Monday, June 11, 2012

The Vanity Thus Far

As I mentioned the other day, I'm well on the way to getting the vanity done. I did a bit more sanding (though a surface sander) this afternoon, and I took a few extra photos.

This is the wood I started with. It's hard maple (sugar maple), and it's figured with ripples, as well as some bird's eye. All 3 boards are a bit different.







Some of the figuring in the wood is very prominent, while other sections are very soft and subtle.



I did not use any kind of plan for this vanity. It's all designed "on the fly" based off years of experience, and going by the measurements I needed. The front is 32 1/4" wide (to end at 33 when you count my door casing), and it's 33 high (to end roughly at 34" once the top is on it). It's 20" deep.

I made a very quick life-size drawing on the CNC table, and then I started cutting.

Front:



Side:
The side dimensions (very large bottom board) are made to line-up perfectly with the bottom door stile, and the top door stile, so that it looks like a continuous line around the cabinet (you can see this farther down).



This is the front face frame. It's just assembled with 3/8" dowels and glue. You'll note that the right hand side is cut funny. I made it this way to keep the proportions. The overall effect should be nice once the base (toekick) is attached.





Doors ready to be glued-up.



You can see the effect I was talking about earlier, where the side panel lines up with the top and bottom door panels. The side panel is just plain (not fancy, and no raised panel). Many old dressers and furniture were done this way, and I didn't want to go crazy since the cabinet will already be pretty "busy" looking. Also note that the right hand side is narrower because the face frame will be glued against it, and so the thickness of the front will make both sides identical widths.







Basically, the wide side on the right will be up against the door casing for the bathroom, and the panel side will be next to the toilet. The interior boards will just be plain maple veneer particle board sheets, and it will have a decorative base around the bottom (open at the front), and it will have a small detail moulding (ogee) around the top just under where the counter top will rest.

5 comments:

  1. Wow! I wish I had woodworking skills like you. Again--WOW!

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  2. It's (always) a pleasure to watch your craftsmanship, J.C.!

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  3. Looks great! You are so talented!

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  4. This is really looking awesome. Makes me want to get to work on the three woodworking projects I've been needing to do. Can't wait to see how this turns out and how you finish it.

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    1. Thanks Alex. This vanity has been in the planning stage for at least a year and a half. I couldn't decide what wood, and I'm still not 100% sure on the colour. Then I didn't know if I wanted 3 drawers or just 2 doors. But when I saw those few boards, the decision was made for me, and I got started.

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