Search the Community

I wanted to try something a little more ambitious, so decided to make this chest from The Scale Cabinetmaker. I used a combination of walnut, red cedar, rosewood and basswood. The saw tooth carving is done on 600 micron sheet of silver oak veneer. The inlay sheet is one I picked up at Ron's when I visited Florida ages ago, but I want to try making my own inlay for future pieces. The chest has working drawers and opens and closes on a pin hinge.

Hi, I've been reading a lot about the recent interest in CNC machines and how these can be used to make miniature furniture and have found some varied points of view both for and against using such a technique. I recently decided to take the plunge and buy a Stepcraft machine and I love it! I cannot say that one can use just this machine in isolation, but if used in combination with other tools like my Preac saw and even some simple hand tools like a miter saw and and x-acto knife, one can create some decent pieces of miniature furniture. Does this technique actually save time? In general, sadly not, however, the added precision more than makes up for the extra hours spent. I would say, the time saved in the actual cutting (which is flawless) is spent in designing on the computer and figuring out new ways to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. I am relatively new at this so am hoping with time and skill this will go quicker, but every step is enjoyable and I approach it with anticipation and love, so I do not mind the extra hours spent. One thing I should mention, is it does save time for in carving and brings in a whole new level of complexity and detail to what one can accomplish. I thought of sharing with the community my recent pieces comprising a Davenport desk and an Eastlake Secretary. I'd love your feedback and comments. Thanks so much!

Just finished this Victorian wardrobe. The doors are hinged and have tiny brass handles so they open and close. The drawers work as well. It is made from basswood and stained with a teak finish. The lighter colored panels with the artwork is from kpla (jackfruit) veneer. The entire piece has a soft wax final finish. Scale is 1/12th. It is 7 3/4 inches tall and 4 inches wide. I hope in time to be able to have better joinery like dovetail and mitered joints. In the meantime I'll keep practicing.