Case Back Installation

After the holidays, I managed to grab just a bit of time before heading back to work to accomplish some work on my jewelry armoire project. At this point, I've got only two projects in progress, my two big dinosaurs. The jewelry armoire is now up on a dolly so I can work on all sides. My Roubo workbench parts are glowering at me from a corner of the shop. She'll have to wait. (I've decided the workbench is a 'she'.)

I took a gift I received from my beautiful wife for Christmas as an excuse to put the back on the armoire case. I know that doing the back is usually left until the end, but I wanted to use my new Lie Nielen rabbet block plane to cut the edge rabbets on the shiplapped back panels. When I went to pull the lumber for the back, I realize that, as usual with a project that hangs around too long, the poplar lumber originally earmarked for the job had been used for something else. So I started by going to Home Depot and buying some clean poplar. (Quick and expensive, but no more delays.) I thickness planed the plank down to 1/2" and then sized three pieces for the back. 

Then I used the table saw to cut the inner edge of each rabbet, then planed down the rabbets with my . . guess. (rabbet plane) It was a joy to make some serious shavings again. Test fit the three planks together and nailed them in place in the case back. 

Issue . . . how do you pull out drawers that have no handles when you can't push on the back of them from the rear of the case now that it's covered? Oops.  Well, the back was just installed temporarily anyway.  

I also took the time today to go back and test the fitting of the drawers. Most of them were a little too tight. So I power sanded them so they all slide in and out smoothly and without hitching. I have a much better feeling about them now. I always have a problem getting drawers to fit and work smoothly in my projects. 

Looking through my remaining pieces of clear sapwood sycamore, I realize another problem. I don't have enough long clear, white sycamore to finish all four doors. Looks like a run to the lumber yard. Too bad I don't know any in Georgia that carry QS sycamore. Google, here I come. . .