I was making room for my latest delivery of dovetail saws when I saw this little cabinet on a high shelf. I bought it from Alan's wife Laura not long after he sadly died, along with a hefty quantity of fine wood.
He used it as a training aid on his trips to the US. It had doors at some stage as there were small hinges fitted but these are missing.
It's only 20" tall and quite cute. I asked Laura whether Alan made it and her reply was a very firm 'Alan would never have kept anything he didn't make himself', that was good enough for me!
This is never going to be a valuable piece, just one of those nice things to own.
The sides are typical of Alan's work using crown cut timber with the arched grain running up the middle.
Two pairs of twin through tenons were used to join the top rail.
The base is through dovetailed and the drawer has half blind dovetails which completes three traditional forms of exposed joinery all in one piece, a great piece for students to copy.
The drawer is also a nice piston fit, another of Alan's trade marks.
The top of the drawer front has an angled rebate which serves as a pull. The diagram below from Alan's great book shows this detail and also shows his intention for opening the missing doors, which will be a great help when I finally get round to making them!
Very nice piece to have. It reminds me of the one Rob Cosman was asking Alan about in his dvd. Alan was saying something like RC's design wasn't his cuppa :)
ReplyDeleteYes I remember the section, I thought Alan could have been a bit kinder about what was obviously a very well fitted drawer.
DeleteNice cabinet - is it upside down in the photos?
ReplyDeleteThe photos are definitely the right way up, the arches in the grain always face upwards, although the drawing from his book is upside down.
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