# Hutch - A beginner's first big project



## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Hey everyone!

My name is Sean, and I found this site while searching around for tips while working on this project. I really liked how helpful everyone was, so I decided to join up!

Now that my first big (for me) project is complete, I figured I should post it for a couple of reasons.

1) To show that I can actually create something out of wood

2) To try and give back to the website that helped me so much throughout this project!

These are just a few of the hundreds of photos I took during the build process, so if anyone would like to see more or has any questions, please let me know and I will do what I can!

I hope you like it!


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## GoIrish (Jan 29, 2012)

Well done.


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## liquid6 (Feb 15, 2011)

Looks good. What type of spray gun did you use?


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

liquid6 said:


> Looks good. What type of spray gun did you use?


I made due with one of those Kobalt spray gun kits from Lowe's. It wasn't HVLP or anything fancy. It wasn't the easiest process, but I'm much happier that I sprayed it instead of brush and roller. The finish is PPG lacquer.


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## JQMack (Sep 24, 2011)

Nicely done. Very ambitious for a first project.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Nice work. It looks like a great - and very useful - piece of furniture. Well done.

Welcome to the forum. I hope you stick around and continue to 'work the wood'.


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## believebraves (Jan 10, 2011)

Awesome job! Looks good! What paint did you use and what type of sprayer did you use? Did you thin your paint any? Never sprayed before, but thought about giving it a go. 

Looks Amazing for 1st project!


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

believebraves said:


> Awesome job! Looks good! What paint did you use and what type of sprayer did you use? Did you thin your paint any? Never sprayed before, but thought about giving it a go.
> 
> Looks Amazing for 1st project!


For part of your answer, refer to post #4.


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## believebraves (Jan 10, 2011)

Yes I just saw that lol. My bad on the question about the gun.


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## Horatio (Apr 4, 2012)

Huh, all beginners should hope to be that adept at it. Looks great!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

It's laid out very well for a corner cabinet. Fit and finish look very good. Did you notch the base moulding?









 







.


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## Carvel Loafer (Dec 31, 2011)

Looks so nice, I like it too. :thumbsup:


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## ftk (May 9, 2012)

Very nice!


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## Roundup85 (Mar 18, 2012)

Great job for a first project. Nice details. Did you follow a plan or made your own?


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## bob sacamano (Jan 24, 2012)

are you absolutely sure this was your 1st project ? 

it looks too good lol


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

believebraves said:


> Awesome job! Looks good! What paint did you use and what type of sprayer did you use? Did you thin your paint any? Never sprayed before, but thought about giving it a go.
> 
> Looks Amazing for 1st project!


Thanks! Paint was PPG Speedline Lacquer. First two coats were the sanding sealer, second two coats were the semi-gloss white pigmented lacquer.

I had played with a spray gun once or twice before, but this was my first time using one on a finished product. It's all about the prep, and setting up the gun correctly. I read as much information as I could find, and drilled the guys at the paint store about how to apply it. Yes, I did thin it out with some water since it is a water based lacquer.

I tried painting on oil based, and had to sand the entire coat off before switching to the lacquer and spray gun.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> It's laid out very well for a corner cabinet. Fit and finish look very good. Did you notch the base moulding?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you! I only notched the shoe mold, and not the base board when I moved it inside. I plan on taking it with me if we sell the house, and I didn't want to have to repair the base. Shoe mold is an easy fix.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Roundup85 said:


> Great job for a first project. Nice details. Did you follow a plan or made your own?


Thanks! I had a lot of help from my uncle who makes furniture for a living up in PA. I started with the location, and the idea for a corner cabinet of some sort, and we went from there. I went through a lot of cardboard templates, and painters tape laying everything out, and deciding on a plan that worked best.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

bob sacamano said:


> are you absolutely sure this was your 1st project ?
> 
> it looks too good lol


I will take that as a compliment! I was a field superintendent for a builder in Charleston for a couple of years, and always paid close attention to the trim carpenter's methods and techniques.

I spent about 4 months building this unit, and every step was held up by 2 weeks or so of research, youtube videos, and a lot of time on this forum!

My uncle helped me with the design, and a lot of the joinery, but all the while 700+ miles away. It was a lot of 2 hour phone calls, and rough sketches scanned and emailed back and forth.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Very nice! Nicely laid out to account for the size of the corner and switch too. That piece will have to stay with the house if you sell it!


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

ACP said:


> Very nice! Nicely laid out to account for the size of the corner and switch too. That piece will have to stay with the house if you sell it!


The switch location is why the top is more narrow than the bottom. I would have liked to get more storage space out of it, but it wasn't possible with the switch there.


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## ftk (May 9, 2012)

captainawesome said:


> The switch location is why the top is more narrow than the bottom. I would have liked to get more storage space out of it, but it wasn't possible with the switch there.


I really like the look of it though -- maybe less storage space, but I think it makes it look much more interesting this way.


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## preacherman (Nov 29, 2011)

:thumbsup: very nice for any project, especially for your first!


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## woodbutcher360 (Jul 1, 2012)

Cudos to you. Well done.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

*Jigs made along the way*

































I wanted to show a couple of the jigs I ended up making during this project that helped me a great deal. I hope someone else finds these useful.

The first jig was used to create mortises in all of my face frame pieces. The guide rail for my plunge router rides against the back edge of the top 2x4, which also gives the router more of a surface to ride on. The strip screwed to the front of it is the straight edge I butt the work piece up to. I would mortise both edges of the joint, and then use a piece of wood recessed into to both mortises and bridging the gap between my two pieces. As long as you mark each face, front or back, and are consistent with with which face is against the jig, and which one is facing out, the joints line up perfectly every time.

I didn't have the capability of cutting a standard mortise and tenon on my cheap table saw (at the time) and my Uncle suggested this since it is his main method of joinery in all of his furniture. It produces a very strong and very accurate joint!

The second jig is a series of 1x8 blocks cut at a 45 degree angle and screwed to a couple pieces of scrap plywood. I clamped all of them together before cutting so that they would all be the exact same size. It is a very simple jig, but it was a life saver. All of the upright face frames have a 22.5 degree bevel on them, and my initial cuts weren't as accurate as I had hoped for. This jig allowed me to push and pull the joint the entire way down while I drove pin nails back and forth. I put painters tape across the front, and glue down both sides of the bevel before putting it on the jig.

Two very simple jigs that saved this project from ending up unstable and sloppy looking.

If you have any questions, or just want me to stop, please let me know!


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