My daughter in college found a new apartment but did not have a bedside table to put next to her desk. I agreed to build her one out of shop scraps. This was the result. It is made from 3/4 Luan plywood for the top (edged with 1/8 inch poplar strips), drawer and door fronts; half-inch plywood for the drawer sides and back, a piece of 1/4 oak plywood for the drawer bottom; poplar side and back frames over which was placed 1/4 inch beadboard; 1/4 inch pine plywood for the back; and pine 2x4s for the legs. All joinery was kreg pocket hole screws and glue - sometimes glue only. I used pin nails and glue to attach the side panels and attached the top with metal plate fasteners and screws. I could have simply glued the top on but chose the plates and screws. I stained the cabinet with some oil-based stain I had left over from other projects and covered the cabinet with two coats of minwax wipe-on poly. The top was finished with two coats of Zinsser seal-coat (dewaxed) and three coats of minwax wip-on poly for extra durability and smoothness.

Elizabeth's Display Case Remodel/Restoration

October 10, 2008
Just finished this project. Elizabeth requested a remodel of this display case. Originally, It had a window in the front that did not open. Entry into the case was only from the right side. She purchased this case for $100 because the mirrors, glass shelves and front window had broken and were removed. She requested that I add a door, restore a chipped off place on one of the sculptured appointments and install all missing glass and mirrors. Originally, the front window stretched from the top wavy curve to the bottom of the cabinet. In order to add a door, I needed to lower the top of the case to below the leaf appointments on each side so the door could open properly. I mirrored the wavy design and added that piece of wood to lower the top section. I think it added interest and functionality to the case. It was a challenge and a lot of fun!

Redwood Picnic Table Restoration

This redwood picnic table was in very bad shape. It had significant weather damage including significant wood rot along with a severe ongoing carpenter ant infestation. In the center photo you can see that almost the entire board on the left had been consumed by the carpenter ants. This project required significant use of insect killer, wood filler, epoxy and wood stabilizer followed by resurfacing, staining and varnishing of all boards prior to assembly, to restore this table.

Jamie's Bookcase

Between February 12 and 24th, 2008 I built this bookcase for Jamie. She requested it for her baby's bedroom.

The bookcase is made from tulip poplar wood and a 1/4" plywood back. Joinery included dados for the center shelf, rabbets for the corner joints and pocket screws for the top and bottom support frames. The feet were hand-turned on my lathe.

The finish included bullseye primer and two coats of exterior latex paint. I put a coat of polyurethane over the top and lower shelves for a little extra protection against moisture.

It was a fun little project.

Christmas Projects 2007

This Christmas I gave these projects as Christmas presents. My soon to be 89-year-old mother had mentioned to my brother-in-law that she could use a cane to steady herself at times. He suggested that I make her one. This one was constructed from walnut & quartersawn red oak left from a previous project. The handle is called a Derby style. I learned a lot about canes in the process. Mom was surprised and delighted, which brought me great joy.















I drew my niece for Christmas this year in our family gift exchange and made this step stool for her. We put our names in a hat and got a present for the person we drew. It was a lot of fun! Before, everyone got everyone a present and it was getting out of hand. This works much better for us.