| Blanket Chest -- Making the Arts-and-Crafts Style Base |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-103 |
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For the base of the blanket chest made by David Marks, the host of Wood Works , purpleheart wood was used. Did you know? Purpleheart is a tropical tree native to Guiana and Trinidad that has an extremely hard, durable brown wood that turns a purple color on exposure. Purpleheart is the only wood in the world that has this natural purple color. Materials: Purpleheart base stock
Table saw
Safety glasses/goggles
Biscuit cutter
#10 biscuits
Band saw
Double-stick tape
Router
Spiral-carbide router bit
220-grit sandpaper
1/8" radius bit
Band clamp
Rough slab of California walnut stock
Sister slab of California walnut stock
Hand plane
Jointer
Yellow wood glue
Glue roller
Clamp
Miter jig and fence
Cove bit
Core box bit Note: For the purpleheart base, miters were used in the four corners, biscuits for the joinery and a rabbet on the inside edge for the base to drop into with a secure fit. - Set the saw blade at a 45-degree angle to cut the miters (figure A).
- Reset the table saw and cut the rabbet first on the face of the stock and then on the side.
- On the mitered ends of the frame, cut the slots for the #10 biscuits with a biscuit cutter.
- Use a template (figure B) to draw the profile on the base.
Note: The template design was created in the step motif, which gives the arts-and-crafts style feel to the blanket chest. - Rough-cut the profile on the stock with a band saw.
- Double-stick tape the template back on top of the profile-cut stock.
- This next step is called "profile cutting," and it works by means of a router and a spiral-carbide router bit (figure C), which have bearings at the top that follow along the template while the bit cutters cut away the rough fibers left by the band saw. This process will leave a smooth surface and save a great amount of time.
- Clean the profile with 220-grit sandpaper.
- Round off the sharp edges on the router table with an 1/8" radius bit.
- For the glue-up, use a band clamp to pull the miters and biscuits of the base in tight.
- For the top of the blanket chest, hand-plane a rough slab of California walnut stock until the color and figure start to show.
- For the book-match panel of the blanket chest, use a sister slab of California walnut stock and joint and hand-plane the surface until highly figured.
- Use a jointer to get a flat surface, then use a band saw to cut the panel stock in half This will expose the matching grain patterns (figure D).
- After sanding the panel stock, glue the boards together with yellow wood glue to make a panel wide enough to cover the blanket chest, then clamp together.
- Cut the miters for the frame of the top of the blanket chest. This particular miter jig is setup to create a perfect 90-degree corner, using a fence. Cut one side of the frame on the left side of the jig, then cut the matching side of the frame with the right side of the jig (figure E).
- With the miters cut in all four corners, use a biscuit cutter to make slots for #10 biscuits that will hold the frame together.
- On the table saw, cut a dado in the frame stock to house the figured walnut panel.
- On the router table, use a cove bit to add concave detail (figure F) to the inside edges of the frame.
Creating a Raised-Panel Design in the Blanket Chest Lid Note: A raised-panel design will give the lid of the blanket chest a three-dimensional feel. The process takes 2 cuts. - Use a core box bit at the router table with the fence set at 1-1/4" -- once the wood has passed through, a concave surface will be created on the edge.
- Take the panel piece to the table saw and stand it (the wood piece) up, raise the blade and saw through (figure G) to the inside concave edge to produce the raised panel for the lid.
Now that you have the shaping of the panel, it's time to glue it into the frame. Sponsored Resource
> Click here to order your tools and materials for this project from Woodcraft!
RESOURCES :
The Complete Manual of Woodworking
Author: Albert Jackson
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0679766111
Arts and Crafts Woodworking Projects: 11 New Designs in the Stickley Tradition
Model: 0811726622
Author: Robert E. Belke
In the Craftsman Style: Building Furniture Inspired by the Arts and Crafts Tradition
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583987
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Authentic Arts and Crafts Furniture Projects
Model: 1558705686
Author: Popular Woodworking Magazine
Woodworking Basics: The Essential Benchtop Reference
Author: William Perkins Spence
Publisher: Sterling
ISBN: 0806909412
176 Woodworking Projects: A Workbench Treasury
Model: 0806965282
Author: Workbench Magazine
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
Mastering Woodworking Machines (Fine Woodworking Book)
Author: Mark Duginske
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 0942391985
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking
Author: Lonnie Bird, Andy Rae and Gary Rogowski
Publisher: Taunton
ISBN: 1561586021
Treasure Chests: The Legacy of Extraordinary Boxes
Model: 1561583626
Author: Lon Schleining
(2001)
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
Boxes and Chests: How To Make and Decorate 15 Traditional Country Projects
Model: 0811725596
Author: Alan Bridgewater and Gill Bridgewater
(February, 1997)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Stackpole Books
Website: www.stackpolebooks.com
The Complete Dovetail: Handmade Furniture's Signature Joint
Model: 0941936678
Author: Ian Kirby
(2001)
Linden Publishing
Fresno, CA 93721
Fax: 559-233-6933
Woodworking With the Router: Professional Router Techniques and Jigs Any Woodworker Can Use
Model: 0762102276
Author: Bill Hylton
(1999)
Readers Digest
Pleasantville, NY 10570-0235
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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