Tag Archives: American black cherry

Finished!!

July 16, 2015 Max Vollmer 1 Comment

I finished this tall chest in late May. The primary wood is American Black Cherry, about 90% of it from one tree. Cherry plywood was used for drawer bottoms and the back panels, while quarter-sawn white oak was used for the drawer sides and backs. The entire chest, inside and out, has three coats of hand-rubbed Watco Danish Oil (Natural). The solid brass drawer pulls (called “bridge” pulls) and knobs for the cabinet doors came from Crown City Hardware in Pasadena, CA. The hand-cast, solid brass hinges are from Horton Brasses in Cromwell, CT. From concept drawings to completion, this took me about 160 hours. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

The chest is 72 inches tall, 34 inches wide, and 22 inches front to back.

Each panel in the cabinet doors is made up of a book-matched pair of boards which were beveled first on the table saw, and then finished with a hand plane. The door frames are quarter-sawn cherry with the rails tenoned into the stiles. The transition molding and the crown molding were cut on the table saw as coves and then split into the quarter round profile. The outer edge of the crown molding was extended with solid stock.

The drawer fronts are graduated from bottom to top (9.5″, 9″, 8.5″, 7.5″) and each drawer front is one solid piece of American Black Cherry.

Quarter-sawn, Eastern white oak was chosen for its stability in the drawer sides and backs. The half-blind dovetails were all hand cut with a 14 ppi saw and chisel.

Shelves and center divider are solid cherry.

The upper section of the chest is a separate unit and can be removed for transport. Back panels for the upper and lower sections are 3/8″ cherry plywood (cherry both sides).

The “Makers Mark.”

Woodwork

Cherry Dresser, Lumber Prep

March 24, 2015 Max Vollmer Leave a comment

I finished 9 pages of scaled, detailed drawings for my tall case (72″ high) cherry dresser yesterday. Today I planed about 100 board feet of my clear, air-dried cherry lumber. Current retail price for American Black Cherry lumber is approx. $7.00 per board foot; up to $10.00 per board foot for extra wide. [one board foot = 12″ by 12″ by 1″ thick] The widest boards are 13 inches wide and all are planed, both sides, to a finished dimension of 7/8ths inch thick. So although I paid $1.00 per board foot for rough cut lumber direct from the West Virginia saw mill years ago, the present value of the boards in these two pictures is well over $1,000. After planing the lumber, I then mapped out what parts of the dresser will come from which boards. While all the casework will be cherry, the drawer sides/backs will be hand dovetailed, solid white oak, and I will custom make the pulls from pure black, African ebony. By the time I’m finished, I expect to have upwards of 120 hours labor in the finished piece, and although I will never sell it, the retail value would be in the $4,000~$6,000 range depending on the market.

Woodwork

Plans Progressing

March 20, 2015 Max Vollmer Leave a comment

After a hiatus, I’m back to the plans for my cherry dresser. I now have a pretty clear idea of the overall form and I’m closing in on dimensions.

Woodwork

Planning for Cherry Dresser

February 9, 2015 Max Vollmer Leave a comment

Today, I am starting in earnest on the design for my 6′ tall cherry dresser with 4 graduated drawers below and 2 raised panel doors at the top which will open up to 4 pull-out bin-drawers. To be made with knot-free, wide plank, black cherry lumber from Pocahontas County, West Virginia, that I’ve been air drying for over 30 years. (Click on any image to enlarge)

Bowls, Woodwork

Pots & Bowls

February 7, 2015 Max Vollmer Leave a comment

This is a mock-up of a small display of work I created for sale. The woods used for the weed pots/vases include Claro walnut, white oak, black cherry, wenge, sugar maple, and paduak. The bowls include white oak, Claro walnut, black cherry and paduak.

Woodwork

Free Hand Turning Vase Shapes

January 27, 2015 Max Vollmer Leave a comment

I’m considering trying to sell turned “weed pots,” made from various species of wood, in our local coop art gallery. First, I need to refine my technique for turning, drilling out, and finishing them and decide on a practical size or sizes. I also need to see how quickly I can finish one. (Click on any image to enlarge)

These examples are, from l. to r., 5″ tall in Claro walnut, 8.5″ tall in American black cherry, and 6″ tall in Wenge.

Woodwork

American Black Cherry Portable Side Tables

January 25, 2015 Max Vollmer Leave a comment

I based these two movable side tables on an early 20th century, Arts & Crafts style, smoking stand. The original stand was white oak, but I chose black cherry from the mountains of West Virginia for my tables. The nice, light cherry color will deepen to a wine red over time. They are finished with a hand rubbed oil finish and wax. The flat table surface is right at arm chair height making them useful for small items like TV remotes. The cross-bar handle makes them easy to move from one placement or room to another. (Click on any image to enlarge)

The cherry drawer fronts are joined to the maple drawer sides with hand cut, “half-blind” dovetail joints, which means the dovetails show on the sides but not on the face of the drawer.

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly… this is my way. (Anonymous)