Project Information
Hello fellow LJ's. This is my first "real" project, and there were a lot of firsts. This was the first time I used mortise and tenon joinery. First time I made a drawer. First time I glued up a panel. Looking forward to my many seconds! I used a plan from Woodcraft and acquired some quarter sawn white oak from a local DIY saw mill for a $1.25/bf and I must say, the cost of doing this project in QSO for my first project was what took me so long to start it. The boards were not perfectly clear, but I could buy so much I could cut around the knots. The case is all mortise and tenon joinery, as are the vertical decorative "spindles", the the shelf sits in a dado, and the drawer is made with locking rabbet joinery. I took my time (started in July) over the course of several months. I also launched a new business in September so don't give me too hard of a time. I've already prepared the lumber for the second one, so it shouldn't take 6 months… as a matter of fact, I will cutting mortises and tenons today.
A few things that could've gone better: I was not that pleased with the finish. First of all, white oak does not stain anything like the pictures on General Finishes (or Minwax's) cans. I tried five colors before going to GF's Java, which looked black on the can, but came out just the color I wanted…ok, fine, the color my wife wanted! It matches the table. Anyway, the application of the gel stain was an interesting experience. I was told gel stains work well on vertical surfaces, which is true, and also, I couldn't find Java in oil- or water-based anyway. My issue was trying to do too much in a section at a time and having a hard time wiping all the remnants of the stain, so I'll difinately work in smaller sections next time. The other bummer about the finish was I don't believe I let the stain dry long enough. It was in my shop which is my garage but maintains a pretty constant temp of 50 degrees, but even after 12 hours as I was applying the Arm-R-Seal it seemed to smudge the stain that appeared to be dry, and I ended up with streaks. My cloth even picked up some stain on the second coat. Any thoughts?
The only other thing is that the rails are all backwards. They are supposed to be flush with the inside of the case, not the outside. Since it's sister will be on the other side of the room, I've decided to correct this on the second one. Thanks for looking and criticism is the path to growth so… help me grow in my woodworking skills!
PS I'll add more pics later.
A few things that could've gone better: I was not that pleased with the finish. First of all, white oak does not stain anything like the pictures on General Finishes (or Minwax's) cans. I tried five colors before going to GF's Java, which looked black on the can, but came out just the color I wanted…ok, fine, the color my wife wanted! It matches the table. Anyway, the application of the gel stain was an interesting experience. I was told gel stains work well on vertical surfaces, which is true, and also, I couldn't find Java in oil- or water-based anyway. My issue was trying to do too much in a section at a time and having a hard time wiping all the remnants of the stain, so I'll difinately work in smaller sections next time. The other bummer about the finish was I don't believe I let the stain dry long enough. It was in my shop which is my garage but maintains a pretty constant temp of 50 degrees, but even after 12 hours as I was applying the Arm-R-Seal it seemed to smudge the stain that appeared to be dry, and I ended up with streaks. My cloth even picked up some stain on the second coat. Any thoughts?
The only other thing is that the rails are all backwards. They are supposed to be flush with the inside of the case, not the outside. Since it's sister will be on the other side of the room, I've decided to correct this on the second one. Thanks for looking and criticism is the path to growth so… help me grow in my woodworking skills!
PS I'll add more pics later.
