The Next Chapter...

…is bittersweet as I wrap up the Three-Month Intensive, but a mere six weeks before I’m back at NBSS for the two-year Cabinet and Furniture Making program!!

An inlay in progress, long road to get here! This was just one in several attempts.

Okay, this one is a keeper, now to glue up!

Here is the project with lighting and fully assembled, while lower shelf still setting up.

Inside the cabines, note the shelf and divider.

Me and our instructor Nick, great guy!!! Also note, the lower shelf with marquetry in place.

Monday – did another coat on cabinet top and sides, with light wet sand and then light Osmo. Spent most of the day doing veneer and marquetry work and did a few practice shapes and then did full run practice of my design. Plus glue up at the end. Definitely need more practice! Can you feel the time pressure from just the tone of this narrative? 🙂

Tuesday – this was a bit of mix and match day, taking out my practice marquetry and scraping it after a couple of fatal mistakes at the end. Then more sanding.

Despite my fail on the inlay, I’m feeling better about my final try tomorrow. I prepped some veneer for for tomorrow by gluing on brown paper. And I fit the lower shelf, installed hinges for final time (amazing how many times you put them on, then off and tune, and repeat. Also, I did the first finish coat on the base/stand, and glued on cleats on the base for mid frame, etc.

Wednesday – the entire day was spent doing the inlay and it just wasn’t up to snuff. So now I am really bummed, I’m not sure I will get finished in time and so may have to do after. So disappointed. Need a break and some sleep!

Thursday – frantic final work, as I tried again with the marquetry and it was another bust…so at the end of the day I had another strategy and so did prep work for the final day (one final glue up in the vacuum press for the last and final veneer try)…and then focused on final shelf work inside the cabinet (something I talked little about, but takes effort and if I was doing it again I might make a different plan.

Friday – The last day!! The veneer worked better, not perfect but acceptable…so I rushed to get it done (you might not agree with not acceptable, but like the NBSS way good enough is not good enough!). I then worked to finish the lower shelf which included a banding around the inlay and sanding which is a whole different thing with veneer and marquetry.

This day there was also an open house at NBSS which was fun but a bit hectic since we had visitors and lots of distractions, but it also had a fun energy. And low and behold, I finished the project by the skin of my teeth. We took pictures with the class and our projects, and Mary came by to see the school. We toured the building and went upstairs to see where I will be next year and meet my class which was a lot of fun. Side note, I have been working in the basement where the three-month class takes place, and the full-time program is on the third floor, so really moving up!!!

After school, Mary and I walked over the a restaurant in the North End and had a great dinner. It was such fun to do that, and we agreed we need to do that a bit more in the new year. (We did take the kids there for dinner over Christmas holiday which was fun, and walked by the school to show the kids.)

Another student’s project, which I loved.

And their cabinet inside, I loved the upper shelf – she drew inspiration from Krenov which is awesome.

Saturday, I went by to pick up my pieces, tools, wood, and everything. Nick was there for the morning Xmas market and helped. It went well until the end, when the lower leg assembly of my cabinet on a stand (so the stand) fell off the cart onto the parking lot. It could have been worse, as the mid frame was the primary damage which I can remove and redo, plus one corder was banged up which I think I can repair. So frustrating, but will work on that over the holidays.

Dateline: NBSS Three-Month Furniture Intensive, Dec 5-9 (Week 13)