Devin’s Knife Block – Viewer Project
This week, we have another set of “themed” posts. I recently created the Popular Woodworking knife block as a Guild project, and I received a few emails from folks who either made knife blocks before or were inspired by the project. This particular one was submitted by Devin.
I originally learned of this style of knife block from this site. While reading the comments on his page I stumbled across this site (there are some nice pieces in there) and that was when I decided I needed to make one of these myself.I used Sketchup to get some ideas down and then made a quick prototype to ensure that the knives would stay in place with a 45 degree angle and to ensure that the size looked right in the kitchen.
I’ve used Maple and Walnut on this piece, finished with a couple coats of Watco’s Danish Oil, I’ll be applying two coats of poly or varathane in a couple days. There are over 1800 skewers in the main section alone. The bottom section is for steak knives and as a last minute addition I decided to add the slot for a pair of scissors.
I had grossly underestimated the amount of fiddling around that walnut trim was going to cause. If I were to make another one of these I think I would simplify the design, maybe use nicer wood rather than try to design interesting elements into it. I really struggled with all the miters, cutting them accurately was easy enough but getting them to stay in place while clamping was a real challenge (and I really don’t like challenges or surprises after I’ve applied glue to wood).
Outdoor Kitchen – Viewer Project
This project comes from Robert in Houston, Texas. As a self-confessed BBQ and grilling nut, I happen to LOVE this project. Let’s hear about it from Robert:
First let me tell you that I love your website and videocasts as well as the Wood Talk Online project you are doing – and the direction both the website and the show are going in.
Heard you mention a new grill and that someday an outdoor kitchen is in the works. So I wanted to show you what I had recently done. We have a weird shaped lot due to being on a cul-de-sac so to give you an idea of the layout. In some of the pictures you see a wrought iron gate (actually aluminum) that is the gate between garage and house and where most everyone comes in. The green door in picture one is the back door which leads to laundry room and into kitchen breakfast area (the window next to door is to breakfast area)
To the left of that you can see living room windows that overlook pool and then there is large grass area beyond that with kids fort – trampoline etc. So that’s the layout. We had an area outside the kitchen that wouldn’t grow grass so we laid pavers and I built the island where there was little grill that had come with the house. Plus we built the fountain using Mexican Pots. It has turned the area into a nice outdoor living space – far enough from the pool that no one gets splashed (you can see table, chairs and a firepit in the background. The grill is a Sam’s club special. There is also a dual gas burner which you can see (it has a cover on it). Everything is plumbed into the natural gas but you could do with Propane all depending what your grill takes – I just like not having to worry if I run out.
Ok – now back to the island. Wish I had taken construction pictures. Oh well. Oh and let me add a couple of things. First it’s not quite finished yet (do it when I have free time .. LOL). What is missing is I need to level the grill with the top and put slate on the area directly under the grill plus I want to wire electrical into the pole that comes down from the overhead and put an outlet there for the Rotisserie and for a blender or whatever. Second – total cost if you don’t count the grill and dbl burner – about $750 or so for everything. Also I would like to add a small matching cabinet in that space between the door to the kitchen and the gate and put a small sink in it – on the other side of the wall is the washing machine so I can tie into the water and the drain without need for a plumber.
Construction was simple. The whole island sits on a concrete pad that was already there. I put cinder blocks there and filled them with concrete and gravel. Framing is 2×4’ put together with pocket screws. They just sit on the cinder blocks. Kinda like angle iron but made from 2×4’s – make sense? Then the framing is covered by concrete backer board and then thinset and real slate floor tiles. The top is Plywood covered by backer board and then real black granite tiles. Its then trimmed off with Padauk set with glue and screws then plugged with Wenge plugs. Inside the cabinet is lined with cedar (6” fence pickets that I planed to make smooth) gives it a nice finished look and helps keep bugs away. Then the doors and drawers are Padauk as well. The doors are thick with ½” solid panels. Drawer boxes are poplar – dovetailed of course. Bar stool will be replaced eventually – these were $19 each and my wife wanted something fast so they will do.
The Paduak is covered with General Finishes Outdoor Oil. The top trim has 3 coasts –only one so far on the doors and drawers. I haven’t put a final sealer on the slate either. The little outcropping on the back of the island with the double burner is where the gas line comes in. I put a big door on the end of the one section because my wife wanted a big deep area to store my sons stuff rather than a door under the one drawer. That may have been a design mistake but its ok.
In hindsight there are some things I would have done different but overall Im very happy with it so far. We like the large area with the overhang so people can pull up a barstool and talk and snack and drink while I cook. I could have gone with one of those drop-in grills but we bought the grill long before doing the island – and I decided not to take it off the base because it has such nice storage under it. The plus on that is that if the grill ever dies and I need to replace – I have lots of flexibility in size. I can just redo the base it sits on and make longer or shorter and adjust the right island as needed. The islands are free standing except where screwed into the pole. Once complete the weight keeps them in place since they become very heavy.
I like the mix of media (grant, slate, wood and stainless) The cost savings doing it myself was incredible. Thought since you had mentioned getting one someday, you might want to see a homemade outdoor kitchen. Oh people ask why no fridge – well there is one in the laundry room and I just couldn’t see putting another thing that eats electricity out there. But who knows in the long run. It was very easy to build – if you can lay floor tile you can do this. To make it even easier we used premixed thinset on this and we used a premixed epoxy grout. We’ve laid our share of floors but since I did a section at a time the premix was worth the small added expense. My wife is making a cover for it that will hand down about a foot in all directions to keep the top clean. It is under cover and gets minimal direct sun but it does get covered in dust and pollen etc. So it’s more just to make keeping it clean easier.
I’m an amateur – especially compared to you – these were my second ever set of doors and drawers. But I am happy with the results. Hope you enjoyed this. Oh and like all projects this one spawns another – my lovely wife wants me to rebuild the back door out of Mahogany. She bought some clear stained glass panel for it off ebay.
Edit*** – I found two construction pics as I was finishing this up and you can see the double burner in them and some of the internal construction before doors and such. The inside of the door framing where you can see 2×4’s is actually now covered with ½ padauk. That sticks out about an 1/8” past the slate so the doors have a smooth surface to close against.
Kitchen Cabinets – Viewer Project
This week’s project comes from Skip. Beautiful birch kitchen cabinets. Norm eat your heart out! Here’s Skip’s description:
“Pictures show my biggest home project. Floor is Cherry. Cabinets are Birch, finished with a 7 step process including conditioning, 3 gel stain combos-Minwax and Old Masters, then wipe-on-poly top coats. Drawers and lower china cabinet all have full extension slides. Granite was contracted. The stained glass was my first attempt, but worth the effort. Good note – when I decided to design and make the stained glass, I visited a local supplier/window maker and he said I could ask questions, watch him work and get some pointers… for a reasonable time – but asked if I decided to make a window, to please purchase supplies and material from him. A great trade off!”
Kitchen Side Table – Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Kevin. When he’s not begging me to live in my shop, he’s plugging away building projects in Girard, PA. He’s a part-time woodworker and hopes that some day he can make the leap to full time. Like many of us, he is self taught and learned most of what he knows from books, David Marks, and Norm. He’s been woodworking now for about 6 years. Let’s take a look at Kevin’s Table.
In Kevin’s own words:
I was approached by a friend to build a tall kitchen side table to act as a work surface, and to accommodate the occasional use of bar stools. The base was to be painted white with tapered legs. I chose poplar construction for the legs and aprons because it takes paint beautifully. The table top was to be red oak to match the existing cabinetry, but I wanted something special in the design. I went through some books and found a frame and panel design I liked. I changed it a bit to suit my needs and it came out great! The top was finished with a color-matched stain and 4 coats of durable polyurethane. Project payment included the best apple pie I’ve had yet made on the newly completed table.
Personally I have never tried a natural wood and painted project like this. Very cool! I am sure many of you will have the same questions I do about finish and construction specifics. So spill the beans Kevin!
Check it Out!
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