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Bookcases II


jaxenro

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13 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I use iron-on wood veneer edging I find in the hardware store to make wood floors in my  dollhouses; I cut it into "board" lengths and split it into "board widths and spot-glue the strips into place, then iron the entire floor to glue it to the subfloor before sanding and staining.

good tip will remember that

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I glued a piece of 1/32" sheet to the back of the main case trimmed to fit, in the back it only goes across the inside doublers and a slight bit of the sides just to set in in a tiny bit. So the process for veneering the case is fairly simple. Cut a little oversize, glue and clamp (I use Titebond III wood glue), trim to fit, then do the next piece. The veneer is thin enough a little sanding takes care of the overlap at the corners but I do the sides first and then the front so the front overlaps the side. I am putting this one aside while I veneer the second case and finish the molding strips

Bookcase Body Construction 16.jpg

Bookcase Body Construction 18.jpg

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Starting the curved section of the molding. I cut a strip of veneer, soaked it for a day in water, then tied it to dry around a piece of 1/4" round fiberglass rod. I wanted to do the grain vertical but it just wouldn't bend that way. Maybe enough boiling water might have done it but since this one is just for fun anyway to test various building methods horizontal is good enough.

Molding 09.jpg

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Long soaking is the key. And slow bending. 

While working on the molding I have also been applying finish to the main case. I was going to avoid talking about finishes as there are so many different methods and most of us have our favorites but I will discuss briefly.

Essentially for traditional finishes from the time period there are basically three different types although they overlap. Varnish, oil, and shellac. Oil finishes are usually either tung or linseed based, with various types of driers added, and sometimes turpentine as well to thins the finish and help it penetrate. Varnishes were again oil and turpentine based with the addition of a dissolved resin, copal, damaar, or other, often heated. Shellac is a resin secreted by the Lac bug, deposited on trees, collected, cleaned, and dissolved in alcohol. In addition wax, often beeswax or similar, was applied after the main finish.

For this I am using an oil based finish. These are the steps I used:

Sand to 320 grit

Soak in a heavy coat of saffron colored linseed oil after ten minutes rub off any excess (I soaked store bought saffron from the spice rack in a small bottle of Grumbacher's artist linseed oil)

Let dry and repeat

Soak in a third coat and wet sand, using plenty of oil, with 600 grit wet-or-dry paper. This builds a slurry of dust on the surface that fills the pores in the wood

Let dry and repeat

Let dry and dry sand to 600 grit

For the final finish I am using a product called Original Oil Finish because I had some on hand. It is made for finishing muzzleloading rifle stocks in a traditional manner but is really only a mixture of linseed oil, driers, and turpentine. Rub in a thin coat (I use my fingertip), let dry, rub in another, let dry, etc. until you are satisfied with the finish. There are several commercial variations available but muzzleloading supply shops are a really good source for small quantities of traditional finishes and stains as a lot of research has been done to try to replicate methods used 200 years ago.

Then apply a good paste wax and buff with a soft cloth

This is a slow process but is practically fool proof and produces a traditional oil finish that is in the wood not on the surface. It isn't artificially shiny but has a inner glow to it. Plus I like the smell of traditional oil and turpentine something the modern plastic finishes just don't seem to have. 

 

 

 

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Ok this is the middle section from the molding diagram. I didn't have any 1/8" mahogany so I laminated two 1/16" by 1/18" into a square and glued it to a 1/32" by 1/4" sheet. The curved piece of veneer was removed from the form and is shown below it. I wanted to give a little more structure behind the glue so I laid a bead of wood filler down and pressed the 1/4" fiberglass rod into it. Again I'm not trying to make it perfect just put a little support behind the veneer for when it is glued in. A touch of sanding after it dries and I will be ready for the next step

Molding 10.jpg

Molding 11.jpg

Molding 12.jpg

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Worth a try. The main issue is I use natural light to do my photos and it has been rainy and cloudy every day

Anyway on to the feet. I veneered a 6" strip of 3/32" by 1/4" mahogany and cut it into 1/2" lengths. This gave me a bunch of 1/4" by 1/2" pieces (twelve to be exact) to shape into feet

Feet 01.jpg

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A quick cut or two, and a few passes with the sandpaper, and the basic outline is done. I sanded the angle in on the back it just needs to be close to 45 maybe a touch over. The inside curve is just the 1/4" rod wrapped with sandpaper. That veneer face will clean up with sandpaper and oil

Have the steps been clear so far? Any questions? The execution hasn't been perfect but for the most part the process seems to be working as planned

Feet 02.jpg

Feet 03.jpg

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I'm wondering how the oiled parts glue together.  I'd be tempted to glue it all together carefully and remove any residual glue seepage and then finish it.  When I'm making furniture I usually stain all the bits first and let them dry thoroughly and then assemble them.

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Doing the top molding it is essentially the same as the bottom only flipped

And showing it all put together just not glued yet and I need to sand and even out the finish. I'm not real happy with how it came out but I learned a lot about doing the molding so the next ones will be better. Conceptually it worked it is the execution I have some issues with

Molding 16.jpg

Assembly 03.jpg

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On 10/23/2019, 10:51:20, Miniatures in Marble said:

Have the steps been clear so far? Any questions? The execution hasn't been perfect but for the most part the process seems to be working as planned

You have done a wonderful job explaining and detailing what you're doing. Thank you so much for doing this. It has been fun to see the step-by-step. Thank you! 

Kim

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10 hours ago, KatFord said:

This is a lovely piece! What a great job! 

Kim

Thanks Kim. I look at it and all I see is the flaws and the places it didn't come out like I wanted but the main fun, for me, is taking an idea I have on paper and turning it into a three dimensional reality. Once I can perfect the technique and execution larger designs can just be variations on the same theme. For instance a breakfront bookcase using the same concepts:

 

Breakfront 01.jpg

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