Walnut Writing Desk

Being able to work from a full sized drawing certainly would be nice!

Enjoying the build Alex!

Stuart Ablett said:

Being able to work from a full sized drawing certainly would be nice!

Enjoying the build Alex!

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I find that lately thats the only way I build things now. I will make a rough sketch of what I want and then fin tune it on a full size layout to see if it looks the way I want. Just seems to work better for me that way lately. Can't explain why because I always used to build off of a sheet of notebook paper.

To make the four legs I would like to get all four from the same piece of wood-so the color and grain will match-I get all four from this board-I rip it on the big bandsaw so I can handle it-

then I mark each leg from the templet-I would like to have sap wood on the back of the curve on each leg-just for the contrast --

I cut the four pieces with the drawn leg -then bandsaw--


next I make a templet for the curve on the side of the legs and mark--then bandsaw on the little saw-(14" Walker Turner)--



to shape the legs I use a compass plane , rasp, scrapers ,spokeshaves and sandpaper-


will show pictures of finished legs later--next cutting the coves.

rounding off the sharp corners
alex

cutting the coves-I cut the coves with this 6" CMT cove blade-

the set up is a fence at 45 degrees to the blade-

I mark the high point of the blade on the wood insert-then line one of the six cutters up with this mark-

I take the piece I use as a test piece and mark the center on one end-then with the blade in place lined up with the mark on the insert I line the mark on the test piece with the center of the cutter-then clamp the fence and make a test cut--after the second try I'm ready-

I'm showing this next picture to show what not to do-when your finishing the cut keep your hand a few inches from the end not on the end like in the picture-if your hand should slip at the end of the cut-after you come back from the hospital you'll have a mess to clean up and then also you won't have to worry about going blind for awhile-

I need four pieces- I cut one extra-just in case-

this operation work better with a feather board-I've messed up some of my big mirror frames before-although this time I don't use one---you don't want to take more than a 1/16" cut each pass --less is better when you get to the last few passes take just a smidgen--a smidgen is between nothing and 1/32"-
that way you'll take out the saw marks and save time when you start sanding and scraping-

this takes a little time but this method works good-the way I do it is take a pass then turn the board around and take a pass on the same face with the opposite edge against the fence then flip the piece and do the other face --do all the boards then raise the blade a smidgen---takes awhile--this took all morning-

after I'm done I use this little cove plane and curved scrapers and sandpaper to finish--


more to come
alex

Ed

--------------this going to be gorgeous.

Did you happen to watch Sixty Minutes Sunday? Andy Rooney showed us his walnut desk; that he made from a fall on his place.

Thanx for showing us... Ray Gerdes

Raymond Gerdes said:

--------------this going to be gorgeous.

Did you happen to watch Sixty Minutes Sunday? Andy Rooney showed us his walnut desk; that he made from a fall on his place.

Thanx for showing us... Ray Gerdes

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I didn't see the sixty minutes-but I do know that desk-are I should say I know the top-a big crotch of walnut-never seen the base--a few years back fine woodworking did an article of his furniture--I wasn't impressed --though that's just me--one person of fame who does woodworking as a hobby and does impress me is Jimmy Carter--his designs are original and the work looks to be done well--as I understand even at his age he goes to his wood shop and works every day.

Alex, what is the machine you ran the cove cutter on? It looks like a one-legged cantilevered saw table with no cabinet below the table.

Enjoying watching the progress.

thanks for the up date and the safty lesson as well alex gonna be a dandy.. i too like jimmy carters work have seen it in mags and read some of the articles on him..and also does alot of habitat for humanity work..stand up fella..practices what he preaches.

Vaughn McMillan said:

Alex, what is the machine you ran the cove cutter on? It looks like a one-legged cantilevered saw table with no cabinet below the table.

Enjoying watching the progress.

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Vaughn-that saw is a little 10" tilt table delta--it's my #2 saw--I have three tables saws in the shop-the #2 I keep next to my bench along with my #2 jointer-a 6" walker turner - it's like they are part of the bench-- it was made in the late forties ,I'm one of those old arn guys-my #1 saw (the main saw) is a 16" tannewitz model U made 1946-

my #3 saw is the old one- a 14" tannewitz made 1926--

I know--what's a one man shop doing with three table saws--each one has it's place and it's job and besides I like em---if I ever have time and have things straight I'll do a shop tour.

rounding off the sharp corners
alex

are yu done,???

where the rest of the story alex? i have been on tyour visiting some folk and went back to see how this going and its stopped????? are you on vacation now too?

I wanted to ask Mr. Alexander a few times to see the progress, sorta sitting on the edge of the seat waiting to see a finished product.

its incredible how many tiny tips people like me at the other end of the woodworking world can pick up from watching a thread like this.
(the cove cuts, that was just fantastic, I always wondered how someone got such perfect inside curves like that, figured they have to be specially talented on a bandsaw or something)

I'm working on the frames now,there is a upper and a lower frame -the corners will be dovetailed the dovetails will be angled the cross pieces will be sliding dovetails- the stiles for the panels on the back and the drawers on the front will be mortise and tenon-


the frames are 2 1/4"x1 1/8"-

I lay out for the sliding dove tails,check against the real size drawing and cut to length-



to cut the sliding dovetails I will use the router table I like to use a straight bit first then the dovetail bit-


I cut the center out from the top and bottom that will be the front side of the desk-you know so you can park a chair there-that's what makes it a desk-

more to come---alex

To find the angle of the end pieces of the frame I clamp the wood I've cut fot this in place an set the angle on a bevel-the top and the bottom will be different angles-



I transfer the angles to a convenient place -on the #2 table saw-then when I need them I'll know where to find them-

I mark the work pieces and cut them -

these cut offs from the top and bottom frames will be used later to lay out the angle dovetails-I only need one of each but I'll keep an extra,you never know-

now I mark the mortises and cut them on my neat red-neck rigged mortiser-




more to come-next cutting the angle dovetails-
alex

thanks alex for the next page of your desk,,and thats the best use of a lathe i have seen yet great idea for a mortiser

hate to bother you, but are you useing a standard spiral upcutting bit in that router to make those mortise cuts?
Do you have to make several passes on each cut going deeper and deeper?(or do I have to junk my one horspepower router and get a real one)

Alex just stopped by to thank you for the update.

Some observations on my part as a rookie.

1) I dont see any new fandangled fancy whatchamacalits in your shop.
2) I dont see any digital this and that as if it were a machinests shop.
3) I dont see any fancy Sketchup drawing. I see pencil and paper.

But what i do observe is a great deal of good old fashioned skill and a good dose of common sense.

The marketers of tools lately have many of us thinking "if only i had this or that gizmo" my woodworking would be better and more accurate.
We go in search of perfection and absolute numbers, chasing a thousand of an inch.

Whats the use of a digital bevel gauge if one cannot properly use a normal bevel gauge. All you know is exactly by how much you erred.

Time and time again i have observed that those who have mastered the fundamentals of woodworking and tools properly and have the patience seem to achieve a great deal without all the fancy tools. Dont get me wrong, I love tools almost as works of engineering art but I think you make a good show of pointing out that woodworking is not about the fancy tools which invariably require pots of cash.

Thank you for showing us the way. I really like your full size drawing and the pencil sketches. It puts ones feet back on the ground.

For me its about patience. Fighting the need to see a result instantaneously. Everytime I slow down, I amaze myself at the results. But when I go out to the shop without the skill and experience and then go at it with a view to "this will be done by the end of the day" with no prior experience of just how long it will take, then i invariably make a mess. Then one gets to thinking, ah i need that new gizmo and that will make it faster and more accurate.....NOT!

Thanks for the post. I cannot comment on your work as i do not have the experience or ability but I would like you to know it is a great value to watch your posts and I hope you find that worth the effort to do them.

To lay out the dovetails I first set this square for the shoulder mark-I set it a little proud ,just a little-and mark the shoulder-


I set a bevel at about 12 degrees the cut off block goes in between the bevel and the work piece,I use both a left and a right hand marking knife-


when you flip the bevel to mark the other side of the tail the block stays the same


I mark the end grain of the dovetail-

I put the piece back on the bench and using the bevel and block I continue the line on the other side-before I start sawing I take a chisel and just tap the line on the end grain,the saw will follow this little groove-I do the same thing for the shoulder cut-just a tap-


I always put what I'm dovetailing the same in the vise-not up so high that it will have vibration and not down so low you have to get on your knees-

next sawing and chopping the tails--by the way this is the only time I can think of that I will cut the tail before the pins.

alex

Its lookin good Alex. Now thats a relaxed atmosphere when you can work on hand cut dovetails and sip on a glass of wine.

I guess I will have to try my hand at hand cut dovetails when I build my new bench.

allen levine said:

hate to bother you, but are you useing a standard spiral upcutting bit in that router to make those mortise cuts?
Do you have to make several passes on each cut going deeper and deeper?(or do I have to junk my one horspepower router and get a real one)

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wish I had some spiral bits but nope just straight bits I do make several passes not more than 1/4" cut,seems to me a one hp router would work for most mortise cuts----
alex

once again you made a great chapter alex now you mentioned that you normally cut the pins before the tails and in this case you didnt why was that?