Progress has been somewhat stunted by the still wet Boxwood in the kiln. I pulled it out a few days ago, the meter said it was dry but when I cut into it on the bandsaw it did the banana. I need it for all the frame members for the sides and doors, maybe I should have made the cabinet curved, then all the bending would have been done for me, heh.
But.... the marquetry is now done and went pretty well! I don't have any finished pictures yet but here are some progress ones.
Cutting out the leaf parts.
Robert insisted that I move the scroll saw from the crowded and noisy machine room to his benchroom. It was a very peaceful week.
Joining the leaf-halves together. I think there were about 25 or more (It seemed like more).
Using the template to place the leaves on the background veneer.
I had mixed feelings about seeing the boxwood with holes in it. Seemed shameful to cut out pieces of it, but I think the results were worth it.
The finished veneers and substrates ready to go into the press.
Cutting off what will become the applied edges of the side panels.
I guiltlessly used the Lie-Neilsen #62 metal plane to surface the marquetry which worked very well. The shavings showed the leaf shapes in the boxwood.
A sort of breakthrough happened this past week. I have to admit that I was never really able to get completely enjoyable results from my wooden smoothing plane. Even after taking it to Robert a number of times to troubleshoot it, I just felt like there was something I was doing wrong. So I picked it up again to surface the top and bottom of the cabinet, determined to make it work, and something clicked. I honed the perfect edge on the iron (with a bald spot on my arm to prove it), was able to set it up just right, and the perfect, fluffy, full-length, full-width shavings came out. I was left with a flat, smooth, reflective surface with no ridges or track marks. It was one of the most satisfying and fun days I have had working on a project so far.
I don't know what changed, weather, attitude, ability, luck. It was the same day that JK's cabinet arrived at the school, maybe some of his energy was here with it.