The Melamine Cup

Today Liesl, Quin and I went Jaffrey, NH and visited a store that specializes in mid - century modern furnishings called 'The Melamine Cup'    The store is awesome and the owners are very gracious.  It took us an hour and a half to get there but it was well worth the trip.  It was hard not to buy a lot of product.  We've been searching for the right desk to use as a computer desk.  I know this sounds strange being that I'm a furniture maker but it's like the cobblers shoe less kids.   I can't afford the time off too make something for us or the cost of materials.  Making furniture for yourself and family generally doesn't pay the bills.  

Today we found the perfect desk and an ottoman.  We'll be back soon.  The store and area was perfect.   It was a great day for seeing fall foliage as well.

Providence finger joints

Yesterday I went to visit my friend Glen in Providence who is making a chest for his daughter.  Glen took apart an old pine bookcase and is re purposing the lumber and using it for the chest project.   Glen decided to use finger/box joints as the primary joint for the chest.  Glen did a fantastic job. He cut the joints using a router.  They are precise and aesthetically proportioned.  As always- gluing up a bunch of boards takes more than two hands, so I went to lend a hand.  The glue up went smoothly and the chest looks great.  The original finish is still in tact and looks beautiful.  I love the contrast in colors in the finger joints.  The honey pine of the old boards and the new, raw exposed wood of the fresh cut boards.  It works well.

I can't wait to see the end results.

Works in Wood 2013

Yesterday  I received news that I will be participating in an exhibition called Works in Wood 2013.

Works in Wood is a juried national exhibition that takes place at the New Hope Arts Center in New Hope, PA. In Beautiful Bucks County.  I was lucky enough to participate in it last year.  last year my Tea Lights were accepted into the exhibition.  This year my Tea Caddy ( pictured below ) was accepted.  The tea box is made from Mahogany and rosewood.  It is joined by hand cut dovetails.The opening reception is November 9th.  For more information visit

Works in Wood 2013 

New Hope Arts center, 2 Stockton Ave. 2nd Floor. New Hope, PA 18938 

215.862.9606 www.newhopearts.org

''RRRRRRRRRRRR"

Slowly but surely Quinn's pirate chest is coming along.  Today we added the red maple and burlap handles and the skull and cross bones.  This has been a fun project, it makes you feel like a kid again and there's nothing wrong with that.  

Pirates of Massachusetts

I'm slowly working on my son'd pirates treasure chest.  It's been a fun project.

This simple chest has some great aspects to it, like the coopered lid.  The pine staves are  beveled on each side to fit.  A simple techniques that creates a drastic look. I took a plane to the staves once glued together to knock off the high spots.  I then sanded the chest to 220 grit.  I'll give the entire chest a coat of wax, creating a nice amber look.  I attached small pads or feet on the bottom to elevate the box and make it look lighter.  I also added a pine bottom to it.  All that is left to do is to create some handles for the chest.

  

soles for cleaning

I have a small table top belt and disc sander that I use a lot when I'm sanding pine.    The belts  get gummed up quickly.  I'm not sure of the spelling but you can by commercial rubber blocks to clean the belts and get the gum off.  They are pronounce 'Crape' blocks.  The soles of certain shoes such as hush puppies and desert boots are made out of the same material.  I bought a pair of old shoes for $3 at my local thrift store.  I took the shoes apart and kept the soles.  They work wonderfully'  I'd have to pay at least $10 for one block at a woodworking supply store.  Instead I got two for $3.

They don't look pretty but they work very well.

Pirates and Cider House

When we were apple picking this past weekend we saw a beautiful old cider house that had a wonderful old coopered apple bin. My son loves to dress up and play pirate.  The coopered apple bin inspired me.  Quinn's been asking for me to build him a large pirate chest that he can use so I started to build him one this week.  The chest is made out of pine and constructed using simple butt joints reinforced with square head nails.  The top is made out of pine staves that I coopered  for the lid.  The angle on each piece is approximately nine degrees.  If you have pieces that are the same width you then can do simple math to find the angle of each piece.  I'll take a hand plane to the lid to knock off the sharp corners.  This will make it round.

Cider House

Yesterday we went apple picking.  We went to Keown Orchard in Sutton.  Last year I spotted this old cider house and had to take a picture.  After a great day of picking apples I went and took this picture.  I love the coopered tower.  It's aged beautifully.  The old tower and house are a warm gray color.  I hope it's still standing next year when we visit again. 

Fall is in the air

Sometimes you have projects to do around the house that aren't glamorous or fine woodworking but are a necessity.  Fall is upon us and even though it's going to be in the seventies this week winter is approaching.  This past week I made simple frames.  The frames are connected with lap joints and glued and screwed together.  I then wrapped them with 3 mil  plastic drop sheets.  Hopefully theses window frames will help insulate the house and cut down on the heating bill.

Lap Desk Oil and Wax

I finished the pine lap desk with oil and a coat of wax.

I love how the oil and wax create a beautiful patina on pine, aging it instantly.  It has a beautiful amber glow to it.

Lap desk Complete

Yesterday I finished building the lap desk.  I attached the lid using brass hinges.  I predriiled the screw holes and then dipped the screws in wax before installing them.  The wax reduces friction.  Brass is soft so sometimes you can strip the heads off of them if you screw them in to tight.

Lap Desk Divider

I've been slowly working on a shaker style pine lap desk.  Yesterday I cut and shaped the second divider.  The main center divider is removable.  This smaller divider is fixed.  The two pieces that make up the divider are joined together with through dovetails.  This  project is a great exercise in honing your hand tool skills.  The carcase of the desk is joined with dovetails, as are the dividers and the small drawer is joined with through and half blind dovetails.  

Lap Desk: The Saga Continues

I'm slowly working on the lap desk.  I've  cut and shaped the center divider

and finished the bread board ends on the lid.  Next I have to build  the small drawer.  The drawer will be assembled using through and half blind dovetails.

Bread Board Ends

Yesterday I cut 3/4 inch wide tenons on the lid of the lap desk.  The tenons are only 1/8 inch thick.

I used the table saw to cut the 1/8 inch mortises in the maple bread board ends.  The mortises are 3/4 inch deep.  I use stop blocks to help me cut the mortises on the table saw, plunging the piece onto the blade and then moving it along until it hits the other stop block. The maple end boards are over sized.  I'll cut them to size on the table saw.  The bread board ends are pegged with 1/8 inch dowel pegs.  I drilled three holes into each end and pegged the ends with the dowel pegs.  The bread board ends are glued only in the center of the tenon to allow for wood movement.  The holes in the tenons are elongated to allow for wood movement.

Shaker style lap top

Today I started working on a pine shaker style lap desk.  I started the main carcase of the desk quite a while ago.  The top and bottom of the desk is made out of quarter sawn pine.  The case sides are glued directly to the bottom.  The quarter sawn pine is very stable so a simple glue/butt joint is very sufficient.  The corners are joined with dovetails. The center divider is removable to accommodate a modern lap top computer

That's a wrap'

Today Jeff and I finished shooting the new episode of the show.  This episode's project is a planter box, like the ones I made for Lynch's package store only made to fit the rail of a backyard deck.

The project and the shoot went well.

Yesterday we went to a flea market.  The top floor of the old dutch barn has the beautiful arched beams.  My poor picture doesn't do it justice

' Castles in the air'

On Saturday I filled my son's sand box and moved it outdoors.  It was such a beautiful day that I couldn't wait to paint it.  As you can see it was a big hit with my son and Mom.  The best compliment is seeing a project you made being used.

New episode

On Friday Jeff and I starting shooting a new episode of the show.  The project for the show is a planter box like the ones I made for Lynch's package store only modified to fit on a deck.  It feels good to be shooting the show again, it's been a while since we put out a new episode.  The simple plywood box  is made up of four sides and a bottom that fits into grooves and dados in the side pieces.  The box is then framed  with pieces of 1" x 2" pine and then decorative molding is added.  A piece of corner round is added to soften the corners. 

My son Quinn asked me quite some time ago to build him sand box so he could play with his trucks and knights and dragons outside.  It's taken a while but this week I built his sand box for him.  He loves castles, dragons and knights so I built him a sand box in the shape of a castle.  The frame of the box is built using pressure treated 1" x 6" boards for the frame and fir 4" x 4" post.  I attached the frame to the legs using dados, glue and lag bolts.  All of the material I got from the cut off bin at Home Depot so it was very inexpensive.  I used some scraps of plywood to create the dentil molding.  I made a simple jig for my miter gauge on the table saw and cut out the notches using stack dado blades. I made faux windows by cutting the shapes out of some pine scraps.  First I ran the board over the table saw blade to create small grooves in the boards.

The bottom is a piece of 3/4" plywood housed in the sides by a 1/2 " x 3/4" dado.  I attached fence post caps to the post to give it a real medieval castle feel.

I'm going to paint the castle a terra cotta color.

I had a blast making this for Quinn.  I didn't even get a chance to move it off the bench before he was playing in it.  All that is left to do is to fill it up with sand and move it outdoors.