I’m starting a very large new project called Seymour’s Sideboard. The work I chose is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although it is also introduced in the book, John Seymour and Thomas Seymour: Boston Cabinetmakersby Vernon C. Stoneman (Special Publications, 1959).
As you know, I start working in SketchUp with my photos. In this case, I was able to download the photo from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. website. Here is the main photo I use in his SketchUp. This photo is a good example, seen almost head-on. This is useful for getting the shape of the component. The book and the Metropolitan Museum of Art give the overall dimensions as 26 inches deep, 73 inches long, and 42 inches high. Knowing these dimensions, the first step in SketchUp is to import the photo and make it full size. Then you can start tracing the shape of the legs and other components as shown below.
I didn’t know how to connect these round legs. The top of the leg turning is routed so that we can add a square filler as shown below. The sides and rails are connected to these square fillers with tenon-tenon joints. Let’s take a look at those leg assemblies here.
The bottom part of the leg has reeds. It’s a multi-step process in SketchUp that starts with him creating one of the 12 leads in another round section. First, isolate the short section that needs the lead.
Next, make 12 reed shapes and make them into cylinders.
Here is a picture of the cylinder and the smaller diameter when tapered.
Use the scale tool to reduce the base to the required diameter.
Then add that leg piece to the rest of the leg component.
The first big milestone in model development is defining and connecting all the unique components. However, there are no fixtures at this stage. The pieces are just butted together.
During this joint-free stage, we also create an exploded view showing the components and their identities.
The next step is to develop all fittings. Mostly mortise, but also do some dovetailing of the top rail. This fitting is commonly found on sideboards.
Lots to do, especially in the Tambour section. I immediately picked up a copy of the Tambour Door I had used for Seymour’s secretary and bookshelf a few years ago. It’s not an exact fit, but it should be installed in no time.
Tim Killen
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