A Contemporary Jewelry Making Cabinet -- Down The Chimney It Goes!

Now that the drawer boxes are complete, I was at that last, sweet stage of a project where the end is in sight.  It is here that I get the most satisfaction, and conversely, it is the time that I have to guard against taking some lazy shortcut to get to the finish line.  I combat this tendency by creating some fiddly task that forces me to keep my concentration.  In this case it is the drawer pulls.

A quick trip to the back room of Groff & Groff Hardwoods netted me a tasty piece of birdseye maple.  Because I was looking to create small components (drawer pulls) I needed a piece with some great figure, not consistent figure.  That made the six foot by six inch board I found quite reasonable.  I started by cutting a one inch strip and then planing an angle on two opposing sides to create a long isosceles trapezoid shaped blank.

I measured six equal lengths for the pulls (in this case 3 1/2") and marked the centers of each pull.  Then, before cutting, I drilled holes for a 1/4" dowel that will affix each pull to the door.  Only when I've inserted 2" lengths of dowel into the holes do I cut the pulls.  It is just easier to work with the larger piece.

By using my miter hook to cut 45 degree angles one the end of each pull, perfecting the angle on the shooting board, and finally planing tiny chamfers on each edge, I arrive at the final shape.

I marked the centers of the front of the drawers and drilled for the pulls.  In hindsight I'm hoping that a single 1/4" connection will be robust enough to keep it square.  Time will tell.  One quick tip.  As you test fit these pulls to check that everything is going to plan, make sure that you push on the dowel itself to remove it from the drawer front.

A friend of mine once snapped off one of the dowels by yanking on it really hard and I wouldn't want that to happen to you!

I toyed with a number of options for the top.  When I started this project I was planning to use this whacking big maple burl, sanded and polished as a work surface.  It is a spectacular piece of wood.  But as this is a functional piece designed for the studio, I went with a more utilitarian option -- maple plywood edged with birdseye maple.  It is flat, large, easy to construct, and I won't cry if an errant hammer blow defaces it.  The construction was a simple miter, biscuit and glue job.

My first choice of finish for cherry is generally Tried and True Original Wood Finish -- but it takes several days to apply and cure.  My second choice is Danish Oil, and in 30 minutes the finish was done and it was ready to go under the tree.  A few more photos:

I want to give a special thanks to Tom Fidgen for allowing me to crib, shamelessly, from his original design.  I do encourage you to buy his book, Made By Hand.  (We vegetarian, guitar-playing, woodworkers have to stick together!)

Next week I'm making a little one-off bookbinding press that I hope can also be used as a veneer press, and then I leave the forgiving world of cherry for a large project in White Oak.  Be seeing you.