosen by my wife really as they match a sort of sideboard thingy we have in the dining room. I made this table for my wife after promising for around 3 years

At the end of the day, the handles look great when seen in life, but photos do not do it justice

 

[lucky9cat]

Tony, A great piece of furniture and a great thread! Thanks for sharing it with us. Any questions I had have been covered It's funny, handles are such a personal thing and one has got to look at them in conjunction with the other furniture in the room as it can be the link between them. The next time I make drawers I hope to try a few of the techniques you've used there.

Cheers, Ted

 

[motownmartin]

I don't usually criticize peoples work or design as its all down to that persons personal taste, or the customers, in this case maybe Mrs Tony . Having seen this piece in the flesh my eye was drawn to the striking character of the Cherry, also the drawer fronts looked superb with the heavy chamfer around the edge, personally I would have liked the same chamfer on the legs but like I said its personal.
If we all followed rules and guidelines then we wouldn't come up with anything unique and original.

 

[DaveL]

Well I was with Tony when he bought the timber for this, I bought a bit of purple heart.

Tony has made a very nice looking table, I love cherry and it has come out very well.

I on the other hand have made a small box and 2 and a half pairs of purple heart cuff links.

Note to self, get out in the shop more. :roll:

 

[woodyone]

very nice, i like in particular the dovetails in the drawer they really stand out

well done