Part II
Back to the block of cherry, I cut across one surface, and part of it shattered. I don’t mind showing the round depression where the outer wood had let go of the inner layers, but I didn’t want to see that missing chip, so I re-cut. This piece is about as big as I can put through the saw. I tidied up the top and bottom surfaces.
You can see how wet the wood still is in the center of the block, where it’s darker than at the edges.
Next I cut the block into five parts: two sides that will coordinate the piece, a top and a bottom, and a center which will be a drawer! I drilled a hole in the drawer where I want a finger-hole; I won’t be able to drill it later, once I’ve built the drawer. I used a Forstner bit to make a smooth broad hole.
Then I had to cut off the front and back of the drawer. I cut the front perpendicular to the back, but I had that big scoop in the back, where the wood had parted. I couldn’t cut straight down, so I tipped the saw table, and cut off a rather chunky angled piece. Not elegant, but expressive of the growth of the tree and the random work of the tree removal service. Once I’d done it, I was glad that I erred on the side of chunkiness; that wood is fragile. You can see the fractures.
I drew the scoop for the drawer. The block was an awful shape. I couldn’t get it to lay evenly on the saw table without propping it up with a wedge of wood. NOT best practice. The tight turn was difficult for the blade, but I got in and back out in one sweep.
Time to take a break and let the wood dry a bit. Later, I’ll glue up the drawer, and I’ll start sanding the top and sides, and shaping the edges where the parts will meet. Stay tuned!
Sondra Flite Artworks 