The Wood Whisperer » bubinga

112 – Drill Charging Station & DowelMax

thewoodwhisperer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:39:12 +0000

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During my recent shop healing session, I realized I needed a better way to store my drills and chargers. This simple wall-hanging “box” did the trick. I also wanted to make the project fast and easy, so I decided to try out the DowelMax for the first time. The system is a breeze to use and produces strong reliable joints in just a fraction of the time it takes to create a traditional mortise and tenon.

Fee free to download the SketchUp Drawing for this project if you want to make your own. But I encourage you to use this as a starting point and build upon it. If I had more time and space, I definitely would have added a few drawers for additional storage. Also, be sure to check out the new Enduro-Var Water-Based Urethane I used on this project.

***Edit***Viewer Kevin sent us a modified Sketchup Plan featuring a beautiful drawer at the bottom.

Topics Covered:

Construction of a simple charging station.
Use of the DowelMax system.
Clever solution for charging batteries safely.

Andy’s Cabinets – Viewer Project

thewoodwhisperer — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:54:26 +0000

These two projects were submitted by Andy and they are stunning. I love the details and the use of the wood grain. This type of design really appeals to me. Check it out:

Tall Cabinet:
Made from bubinga and walnut, this was my first moderate sized case piece with a dovetailed case. It is about 60″ tall x 24″ wide, x 12″ deep. Dovetailed drawers, hand carved pulls, brass hinges and frame and panel doors added to the complexity of this challenging build. I have used this to inspire another piece of a similar style for a bathroom cabinet. Iâ€™ll post some links to the plans soon.

Bathroom Cabinet:
This cabinet was inspired by a taller version I made years ago. The case and frames are made from bubinga, the top, bottom, door panels and shelves are walnut. It measures a little over 24â€ tall, 8 â€ deep and 18â€wide. The smaller parts on the door were a definite challenge, and reminded me that smaller doesnâ€™t always mean faster for a project. I figured that the downstairs bathroom is probably one of the most commonly used rooms in the house. It deserved a hand-made piece. Iâ€™ll probably do a floor cabinet as well for this room sometime in the future. The plans to this will be posted to Gorilla Glue’s website.

Bubinga Sideboard – Viewer Project

thewoodwhisperer — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:34:50 +0000

Tom has submitted an incredible Sideboard project for our viewing pleasure. Let’s check it out:

I found this amazing Bubinga at Soboba (in Santa Barbara) and knew IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d find a special project for it. There was enough for most major parts. The amount of figured wood limited my ability to completely match horizontally and vertically, but I am pleased with the outcome.

Sideboard begins as a dovetailed case. Double thickness sides let me make the half-blind dovetails the easy way. That approach also means the sides and legs are flush on the inside, with a slight reveal on the outside. Vertical dividers have through tenons let into mortises top and bottom. Case is joined to the Legs with various stub tenons and dovetails on the outsides of top and bottom pieces. Legs have a very slight taper. This case is so bloody heavy that I was afraid to remove much material from the Padauk legs.

Doors are hung using Soss Ã¢â‚¬Å“invisibleÃ¢â‚¬Â hinges thanks to MarcÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s video of the Gadget Station while I was designing this piece. Which created a problem…identified after all else was assembled of course. Without a face frame, the legs interfered with the doors. So last minute taper and rounding of the outside stiles was necessary. Opps. Drawers are hand-cut dovetails with solid bottoms. Inside material is Philippine Mahogany. I had planned to use ebonized something for the pulls but eventually decided to use Padauk which darkens quite quickly and visually ties to the legs rather than creating a separate contrast. Back is composed of ship-lapped slats in grooves at bottom and held at the top with a simple molding strip.

Click here to view photos including quite a few of the progress and process in slide show format.

69- Gadget Station (Pt. 12)

thewoodwhisperer — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:51:32 +0000

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Well I finally made it to the finish line. This episode covers the hinge installation, pegging the tenons in the doors, making custom ebony handles, and finishing. I end the video with a justification of my design.

If you are interested in the Gripper system I showed for cutting small parts, you can pick one up in our Amazon.com Store. And if you are looking for the finishing DVD I mentioned, you can find that right here.

This series is now available on DVD! Order your copy today!

Links:
Gadget Station (Pt. 1)
Gadget Station (Pt. 2)
Gadget Station (Pt. 3)
Gadget Station (Pt. 4)
Gadget Station (Pt. 5)
Gadget Station (Pt. 6)
Gadget Station (Pt. 7)
Gadget Station (Pt. 8)
Gadget Station (Pt. 9)
Gadget Station (Pt. 10)
Gadget Station (Pt. 11)

65 – Gadget Station (Pt. 8)

thewoodwhisperer — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:17:34 +0000

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This video focuses on the back panel system, which includes the installation of rare-earth magnets. I also show how a #7 jointer plane can be very useful in getting a perfectly straight edge on highly figured woods. To make life a little easier, I start gluing up a few sub-assemblies. And you will also see the new Final Cut Blade make an appearance. And yes my friends, more hand tools!

This series is now available on DVD! Order your copy today!

64- Gadget Station (Pt. 7)

thewoodwhisperer — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:00:36 +0000

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I made quite a bit of progress in this video. The legs are cut from the bubinga blanks, and I finally have an opportunity to do a dry fit. I am in for a surprise as you will see, and a change is made to the original plans.

This series is now available on DVD! Order your copy today!

59 – Gadget Station (Pt. 3)

thewoodwhisperer — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:01:08 +0000

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This episode is primarily focused on the design of the legs. I present several options and show how I create a basic template. At the end, you will see the final test leg. The process of cutting the leg itself will be covered in detail when we cut the final legs out of the bubinga stock.

This series is now available on DVD! Order your copy today!

58- Gadget Station (Pt. 2)

thewoodwhisperer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:29:17 +0000

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For the first time ever, I am using mail-ordered wood. This material came from Bell Forest Products and I was very impressed with the quality. The shipment came in two packs and contained some really nice wide bubinga boards, as well as a piece ebony for the trim and some spalted maple for the doors. I sticker and stack the wood and talk about acclimation, and how it pertains to this particular situation. I talk a little bit about moisture meters as well and finish up by showing my strategy for cutting the cabinet parts out of the rough lumber so that the grain flows nicely.

This series is now available on DVD! Order your copy today!