Reader's Gallery

Maloof Chest of Drawers

comments (4) July 22nd, 2010 in Reader's Gallery

atgcpaul atgcpaul, member
thumbs up 13 users recommend
Closeup of drawer
Side view
Frame and panel back
- CLICK TO ENLARGE Photo: Pete Taylor Images
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I built this Maloof chest of drawers as a changing table for our baby girl.  I worked from pictures in books and on-line to try to reproduce this chest as closely as I could to the real thing.  I made a mock-up in Sketchup first.  The carcass is solid walnut.  The drawer runners sit in dadoes in the carcass and are screwed into the sides.  The screw holes are plugged with ebony.

The drawers have walnut fronts with maple sides and plywood bottoms.  I noticed on a tour of Maloof's house, he pegged the drawer sides to the front.  My sides are screwed into the fronts and the holes plugged with walnut.  The original had turned wooden pulls but I don't know how to turn so I bought metal knobs that approximated the original's shape.

The back is a frame and panel with bookmatched panels.  Our daughter's name is Serafina meaning angel or fiery one.  I think the panels look like angel wings.

It's finished with Roland Johnson's Hot Rod Varnish followed by shellac and wax.


Design or Plan used: Inspired by Sam Maloof
posted in: Reader's Gallery, modern, walnut, maple, frame and panel, chest of drawers, ebony, maloof chest of drawers
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Comments (4)

shrlok shrlok writes: Looks like you did an excellent job, I love the style of Maloof, some where I read that he came up with the round over everything style like the chest, but it's actually call a California round because local woodworkers to him in California started doing the same style.
Posted: 11:03 pm on August 10th

atgcpaul atgcpaul writes: Thank you.

All the outside edges were rounded before assembly. The inside face of the feet were also rounded before assembly. The inside face of the "ears" at top were rounded before assembly but were stopped just short of the topmost dado.

After assembly I laid the dresser flat on it's back, mounted a router into an oversized subbase that spanned the drawer opening and using the same router bit, I finished the roundovers. Inhad to finish the corner roundovers by rasp and sandpaper.
Posted: 4:56 am on July 30th

Dooferados Dooferados writes: A wonderful chest of drawers - it looks fantastic. I've been tempted to have a go at one myself. Were the rounded edges made after the carcass was assembled?
Posted: 4:30 am on July 24th

jg0258 jg0258 writes: Excellent work, looks great
Posted: 10:38 am on July 23rd

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