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.

Cherry Occasional Table

This table was commissioned by a friend for her livingroom. I constructed a stick model for the space in her livingroom where she wanted to locate the piece. I wanted to make sure it would fit the space properly. She requested the finials on the tabletop. It was a lot of fun to build.

Cherry Side Table

I built this table as a wedding present for my nephew and his wife. It was made from a single board and was finished with danish oil. The pull is an old original dating back to about 1918.

Joan's Computer Armoire

This project was built in the summer and fall of 2007. It is a computer armoire made of walnut. The construction process was a true joy with a few harrowing close calls thrown in to make life interesting. The project was requested by a very nice lady who appreciates custom made furniture. We worked together over the design, accommodating her existing computer equipment. The goal was to make the cabinet versatile enough to be used for other purposes in the future. The project took just under 4 months to complete, working mostly weekends and a few nights.

Joinery included rabbeted and biscuited corners, dados and Kreg pocket screws. Lumber was walnut plywood and solid walnut for the rails, stiles and plywood edging.

The finish was created using waxed and dewaxed shellac and polyurethane for a total of seven coats on all surfaces.

Prayer Request Stand

I was asked to build this item for our church. It is made of quarter sawn red oak, custom stained to be similar to the color of the oak furnishings in the church sanctuary. All joints on this project are mitered except for the top rim which is butt jointed to the table surface, reinforced with biscuits.



In keeping with the use of this stand, I tried to hold to a design of purity and simplicity - in the same way I think of prayer, and communication with God. The design is also similar to other structures in the sanctuary.

Ash Side Table

I made this table approximately three years ago. The table is made of particularly nice grained ash wood. the legs were made from 6/4 lumber. The table top and apron out of 3/4 lumber. I believe the stain I used was minwax provincial and it was varnished (applied with hands) with a paint thinner, boiled linseed oil and polyurethane blend. It took a long time to dry but the finish was flawless I decided to sell it this year and it sold in one week after putting it on Craigslist this past March. I hated to see it go but I believe it went to a person who appreciates furniture, and that was gratifying.

Four-Section Bonus Room Cabinets

When my wife and I bought our new home in 2003, we had no furniture to put in our bonus room above the garage. I decided to build this combination entertainment center/storage cabinet unit to help utilize the space effectively. It worked out quite well for the room.

Table Appointment Repair

This table was delivered for repair with the corner decorative braces either missing or falling apart. The original appointments were crumbling and flaking apart because they were made from laminated wood using inferior glue that had lost its gripping power. All of the braces had to be replaced. This is a picture of the table after brace replacement.

Spindleback chair repair

This spindleback chair had a complete break on an outside spindle. This is a picture of the chair after restoration.

Bench Repairs

These benches were delivered by the client in dirty and weather beaten condition, partially disassembled. Upon closer inspection, the benches revealed significant wood rot and active insect infestation(carpenter ants). This is a picture of the benches after restoration.

Before and After

This is a before and after picture. When I delivered the chairs (there were three) the client picked the wrong chair as the one with the break. I was gratified.

Upholstered Chair Back Repair

There were two breaks on the top of this upholstered antique chair. The two obvious seams are not the breaks. This chair had to be fully disassembled in order to make the repair.

Broken Leg Repair

This is a picture of the broken leg repair. Which leg was broken? Are you sure?

Corliss Nelson Woodworks

Quite simply, I love working with wood. Over the years I have built many wood projects including book cases, large cabinets occasional tables, picture frames, benches, side tables, etc. I have repaired/restored many items including antique furniture as early as the 1800's including ladder back, spindle back and upholstered chairs, dressers, foot stools and other miscellaneous items. I have done a significant amount of wood turnings of goblets, plates, bowls, spindles, legs and other turned items.

I have a special interest in restoring broken furniture. I love returning old broken items destined for the dumps to their original function and beauty. In order to do effective restoration work I have gathered a full compliment of woodworking tools. As any serious woodworker would tell you, "I don't have them all, but I'm working on it!"

I take special pride in making invisible repairs. This means that when you look at an item I have restored, your eye should not be drawn to the repair. Close inspection could reveal the repair but casual observation should never see it. That is what I strive to accomplish.

I will display items I have repaired on this blog for your perusal. I hope you will trust your future repairs to Corliss Nelson Woodworks in the Nashville, TN area.

Crossed The Finish Line!

Just a quick not to say that I achieved my weight watcher weight goal in September. In the Weight Watcher program you must maintain your goal weight for six weeks. I have completed three weeks and have three to go. It is a good feeling to have made it to my fighting weight!

I've Been Building a Violin

I have this friend. I will call him Fred. He is a second generation woodworker from Germany. He is a wonderful man with great skill in woodworking. I wish I could go into more detail but I don't have permission to reveal his identity. I went to have dinner at his home one weekend and played the violin for his family. I learned that his father, who also was a woodworker in Germany, had made violins. Fred called me not long afterwards and mentioned that since I was a woodworker and played the violin, I should make a violin. I told him I had thought about it before but not seriously. Anyway, to make a long story short. I pondered on his idea for almost a year and finally decided to begin a violin. I'm progressing slowly. I am enjoying this effort very much. I thought I would share with you a picture of the progress. I will update you on my progress, occasionally.

Weight Watchers Program Update

I have reached my target weight. This is not to be confused with my goal weight. I lost a total of 20 pounds in seven weeks. The target weight is 10 percent of the signup weight. I weighed 209 so they told me to lose about 20 pounds to reach my target weight. Now I'm focused on reaching my goal weight which is 179 pounds. This weight puts me within what is considered the normal range for a person over 45 years old. I intend to try to stay around 175 so I have a little wiggle room should I put on a couple of pounds. Once you reach your goal weight you have to keep it for six weeks. If you do, you become a lifetime member. Meetings are free as long as you maintain your goal weight.

I was given a nice looking key chain for reaching my target weight. The other participants (all women) gave me some encouraging applause which felt good. I had worked pretty hard to get there so their appreciation was gratifying. From a male perspective it does seem a little silly on one level, but I do get support and inspiration from attending the brief 1/2 hour meetings. The group dynamic is quite powerful and has been proven in many areas - group therapy, Sunday school classes, AA meetings, etc. I would encourage anyone (no, I'm not an employee of WW)to give it a try if you are serious about losing some weight. It does work if you follow the program.

Cherry Occasional Table

Well, I finished the table for my nephew and his future wife. I'm still coating it with Danish oil, but essentially it is finished. I don't have to ship it because they are moving to live in our city. My nephew's fiance is going to graduate school here. I intend to show them a picture of the table at the reception. Great fun!

I Made Some Key Ring Handles

I have found that wood turning is very addictive. One afternoon I started making some key ring handles on my wood lathe. My kids and their friends seemed to like them so well that I thought I would occasionally make them to sell. These are made from walnut and are available for $5.00 plus shipping. Just discribe the one you would like and I will send it to you as soon as I receive payment. They would make a nice gift - don't you think?

Weight Watcher Progress

Well, I've been doing quite well with the Weight Watcher program. I am in my fourth week of counting daily weight watcher points and have lost about 8 pounds. A lot of interesting things happen in WW meetings. For example, I learned that losing weight for an upcoming wedding is not a good reason to get on a weight loss program. Unfortunately, that, for me, was one of the predominant reasons I joined. (Oh,Oh!) The meetings are light-hearted and non-threatening. I'm the only male in the class, apart from the leader. We discuss things you can buy that taste good and have fewer points and we discuss why we do what we do. We talk about temptation and how to handle it. I have been enjoying the meetings and this approach to weight loss. My wife and I are spending more time together walking and sharing point-conscious meals.