Thanks! All that's left now is the final drawer, the back, and then it has to be oiled and waxed.

What kind of oil are you using?

Have you used shellac much? I've just recently been experimenting with shellac, and am very pleased with the results.

Each additional layer of shellac slightly melts the underlying layer and then bonds to it as the alcohol solvent evaporates. This leaves the final finish as one uniform film, instead of multiple layers of finish like varnish or poly. When you sand it and steel wool it, you get a very pleasing result. It's so much more forgiving than varnish or poly are, and you don't get any visible strata lines if you sand through the most recent coat and into a lower one. It also dries very quickly. It's dry and ready for the next coat in about 45 minutes. The only drawback is that since it dries so fast, you can't work it with the brush much at all. Just apply one brush stroke and then go back over that brush stroke with the grain to even out any runs/drips.

Can you tell I like it?

Watco Danish Oil, and Goddard's Cabinet Maker's Wax. I haven't done anything with shellac (or varnish or poly). My dad experimented with finishes before I started helping him, and settled on the Danish oil. It's pretty much all we use now.

But if I want to make a glossy finish at some point, shellac sounds like the way to go. Though I am curious - if it's alcohol soluble, what would happen if you spilled a drink on it? Does it eventually cure completely?

If you spill booze on it and don't wipe it up right away, you mess up the finish. But, it's very easy to repair. A little wax will add some (small) protection against a booze accident.

And it completely cures in 45 minutes or so.

Shellac is easy to damage but also easy to repair, which is a good trade off and it usually keeps the wood from getting screwed up better than oil/wax.
Nice work, as usual, HM. Notice any difference in dovetail fit from the first to last drawer? :)

I didn't get a chance to do many of them this time around. My dad's doing most of the work on this piece, I'm afraid.

That's cool, better to be Norm than the guy laboring off camera. :D
It's for your sister anyway, isn't it?

Too often, I'm the cameraman, though.

Yeah, it's for my sister. Which will make delivery (to Cambridge, MA) a bit of a trek. But I suspect I'll let my dad do that, too...

Well, we're getting closer. The weather's nicer, so my dad's off to West Virginia most weekends, which has slowed things down a bit.

But he got some hardware in.

http://static.flickr.com/68/169056186_af76b93cf4.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/22/169057477_439418b346.jpg

The carcass and some of the drawers have been oiled. An unoiled drawer is shown for contrast.

http://static.flickr.com/71/169058792_c512f20633.jpg

Beautiful wood, beautiful job, are those generic knobs or something old/reproduction?
I've got white porcelain knobs on my dressers but really should have pulls because I tend to overload the drawers.:redface:

They're reproduction. They're cast, not milled. About $20 each!

Yeah, I noticed the cast threads that's why I asked if they were old. The cast brass coloration is perfect for that color stain. Great job, your sister should be giddy. :thumb2:

HM>Griff:notworthy

Thanks, but I just have to emphasize that this particular one is much more HMD than HM, at least recently.

Gods, the thing is gorgeous! Wonderful work!