Woodwork Projects

Cherry Blanket Chest

Cherry Blanket Chest

This blanket chest was constructed out of solid Cherry panels. All joints in the box and drawers are through dovetails. The interior is lined with Aromatic Cedar. The 3 drawers are fully functional and the drawer boxes are constructed from clear Poplar. The finish is hand rubbed Danish Oil in Dark Walnut (4 coats - so far) and the hardware is solid brass. Inspiration for this chest comes from Woodsmith Magazine.

Pine Book Shelf

Pine Book Shelf

This is one of two pine bookshelves that I have made for the kids. The kids are bigger now and the shelves are finished to match the rest of the pine bedroom suite.

Fish Tank Stand

Fish Tank Stand

The fishstand project was a quick one designed to replace our particleboard table which we had been using for the past 12 years. No kidding, this thing was butt-jointed particle board and it held up the 30 gallon saltwater tank for years. The particle board had started to swell badly and everytime someone moved quickly, the entire tank shook. The tank is no longer salt water (we moved away from the coast and the price of salt water fish here is crazy!), but the freshwater fish are still quite interesting.

This stand is solid oak (with oak plywood sides) and is designed to support a sherman tank. The top of the stand has an inlaid 'leather look' arborite inset to protect the cabinet from any water stains. The feet detail is identical to the detail on the blanket chest above (I made templates when I built the blanket chest, so rather than reinvent the wheel, I reused the old templates.)

A matching top with lights is in the works, but until then, I have cropped the picture so you can't see the mess on top of the tank!!

Wristwatch

Wristwatch

I have built several of these very popular pices using a variety of woods. The Dark Walnut straps with a lighter Oak or Maple face are the nicest visually.

Caterpillar

Caterpillar

This is a great kids pull toy. Constructed from solid Maple with Mahogany highlights it is a fully articulated pull toy that will stand up to the roughest of use. If anyone knows where the plans for this originated, I would appreciate knowing myself.

Picnic Table

Picnic Table

This table is made entirely from clear Western Red Cedar. It is finished in tung oil (reapplied once a year) and continues to look pretty good even after 7 years outside. The table has since been drilled for a market umbrella. I will have another picture sometime soon. The plans were from Woodsmith magazine.

Chess Board

Chess Board I

This chess board is constructed of solid Eastern Maple (bird's eye) and Blood Wood. The figured maple border has no bird's eye in it. The playing surface on this board stands about 1/4" proud of the border and is finished with a high gloss lacquer. It is so smooth that the men remain in motion after moving them - maybe this is a problem?? ;-) . The squares are 2-1/8" and are made for large men 4" plus tall. Overall the board is approx 22" square and weighs almost 15 lbs!

Chess Board II

This chess board is constructed of solid Western Maple (burl) and Walnut. The border is lightly figured Eastern maple. The playing surface on this board stands about 1/4" proud of the border and is finished with a satin lacquer. The squares are 2-1/4" and are made for large men 4" plus tall. Overall the board is approx 22" square and weighs almost 15 lbs! The men are hand painted ceramic in Antique Pewter and Gold finishes. The bowed edge is a photographic anomaly, it really is straight!

More boards are in the works, and ultimately one set will be made with hand carved ebony and boxwood, or rosewood and boxwood pieces.

Coffee Tables

Coffee Tables/Router Table

Cherry Coffee table under construction. I finally started!! This thing is huge. The top is 27" * 48" and I managed to make it out of three boards. The top is braced underneath with two cleats to control twisting and cupping. I think if I did it again, I would 'breadboard' the ends to control cupping. This would probably be less of an issue if the top was actually fastened to the carcase, but as it is completely free the tendency for it to move is very high. I have had it sitting inside under about 300 lbs of weight to allow it to aclimatize to the humidity in the house. More pictures to come as the piece evolves. Also in the works are two end tables in the same design.

The coffee table is nearing completion. The Watco Danish Oil - Dark Walnut has been applied this weekend and the hardware installed on the false fronts. The top has been attached with hinges to allow access to the internal hidden compartment and the drawers are under construction. More pictures to come when it is finished. I will be starting the matching end tables soon.

UPDATE (Jan 2003): The table is finished and the drawers have been completed. The only thing left to do is install drawer stops and give the top a couple of coats of Varathane or Lacquer to protect it. The functional drawers were built from maple with Cherry fronts attached by half blind dovetails.

(Jul 2003): The end tables have been started, then sidelined to finish the Hall Table in Quarter Sawn Oak below. I will be getting back to the end tables soon. I have still not put the final finish on the coffee table and now I will probably wait until the end tables are done as well. Actually, I'm not sure what I want to use for the final finish ;-( so it may be awhile yet.

Small Box(es)

Small Boxes

The photo montage shows another 'ongoing project'. Originally destined to be a Christmas (2002) present it was a little bit late ;-( The box is made from solid 1/4" and 3/8" walnut panels resawn in my shop from 4/4" walnut boards. The joinery is straightforward dadoes and rabbets. The drawers were built from resawn poplar with 1/2" walnut fronts. The box is finished with three coats of amber shellac, sanded between coats with 400 griit wet/dry. The shellac was 3lb cut, but the final coat was cut 50%. Update: January 2003! The box and drawers are complete. The only two things left to do are install the brass hardware (still waiting for it) and line the drawers with self adhesive felt or velvet (burgundy or black). Oh, and I might give it one coat of wax to dull the finish a little bit. OKAY - It is done. February, but better late than never? The brass hardware and velvet liner (burgundy) have been installed.

This is a solid walnut box with Spalted Apple wood insert (we live in an area of orchards!) Apple wood is awful to work with (hard, brittle and cracks like crazy) but is very beautiful wood when finished. The splines are also Apple wood. I have left a ledge inside to hold a sliding tray, but my wife has decided that the box is perfect for hiding the remote controls, so there is no room for the tray anyways.

This solid Oak box was constructed to house a 20 kilogram stainless steel check standard for the Okanagan District Office of Measurement Canada. The 3/4" thick solid oak box is made with through dovetail construction. The check standard is contained with a felt lined 6" diameter round cutout. The hardware is all brass. The box has not received its final sanding and finish.

Hall / Sofa Table

Quartersawn Oak Hall Table

This is a hall or sofa table being built as a gift (July 2003). The table is built from Quarter Sawn Red Oak selected for the abundance of lateral rays. The legs are flared in two direction at the bottom and were cut from large blocks of oak. The aprons are fastened to the legs with sliding dovetails for strength. It is a very simple and elegant table. The design inspration comes from several tables I looked at before starting, but the actual table is one of my own design. It has been designed to fit in a small hallway nook although it could easily be a sofa table as well. The table is complete. I used Flecto Colonial Maple #606 Gel Stain then completed with Flecto Varathane #1000 Professional Semi-Gloss. Finally, I coated the entire project in a finishing wax and buffed to a final sheen. The finish is nice, but the colour is a little too orange for my taste.

Small Chest

Quartersawn Red Oak Small Chest

Still under construction (Nov 2004), but I had the camera out, so..... Built from red oak, some quartersawn, some figured - lined with aromatic cedar. Hinges are on the bench and it needs a final sanding and stain. More to come......

Bagel Slicer

Spalted Birch and Cherry Bagel Slicer

Simple Bagel Slicer built from a couple of scrap pieces of Cherry (core) and Spalted Birch. Maybe the kids will cut the bagels instead of their fingers now!

Flip Chair/Stool

Pine Flip Chair/Stool

Small Pine Flip Chair turns into a step stool. Pretty neat design, this is a prototype. I will make the final version in Oak (or maybe Cherry). As is typical with many of my projects, it is not quite finished yet. Notice the screw holes which will be plugged and then a durable finish needs to be applied. I think I will embed a couple of small ceramic magnets to keep it together until I want it to flip as well.

Tools, Tool Shed, Cutting Boards, Router table, etc. etc.

Miscellaneous

Just a couple of small projects that have materialized over the years. More info to follow.