The table is completed other than glue up. I will be doing the final glue up when I visit Michigan this summer. The legs and stretchers are from a different log than the top. The top is quite dark, with marvelous figure. The missing chunk on the underside and edge will be a conversation starter for many, many years.
I was pleased to be able to use the plank remnant for this small table.
Shaping leg tops, using back saw, chisel, rasps and sandpaper.
The legs were milled to size (1 x 1-1/4 inches x 22-1/2) and mortises cut with router and edge guide. A spiral uncut bit was used for that operation. Before the stretchers were shaped, tenons were cut at the table saw. Left a tad fat, then finessed to fit mortises with shoulder plane.
Once the stretchers fit their respective mortises the curves were cut at the band saw, followed by rasp clean up. Flats were left on the upper stretcher for the top to rest on. Bevels created on legs with block plane. Edges eased and finish applied. Five or six coats of wipe on oil/varnish, wet sanded as each coat was applied.
I love small tables for many reasons. Their small footprint is easier to fit in a small home and are readily moved. Several years ago I designed a minimalist computer desk. Looks great, but no drawers and only moderate surface for spreading out relevant materials [such as at tax time]. Multiple small tables make perfect temporary surfaces.
Small tables are great for beginners and even experienced woodworkers looking for a project with real joinery (mortise & tenon and half lap in this case) with minimal material expense. Handy to have around the house, and they are perfect gifts for those living in cramped spaces.
Sinker Honduras Mahogany from Greener Lumber, LLC.
As I look at my off cut collection, it is mostly long, skinny pieces and stubby wide chunks. Neither are suitable for cabinet work. Yet, wide stubby pieces can be made into small tabletops and skinny pieces might work for legs and stretchers to go with a small top. That is the ideal. In practice, I usually end up using good-sized boards to cut out legs. That is guided by my search for rift sawn, fairly straight grained material with all legs consistent in color and texture.
The top for this project is from a leftover piece of sinker Honduras Mahogany [www.greenerlumber.com]. The finished size will be 1 x 12-1/2 x 15 inches. This scrap has a punky area on what will become an edge. I cleaned up the loose material with a carving gouge. That area will be visible on the edge, but does not come to the top surface. The thinnest area will be somewhat fragile, but should hold together for the use such a table will receive.
The plank scrap was pretty flat so I was able to run it through the drum sander to level the top and bottom surfaces. It would have fit my bench top planer once trimmed to final size, but the drum sander worked fine.
I created a round over (top and bottom) on the left and right edges. I guess that might be called a bullnose. The front and back edges are flat but have a nice curve into the bullnose ends. I cut a 45 degree corner with a back saw, then used rasps to create that blended curve, which comes to a point on the bullnose.
The Buhl diamond was roughly carved on the underside using a V-chisel. Final sanding was followed by multiple coats of a wipe on oil/varnish blend.
This cabinet project was begun back in February 2016 and finally completed in November. A number of other, less involved projects interrupted the process. as well as my desire to savor this build.
I wanted to showcase the stunning sinker Honduras Mahogany I purchased from Rick Petty of Greener Lumber. He salvages sunken logs from rivers in Belize. These old-growth gems sank while floating down rivers to awaiting ocean going ships. I first discovered their story from a series of blog posts on the Popular Woodworking web site and a subsequent magazine article by Kari Hultman. Over the years I’ve built numerous pieces from this treasured material.
A 2015 Fine Woodworking Magazine article by Hank Gilpin showed his “Gilpinoid” leg design. I loved the design and the various ways he used it over the years. It produces great shadow lines and visual depth. From any one view, the appearance is subtle, but it becomes more and more interesting the closer one looks. That said, these legs add to the overall impact even when one does not “see” the specific details.
Motivation for a proper bookcase came from my treasured collection of Lost Art Press books on woodworking, design and history of the craft. They create books of the highest quality and give voice to brilliant contributors, contemporary as well as our legends.
All of my sinker Mahogany is 4/4 stock, which is great for most casework, but thicker material is required for legs. Rather than mix in current harvest Mahogany, or select a contrasting species, I decided to use poplar painted black with milk paint. The intent was to create a background setting off the highly-figured Mahogany. The shelves and back slats also received this treatment.
Honduras Mahogany from the rivers of Belize
The asymmetrical top used the plank’s shape as it came from the mill. Numerous cracks required filling with epoxy. The most obvious are on the right corner, but there were numerous smaller, but significant cracks elsewhere.
The bookcase is in our front room looking most pleased with itself. There are many details to amuse close inspection and this piece encourages taking it in from various perspectives.
Earlier blog posts discuss many of the elements, techniques and decisions that went into this piece. I was not pleased with a few of my construction decisions, but overall it works to my eye. A big thank you to those who supplied feedback and encouragement as this journey unfolded.
The door panels have glass inserts. I am not fond of open bookcases with all the dust floating (and settling) in our home. This is only my second cabinet with glass. It allows my Lost Art Press books to be seen, but protected.
The thin strips are flush with the rails and stiles. In general I like them to be a bit proud, but in this cabinet this doors close flush to the shelves, eliminating the opportunity to create shadow lines of proud strips.
Strips were cut slightly oversized at the band saw, then taken down to final dimensions using a block plane. The strips were slightly rounded over on the outer edge and fit snug to each opening with a small backsaw (dovetail). Each piece was labeled on the non-show surface and given a few coats of finish.
A thin bead of silicone applied to the rabbets, the glass cleaned, put in place, and the strips were secured with 23-gauge pins. I wanted to use escutcheon pins, however, even my smallest drill bit (1/16″) was too large to make a suitable pilot hole. The old-growth, figured sinker Mahogany was too dense to risk driving those pins without pilot holes. I did try a few samples and decided it was not worth the risk. So 23-gauge pins it was.
The doors were installed with the Brusso knife hinges and pilot holes were drilled in the top to be secured with #8 by 1-1/4-inch brass-coated screws.
Straight edge and 3/4-inch guide block used to determine fit. A bull nose plane was used to trim up to the leg.
There are numerous details to attend to before the cabinet is ready for use. When checking the door fit, I realized that the shelves were not properly positioned. They were too far forward in some instances which interfere with the doors. I used a long straight edge (referenced on top and bottom shelves) to indicate the inset door desired position. A 3/4-inch guide block (same thickness as door frames) guided material removal. This was one of many times during the build that I questioned my decision to pre-finish.
To secure the doors I embedded rare earth magnets in the shelves. One at the mid-rail location and the other on the bottom shelf where the proud stiles protrude. After drilling those holes I used dowel center finders to mark corresponding points on the door assemblies. Too late I discover that something didn’t work on my magnet placements. Luckily, the outer door works well and holds the non-secured door in place. Record another vote for the value for rabbet doors…assuming the outer door is done properly. Epoxy secures the magnets and plugs in their new homes. The proud plugs were taken flush with block plane, followed by sanding.
Shallow mortises are cut in the doors with router and edge guide to receive the long stub tenons of the pulls. Two screws each, no glue, to hold the pulls in place.
Double arcs roughly cut with jig saw. Later spokeshaves and rasps will refine the edge.
A plank of nicely figured sinker Honduras Mahogany will become the cabinet top. I will mostly follow the shape as it came from the river (Belize) and sawmill (http://www.greenerlumber.com). The back left corner will be perpendicular, the left front an obtuse, indeterminate angle and the right side irregular with free-form arcs. The straight sections terminate with small diameter rounds (created with rasps).
Hand plane, spokeshaves and rasps create the edge treatment.
The edges have a flat on top and slight bevel on the lower portion. Edges also eased with rasps and sandpaper. The right front edge arc has a number of large cracks to be filled with West Systems epoxy. Epoxy is also used for numerous internal cracks.
A blend of varnish/boiled linseed oil/mineral spirits is my go-to finish and will be used on this project as well. The poplar components (legs, shelves and back slats) are given a few thin coats of black milk paint followed by top coat of the oil/varnish blend. Wet sanding of the top coat removes black pigment from some edges and transition points to give the piece a lived-in look.
The legs were glued in place one at a time using liquid hide glue. Various cauls were required to apply pressure without damaging the oddly shaped legs.
The back slats had to be installed at this time due to the design. Typically I would nest the slats in rabbets which would allow much better flexibility. This is what happens when one chooses to design on the fly. In this case rabbets would work for the top and bottom, but not as readily into the legs.
With the legs in place, I was finally able to place the cabinet upright to see how it might look with a top in place.
The top will be asymmetrical to retain much of the look of this distinctive hunk of sinker Mahogany. Stay tuned as the adventure continues. It is beginning to look like a cabinet but many details remain.
The door stiles protrude beyond the case bottom. This post shows some detailing of those stiles. After the door panels are glued up and preliminary sanding completed, the inner (long) stiles detailing reflects that of the lower legs.
An angled cut with back saw removed the bulk of the excess material. Followed by chiseling close to the lines, then rasp work and finally sanding smooth.
These doors will have glass inserted into the openings.
The inside lower leg details will not be noticed by many viewers, but it was fun to work on. I sketched the curve sweeps on one leg and then took measurements to transfer to the others. Made relief cuts with backsaw and my oh-so-cool Gramercy bowsaw to roughly cut the sweeps.
Leg detail with first coat of black milk paint
I used a No. 4 fishtail gouge to continue working the curves. I decided to leave the tool marks. A bit of sanding softened the high spots and ridges. I have always wanted to use carving gouges and leave the tool marks on a cabinet piece, but never found the courage. This gave me the chance to fulfill that desire in an area only spiders and inquisitive woodworkers with good knees are likely to ever notice.
The leg off cuts made for a fun geometric.
fun with offcuts
A driveway designer and woodworker sharing thoughts, experiences and impressions of the journey.
The table is completed other than glue up. I will be doing the final glue up when I visit Michigan this summer. The legs and stretchers are from a different log than the top. The top is quite dark, with marvelous figure. The missing chunk on the underside and edge will be a conversation starter for many, many years.
All of my sinker Mahogany is 4/4 stock, which is great for most casework, but thicker material is required for legs. Rather than mix in current harvest Mahogany, or select a contrasting species, I decided to use poplar painted black with milk paint. The intent was to create a background setting off the highly-figured Mahogany. The shelves and back slats also received this treatment.
