Whiskey Cabinet
This cabinet is made from bubinga wood, featuring both solid wood and veneer on the exterior, while the interior is adorned with birds-eye maple veneer. The deep reddish-brown tones of the bubinga create a stunning contrast with the vibrant purple hues of the solid purpleheart wood used for the door pulls, shelves, and accent trim. A light embedded in the bottom shelf gently illuminates the interior, casting a warm glow through your selected beverage and creating an inviting atmosphere.
This project serves as another learning opportunity as I work towards building a living room coffee table. It involves kerf bending of the plywood substrate between two pieces of veneer. I built a full-size form for the coffee table, using part of it to form the two identical halves of this cabinet. The halves were joined with floating tendons to create the full cabinet.
To add a unique touch, I incorporated a small, battery-powered LED light in the bottom shelf. The light turns on when the door opens, triggered by a magnetic switch, and casts a warm glow through any bottle placed inside. One door has a rare earth magnet embedded into to the substrate prior to gluing and pressing on the veneer.
The cabinet was finished with one coat of Watco natural Danish oil, followed by three coats of shellac. The sheen was then gently reduced using steel wool and furniture wax for a smooth, polished look.
