Wainscoting – Viewer Project
Let’s check out a home interior project submitted by Shane:
I wanted to thank you again for your input regarding wainscot materials. I went with the MDF panel material and used Poplar for the rails and stiles. I put my machinery through the mill and they performed quite well indeed. I know you are busy, so I thought I’d share a few photos illustrating the results of my efforts. Off to my next project. Take care and safe journeys.
Shoe Cabinet – Viewer Project
This week’s project comes from John. Let’s see what he has to say:
I can’t believe it – the shoe cabinet is done! :) It’s been a long process. With me being such a newbie, and having just a bit of free time to devote each week, it’s taken me something like 6 months to complete! This was a real learning project. Many firsts for me: loose mortise and tenons, edge joining wider boards, flush drawers with half-blind and through dovetails, routed inlays, sliding doors, staining poplar, etc. I based the design on David Marks’ tool cabinet (Woodworks #503), but much larger and with drawers on top. I used poplar throughout, and walnut for the inlays and handles. Finished with a 2lb cut of shellac followed by General Finishes American oak gel stain and 3 coats of Arm-r-Seal.
One of the big lessons from this project is covering up mistakes, of which there were MANY! :) The biggest oops came when I was routing the mortises in the top — the router bit somehow slipped loose and punched right through the top. Not a happy woodworking moment!! After wrangling with ideas about patching the holes, making a new top, etc, I took your excellent suggestion of filling the hole with epoxy, and then routing a complete perimeter inlay over the top of it. Hey, I meant to do that! :) It turned out great!
I also really struggled with the doors. Not having a band saw, and unable to find any good 1/4″ plywood locally, my “beautifully figured” sliding doors are actually just 1/4″ MDF panels. I used the same gel stain and sorta dragged the rag across to produce a fakey wood grain :) For the dovetails, I started with an old rockler jig – and just like you, I ended up wanting to drive a truck over it. I ended up investing in the Leigh Super 18 – nice! After spending so long fine-tuning the half-blind fronts, I was stunned how easy the through dovetails were in comparison! :) Took a crazy amount of time, but I just love those dovetails.
Thanks again for all your help Marc. You’ve patiently answered every one of my emails and given me numerous suggestions which you can see reflected right in the completed project. And I can’t count how many times I’ve come back to your videos for advice, design ideas, the dovetails, edge-joining with biscuits, mortise and tenons, pairing, wiping finishes, etc, etc – even how best to measure and mark when putting the door handles on. Looking forward to the next project.
Poplar Baby Cradle – Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Scott who writes:
I thought I would send you a couple photos of my latest project. I built it for friends who are expecting their first. The wood is poplar except for the bearing covers and wood locking screw which are walnut. I finished it with blond shellac because I know it’s non-toxic. I made the bearings from HMW plastic and used grade 8 bolts for the pins. Other than the pin assemblies, there is no metal in the project. I looked at some photos for inspiration, purchased the pad (for size) and just designed it “on the fly”.
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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