Entry Details

Wall Cabinet Contest
March 1, 2005

Entry Details

# 121

Jim Kelly

Trappe, PA

Dimensions (inches):
	Width:	20
	Height:	26
	Depth:	10
Materials:		Figured Maple, Walnut, Brass hardware

I always admired hanging corner cabinets in antique shops and museums, but as an amatuer woodworker, was a little intimidated by the angles.  I decided to tackle this problem by drawing a full scale model of the pieces to work from.  It helped me immensely.

Some time ago I had been given a piece of figured maple with wonderful depth, and I knew it belonged as the centerpiece of a project.  This project fit the bill.

I made the top molding in three pieces: The cove moulding on top, and the ogee molding in the middle was made on the router, and the dentil molding on the tablesaw.  On the bottom I placed a simple piece of quarter round, which I made with my router.

I made the face frame with mortise and tenon construction, secured by pegs.  I wanted to accentuate the 22 1/2 degree angle where the face frame met the sides, so I inlaid some 3/32" strips of walnut.

I placed a wider rail on the top of the door than the bottom, to lead up to the top molding.  I like this touch, but don't know how "correct" it is.  It works for me.

I made the face frame and door first, then mounted the door on the faceframe. I dyed them with analine dye.

I used the same tiger maple for the carcase and shelves that I used for the face frame and style and rails, mainly because I had it on hand. All carcase components were planed down to 1/2". Dados made assembly of the carcase fairly easy.

While the carcase assembly was straight forward, attaching the faceframe had me scratching my head for a while. I ended up using band clamps, and "F" clamps, and scap wood ripped to 22 1/2 degrees. This part of the project made me the most nervous, because of the angles. I handplaned and dry fit it several times until it finally fit perfectly.

I assembeled the molding on the top beginning with the dentil molding (front then sides), followed by the ogee molding and finally the crown molding with backing block. This allowed me to make the miters very tight. I couldn't figure out a clamping method for baking blocks on the crown molding, so I simply placed a heavy old jointer plane i have on top until the glue dried.

I hand scraped the door and face frame, and finished I finished the cabinet with boiled linseed oil, Waterlox, and paste wax.

Judges Comments

AJH : An excellent example of the materials driving the project; I can't imagine a better use for the tiger maple you had been saving. I partially agree with Richard that the wider rail seems odd on top; however, I think I would have made the bottom rail the same width as the top one.
EW : Whatever your reason for installing the vertical feature strips at the joint lines, I like the effect. Your use of figured woods here is also commendable. I might have proportioned the dentils differently, but that is mostly a matter of preference. Also, the design is visually top-heavy, with the wider door rail and the soaring cornice. Overall, I feel this piece is a lovely rendition of a traditional idiom.
RJ : Wonderful attention to detail and it seems to be beautifully made. I like this piece very much with its rich colour and wonderful grain pattern, but I disagreee with the makers decision to put the wider rail at the top of the door. This doesn't work visually for me as I find my eye naturally expects the heavier rail to be at the bottom to give the door the right visual weight. I still think it's a wonderful piece though.