Secretary Desk

5/6/17
Starting out with this great commission for Jacqui in Lotus CA. She's asked for a "secretary desk" which is a classic form that features a hinged lid and an internal gallery with small drawers and cubby spaces. Here is my proposal drawing. Jacqui chose the elements included in the main drawing so that's what I'll do. The project will be executed mostly in cherry but the drawer fronts will be quarter or flitch sawn white oak. I found a board with straight annual ring grain that should look great.  

5/6/17
​I purchased some great cherry boards from Aura Lumber. My small but mighty Volt is up to the task. 

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5/6/17
​While I bought some nice new boards, I ended up tapping my stored supply of cherry including this beautiful 8/4 slab. I get the four legs from this board.

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5/6/17
​Here are the four legs milled "four-square." Here they are stacked in the orientation they will appear in the piece. To keep the legs in the right order and orientation while I work with them, I draw a carpenter's triangle and give each leg a number. 

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5/6/17
​Based on the drawing, I mark out and cut mortises in the legs. Here are mortises for side and back "stretchers" on the back left leg.  I've got the plan drawing taped to my solo canoe for the duration--a perfect spot at eye level. My shop is dedicated to woodworking. One canoe shares the space though!

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5/6/17
​Here I mark out some tenons to fit these mortises. This is the back stretcher which will help support the big drawer below the desk top. I don't measure for the tenon position, rather I mark them by eye against the mortises they will fit in to. I cut to the lines with a hand saw then pair incrementally with sharp chisels until a snug fit is achieved.

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5/6/17
​The idea here is to cut as close to the line as I dare but err on the "waste" side (the "x" side). ​

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5/10/17
​The middle section is mostly removed with a fine fret saw. Whatever is left is cleaned up with chisels.

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5/10/17 
The other two waste pieces come off with a dovetail saw and cleaned up with chisels.

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5/10/17
​The tenons are rounded over a bit to allow easier fitting and to leave some space for the glue that will be forced into the mortise. Double tenons provide lots of glue surface and, if it's a snug fit, a really strong joint.

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5/10/17
Snug indeed!

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5/10/17
​Moving on to shaping the legs. Here I am hand drawing the curve I want. I do lots of trial and error here, eraser at the ready. This is starting to look right.

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5/10/17
​There are several options for cutting to the line. I end up using the bandsaw and try to say on the waste side of the line.

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5/10/17
​I clean up the bandsaw marks and fair in the shape with this great Japanese saw file tool. With one curve done, I use that leg as a template to mark the curves on the other legs. 

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5/16/17
A few hours on the legs and they are looking rather fetching after finish planing and some fine sanding. Inside faces have shape while outside faces are straight and vertical. Edges will be rounded over later.

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5/16/17
​One of the neat things about doing a custom piece is the chance to tune in to what the client likes, wants, and needs from the design. It's a place where the maker can help by noticing how the client sits and uses similar furniture. In this case, Jacqui is tall and likes to keep one foot elevated on a block of wood under a desk she currently has. Seeing this I thought we could build in a comfortable foot rest into the piece. Here I am starting to shape in a bevel on the lower stretcher for just that purpose.

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5/16/17
Here is the beveled foot rest nearly roughed in. The block plane leaves a fine finish all by itself. 

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5/16/17
Before gluing all the desk base parts together I spend some time rounding over stretcher edges while I can still get them into the vice. Final edge rounding will be done by hand sanding in stages.

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5/16/17
Finally here is the base of the secretary desk glued and clamped. It's solid as a rock. On to the cabinet/desk!

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5/16/17
​The great cherry board will provide some of the main case material--top, and sides at least. 

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5/29/17
​The side panels are 9" at the top, and 17" at the bottom so I join two pieces together. It's very important to keep the panels as flat as possible. 

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5/29/17
​This side panel is planed flat. These will have dovetails at the top and bottom to receive the top and bottom panels.

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5/29/17
​This is the top panel. I am cutting the "pins" that intersect the dovetails on the top panel.

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5/29/17
​Chopping out the pins on the top case panel. Sharp chisels and patience are the ticket here. I chop down about half way on one side, which is the about where this picture is taken. Next, I flip the board over and chop down to the middle to finish it off. 

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5/29/17
​Here are some fine pins! The front and back lines are the important parts here because they will be visible.

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5/29/17
​After sorting out the corresponding dovetails in the side panels, I try out the fit. This is an iteration process where I look closely to see what is binding, shave a little off, then try again. 

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5/29/17
​I am very happy with the final fit here!

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6/22/17
​With the case together I do some trimming with the block plane. I want to flush the top and bottom edges with the sides.

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6/22/17
​The #4 jack plane does most of the trimming work. Nearly there on the top edge.

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6/22/17
​I routed "rabbets" or edge grooves into the back of the case to accept "shiplapped" back panels. A little hand work with a chisel gets the corners cleaned out where the router can't access.

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6/22/17
​Here's a view of the case after shaping and rounding the edges. It also has the initial "seal" coat of shellac applied. I pre-finish most of the parts before gluing them in to the case because it's easier to reach everything and it provides a little protection from glue in the wrong places. Shellac will also promote a more even oil and varnish finish later.

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6/22/17
​These are the "story sticks" I prepared for the case gallery. Using these, I don't have to measure divider or shelf positions in the case, I simply mark them off of the story sticks. 

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6/22/17
​The case shelves and dividers are mortise and tenoned in to the case sides. The shelves and dividers will have different widths depending on where they are to assure pleasing (to me!) proportions. All parts will have 1/4" tenons and matching mortises. This is one of the mortise setups. 

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6/22/17
​Here I am gluing in the primary case shell with mortises ready to accept shelves and dividers. All parts are pre-finished with a shellac seal coat and fine sanded before being permanently installed.

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6/22/17
​The main shelf is the widest case piece at 9/16". The fit is trial and error, slowly sneaking up on a snug fit. The front edge of all shelves and dividers run past the end of the dado mortise to give a nice flush look.

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July 30, 2017
Here I have placed the oak drawer fronts in their openings. The idea is to get a snug and even fit before dovetailing the sides and back.

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July 30, 2017
This is the back and sides of one of the larger drawers. The pins have been cut and I balance the pins on the drawer back to trace the position of the dovetails. 

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July 30, 2017
I love this part of woodworking. Once the pins and tails fit nicely together, a little planing with my old record block plane brings everything flush.

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July 30, 2017
This is one of the drawer fronts. I am adjusting the width to fit snug. With a sharp and well-tuned plane (my very cool Lie Nielsen block here), you can get sublime shavings. The distinctive pattern of quarter sawn oak is in evidence here.

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July 30, 2017
Here are the two smaller drawers fitted. There are some pencil marks yet to remove but I'm happy with how this looks.

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July 30, 2017
​This is the routed milling of slots for the envelope divider section of the gallery.

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July 30, 2017
Here's the fun part. Jacqui asked for a "secret compartment" somewhere in the desk. I decided to put a small drawer inside a larger drawer with a false back. The opening for the hidden drawer is on the right side. 

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July 30, 2017
Here's how the secret drawer works. When you open this drawer, it stops with a false back. 

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July 30, 2017
The drawer stops up against a spinner knob that is hidden in the gallery divider above the drawer.

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July 30, 2017
This is the spinner knob installed. This is the underside of the drawer divider so it cannot be seen once everything is together. In this position, the drawer can be removed. Turn it 90 degrees and the drawer will stop showing only the false back.

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July 30, 2017
Turning the spinner knob in the drawer slot allows the bigger drawer to be removed. Once out, a secret drawer is revealed. It slides out to the right side.

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July 30, 2017
Another view of the secret drawer. 

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July 30, 2017
The back of the cabinet will be made of in-set, ship-lapped oak panels. Ship-laps are a traditional way to allow for seasonal expansion and contraction of large panel components in furniture.  

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July 30l 2017
I am using Tried and True varnish oil for the desk. Here I am pre-finishing the back panels. Tried and True is a non-toxic and food-safe finish that smells wonderful--if you like the smell of linseed oil--which I do!

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July 30, 2017
​The front lid of the desk is a key visual component. It's 18 1/2" wide so board jointing will be required. I wasn't happy with gluing together three 6-7" boards. The grain pattern just isn't great. I found this massive and beautiful 13" wide board deep in the inventory at Hughes Hardwoods. 

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July 30, 2017
Unfortunately, when I cut a 34" piece from the larger board, internal stresses were released leaving a significant twist and cup in the wood. I ripped it in three pieces and flattened it with some deft (if I do say so myself) moves on the jointer and planer. They are now flat and 11/16" thick (perfect) so I will glue them back together in the original orientation so it will look like nothing happened. 

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August 21, 2017
I glued the lid boards together and thankfully it is very flat. Nevertheless, a panel this large can be expected to warp and move somewhat with the seasons so a "breadboard end" is needed to help maintain flatness. Here I have created a mortise for the breadboard end with peg holes. The end holes are elongated to allow for movement.

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August 21, 2017
Here the breadboard ends are installed and clamped.

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August 21, 2017
This is the lid panel with breadboard ends and oak pegs running through the mortises. Next, the pegs will be sawn off flush with the breadboard. I will inlay an hummingbird on this surface!

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August 21, 2017
Just to show Jacqui in advance, I want to fashion the green hummingbird inlay with these poplar boards that have several hues of green available. The crosswise board is cherry so you can see the contrasting color. It will all be "finished" in the end which will shift the hues again. I hope it's green enough! Let me know if you have a concern.

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August 21, 2017
​It's coming along! I need to make the bottom drawer next.

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August 21, 2017
This is the red oak drawer front (vertical) with the dovetails. The pins from the cherry drawer side are fitting well.

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August 21, 2017
​A great fit!

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I'm very happy with the big drawer. It was easy to get a snug fit in the opening. Here I am test the fit with a feeler gage. 

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August, 21, 2017
This is a tight shot of the left side of the big drawer next to the left pull-out that will support the lid in the open position. 

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August 21, 2017
I thought the big drawer needed some odds and ends storage so I fashioned these trays out of white oak. These were formerly base boards!

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August 21, 2017
This shot shows the pencil holder I made for one of the smaller drawers and some of the drawer pulls. 

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I want to attach the drawer pulls with screws which is a bit tricky in these small parts. There are several steps here but one is to use this index drill to get the screw holes where I want them.

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August 21 2017
Ultimately the pulls are installed with brass screws. They look and feel great!

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September 1, 2017
These are the trays I fashioned out of reclaimed oak baseboards. Here they are installed in the big drawer. They are fitted to be nice and tight without glue. I decided not to glue them in so they can be moved or removed as needed.

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September 1, 2017
I was storing the finished drawers out of the way and I thought this looked cool!

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September 1, 2017
First test fit of the gallery and the base together. Still needs back panels.

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September 1, 2107
And voila! Here are the ship-lapped back panels in red oak. Each panel is affixed with one screw and holds the panel next to it down. This is a traditional method for dealing with seasonal wood movement.

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September 1, 2017
​Here is the final product, sans lid! (I still need to receive the hinges!) I love it!

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September 1, 2017
​Another view.

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September 1, 2017
Here's a detail view

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September 1, 2017
While I wait for hinges, I decided the lid needed modification. I removed the breadboard ends and replaced them with a slightly wider boards for added stability. Unfortunately, drilling for the pins resulted in unacceptable "tear-out" in the wood around the pin on one particularly recalcitrant board (which you can see here. I decided to cover the problem with leaf inlays. They are modeled on alder leaves. 

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September 1, 2017
Here is one of the alder leaves inlayed and I'm in the process of planing off the excess until it is flush with the lid surface.

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September 1, 2017
Here is the result. Just to be clear, this is the writing surface side of the lid. I hope you (Jacqui) like this! This is unfinished and the leaves will really pop and give a 3D look after finish is applied. 

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