Finally finished a project in between tool collecting
I made a pipette cabinet for my laboratory (I'm a biochemistry PhD student). I originally set out to just make a white board frame, but it quickly morphed into a cabinet with whiteboard panels. Yeah they aren't the prettiest in the world, but this piece was all about function. I also make a custom rack for my pipettors on the inside. Basically these are the "tools" of a biochemists and so this project is akin to a shop tool cabinet.
The details...
The box frame is hand cut dovetailed santos mahogany. The doors are Jaoba, and the panel is a double sided whiteboard. The backing is a Jatoba veneered panel. Finsih is a tung oil urethane mixture from General finished with 5 coats of homebrew Polyurretane/BLO for extra protection (I expect that being in a lab it will see some abuse)
This project was a "learning project" such that I could learn how to hand cut dovetails, and cut and apply veneer. Overall I am pretty happy with the results, the only problem is that other people in my lab are jealous and want one for their lab bench as well. The hardest part of the whole project was putting the white board panels in with a sealant so that whilte board goo wouldn't get underneath. I used a PVC sealant to seal both sides of the white board and in testing I found that this was the best solution to keep it clean around the edges. Yeah that isn't fine woodworking, but it was the best solution I could come up with to a unique problem, since not too many people put whiteboards in frame and panel doors.
That mess in the background is the typical way my bench looks, chaotic, since the life of a researcher is chaotic as well. At least I have a little eye candy now.
Reply With Quote