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By
KONRAD SAUER
Photo by DAVE STARRETT
Illustration by LEN CHURCHILL |
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE |
| This
authentic cherry dry sink can serve a dual purpose |
About the same time as my furniture-making hobby started getting
serious, my wife and I found out we were going to be parents.
Much joy, much panic. The usual discussions ensued—we
needed all the stuff associated with the care, maintenance and
entertainment of a baby.
We quickly realized we had nothing. More panic, not so much
joy. Calls to family and friends secured everything we thought
we'd require. Everything that is, except a change table.
I
remembered seeing a picture in a magazine of an antique dry
sink being used as a change table and thought: what a great
idea! Building a dry sink to do double-duty as a change table
makes good sense. The dimensions, storage space and recessed
top are perfectly suited to handling baby's, uh, needs. And
long after the last diaper changes are forgotten, the project
remains as a beautiful and practical heirloom.
The Design
My research into old dry sinks quickly yielded a list of good
and bad design features—and
defined how my dry sink would look. It would be a piece of fine
furniture, not the usual rustic slapped-together variety. It
would be fairly decorative: raised panel construction for the
doors and sides; a wide lip around the top edge; and beading
on the outside corners—to
soften the look. And it would feature bracketed feet, a single,
simple drawer and really wide face frames, like something you'd
see on an old Waterloo county cupboard.
Getting Started
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click above to enlarge |
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Like many
of my projects, this one starts with rough-sawn cherry. Whether
you dress it yourself, or have the lumberyard do it, plane all
the boards to 7/8" thick. Sticker and stack the boards for a
few weeks to acclimatize the wood, then lay out the pieces for
the project, paying close attention to grain orientation. Make
sure the grain and colour of the wood for the panels matches
that of the frames. When choosing the pieces for the outside
corners, match the grain and colour there too. The goal is to
ensure a seamless look in the final project. When all the pieces
are laid out, cut the rails, stiles, and panel boards for the
main case and doors. The back of the dry sink is also built
with frame and panels. Not only does this contribute to the
heirloom quality of this project, but it also lets you hone
your skills on three less conspicuous panels before diving in
to the four that are more visible. When all the pieces are cut,
glue up the seven panel blanks. Before gluing, true the edges
using a Stanley No. 8 jointer plane or a powered jointer.
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1
- Cherry Dry Sink | 2
- You Will Need | 3 - Construction,
part 1
4 - Construction, part 2
| 5
- Construction, part 3 |
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