Pine Renaissance Carved Cabinet
By Alastair Mitchell

With plenty of salvaged pine from American packing crates and a good deal of help from Arbortech tools this article shows the basics of how Alastair Mitchell made a Renaissance cabinet.

A couple of years ago I spent several weekends salvaging pine from packing crates, sizes ranged from 12" x 1&1/4" in Sugar Pine boards, plenty of 6" x 3/4" in Lodgepole Pine and Hemlock and 6" x 2" in SPF (USA mixed grading mark for Spruce/Pine/ Fir)

After pulling literally two buckets of wire twist nails and salvaging perhaps two tons of this timber, it was time to make furniture from it!

Since I know that pretty much anything is achievable and quickly with Arbortech shaping tools, I allowed grand visions of Italian Renaissance woodwork to fill my mind. The first project was a large Dowry chest with internal draws and wine rack covered in florid (Mini-Carver) carvings on the two lid panels and one front panel. I made a near identical pair since I had plenty of wood and to emphasise the carvings they were treated with coloured carnauba waxes similar to the practice in the 16th century.

I will give the outline method for making these chests in a future article.

(See fig. 0520) The next grandiose idea was to make a dining room service cabinet in similar style for storage of silver, cutlery, service dishes and wine, this now stands in my dining room but alas there is never any wine in it! I decided not to wax colour the carved foliage.
I will be making half a dozen further pieces of furniture for my home from the same salvaged pine and I will show you these and describe how they were made as they are completed.

General description

The cabinet overall measures 151 cm wide, 79 cm deep and 229.5 cm high and is an unknown weight but either half needs two strong men to lift. There are three prefabricated sections, the base with two doors, the top with two doors and the crown or pediment. The bottom section is made like a sideboard with its own top board and I am yet to make a turned stand for the top half. This would allow my children to inherit half each!

The lower half contains four deep draws in the base with two lift out wine racks sitting loose above those draws. (See fig. 0509) The top doors open to reveal nine graduated and bow fronted small draws with two shelves either side of the draws.

(See fig. 0551) The front doors are panel and frame but instead of straight-sided stiles and rails I shaped them internally to provide more curving features.

The panels were completely 'raised' by hand using the Mini-Grinder, which was also used for all the floral carving. All four-door panels float and are held in place simply with strips of oak, brass screwed in place. (See fig. 0517)

The carcass or frames for both the top and bottom sections are very deeply framed with four corner posts and rails at 5" x 31/2"! (fig. 0544 and fig. 0542) The sides of the carcass have floating panels, the back (unseen) is lined with tongue and lapboards, which I through cut on the bench, saw, then pinned and punched into the carcass.

The two floors (top and bottom cabinets) are also cut with lap joint profiles and then simply pinned with brads, punched and filled. (See fig. 0553) which is the floor of the top cabinet, notice the beautiful figure and colour sometimes found in the heart of lodge Pole boards.

I made the base plinth after making the bottom cabinet and simply fastened the two together. (See Fig. 0521)

All materials were thicknessed, nail holes stopped, sanded to 220 grit, limed (oil and lime mixture) and then waxed with Arborwax Clear. Brass hardware was used, drop handles for the draws correct for the Renaissance period, with Georgian handles incorrectly fitted to the doors! But they looked grander! The butt hinges are lovely slabs of polished heavy brass with removable pins so that the doors can be easily removed (See fig. 0538)

Biscuit joining, P.V.A. glue and brad pins were used extensively (no apologies!) Through rebates cut on the docking saw, mitres cut on a drop mitre saw (see examples of mitres at fig. 0548), timbers sawn, thicknessed & planed on a modest combination machine (Robland), flat sanding with 4" belt sander, 1/4" router with three or four bits, extensive use of Arbortech tools including standard Pro4 Woodcarver™, Industrial Carbide Woodcarver, Mini-Carver with Mini-sanders and a angle grinder 4" back up pad for sanding.

The few hand tools used included smoothing and jack plane, tenon saw (hardly used) ruler, a square, 3/4" Firmer chisel for hinge laying, flexible curves to mark out curving lines and that's about it! This may not be the normal or best way to construct a cabinet but it is my way!

It may interest you to know from which packing crates the different timbers originated. The front panel carvings (sugar pine) and the draws in the base were the floorboards in a massive crate that held a locomotive engine! The door framing from 6 x 2" tractor tyre pallets, the carcass was the skids under Ford motor car pallets, the floorboards (6" x 3/4") are from New Holland combine harvester reel boxes.

When liming the finish all the different timber colours are tied into one and I also love liming with pine because it retards yellow discolouration over the years ahead.

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THE BOTTOM SECTION.

Overview

First there is the base plinth onto and into which sits the bottom carcass construction. The carcass consists of two side panels connected by rails, floor boards and back lining sheets subsequently fitted, the two doors were then made up and hung and finally a one piece top attached. Note in fig. 0552 the right angle section glued into the leading door edge that acts as a dust guard when the doors are closed.

THE BOTTOM HALF!

See fig. 0531 for front elevation view.

Four sections of 5 x 31/2" were cut to length for the upright 'posts' and four short sections to complete the horizontal framing. Two No. 20 biscuits were cut for each jointing section, then on the bench saw cut 12mm panel rebate slots (to accept the flat side panels) on all four pieces. Then I marked out the deep cut away pattern, which dominates the cabinet from the front view, and because I do not have a bandsaw I used the Industrial Carbide Woodcarver to shape down to the line and cleaned up with a grinder-sanding pad. (I could have used the Woodcarver™ instead)

Next, again using the IND200, I mimicked the effect of a carved finish to texture these upright 'posts', (see fig. 0545) Just glance lightly off the surface with sharp cutters for a clean finish.

So now I have eight heavy sections of carcass timber all shaped, biscuit cut, panel rebated, sanded and ready to glue together.

Next I glued up the two large plain panels to fit inside these two side frames and trimmed to size. Now I glued these two frames together with the panels inside! These are also well shown in fig. 0545.

I always double coat both surfaces when using P.V.A. (or yellow aliphatic) glue. I also wet up and sash clamp as quickly as possible because pine absorbs the water from the glue much faster than hardwoods. If too much water is absorbed BEFORE the sash clamps are tightened then a weaker joint will result. This is because the glue hardens as the water is absorbed, the longer you leave then the more the glue has set BEFORE you tighten the clamps - this is no good!

Be well prepared when you glue anything! Have all the timbers laid out in order of glue wetting, have the biscuits counted out, clean up cloths to hand (damp if working with P.V.A's) set square ready to check for square and I turn the radio out so I can concentrate! Allow plenty of space so I often glue up on the flat concrete floor with plastic sheets spread to catch glue squeeze out.

The correct amount of glue is when you tighten the clamps a thin continuous line of glue should squeeze out between the joints, wipe this off.

The next step is now to connect the two side panels with four rails. These again I only butted and used double No: 20 biscuits as joints. Before I glued them in place, cut a suitable rebate to snugly receive the back lining boards and floorboards. These kinds of rebates I simply bench saw out setting the fence for the desired distance from the blade and setting the bench saw blade at the correct depth (mine is an adjustable depth cut).

On a level and true surface (concrete floor!) I now glued and sash clamped the two end panels together with the four rails. Use your square to check for square! This is now very important.

This is the carcass construction now complete (carcass means main frame construction into which panels, doors, draws etc are then fitted) Next I made the base or plinth to stand this carcass onto (and into). I measured the outside dimensions of the base carcass to get the correct measurements for the base.

THE BASE

Taking 8" x 2" and cut to exact length to allow for butt joints and marked the curved bracket foot profile on the two short sides and front piece (see again photo 0521), having no jig or bandsaw, I cut to the line with the Woodcarver™, sanded with the grinder sanding pad (here after referred to as "sanding pad"), routered a concave pattern to the front edge with a roller bit. Cut a rebate on the bench saw to house the bottom half of the cabinet on the top internal edge of the four base pieces. (See again fig. 0521)

Used double No 20 biscuits to join the four sections. Clamp to a flat surface to ensure no buckle, used sash clamps checking for the vital square necessary.

When dried, glued four 4" x 4" blocks in each internal corner to strengthen the structure and take the weight off the bracket frame.

Glued and pinned a cross brace running from front to back, this is concealed at the front by the dip in the curving pattern.

If this was not enough I then pocket screwed and glued four corner cross braces. Non of this work will ever be seen!

Floor Boards and Back Lining Boards

Next I thicknessed the floor boards to 15mm and bench sawed a simple lap joint so the boards would close without gaps and pined and punched the boards into their rebate. I repeated this for the back lining boards but thicknessed them down to 12mm and pinned them in place working from the back of the cabinet

BOTTOM DRAWS

I always build any draw recess first, take the measurements and then build the draws! Fig. 0532 shows how I created the draw receiver framework. In truth this was a little awkward as I built this into the existing space, better pre-planning would have allowed for a more thought out solution. The draws were an after thought! See also the closer detail of the draw slides in fig. 0533.

Note that on top of the drawer box I installed more planking on which sits the loose wine racks as shown in fig. 0532 also fig. 0536 is looking immediately into this recess above the left hand draw set.

Next I constructed the four drawers. Fig. 0539 shows one of the four drawers.

From an aesthetic point of view I should have cut dovetails (everyone loves dovetails) but I defend the use of a lap joint to attach the draw fronts to the sides because the glue area is large and freshly cut pine makes a very strong glue joint. In addition, these draws are well-supported on wide and waxed draw slides (candle wax) and in addition they will only ever hold table linen which is lightweight.

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THE DOORS

As with draws, I never pre make doors until I can measure the finished space into which they are fitted! Heavy hinges reduce the finished size of doors quite considerably but I still make the doors to fit with no hinge allowance preferring to trip this off at the time of hanging the doors.

First I biscuit jointed (double biscuits again) pine thicknessed down to 35 mm. The stiles (uprights) always run the full length when door making with the rails (horizontal members) butting the stiles.

The inside of the doorframes are curved or profiled. I first drew this out with a flexible piece of plastic on one frame set loosely positioned together (4 sections) Avoid marking and thus cutting into the area where the biscuit joints are positioned. See again fig. 0551.

Bandsaw close to the line - I used the Industrial Woodcarver to cut into this line as I do not have a bandsaw! Next I glued up the single frame making sure for square.

Because there must be no 'buckle' on a door I actually clamp any two of the members down to the bench top then clamp in the other two members, this keeps it flat. Glue on a sheet of plastic!

Next I take a flexible angle grinder sanding pad (100mm or 4" in dia.) and with about 60 to 80 grit sand the internal curving line into a perfect smooth and continuous edge. This door now acts as a template to mark the internal curved pattern onto all the other door frames!

Keep the pad at 90 degrees to the face!

Next with a router and a roller guided bit cut the rebate as shown to later accept the separate carved panels. See again photo 0551

THE CARVED PANELS

I glued up some sugar pine boards inch and a quarter thick, and slightly oversized.

I then drew out the flowers and leaves to have some balance in the finished cabinet and carved them only using the Arbortech Mini-Grinder with cutter and sanders attached.

The actual technique of doing this kind of carving is the subject of the video I made "Learn To Use The Mini-Grinder" product code VID001. It actually demonstrates the very same carvings.

I will say that to increase the perspective in the carving I glued on extra timber on the flower trumpets so they stand 2" above the panel ground area the remainder is carved into the inch and a quarter. You can see the 'stand out' on these carvings in fig 0548.

The carved panels once finished are fixed in the door frame with strips of white oak brass screwed in place see again see again photo 0517. Remember panels must always be dry (no glue) to allow them to float as they expand and contract with relative humidity, this also means the insert panel must be loose fitting with a small gap allowed all round to allow for expansion of the wood when humidity is high. Now hang the doors!

Next I glued up more 2" x 6" stock to make a plank top for the bottom half of the cabinet and ran a moulding pattern with a router; this can be seen in photo 0548. The top was then fixed with table clips, which also allow the free movement of wood. This is an extravagant way to complete the bottom half of the cabinet since this top is never seen but permits the bottom half to be used as a side board if later desired!

THE TOP HALF

The top half is made by the same method as the bottom half except in place of the four draws the top has a nest of small bow fronted draws fixed in the centre back of the cabinet, there are nine of them, see fig. 0513. Either side of these draws are two shelves. The shelves stop well short of the front creating a good space for standing large tablewares.

Fig. 0557 shows that the two shelves have a routered front edge and in fact run all the way across the cabinet and that the draw slides and sides were in fact built into and onto these shelves.

Fig. 0555 better shows the simple draw slide construction method. This bow-fronted draw set was actually an after thought, like most of my woodwork pieces they grow and change as time goes by!

The draws are graduated (not evenly!) photo

The top of the top cabinet also has a plank top glued and biscuited together but from thinner three-quarter inch timber. It also overlaps the top, has a routered edge and helps to create more shadow lines, see again fig. 0542.

Fig. 0514 shows how the bow-fronted draws are constructed. Because the bow is quite pronounced, I had to glue up two sections of inch and half timber to allow enough wood for shaping the bow fronts. Where the wood is hollowed away on the inside (I use the Industrial Woodcarver & clean up with the Mini-Carver and sanding disks) it creates a raised elliptical
'ledge' into which the draw bottom timbers are recessed. This could be a unique bow front draw construction method but it is quick to produce.

THE CROWN (PEDIMENT)

Fig. 0529 is a plan view of the pediment (or cabinet crown) and shows the simple construction method. These were often very ornate in renaissance times and this one also has its moments!

Again I have glued together four sections of pine which are biscuit joined into the corner blocks which measure in this case 5" x 31/2". Again all the shaping and profiling are done either with the Mini-Carver and or Industrial Woodcarver. Always there is a heavy dependence on use of the sanding pad (SAN100) and the Mini-Sanders to clean up profiles.

Fig. 0525 shows how I glued heavy internal brace corner blocks to add support and prevent any twisting of the basic shape. Fig. 0528 shows and outside corner of this pediment and how the corner blocks are deeply shaped. Fig. 0527 shows how I have deeply concave shaped the front board of the pediment, this all helps to add drama and takes very little time with Arbortech tools.

Fig. 0560 shows the relationship of various mouldings and shapes in the top pediment area of the cabinet.

The pediment is held loosely in position by fitting over four small alignment blocks, which are pined and glued, on the top board of the cabinet.

CONCLUSION.

The cabinet is massively constructed and should last for a very long time. The construction method I have shown you is very simple exemplified by the use of biscuits instead of mortice and tenons that would have otherwise been used. The use of biscuits could be criticised rather than cut joints but I plead the glue areas are generally large and pine makes a very strong glue joint.

Clearly in terms of the time and hand skills required Arbortech tools were absolutely essential, as I could not take on ornate work like this cabinet without them. Arbortech tools allow me to quickly produce fun designs that for me would otherwise be out of the question.

Fig. 0561 shows the top half of the cabinet ready for service!

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