07-05-2011, 03:37 PM
Hi,
With both new side panels successfully fitted I could now trim them to size and for this used my router fitted with a bearing guided flush cutting bit making a perfect job of it. To ensure the top and front edges of the side panels were indeed dead flat I went over with abrasive paper backed with a wooden block.
[attachment=1232]
Side panel fitted.
The original finish was removed from the top panel initially by using a Stanley No. 80 cabinet scraper this removed the bulk and the remainder was removed using a traditional cabinet scraper. There was a ridge running from side to side near the front of the top panel so I removed this using a Stanley shoulder plane leaving the top panel flat and clean ready to accept the new veneer.
[attachment=1233][attachment=1234][attachment=1235]
Bearing guided flush cutting bit. Trimmed ready for veneering and Stanley No.80.
Having no previous experience of this work I had to proceed with great caution because at every stage there was a lot of room for mistakes to occur. I cut two oversize pieces of Sapele Pommele and as before laid this using hide glue then trimming to size before adding the Sapele cross banding. I intended to miter the four corners of the cross banding and did the back two first. When I reached the front curved section I was unsure if I was adopting the right approach and wondered if mitering would look odd? This threw me off track for a short while shattering my concentration but the more I thought about it the more convinced I became that it would look better as if a large hole had been cut out of a sheet of veneer just leaving the cross banding and this is what I did omitting all the four mitres.
[attachment=1236]
Removing high spots.
I was very worried and felt quite stressed at veneering the top front curved section but by laying the veneer with the grain running from side to side it proved very easy much to my surprise although I had taken the precaution of giving the veneer a good soak in water and hot ironing to remove all fight from it; the veneer was a docile as could be and the main veneering to the top panel was quickly accomplished just leaving the stringing to add.
The home made router cutter which I cut the side panel grooves with was becoming blunt so I simply turned a new cutter on the lathe. It was a real test of my nerve as I cut the grooves for the stringing using the router; with my newly gained experience I set up the router guide ensuring the cutter tracked down the centre of the veneer joint and took a deep breath before running the router down the joint; one slip here or using the router in the wrong direction would ruin many hours of work together with wasting veneer so I was 100% focused whilst cutting the grooves. I neatly cleaned out the corners then applied the stringing which went without problem. The stringing glue was allowed to dry overnight then the stringing was brought down flush with the surrounding veneers using the cabinet scraper.
[attachment=1237][attachment=1238]
Veneering under way and Trimming veneer.
Next job was a very fiddly one and was to veneer the side panel top and front edges and also the reveal around the screen and baffle board. This veneering was very time consuming and really tested my patience to the limit; at one point I had spent ages shaping a small piece of veneer for the top curve and as I turned the cabinet I destroyed this veneer as it caught on the kitchen wall cupboard making me start over; I hated the weather forcing me to work in the kitchen and with all seven lights switched on I was still working in my own shadow; this coupled with wearing bi-focal glasses annoyed me to the extreme but I battled on. Once all the veneer was laid and the glue allowed to dry it was easy enough to trim the veneer to size and finish off by sanding with abrasive paper backed by a wooden block.
With the veneering finally completed I then went over all the new veneer using the cabinet scraper followed by a light sanding.
Looking at the cabinet now I was totally amazed that I had pulled off this rebuild; it wasn’t a restoration it was a total customization making this cabinet unique; it was no longer original but then I didn’t want plywood with a treacle finish I wanted something much better and I felt an immense satisfaction together with a very deep feeling of pride as I felt I had achieved the impossible. I still had a long way to go as the cabinet required finishing but I have experience of finishing and was now on home ground.
[attachment=1239]
Top panel successfully veneered.
Deep down I knew I could not have done better given my lack of knowledge and the conditions I was working under; it was still freezing cold with lots of snow and ice but in spite of this I had won through. I wasn’t feeling smug in any way but I did experience a great sense of relief at reaching this stage without making a total mess of it.
Kind regards, Col.
With both new side panels successfully fitted I could now trim them to size and for this used my router fitted with a bearing guided flush cutting bit making a perfect job of it. To ensure the top and front edges of the side panels were indeed dead flat I went over with abrasive paper backed with a wooden block.
[attachment=1232]
Side panel fitted.
The original finish was removed from the top panel initially by using a Stanley No. 80 cabinet scraper this removed the bulk and the remainder was removed using a traditional cabinet scraper. There was a ridge running from side to side near the front of the top panel so I removed this using a Stanley shoulder plane leaving the top panel flat and clean ready to accept the new veneer.
[attachment=1233][attachment=1234][attachment=1235]
Bearing guided flush cutting bit. Trimmed ready for veneering and Stanley No.80.
Having no previous experience of this work I had to proceed with great caution because at every stage there was a lot of room for mistakes to occur. I cut two oversize pieces of Sapele Pommele and as before laid this using hide glue then trimming to size before adding the Sapele cross banding. I intended to miter the four corners of the cross banding and did the back two first. When I reached the front curved section I was unsure if I was adopting the right approach and wondered if mitering would look odd? This threw me off track for a short while shattering my concentration but the more I thought about it the more convinced I became that it would look better as if a large hole had been cut out of a sheet of veneer just leaving the cross banding and this is what I did omitting all the four mitres.
[attachment=1236]
Removing high spots.
I was very worried and felt quite stressed at veneering the top front curved section but by laying the veneer with the grain running from side to side it proved very easy much to my surprise although I had taken the precaution of giving the veneer a good soak in water and hot ironing to remove all fight from it; the veneer was a docile as could be and the main veneering to the top panel was quickly accomplished just leaving the stringing to add.
The home made router cutter which I cut the side panel grooves with was becoming blunt so I simply turned a new cutter on the lathe. It was a real test of my nerve as I cut the grooves for the stringing using the router; with my newly gained experience I set up the router guide ensuring the cutter tracked down the centre of the veneer joint and took a deep breath before running the router down the joint; one slip here or using the router in the wrong direction would ruin many hours of work together with wasting veneer so I was 100% focused whilst cutting the grooves. I neatly cleaned out the corners then applied the stringing which went without problem. The stringing glue was allowed to dry overnight then the stringing was brought down flush with the surrounding veneers using the cabinet scraper.
[attachment=1237][attachment=1238]
Veneering under way and Trimming veneer.
Next job was a very fiddly one and was to veneer the side panel top and front edges and also the reveal around the screen and baffle board. This veneering was very time consuming and really tested my patience to the limit; at one point I had spent ages shaping a small piece of veneer for the top curve and as I turned the cabinet I destroyed this veneer as it caught on the kitchen wall cupboard making me start over; I hated the weather forcing me to work in the kitchen and with all seven lights switched on I was still working in my own shadow; this coupled with wearing bi-focal glasses annoyed me to the extreme but I battled on. Once all the veneer was laid and the glue allowed to dry it was easy enough to trim the veneer to size and finish off by sanding with abrasive paper backed by a wooden block.
With the veneering finally completed I then went over all the new veneer using the cabinet scraper followed by a light sanding.
Looking at the cabinet now I was totally amazed that I had pulled off this rebuild; it wasn’t a restoration it was a total customization making this cabinet unique; it was no longer original but then I didn’t want plywood with a treacle finish I wanted something much better and I felt an immense satisfaction together with a very deep feeling of pride as I felt I had achieved the impossible. I still had a long way to go as the cabinet required finishing but I have experience of finishing and was now on home ground.
[attachment=1239]
Top panel successfully veneered.
Deep down I knew I could not have done better given my lack of knowledge and the conditions I was working under; it was still freezing cold with lots of snow and ice but in spite of this I had won through. I wasn’t feeling smug in any way but I did experience a great sense of relief at reaching this stage without making a total mess of it.
Kind regards, Col.
