OK, so let's get right into it.
This project was made with 15mm plywood.
I chose plywood over MDF because ermm....
I don't really know.
I usually use MDF for stuff like this so I think I just wanted a change to be honest.
I had one sheet so I had to mark out all my components from that.
Think I had 10 to cut altogether.
So this is cutting to size on the panel saw.
Think I've got a lovely little diagram, there it is!
So, sides coming off now.
Then followed by the back panel.
These are all massively oversized because I'm going to be veneering this project in
American Black Walnut to make it a lovely chocolate brown.
So once it's all veneered, that's when I'll cut it to final size.
Three drawer dividers there in case I cock one of them up.
Which I did.
Then finally, the top, middle and bottom shelves.
Here's the veneer that I was using.
This is from Mundy Veneer in the UK.
And yes, if you have a question about anything in this series, ask me on Twitter.
There is my handle below.
So yes, the veneer was from Mundy Veneer.
They gave me a nice little student discount on it which was very kind of them.
Really good company.
I think it actually came the following day after ordering it.
If you have ever heard of them - or haven't heard of them sorry, I've put a link below
so you can use them because they are very good.
They even went through the trouble of doing the maths for me because my estimate was absolutely
shocking.
So yes, they worked out everything I needed and were a great help.
This was the most laborious part of the entire project, veneering usually is for me.
Basically, both the packs had this really thin strip of sapwood along them.
So I had to cut that off first and I'm using a Gramercy Tools Veneer Saw for this.
Absolutely amazing tool.
You can join veneers straight off the saw, especially when you have a nice sturdy fence
like this.
But I was being incredibly anal (retentive) about it so I thought.
'Oh, It'll be a great idea to joint each edge of the leaves and get a perfect joint between
them' What I didn't realise is that I had 64 leaves and I had to do both sides of them.
So 128 sides altogether.
It was not fun.
It took a while, I'd say about 2 days altogether of just this, constantly.
Had my headphones in so it was somewhat bearable but I have done more fun things in my life.
Believe it or not.
Oh by the way, I you have any questions about the tools I'm using, I do have a page on my
website that shows every single piece of equipment I use.
So if you want to have a look at that, I'll pop a card in the top right corner, now.
Hopefully I remember to do that.
But it's all been categorised and it's nice and easy for you to find things and there's
a little reviews and what I use the tool for written below each one.
It might be of use to someone.
Like I say, it's on my website so if you have any questions, either ask me on Twitter or
have a look on there.
So, because I only had 4 week to make this project, I was in a little bit of a rush and
I made one cock up here already.
Basically, as you can see in the diagram there, I was supposed to have a little bit of lipping,
veneer over that, then stick another lipping on top of that.
Which would then allow me to run a little vee groove through it as you can see...
here.
This will create a shadow gap along the top edge and bottom edge of the sides which will
mimic the line all the way around the sides.
BUT, I forgot to stick that lipping on before I veneered it.
So I'm making that lipping now, after it was veneered.
I didn't really need to do this either as I realised if I'm going to stick a small lipping
on, then a big lipping, I might as well make the big lipping even bigger.
So it was a little bit of a waste of time.
But you'll see the effect it produces later it is a nice shadow gap and I think it is
needed on the cabinet.
But, it's just a bit of a ball ache.
So this is me sticking the small lipping on.
I use duct tape for things like this now Because putting clamps on things like this is a bit
of a nightmare.
They're usually too cumbersome and you risk denting the wood.
So duct tape is amazing.
And if you put parcel tape along the wood first, it stops the duct tape from ripping
the grain out.
Now, here's the big lipping going on the small lipping.
As you can see, I should have just made an even bigger lipping so I didn't have to glue
it twice.
But I don't know, must have been a Monday morning or something.
Now here,I have to make lipping for the front of the...
How do I explain this bit?
Think I've got a diagram coming up....
I think.
Basically, it's a fatter lipping to allow me to plane a relief for the door.
Because the front of the cabinet is curved inwards, the door can't be...
Oh my god this is so hard... wait....
Here it is!
So I am making the lipping for... that bit, there.
So that's basically slightly angled in to match the angle of the door.
The lipping needs to be extra thick to allow me to plane that angle in it without exposing
plywood underneath...
That was effort.
OK, this was a little ingenious idea by myself if I do say so.
Basically, the plywood on the top, middle and bottom shelves had this weird notch.
You'll see here.
That notch in the corner would be an absolute nightmare to cut out accurately and cleanly
in plywood.
So I thought, I'll cut the edges of the plywood square and stick a bit of lipping on that
would match that angle, or create that angle in the edge of the component.
So that was me cutting it there.
And this is me biscuiting them into place.
You'll see what this does in a minute, but it saved me a lot of time.
There's the err...
what are those?
The upper dividers and the horizontals and the, oh there's the drawer dividers too.
So now I could make a template for the front curve, this was done with a trammel arm.
Now DeWalt routers, or this one, is awful at extracting.
You'd have more hope sucking thick milkshake through a blocked straw.
Anyway, I digress.
So with that cut on the trammel arm, I could take it to the bandsaw and chop off the excess.
Then flush trim that bandsawn edge back to the edge of the template.
Now I could mark out where the curve needs to start and end in the horizontal components.
Now in reality, I should have made a fancy jig to do this because once the cabinet was
assembled there was a few misalignment.
But I don't know, I was trying to cut corners because I was in a rush with this project
and it came back to bite me in the arse a little bit.
But oh well!
We got it done.
The like an absolute barbarian I just screwed the template straight onto the plywood.
If it was being veneered.
Ah, you could just shove a bit of filler on it first and then veneer over it.
It's fine!
Bespoke furniture.
That's the flush trimmer, taking the template back getting a lovely even curve on that.
Then with a small audience, getting it all veneered up.
In fact, that was one panel because I remember, the glue went off a lot...
It was really hot in there because we had the heated press going and it set the glue
off really quick.
So I spread it on one thing and it was almost dry, so I was like s%#t.
Had to get it back into the press really quickly.
Once it was all dry, a quick flush trim to take it back to the edge of the plywood.
Relatively easy job.
That was me routing the notch there.
It was so much easier to create it using an extra bit of lipping, rather than cut it out
the plywood.
And with all those veneered, I could start working on the legs which will be next weeks
episode.
See you then!