Curved Bamboo Island

Listing #4195 Listed on: 08/24/2013 Company Name: David Thiessen Woodworker, LLC
Name: David Thiessen Member

My assistants and I recently had an opportunity to do a curved front island. The architect specified a curved counter top. The builder and homeowner could not imagine that the island could be curved as well. They thought we would make the front with some flat panels angled around the front. I decided to make the front curved and surprise them. They were pleasantly surprised upon installation! What follows is the process for laminating and veneering a curved front island. I post this out of appreciation for those who have posted before me and how much I have learned from their postings. We learn a lot from one another. Cheers!

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Posted By:Brian
Perfect job and appreciate the photographs and timeline. Very clean look.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Brian
Posted By:David
Thanks Brian
Posted By:Ronald Naumann
Love this idea (curved) and a great job. Might try something like this in my own kitchen.
Posted By:Linda
Great job!!
Posted By:ness
Nice job. Can I use your post as an example on my cabinet software website? I would like to show how to design a bowed back like this and don't have any real life examples.
Posted By:David
Thank you all for your kind remarks and for checking out this posting!
Posted By:roger watson
very nice, not the easiest way to do it but probably the best. nice to able to do things right
Posted By:Bob
Looks very contemporary with nice clean lines. Well done. What's the reason for using the vacuum bag outside of the form as to using the form inside the bag. Wouldn't using it inside the bag yield better results by limiting clamping?
Posted By:David
Good question Bob. The reason for using the bag out side the form is that the form is a little too tall to get into the bag easily. The clamps are only used during the initial evacuation of air from the bag. Once it is under vacuum the clamps can come off and the panel can be taken off the form and set aside to dry. I do try to use the form inside the bag when I can but outside the form works just as well and allows for the pressing of very large panels.
Posted By:David
You can see the completed island and cabinets in my posting on 9/7/13.
Posted By:Jalvis
Thank you for your article.

What was your reason for routing the panel square? My first thought would be the panel saw.
Posted By:David
Jalvis, thanks for checking out the post. I do smaller curved panels on the saw using a simple positioning system for them. This panel was almost 8' along its length and would have required a special form or jig to trim the ends at the correct angle. It was seemed faster to use the original form which I took care to build square as a guide for my router. Perhaps there is an easier way.

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