dresser project finished - and how "little" mistakes make all the difference

[Mike in Mystic]

I finished the dresser for my son's nursery (finally) - construction, anyway. Still debating on the finish, but will likely use the same white pickling stain that was used on the crib. I honestly can't stand it, but SWMBO MBO, right? I kind of agree with her that it wouldn't make much sense to put a dark or even light colored wood into the room that is painted a nice yellow and has the white crib and white changing table already. I was hoping to use a nice mahogany stain and some antique brass pulls I have. Oh well.

Anyway, the dresser is a 7-drawer unit (it goes by a different, more feminine name, but I got reamed the last time I mentioned it this way since it is for my son) and is made of ash except for the panels, back and drawer bottoms, which are 1/4" oak plywood. Also, I used one piece of poplar for the rear base material.

I made up a little website that sort of examines the way small errors during a project can lead to much more glaring issues when all is said and done. You can see it here:

I'll also post a few pictures on ABPW.

As always, feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

[John]

Damn, what a bunch of "firsts". Nobody has ever done any of those things before.

Welcome to the club.

[Mike in Mystic]

I never said there was anything "original" about it.

[Nut Tree]

Good looking project. I made a one for my wife so it does carry the more feminine name. I have used the tape under some of the drawer units I have made and also feared that it would not stay adhered. But as I thought about it, the weight of the drawer is on it all the time so it has pressure all the time too. It has been four years on the first application and no complaints so far.

All those mistakes make for a heirloom piece. Learn and enjoy the process. Gerald

[John]

Hey Mike, I didn't mean it as criticism. Remember the bit about how a "true craftsman" can make mistakes look like it was supposed to be that way. I am rapidly approaching "true craftsman" status.

[gandalf]

Maybe you could consider putting oversized fronts on the drawers. That would hide the gaps and maybe even the non-flush effect could be neutralised.

As for the sides, well, I bet no-one notices - except you. Gives it character I suppose.

I'm still making my stupid mistakes on stuff that's destined to live forever in the garage. After that I'll try my hand at stuff that can live in the garden. After that I'll try my luck on something for indoors. If it is half as good as your effort I will be pleased.

[Larry Jaques]

On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 02:56:11 GMT, "Mike in Mystic" brought forth from the murky depths:

You and I agree on that one.

I wonder who reamed you about "lingerie + son"...

Nicely done! You can always shim the drawers to make up for differences in the front opening. Glue a strip of coarsely planed oak shavings (or a couple thicknesses of the nylon tape you used for bottom glides) to the guide on the side opposite the gap to even it out.

As to the big mistake, I'll bet 95% of people who look at that chest won't even see it.

-- Sex is Evil, Evil is Sin, Sin is Forgiven. Gee, ain't religion GREAT?

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Sin-free Website Design

[john wardle]

I still don't.....feel like giving a newbie a hint?

[Larry Jaques]

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 18:12:01 GMT, "john wardle" brought forth from the murky depths:

He made the two sides identical but swapped ends on one so the center rail is higher on one side. Didn't you see the pics side by side on his website? It's an "Oops", but not a really bad one.

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[Eeore of the Hundred Acre Wood]

Ok since you came clean, listen to this and you will feel better. One of my first home improvement projects was to replace the cheap hollow core doors with a nice stained solid core raised panel door. I layed out the locations for the hinge mortises and mortised them. Then I took the laminate that came off the hollow door and laid it on the solid core door. I figured that this would protect the doors surface while I worked on it and I could use the door handle hole to locate the door handle. After laying it out I realized I didn't have a hole saw the right size. I figured out a solution and used the smaller hole saw and then used a router with a flush trim bit to size the hole. Everything worked out fine and I slid the laminate back and attached the door handle and hinge halfs. I stood the door up and cleaned it off then carried it up to my room and attached it. This is when I realized the problem. I had layed the laminate on the door upside down and the door handle was offset to the top and not the bottom. My wife takes great pleasure in reminding me of this whenever she gets a chance. The upside is, since my kids were small at the time there was no danger of them walking in at the wrong time even if we forgot to lock the door.

You are not al>I finished the dresser for my son's nursery (finally) - construction,