Woodworking
I started woodworking a few years ago. My goal is to eventually make some fine furniture, but making some smaller projects is relaxing and very satisfying when the item is complete. Pine is cheaper than hardwoods and a good way to learn and build skills for the future. Less pieces of equipment are needed also. I've added tools along with skills over time and you can see some progression on this page..
A lot of what I learned is from a couple of books and magazines, but the rec.woodworking newsgroup has been a wealth of information for tools and techniques. Visiting the web pages of some of the people that frequent the newsgroup has been very educational and inspirational. .
Here are a few samples of my work.
The items below are sized to fit the 18" doll that is so popular these days.
This bed is 20" long. Notice the headboard pattern is the same as used in the footboard of the cradle. The design was copied from the top portion of our dining room chairs. Pine with a pecan stain.
Table, with Chairs and Bench
Looking for a doll we ran across one from the Arnett Collection. It was cute so my wife just had to have it. Now we have most of the family so we figured they should be able to have dinner together. Here is the table, bench and chairs for them to use.
This was one of my first projects. It was simple in design and a good experience to learn how t use some of the tools. In this photo, the bench was not yet stained. It is pecan stain on pine, finished with polyurethane.
Cradle
This is the top portion ready for assembly to the base and rockers.
Finished in red oak stain. I'm particularly proud of the top section. It consists of 13 segments, 12 are beveled 15 degrees on one side to wrap around from one side to the next. The top piece is beveled on two sides to join the two. Smoothed with a plane, then sanded to make the faceted joints round and smooth.
This is how it will be used to display a doll.
Swinging Cradle
The cradle was made from pine, finished with shellac. My wife made the mattress, pillow, and blanket.
Day beds
These were made for two of our granddaughters.
Ready for staining and finishing.
All the joints are glued and doweled together. No nails or screws used. My wife does the sewing and made the cushions and pillows to complete the sets. On the right the folded material is a blanket for the dolls.
This desk is a scaled copy of an old oak desk at work. The desk top is solid oak that was reclaimed from a pallet.
Larger Projects
Over time I progressed to more complex projects, higher quality woods more involved techniques. . .
Tudor Bench from cypress, finished with spar varnish. This was my first project with mortise and tenon joints. Plans were from American Furniture Design. The first time around was a real challenge, but I liked the result so much I made another two years later. The second took about a third of the time. This is the type of project you can save money doing it yourself. There is about $300 in wood, plus another $60 for materials. I saw the same style bench at a retailer for $1000.
You can buy a TV stand for $100, or you can build one for only $150 in materials. You can't buy something that fits your exact needs, so designing and building it yourself is the best option. This is oak plywood panels and solid oak front, drawers, trim. Finish is Tried and True Varnish Oil. Drawers are full depth and pull out with the touch of a finger.
This is solid cherry and was made for my wife's doll clothes. The bottom trim is Jatoba, often called Brazilian Cherry. It is a very hard wood and makes a nice contrast.
Chaise lounge for relaxing after a hard day in the shop. This is also cypress.
Bench was made using mahogany decking materials. Penofin oil finish. I had enough material left over to make a couple of small tables to compliment it.
These are a few of my tools.
There are many good brands of tools and for the major power tools in my shop I chose Delta for the table saw and planer, Jet for the bandsaw. They perform well and are very accurate.
Hand tools are just as important. A good plane, such as the Knight Tool works smoother make finishing wood easy. Each of these planes are hand crafted and tuned by Steve Knight. There is a lot of satisfaction in using hand tools at the workbench. The fine fitting is best done by hand using the same skills as master furniture makers have used for a few centuries. To learn some of those skills I took a course at our local Woodcraft store in Manchester CT. They operate The School of Fine Woodworking and offer many classes at different skill levels. Four days of classes gave me basic knowledge and skills to build on.
Steve Knight coffin plane