Started a new project today - Burr Oak Davenport WIP

[Gerard Scanlan]

Thank you for post this project.
I really enjoyed your last one too.

 

[tomatwark]

Looking good Rog

I have always wanted to make a davenport but have yet to find the client who wants one.

But don't envy you cleaning up all that Burr Oak though.

Tom

 

[woodbloke]

The finishing is an absolute ar*se for want of a better word. The burr will take the edge off a plane in seconds so the diamond stone has taken a bit of a happening!

I have found it best to plane with my low angle first then scrape with a cabinet scraper - for the particularly awkward bits the random orbit sander has been used. I havn't even started filling the knots yet

i appreciate what you both say about it not being your taste, and in some ways its not mine but here where I live alot of folks like in very old listed properties and want furniture to suit them, and at the end of the day its making what customers want that pays my bills.

Absolutely Rog, the customer is always right, even if you know he's wrong. I thought that stuff would be a pig's ear to sort out...and that was my experience with planing the stuff as well, so you've obviously taken the extra finishing time into your costing margins? - Rob

 

[Dodge]

I love your WIPs, Roger - I learn a lot. I'm quite a fan of the Davenport, although it wouldn't look right in my 1980s house! A few questions about the mitres - I find them hard to get right. Do you have a mitre trimmer or a shooting-board, or are these straight off the saw? Those strap clamps look handy - where are they from? I find that even if I get them bang-on, one of the biggest problems for mitres has to be shrinkage/expansion of the timber with seasonal moisture - slight gapping at the internal or external corners if the wood moves. I attempt to counteract this by bringing the timber indoors and leaving it for a few weeks to try to acclimatise it - not so easy when you are working for clients! To what extent do you worry about moisture content in a professional workshop and what tips do you have for storing and handling the timber in this regard?

Regards,
John.

Ok where do I start!

With my mitres I cut them with a powered mitre saw (not sliding) which is fitted with an extremely good quality fine tooth blade which is kept purely for cutting mitres and has been fettled accordingly. I did used to use a mitre guillotine but to be honest I have just sold it as the blades needing replacing and I found that it became redundant when I got my Axminster Oscillating belt sander which is exceptionally accurate (Sorry RogerS but mine is excellent )

I dont tend to use ,mitres that often for exactly the reason you state, but by applying a biscuit right across the mitre holds everything in line if glued with a decent glue like Titebond or Cascamite - forget about bog standard PVA. The timber I am using is exceptionally dry and in answer to your question about my supplier I have actually had this timber in my store for about 11 years having bought it from a cabinet maker who was retiring. How long he had it before me I have no idea - I still have about 20 cubic feet of it left though which will be tucked away again.

The cramps that I am using are similar to the ones that Axi sell but mine have metal straps rather than the webbing straps on the newer ones - again I have had them years and they only see the light of day for a project like this.

All my timber will be allowed to acclimatise well in the workshop or woodstore before I start machining it but as for moisture content as low as possible!

Hope this answers your questions - will update later with photos of what I have been doing today!

Teatime! :mrgreen:

 

[Dodge]

Thats better! Homemade burgers followed by pancakes - what more could a man ask for :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Right what have I been up to today??

Started by taking the various parts out of the clamps that I left them in last night and put aside the built up sections ready to turn for the front columns - probably do those tomorrow.

I then rurned my attention to the frames upon which the drawers will run, there are going to be the traditional four drawers on one side and a small cupboard with single door on the other.

The timber for the drawer frames was machined and morticed and tenoned to form the frames - Still no dominos (hammer) (hammer)

Having glued up the frames I proceeded to cut the housings into the carcase sides to accept them and when they were dry enough to work the frames were passed through my panel sander to ensure they were plat before being glued into the carcase.

With that section drying I turned my attention to making the cupboard door and again got this glued up

Having done a bit of scraping and sanding the main carcase sections were put together for the first time and the door was cut into the frame.

And after applying a few moulding cuts it looked like this when I left

Tomorrow I will try and get the front columns turned and start making the drawers,whilst on the lathe I will also turn the bun feet to replace the lovely pine ones upon which it is currently standing.

Will update again tomorrow.

 

[jss]

Looking good, Roger. You do work fast - you'd be finished by now if you hadn't taken time out to answer my questions! Much appreciated.

Regards,
John.

 

[Blister]

Roger

Once again

My GOB is SMACKED :mrgreen:

I would find a place for something like that in my home

Lovely piece

cant wait to see it finished =D>

 

[monkeybiter]

As said that really is a very nice piece of work, stunning in fact.

 

[jss]

Now I've got time for a slightly more considered response - last night I had to dash off for my pancakes! (No burgers though!) It looks like Axi also do the metal band clamps like yours, Roger - they look pretty much identical. Definitely worth the investment - the last mitred frame I made was spot-on on at the dry-fit stage, it was when gluing up (using sash cramps) that the nightmare started and then its too late to go back...

It's clear I need to start taking more notice of the moisture content of the timber I'm working with - do you use a moisture meter? It would at least give me some idea of how long I need to leave the wood to acclimatise. I realise that this is like asking how long is a piece of string, but does anyone have a feel for how long it takes say a 1 inch plank of oak to acclimatise when it's brought in from the garage (in winter) to a centrally-heated house?

John.

 

[Dodge]

John, in reply to your question yes I do have a moisture meter, its a neat little electronic unit that I got from Scott and Sargeant a few years ago, to be honest though I don't use it that often. I buy all my timber in well before I start on commissions and have the timber in my wood store which is very dry. Just as I start finishing a project I get the timber from the store and move it across to my workshop in order that it is ready to start on.

As soon as I start machining timber I can tell whether the timber is dry enough by the way the shavings/sawdust are produced but that is due to experience.

Anyway today Hasn't been quite as productive due to several interuptions but started by truing up the blanks glued up ready to make the columns

Before roughing the central section down on the lathe and starting to form the shape - i have got to say considering how hard the timber has been in constructing the carcase it actually turned really nicely

Having turned one got the second one to match and tuned a round tenon/spigot on the bottom ready to mount into the foot of the cabinet. The burr oak took on a lovely shine purely from the tools and a burnish with the shavings

I then drilled a hole on either side of the foot with a FAMAG sawtooth bit ready to accept the tenon on the spindle

Whilst attaching the foot to the base of the carcase realised that there was an ideal spot for a small concealed secret drawer underneath the bank of drawers that would be concealed under the floor of the cupboard section so I made a simple drawer and mounted this on concealed runners

So at the end of today it looks like this now with the columns fitted, I have still got to trim around them and apply the final moundings.

I was hoping to make a start on the bun feet and drawers today but hey ho tomorrows another day

 

[Woodchips2]

That looks beautiful. If only i needed a Davenport!!
Regards Keith

 

[monkeybiter]

Have you drawn this design prior to building or do you sketch as you go? I would assume the former, [although the secret drawer makes me wonder], so how long do you spend designing on a project of this size. If the latter, how often does it turn out badly? No offence, just curious.

 

[gasman]

absolutely beautiful work thanks for sharing

 

[Dodge]

Have you drawn this design prior to building or do you sketch as you go? I would assume the former, [although the secret drawer makes me wonder], so how long do you spend designing on a project of this size. If the latter, how often does it turn out badly? No offence, just curious.

Hi Mike,

As I believe I mentioned earlier the clients gave me a very free reign with this one and did not want working drawings as they said "We dont understand technical drawings" and having done alot of work for them in the past they trust my judgement.

When they asked me to make it I was presented with loads of photos (taken off google) i think with big "Like" & "Dont Likes" scribbled on them so I knew what not to do, they also gave me the dimensions to work to. Davenports are traditionally about 22" wide and the clients asked for this to be 21" maximum as it is to stand in a hall between two doors so the other dimensions needed to be in kilter with this.

Before starting, whilst I havn't drawn accurate working drawings down to the last mm, I did numerous sketched drawings just for myself but am allowing the project to "evolve" a little bit as it goes along, hence as you say the addition of the little drawer.

Regarding you comment about items turning out badly I can honestly say I have never had a finished piece rejected by a client because "they didnt like the finished appearance" but as soon as I start a clients project I actively encourage the clients to visit my workshop as much as possible whilst I am making their piece and then they can confirm each stage as it develops. I also update my website and send them regular update emails

I work on the basis that if I look after my clients, they will look after me!

The only time things go horribly wrong IMHO is when the "Nouveau Interior Designers" commission a piece THEY have designed and insist it is made exactly to their drawings - on these occasions though I am making for the designer and they have to sort it out with the end user - I rarely take on this type of work these days but in the past I have made some hideous items and NO I am not going to post pictures on here for all to see!! :mrgreen:

One occasion though I was asked to make a sideboard which was specifically made to look like two halves of different sideboards, roughly screwed together, it was truly hideous but the designer was over the moon with it. I had kept it hidden under a sheet in the workshop whilst working on it as I thought that if any prospective clients saw it that they would run a mile!

 

[Dodge]

Not a huge amount of progress today - Late start having dropped the kids at school and early finish as had to pick them up as well - will probably go back to the workshop this evening when my wife gets home.

Anyway got the feet turned, the door hinged, and a fiddly cock bead moulding fitted round the bottom of the top section - willbe starting on the drawers tomorrow but have decided to do all the internals in lacewood for contrast - I was going to use some of the burr walnut veneer I got from Tomouse but think it may be a bit samey!

Anyway it now looks like this

 

[jss]

Wow! Looking great. When you started the WIP you had already made the top carcass - I'm guessing splined or biscuited mitres were used for that, with a plywood base? Presumably the front was bandsawn out of a thick section - how did you clean it up to get such a lovely finish across the breakfront?

John.

 

[Dodge]

No John the break front was actually made in three pieces, the rounded curves formed on my oscilating belt sander prior to being stuck together, doing it this way gave the nice crisp finish.

 

[jss]

No John the break front was actually made in three pieces, the rounded curves formed on my oscilating belt sander prior to being stuck together, doing it this way gave the nice crisp finish.

Ah yes, that is a much better approach.

 

[Chems]

I bet the Americans would go mad for a piece like this, you should put it up on SawMill creek they'd love it!

Like others have said, not my preferred style, but it just doesn't matter because its made so well.

 

[Dodge]

Well I went back to my workshop yesterday evening and prepared the timber for the drawers so that I could hit the bench running this morning so to speak! I started by cutting the lap dovetails to joint the drawer front to the sides using the woodrat

Whilst I still used brown oak for the drawer sides it was in no way as figured as the main carcase, plus knowing how twisted and irregular the grain was in the burr sections knew it would be difficult to make fine dovetails. The burr oak is extremely brittle so decided to leave the pins a little wider than usual to overcome this.

With the drawers complete, I fielded the front of the drawers to match the panels and to give a bit more dimension to the side of the davenport, I then turned a batch of matching knobs for the drawers

And having got them completed, got them fitted to the drawers having planed them to fit leaving them quite tight at the moment.

So I have now completed the construction of the main body of the Davenport with the exception of fitting locks and finishing so will turn my attention to the internals next week - Am going to do all the small drawer detail and raising section at the back with Lacewood which I think will not only contrast with the burr oak nicely but also compliment it (Plus I have quite a bit sitting in my store wanting to be used!)

I am also planning a bit of a twist by powering the lifting top section with a completely concealed gas strut rather than the tradition weights. After a post on another thread I have acquired some nice small 50NM struts which I think will be perfect so a bit of experimentation will be required to get it right

So it now looks like this:-