Black wallnut
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Almost 3 years ago i started building a curio cabinet for LOML. I started in December 2004 and had it 90% finished by the end of Janurary 2005. Only neede to buy and install the glass. LOML and I were shopping in one of our towns furniture stores early fall 2004 and walked by a curio cabinet in what looked to be cherry wood. The salesman spied us and after wandering over announced that he could sell it to us for something close to $850.00. We had been wanting one for a few years so I made a few sketches once we got home that day. I figured I could make one for less than $100 lumber in abouts a months worth of weekends. Once I had mine assembled in January I took a few measurements for the glass to finish it. Melissa called a few places and got several quotes for the glass I'd need. I was utterly shocked at the cost of glass. IIRC it would have cost close to $200! There it sat in my way in the shop just waiting until we could afford to buy glass. Life happened and it was far longer than we had hoped before we could afford the glass. During that time Melissa worked for a while at a jewelry store that just happened to close right before our youngest was born and I was able to get plenty of thick display case glass to make the shelves.
Have you ever tried to cut 1/4" thick glass? I did! I made two shelves and then gave up. Sometime later my FiL gave me a window he did not need anymore. It should have been enough glass to finish the sides and then i'd just have to buy glass for the door. It turned out to be modern window glass which is tempered. Have you ever tried to cut tempered glass? I did!
It was so hard that my cutter wheel would not even scratch it. I tried a different method and found out what happens. It went Boom!!! 
Little tiny glass shards all over my shop; so many in fact I am still finding them. Only later did I read up on it and learn that it is not cutable in its tempered form.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I was cleaning the shop and became quite annoyed that I had to keep walking around this 90% done curio cabinet. I decided that I would soon finish it. LOML, our children and I went shopping today to Yakima. Before we left I looked up glass dealers on Yahoo yellow pages. We drove around and found that several of the listed businesses were no longer and all the ones that were had no weekend hours. Bummer! Was starting to feel that I just could not win and would never get this finished and out of the shop. Once we arrived back home I actually thought to search Yahoo yellow pages for glass dealers in our town. Printed that list off and told LOML that I'd return in a while. First place I went to was a dead end... address did not exist! No worries there is a frame shop right up the street that had an open sign. I pulled in there and asked if they cut glass. After the guy said yes I handed him my list and said how much. I could not believe it only $50.00. I said yes, he said, "you want it now?" I said yep! have you ever watched someone cut glass that is really good at it? I did! This guy was simply amazing! He used a poster board as a straight edge, measured twice, scored the glass free hand and snap. I was in awe.
Came home, kissed LOML and headed out to the shop. I still needed to make quarter-round to hold the glass in place. Chucked up my 1/4" radius round over. Gathered a hand full of red oak scraps and made the molding. Found my electric brad/ stapler does not have enough power to drive 5/8" brads into red oak flush! The hardest part was contorting my my hands to hold a nailset in the tight and awkward confines of the cabinet. Finally finished it up about 9:30 pm. I still had to cut two more shelves. This time I scored both sides of the thick glass and it broke a whole bunch easier.
Sorry to tease ya'll but did not have time to take pictures since the shop lighting just will not do this project justice. I will post them Sunday.
Have you ever tried to cut 1/4" thick glass? I did! I made two shelves and then gave up. Sometime later my FiL gave me a window he did not need anymore. It should have been enough glass to finish the sides and then i'd just have to buy glass for the door. It turned out to be modern window glass which is tempered. Have you ever tried to cut tempered glass? I did!
It was so hard that my cutter wheel would not even scratch it. I tried a different method and found out what happens. It went Boom!!! Little tiny glass shards all over my shop; so many in fact I am still finding them. Only later did I read up on it and learn that it is not cutable in its tempered form.Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I was cleaning the shop and became quite annoyed that I had to keep walking around this 90% done curio cabinet. I decided that I would soon finish it. LOML, our children and I went shopping today to Yakima. Before we left I looked up glass dealers on Yahoo yellow pages. We drove around and found that several of the listed businesses were no longer and all the ones that were had no weekend hours. Bummer! Was starting to feel that I just could not win and would never get this finished and out of the shop. Once we arrived back home I actually thought to search Yahoo yellow pages for glass dealers in our town. Printed that list off and told LOML that I'd return in a while. First place I went to was a dead end... address did not exist! No worries there is a frame shop right up the street that had an open sign. I pulled in there and asked if they cut glass. After the guy said yes I handed him my list and said how much. I could not believe it only $50.00. I said yes, he said, "you want it now?" I said yep! have you ever watched someone cut glass that is really good at it? I did! This guy was simply amazing! He used a poster board as a straight edge, measured twice, scored the glass free hand and snap. I was in awe.
Came home, kissed LOML and headed out to the shop. I still needed to make quarter-round to hold the glass in place. Chucked up my 1/4" radius round over. Gathered a hand full of red oak scraps and made the molding. Found my electric brad/ stapler does not have enough power to drive 5/8" brads into red oak flush! The hardest part was contorting my my hands to hold a nailset in the tight and awkward confines of the cabinet. Finally finished it up about 9:30 pm. I still had to cut two more shelves. This time I scored both sides of the thick glass and it broke a whole bunch easier.
Sorry to tease ya'll but did not have time to take pictures since the shop lighting just will not do this project justice. I will post them Sunday.
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