for those without a jointer or planer

Alan Bienlein

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This is what I threw together when loml's sister came to stay with us for the summer last year. I had less then a week to build and install it so I decided to make it totaly out of birch plywood.

Here is a picture of one of the frames with the drawer frontsplaced in the opening. I made the frames using pocket screws and the fronts I cut mortise and tenons on the tablesaw. I trimmed the ply edges of the frames with a bead detail and I used part of an ogee bit to make some trim pieces to cover the plywood edges at the beaded panel. All the drawers are 1/2" ply with dovetails.
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Here they are being installed.
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The center is a window seat with storage.
 
Its a totaly seperate piece. That bead and the interior trim on the drawer fronts are the only solid wood on the whole project. Everything else is made of plywood. Dan reminded me of this when he was wondering how he was going to make his doors without a planer or jointer.
 
Gee Alan, it would take me more than a week to just stain and finish it.

I already had 3/4" exterior plywood left over from another job so I built the carcass out of it and used 1/4" birch plywood to skin it with. Doing it that way allowed me to stain and finish everything laying flat.
 
Man you are good. And the finishing you get is amazing. Spill the beans a bit on the finishing of a unit like this. I can get the woodworking part but the finishing man how do you do it.?:thumb:
 
I make sure to sand everything to a final grit of 220. I dust everything of and apply a prestain sealer. I use minwax. Next I wipe off all the excess and then apply the stain making sure it is mixed completely. I use 2 rags when I stain. one used one to buff the stain in and then a clean one to wipe off the excess.

The next day I wipe it down with a tack clothe and seal it with a 50/ 50 mix of thinner and lacquer. I apply 2 coats with about 30 minutes inbetween. I sand with 320 and then go over it with a gray scotchbrite pad staying with the direction of the grain. Blow it of with air while wiping with a tack clothe and spray another coat of lacquer same mix. Lightly sand with 320 again and repeat2 more times. When you are finished there is no buffing required. Its smooth as silk.

My boss thought I had a spray booth because the finish is so soft and smooth. He was amazed when I told him I spray outside in front of my garage in the dirt and grass that is there.
 
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