I'm in the process of milling and preparing the components of the drawer case. The drawer case consists of a top and bottom panel the width of the interior of the jewelry armoire, two side panels , the back, the horizontal drawer dividers, and a center vertical divider. After preparing the surfaces of each of the panels of the drawer case, I created a series of grooves to house the drawer dividers. The grain orientation of the drawer case is front to back, as is the main case, so the grooves are perpendicular to the grain orientation and are therefore dadoes. When creating dadoes such as these, it becomes somewhat important that their spacing is equidistant from each other and that the sides of each drawer compartment are parallel to each other. I took a considerable amount of time checking and re-checking my measurements,markings, and reference edges before creating the dadoes and any joinery used to keep the drawer case together.In the photo, I am very lightly planing both surfaces of each of the panels to create a nice, smooth, polished surface, using a planing board. I had already done some of this hand planing prior to creating the dadoes, but the final hand planing cleans any residual ridges on the surfaces. The panel being planed is the center vertical divider, the other panels in the photo are the left and right vertical panels. The drawer case is of black cherry just as the main case. The panel being hand planed was partially covered for a few days and this caused the exposed area to darken considerably as opposed to the lighter portion. Cherry darkens considerably and develops a patina with exposure to light and ambient air.
Within the day, I will be assembling and gluing together this drawer case and fitting the individual drawer dividers. I have also test fit this drawer case into the main armoire case to confirm my previous measurements were correct. The drawer case will be for the most part floating in the main armoire case. To accomplish this I will be pinning the drawer case to the base of the jewelry armoire with four small dowels to prevent it from moving, yet it can be removed if necessary.
3 comments:
Norman, wow, the effect of the light exposure on the panel you are planing appears very pronounced. Do you expect it to even out over time or will you need to make it blend in a bit in the finishing stage?
Hi Mat,
It does look like a significant amount of difference in color, but from past experience, patience is key here. Cherry will darken over time, and depending on how much exposure to light, this either occurs quickly or slowly over time.
I won' be blending it in as I'm fairly confident that within 2 weeks the color difference will have become much more neutral and much less noticeable. Also, I don't use tints or stains in my work. I also feel that any attempt at blending will be undermined once the cherry naturally darkens.
My studio is very bright and sunny during the day, and this helps the process considerably, judging from other cherry that has been in there.
Norman
Hi Mat,
It does look like a significant amount of difference in color, but from past experience, patience is key here. Cherry will darken over time, and depending on how much exposure to light, this either occurs quickly or slowly over time.
I won' be blending it in as I'm fairly confident that within 2 weeks the color difference will have become much more neutral and much less noticeable. Also, I don't use tints or stains in my work. I also feel that any attempt at blending will be undermined once the cherry naturally darkens.
My studio is very bright and sunny during the day, and this helps the process considerably, judging from other cherry that has been in there.
Norman
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