Walnut Sec. Build Part 6 – Cabriolet Legs, Scalloped Aprons and Pullout Writing Surfa

[Mike Allen1010]

Beautiful work Mike! That one is most certainly going to make it into the house.

For the veneer, I use a vacuum bag and cold press glue, works well. I've used fancier glues and that made for an expensive disaster, so I stick to cold press glue.

Brian, I'm a huge fan of your work and your website. The precision/ beauty of the show surfaces and the accuracy of the joinery you routinely achieve with hand tools are remarkable and a constant source of inspiration for me. As much as I appreciate the metallurgical and biomechanical advantages of Japanese planes and saws you use so effectively, I confess I don't know how to keep them sharp. Sharpening Japanese hand saws with their exotic geometry is way over my head and and I'm embarrassed to admit the difficulty I have in "tapping out" Japanese edge tools to flatten their backs once sharpening the bevel pushes into the existing hollow on the back. Please don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely not applying any criticism/value judgment; my comments are much more an appreciation of what you accomplish with these tools.


I can remember where I saw it, but one of your recent pieces had doors with fine, beautifully understated rail/style/dividers and some kind of Asian paper that served as a "panel". I have no idea about how to do that kind of work, but in the interest of transparency I need to tell you; if there is even the remotest chance I can figure it out, I am going to blatantly steal your design concept/idea. Regrettably, a fundamental challenge for me is I have no idea how to execute your design, or even frankly what the paper is. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for the inspiration!


I also really appreciate your suggestion about the "vacuum bag and cold press glue" for gluing the veneer to a solid substrate. I don't want to put you on the spot, but would really appreciate your suggestions about where I should look for those tools/materials. Thanks in advance your help!

All the Best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

I love this build! Very well done. Something like this is on my to-do list. Thanks for sharing.

Malcolm I always enjoy you posts and appreciate your very kind comments.


Thank you for sharing your experience with the LV large plow plane. Feedback from woodworkers like you I respect is super helpful for me (and I'm sure also for our fellow Creekersl), when considering a significant tool investment like this.


In my younger days I spent some time on boats in your neighborhood and recall firsthand the challenges of obtaining hardwood lumber at anything less than the cost of an arm and a leg. However, thinking back, there was this one time in the service of Uncle Sam, I stumbled upon some mahogany with shall we say "less than squeaky clean title"… --- naahh, it's a boring story, and importantly the statute of limitations is probably not yet expired!


Cheers, Mike