Hey Guys
thought i would finally post the pictures, thanks for all the help. this is my first woodworking project that i have ever done. i'm a finish carpenter but have never attempted woodworking before this. i will say that i should have done a much easier project because this was a bear. the only help i had was tommy and his videos and this site with all your answers, THANKS!!!!
anyway, its made out of 2 mahogany boards that were 2 inches thick, 13 wide and 10 feet long. also the burl maple are real panels and not veneer. no nails or screws except for 2 floating frames that the crown is glued to. brass hardware. most of the work was done with hand tools, and all joinery is done by hand, dovetails and mortise and tenon.
the design is from watching tommy with the bombe, i took some of the design aspects and made it into something that was very small in comparison. it stands at 63 inches heigh and the top cabinet is 16 inches wide 10 inches deep.
the finish was something that i had a hard time deciding on what i was going to do, i ended up using Masterpiece Wood Finish from Highland Woodworking, its a oil wax finish, i loved working with it.
because i have used this website as my learning and have never had a teacher, I WANT YOU ALL TO BE HONEST AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK; about the design, craftsmanship, finish, anything that can help, you can be hard on me if you need to, i can handle it, i just want to learn, thanks all

some more pictures

it took me over 300 hours, but a lot of that time was spent looking at the armoire and trying to figure how to do things and the other thing that made me take so long was that i simply do not have all the tools or space to work in.

this is a picture of the space that i have to work in, its at my brothers garage since i have no place to have for myself. the space is just were the armoire is at. loads of fun!!!

First comment... Awesome job. You did a nice job. The quality of your work shines through.

My only comments relate to the design:

I think it would look better with taller "shaped" drawers on the bottom and the flatter drawers on the top.

I like molding concepts, but I think they make the unit look top heavy.

Still a wonderful item.

Bruce

First of all, quality job. Craftsmanship is very nice. Good selection of the wood.

I think Rat is on kinda on track. The first time I saw this something struct me as odd. When on IPads sometimes its hard to judge. Tonight I'm on the desktop. Looking at the overall view - both the front and side, its the overall proportions. Its proportion distortion. Meaning the base doesn't look proportional to the top. Just everything from the outside seems out of proportion to what we have been conditioned to believe throughout history.

The bottom set of drawers appear to be slightly smaller than the middle set of drawers, then you have the single door in the center. That just seems awkward.

That's my take on it. The hidden compartments are nice.

thanks for the comments

the 2 draws are 1/16 taller than the 4 bottom ones, that was not intentional.

here is the original design that i was going for, i was ok with these dimensions but i obviously missed by a far margin. i made the stand first and i should have made it last (well i really should have followed my plans!)

the stand has always drove me nuts with its look and i will make another one that goes better with the top. not now but someday

i believe when i do make another stand i will also include a bigger bottom to the cabinet that will be in the same dimensions as the top crown.

as for the inside of the cabinet, i don't completely see the proportion issue, i think by looking at these pictures i gave you it may look heavy in the middle but maybe its from the dividers? i have attached a picture of the dividers from a upper view since it will always be viewed that way. does it still look to you heavy in the middle?

thanks for the comments, again just so you remember i do like critiquing! thanks guys

all in all its a very nice job.... looks like you conquered the stain problem you were concerned with earlier.

But i have to agree with the "top heavy" look. If you look at the CG drawing you posted and click on it to enlarge it, hold something straight like an envelope from the outside edge of the crown to the very bottom of the legs. Its almost a straight line. the CG drawing has excellent proportions, the sizes diminish from bottom to top. you can get away with a large bonnet molding or cornice at the top on say, a large breakfront or secretaire, because their not eye level.

Also I would question your selection of door treatment. double door and inset style door would of been better way to go. one single door on a cabinet that small makes it look like an upper kitchen cabinet, with the door open it looks unbalanced, no symmetry. the face of the door should line up or be inset from the top crown, profiling the door broke the continuity.

Door hardware (lock) way to big. a lock only draws attention to what it is, a place for valuables. being the door isn't flanked by anything , dead space becomes a dead give away.


But still well done and nice looking.

I like the project quite a bit, the block front gallery is a nice touch. the work looks really well done.

I to tend to agree with NYNY about the molding.

What I see is the plain shaker style table, with significantly more ornate upper cabinet. your crossing the beams a bit


NYNY, What sort of molding or top treatment would you go with in this case? yet still keep it reminiscent of period work that has been reduced in size?

My suggestion would be removing/modifying the very top board of the built up molding. keeping the dentil, and the cove above it. on the photo I held a piece of paper blocking the top layer and I liked the look better.

regarding the lock. Are you talking about the escutcheon plate around the key on the small interior door?

That too... but I was referring to the brass lock device on the inside. I would of opted for a full mortise off the edge of the door.

The only critique on the molding in the projection off the side of the carcass. Which makes it looks top heavy. Height is fine . Some of the best examples of bonnet or cornice moldings can be found on plow planes. the fence portion which were nothing more than lineal lengths of cornice molding used on furniture of the day with returns cut on them. design wise the detail and proportion is impeccable. just the right projection and height.

Not to compare apples to oranges but these two guys kind of sum it up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMSimHLuD3I

part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVqEBpEl ... ure=relmfu

I usually use a full scale drawing before buying anything, take the full scale plot and just tape it to the wall either on site or at the customers house right where its going to sit. One of the advantages of a plotter as opposed to a printer.

More examples of bonnet or cornice moldings

http://www.patented-antiques.com/Backpa ... /plows.htm

That's awesome work, I love the angled drawers!

thanks guys
this summer i will get back to this and rebuild the pedestal to match my original drawing and will cut back the top a little bit to make it a little bit less top heavy. i also ordered a smaller knob for the front, 3/4 in diameter instead of the 1 1/4. thanks for the help and honesty!! i am starting to build another jewelry armoire for my sister next weekend that will be very clean looking, i will post my drawings later this weekend to see what you think.

here it is
i think i may use some sap wood in the draw fronts
let me know what you think

look at getting a full or half mortise lock for the front door also.

Again the drawing has perfect proportions ,a little Krenovy, but if you stay the course and transfer the proportions from drawing to real piece you'll have a winner.

Sap is ok if your going to veneer the drawers, IMHO of course. I assume the sap will be dead center of the drawers? depending on the hardware you may have a conflict, you want them looking at your work not the hardware. The front face is the focal point.

Keep an eye on your drawings, side elevation doesn't match the front, follow the handles on the side elevation over to the front elevation. That's just me, I'm quirky like that.

the legs are a bit too "bulky", specially on the side view.
you may want the bottom to be thinner.
I agree with the senator from NY, the front and side
elevation drawings should match. The drawing should be your
guide, so it has to be fully coherent with the piece you want
to build.

Well. now that France has weighed in we have to move the debate to the UN. It's international now..

Not to nit pick... but the top of the jewelry box is 22x22... 22x22 does not a rectangle make.

all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

Since the UN was originally considered to be in MA. you can all come up to my neck of the woods.

Again, not to beat a dead horse, but the porportions are wrong. I believe your correct when you say the height is 22", however, the width is much smaller.

I don't have that much experiance with Krenovian furniture, but from my point of view I'd add a top with an overhand and a chamfer or something to top it off. Just give it a finished look. Also thin the legs - Asian style:


A few weeks ago I had the oppuritunity to attend a George Walker lecture on porportions. It was very interesting. He writes for Pop Wood and has a website:

http://georgewalkerdesign.wordpress.com/

It was a great two days spent with him and did learn a lot. He has a couple of videos out that are very interesting and recommends several books that he has no stake in. Although, he is working on one now with ?? I forgot ?? and the Lost Art Press. It should be out late fall.

Falconfc, this is a great learning experiance for all. It is a way in which we can all grow and want to thank you for sharing and being a good sport.

thanks for the replys
i changed the handles to match, i'm not using sketch up or anything like that, i'm using illustrator and i was just being lazy and didn't switch them
i just wrote the wrong measurement down for the width.
i made the legs thinner to 2 and 3/4 thick, is that better.
what i have seen of Krenov furniture is that he uses a lot of wood that doesn't have much figure. the maple for this project will be big leaf maple with curl, so i am looking at a very simple design that will show the dovetails and maple. plus my sister just wants a box on top.

i will take a picture of the wood i choose for the draw fronts and show you how i might use the sap wood, i'm not sold on using it, just exploring. will post those pictures this coming week or weekend.
thanks again

so guys i sold my armoire for $3500.00 and was wondering what you all think of the price. the only changes that i made was that i switched out the front door knob with a smaller broso knob. i know its hard to tell the worth without seeing it in person but it really did come out nice. so let me know about the pricing so i have a better idea going forward, and my next project that is in this post will be done in a month or so so stay tuned.

congrats on selling it!

If 3500$ is more than materials+labor+overhead you did great. if not then change something. Sorry I cant be very specific, I hate hearing that answer myself.

Fantastic.. The more money you can get for your work the better for the business as a whole.

Cool. I agree with farms. Thats great and if you not making a living that way thats better yet. Getting paid to develop you skills, cover your materials/tools, etc.