All Clamped Up and No Where to Go

Another good day of progress on the restoration project.  Started off buying the pin nailer and it's well worth it.  There are some places on the cabinet where someone had made a repair by using a finish nail or brad and inevitably that's also a place where the wood cracked.  With a 23 gauge pin it's almost invisible, I have some furniture markers and a swipe across the hole should conceal it completely.  Re-assembling this gallery was quite the trick!

It's made up of 5 pieces and they all had to be installed at the same time.  Two side pieces, two posts, and then the front -- all doweled together.  Over the years they have cupped, warped, and otherwise changed shape since it was originally put together which added to the complexity.  I ended up supporting the side pieces with a couple of clamps then glue the posts to the front, hold that and attach it to the side pieces, brush glue on the cabinet portion and then try to hold all of them together and find the dowel holes -- whew!  It worked okay, then it was a matter of clamping with just enough pressure to hold it in place but not so much that the wood will crack.  Tomorrow afternoon we'll see how it holds.  Next is to reattach the curved and carved molding that goes under the shelf. There's a return piece missing so I'll more than likely try to replicate something to fill the space.  Good education putting this together and seeing how it was done in the 1900's.
By the way, in the background you can see the tool chest I've been working on as well.   I put the first of 4, hand rubbed top coats on it this morning.  A friend of mine, Vince, came over to learn about this finish so that made the morning enjoyable.