Cabinet in Elm Burl veneer

[Sparktrician]

That bookmatched veneering is absolutely stunning, Richard.  Great job!!!  If your beloved spouse fails to be swept off her feet, she should be banished to the outer provinces and made to wear sackcloth and ashes. 

[smile]

 

[GhostFist]

amazing amazing work. you've such a fine attention to detail. i could learn a bucket load off of you.

 

[andvari]

[not worthy] [not worthy] [not worthy]

Incredible work, thanks for sharing.

 

[rmwarren]

The aspen interior was an inspired choice, I keep coming back to look at those photos. It never would have occurred to me, but the contrast will take your breath away every time the doors are opened.

Kudos!

RMW

 

[Vindingo]

It's based on a Rulhmann design from the 1920s.

Beautiful piece!  You definitely do the veneer justice. 

If you like Rulhmann stuff you should check out Frank Pollaro's work.  http://www.pollaro.com/welcome.php

 

[mouppe]

Thanks, I spoke to Frank Pollaro whilst I was researching the cabinet. I have his website bookmarked. His furniture is stunning.

The other nice thing about aspen lumber is that it is closed-grain which means it polishes up really easily and smoothly. Oh, and it is about as cheap as pine! It's definitely my drawer material of choice going forward.

 

[tiralie]

The curved doors and veneering the top were particularly difficult to do.

Richard:
I love Rulhmann design and this is beautiful interpretation. I love the legs. Looks like the cabinet is carefully stepping toward the viewer.
The light in your shop is lovely, I could have sworn it was in TO  [big grin].

Thanks for detailing the door build. I have never seen that type of construction before.

Why was the veneering of the top so difficult? I imagine the coves would be a bit of a nightmare but was there something else.

Thanks, I spoke to Frank Pollaro whilst I was researching the cabinet. I have his website bookmarked. His furniture is stunning.

Pollaro's work is very inspiring.
Tim

 

[Nick2cd]

Fantastic!  just blows me out of the water!!!!  great work

 

[rnt80]

Beautiful work.  It's inspiring to see this level of craftmanship.  The bookmatching and the finish are incredibly stunning.

 

[mouppe]

The curved doors and veneering the top were particularly difficult to do.

Why was the veneering of the top so difficult? I imagine the coves would be a bit of a nightmare but was there something else.

It was hard to clamp all the little strips and trim all the edges. I started with the top in a vacuum press and added each layer working my way down. I could only do two opposite sides at a time and then had to wait for the glue to dry. Then I would trim the edges with a spokeshave and chisel and do the next two faces. I gave up using clamps and resorted to masses of blue tape! It was all very fiddly and took ages. Not a lot of fun.

I think this is one situation where I wish I knew how to use hide glue because you could use a veneer hammer to apply the veneer and you wouldn't need any clamps. You could also move on to the next side without having to wait for the glue to completely dry. Imagine if you a vac sys available. You could do a face, swivel the workpiece, do the next one and so on. Oh well, dream on.

 

[Vindingo]

so do we get to see finished pictures, or are you just going to tease us with your avatar photo  [poke]

 

[ScotF]

Richard,

This is an amazing piece -- of course, I like seeing your other projects too -- very talented and you have a great eye for design and finish.  Thanks for sharing.

Scot

 

[mouppe]

Vindingo,

Here's the finished piece with the Brusso knobs and legs finished with Danish oil.

Brusso make these knobs in two sizes- these are the larger ones. I love their hardware, the tolerances are minute. And an honourable mention must go out to the Festool imperial drill bits- obviously I was nervous about drilling through the finished doors, but these drill bits cut such a clean hole there's nothing to worry about. I dropped in a drop of contact cement but the knobs just went in with a pressure fit- that's how precise the knobs and the holes were.

I went to such trouble to get the legs all even, and then discovered the floor was not! Hence the mat under the back right leg!

And now the dirty secret- this cabinet was made for my wife's handbag collection! They are all designer bags, and she keeps them in their protective cloth bags. I measured the various bags to get rough shelf heights. If you thought a Festool addiction was expensive, you ain't seen nothing yet...

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[tiralie]

Here's the finished piece with the Brusso knobs and legs finished with Danish oil.

Richard:
Looks great!
Congrats on finishing it.

If you thought a Festool addiction was expensive, you ain't seen nothing yet...

Tit for tat... [big grin]

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Wow!

 

[Vindingo]

The pulls fit perfectly and look amazing.  It is definitely the kind of piece I would have to run my hand across every time I walked by it.   

Don't you love that feeling right before you drill a hole in a finished door? 

 

[mouppe]

I felt like I did the moment just before I jumped out of a plane!