NicPac Cab

[Fugu]

Yeah, I always find it extremely difficult finding plywood sheets of larger dimension that aren’t warped to some extent (also depends on the supplier). And the stuff is heavy. As you say, without stabilizing rib-structures and/or dense framing, construction can be tricky in larger-format parts.

Hats off to you, for the on-the-fly report! Looking forward to following this project. Keep on rocking, Wheezy! ?

[BTWheezy]

A quick update for NewYear’s Day, mainly because college football bowl games and also moving slowly today. ?

Today was just getting the back cabinet panel cut to precise measurement (as close as possible), then glued-and-screwed.  As discussed with @Fugu, the fastening process required some “encouragement” in the form of pipe clamps to get edges to line up, etc.  When I look at the pics, I probably didn’t need this many screws, but better too many than too few.

1. Back of the cab.

2. Front view.

3. Front view, with refreshing beverage for scale.

 

[Wookie]

7 hours ago, BTWheezy said:

I’ve lusted after Festool for years, but never pulled the trigger. How do you like those tools?

I don’t own a vacuum press, so that’s not an option for the NicPac Cab.  Given the thickness of the walnut stock, and the possibility of using sheet insulation, I think glue and small gauge nails will be the best approach.

For the right project, veneer and vacuum presses are perfect...from what I’ve read.  ?

Festool products are the best, though some are overkill.  I have their rotary sanders with dust collection...awesome. Panel saw TS55 with tracks is incredible for a one man shop. Bought the Kapex miter saw last year and it has nice features, but not necessary.   Regarding veneer, I've done a lot of vacuum press work on federal furniture with veneer and two part epoxy with great results...substrates are usually MDF or Baltic bending plywood for curved work. I asked about veneer for your project because I think most desktop humidor are thin veneer over Spanish cedar. The patterns can be mesmerizing. Crotch mahogany, burl, amboyna, etc. You are motivating me to consider such a project. 

[BTWheezy]

After weeks of delay due to ‘rona-impacted lumber availability...

[Wookie]

I can't believe they left you that cracked piece of walnut...that's S4S, right? Shame on them. 

[BTWheezy]

22 minutes ago, Wookie said:

I can't believe they left you that cracked piece of walnut...that's S4S, right? Shame on them. 

It’s from a friend who runs a cabinet shop, and was able to a) get me the lumber in the first place, and b) got it at wholesale prices.  I can’t look a gift horse in the mouth, particularly in these times.  But your point is taken...  ?

[JohnS]

5 hours ago, BTWheezy said:

After weeks of delay due to ‘rona-impacted lumber availability...

[BTWheezy]

Little update for a Friday night...

With the delivery of lumber, I’m now triple-tasking:  my regular day job (unrelenting, soul-sucking Zoom sessions), Mrs. Wheezy’s personal nurse (she had shoulder surgery yesterday), and once again, amateur humidor builder.  The good news is that Mrs. Wheezy is resting *very* comfortably, thanks to post-surgery pain meds and her personal passion for sleep.  And it’s the weekend, so aside from checking in on her, I should make some progress.

On my previous build, you might remember that I put the WheezyCab on a cart to facilitate easier access, and moving it around my crowded shop. Problem was I had to give up the cart where my compressor and nail guns reside.  So I decided to make a little frame with casters, and an inexpensive aluminum bench to serve the same purpose.  When I’m done with the project, it’ll store compactly somewhere in the shop.

1.  Building the frame.

2.  Cutting gussets from 3/4” plywood.

3. Frame and gussets assembled.

4. With the aluminum bench.

5. NicPac Cab ready to roll. 

 

 

[Habana Mike]

Damn bro! Hella pro for an amateur....

[JY0]

Mad skills, look great!

[BTWheezy]

Update for Saturday...

Been thinking about frame construction options for a long time, and had decided on mortise and tenon (MnT) joints.  It turns out I have the tools, but literally hadn’t used them in 10 years?  So today was getting tools back in action, cutting to-scale test pieces, and getting things figured out.  I consulted my “Bible” of joinery, and first pursued a double MnT joint, thinking it would be stronger than a single.  While it might indeed be stronger, I realized after the first practice run that repeatability would be a pain in the a$$.  So, I switched back to a single MnT joint, focusing on repeatability.  Happy with how things came together, and can dial in even tighter tolerances when it’s game time. And will be plenty strong.

1. Practice pieces.

2. The Bible of Joinery.

3. The (long forsaken) mortiser.

4. Test mortises (double M division).

5.  Double MnT test, came out fine-ish, but burned waaaay too much time to achieve the goal.

6. Pivot to a single tenon approach. Yes, the chisel bits for the mortiser are *sharp*.  ?

7. Single mortises cut.

8.  Success!

Any predictions for tomorrow’s NFL conference championships?

[Habana Mike]

Is that blood! ?

Careful with sharp tools young man.....

[BTWheezy]

@Habana Mike - pure O Neg baby!  Just the slightest touch on the chisel bit point.  I asked @NicPac for the afternoon off...he said get a Band Aid and get back to work.

[NicPac]

Unfortunately @BTWheezy hasn’t worked long enough to accumulate enough PTO to take the afternoon off. We run a tight ship around here. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

2 hours ago, BTWheezy said:

@Habana Mike - pure O Neg baby!  Just the slightest touch on the chisel bit point.  I asked @NicPac for the afternoon off...he said get a Band Aid and get back to work.

You have made the appropriate blood sacrifice to the cabinet gods. Your project will now be blessed.

[rcarlson]

13 hours ago, BTWheezy said:

@Habana Mike - pure O Neg baby!  Just the slightest touch on the chisel bit point.  I asked @NicPac for the afternoon off...he said get a Band Aid and get back to work.

Workers' Comp claim in process.  

11 hours ago, NicPac said:

Unfortunately @BTWheezy hasn’t worked long enough to accumulate enough PTO to take the afternoon off. We run a tight ship around here. 

Unionization and OSHA site inspection are gonna be a bitch.  Better lawyer-up.  Three Finger Wheezy has turned whistleblower.  This aggression can't stand, man.    

[Rhinoww]

Great work my friend. Consulting the right resources and getting quality wood make things so much easier. 
 

Quite the mortise making setup. Hope you got that on Craigslist or you are not allowed to complain about the costs of cigars ?

watching the build does make me want to get back in the shop. A few more weeks of our rescue cat getting used to its new garage/workshop home and I’ll fire up some tools. I have a bookcase half made stickered on my bench. My wife has been asking when I will be done... but she also doesn’t want me to scare off the cat. 

[BTWheezy]

Update for this weekend...

There was a lot of math, plus some sawdust. With the various widths and lengths of walnut and Spanish cedar, I had to spend a long time figuring out my cut patterns to minimize waste.  As it turns out, I was still a little short on the original order of lumber, so I have to re-up this week. Shouldn’t be an issue though.  In the meantime, here’s what I got done.

1.  Math.  Lots of math.  ?

2. Sorting Spanish cedar so that I could do more math.

3. 45 degree chamfer bit for walnut planks.

4. Initial look for exterior.  Talking with @NicPac we agreed that some delineation on the planks would help with the rustic look he seeks.  Also keeping as many checks/cracks and knotholes as possible.  More faux distressing is being explored...more later.

5. The waste from 50 board feet of Spanish cedar.  Yeah, pretty happy with this.

6. Cutting Spanish cedar to length on crosscut sled for interior.

7. Getting a feel for installing the cedar.  This was another puzzle, as the frame (as depicted in the test pieces from last post) will cover the edge of the plywood case, and maybe a fraction of the cedar.  This will make more sense down the road. I hope.

8. How I feel after all this.

[BTWheezy]

Been a while since the alcohol-infused math homework.  I was finally able to get more lumber, football is over, and it snowed quite a bit (by Seattle standards).  A great weekend to get back at it. 

1. I think we got 8-10” of snow in our neighborhood, and since Seattle has like 4 snowplows, we would’ve had to have motivated to leave the house today. I did laugh at a local news headline claiming “bitter cold temperatures.”  We got down to 28 degrees F or something.  It’s kind of embarrassing, but in a temperate climate like the Pacific NW, we tend to...overreact. ? I’m guessing some of you actually *did* have bitter cold temps this weekend?

2. Getting cedar lining prepped for installation. It’s surprising just how much is required to line an entire cabinet.

3. Used Titebond II glue and 18 gauge finish nails to attach the cedar. After the glue cures, I’ll sand the interior to a smooth finish.

4. Took the time to individually trim each piece.  The cedar fits like a glove.  Really happy with the results.  Main interior, and drawer compartments are done.

5. Started work on the exterior lumber.  Trimmed all pieces to length.

6. I’m making panels from the walnut, using #20 biscuits and glue to join the pieces.

7. One of the side panels glued up. 

Got lots of tasks to choose from for tomorrow’s progress. Maybe work on drawers, maybe the frame joinery...not sure, but I know I won’t be playing golf. ❄️???‍♂️
 

Thanks for following along!

- Wheezy

[Chibearsv]

I love watching the work progress.  I had to replace 4 hinges on a cheapo cabinet my wife painted this week so I've got to ask a question; do you have extreme patience or do you swear a lot?

[BTWheezy]

1 hour ago, Chibearsv said:

I love watching the work progress.  I had to replace 4 hinges on a cheapo cabinet my wife painted this week so I've got to ask a question; do you have extreme patience or do you swear a lot?

Oh I swear....enough to make a truck driver blush.  ?

If you want to enjoy a guy who is skilled AND patient, you should check out the Nekkid Watchmaker on YouTube. He restores classic watches. It’s fascinating to watch a guy take apart a complex timepiece, clean and repair, then put it back together again...oftentimes with his kids interrupting. Crazy patience...and he never swears!

- Wheezy

[FHFinster]

Oh I swear....enough to make a truck driver blush.  
If you want to enjoy a guy who is skilled AND patient, you should check out the Nekkid Watchmaker on YouTube. He restores classic watches. It’s fascinating to watch a guy take apart a complex timepiece, clean and repair, then put it back together again...oftentimes with his kids interrupting. Crazy patience...and he never swears!
- Wheezy

Just pulled up the Nekkid Watchmaker Cartier Tank restoration. Amazing. Thanks for the reccommend!

[BTWheezy]

“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft a-gley.”   - Robert Burns

Apparently, Robert Burns was a woodworking hobbyist, in addition to being a poet...

My previous update foreshadowed unfettered progress yesterday and today.  Alas, I was fettered.  Between shoveling snow, taking Mrs. Wheezy to physical therapy, and just being stumped on how to overcome a structural-AND-design puzzle, it wasn’t quite the progress I anticipated. However, much good came out of the weekend.  Here we go...

1. More panel glue-up with biscuits. For those curious, the vertical pencil lines on the back line up the biscuit cuts.  The (asymmetrical) diagonal lines allow for clear understanding of which piece goes in what order.  You just line the lines back up...if you know what I mean.  Yes, you need both sets of lines.

2. El Biscuit Cutter.  Very much a specialized tool.  In case you’re unfamiliar, you line up the cutter on your center mark, squeeze the trigger, and push forward. Make a clean, tidy cut. And that’s all she does.

3. Biscuits and glue, ready for more action.

4.  Prepped a shit ton of cedar slats for the drawers.

5. Prepped the drawer sides to accommodate the cedar slats.

6. After dropping Mrs. Wheezy off at PT, I ham-and-egged a trip to my local saw store, where they cater to the professionals. They have EVERYTHING if it relates to cutting materials. They even make blades, and in this case, while I waited. To highlight what I mean, I asked them for a carbide tipped, 3/4” bandsaw blade for a 14” bandsaw with a 6” riser block, for re-sawing hardwood.  The guys says he didn’t have one made, but if I can wait 10 min. no problem.  So I waited 10 min. and they handed me this.  The welded area was still a little warm.

7. Once I got home, I  decided to tune up my bandsaw while I was at it.  I love Alex Snodgrass’s YouTube vids on bandsaws. I’ll post a link separately if curious.

8. New blade. Hell yeaaahhhhh.  ?

9. Tuned up.

10.  Re-sawing more walnut for trim pieces.

 

[BTWheezy]

And if you want to learn how to tune up your bandsaw from a pro, here’s Alex Snodgrass’s video. He works for Carter Products, which makes some kick ass tools and accessories for woodworking.  In this particular video, he’s a guest of The Wood Whisperer (Cool Whip, anyone?), another awesome YouTube fella.

Enjoy!

- Wheezy

 

[StogieSteve23]

On 2/14/2021 at 12:27 AM, BTWheezy said:

Maybe work on drawers, maybe the frame joinery...not sure, but I know I won’t be playing golf. ❄️???‍♂️

I'll play enough for the both of us BTCheesy.