Hmmm... javeryh's weird cab

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javeryh:
Alright... I finally got motivated enough to cut a panel in the driveway today. It's not much but I made this:

This panel isn't even part of the cabinet but it will be used to cut recesses into the side panels with a 1/4" deep pattern bit that I just ordered. I laid it on top if the cabinet so you can see the effect.

There's a minor issue I'm not sure how to deal with... the bit I ordered is 3/4" wide because I wanted the corners to be more rounded than they are with the 1/2" bit I used to make the pattern. But the triangle area on the top is going to look weird because the wider bit can't fit in the corner. As it is now with the 1/2" bit, the corner does not line up with the cutouts below. See what I mean:

The 3/4" bit really can't get in there. Any ideas? I'm not good enough with a chisel and hand tools to make it look nice. Maybe it doesn't matter...

So next step is to cut out a panel for the bottom third of the side panel, which will be raised instead of recessed, and duplicate it. Going to try and squeeze that in tomorrow. Saturday is shot because I have to take kid #1 (of Bella's Arcade fame) back to BU but Sunday and Monday should be relatively open so fingers crossed I get some time - I have to paint by end of September before the weather turns and this entire project is going to live or die by the paint job.... :cheers:

javeryh:
More progress! Twice in one week I can't believe it.

So today I spent some time cutting the bottom panel that will be raised up from the side panel. This is to contrast with the cutouts at the top to give the profile some different layers. This was pretty tedious but doable with some straight edges, a pattern bit and some double-sided tape (and lots of patience).

Here are some shots mid-cut where I had set up the straight edges for the router to cut the clean edge:

It took me a while to get the proportions right for everything. I think it came out OK but I probably could have spent another week thinking about it and I just need to do stuff instead of thinking about every little detail. Once I was done cutting, I ended up with this:

This will be used as a template to make a copy for the other side panel - the design is reversible. I wanted this panel to be more than just random rectangles to give it some visual appeal. We will see how that goes.

Here is kind of what the side panel will look like once everything is in place:

I think the last pic shows the different layers best. You have to imagine everything being 1/4" less thick because the top rectangles will be recessed into the side panels and the bottom panel I cut today will just be glued to the side panels.

Next up is the scary part of cutting the actual recesses into the cabinet. Once I do that I can glue the bottom panel in place and the side panels will be (mostly) complete. I have some ideas about adding some sort of small control panel to one of the sides that but need to think about it more.

I also have to figure out how the rest of the front panel will look. There is a lot of blank space and I'm messing around with a few different ideas...

:cheers:

bobbyb13:
I like it!
Looking forward to seeing which parts you leave at this point.

markc74:
I'm loving the shape of this cabinet - really looking forward to how it turns out.

Will you be painting it?

javeryh:

--- Quote from: bobbyb13 on August 31, 2025, 04:47:11 am ---I like it!
Looking forward to seeing which parts you leave at this point.

--- End quote ---

You and me both! I'm sort of making things up as I go but I have an image in my head that I'm working towards.

--- Quote from: markc74 on August 31, 2025, 09:25:08 am ---I'm loving the shape of this cabinet - really looking forward to how it turns out.

Will you be painting it?

--- End quote ---

Thanks - yes, unfortunately! As much as I hate painting, I really want to test myself with this one. I would like this to look very weathered when it is all said and done. I'm picturing some color or colors (leaning towards either dark red or black) with scratches in spots and along sharp edges where a layer of metallic paint will show through making it look like the top layer has been chipped or worn off over time. Once that is done. I am going to give it a "wash" with brown paint so it will hopefully look like dirt/grime has built up over the years as well. I have a loose theme in mind but the goal is to make it look "used".

Painting is the bane of my existence but that's because I try to get it "perfect" and it frustrates me but in this case, the more blemishes the better it will look!

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