I dont build cabinets, but I think size and weight work against you while trying to hang it, and probably the biggest I would think would be strength. Can you hold as much weight in a 6' box, or three 2' boxes?

Those are !

Yes that is a good deal IMHO and I wanted to get 3 of them to use on the small lathe I teach from, but I will teach using a Faceplate until I get them.

I do believe from the years of not having a chuck that 95% of all work can be done between centers or on a faceplate.


Good luck and I should say there is a learning curve when first using them.

Arlin

That is some very nice work Arlin, I really like the three sided bowl.

I have two ceiling mounted retractable power reels that I THINK I purchased at HF. They are about ten years old or so. Don't look like the one you posted.

They work just fine, except the receptacle part does not wear well. The one that gets used the most wore out so bad that a plugged in tool would not stay plugged in. Very annoying to say the least.
It got so bad, I picked up a replacement at Home Depot that has a "lock" button. End of problem. Works so
well the other one will get the same treatment when I get a round tuit.

Oh, as far as the triple tap feature goes, I had never used more than one anyway.

3/8" is pretty thin for a panel on a headboard, especially for a panel that large. It will sound too thin every time it gets hit. If your frames are cut so a 3/8" thick panel is centered, then you could make the panels 3/8 + 3/16" = 9/16" thick and cut a rabbet around the back edges of them to give a 3/8" tongue to fit into the frame. The panels will be flush with the frame on the back side, look the same as a 3/8" panel on the front side, and feel a lot more substantial. They are also likely to stay flatter after glue-up, especially if you use solid stock.

With no bandsaw I wouldn't try resawing veneer on your table saw. You'll waste more wood than you get. Best to stick with solid stock.

You also may want to consider raised panels instead of flat ones. That would allow you to make them 5/8" to 3/4" thick so they will feel even more solid and give you some additional architectural detail. I don't know what look you are after; just thought I'd throw that out there.

John

I see that you are in Illinois and having lived there I know it can get really hot really fast. Seeing that you have thick slabs my bet is that they simply got too warm and too much air at once so they dried too fast. Because they are cracked that means drying too fast.

Horizon Lumber is one of those mills that specializes on large slabs and they dry them all the time. They take the moisture up to a high level and then pull it down slowly over the course of several months. I believe their kiln cycles for 2" thick wide slabs is about 6-8 months. My friend got 1000 bd ft of QSWO for them and he had to wait over a year for it.

Without paying a small fortune for a long kiln cycle you are left with the luck of Mother Nature for how fast she pulls the moisture out of the wood. In your case she got impatient. I have some 2-3" thick walnut that has been drying in upstate NY for ~5 years. There were trees that I planted when I was a kid. I had my brother cut them in early September and then them were milled in late November when it was cold. They slabs were placed on stickers and put inside the middle of a barn so not much air got to them. They dried perfectly with no cracks so I got darn lucky.

There are as many ways to build a cabinet as there are cabinet makers.

The one thing that sticks out for me is the absence of hang rails.
My backs are flush with the back (no inset). When you hang them, you want 'em sucked up tight to the wall.

How do you plan to attach the face frame? I cut a dado into the ff verticals to
accept the sides. I've been told that's overkill...I like overkill!

I see a few other details that I do differently, but again, there's more than one way to skin this cat.

Call these guy they may be able to help.

http://dispozablade.com/

This it where I get my knives for my Felder.

Nice job! The wood kinda looks like cherry in the pics...