Birdseye Maple bookcase [Archive]

Steve Ash

11-24-2006, 10:43 PM

I've been asked to build a bookcase measuring 84" tall and 9' 8" wide using Birdseye maple. I have been given about 80 bd. ft. of birdseye maple stock from Michigans Upper Peninsula. A very good friend named Bruce who is a logger and has a sawmill wants to give this bookcase to his wife for a belated Christmas present. He logged off the B/E and milled it at his sawmill.

He wants the 2 outside pieces measuring 24" x 24" to have adjustable shelving for pictures and the center section measuring 66" x 16" to have fixed shelves for books. The bottom areas are for storage and will have raised panel doors. He would like the doors to be made of B/E also but I explained my caution with tearout and he said plain maple would be fine as long as I made the rails and stiles with birdseye. Bruce has given me some leeway so I've been pondering (and asked a couple WW'ing friends their opinions) about using cherry for the raised panels and B/E for the rails and stiles. All the carcase has been made using 3/4" maple plywood per his request, all the face frames will be B/E maple.

Pictures show the face frames already cut to size and passed through the drum sander. I'm not sure how well the B/E will show up but it is highly figured. The next pics show the carcase mocked up to get an idea of size...and I just had to get my mom and dad in on the project. :D

I will post more on this thread as work progresses.

Jesse Cloud

11-24-2006, 10:50 PM

Hey Steve,
That's going to be a beauty for sure! I love birdseye, but you are right about the tear out. Every time I use b/e, I wind up burning my fingers on the scraper :eek: :eek:

Cherry would work for the doors, but personally I would think about a very light wood that wouldn't compete with the b/e - maybe birch or plain maple.

Can't wait to see pics of your progress!

Steve Clardy

11-24-2006, 10:59 PM

Looking good :thumb:

Birch should match fairly close.

Marty Walsh

11-24-2006, 11:39 PM

Steve,

I luv tthe figure of BE Maple, but agree that tearout is annoying. I think cherry would really compliment the BE.

Question though, how are you planning to support books on a 66" span of 3/4" ply?

- Marty -

Steve Ash

11-24-2006, 11:52 PM

Question though, how are you planning to support books on a 66" span of 3/4" ply?

- Marty -

Good observation Marty, when the face frames are installed the span of 66" will be cut in half by a upright face frame which will have a shelf pin drilled from the backside of the face frame to support the center. The backsides of those shelves have been nailed through the maple plywood for support from the back edge

So the top portion will have a "split" in it at the halfway mark and the lower storage areas will have 3 raised panel doors.

Marty Walsh

11-25-2006, 12:24 AM

Good observation Marty, when the face frames are installed the span of 66" will be cut in half by a upright face frame which will have a shelf pin drilled from the backside of the face frame to support the center. The backsides of those shelves have been nailed through the maple plywood for support from the back edge

So the top portion will have a "split" in it at the halfway mark and the lower storage areas will have 3 raised panel doors.

Steve,

That's better...I was worried about droopy saggy shelves...been awhile, but been there, done that...:doh:

Then again, even at 33", 3/4" ply will be straining if they like lots of heavy books. I assume you're going to face the shelves with solid stock...? Maybe a little wider than normal...? :rolleyes:

Thanks...
- Marty -

Steve Ash

11-25-2006, 12:53 AM

I guess we think alike Marty, the two shelves are cut 1 1/8" less than the finished dimension to allow for a 1 1/8" B/E face. Had to really hunt hard for 2 pieces that were highly figured on the edge for this purpose. I feel confident that amount should be enough to support the shelves with books on it.

Marty Walsh

11-25-2006, 01:26 AM

Don Baer

11-25-2006, 01:46 AM

Steve,
I love working with maple and that looks like some great stuff. I looksforward to seeing the end result.

Karl Laustrup

11-25-2006, 01:20 PM

That's really looking nice Steve. :thumb:

So's Mom & Dad. :thumb: :D

Do a good job on that, cause I'll expect to see you here to help with the bookcase I've got to build. I'll even feed you. :D

Karl

Gail O'Rourke

11-25-2006, 01:38 PM

Steve, it looks great so far.. Can't wait to see the final project.

Stuart Ablett

11-25-2006, 02:06 PM

Nice stuff, I've never worked with it, sound like a pain, but the results are sure stunning!

Keep us posted! :thumb:

Steve Ash

11-25-2006, 06:00 PM

Made some progress today, I ripped the shelving faces down to size, sanded them glued and nailed them together.

The first picture shows that I pre drilled and countersunk the face for the shelves. I used screws where it will not be seen and nailed a couple of places where I can fill in with filler where it will be seen. Sure seems to be nicely figured Birdseye in my opinion.

Just a shot of one of the shelves in the clamps waiting for glue to dry. Another picture shows the adjustable shelving holes I pre drilled before assembly.

Then a picture of the Birdseye facing on and the shelf in place. And the last shot is from a distance with all the shelves in place and most of the facing on.

Next step will be routing the face frames then gluing it all together.....stay tuned.

Steve Ash

11-25-2006, 06:02 PM

I'll expect to see you here to help with the bookcase I've got to build. I'll even feed you. :D

Karl

Karl, I've had dinner at your place, that alone would be worth the trip.:thumb:

Thanks everyone for the compliments, I'll keep updating as it continues. Might be a while......:D

Steve Ash

12-05-2006, 06:16 PM

Today I was able to get the face frames for the two 24" x 84" outside shelving units done. I'll get started on the center 66" x 84" unit today but will not get it done for a while as I have to go to my real job tomorrow and get started on a new addition so time will be scarce for a while on this project.

At any rate, the pictures show how I put face frames together. First I rout a groove on the backside of the two vertical face frames at 3/4" wide to accept the plywood boxes and a depth of about 1/4" in depth. I cut the very top horizontal piece on the bandsaw as I want this to have a curve and add a little something to the looks of it. On over to the spindle sander to sand out all the marks left by the bandsaw. I then drill the pieces on my Kreg3 pocket hole jig. Clamp the pieces together on a flat surface and glue and screw them together.

Since my office is warmer than my shop I brought the face frames up for them to cure in a warm and dry environment . Hopefully the pictures will show the nice figure to the birdseye

tod evans

12-05-2006, 06:20 PM

purdy wood steve!

Brian Rice

12-09-2006, 12:55 AM

I love using BE and Cherry together. They compliment each other beautifully.

Dan McGuire

12-09-2006, 01:27 PM

Steve,

Great looking 'case, but I do have a quick question about the face frame construction. I see that you used pocket holes to join, which I find quick, easy and strong, but I alway seem to have an alignment problem. When I join the pieces together I seem to get one plane that is always just a touch higher than the adjoining plan. I use a solid core door as my assembly surface, but no matter what I try there is always that alignment problem. It is nothing that some sanding can't fix, but I am wondering if I am being too fussy, or is there something else I should be doing?

Dan

Frank Fusco

12-09-2006, 01:37 PM

That will be a stunning item when finished. You should get the patience award for working with that birds eye maple.

Steve Ash

12-09-2006, 01:39 PM

Dan, when I made my son's kitchen using Ash I had no problems at all with alignment, just used the vice-grip like holding device and they went together fine. Very little sanding involved with those.

Using this Birdseye I found I had a couple joints that were not "perfect" the first try and will require some sanding, but fellow FW member and my neighbor Keith July was over about that time and suggested I clamp the pieces using a board or similar. In the pictures I show using a pair of clamps holding it down securely to my uni-fence table...it seemed to do the trick for me, they came out great.

My advice, try using a couple of clamps securing the piece to your table as I have shown in mine and see if that works for you. I'd also like to hear of your results if that is the method you try next time.

Steve Ash

12-09-2006, 01:42 PM

That will be a stunning item when finished. You should get the patience award for working with that birds eye maple.

Thanks Frank, I'll just be thrilled when my client (friend) see's it in person. I've emailed pictures to them as work progresses and so far she is just thrilled and can hardly wait for it to be finished and installed in her home.

Jay Lock

12-09-2006, 01:43 PM

Steve

Great looking job, thanks for the post. I'm envious of the wood, wish I had some logger friends to dump great materials in my lap.

Jay

Julio Navarro

01-05-2007, 03:09 PM

Steve Ash

01-06-2007, 11:49 AM

Steve, I cant help but admire your work. I am planning a shelving unit similar to that and I wish I could get my hands on some B/E as pretty as that.

I have a question just out of curiosity.

I noticed on the close up of the face frame, the upper section that has the curved piece, the grain on the verticle has the B/E burl but the horizonta curved piece is a different cut. Any specific reason why you didnt use a burled piece for the horizontal?

I cant waite to see it completed. Have you already decided on the finish (perhaps you already mentioned and I missed it)

Julio the piece you are asking about is all that I had from the material given to me by the customer that was wide enough and of enough B/E that I could make the piece out of. This part will have Crown molding and possibly some dentil molding on it which should make it not quite as noticeable as it is now.

I am leaning towards a pre-catalyzed laquer finish, FW member and neighbor
Keith July did some work with that finish and it is gorgeous, so I've been getting some good info from him on what to do.

I haven't posted pics yet, but I have all the rails and stiles cut and am doing cherry glue ups for the raised panel part of the bottom doors. This Project took a back seat to my other job, but I am back on it again so pic updates should be coming soon.

Ed Nelson

01-06-2007, 09:45 PM

Steve, please excuse my ignorance, but what is a pre-catalyzed laquer finish?

Steve Ash

01-07-2007, 12:34 AM

Ed, here is the info pertaining to the pre-catalyzed laquer:

RESISTHANE PLUS®
PRE-CATALYZED CLEAR WOOD LACQUER
This product is unlike any other environmentally friendly spray on type wood lacquer on the market. Its tough and durable, self-sealing and easy to use and apply. Offers clarity, depth, beauty and toughness without any of the hazardous features. It's clarity is second to none in a water-based finish. Makes wood finishing safe and easy. No window of recoatability thus, recoat anytime with as many coats as desired. An excellent all around product for most interior woodwork. Its VOC is less than 0.5 lbs/gal or 60 g/L.

Best application results are achieved through spraying; through most conventional, airless and HVLP spray systems. Suitable for brushing on small areas only. Not recommended for bar tops, restaurant tables, or flooring.

Ed Nelson

01-07-2007, 01:57 AM

Thanks for the info. This stuff sounds great! I have the cheapo HVLP sprayer that I have had some success with paint. I'll have to try it with some of this sometime.

Julio Navarro

01-07-2007, 03:29 AM

Thanks Steve. I'll be looking in often as I am going to start on one similar.

Again, beautiful work.

Now for the important question; where are you going to put some ash in this project?

Steve Ash

01-07-2007, 11:08 AM

Now for the important question; where are you going to put some ash in this project?

Good question since I always include a piece of Ash somewhere in all the projects I do. I've been trying to decide what to do this time myself Julio, maybe something on the inside of one of the raised panel doors? Stay tuned.....

Steve Ash

01-07-2007, 11:13 AM

Thanks for the info. This stuff sounds great! I have the cheapo HVLP sprayer that I have had some success with paint. I'll have to try it with some of this sometime.

Keith July, a member here at FW has an inexpensive spray gun that he uses and his work is beautiful. Maybe PM him and ask him if yours will work of maybe he'll chime in here.

I have two guns that I used when we were restoring these old cars we have. One is a $350.00 DeVilBiss and the other is a $150.00 Matco. What spraying I have done so far, and using the same size tips, the Matco gun has done a better job of spraying. Keith said he paid 20 something bucks for his and it works great....maybe the cheaper the gun, the better it shoots?:huh:

Robert Schaubhut

01-07-2007, 02:47 PM

Hi Steve,
It sounds like with that lacquer you will be shooting you can do it over til perfect, so that is taking some pressure off. It's turning out really nice! Good job and Hi to the your Mom and Dad. :)
Shaz

Julio Navarro

01-12-2007, 01:15 PM

"bump"

Steve, dont forget to update this, I am very interested in this project.

Steve Ash

01-12-2007, 01:22 PM

"bump"

Steve, dont forget to update this, I am very interested in this project.

Julio, I wont forget to update...I love taking and sharing pictures. Problem is I don't really have any pictures worthy of showing right now, but will soon.

Yesterday and the day before I got the 5 Birdseye Maple and Cherry raised panel doors all milled, glued and in the clamps. Today I will be taking them out of the clamps and final sanding these doors then hopefully putting the face frames on the cabinets.

I need to get the pre-catalyzed laquer ordered up too.

Pictures coming Julio...I promise.

Julio Navarro

01-12-2007, 01:35 PM

Pictures coming Julio...I promise.

Great Thanks.

Ive already got the ok from the LOML to get all the wood material for the project

larry merlau

01-12-2007, 02:00 PM

this what i meant the other day steve

Steve Ash

01-12-2007, 02:03 PM

this what i meant the other day steve

What am I missing? It looks identical to me?

Steve Ash

01-12-2007, 06:38 PM

I have two of the five raised panel Birdseye Maple and Cherry doors sanded this morning.

I started out with 80 grit and then proceeded with 120, 150, and finished up with 220 grit.

As I finish sanding these I bring them from the shop to my office to keep them safe and to avoid any damage that can happen in the shop.

I am finding I need to spend a bit more time sanding than I thought I would need to. I put all my stock through the drum sander and thought it looked pretty good, but as I get right down and look at it I can see a little bit of tearout, not a lot but enough to give me concern to take more time sanding it out.

I have 3 more to go and then on to face frames.

I'm getting excited to see the grain "pop" when the finish gets sprayed on.

Steve Ash

01-13-2007, 11:45 AM

Finshed sanding the 5 raised panel doors yesterday late afternoon, they took a bit longer than I anticipated so I didn't get to the face frames.....maybe today.

Robert Schaubhut

01-13-2007, 12:00 PM

Hi Steve,
Beautiful doors, just love the way the BE surrounds the panel. Push on.:thumb:
Shaz

Stuart Ablett

01-13-2007, 12:03 PM

Hey Steve, looking good, you should be done any day now!! :thumb:

Julio Navarro

01-13-2007, 02:36 PM

That cherry grain is beautiful. It should "pop" very nicely.

Steve Ash

01-15-2007, 05:54 PM

Just an update on my progress. I have the two outside cabinet face frames glued on. One is already dry and out of the clamps, the other one is still in the clamps....I need more clamps.

I then put one of the raised panel doors in front of the cabinet to give you an idea what it is supposed to look like when I am done.

Now all that is left is glueing on the face frame to the large center cabinet...when I can get my clamps off, that is.

I still have some touch up sanding to do on the cabinets before I spray on the pre-catalyzed laquer....which brings me to that subject. The cut and paste I did earlier on the finish I planned on using was for a waterborne pre-cat laquer. After a conversation with Keith July who has been using this finish for a while now, I won't be using the Hydrocote pre-cat laquer finish.....this is the correct finish I will be using.

__________________________________________________ ______________
Magna-Shield® is a self-sealing, VOC compliant, non-yellowing, super-tough and durable pre-catalyzed lacquer. It combines durability, chemical resistance and fast build similar to a conversion varnish or post-catalyzed lacquer. However, unlike other high resistance finishes, Magna-Shield™ can be recoated anytime with no window of recoat ability or restrictions on number of coats applied.

Available in high gloss (90% sheen), gloss (75% sheen), satin (45%), dull satin (25%) and matte sheen (12%) in gallons, 5 gallon pails, and 55 gallon drums.

Travis Porter

01-15-2007, 06:26 PM

Do you have a full spray booth or is this water borne as well? I am curious to what you think of the finish once you spray it.

The bookcases look good, albeit there are a lot of them!

Steve Ash

01-16-2007, 01:05 AM

Do you have a full spray booth or is this water borne as well? I am curious to what you think of the finish once you spray it.

The bookcases look good, albeit there are a lot of them!

Travis, as of right now I do not have a dedicated spray booth. I have a shop 32x48x10 of which 32x32 of that is currently my woodshop. I am in the thought process of how I am going to renovate the remaining 16x32 into a:

8x8 furnace room, a 8x8 room for air compressor and dust collector which will leave me roughly 16x24 for a dedicated finish room.

The only finish I have sprayed so far in my shop is Zar polyurethane.

I know Keith July was following this thread and has used many finishes in his woodworking endeavors...perhaps he'll chime in here with his thoughts on pre-catalyzed laquer or maybe a PM to him will give you the answers you are looking for....I'm a newbie to pre-catalyzed laquer but I know Keiths stuff sure looks good.

Keith July

01-16-2007, 01:59 AM

[QUOTE=Steve Ash;
.perhaps he'll chime in here with his thoughts on pre-catalyzed laquer or maybe a PM to him will give you the answers you are looking for....I'm a newbie to pre-catalyzed laquer but I know Keiths stuff sure looks good.[/QUOTE]
I have used pre-cat on kitchen cabinets,entertainment centers,dining tables and chairs,side tables and a rocking horse to name a few. The pre-cat I use is a solvent based finish. This finish dries pretty fast so dust settling on your work is not as big of a concern as slow drying finishs. I use a HVLP conversion gun. It's a $39.00 gun from HF. The gun is OK but I would like to invest in a true HVLP in the near future. It's just one more thing on a long wish list.
Keith

Steve Ash

01-18-2007, 03:03 PM

I had a bit of a problem, I split one of the face frames right in the 3/4 inch backside dado groove. I had these frames in my office for safekeeping, when I took the big center section face frame out to the shop to sand and fit, I split about 8 " at the bottom when I was tapping the frame on the plywood carcase. It seems the face frame changed a bit from the dry office to when I built it in the shop. I glued up the split and clamped it overnight. Then I made the groove just a bit wider than it previously was.

So after the fix, I glued and clamped the face frame to the cabinet and let it sit over night. This morning I took off the clamps and "mocked up" the bookcase with doors sitting on various pieces to give my customer a visual of what it is going to look like now that all but the dentil, crown and base moldings are done.

Rennie Heuer

01-18-2007, 03:11 PM

Steve Ash

01-18-2007, 03:16 PM

Steve,

Keep the updates coming! This is really nice work.

So, judging by what my own reaction would have been, was your first impulse to throw something across the shop:bang: , fall to your knees and look heavenward asking 'why me? :dunno: , or just say 'oops, looks like I've got some fixin' to do? :doh:

Rennie, since the fix didn't require the use of power tools, I went to the fridge grabbed a cold beer....pondered what to do....grabbed another cold beer.....got out the glue and clamps.....grabbed one more cold beer and fixed it. :D

Stuart Ablett

01-18-2007, 04:22 PM

Rennie, since the fix didn't require the use of power tools, I went to the fridge grabbed a cold beer....pondered what to do....grabbed another cold beer.....got out the glue and clamps.....grabbed one more cold beer and fixed it. :D

I got me one of them fridges too, full of beer all the time, neat thing eh? ;) :D

Your mock up sure looks good!

Chris Mire

01-18-2007, 04:31 PM

looking great steve, keep the updates comin, glad you were able to fix the frame without too much trouble. i'm sure it seemed less important after that 3rd trip to the fridge...:D

chris

larry merlau

01-18-2007, 04:36 PM

i just so happened to drop in after the fix was made and he still was repairin his self esteem had me help too:D but he had all the hard work done.. hey steve ya got a pair of bibs you could spare fer tonihgt..my dress pants are at my daughters palce.

Steve Ash

01-18-2007, 05:00 PM

I got me one of them fridges too, full of beer all the time, neat thing eh?

Sure is Stu, except when the neighbors come along to "help repair my self esteem" seems to get depleted more often the more mistakes I make....

Larry fresh out of extra Carhartt bibs.

Stuart Ablett

01-18-2007, 08:53 PM

You boys would have a hard time of depleting my beer fridge :D
I'm sure you would give it a go....:thumb:

Steve Clardy

01-18-2007, 08:58 PM

Looking great there Steve.
Understand the splits.

I usually find a few AFTER it's glued on the box:doh: :( ;)

Keith July

01-19-2007, 11:43 AM

You boys would have a hard time of depleting my beer fridge :D
I'm sure you would give it a go....:thumb:
Maybe we could make it a community effort. What do you think? Steve, Larry

larry merlau

01-19-2007, 11:53 AM

i aiant upto swimun that far these days.. and all those dark haired folk over there we would stand out like sore thiumbs:eek:

Julio Navarro

01-19-2007, 01:15 PM

They look awsome Steve, I still want to know if you thought about where that piece of ash will go.

Steve Ash

01-19-2007, 04:18 PM

They look awsome Steve, I still want to know if you thought about where that piece of ash will go.

Thanks Julio.....yep I know exactly where that piece of Ash is going to go. Waiting on a prototype coming in the mail from a member here at FW.

....here is a hint......

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l113/Johndeereaddict/viewphoto.jpg