March 2010:
Queen Anne chest of drawers:
This chest of drawers is based on an original piece by John and Job Townsend furniture makers, of Newport, RI circa 1750. This bureau has five drawers, ogee feet, dovetailed case, and crown molding. We chose cherry as the primary wood for this bureau.
These are the drawer dividers and runners. Sliding dovetails and dados in the case hold the drawer dividers in place, while the drawer runners are attached with mortise and tenon.
Matt is shown here gluing all of the dividers and runners in place. As you can see, a lot is involved in a chest of drawers, before you even get to the drawers. Sliding dovetails are used both for aesthetics and strength. The construction of a nice square case is a crucial step in the project.
Here, the case is glued up with all the dividers and runners in place. Matt custom made all the molding on the bureau to match the original.
Construction of the bracket feet starts with gluing up the blanks. The front feet are mitered, and reinforced with a spline, while the back feet (shown below) are dovetailed to a flat piece of secondary wood. This is to allow the finished piece to be placed tight up against a wall.
After the glued has dried, the feet are then rough shaped on the bandsaw, and finished by hand. Matt is using a file to fine tune the shape. Files, rasps, scrapers, and finally sandpaper are used to shape and smooth the feet.
Next, a little handplaning to flatten the surfaces to be glued. Shown below is the clamping of the ogee feet to the case, and the case after glue has dried.
Before the drawers are started, a lot of scraping and sanding to smooth out the surfaces is done. It’s nice to clean up the surfaces as you work, so it’s not such a big process at the end.
With the drawer parts milled, the sawing and chopping of dovetails begins.
The dovetails are now fitted. After some sanding of the drawers, the drawer bottoms will be made last.
After the drawer bottoms are milled and shaped to fit the hardware will be installed.
A template is made for the alignment and drilling of the hardware.
After all the hardware is installed it will be removed again for finishing. On a commissioned piece we work with the client to create the right color and finish for them.
After the chest of drawers is checked over the last time the finishing begins. Most of the time we us water based aniline dyes because they have the best overall clarity. Here the dye has been mixed and applied to the whole bureau, then the excess is wiped off.
After the stain has dried for 24 hrs the finish can be applied using a brush. A total of 4 to 5 coats is usually applied depending on the sheen desired and the finish used (oil or shellac) Rubbing the surface down in between coats ensures a smooth surface.
After all the coats have cured for a couple days the surface is rubbed down to the desired sheen. Wax can be applied as a final step for another layer of protection before the hardware is applied.
After a few finishing touches this Queen Anne chest of drawers will be ready for delivery, or for this piece ready to sell. Contact us for more information regarding this piece or one like it, we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
$2900
More pictures of this finished Chest of Drawers are available on our portfolio page.
