More work on the dresser...

   Yes, it's the same walnut dresser I started over a year and a half ago. Over the last month I've finished the base and the moulding around the top. I'm not sure where time goes but it definitely doesn't stop.
    The base of the dresser was made by dovetailing the front to the two sides. I attached a 2" top to the base mitered at the corners for the carcass to sit on.

    After I assembled the base, cut the curves to form the feet. I cut and formed the front with hand tools. I used a coping saw to cut the curves and my Japanese rip saw for the straight section in between. 

    Of course this leaves a rather rough surface to smooth-out and bring to the line. 

    I used a block plane for the straight area and a wood contour plane for the curves.

    This is all good practice and it was nice to use my Muji' contour plane but since I needed to speed things along I went to the barn and fetched my electric jigsaw. I almost forgot how much I love this thing. It cuts crazy good, stays on the line and the Bosch finish blades leave a nice finished surface.

    I had originally planned on keeping this simple curve for the design of the base but I saw a dresser somewhere that had an extra detail I wanted to include in mine.

It's a subtle detail but I think it gives it a more refined look.

    The next part of the dresser to tackle is moulding for the top. Attaching the moulding to the front is cake but since the carcass is solid wood I can't do the same for the sides. Since solid wood expands and contracts primarily perpendicular to the direction of the grain, glueing another piece over a few inches across its grain can restrict this movement to the point that it would eventually crack. I've been studying a method for attaching side moulding used by Christian Becksvoort. It works great I'm sure, but it looks difficult to pull-off. I could also attach it by glueing the front few inches and use brad nails, which supposedly bend with seasonal movement, for the rest of the length but that would both be too easy and too fast... the absolute opposite of this project.

-RM