Back to desk project

[Charlie Buchanan]

I took a break from posting on this project because my progress has been so slow. With wife's travel plans, holidays and weather interruptions it has been intermittent shop time. But here's where I am

The bottom of the desk was moved in months ago and is in use waiting for the bookcase. Bookcase has been built and shellac applied ready for rubout and hardware.

Bookcase and one of the doors ready for hardware.

Here are the two doors The left-hand door on top has been rubbed out with steel wool and is ready for wax. The door on the bottom shows the shellac finish before the rubout.

This is the rubout pad I use for cutting the shellac. It is 0000 Liberon steel wool backed by a felt pad. Works great on flat surfaces. For moldings I just ball up a pinch of wool and rub the molding by hand.

Here's an escutcheon laid out for fitting. I scratch around the inside perimeter and chisel it out a little more until I get a tight fit.

This is the inside latch mounted on the left door. It is a reproduction I found at Ball and Ball. Very similar to the one on the desk at Salem I am using as a model. It slides up and latches into a plate on the bottom of a shelf. The brass piece is the separate lockplate that the right door locks into.

 

[mbromley]

Looking good! Thanks for the details on your finishing process.
Do you mix your own Shellac? What cut do you use? And how many coats did you apply?

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

Looking good! Thanks for the details on your finishing process.
Do you mix your own Shellac? What cut do you use? And how many coats did you apply?

I use the Zinser canned Amber Shellac. I start out diluting it 1:1. Then build up to 1part alcohol to 2 parts canned shellac. I don’t have spray so I either brush or rag it on until it gets a good glossy build. 4 to 6 coats generally. The rub out with steel wool is what gives the final smoothness.

 

[Jeff]

Very nice Charlie!

A comment to clarify. The Zinsser Amber shellac contains wax and that's okay because you're doing a wax "topcoat/finish coat". Would you use dewaxed shellac flakes to do the same finish if wanting to apply a regular top coat like Waterlox or another wiping varnish?

The reason: nothing adheres to wax except more wax!

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

Very nice Charlie!

A comment to clarify. The Zinsser Amber shellac contains wax and that's okay because you're doing a wax "topcoat/finish coat". Would you use dewaxed shellac flakes to do the same finish if wanting to apply a regular top coat like Waterlox or another wiping varnish?

The reason: nothing adheres to wax except more wax!

Thanks for the comment.
If I’m going to finish with something other than shellac I start with dilute SealCote which is de waxed I think. Usually start with SealCote 1:1 on cherry as a sealer. Then hand sand 320 or so. Then anything I’ve used will go over that.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Love the Cherry w/ the amber shellac. And you craftsmanship is outstanding, as always. Can you post a few pics of the desk part already in use?

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

Final post on this project. Everything together only need to adjust a lockplate to eliminate door rattle. Thanks for all the comments and encouragement from past posts. This has been a big project for me and I have enjoyed every one of the many challenges it presented.

Temporarily located in a corner until my wife makes room for it in her office.

Back is 1/2 inch shiplap poplar that I dyed and finished with amber shellac to coordinate with the cherry color.

Detail of the desktop.

Door construction detail of through tenon and pins.

Detail of a hold down I made to keep the top from tipping with the doors open. Probably unnecessary if the desk is properly levelled for its final location, but my son was a climber when he was small and you can never tell when a rug rat is loose in the house. I chopped a mortise into the bottom shelf of the bookcase and made an L-shaped iron to hook into the mortise and screw to the back boards of the desk. That way it is not visible from the front even with the bookcase open and the desk top has no screw holes should it ever be separated from the bookcase. Also it will be easy to separate the pieces for moving.

 

[redknife]

Spectacular. Lots to comment on but that hold down is pretty cool.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

It is a magnificent piece, Charlie. Thank you for sharing the build process w/ us. I especially like the figured grain on the desk front. Beautiful! In the picture of the hold-down from the back, it appears you used a sliding dovetail to attach the molding between the upper case and the desk. Am I seeing that correctly? If so, very nice detail.

 

[Jim M.]

Wow that is beautiful, Charlie, so many details and they're all done perfectly.

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

...it appears you used a sliding dovetail to attach the molding between the upper case and the desk. Am I seeing that correctly? If so, very nice detail.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, Bill, yes there is a short section of sliding dovetail there glued to the molding but not to the case. The mounding is glued to th case at the front and nailed near the back. Not sure if the sliding dovetail would work alone. I’ll see how it holds up after a few years.

 

[eyekode]

Wow Charlie! Those through tenons look perfect!
Also love the shellac finish on Cherry. Such a nice piece! Thanks for sharing.

 

[RayH]

That's a beautiful piece of furniture. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Ray

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Wow, that is beautiful!

 

[sawman101]

That's a very fine piece of craftsmanship Charley! A wonderful heirloom piece!