Two White Oak Dressers

[John TenEyck]

I built these two dressers last Summer. I didn't post any pictures at the time because most folks here seem to favor more traditional designs, but I finally decided what the heck.

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The sides and drawer fronts are solid rift sawn white oak, the tops are veneered from shop sawn veneer, then edged with solid wood. Maple drawer internals. I brass brushed the oak after sanding to clean out and deepen the pores. The finish was a custom mix of SW's BAC Wiping Stain plus Transtint dye pre-diluted in acetone so it would mix into the stain. No other stain/dye that I've used gives such a dark effect in one application. The topcoat was Sealcoat shellac followed by GF's Enduro Clear Poly in satin sheen, to which I added about 5% baby powder to further cut the sheen.

These things are pretty massive, and heavy. The low one is about 36" H by 60+ inches long; the tall one is about 70" high. They were so heavy I removed all the Blum undermount drawer slides and reinstalled them after getting them into the clients home.

John

[Jamie Buxton]

Nice!

So the sides are solid lumber, but the top is plywood under the shop-sawn veneer? So is there a sliding joint somewhere?

[Sam Murdoch]

I think those look great. Wish I could see a bigger photo. Good craftsmanship comes forth and enhances woodwork in any tradition - contemporary or traditional. Nicely done. I really like the finish too!

[John TenEyck]

Nice!

So the sides are solid lumber, but the top is plywood under the shop-sawn veneer? So is there a sliding joint somewhere?

Hi Jamie,

Yes the top is shop-sawn veneer on plywood. I added a "frame" around the underside to build it up to 1-1/4" thick, then added 1/4" solid wood edging all around. I did that so I could create a uniform grain pattern on all faces and edges.

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The tops are attached to the cabinets with screws up through the top web frame, at the front and rear. The holes at the front are elongated so that the cabinet underneath is free to expand/contract as it wants.

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John

[John TenEyck]

I think those look great. Wish I could see a bigger photo. Good craftsmanship comes forth and enhances woodwork in any tradition - contemporary or traditional. Nicely done. I really like the finish too!

Thanks Sam. I wish I knew how to post larger photos. Whenever I try to paste a larger format it rejects it as "file too large" or something like that. But you can see the whole build process of the cabinets at this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/1104677...eat=directlink
and view them full size on your computer.

John

[Sam Murdoch]

YIKES - lots of photos - do you charge your client for all that extra "build time" .
Thanks for the link. I like bigger.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Nice, John. The pulls really work well with that finish. I especially like the long ones on the high boy. Are they "off the shelf" ? Great job.

[John TenEyck]

Nice, John. The pulls really work well with that finish. I especially like the long ones on the high boy. Are they "off the shelf" ? Great job.

Yonak, thanks. The pulls are from Top Knobs. These are the smaller ones: http://www.topknobs.com/ProductDetai...3&prod_type=-1 and these are the longer ones: http://www.topknobs.com/ProductDetai...7&prod_type=-1 They are very high quality, and should be - they cost over $450. But they really do add some punch to the cabinets; they would look pretty plain without them, being so dark.

John

[Jamie Buxton]

.. I wish I knew how to post larger photos. Whenever I try to paste a larger format it rejects it as "file too large" or something like that. ..

SMC has a limit on the size of jpgs. IIRC it is around 100KB, but now I can't find where I saw that.

In the photo processing software I use, there's two ways to control the file size. One is to change the pixel dimensions. The other is to change the jpg quality. My camera takes photos in what my software thinks is "high" quality jpg. When I tell it to change the quality to "medium", the file size drops dramatically, but I can't see the difference on my monitor. You might look around your photo software for a similar crank, and use it to make the file smaller.

[Sam Murdoch]

Not to change the subject but rather to embellish interest may I offer -

The Top Knob hardware collections of knobs and pulls are varied and better than most. Their web sight however is terrible - very user unfriendly unless you know what you are after. Very much worth ordering one of their catalogs. They have a service for ordering sample knobs/pulls for only the cost of shipping. That can be a great problem solver. I ordered 2 size/color samples of the ones John (the OP) used in his project and I was glad I did. They are very substantial and look good too but they were not right for my project. Would have been an expensive oops.

[Ted Calver]

I'm a big fan of that style, John. Nice simple lines and a great finish. Thanks for the picture link.

[John TenEyck]

Not to change the subject but rather to embellish interest may I offer -

The Top Knob hardware collections of knobs and pulls are varied and better than most. Their web sight however is terrible - very user unfriendly unless you know what you are after. Very much worth ordering one of their catalogs. They have a service for ordering sample knobs/pulls for only the cost of shipping. That can be a great problem solver. I ordered 2 size/color samples of the ones John (the OP) used in his project and I was glad I did. They are very substantial and look good too but they were not right for my project. Would have been an expensive oops.

Agreed, their website sucks more than my shop vac.

John

[Mike McCann]

that is great looking furniture

[Andrew Hughes]

Nice looking pieces John, the handles are a very good choice. I don't get to work with white oak very often I just love the smell.Thanks for sharing your work.Aj

[Art Mann]

Nicely done! I wish i could inspect them in person.