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View Full Version : What to do with this base?



Don Henthorn Smithville, TX
08-18-2003, 10:38 PM
Twenty five or so years ago I started a display cabinet for my wife's peuter collection. After I had the base nearly finished I realized I didn't like the design I was building and put it aside. It has been collecting dust in my shop and getting in the way for all this time. Now that I am trying to empty my shop I need to do something with the base. It is all solid walnut, even the drawers. I thought about making a seven drawer lingerie chest but the four small drawers already in the base would look funny under the seven drawers. Have you gentlemen any suggestions as to what I could turn this into?

<img src="http://www.vocabularyplus.com/display.jpg">

The perspective makes the legs look like they are too far under the piece, but they are not.

Tom Sweeney
08-18-2003, 10:57 PM
Not knowing the proper terminology. . .
Couldn't you make a top peice that sets back a little from the front of the bottom & put drawers & a pediment on the top?

Just a thought - the base looks nice - I'm sure you'll do it proud.

Don Henthorn Smithville, TX
08-18-2003, 11:02 PM
Not knowing the proper terminology. . .
Couldn't you make a top peice that sets back a little from the front of the bottom & put drawers & a pediment on the top?

Just a thought - the base looks nice - I'm sure you'll do it proud.


Don't know what happened. The pic showed up as planned in preview. Do you know what I did wrong?

Kevin Gerstenecker
08-19-2003, 6:25 AM
Don, when adding pictures, if you preview first, the picture will show up, but when you go to post if after the preview you will lose the picture. When adding pictures to your post, don't click on preview, just add the image and post it. If it is not to your liking after it is posted, you can go back and edit. I had the same problem when I tried to post my first picture, but I figured it out with Ken's help. Very nice work, by the way.............glad to see you are doing something with it, it is just WAY too nice to be gathering dust! :D

Mike Schwing
08-19-2003, 7:54 AM
25 years ago? Its darned near an antique already! Is it too short to just put on a matching top with scalloped edges - it'd kind of be a tall Queen Anne tea table with drawers. It looks wonderful.

Did you make those legs? I'm very very curious how they're made. I have some store bought Queen Anne legs that have the markings of a lathe center on one end, but I have no idea how they might be formed. Curiousity has me bad!

Jim Becker
08-19-2003, 8:40 AM
I have some store bought Queen Anne legs that have the markings of a lathe center on one end, but I have no idea how they might be formed. Curiousity has me bad!

The lathe is used to turn the bottom foot on those legs. Some of the longer, less sculpted versions are also turned on multiple axis before carving the remainder of the detail. Of course, the whole thing could have been mounted on some form of automated lathe/milling machine and "carved" via science...

To Don, I vote for some form of appropriate table-top like construction to complete the piece.

Don Henthorn Smithville, TX
08-19-2003, 10:09 AM
Thanks, Kevin. I should have remembered that, but it had slipped my mind completely.

Ed, I've thought about a small table with a kind of curved fancy edged top. Might go that route if nothing else seems appropriate.

Tom, I was just worrying that the small rawers under larger drawers would not look right..

Mike, I made the legs in the old way. I marked out the curves and sawed one side then taped the cut off back on and cut out the other side, then used rasps, scrapers, etc to finish the shapes. The round buttons on the bottom of the legs were hand done, not on the lathe. The wings (can't remember the technical term) were made in the same fashion. I can remember when I thought things like that were difficult, but after you get into it, it is just a matter of taking your time and paying attention.

Yhanks all for your suggestions.

Tom Sweeney
08-19-2003, 11:23 AM
Hey Don,
When you first posted - you actually did the img src call to an Htm page.
In other words you called a picture - but instead of the jpg extension behind the pictures name - you wrote ".htm". (maybe when you try to preview it first the forum software changed it???)
Hope that makes sense to you - I know what I mean :rolleyes:

As to adding a top piece - I was thinking something where you would have full width drawers side to side as maybe the bottom 3 drawers and then 2 rows of split drawers above that.
I envision all of these drawers being a fair amount narrower top to bottom then the existing drawers you have here.

After I learn how to do WW'ing - I want to learn the history of it so I can speak more intelligently on these issues. - I'll try to find a pic of what I'm thinking about.

found one that's similar to what I'm thinking - not great pic quality sorry.

David LaRue
08-19-2003, 11:33 AM
I vote for a TV cabinet Armoire. To me if you added an Armoire top to it with doors, it would balance the bottom. Then you could make a nice top that complemented the shape below. The large drawers would be great for storing items and would look proportional to the large top. Just my .02 :)

Dave

Idea 1 (http://www.innatnationalhall.com/saugatuc.htm)

Idea 2 (http://shop.store.yahoo.com/riverhousetraders/chelaarmoirell.html)