In response to Sean Hughto's recent call for more projects in the Neanderthal forum, here are a few pics of a small cabinet I recently finished. It was started in Rob Cosman's piston fit drawer class in Calgary last July. Rob provided the assembled carcass, and we had to finish prepping it to begin drawer construction. To answer David Weaver's question, I do my rough lumber prep with my jointer, planer, and table saw. But, all the final lumber prep, joinery, and final fitting was done with hand tools. The goal of the class was to learn accurate drawer fit and function, but a nice finished project was a bonus.
The carcass and drawer fronts are walnut, drawer sides and bottom are western soft maple, drawer dividers are poplar, and back is walnut veneer plywood. The cabinet is about 24 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and 15 inches deep. It survived the trip home carefully boxed and checked as luggage on a United flight from Calgary to Denver. I decided to give it as a birthday gift to my 11 year old niece who plans to use it to store her art supplies.
I learned a lot during this project, and it was a lot of work. My dovetails improved, and the quality of my drawers was taken to a much higher level.
Thanks for checking it out,
Gary