Designing my next project

Inspiration? I turn to a photo filled book on Shaker furniture for design ideas.

As the first phase of my crown molding project comes to a close (it officially has a first and second phase), I have been thinking more and more about my next project. Right now, I envision making a Shaker inspired tall storage cabinet. It will house some of the junk that is often in the background of my project photos (example here). As a matter of a fact, I am considering devoting the balance of the year to upgrading my shop furniture: a new router table, a better place for my powered miter saw, and even some base cabinets for a secondary work area.

I have a couple of books dedicated to Shaker furniture. To help get some creative juices flowing I first turned to Illustrated Guide to Shaker Furniture by Robert F.W. Meader. It has 235 illustrations of Shaker furniture and a whole section devoted to case pieces.

Some Shaker furniture is really cool and then some really isn’t (click the link - there are some nice photos to be seen). There wasn’t really anything in particular that was inspiring, so I decided to pull elements of some of the pieces that appealed to me in some way.

Not what I want. The photo on the left is similar to what I envision. I don't really care for the feet. Note the piece on the right - lots of panels on the doors and virtually no feet - unusual (click it to enlarge).

A lot of shop furniture is very utilitarian in design which is to be expected really. I want shop furniture that has some style to it. But, in the photo above, the piece on the left is a little too much for me, especially the base design. The rest of it is sort of what I have been mulling over in my head.

My first stab at a proper design. Note the simple cornice detail, large flat panel doors, and slab sides. Hopefully, a simple design will help me execute more traditional methods of joinery.

One of the goals with this project is to try my hand at more traditional joinery: true mortise and tenon joints instead of biscuits or pocket screws. I may even try some hand cut dovetails for the case joinery - a first for me. An overall simple Shaker design will help me focus on more hand tool work.

I'm diggin' this. Note there is no traditional face frame - the doors mount directly to the sides.

I can't remember building a project like this without a full face frame. This design has a face frame found above and below the doors (with end grain visible from the sides), but the doors themselves mount directly to the slab sides. Without a face frame along the sides, the doors will swing open to reveal more of the items in storage.

Awkward. I dont' know about this look. I am more comfortable with a base that extends beyond the front and sides.

I am uncertain about the base. Most every case piece I have built has some sort of base molding and often bracket feet. The design above has feet, but the base is in line with the front and sides. There are examples in Meader's book of pieces that have at least some molding detail at the base, but none that inspire me. It is also interesting how many different base styles are found on Shaker case pieces: some have bracket like feet, others with turned feet and some with no feet at all - the base simply sits on the floor.

I have another design I am playing around with which could turn out to be what I end up building. The inspiration comes from my second Shaker book: How To Build Shaker Furniture by Thomas Moser. More on that later - comments on this design are welcome.

Crown molding: adding the twelve footers

Much better. I am getting pretty good a cutting lap joints these days.

Well I know one thing: working on a ceiling project is real different from doing a furniture project. My dining room crown molding project is moving awfully slow these days for a number of reasons; one of which is this kind of work isn’t terribly fun. Another reason is that this is just a very busy time for our family. I spent much of last weekend getting my yard in some manner of order – I still have a lot to do before the neighbors begin to smile at me again. Fortunately I have been able to insert some woodworking into my schedule here and there.

A challenge I have run into is moving long boards around my home. Imagine having to fabricate components twelve feet in length and then carry them upstairs to see if they fit – then move them back downstairs to the shop for an adjustment. No matter how much I try, moving boards this long means repeatedly bumping into things, both in my shop as well as in my house. I’m looking forward to actually cutting the crown molding which should be more fun.

I have slowly been transforming a basic 12' 1 x 8s into what I need for the simulated beams. Note the board highlighted in blue below, that is what I am working on…

Fabricated. Here you can see how the joinery will go together. I need to cut four lap joints in this twelve foot board. Click the illustration to enlarge.

The first thing I had to deal with was a very slight, but long bow along the length of the first twelve footer. I got my aluminum straight edge out and started to take the bow out. I then began cutting the lap joints.

Bowed. Note the edge of the board isn't straight. My router and a straight edge make quick work of removing the bow.

After work with the router. The four lap joints have been cut and the board is ready to be sanded.

Next, I carry this board upstairs to see how it fits. Earlier in the week, I had carefully marked the lap joint locations. The lap joints have all been cut to a depth of 3/8", so the joints should fit together perfectly.

A good fit. This corner (the far corner in the illustration above) goes together pretty well. A couple of wedges ensure a tight fit. The second and third lap joint go together just as good.

A problem. This corner doesn't want to co-operate - the two boards don't form a flat joint. I use a vertical wedge to force the 12'er flat against the ceiling - a trick learned from the guys at This Old House.

A close-up. Click this to enlarge. No matter how much I pound the vertical board with my hammer, I still have an ill formed joint (I used the rag to keep from denting the soft pine).

I decided to take the twelve foot board back down to the shop to trim the lap joint a little. I take this opportunity to apply a coat of primer and then keeping my fingers crossed move the board back upstairs to see how it fits.

Good enough. These joints are acceptable - I may try to wedge them up tighter to the ceiling later.

I will install the opposite 12'er Sunday and then I need to fill all the holes - I am thinking about using my plug cutting drill bit vs. simply using filler. Then I will add the quarter round molding to the interior of each beam. A lot of work left to do before I actually begin making the molding.

Which brings me to a point - is it moulding or molding? Chris Schwarz of Popular Woodworking recently wrote a blog post titled, "5-minute Cavetto Moulding" which got me thinking – have I been writing posts about my crown molding project and all this time been misspelling this word?

I decided to find out which is correct, moulding or molding. I did what any smart person would do: I went to Wikipedia and searched for crown moulding. I was re-directed to their article on "crown molding". So, which is correct? I suspect its fine to use them both - I'm just glad I haven't put up multiple blog posts typing it incorrectly.

UPDATE 5/19/11: I just stopped by a blog I rarely visit called Daily Writing Tips which has a post on the difference between American English and British English (see it here) - some evidence that in the USA, "molding" is the preference.

To view the next post, click here. To view all the posts, click here. This is post six in this series.

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Have a question or comment? Leave yours by clicking on the "Comments - post yours here" link below. My email is jobranch@yahoo.com or you can contact me through Twitter or Facebook. Subscribe via email or RSS by clicking here.

My top three projects:

1. My coffered ceiling project. 2. The Scott Bookcase. 3. My foyer project.

Free Woodworking Plan: You Can Build a Painted Bookcase

Dress up the basic box with moldings and simulated panels.

After building a few bookcases over the years, I have determined that a woodworker could make a decent income just by building bookcases. For people that like to read, there often isn’t enough storage space for books, magazines and other such items.

So, I thought it would be good to publish a free woodworking plan about the construction of a simple, but stylish bookcase I built for my daughter.I would put this project in the beginner category due to the simple joinery and easy to use materials and finish. I did dress it up a bit by using classic architectural elements like simulated panels and nice crown and base moldings.

This plan is eleven pages in length and I explain the construction process using illustrations and a few photos. At the time this bookcase was built, I was just beginning to use a digital camera and I only took a few photos of the process. I also never even considered that someday I would be creating my own woodworking plans. It has:

• Seventeen large photos/illustrations
• An exploded view
• A full cut list
• Links to web based content

You Can Build a Painted Bookcase is offered as a free download. The only thing I ask in return is that you consider subscribing to my posts via email (subscribe by clicking here). If you don’t like the idea of subscribing, feel free to download the plan anyway.

Example pages from the plan.

Here is what Tom H. had to say about the painted bookcase plan:

"Thank you so much for providing the detailed plans for the bookcase. I looked for plans everywhere on the web and the style of your bookcase was exactly what I was looking for. Your details were excellent and the pictures were very helpful."

A super cool project plan experience - Sawtooth Ideas.com
You Can Build a Painted Bookcase is available as a free download from Sawtooth Ideas. This new site provides a unique way to view project plans. You can download them in the normal way; as a PDF file, but the plan becomes interactive with their IdeaRoom software. You can see the finished project in 3D, a 3D exploded view, and even zoom in and find dimensions for specific components, again in 3D. Best of all their IdeaRoom software is available for use on a mobile device like a smart phone or tablet.

To get this plan free at Sawtooth Ideas, click here.

A note about my woodworking plans: I go to great lengths to organize them so they will be easy to follow. Prior to building a project, thoroughly read the plan and make sure you understand all of the process. If you find something to be confusing, all you have to do is email me so we can discuss it. My email address is jeffobranch@hotmail.com.

SEE MY LATEST BLOG POST by clicking here.