Cherry Wood Thread Cabinet

Here is a picture of the cabinet with the top three drawers with the dividers in place. I am leaving the bottom 2 drawers undivided for now as I think that what I have done will accommodate the thread spools I have. I can add other dividers as the need arises. There are three sizes of dividers. One drawer is for Gutterman spools, one for C & C Large spools. and one drawer is for C & C standard spools. The next thing is to finalize the sanding and start the varnishing.

John

Wow, John it really look great! I love the way you build your furniture. Unfortunately you don't see that quality of workmanship much anymore.

John, you're making me drool over the possibilities -- if only DH were

Why don't you try something yourself. It is a lot like quilting. You take a lot of little pieces and assemble them into something larger. The difference is you can do serious dammage to yourself with some power tools so you have to be a lot more careful. There are a number of women who are really proficient craftpersons, that I have seen. Just start out with something small and go from there. Just take your time and go slow. and keep your cutting edges really sharp. Nothing messes up worse than a dull edge.

John

John

John, that's looking better and better! :)

I'd love to try, John, but I'm sort of chicken. I don't have any depth perception, so it makes me rather nervous to think of working with power tools -- it doesn't help that we had a friend who cut off several fingers with some power saw. :( Maybe it's just as well that we have such a small house and no real room for a woodworking shop. ;)

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John

Thanks John, that sounds a bit similar to the list here. I think I am correct with these*

• 2 cordless and 2 corded

• none

• a lathe instead

• 2 belt sanders plus 3? others

• a biscuit joiner
• at least one circular saw

Thats all that I can think of off hand

• the band-aids stay inside, like yours they are seldom used

Both are different workshops, but similar tools are used

Dee in Oz

On Oct 9, 3:36 pm, John wrote: Here are 2 more pictures of the case and drawers with the first coat of varnish applied. The varnish really brings out the grain of the wood and highlights the joinery details in the case and drawer fronts. The next thing is repeated coats of varnish with light sanding in between coats with very fine sandpaper, to knock off the brush strokes and dribbles which are inevitable. Then it is lay the green felt in the drawer bottoms and reinstall the dividers in the drawers and wax the whole thing and carry it upstairs and fill it up with thread.

John

Looking gorgeous, John! :D

I prefer the natural effect of the varnish on cherry, for some things. There is a variation of hues within the wood itself, which is lost by the uniformity that is produced when you use sealer. Not that that is a bad thing, if that is what you are looking for. Some people prefer an overall consistantcy of color to their wood finishes. I did use a sealer on some of my furniture pieces, but they were period reproductions and seemed to call for that. This piece is going into a room that is filled with multi hued wood pieces of combinations of woods within single pieces, much like the quilts that come out of the room.

John

I think this must be another case of our languages being different, John! What I mean by sanding sealer is a clear liquid, used prior to French polishing (or other polishing), to bring out all the different colours of the various woods and within an individual wood. There is no uniformity at all - it has no colour and little viscosity. It is just like magic - the first brush stroke across a finely sanded piece is a joy to behold. I used to find that, even when I had used a particular wood before, there were still some surprises to be had at that moment. . In message , John writes

I think it is difference in terminology. Over here the sanding sealer is often used to stop the stain from over-penetration in the varying porous densities of the wood, giving a uniform coloring. I don't use stain. I do thin down the first coat of varnish which may act like your sanding sealer as it penetrates and seals the pores of the wood without adding any of it's own color to the surface, as there is a bit of amber color in all varnish. I don't use French polish, so I am not familiar with that process. Sanding sealer is used on soft wood like pine quite often, because soft woods tend to drink up anything that is put on it and the sanding sealer stops that from happening. Whatever you call it, I like the effect of varnish on the wood without any stain, especially on non-authentic (if you will) modern styled pieces. The darkening effect of sunlight, makes the use of stain appropriate when you are trying to achieve the classical look of an aged antique. But what you are really trying to achieve is the long time aging effect, of sunlight, on wood.

John

Ah, I see. Yes, different terminology. I have never used stain, just pure polish (the linseed oil mixture, applied with cotton wool inside non-linting cotton). . In message , John writes

What is the old saying, America and England, separated by a common language.

John

Phase ll The Base for the thread Case Cabinet:

Here is a picture of the start of the construction of the base cabinet for the finished Thread Case. The jumble of pipe clamps and cherry boards will eventually become the base that will accommodate a sewing machine, thread cones, embroidery thread, and I don't know whatever else. This is how it all begins.

John

Hmmm ... doesn't look much like a base cabinet yet .... ;)