I’m happy to say that I have just finished the first project that I am truly proud of. I built it to hold my video games and Blu-Ray movies and my PS3 will sit on top.

My wood of choice was alder. It was a new wood for me and the price was good. Everything was made from 4/4 stock aside from the legs which are from 8/4 material. I didn’t want to mess around with laminating boards together to get the thickness I wanted.

After everything was all milled up and cut to size, I constructed two identical side pieces made up of two legs and what is essentially a case side. Those were both joined together with glue and some dowels to help with alignment. The case sides have a dado routed about a half an inch up from the bottom where the shelf fits into to join the two sides together. The shelf piece has two dadoes for the divider pieces to fit into and those were glued in next. I milled up some pieces that were about 1″ x 3/4″ and were as long as the case is wide and set those into notches that were cut out in the upper corners of the side and divider pieces. I felt this would give the case more rigidity and it would also allow me to use some table top fasteners for the top. The back is made of solid wood. I resawed some alder on my tablesaw so it was just over a 1/4″ thick then used my thickness planer to bring it to exactly a 1/4″. Then at the router table, I routed some rabbets on opposite sides of the pieces which created a sort of lap joint. The pieces were attached with only two brads, one on top and one on the bottom, both located in the center. Finally the top, was attached with table top fasteners. The top was made up of two boards and I used a router to put a chamfered edge all the way around.

Obviously, I spent some time doing some finishing work on this piece. I have to thank you for how well the finish came out. Prior to finishing, I reviewed both your Simple Varnish Finish DVD and your podcast about coloring blotchy woods to make sure I wouldn’t mess anything up. The first step was to sand everything up to 150 grit, which works for me. I then proceeded to apply a coat of shellac that was diluted with equal parts of denatured alcohol. Next was the stain. I used General Finishes Gel Stain in the Antique Walnut color. It was applied with a foam brush and one coat was all I needed to get the color I wanted. Finally, I applied the top coat. I decided to try out some Arm-R-Seal for the first time and ended up choosing the satin sheen. I wiped on three coats and I love the way it came out. This is the first piece I’ve completed that I can’t keep my hands off of because it feels so smooth.

Well, that’s it. It’s nothing fancy, but it was a big project for me and I’m actually pleased with the final product. I couldn’t have done it without all your awesome videos. Thanks for all you do!

Outdoor finishes can be one of the trickiest types of wood finishes to master. Why? Because there is never a one size fits all solution. As woodworkers, we are used to dealing with the seasonal wood movement of our interior pieces. But when one of our creations is destined to live outside, there is much more to consider. Depending on your region’s climate, your project could experience anything from snow and ice to hot desert sand storms. How the heck do we prepare for that?!?! Well, it is still an area that I am learning much about. I haven’t built many outdoor pieces and most of my knowledge comes from my reading and conversations with other woodworkers. Here in the Arizona desert, we have mild winters, occasional isolated rain spells, monsoon season (a temporary time of increased humidity), frequent dust storms, and of course, blazing hot summers where my shop can reach 125F, if left to its own devices. So in these harsh conditions, how would you finish your solid alder front door? For me, the answer lies in something most of us use on a daily basis: our workbenches. Much like your workbench, an Arizona front door will receive a great deal of punishment. And when an item is going to see that much abuse, sometimes the focus has to shift from absolute protection (a losing battle), to repair-ability. And that’s where my special homemade oil/marine varnish blend comes in handy. Watch the video and see what you think.

The product I recommend using in the video is Epifanes Marine Varnish.

In the final part of this episode, I show you how to make a curved template for the bottom rails. I also discuss joinery, finishing, and glue ups. I also show you what I find to be the easiest way to attach a solid table top to a base. This episode moves fast so hang on to your hats!

Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 1)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 2)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 3)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 4)

Tabletop glueup and smoothing. Milling aprons and discussing joinery options. A demonstration of the Festool Domino.

Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 1)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 2)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 3)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 4)

In this episode, I select and prepare the stock for the table legs and table top. I also review strategies for cutting thick stock, stabilizing large knots, and milling extra long boards.

Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 1)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 2)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 3)
Arts & Crafts Table (Pt. 4)

For the very first time on The Wood Whisperer, we are going to build a full piece of furniture. I had a commission recently for a beautiful Arts & Crafts table made of alder. Only problem was, I needed to get it done quickly. And unfortunately, trying to film a podcast at the same time would prove detrimental to my promised time-frame. But since I felt this was a great project for you to see, I filmed as much as a I could and as fast as I could. So if things look a bit rushed or not as polished as usual, cut me a little slack.

Here’s the final cut list: Table Top: 36″W x 72″L (4) Legs: 29 1/4″L x 3″W x 3″T (2) Long Aprons: 64″L x 3 1/2″W x 3/4″T (4) Short Aprons: 28″L x 3 1/2″W x 3/4″T (8) Side Slats: 16 1/4″L x 3″W x 1/2″ T

Note: I will be using the Festool Domino to construct this entire project. If you plan on cutting traditional integral tenons for this project, please include 3″ extra length on all apron pieces for 1 1/2″ tenons, and 2″ extra length on all side slats for 1″ tenons.

In part 1 of this episode, I show you the process that I go through whenever I begin a new project. This involves some educated guesses and the use of SketchUp, a free program that allows you to easily draw 3D renderings.