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by
Gary Walchuk
photos: Roger Yip
illustration: Len Churchill |
FRENCH-CANADIAN CABINET (part 3) |
Routing
the diagonal beads and grooves of the door panel is a slightly
different process, although you still use the same set-up and
method. The diagonal passes of your router require a 1/2"
space between parallel beads, and therefore require a straightedge
line 7/16" from the previously marked centre lines. Once
again, scribe a line on each side of the original lines you
marked earlier. Complete the centre bead routing, and you’ll
have a half-round bead between which you’ll need to chisel
the wood away to get a flat, 1/2"-wide surface between
quarter-round beads.
Next, chuck a large-diameter straight
bit into a table-mounted router to remove 1/4" of material
around the perimeter of all panels. After each router pass,
move the fence farther away from the bit, creating a rabbet
1 1/2"-wide x 1/4"-deep along the perimeter of all
the panels. This makes the panels 1/2" thick at the edges,
and clears away the stock until the outer bead is met.
Cut Diamonds
Now it’s on to a technique called “appliqué.”
Although the term has a wide meaning, in this case it refers
to the pillowy triangles and diamond shapes that enhance the
appearance of door and side panels. I’ll admit that these
are a lot of work to make—you shape them with a hand plane
and sanding block—but the effect is really spectacular.
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| Each
side panel has a central diamond and four triangles,
adding to the visual effect |
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| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE ILLUSTRATION |
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Start
by gathering about four feet of 2" x 12" pine planed
down to 1 1/8" thick. As you select your pieces, remember
that the grain direction of the appliqué you add must
be the same as the underlying wood of the panels. Cross-grain
laminations would cause problems with seasonal wood movement.
What you’re aiming for is a large, diamond-shaped appliqué
at the centre of both side panels, flanked by four triangular
pieces at the corners. The front panel requires only four pieces
of appliqué with no diamond piece.
The main challenge you face now
is planing and sanding the end-grain edges of the appliqué
without chipping the wood along the points of the triangles.
It’s very fragile here, and to get around this snag I
recommend shaping the end-grain edges first, before cutting
the parts to shape from your planks. The remaining edges can
then be shaped after cutting, without much fear of chipping
a corner.
Since you’re shaping the
edges of all appliqués by hand, you’ll need help
getting the profiles consistent. That’s where a full-size
cardboard template comes in. Prepare it from the grid diagram
on page 33, then regularly check it against the edge you’re
working on for reference.
After shaping all the parts, switch
from your coarse sanding block to a fine-grit block when the
profile looks good, then finish-sand all parts. Next, apply
a thin, even coat of glue to the back faces of all pieces of
appliqué. Set each one in place on the panel, then clamp
it down. I used large, three-inch spring clamps to hold down
the corners where possible. As you clamp pieces in place, wipe
off glue squeeze-out immediately with a damp cloth. When the
glue is totally dry, finish-sand the entire project with 180-grit
sandpaper.
The Natural Look
French settlers often painted their furniture to brighten up
the home and escape the monotony of blonde wood throughout the
house. The antique that inspired this project wasn’t painted,
so I’ve chosen to leave the reproduction with the natural
look of wood.
I
started with a wash coat of one part Classic Oak Polyshades
and one part golden oak stain. This combination doesn’t
allow the finish to penetrate too quickly, preventing blotching.
It also creates a great sealing coat. After a light sanding
between coats, apply three straight coats of Classic Oak Polyshades.
Complete your cabinet by attaching
the door with some reproduction or antique-style hinges and
a door knob. Set the back and side panels into their rabbets
from the inside, and then secure them with nylon clips. Secure
the door panel in the same way. Attach the shelf supports with
1 1/2" screws driven into the side stiles. The shelf sits
on these during use. Now that all the work is done, you have
a little bit of history on your hands.
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PART 1 | PART 2 | PART
3 |
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