So Brad and I (mostly I) have FINALLY started on the cabinet that Ralph built for us a few years ago. For those of you that are not aware, Ralph started building this for us about five years ago while he was fighting his cancer. He had made us some adirondack chairs, a jewelry box and a cradle a few years before and really seemed to enjoy woodworking. I think it helped him have a purpose and something else to focus on while he was being treated. Needless to say, it didn't surprise me when he offered to build this cabinet after I saw it in a catalog and fell in love with it.
Ralph, Brad and I teamed up inorder to make this build a success. I drew out any modifications that needed done and picked out the handles, Ralph did the math and the majority of the labor and Brad drove Ralph back and forth to the hardware store for parts and supplies and helped with the build when he could. Many hours of labor and love went into this cabinet. Unfortuately Ralph never got to finish it. He didn't have much left to do, but after having his stroke he was no longer able to work with the power tools. Knowing that Ralph worked so hard on this, Brad and I came up with a plan to get the cabinet finished.
We were fortunate to have access to a trailer and a driver that could get the cabinet to Indiana. It's first stop...my grandfather's house! I'm not sure if my grandfather and Ralph had ever met, but it didn't matter. My grandfather likes woodworking and hates leaving anything unfinished. When we explained the situation to him and asked if he could help, he jumped on board! It didn't take him long to finish up what was left. Within a few days, the cabinet was making a second trip to our house. It was done and it looked awesome!
My grandfather is always asking about that cabinet. Everytime we see him, he asks if we had stained it yet. When we say 'no', he asks 'why not'? If it was up to him, it would have been done a long, long time ago. Unfortunately we have little kids and not a lot of time. That poor cabinet sat in our garage waiting on us to find some free time. Then, it got the chance to travel again...this time across the country! It sat in a storage unit for a while and once we bought the house, it moved into the garage. It has sat there for almost a year now, while we have unpacked and settled in. Now it is FINALLY getting the attention it deserves!
So far, I have sanded the whole thing twice. This picture was taken after the final sanding. Now it just needs to be cleaned of all the dust so the staining process can begin. I'm hoping to have that all done by the end of this weekend. We shall see...and I will keep you all posted. :)
4 comments:
Awesome!
please post pics of the final product.
That's great! Never knew the rest of the story with your grandfather. Now all it needs is some booze and a small tiny padlock and key and dad will feel it's complete!
Tim, you are right about the booze and padlock. However, I'm not sure how we could 'lock' the drawers. I seem to remember a Christmas at Ralph's where a locked cabinet full of liquor wasn't as secure as someone thought it was...I think it had something to do with Beef Wellingtons. lol!
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