Wood advice Starting the build PICS

Bob Gibson

Member
Messages
11,473
Location
Merrimack, New Hampshire
I just started a slant top desk similar to this one for my daughter Liz.
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?112

I'm making the desk out of mahogany but I was thinking of making the inside drawers and cubby holes out of a contrasting wood. Most of her furniture is kind of dark so I may have to stain the mahogany a touch darker than it is naturally.
Any suggestions as to what wood would look good inside?? a lighter wood like Maple? or just keep it all mahogany. So often what I see in my minds eye looks like garbage when I make it.:(
I do have a bunch of Tamarack. I was also thinking of using the same wood I use inside to dowel the tenons in the legs.
So far I only have the legs made.I have to be the slowest woodworker in the world. I wish I had half of Allens energy:rofl::rofl:
 
Last edited:
so youll get an idea of what a cubby hole made out of mahogany and maple, and then a drawer made of out maple(ply) with mahogany front. I love the combo, gonna make my TV unit out of cherry and maple.
(sorry about the blood red walls and poor pic quality)

and IM not 100% sure if that is mahogany or sapele, I think its sapele.
 

Attachments

  • bed 499 (Medium).jpg
    bed 499 (Medium).jpg
    23.7 KB · Views: 39
  • bed 500 (Medium).jpg
    bed 500 (Medium).jpg
    29.2 KB · Views: 29
Your Tamarack ought to make a nice contrast with the mahogany. It's less stable, but only a little less. It ought to work well for drawer sides and bottoms. I'd try to use something harder - like maple - for the drawer runners, though.

Also known as "Western Larch," here's more than you wanted to know about your Tamarack.
 
also if recall correctly mahogany turns darker with age bob so you may not want to darken it early..ask someone that has used it for sure but the stuff i had and seen got pretty dark red colored.
 
Great ideas. Thanks :thumb:
I think that I'll keep the mahogany natural. :thumb:
The tamarack I have was stored in a barn for many years. Some of it looks spalted and some has some prety interesting grain. I think it was cut on a circular saw mill. It has the markings of the blade on it. some of it is only a litter thicker than 3/4" so I will plane that down to the 1/2" I need for the insides. Can't think of anything else to do with such thin rough lumber.
This is kind of an ambitious project for me so I'll be asking for advice from the pro's from time to time.
The back is feeling pretty good today so I think I'll cut the rails and bead the sides of them today. Thanks, and pics to follow.
 
Just a thought on the tenon jig Bob; ZCI. Those small cutoffs can gain terrific speed if they are released into the wild. DAMHIKT ;-)
 
Just a thought on the tenon jig Bob; ZCI. Those small cutoffs can gain terrific speed if they are released into the wild. DAMHIKT ;-)

good catch glenn i hadnt looked at the setup just the tenons,, bob ,you can make your own zero clearnce insert real easy.. is that a craftsman saw if so i got some blanks i dont use..
 
Yup it's a craftsman. I have a zero insert I made but it's pretty used up and haven't gotten around to make a new one yet.
As I was cutting them the cheeks would either zip across the room or rattle down the DC hose and zing into the bag :eek::eek:
I knew it was not the best policy but was too lazy to do it the right way. :(

I'm dumb that way sometimes. Thinking that I was possibly screwing up the impeller on the DC or popping a hole in the bag full of chips I kept on cutting. :eek::doh:
 
bob ,,to heck with the bag or impeller,, think about the bruise that paul showed us the other day:eek:!!!! this could be another bruise in the works or possibly worse:eek:, never get lazy on a power tool or it will get you!!!:thumb::thumb:
 
i was going to say something about that, but glenn beat me to the punch. having made lots of tenons for all the furniture here, i finally got smart and cut the cheeks to the outside. especially after one day, taking my shirt off at home, and finding a whole bunch of little bruises:eek:, and this was with a shop apron as well. those lil suckers do gain a bit of velocity.:D
 
Thanks Bob for showing it in a pic of use. I just learnt a whole bunch about what to watch for with one of these.

So Dan you flipping the wood after each cut correct?

Does that not defeat the purpose of the slide on the jig and require the wood to be perfectly parallel both faces. I would be nervous of the cut Bob shows next to the tenon jig face but is that not what they designed to do.

Way i understand it these jigs slide with a ruler guide on the edge so you make your first cut and then increment the jig over by the width of your tennon required.:dunno:

Sorry for the hijack Bob but since this came up thought we might as well clear it up.
 
I didn't cut the inside cheek like that. I cut the outside then turned the piece around and cut the "other" outside on the outside :huh:. don't know if i explained that properly.
The pic was staged for Rob so he could see the jig. In other words I put the completed board back in the jig to thake the picture.:)
 
Top