When the Good Roads Aren't So Good

What do I do then?  Woodworking!  That's my winter pastime, and pass time it certainly does.  This is how the backyard looked out the window today.......no riding for sure.

So during the winter I have woodworking projects that keep me busy.  This winter I have been making a jewelry cabinet for Carolyn and after working on it for a couple of months I finally got it done.  This pic was of all the parts laid out for spraying finish.  I used 20 board feet of cherry plus a 4ft X 8ft sheet of half inch cherry plywood and had no scrap of any size left over.  The thing weighs a ton.

And here is the finished product:

I started with a plan I bought online, but added a lot of my own methods of joinery and detailing.  For example, instead of making simple false-front drawers like modern kitchen cabinets use, I like to use a locking side to front dado combination that makes a lighter-looking and stronger drawer:

The drawer front is a single piece of 3/4 cherry.  It takes a lot of machining to get the lock joint made and the rabbit for the drawer overlap with the face of the cabinet.  Then there is another dado cut for the drawer bottom to fit in. 

For the door frames I used a splined miter joint for looks and strength:

The trays in the bottom two drawer are also an idea of Carolyn's that I added, as well as the ring holders.  The maple inlay in the top was my idea. 

There are no nails or screws holding anything together except for the bottom stand which is bolted to the top part. 

There will be hooks for necklaces added to the velvet inside the doors as soon as Carolyn decides how many she needs and were to put them.  Then it's up to her to fill it up, which I think she will be able to do. 

Oh, and by the way, this was a Christmas present........just a little late.