It started out innocently enough.

[The Spin Doctor]

I had acquired a few western saw over the last decade (over my life I've never used anything but Japanese saws until recently) and wanted to build a drawer to keep them in. I didn't want a saw till because I don't have the wall space and don't really like saw tills anyways. The saws are still exposed to the elements - In QLD that's a problem...

So the original 2 drawer cabinet was made (it's the middle one) to fit inside a metal cabinet I've had for about 15 years. When I started it, I didn't have any intensions of making anything further, just wanted some where to put the saws in. Well, that didn't last. You'll see in the dovetail pic that they don't line up. Every aspect of this build evolved and changed as it progressed - there was no plan or idea.

At some point I was torn between George III and a campaigned chest style configuration... I think the George III won out because I didn't want to make the copper corner pieces needed. The pulls are leather with solid copper buttons. I really like copper, but it's impossible to find hardware, so I have to make everything myself. Though, the hinges are solid brass. I wasn't going to attempt copper hinges.

The last pic is what most of my tools have lived in for the past 40 years. The days of an apprentice making his tool chest as part of his ascension to a fully-fledged furniture maker were long over by the time I made these boxes. They were quick n cheap and did the job - nothing flash...

It's got some complex joinery that's for sure but it's also a lesson in bad design. Or more precisely - no design. E.g. The pullout shelf should have been incorporated into the 4 drawer cabinet (in keeping with traditional George III style), but I didn't know I wanted one till I saw it, after I made the cabinet, so needed to adapt it to the top unit. The style and rail of the mitred doors is too wide by about 25mm and probably needs a bead on the inside edge. Also, there being 4 separate cabinets is a bit of a design fault to say the least. Works well if it was going to be a campaign chest but the top cabinet negates that. Especially with the canted fluted corners - quintessential George III. The segmentation of cabinets will at least make then easy to move - if and when needed. Probably the most glaring is the lack of cock beading around the doors and drawers. Maybe when I've had far too many beers and nothing else to do, I'll give that a go then.

It's also got a few quirks I deliberately left in as they tell the story of the cabinets maker... E.g. Might be hard to see but in the pic of the corner flutes, you might be able to see the divider pin holes used to space the flutes out. I decided to leave them in because they are what makes furniture interesting. At least to me they do. The most interesting thing about antiquities to me is the things the maker leaves in. Also the finish is streaky on some parts. A rub down with steel wool and wax, and a vigorous rubbing, will fix that when it's all done...

I also departed from my normal methodology in that all the mouldings are independent of the cabinet and finished separately. Everything is French Polished, and with this project, I wanted to avoid the issues associated with abrupt changes in direction of the rubber... It was working out well until I dropped the crown moulding on the floor while polishing it and took a chunk out of the corner (third pic). I wasn't going to start again that's for sure, the mouldings are made by hand.

I also departed from the traditional method of rubbing pumice onto and into the pours of the wood. I tried it on a sample and it looked awful - to say the least. In light woods, such as oak, it's a good, but I find in dark woods there's a slight whitewashed look (at least I can see it). I decided to try wet sanding with boiled linseed oil and forcing the slurry into the pours to see how that worked out before French Polishing... And to be honest, it looks bloody good. There's a depth to the finish I don't normally see with any clear coats. Problem I had though, was I wasn't consistent enough, so the pour filling was a bit patchy and the oil took too long to cure. I then tried Danish oil, as it, in QLD cures in a couple days. It was OK, but got gluggy too quickly. Next time I make anything from this wood, NSW Rosewood, I'll try an obscure method I recently read about in a 150 year old book - plaster of paris with a burnt umber added and then rubbed into the wood. When it flashes off, sand off the excess and polish...

It still needs the bracket feet, that'll be next weekend. But I wanted to finally get it together to see what I had got myself into.

Then!! I need to figure out the interior layout for the tools. That'll be the hard part. At least the saws are sorted out in their drawer.

In all honesty, it's been one of the more enjoyable projects in the last 25 years. It takes me back to my early days when I and the shops I worked for did things without any real direction other than what was scribbled on a piece of paper. We made it all up as we went. If I were to put it up to be judged by those in the know... It's a total failure, but %^&* them, I like it, and more importantly it holds all the tools I need for the next 20 years. And then I'm dead so I don't care what happens to it after that.

[rwbuild]

You do yourself an in justice, you have created what you want, done your way and as you said, it tells a storey and your introduction to the photos is a worthy tale.

[TTIT]

Very interesting approach and result - many benefits to a bit of modular stuff when you decide to change your mind. Too flash for my shed - would look right out of place.

I've found the best finish for NSW Rosewood is Kunos Oil. It doesn't go gluggy like Danish and gives a very nice finish in 3 or 4 coats (using the manufacturers recommendations). If the Rosewood bleeds down the track a bit, a light swipe with a cabinet scraper removes the resin and then another coat of Kunos and it will see us both out!

[Chief Tiff]

Waaaaay too flash for my shed too!

I’m interested in how you cut the base and crown mouldings and fluted the corners. If I was copying your design I think I would have to use a scratchstock for the flutes as I can’t see how you could squeeze anything with a fluting blade between the lambstongues. How did you make the mouldings?

[The Spin Doctor]

Oh ya!! To add to the total failure of execution of design... Who the $%^& puts leather pulls on a George III Tallboy!!! I do LOL. I like them actually. The first 8, on the two bottom units, were cut out of an old tool belt I had kicking around. I only put them on because I measured wrong, and it was the only way the original saw drawer cabinet would fit in the metal cabinet and able to close the doors...

Went back in the shop tonight for some reason and there it was, sitting there... I walk over and lean against my bench with my hand across my mouth in contemplative ponderance thinking: Everything about it is wrong. It's truly horrible. But I like it, none the less.

[The Spin Doctor]

Waaaaay too flash for my shed too!

I’m interested in how you cut the base and crown mouldings and fluted the corners. If I was copying your design I think I would have to use a scratchstock for the flutes as I can’t see how you could squeeze anything with a fluting blade between the lambstongues. How did you make the mouldings?

The canted fluted corners are cut on the bandsaw as close as possible and then finished off with spokeshave and chisels. The flutes are carved with a gouge. Then all sanded to finished state...

Mouldings are done with hollows and rounds, and rebate planes. Use a rebate plane to plane down to the flat sections in the mouldings. This gives you the reference points for the hollows and rounds to plane up to. Then make a negative sanding blocks and sand to a consistent profile...

[Chief Tiff]

Did not think of using a gouge… but then I don’t own any beyond turning tools.

Was the blank for the crown moulding built up from pieces or did you shape it from one solid plank?

[The Spin Doctor]

Did not think of using a gouge… but then I don’t own any beyond turning tools.

Was the blank for the crown moulding built up from pieces or did you shape it from one solid plank?

It was out of a 2x3 piece. I've got stock from 1x3 to 4x4 and everything in between. I'd prefer not to use a 2x3 but the profile didn't allow for it to work within the constraints of a 1x3 or 4. I could have stacked it in retrospect, but it would have been three times the effort and I have to deal with glue lines, which don't look good in mouldings.

[The Spin Doctor]

It appears the tallboy is going to find a new home and purpose. A fine lady thought it would make the perfect cabinet for her to store her Xmas decorations and bought it!!!

It'll need a bit of a modification to the doors. The panels will be cut out and glass put in, so the more precious ornaments can be on display throughout the year.

The price was right, and I didn't tell her I think it's my worst design (re. no design) in 45 years, and it leaves me with a bit of a dilemma - I don't have a tool cabinet and I'm kinda sad to see it go.

[Chief Tiff]

Well now that you know the design works in principle you can redo it with all the changes you noted during the build!