Shop Talk - Cabinet Parts

Red Oak is a fabulous wood. Amazingly strong with grain ranging from simple and straight to dynamic arching. One of the great advantages to Oak is that Oak plywood is readily available. Below is a shot of the side pieces for the cabinets I am currently building. Most are Oak, but some are Birch. All the visible side pieces will be oak, but for the hidden interior pieces, we decided to go with Birch to save some money.

Here is a picture of some face frames pieces prior to glue-up. The chalk markings on them are called "Cabinet Maker's Triangles". These keep the pieces organized and properly oriented during the milling and joinery stages.

This has been my first project using loose tenons. I built my own horizontal mortising machine (more on that below) to make the matching mortises. This has been working great. It is so much fun to learn new methods of joinery, and I know I will be using this a lot in the future.

Here is the machine. The router is a Craftsman model and is the exact same one that is in my big router table. The lower table moves toward the router on ball bearing drawer slides. These have plenty of travel, and are smooth and secure. The upper table moves left and right on aluminum track riding in grooves cut in the bottom. These are tight fitting but slide nicely when waxed.

Enjoy!

And look closely, please.

David J. Ulschmid
Designer / Craftsman
~ Wisp Woods ~
Arlington, SD 57212

wispwoods@gmail.com

Shop Talk - Rough Milling

The first tool I pick up when starting a new project doesn't have a cord or a motor. It is the dullest tool, yet it never needs sharpening. And I bought it in the children's isle of a craft store. What is it? It is a piece of chalk.

With all the lumber laid out and grouped by color and figure, I begin the enjoyable task of marking out the parts. Guided by the cut list, I search for pleasing part combinations that make the best use of the wood in an aesthetic, efficient and structurally sound way.

This step, performed with the humble stick of chalk, has tremendous bearing on the appearance of the final product. It requires vision and is a skill that is improved upon with experience and thoughtfulness.

I am proud to say that this step is what sets my work apart from the mass produced home center and discount store offerings. Those who look at the finished product closely will notice immediately. Those who don't have a trained eye will be bugged by something in that value piece that just isn't quite right. When it is done right, it feels just so harmonious that, again, you might not notice right away, but it will feel right from the very beginning.

This stack of lumber is the beginning of something great. I can feel it!

Enjoy!

Don't look too closely, the shop is a mess ;).

David J. Ulschmid
Designer / Craftsman
~ Wisp Woods ~
Arlington, SD 57212

wispwoods@gmail.com