Location: Gilbert, Arizona

Hobbyist or Pro: Hobbyist

Project Name: Ikie’s Crib

Wood Species: Poplar

Finish Used: I used a rag to apply two coats of GF Java Gel Stain, then two coats of GF Gel Urethane, light sanding between coats.

Project Description:

So I noticed that there weren’t any cribs on the list of viewer projects so I figured I’d submit this one for review. It’s pretty minimalistic, but I think it has a nice modern charm to it.

I decided to build the crib for my brother Sam and his wife Hilary when I found out that they were expecting their first child (Isaac or “Ikie” for short). I felt like it was a pretty good excuse to get out in the shop and make some saw dust. So I called up my brother and told him that I wanted to make them a crib and surprise his wife with a nice custom crib for their nursery. He thought it was a great idea and so the design process began. Sam sneakily investigated what style of crib Hilary wanted and then sent me a scanned copy of a page that he tore out of a parenting magazine where they had found the “perfect” crib.

It took me a couple months to complete the project (a lot of evenings and weekends) so as I made progress on it, I would send pictures to Sam. Well, it turns out that the secret mysteriously got leaked and Hilary knew that the crib was coming but her reaction upon delivery was still priceless.

There are a few things that I would do differently if I were to do it again (isn’t that always the case!?) but overall I think the build went well. Now my wife and I are expecting our first baby and with what I learned building Ikie’s crib, I should be able to make something for us that we’ll be able to cherish for many years.

Here are the project details:

-Full size baby crib (fits a standard 52×27 inch mattress)
-Solid poplar
-Stained with General Finishes Java gel stain and finished with GF gel urethane topcoat.
-Crib springs can be adjusted to 4 different heights
-Can be converted into a toddler bed.

Construction Note:

To make all of the mortises for the vertical slats I just ran a groove down the length of the rails and then glued spacers in to create the individual mortises. After the glue-up, I cleaned everything up with a couple passes on the jointer. It seemed to work well and the glue joints were barely noticeable since I used such a dark finish.

Website: WoodworkingByScott

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Amateur or Pro: Amateur

Project Name: Kitchen Table

Wood Species: Walnut and Poplar

Finish Used: Thanks to Marc I used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal on the table top and just ordinary Rustoleum Black Satin Spray paint.

Project Description:
My wife really wanted a new table. We purchased our old one just after we were married and it was used then. We shopped all over and didn’t really find anything that fit us or that was in our price range. So I took some ideas from several other tables and got on Sketch-up and in my basic way got to work designing what I thought might look good. And this is what I came up with.

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.

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.

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!