Cabinet on Stand

A while ago, I created a small cabinet that had been designed to be table-mounted. Over time, the issue was lack of table space causing me to move the small cabinet here and there. It seemed to always be in the way. Of course, it could have been converted to a small jewelry cabinet, but there was no demand for this. A little thought went in to the next life of the cabinet and the idea of mounting it on a dedicated stand came up. So this is what I did. The cabinet itself is not deep and a stand would need to compensate and add depth to the structure. Unless the depth was increased, there would not be sufficient stability.

After some thought, re-visiting earlier designs of mine, and perusing though James Krenov's designs, it came to me. The cabinet would float over the stand allowing me to increase the depth by approximately 1.5 inches. Along with is, I introduced the technique of bird's feet at the bottom. These elongated, arced wood elements extended the depth or form another 2 inches. All told, the new depth was sufficient to make the cabinet on stand stable.

The build also consisted of some modifications to the actual European beech cabinet. New drawer faces, applied contrasting edging and lowering of the base. Cherry was selected for the stand to contrast with the much lighter beech of the cabinet. The cherry stand was built separately. Legs are rift-sawn cherry and the rails are staggered to lighten up the façade and introduce strength and rigidity. Since there are no lower rails in this stand design, the upper, offset rails would need to be mortised into the legs. I also added a contrasting piece of inlay to the upper front rail of the stand to balance the aesthetic. Images below are after the completion of the build and approximately a week later. Cherry has become darker since, as seen in later images.

New woodworking book...

So after a tumultuous month of March, the latest woodworking book is complete and published. Available in digital and print. March began with a bang (literally). My wife and I were broadsided at an intersection causing our SUV to roll and slide down the road for 100 ft. or more. We got out with aches, pains and bruises but on the mend now. The healing time allowed me to focus on this book more heavily and today I am happy to announce it's release! Below is a description for the book.

Decades of furniture making experience combine with furniture design in this new and refreshing take on woodworking. In addition to detailed furniture making techniques, the book delves into the thought process behind furniture design. Skills and processes to advance you as a woodworker and furniture maker are described. The book is also a window on the life of a furniture maker. Although the focus of the book is hand tools, use of machines in the preparatory phase of a furniture build is addressed. Time and labor-saving precision hand tool procedures are discussed. The emphasis turns to hand tools in latter stages of a furniture build where attention to detail is necessary. A reverence to wood as a medium is featured throughout the book.

Homage is paid to classic techniques such as dovetail joinery and workbench processes. As well as the traditional, modern techniques and processes are put forward to make your furniture designs stand out and be unique. The focus is one of a kind furniture, the unique furniture and wood objects that separate you from other makers. As a furniture designer + maker, discover my passion, what drives me and where I draw inspiration from. Learn how to develop your own style, aesthetic and voice in furniture design. It is not the how but the why behind the process that is often critical in a furniture maker's mind and practice.

The premise for this book is to provide insight into the craft of woodworking and more specifically the creation of furniture. The book is composed of sections, each of which is critical to your woodworking journey. Acquiring skills and knowledge in the last century involved taking classes, reading books or mentoring with a knowledgeable woodworker. Today, in comparison, there is a wealth of knowledge available through the Internet. What is lacking however, is the hands on aspect of the craft of woodworking. Learning involves making. I know of no one that learned a craft by simply reading and not applying themselves. It is critical to embrace the often lengthy learning curve involved. This book includes several articles focusing on aspects of woodworking in a contemporary world.

The book is composed of four sections. Each section contains articles that a woodworker or furniture maker will need to embrace as they evolve. The first section introduces basic woodworking skills. A large part of this book is devoted to hand tool skills. Although machines are combined with hand tools in my furniture making, I advocate that woodworkers should embrace hand tools. It is necessary to form a connection between hand and wood medium prior to seeking efficiency and a production mindset. Hand tools often get a bad rap as being slow and tedious. Instead, what hand tools offer is control,  dexterity, quiet and a close connection to the wood medium. In a one person furniture making studio, hand tools offer a healthy balance to the use of machines. Projects include through dovetails, portable board jack build, moxon vise build, and knife hinge install.

The second or  furniture maker section provides a glimpse into furniture making as a career. Woodworkers often aspire to become furniture makers or go into business for themselves. As a furniture maker for several decades, I share knowledge and insight acquired over the years. Some articles will inspire you to take the leap and become a full time furniture maker. Topics in the section include setting up shop, the furniture maker journey, the furniture maker lifestyle, social media for a furniture maker, and insight into diverging from furniture making to other forms of woodworking.

The third section is devoted to furniture design. Furniture design forms a large part of woodworking. Often, it is necessary to design a complete piece of furniture or modify an existing design. The design process has evolved over past decades with the advent of computer software (CAD). Pencil and paper are now combined with CAD. Articles include how to create and refine a design, the concept of form and function and how it applies to furniture.

The fourth or advanced woodworking section delves into techniques to further your woodworking and furniture making. Veneering techniques, both manual and vacuum veneering are described. The process of creating a jewelry box is discussed in one article. The Japanese art of Kumiko is described in a final article.

235 Pages, 8.5 X 11 in. Non-fiction.  
Digital:  WOODWORKING: FROM DESIGN TO MAKING 
Print Edition:  WOODWORKING: FROM DESIGN TO MAKING 

 

Kumiko cabinet doors...

After exploring Japanese Kumiko and in particular the asa-no-ha pattern or motif, I created a few panels. I also took it one step forward and framed the panels with pieces of cherry or mahogany I had lying around. The asa-no-ha pattern below seems to be the most popular and it can be seen reproduced by several woodworkers.

Having mastered the Kumiko process for the asa-no-ha pattern and in the process created several panels, I soon realized that they should be applied to a project. Kumiko panels on their own are only decorative, they are really meant to be incorporated into furniture, shoji screens, etc.

Without a new project in mind and after some brainstorming with my wife, the idea was hatched to integrate one of the larger Kumiko panels into an existing piece of furniture. While discussing, my latest Krenov display cabinet was directly in front of us. Hey, why not experiment with the Kumiko panel on this cabinet. So a cardboard mockup of one door was created and a large Kumiko panel carefully fitted in to be able to view the inside of the cabinet.

After some discussion, we both agreed that the idea was worthy of further exploration. I also secretly wanted an excuse to create more Kumiko panels and become better at it and to develop techniques. Next, two matching Kumiko panels were created and framed with cherry pieces. It was also decided to create the doors out of cherry. Selecting the wood for the doors was not an easy one. Lately, I have been making an effort to draw down my existing inventory of wood. I have so much existing inventory and it doesn't make sense to keep purchasing more wood. The only issue was the grain orientation of the wood. Since these are doors with about 9 inches in width, I preferred quarter-saw or at the least rift-sawn for dimensional stability. After exhaustively searching my pile and deliberating, a single cherry plank appeared to meet the criteria... for the most part. I also wanted a wood that would have the lighter Kumiko panels stand out. Cherry normally darkens with age and exposure to light, so this was an critical consideration. The cherry plank was selected since it was light pink or brown and was not likely to turn a deep red. I preferred a medium colored brown as the final color, to match the cabinet stand and interior drawer fronts. With cherry, the final color is often a crap shoot. So cherry it was for the doors.

The cherry plank was sawn and laid out for the door components. Doors assembled with an opening for the Kumiko panels. Kumiko panels were fitted in and temporarily attached as seen directly below. All is good at this point, the Kumiko panels fit like a glove. Door components were selected and laid out to minimize any horizontal movement across their width.

Proceeded to then create a lip and rabbet where the doors meet and to permanently install the Kumiko panels. It was absolutely necessary for the new doors to perfectly match the original doors in both width, length and thickness. This was due to the knife hinges used and the close tolerances necessary for their operation. The door reveals were also an important criteria. In other word, the new doors would need to be dimensionally exact as the original doors.

The photos above show the progression in both dimensioning the doors to size and creating the lip and rabbet where they meet. The last photos below have both doors installed in the cabinet prior to application of a shellac finish. The single right cocobolo door pull is also prepared and fitted but will only be installed as a last step. A temporary basswood filler piece is inserted in the mortise for the door pull. From previous experience, a protruding door pull seriously gets in the way of applying a French Polish type of finish.

Follow me on Instagram for progress updates:
Instagram:  @woodskillsmag and @pirollodesign

Cabinet Build Class

I have recently compiled a series of 16 videos into an online class. The subject was a recent display cabinet build. The design and build of the striking Krenov-inspired display cabinet seen below is discussed and demonstrated. The contemporary styled display cabinet features veneered sides and doors. The veneers selected are highly figured although they can be substituted with alternative veneers. The frame and panel back adheres to the Krenov principle of properly finishing the back of the cabinet. James Krenov is widely known for his classic cabinets on stand as well as the incredible attention to detail he brought to furniture making. He also brought a unique philosophy and vision to furniture making of which I heed and practice. A large part of this veneered display cabinet has been created using an assortment of hand tools although some machinery is used in the initial wood preparation stage. Follow me as I describe the steps involved in creating a masterpiece veneered cabinet on stand.

The following topics are covered in detail in this 16 part design and build class:

1. Inspiration and design of the display cabinet
2. An overview discussing components of the cabinet
3. Wood selection and resawing veneers used in cabinet
4. The advantages of using veneers over solid wood
5. Detailed information on creating and using resawn veneers
6. The process of applying veneers to the sides and doors
7. Implementing bake-ins to create panels with hardwood edges
8. Hardwood edging and the veneer press
9. The veneer press and joinery used in the cabinet
10. Card scrapers and the use of a shop-made drilling guide
11. Dowel drilling guide in-depth
12. The case construction process
13. Frame and panel construction of the back panel
14. Back panel detail and installation
15. Final case assembly of the display cabinet
16. Installation process of knife hinges for the doors

Each video segment addresses one aspect of the cabinet build. The design process as well as the methodology behind the build are addresses. This is not simply a class on how to build a cabinet on stand. The class will inform you of a similar design process that James Krenov used in his own work. Since I am an ardent follower of James Krenov, the practices I use in this cabinet build closely follow those of James Krenov. Discussions and demonstrations describe how the design of this display cabinet originated and the design considerations in its build. Information on wood selection and preparation as well as the joinery used in this cabinet is covered in detail. Tips and techniques acquired over several years of creating this style of cabinet are shared in this class. The process of creating and applying veneers is covered as well as information on the installation of knife hinges. More info in the Tutorials section of my web site.