Wabi Sabi is Finished

I have completed my Wabi Sabi Cabinet! Happy to be done and moving on to my first project. I learned a lot with this exercise. Not everything came out great but I feel well prepared for my first project.



The Door has been installed and finished with Shellac.



Here is an interesting detail I didn't mention. This is a Flipper Flopper. It is a small piece of wood that slightly protrudes the top of the cabinet. There is a small spring under the Flipper Flopper and when the door closes, the Flipper Flopper puts pressure on the door and latches it.



Here is my drawer flushed up and fitted. Our drawers are done a little different than most conventional cabinets. I make the cabinet carcass just slightly out of square (not a whole lot, I'm talking maybe a millimeter) This gives the drawer compartment a slight taper. I then carefully plane the sides of the drawer with a taper as well. This taper allows the drawer to smoothly open and just before the drawer is pulled out it pinches. This is known as "let go".

It's small details like this that cannot be achieved with machines. This is what separates a regular cabinet from a craftsman's cabinet.

Up Next...

My new project, which I mentioned in my last post. I am in the early mock up stage. I am making a very detailed full size mock up made of cardboard. I'm kidding; it is a very simple box glued together. I use it to get a general size and adjust the proportions of the cabinet. I then use the mock up to make templates that I use to select where I will cut my lumber stock.

And here it is: The Pipe Cabinet



Why a Pipe Cabinet? Actually it is not going to be used to store Pipes. The reason I am calling it the Pipe Cabinet, is that I am using a detail from Jim Krenov's pipe cabinet that he built in 1968. A pipe cabinet usually has a door that allows ventilation. My cabinet door will have a bit of open space but it won't be used for ventilation. It's more of a design detail rather than function. It will be a nice little variation from the usual frame and panel door cabinet.

Once I have made a final decision on my mock up I will make my wood selection. I am still debating what to use. I hopefully will have some pictures up very soon with my selection.

Frame and Panel

I need a back piece for my cabinet. I can't just use solid wood. Solid wood moves due to constant changes in moisture during the changes of the seasons. If I used a solid piece the back would blow out. A frame with a solid wood panel is a great way to trap wood movement.




Mortise and Tenon joints is how the frame is put together. Before I glue the panel up, I route a groove on the inside edge so I can fit the panel into the frame.



The Frame all glued up. I made the panel out of Ash. The frame is the same as the cabinet, Poplar. The back piece is oversize; I will plane it down to make a nice tight fit. Once it is fitted, I glue it in place.



I am hoping to have the cabinet done in the next couple of days.

I have learned a lot making this cabinet. There have been many points of frustration. Not every step has gone smoothly for me. I feel very prepared for my first piece, now that I have gone through the whole cabinet making process.

Speaking of first projects. I have spent the better part of this evening drawing my first piece. Most of my drawing techniques come from my blueprint classes while at NAIT. I'm not a great sketcher. I do need to have something to show my instructor what I am planning to build. I originally planned to make a cabinet with a frame and panel door. I did my first sketch and it just didn't work for me. I decided to change the design. Once I finished that drawing I was even more discouraged. Both drawings were boring, had no creativity and I wasn't excited to build them. I was at the point where I decided not to do a frame and panel door. I did a completely different design. I was moving in a better direction.

I decided to take a look at Jim Krenov's book A Cabinetmakers Notebook, to get some ideas for drawers and dovetails. The majority of Krenov's work has a simple design. The small details he puts in his work makes these simple designs brilliant. I came across one of his cabinet's that had a frame and panel door that was just stunning. I now have a new direction and a new design. I am by no means going to copy Jim's cabinet. I now have inspiration to build a cabinet that I am really excited about. Tomorrow I will make a more detailed drawing of my cabinet and start thinking what wood will work with this design!