01-12-2017, 05:16 PM
Building a cabinet for a buddy. What's even worse?
Having him help.
He wanted a paint grade 22" high cabinet built in a completely out of square alcove to hold his TV/audio equip. I suggested sliding shelves so he can access the equipment without a lot of grief. The base design is face frame with three partitioned spaces with paired doors. Overall about 8'6" long and 26" deep.
He said he'd help and he wanted to learn how to make sawdust. Don't get me wrong. We're having a good time but its ever so slow. I like teaching. He likes learning but he can't grasp the concept of what we're building so I'm constantly sketching or holding up pieces of wood to give him an idea of what it will look like. Invariably there is a "could we do this?"
The box is built and we're ready to fit a top. Out of the blue he says his wife wants the top to be stained. We're using poplar and maple ply. Its going to have to be a dark gel stain to make those two look good. I suggest we use maple instead of poplar for the top and I've got some with a bit of tiger so I offer that based on a replacement.. Bad enough trying to cut the top to fit in this out of square alcove and not have to use inch and half scribe. Four hours today and I've managed to get four pieces cut to band the plywood to fit. Stop, explain, show him tool safety. Last thing was we were just going to do a round over the drop front of the top. He asks to see other profiles. I pull out four or five and we cut samples on the router so he can decide. He says he wants his wife to see them and decide.
Just ranting a bit because every step has to be explained. Still fun to have a shop partner who will sand and sweep and clean up. Just thinking back when I was partner in a cabinet shop. We could do a whole kitchen and three bathrooms in three days with the two of us and a helper running a palm sander.
He's gone until Monday but I want to get the box and the top complete so he can go home and paint and/or stain. Then bring it back and we'll make the doors and sliding shelves. Hey, I'm not really doing much of anything else, just frustrated at the pace.
Some may recall years ago when I built a large entertainment center for an engineer at work. This project is very similar to the bottom of this unit. At the end, we were both speaking through clenched teeth and he was checking the fit with feeler gauges. Here's a few pics of that one:
All the shelves were glass with splined mitered corners. First time his wife saw them, she complained about
how hard they would be to dust.
This project the guy put so much equipment in the bottom it was pushing the drawers out. I had to put a positive latch on them just to close the doors.
My fault, of course. Note the flipper doors.
Just looking at these pics makes me PO'd at the engineer all over again. Glad they never rotated him so he'd be my supervisor.
end rant. Carry on.
Having him help.
He wanted a paint grade 22" high cabinet built in a completely out of square alcove to hold his TV/audio equip. I suggested sliding shelves so he can access the equipment without a lot of grief. The base design is face frame with three partitioned spaces with paired doors. Overall about 8'6" long and 26" deep.
He said he'd help and he wanted to learn how to make sawdust. Don't get me wrong. We're having a good time but its ever so slow. I like teaching. He likes learning but he can't grasp the concept of what we're building so I'm constantly sketching or holding up pieces of wood to give him an idea of what it will look like. Invariably there is a "could we do this?"
The box is built and we're ready to fit a top. Out of the blue he says his wife wants the top to be stained. We're using poplar and maple ply. Its going to have to be a dark gel stain to make those two look good. I suggest we use maple instead of poplar for the top and I've got some with a bit of tiger so I offer that based on a replacement.. Bad enough trying to cut the top to fit in this out of square alcove and not have to use inch and half scribe. Four hours today and I've managed to get four pieces cut to band the plywood to fit. Stop, explain, show him tool safety. Last thing was we were just going to do a round over the drop front of the top. He asks to see other profiles. I pull out four or five and we cut samples on the router so he can decide. He says he wants his wife to see them and decide.
Just ranting a bit because every step has to be explained. Still fun to have a shop partner who will sand and sweep and clean up. Just thinking back when I was partner in a cabinet shop. We could do a whole kitchen and three bathrooms in three days with the two of us and a helper running a palm sander.
He's gone until Monday but I want to get the box and the top complete so he can go home and paint and/or stain. Then bring it back and we'll make the doors and sliding shelves. Hey, I'm not really doing much of anything else, just frustrated at the pace.
Some may recall years ago when I built a large entertainment center for an engineer at work. This project is very similar to the bottom of this unit. At the end, we were both speaking through clenched teeth and he was checking the fit with feeler gauges. Here's a few pics of that one:
All the shelves were glass with splined mitered corners. First time his wife saw them, she complained about
how hard they would be to dust.
This project the guy put so much equipment in the bottom it was pushing the drawers out. I had to put a positive latch on them just to close the doors.
My fault, of course. Note the flipper doors.
Just looking at these pics makes me PO'd at the engineer all over again. Glad they never rotated him so he'd be my supervisor.
end rant. Carry on.