Started a new project today - Burr Oak Davenport WIP

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Dodge

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Just started a nice little project today

A Davenport in Burr Brown Oak, got the basic carcase for the top made today - will do a mini WIP as I go along if you want me too.

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Dodge":n6rp9js5 said:
Just started a nice little project today

A Davenport in Burr Brown Oak, got the basic carcase for the top made today - will do a mini WIP as I go along if you want me too.

Yes please.

I find your work quite inspiring.

It does make me realise why I don't do this for a living, what you manage in a few hours seems to be a weeks work for me! :oops:

Mick
 
No problem folks, not at the workshop today but will be back in tomorrow so will keep the thread going as a WIP

Rog
 
Dodge":2xhzlf4f said:
No problem folks, not at the workshop today but will be back in tomorrow so will keep the thread going as a WIP

Rog
In that case Rog, you'll have to work at Mailee speed 'cos we expect this finished tomorrow! :lol: - Rob
 
Not a chance with this one -there is alot of detailed work, give me a week at least (hammer) (hammer)
 
Ok so was back in the workshop today and carried on with this project.

What is quite unusual is that the client has basically left it to me other than having given me a several pictures of a davenports that they liked highlighting specific bits there is no working drawing other than my sketches etc!

they particularly liked this one!

Davenport9.jpg


but were adamant that they did not want a leather skiver fitted, they accepted that it was traditional to have the skiver fitted but want the piece to show off the wood and it will never actually be used as a writing desk

Anyway having removed the top carcase from the cramps shown earlier I carried on working on this upper section.

The top will have a bonnet at the rear which will raise and lower exposing a series of small stationary drawers/compartments. The bonnet was made up on Monday and left drying ready for today, the corners mitred and a solid top glued to the frame.

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The excess was then trimmed off using a Radian four flute cutter, you may recall that these were brought to the attention of forum members a short time ago - I have been using mine steadily since then and it is still performing as new!

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the shavings coming off the cutter being very fine and leaving an exceptionally clean finish on this very hard burr oak

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The shaping was then applied using a handrail cutter first

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before rounding over the top

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Another small frame was then made to sit below this, the corners again mitred and veneer keyed

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I then turned my attention to the lifting lid initially selecting the piece of burr oak for the panel

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The outer frame was then made, the mitred corners biscuited and grooved ready to accept the panel

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With this made it was glued up and put aside for the glue to cure

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Whilst this was drying I made up what will be the lower frame

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The rounded ends being sanded on my Axminster oscillating sander (Sorry Roger S) but I have found this a fantastic addition to my workshop and the very hard oak was left beautifully smooth

After lunch I took the lift up flat out of the cramps and having scraped the surface needed to cut the recess into the front, initially with the coping saw I cut the desired curve

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before removing the main section, instead of just cutting this with a jigsaw or similar I actually cut the waste away with a router cutter as the fence would leave it straight and almost planed!

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The edges then had a finger nail profile cut around its edges and properly cut in where the front recess

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So at the end of today it is looking like this

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Don't be fooled by the work so far, there is tons to do and anyone who has worked in burr oak will know that for each hour of construction there is probably two hours of finishing!

Will update again in a few days time
 
Not my taste, but quite stunning work. I wish someone would ask me to make something like that, then I could have the enjoyment of making it without having to look at it afterwards.

Aidan
 
Well was back on the Davenport today after a couple of days off last week with Sarah and the kids as it was half term.

Have now made the front and rear sections having selected suitably figured and coloured timber - the back panela dn front which will be seen under the desk are the same so made the construction straight forward but pipper the wood is hard and with no grain direction takes some vary careful planing!

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Each one is mitred at the corners but as the stiles are different width to the stiles the joints are not standard 45 degree cuts. The joints were reinforced with biscuits and the fielded panels floating in the groove in the frame.

Will decide tomorrow which will be used for the front and which for the back before assembling the carcase for the drawers tomorrow.

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Before leaving I also machined a couple of pieces of brown oak to make the upright columns and glued on burr oak sections to widen the column in their middle pending turning

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Hope you approve!
 
Nice job thus far Rog...same as Tiddles, not to my taste, but it's coming along well. How are you going about finishing the surfaces?..card scraper, scraper plane, ROS, pad sander or what? I ask 'cos I made something a few years ago with a burr oak top where the veneered burr top was really hard to finish...I do like that brown burr oak though, very tasty :wink: - Rob
 
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.
 
Thanks for taking the time and showing.

I am happy to see such furniture, I could not afford the style myself, because the remaining furniture I suppose needs to be similar in style as well.

My great wonder is, where the heck do you get such lovely stocks of timber from? (you have my pm address :wink: )
 
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.
 
jss":3753c162 said:
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.

Same question from me!

I know what you mean about making what the client wants... I'm a product designer, boy have I made some rubbish for people!

Aidan
 
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