was just wondering; if we make fancy baseplates for our fancy-sharpener, then why not make a fancy cabinet? :cheer: It took a couple of days to produce but here it is;
The WE on a custom american walnut cabinet with one drawer for stones and stuff
The cabinet is pretty sturdy since the topplate is a full inch thick. Because of that thickness I had flesh enough to mill the sides in the topplate. That, in combination with screws and glue makes the cabinet very sturdy. I also milled a nice edge around the topplate as I did on the front of the drawer.
The screws are sunken in the wood and covered with filler (Rustins mahagony). After sanding it up to 400 grit I finished the wood with wood dye (Rustins walnut) to highlight the grain of the wood. The wood is securely sealed with two component ‘plastic wood’. It is protected to steeldust and all liquids and adds a high gloss.
The drawer can be removed. I added a brass lock in the cabinet which holds the drawer closed and in place. The opposite part of the lock is on the rear of the drawer (see picture) and invisible when the drawer is in the cabinet. Everthing is glued and screwed together.
The drawer can hold up to 7 stone/stropsets. They rest on foam and are separated by cardboard to avoid mixing up grain and contaminate other stones.
I added a subtle grip on the drawer which is not yet on the picture. I will show later
For now, enjoy. WE has gone chique! B)
Yeah man! Outstanding job! It looks like it also adds weight to the thingy since you can put the stones in the drawer. Do you have to put any type of rubber mat under it or rubber feet to keep it from sliding around?
Hi, thanks for the compliments, love it, much appreciated :cheer: As promised, a couple more pictures. The project is done and I finished it by installing a brass grip on the drawer. It is partially milled in the front. One more thought crosses my mind; to make the drawer fall in the cabinet in stead of letting the front of the drawer stick out and cover the cabinet. (I know, I know, I sound like a perfectionist, sorry… :unsure: )
On request a picture of the bottom. Indeed I used four large rubber pads on the corners to avoid slipping. Even without the weight of the drawer and stones the system is heavy enough, believe me.
One more advantage of raising the system is that I (I am almost 7 feet tall) can ergonomically better use the sharpener. Higher on the table is better for me
The two holes in the bottom are to access the screws of the WE mounted on top of the cabinet.
The two-component plastic coat has set for a couple of days now and the system is ready to use.
It all makes good sense I like the boat type catch on the draw.
Did the black one help - perhaps deposited a little fur in the varnish?
Call it the mk1 the draw facia sitting flush would be good for the perhaps larger mk2 when you have more stones and accessories to put in the box which is inevitable and since you are a wood worker the chisel adapter etc will be worthwhile additions .
Absolutely fantastic. Initially, I was going to ask what you would do if you needed to remove the base from the top of the cabinet … this covers it!! Ahhh … if only I had as much talent! Beautiful work and such a creative idea.
