6 Drawer CD Chest

We start construction of the project by sorting through the lumber we brought in and figuring out which boards will be best suited to which parts.  The way the grain runs through a piece affects both the appearance and the way the wood will move with changes in humidity.  These are important considerations.

After selecting the lumber, we chunk up the long, rough boards into manageable pieces.  I like to lay-out and make all my cross-cuts first, marking the chunks as to what parts they will become so I don't get confused later on and waste lumber by cutting the wrong parts out of them.  These smaller chunks are easier to run through the surface planer and bring to the right thickness. 

Then I go back through, sort out what pieces are to be ripped to what widths, and cut all the pieces at each width while I have the saw set for that width.  All of these "roughed-out" pieces are cut over-sized so that if the wood should bow a little in the cutting, I can go back and straighten it with the finish cuts.

Once everything is roughed out, I change over to a fine tooth saw blade for a smooth cut and trim the roughed parts to final size, labeling each part with masking tape as I complete it.  I confuse easily.  I also mark each part off of the cut list as I make them to make sure I don't overlook anything.  It's really frustrating to be looking for a certain part only to realize that I didn't make it!  Parts that are especially tricky to make will get an extra piece made in case I botch one up.

Once all the parts to make the cabinet top, base shoe, case rails and stiles and the drawer fronts are made, it's time to turn our attention to the thin pieces used in making up the panels.  This means resawing thick boards into thinner ones.

Resawing is the process by which we take thick lumber and make it into thin lumber.  While we could simply surface plane thick lumber to the proper thickness, this wastes a lot of material if we can get at least two of the pieces the desired thickness out of a board.  Most of the panels we make for use in frame and panel construction are 3/8" finished thickness.  A typical 4/4 board is 1" to 1 1/8" thick, therefore we can resaw it into two boards that can be planed smooth on both sides and still be the required 3/8" thick.  Plus, if used in a wide panel, these two pieces of wood will be very well matched in color and grain, making it easy to make an invisible joint.

The first step is to trim the edges of the board.  We need to be able to see markings made on the top edge, the bottom edge needs to slide easily across the bandsaw table.  In some cases we need the full width of the board, so we trim as little as possible from each edge, in other cases we need to cut a wide board down to size.  In these cases, we'll set the cut-off piece aside for use in another part.

Next we set a marking gauge so that the single point is at just a hair less then half the thickness of the board.  Marking from both side of the board results in a skinny alley down the middle of the board.  I find this easier to see and to guide the blade while sawing.  And since rough lumber is not always the same thickness the full length, this alley will widen out where the board gets fat, allowing me to see where I need to steer to keep the cut centered.

While one of us is marking the boards, another can be installing the resaw blade and setting up the saw.  Most bandsaw blades have fine teeth that, although they are sharp, are so small they pose little threat.  But a resaw blade has large, widely spaced teeth that are wickedly sharp.  Since blades are coiled for compact storage, coiling and uncoiling a resaw blade can be like wrestling with a shark -- wear leather gloves!  Once the blade is installed and tensioned, set the guide bearing positions.

A special fence attachment is needed for resawing because the blade will tend to drift off to the left or right as the grain in the board changes.  Running the board flat against the regular fence works well for cutting thin lumber into strips but does not work for resawing thick lumber.  The tubular attachment allows the operator to steer the cut to compensate for blade drift, yet keeps the board perpendicular -- if one uses care to keep the top and the bottom of the board against the fence.  Carelessness will allow the bottom of the board to creep out away from the fence and produce wedge shaped boards that will probably be useless because one edge will be too thin.  If that happens, we start over with another board.  Remaining observant prevents wasting time and materials.  Then it's time to lubricate the blade with a non-staining oil.  We want to prevent residue from building up on the blade -- which will cause burning and premature dulling of the blade -- but we can't use anything that will leave stains on the wood.  I like the original Pam vegetable cooking spray for this.

In most cases, we split a board just once, but on occasion we will saw a real thick board into multiple thinner boards.  In either case, care must be used to leave enough wood that both faces can be surface planed to remove saw marks, or the rough surface of the board, and still have the thickness required for the part.  If we are making parts that will become a panel, then a little more must be left to insure that we can smooth the panel once all the pieces are joined together.

Removing the saw marks and smoothing the faces is the job of a surface planer.  Long, very sharp knives, spinning at a high speed inside the machine remove a small amount of wood on each pass.  Lower the cutters, flip the board over and run it through again.  Repeat until both faces are smooth and you have the board down to the required thickness.  A good planer and a skillful operator will yield lumber so smooth it requires little sanding, with both faces perfectly parallel to one another.

By the time all the case parts are cut to finished size, it's time to clean things up and get ready to call it a day.

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