Bompe Chest Build – Part #1 Ball and Claw Feet

[Mike Allen1010]

Nice work Mike! You are a machine!

Brian,


I'm a huge fan of your work and really enjoy your website. I particularly admire how you use video to demonstrate your woodworking techniques in real time. For me, there is no substitute for actually watching a talented craftsman like you demonstrate how you build the beautiful furniture, and particularly the meticulous joinery, you do. I always look forward to your posts and read them eagerly.


I am a IT luddite and surprised I'm able to post pics I hope are helpful.


All the best,

[James Pallas]

Very well done Mike. I don't see any weak ankles on those legs. I like the design of your foot a lot.
Jim

[Mike Allen1010]

Hey Mike. Post away. I am supposed to take a class next month on this very thing. So I will watching the step by step. Thank you.

Ron,


As someone with a huge "handsaw problem", I'm a long time fan of your work! I enjoy trying to make my own woodworking tools, and the most relevant thing I have learned is there is a reason why preindustrial woodworkers/toolmakers specialized in particular areas of expertise: IMHO, given the tight tolerance for top-tier work, it's really hard to build back saws/planes that perform to the highest standards, unless that's all you do.


I built a bunch of back saws (that required a ton of time and effort) and ended up with "wavy" plates that didn't work very well. It was only after the fact, I realized I would have been much better off to just buy something from a professional toolmaker like you (or in the case of hand planes someone like Steve Voigt) than to try and attempt a "one off" success on my own.

I guess it's his common today to cynically assume, everyone has some kind of self-serving, commercial motivation for online comments. I can assure sure you I don't . I very much appreciate everything I have learned from SMC. My only motivation in posting is to "pay forward" my own experience and hope it will benefit my fellow Neanders. Most importantly I'm no expert – your mileage may vary.


All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Any man who loves tube amps and BB King can be forgiven for a lot! Including ball-and-claw feet! I'll never make them, but I do admire the way you are going about the, Mike. Keep going - I'm watching.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek,


It goes without saying I'm a huge fan. I particularly appreciate your endorsement of BB King and tube amplifiers! I think the Cave can always use more musical references - perhaps there is some connection between the creativity/artistic abilities of musicians and woodworkers. I certainly have nothing to offer in either of these areas.


I can't help but think of how great an SMC cocktail party would be! A chance to hang out with the people we have built online relationships with who are interested in the woodworking and related subjects our families are clearly tired of talking about. That said, I'm grateful for our online community.


All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Your ambitiousness is incredibly infectious, Mike!! I got up & went to the shop after reading this post....cleaned the bench of nearly done's and started a new project!! Never cease to AMAZE! Great stuff...can't wait to see the next posts! THANK YOU

Don

Don my friend,


Thanks for your very generous comments! I know for a fact you don't need my motivation to create beautiful work. I'm happy I was able play a small part in motivating you to start a new project.


All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Fantastic work, as usual Mike - you keep saying you're not a wood carver, and yet you carve wood... I think you've arrived.

The typo in the subject line instantly made me think of the scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian where the 3 kings were describing the gifts they brought and Brian's mother says "Myrrh, what's that then?" "It's a balm" "what d'er want to give a baby a bomb for? "Not a bomb, a balm, an unguent..." if you haven't seen it, you may want to, what with the holidays coming

looking great, thanks for sharing,
Karl

Karl,


I couldn't be more flattered by your generous comments! You are a truly talented artist who I really admire. I'm absolutely confident your skills are clearly out of my league. I strongly encourage everyone here in the Cave to view your threads in the carving forum.


I 'm nowhere near your ability to create artistic, three-dimensional carvings, with your effortless expertise, which my naïve experience suggests must have been acquired over many years. In comparison, I'm merely a mechanic. If you saw how long it takes me to create even the most rudimentary carving, anyone would clearly recognize I'm a hack - just trying to get by using a dimensional/mechanical understanding of what carving is supposed to be.


Thank you for your inspiration to aspire to the highest standards!




All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Mike, I don't know what vitamins you are taking or what energy food diet you are following (other than the occasional IPA bottle we see on the bench) , but I GOTTA GET ME SOME!!! Your output and skill is amazing. Gonna LOVE this thread , as we have all the past ones. You, sir, are becoming an institution!

Hope the boys are home for TG. Thank you and best wishes to the family for the holiday season, Patrick

Patrick,


I can assure you I have no magic ingredients, except perhaps a less-than-perfect Work/Life balance now that the LOML and I are empty-nesters. On 2nd thought, perhaps the occasional craft beer is providing some helpful "lubrication"!


Counselor, I rest easy at night knowing you are working to support the forces of justice that preserve our way of life. This is where if I were more technologically adept I would insert a video of "12 Angry Men", or the classic Jack Nicholson scene from "A Few Good Men" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkO).


Patrick, my apologies if I'm overstepping my bounds here. My motivations are sincere – I'm lucky to count you among my friends.


All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

[QUOTE=David Eisenhauer;2625937]And Buddy Guy and Albert Collins and ,,,,,,,,,,,,. I love the carving and am very interested in seeing the rest of the "bomb". Please don't stop.[/QUOTE]


David,


You clearly know the Blues! I appreciate your mention of some of the greats!. Is not responsible me to take this thread off track – nonetheless I always appreciate SMC music references!


Best, Mike

[Rob Luter]

Nice work. Out of my range for sure. Fellow tube amp lover here, but the kind you plug guitars into.

[Frederick Skelly]

My God, but you are talented! Another phenomenal build!
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Wow!

[David Eisenhauer]

Damn responsibility. The blues guys are the main reason one gravitates towards hand tool working. Can't listen when all the machinery is running. Don't forget - more "bomb" photos as you work on.

[Mike Allen1010]

Bompe Chest Build – Part #2 Toes of Ball & Claw Feet and Bompe Carcass Sides

A couple more things related to carving the B&C feet I neglected to mention in my previous post that may be helpful for those interested in adding a little carving to their furniture projects:

1. One of the biggest barrier that prevented me from getting started with carving was I didn’t really know what carving tools I needed and I assumed I would need a lot to really try and carve anything. These are the tools I use for 99% of the carving: gouges # 2, # 3, # 5, # 11, a couple bench chisels, half round rasps and a file, card scrapers and sandpaper.




2. What I’ve learned from my limited experience is buy the carving tools you’ll need to do a specific project and build from there. With a little practice, you’ll be surprised at what you can do with relatively limited kit. Secondly, rasps/files are your friend. Using a gouge to carve the upper surface of curved elements isn’t always the best choice, particularly if the grain isn’t cooperating. I’m not sure if true carvers would consider that “cheating”, but it’s been helpful for me.

3. It’s worth it to spend a little time to make a durable template for your carving projects. Initially I tried to shortcut this step by using paper drawings for layout. For me using two-dimensional paper to layout three-dimensional carving designs was problematic. The other plus is that over time you will build a set of templates you can use for future projects.






4. A key part of the layout/carving of symmetrical B&C feet are the 2 concentric circles on the bottom that represent the diameter of the ball at the midpoint and diameter at the floor. I suggest you leave final shaping of the ball to the correct diameter at the floor until after you finish the claws. You want all these finished surfaces to meet in a nice circle and shaping the claws may require removing more wood than you anticipate.

[Mike Allen1010]

As I mentioned in the first part of this thread, the sides and front of the carcass for a Bompe chest curve so the chest seems sort of “swollen” nearest the floor. I made a template for this curve using a beam compass and a French curve. The radius of the curve at the bottom is smaller than the radius for the upper part of the curve and that required more than a little bit of experimenting to get the right template. Probably makes more sense when you see the pics. I’m not sure if the shape of the curve I came up with is classically “correct”, but it looks okay to me.

I want the finished thickness of the carcass sides to be 1 ½” to provide the necessary strength for a heavy load after the sliding dovetail sockets are cut for the horizontal shelves/rails. With my curve, that means I need a total thickness of~3 ¾” for the rough stock at the height of the curve. I’m planning to veneer the carcass sides so I’m gluing up 12/4 Poplar with 6/4 laminated on top for the widest section. Frankly, I would’ve preferred pine as it’s easier to work and not nearly as heavy to move around. Here’s some pictures of dimensioning.










A coarse pitch crosscut saw comes in really handy when dimensioning stock this thick. This is a 5 PPI, 28” D-8. It was originally sold in a rip tooth configuration, which I converted to crosscut. I actually use this saw a lot more than I thought I would.






Here are the 2 pieces of the carcass side that will be glued together. I clamp them together to joint in hopes of getting a solid glue line.




A #6 fore plane comes in handy for leveling the surface after glue up.




Here is the lamination to get final thickness with the template to layout the curve of the carcass side.








I think I'lll try and add cock beading to the shelves and inside edge of the carcass sides, so I’ll need to glue a piece of solid mahogany to the front edge of the carcass sides. I probably should’ve thought of that before laying out the curve on the front edge of the carcass sides – oops!

I’ll make a series of cross cuts just shy of the layout line and try to split out the bulk of the waste with chisels, gouges etc. A table saw or circular saw would sure be handy to make these cross cuts, but since I don’t have either, it’s going to be a lot of sweating and sawdust with hand saws! To tell the truth, not sure if I’m looking forward to that or not!

Joinery will be a sliding dovetail for the top of the chest and a series of M&T’s for the bottom. This will let me extend the bottom of the case beyond the sides of the carcass so I can shape the curved into the end grain, which I hope will be a lot easier than trying to make some kind of curved molding. Now that I think about it, I'll have to do that for the front of the chest anyway. The profile of the front of the chest is supposed to be more “serpentine”, as compared to the two-dimensional curve along the carcass sides. I haven’t even thought about laying out that curve yet, which is almost certainly a mistake. I’ll have to work out some kind of template which will surely be an adventure in itself!

Thanks for looking. More to follow as I make progress – unless my attempts at making these curved parts turns the whole thing into firewood. Wish me luck, I’m certainly going to need it!

All the best, Mike

[Allen Jordan]

Great work on those, incredible attention to detail on your carving.