I haven't been making too many things as I have had to work long hours for the last several months. So two weekends ago, I had a full weekend without working so I thought I'd make a shoe rack for LOML. The shoe rack envisioned was pretty simple, essentially a bookcase / shelving unit. I could have knocked one together out of ply or poplar and painted it and be done with it in a day, but you know...
So I ended up scoring some "Natural Maple" (read as a mixture of sapwood and heartwood). There were a couple of nice pieces at cheap prices so away I went. After cutting it into manageable pieces with a nice handsaw from Mike Allen, I flattened the stock. I ripped by harnessing electrons but dove into the dovetails by hand. Well a couple of months without sawing with precision and you feel unskilled again. Eventually, I got it back and then chopped the waste from the pin sockets.
Dovetail cut.jpgDovetail ends.jpg
I got the four dovetail ends and one Pin end done over the first weekend.
Pins.jpgProgress.jpg
I struggled getting the dovetail shoulders flat when chopping, so I went to removing the waste with the fret saw. So much better. I have a Set of chisels with 30 free bevels and a set with 25 agree bevels. I use the 25 degree for the paring cuts.
Rabbets or rebates.jpgCase no shelves.jpg
Last Weekend, I knocked out the other pin ends and dry assembled the case. I had cut the dados with the stock square. The front is sloped an inch vertically, so I would be trimming off the flying shoulders.