The stepback is complete

Looks pretty, doesn't it? 57" wide and 77" tall. All tiger maple, including the drawer sides and all the secondary wood. I really like how this turned out. Both size wise and color. I really like the light golden brown walnut dye on the tiger maple.

It has the lift up lid on top for added secret space. It is a very nice feature. Just make sure to allow space for expansion. I added about a 1/16" on either side and about 3/32" on the front. Everyone that sees it really loves it. I hope to get it shipped out soon. Have a couple other projects to get started. I also am wanting to start some more slab tables.

Getting the top section up on the bottom and getting pictures is always hard. God bless my wife. Could not do this without her help. She helped me get the top on and take pictures. Then take it back off. She is a trooper. I am blessed in many ways. She is the biggest blessing to me.
Got the secret drawers in place and all set to go. I hope you enjoyed the photos. I have more, but nothing much different then what is here. If you have questions, let me know.

Secret compartments, hidden drawers, mullions and tiger maple

Making glass doors for cupboards is always a time consuming process. All the cuts, parts and pieces make for a time eating day. Lots of figuring and tweaking to get everything to fit right and look good. There is also the time spent planing and jointing parts and letting them rest to see if they get twist or warp.

I use shapers for most of my doors. I have one set up for cutting the copes and one for cutting the rails and stiles. I always follow the advice of a good friend of mine and nibble away to eliminate any chipping in the tiger maple. Rough the pieces out, run them through the shaper, joint the edge again and re run them. Makes for nice sharp crisp edges and good looking doors. I took lots of pictures to show the steps, but I am not a photographer. A lot of them were blurry and not in good focus. Its also hard to take a shot while pushing a piece into a cutter.

Chip out in the tiger maple. This happens with most figured woods. Take a 1/32" off on the jointer and re run the piece and you get a nice clean cut.

Running the piece through the shaper with a small feeder works great. No fingers get chewed up and the feeder holds everything in place. It also allows a varible
feedrate.

Lots of small pieces. Getting everything to fit right takes lots of trimming and test fitting. You need to take your time and not get excited when things don't fit the third or forth time...My dad would call it piddling work. You piddle around until it is right.

I also have the secret compartment done on the upper section. Learned that also from my friend. It is a slick way to add something extra, plus it is just cool. I will be adding some secret drawers as well. I guess that is enough for today. I hope to get the doors sanded and ready for finish tomorrow. I've had enough "piddling" for today.

Stepback bottom section finished

Looks like the wood is on fire. Turned out very nice. Nothing finer then an October day, almost 80 degrees and no humidity. Perfect day for finishing. Still have to add the back and a small molding around the bottom frame. Looking at this in the sun just looked like gazing at a fire, The grain just leaps out. Seems almost a shame to cover the top with the upper section. The hardware is yet to be installed on the doors and drawer. Can't wait to see this all together. It will be a stunner. Hope you enjoy. bob

A day for dyeing....

Today was the day I dyed the lower case of the tiger maple stepback cupboard I am working on. Got all the grain raising and sanding out of the way. Got the coat of oil on and then the 1st coat of sealer. It is looking really nice. This is some incredible tiger maple I am using.

Tomorrow will be sanding and cleaning and starting with the finish coats. The weather has been just wonderful. It was almost 80 today with low humidity. Sounds like this might last for almost another week. Sure makes time in the shop go fast with the doors open and the sun shining.

Thanks for looking in. Hope to have some stories of some of the folks I deal with coming . They are pretty interesting people, at least to me. Hope you all have a great week!

First time jitters

Well, here it is. Having never been known as a blogger, writer,talker, I am taking the first steps. I am a custom furniture maker. I love what I do and have a great wife who supports what I do. Can't ask for any more then that. I am a blessed man.

I wanted to start this out by some simple explaining about what it is I do. How I build and find the right material. The stories about folks I meet and what I see. Its not a story many might find interesting, but I just thought I could share some.

The title of this blog is kind of what I do in my business. I buy and sell figured wood and build custom furniture. The wood finding is one of the fun thing I get to do. My wife goes along at times while I search out small mills and the interesting folks who run them. I hope to share some stories with you about that process. I know that I find the sawmill folks some of the most kind and honest folks I deal with. It goes the same with loggers. Honest, down to earth kind folks. I will share more of these folks with you as time goes on.

Its a beautiful October morning as I write this. It was a big weekend for Wisconsin sports. Packers Badgers and Brewers all won. Life is good on the farm. Hope you all have a wonderful day and I will write more later. bob