Townsend Kneehole Bureau Glue up Carcass Step 3

I glued up the carcass yesterday and several people asked me how I did it.  So while I was gluing I turned on the camera and let it run.  It took an hour to completely glue up and clamp the carcass. I edited the video to run fast and cut out the things that I did not think were important.

The video runs about 5 minutes, here it is:

Townsend Kneehole Bureau Inside Panel & Drawer Dividers Step 2

The next step in the build is to make a place for the internal panels around the kneehole.  I marked out dovetails in the front and a 3/16 inch dado from the kneehole to the back.

I chopped out the dovetails in the usual manner, the pins are on the bottom of the partitions. Now I am using my marking knife of scribe the edge lines of the dados I am going to cut.  The dados could be cut with a router but I chose to do them the old fashioned way, 

One the fibers have been cut by the marking knife it makes a groove that the saw will follow. Starting at the front of the cut and working my way towards the back the saw follows the line. I cut to a depth of 3/16.

Once the saw cuts are made, I use a router plane to clear out the waste between and create a nice flat bottom in the dado.

The kneehole panels need to be cut off on the bottom to fit into the dovetails and the dado, I do this with a hand saw since it is a stop cut at the front dovetails.

I chopped out the dovetail pins on the bottom of the panels and fit the panels into the dado and into the tails on the bottom front.

Now it is time to start working on the cross pieces to keep everything in place. I cut half blind dovetails in the top of the sides and fit the two 1 inch thick cross pieces which make up the sub top for the bureau.  The top will be fastened to this sub-top.

I use my story stick to layout the dados for the drawer runners, dovetail sockets for the drawer dividers on the case sides and inside panels.  There are grooves in the back of the sides for the back panel and grooves in the front for the applied cockbeading.

There is also dado for two thin shelves in the kneehole behind the door

Cutting the grooves for cockbeading along the front of the panel.

Routing the dovetail sockets and dados for the drawer runners and dividers

Cut out the top drawer divider which runs all the way across the case. Put the cockbeading on with the beading bit in the router.  I'll clear out the material in the middle with a chisel.

Fitted into the case sides.

Putting the cockbeading on the small drawer dividers

Putting the dovetail on the end of the small drawer divider.

Fitting the drawer divider in to the case.

I still have to fit the dust panel into the dados behind the large drawer divider. The dust panel has dados on the bottom which the top of the inside panels fit.  This helps keep the inside panels from moving.

Once the dust panel is fitted I think I am done with the carcass. Next step will be to glue it up.

Here is todays video:

Townsend Kneehole Bureau Drawings & Bottom Step 1

I have decided on my next project.  It will be the Townsend Kneehole Four Shell Bureau.  A bureau is like a chest, it used to store things and it is usually in a bedroom but it is not a dressing table.  That is the 18th century interpretation.

The Townsend Kneehole Bureau that I plan on reproducing is on display at the Yale Art Gallery. It can be located here. Townsend Bureau at Yale

It is a beautiful piece of 18th century furniture and highly prized by those who could obtain one.

The original was made from mahogany primary wood and chestnut as secondary wood.
It is nearly impossible to obtain chestnut these days because it was wiped out in the early 20th century.  I am going to use poplar and pine in it's place.

I am working on sourcing the original brasses pattern right now.  I want to reproduce this piece as close a possible to the original in construction and look.

I have some full size drawings mounted on the wall as I usually do for my project.

I have two matched 20 in wide by 12/4 mahogany boards 11 ft long for the project.  They are figured and matched grain.  I had them resawed with some 4/4 and the remaining 1 3/4 inches.

I marked out all of the 4/4 that I need for the sides, top and drawer dividers.

I glued up two poplar boards to make the bottom board.  It is 3/4 inch thick and 34 1/2 wide by 18 3/8 deep. The cut out in the middle I made with a hand saw is for the kneehole.

My jointer and planer are too small to handle this 20 in wide stock, so I have to hand plane them flat.  I just sharpened my Stanley #7, it is cutting real good.

Now I have the two sides flat and trimmed to 18 3/8 in and 13/16 thick.  It is time to plan the dovetails for the sides.

The tails are about 2 in wide, probably should be wider so there would be less to chop out.

The inside panels around the kneehole are being glued up.  I made them about 10 inches of mahogany and 9 inches of poplar since the inside of the kneehole is generally not seen I can use the secondary wood.

Sawing out the tails on the bottom of the sides.  I cut both at the same time.

After chopping out the tails and sawing the pins on the bottom. Here I am chopping out the pins on the bottom board.

Dry fitting the sides to the bottom board.  They are a good tight fit but probably too many.

Now that the sides are on, I am going to dovetail the inside panels to the hole in the bottom and dado the bottom to fit the inside panels next. That will be in the next post and video.

That's it for now.. Here is today's video:

Mahogany Curved Blockfront Chest - Finished Pictures

Here are a few pictures of the finished piece.

Itwas made with one two boards.  One for the top and sides and one for the drawer fronts and feet.
The secondary wood is eastern white pine.

The top and sides have book matched figure.

The hand cut dovetails match the pattern of the original.  Each drawer has a working lock.

Hand carved ball & claw feet with the side toes turned back like many Boston pieces.

Close up of the drawer fronts, finished in five coats of blonde shellac and dark wax.

The piece is available, contact me at dboeff@sbcglobal.net for details.

Mahogany Curved Blockfront Chest Finishing & Complete Step 9

I have started the finishing of the chest by sanding everything to 180 grit sand paper.  Then I wiped it down with a tack rag to help remove the dust.
I sprayed a 1/2 pound cut of blonde shellac as a sealer.  Then I was ready to spray a mixture of Lockwood dyes for the color.

I am using a HVLP setup from Earlex with a 1mm needle because the liquid dye is a very thin mixture.

After I spray the dye, I let it dry and then rub it out with a gray 3m scotch pad.  If I need to lighten an area, I use a wet rag to lighten the color.

Now I am ready to apply the finish coats of shellac. I am spraying a 2 lb cut of blonde shellac.

I spray 4 coats.  I usually wait a couple of hours between coats.

After applying the 4 coats of shellac I wet sand the surface with 400 grit sand paper and mineral spirits. I wipe off the residue with a rag.

This is how the finish looks after wet sanding.

I spray one more coat of shellac and then I am ready for final rub out. Here is am using 0000 steel wool to get the finish smooth after the last coat of shellac.

The top has been rubbed out with the steel wool and then rubbed out with special dark wax from Minwax. The dark wax adds contrast and does not leave white dry specks of wax.

Here I am applying the wax to the case sides.

I glued on the top with the sliding dovetail and then nailed on four pieces of ship lap pine boards for the back.  I leave a gap  between the boards so they can expand with the climate.

I mounted the hardware as I waxed each of the drawers.  I also installed the drawer stops in the front under the bottoms of the drawers. The stops are 1/16 inch thick.

Looks like I am all done.  Now I have to do some honey do's before I start the next project.

Here is today's video: