Krenov Cabinet #2: Dry fit of base
Here is the legs and aprons joined with biscuits. Nothing is glued up nor square though. Aprons 3 1/4” wide and 9 1/8” and 18” long
Making Figured Maple Wainscot for a restaurant
Over the summer one of my instrument building customers told me he bought a restaurant. It seemed out of the blue but I wished him well. Then I realized that he was not telling me this coincidentally. Rather, he wanted the restaurant’s interior to pay homage to the exotic instrument woods he uses to build guitars. I invited him out to the warehouse to take a walk and see if something inspires him. Unfortunately, there were some limitations. Not the least of which w...
Building A Cuttaway Acoustic Guitar #4: Part 4: Rosette, Bracing and Gluing the Top
Well folks, its been a while! I am now in my senior year of high school and unfortunately, time is not slowing down! I haven’t had a lot of time to work on the guitar this past summer, but I really have enjoyed the time I have had. Looking back at my last blog makes me feel like since my last post not a lot has happened; in reality I feel like I understand how to build a guitar and the order everything is assembled much better. The rosette has taken just about the most time creating-...
Shop stuff #170: Some drawers for the vanity.
One of those projects that got put to the side while other things were going on. The bathroom renovation I started last year is still not complete, but every now and then I get a bit of time to do a bit more on it. Earlier this summer I found a few days to get the drawers done for the vanity build. I milled up the wood from maple for the sides, used plywood for the bottom, and of course, used cedar for the fronts to go with the cedar cabinet. I also cut the centre panel from the same boar...
Krenov Cabinet #1: Legs-the Krenov curve
Krenov style cabinet based off of dimensions in Fine woodworking issue no. 208. I am using both Philippine Mahogany and either elm burl or something exotic for the door fronts. I enjoy the curve of the se legs, they almost look like hooves on a camel. All the mahogany will be stained to appear darker and like its more expensive counterparts.
Greene & Greene Thorsen Sideboard #4: Material Prep
With my design work essentially complete, it’s time to start rough cutting the Sapele for the solid wood parts. I start with the lower stretchers. Using the pattern routing templates, I lay out the parts to align the grain on some 8/4 stock. After rough cutting the overall shape on the bandsaw, I joint one face and one edge of the boards, then plane to clean up the other side. Then, it’s back to the bandsaw to resaw the parts, followed by another trip to the planer for a final clea...
Greene & Greene Thorsen Sideboard #3: Sideboard Design
For the design work on this sideboard, I start by purchasing a copy of the original Greene & Greene drawing for the Thorsen House Furniture from the digital archives at USC. There are no dimensions, but having visited the Huntington Library last year I have the overall size of the piece which allows me to scale the drawing and get very close. Combined with the photos I took of the original, I am able to draw up the sideboard in CAD to the point of being able to create the drawings neede...
Shop stuff #169: Mobile Home Skirting My Way
I have not been releasing a lot of videos lately. I’ve been too busy. A huge job overview and how I did it, and the reasons why. I hope the information comes in handy for someone. Small homes are becoming more popular. I have lived here for 17 years and we have made improvements on a continuing basis. Just like you would on a traditional home. View on YouTube
New Restoration Project Home from 1880
This is my latest restoration project. Now we purchased an old 1880 Cape Cod style home and i’m building my tool collection again. It originally had no power when it was built and had gas lights, at some point it was upgraded to electric lights, and now is upgraded to code. We removed the suspended ceiling that someone had put in and discovered the original gas light fixtures and crown molding were still in place, the lath and plaster walls and ceilings needed some work and that ...
Greene & Greene Thorsen Sideboard #2: Bolection inlay class
The bolection inlay class at Marc Adams School of Woodworking was well worth the 10 hour drive. Reid Eric Anderson taught the class over a weekend. The class project was a small portion of the inlay from the Thorsen House sideboard. Reid uses a combination of CNC and laser cutting to create the recesses and pieces for the inlay. He developed a clever method that uses a secondary working panel (shown on the left below) with slightly oversized recesses to allow carving of the inlay pieces....
