my term for really cranking it up, the clothes press is finished, need to assemble everything, the hunt board is almost sanded and scraped , gettin ready to get its finish, so really nothing to show there , until we are done,
have a deliberation, today I start a private class on the bombe , have had a lot ask if we could film it, I could , but it just slows me down sooooooo much, and this is a time consuming piece as is, I have thought i would blog as much of it as i can here, we will be doing three days this week, doing the bottom case, you know the one with the curved sides , i got a big hunk of mahogany laid on my bench , its a strong 12/4 x 24 wide x 8 ‘ long, ready to get to the whacking , so I will post some picts , tomorrow, and then I will have Sherri send an email to see if it will warrant a DVD, if it does, i will build one and film it along with this one…if not it will just be a blog ..in case none of you are familar with the piece here is a pict of it  http://antiquesbuiltdaily.com/Website%20Photos/Bedroom%20Furniture/mahbombe1large.jpg

time for some coffee and rock and roll..later yall

not quite as far as i wanted, but its coming, will get the doors done today, here are some pictures of the drawers , note i did a center book match crotch on the top drawer, as a central focal point , the lt and rt small drawer is plain walnut, the hardware would just cover anything else and look strange, the two bottle drawers on the bottom, i found a piece that had a little burst on the bottom, so i used it , the top of the drawer is plain like the upper drawers, once the doors are in i think it will blend well and add alot of ” interest to the piece” all of the crotches are resawn book matches…i wiped it with a little water to show the figure…, the clothes press is about ready ( sanded and scraped), to get its dyes applied, we will show it as well as the huntboard when they are done , got to get them doors done and keep it all moving, so ill catch ya later, and if i dont get back in here , have a great Thanksgiving , and find some shop time, its therapy..later guys

well im still finishing up the hunt board construction, hope to wrap it up today…decided to get a little creative with those doors and drawers , so i resawed some walnut crotch for drawer fronts and door panels , that took a little while, not the sawing but the selecting..but i think we have it, tomorrow we will post some pictures to see what you guys think…i happen to be a big fan of walnut and mahogany crotch’s, they sure are pretty , especially when you can resaw and do the book matching thing and get those mirror images …just beautiful, so see ya back here tomorrow..later ya’ll

the girls are at home today, using some older computers that dont have the compatibility issues , you would think these software companies would make sure everything is compatible before putting it out there…guess not…i think they use us as the test folks…and then to build the computer in china and have it support folks in india who speak very poor english , would not be the best way to handle it, but guess they have to go with the cheapest means they can come up with…. but it sure isnt working…we didnt lose data, all was safe and backed up, the problem is the new software and new computers are not compatible ..windows 7 , 1 week old when we bought them…should have known better..they have been a nightmare … i forsee these things going back as soon as cases and bases ship , hopefully monday…time to look at something totally different and rethink all this , i dont have any DVD’s planned any time in the near future, thought about writing a book on waterbased finishes …and filming a update on the same for the finishing set…water base just keeps evolving , i am testing a waterbased oil product ..yep you heard right ..its not totally new has been in europe for some time now , thus far its pretty nice, tough as nails, quick build , and hand applied , just like a oil , i will say this again, we are very close to everything being waterbased . its coming , while they may not mandate it, they will make the voc requirements so that only water will be able to meet them , FLa and Calif are almost there now , i have done everything i can to stay right on top of the waterbased scene , and feel a good DVD or book is in order …and feel sure it will take another in a year or two , like these computers , technology is advancing rapidly ..and i will further state that once you use and get past the learning curve, you will really like it…its just a better finish, simply put ..without all the hazards ..the opinion that its a lesser quality is totally false…The book thing, i have tabled  , figure i can do what we need  right here and in the show , sort of one of those things ..take care of my own,  know what i mean..

   well im getting the finishing going on the clothes press and doors and drawers on the hunt board ..so best get them done…later ya’ll have a great week end

the clothes press is all built and most of the sanding is done, a little more to do, but did alot as we built it, here are some pictures of it all built, and a shot of the swing door ,corner..where we used a 45 degree glue block full length in the corner to reinforce the joint , not only does it add glue strength it helps to remove any flex in the corner , hope you enjoyed watching this piece as much as i enjoyed building it… now i need to wrap up the huntboard , and get on with other projects…i have a Bubinga table to build next, and as well will get the hunt board up , possibly tomorrow , and we will try to get photos of all the pieces when the finishing and final assembly is done…
Hope everyone will take a look at the email we sent yesterday about the show,we are trying to get folks on board, because it really is the best way to show everything, and really get into the details and procedures , its the best thing we have ever done…i personally dont know of any better way to give you the whole picture than the show, and again its a progressive thing, so future projects there will not be as much detail on things that have been previously covered…but also we want to be sure you have the techniques and understanding , before moving on….so not only doe we have the show forum, but also we can film interum videos dedicated to issues you feel need more clarification , it just works ..
Ok off to make some more drawers and doors for the huntboard…those following the show, remember , #5 starts tonight at 7pm est..later ya’ll

Here are a few more pictures of the Clothes Press as it’s getting wrapped up. We have the opening sides as well the crown opens and will have a false floor, this is really a cool piece, and will surely be a neat conversation piece, if one elects to show all the hidden compartments…will get some more pictures as it wraps up…

today I am finishing Up the clothes press, will take today and tomorrow, got to make the drawers and finish up some upper case details, then we can get some final photos before we start finishing it , its been alot of fun , and a head scratcher here and there , but otherwise , just a nice build, its always greatto tsee it all start to coming together, seems like it goes forever making pieces and parts, then viola , its built…gues thats one of the things that keep me doing it,

so hopefully By monday we have the press and the huntboard wrapped up and get some finish on them, want to get them finished for thanksgiving, so we are pushing the envelope , but been here done that before , i think we will be ok, but dont want to rush too much , want everything as it should be….wish i had more to show ya, but right now its sort of in sections , but we will wrap all that up , and getting the mouldings on and crown and all, it will be a VERY nice piece , so let me get tto the gettin and we will post some pictures as soon as we have them together later ya’ll

Yesterday,  Jeff and I went up to Hicksville mill , nothing fancy here , just hard-working folks and lots of wood , they are not on-line , do not take Credit cards , and can be a bit difficult to get on a phone, they are running around moving lumber and working, BUT if you are willing to make the trip you will be able to buy nice material at VERY reasonable prices , they simply will take the fork lift set off a bundle of what ever species you want and let you pick thru and select what you want , no pressure , and as nice a folk as you will meet …they can also surface your stock , they do turnings, flooring , moulding , and CNC work, you can google them for a map and address , but if you go , you will wonder if you are lost , they are out in the rural area, but it was certainly worth the trip , got some mahogany , got a piece of 16/4 , ribbon stripped, for resaw for a bombe drawer fronts, this way it will all be the same figure , ribbon cut can be tough to deal with , and it can be a challenge to finish , a dye directly on it the soft part of the ribbon will go very dark, quick , like a crotch , but if you know how t work it , it is quite beautiful, the key is to seal it before finishing , i like to use a water based finish , as it dries totally clear , and doesnt distort the figure , I also have some 12/4 genuine mahogany for the bombe sides , as well as all the case work , this ribbon mahogany is african mahogany , the sides and everything else is genuine mahogany, the genuine material is typically Honduran or Santa Domingo , i like the latter , however it is quite expensive , the african is not nearly so, several reasons , there is a plentiful supply , and its more difficult to work with , you can google and find a lot of info on it, color can vary from african to genuine , I can mix them because i will be coloring it , my dominate for using the 16/4 , it to be able to get a consistent and same grain from one tree , and be able to have it the same in 11 drawers …not very often you get to do that…

African ribbon can be quite fuzzy , and can tear out easily , so working it like a high figured curly maple , when it comes to planing will be the ticket , in my case I will abrasive surface it, or better put sand it to dimension , and will grain fill the entire piece using , timbermate filler ( mahogany), but what we will get will be super…when we get into the bombe’s we will tag ya along …here are some photos of Hicksville mill.

today i will finish up the 5 or 6 webisodes on the corner cabinet we are doing as the show, then back to the clothes press and huntboard….the girls are back processing cases and bases, the new computers are a big help , but sure was a wonderful stress filled week or so getting them all on-line and files uploaded and everything working , just my personal observation, but seems these computers and all are sure a lot harder than woodworking , but they do share one common denominator , “its all in the details”, and with out them and understanding them , it just dont work .

    Sherri is contemplating doing a  “sample” of the show , to see if it will help grow the audience some,  its doing fine as is, and picks up new members every day , but  the more we can get the more we can do, and with the interactive forum its working quite well, and we  have learned a lot about doing it, but one thing is evident ,   ( I repeat myself) it’s all in the details, the show allows us to get so in-depth into things i have never seen  addressed, but that make all the difference, guess the issue here is having folks see the value, and to understand it not about a specific project, the projects are selected for their different challenges , it’s about learning ,  far more than the project, but of course we are trying to come up with good projects that will be of interest . the other reason to grow the show ,is that its a progressive thing, meaning , each project is designed to go another level,

I have gotten a lot of response , that the show is too expensive , dont know how to get around that , it just too much time and effort to be able to do free,  so we have to do , what we have to do…wish it were different , but there are no underwriters for it , its all “us” funded…know what i mean?

oh well, we will see how it goes, but im happy with how its going, and excited about it , and plan to just keep on keeping on… 

Ok, got to be gone tomorrow, got to go pick up some material from a new mill, will take a camera and see what we find….

Later y’all

It’s been a might hectic this morning, gettin’ all the computers on line, But Sherri did it.  What a pain, anyway, I’ve been working diligently on the Clothes Press.  Thought I  would give you some pics to take a look at.   What I can’t show you in still pictures is how nice the sides open.  I used 3 heavy brass hinges from Horton Brasses, I wanted good sound hinges because this is a lot of door.   Billy was by yesterday and he asked why I didnt just make a door on the side and I explained that I could have, but I didnt want any evidence of it being there and I would have had a seam on the side and would have had to put a knob or pull or something to open the door and I didnt want that.  One would not expect the entire side and front to open, so it makes for a neat piece.  I used magnets to close and hold the side closed, when you close the side it will get with in an inch of closing and then just close its self.  I used  6 magnets per door, 1/2″ in diameter and put a magnet in the case and in the door , so its magnet to magnet, this is after all alot  of door, but it sure works nice , a light push on the side and it opens, sweet……  Okay, I got the base molding on the base and all the feet, final assembled the interior top case and hung the doors.  Fitted the door and made the column moulding to finish the front off, so now its on to the crown, then some hardware, locks and some drawers and we will have it….will do the huntboard  doors and drawers at the same time I do the press.  Both of these pieces have taken a fair amount of time because we have filmed a lot of the doings of them for cases and bases because both offer up some unique  challenges, but both are coming quite nicely, later yall…