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I need help

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3K views 54 replies 40 participants last post by  tooldad 
#1 ·
I need help

I am trying to build a buffet table for my mom for Christmas- from scratch. I have drawn up 7 different plans. I cant make up my mind which one, so I went to my local hardware store to look at wood, hoping this would help, well the gentleman that was helping me - insulted me, he asked what kind of tools I had, I told him, the he said "well that's your problem, why don't you go back into the kitchen and let the man of the house do it! I looked at him and said "Not married, no boyfriend, and this is a gift I want it to mean more than store bought or money!" He came back - "Well I can see why you are not married!" I left, I was so upset that I cried on my way home, I almost wanted to give in and buy one… So here I am I need help, the male figures in my life are not any help - they all are busy and the one person that I can talk to is my mom - but I cant with out giving the surprise away.

What do I do?

Here are my stats:
Desired Size:
6ft long x 4.5ft tall x 2ft deep
Desired Wood:
1) Pine
2) Walnut
3) Plywood, MDF
Color:
Dark Stain - to match the kitchen cabinets
Design:
Pictures are under my "projects"

#3 is my favorite, and has the most storage - but is larger than the others and I don't feel confident that I can Master such a large project with a hand tools…

Please help.
 
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#2 ·
Martina,

First of all, don't put any stock into what that person had to say at the store. He obviously suffers from severe stupidity. Secondly, keep in mind that many woodworking masterpieces were constructed uisng hand tools only. Mueseums are full of them. Finally, Project # 3 looks great. Yes, it's larger. But that just means it has more parts. Plan and work your build in manageable pieces and it wont be any harder than the smaller designs. It will just take you longer to do it. Finally, I'd recommend building it in pine. Just make sure you use a seal coat before staining it. Pine has a tendency to blotch. Good luck. Mom will enjoy it!

Rat.
 
#9 ·
First off, don't ever go to that hardware store again! Don't do business with …. I think you know what I want to say.

I like #5, and for something as long as 6-7 feet good plywood would be the best bet. Try to avoid home center plywood, go to a real lumberyard and buy quality plywood. A solid wood face frame will cover the plywood edges and give a great look to the buffet. Use solid wood for the drawer fronts at least, popular makes good drawer sides with plywood bottoms. Keep it simple and the job can be accomplished with basic tools and care. I wish I was close enough to be of some help but Ohio is a ways from Texas. lol. If I can be of any help in the design or planning stages send me a PM and I will do all I can to help.

Bruce
 
#10 ·
Don't let the mouthbreathers get you down, Martina. In the meantime, join an established local woodworking group (hopefully with a large member base), tell them your story and see if you can find out more about the guy, then take your final wood order elsewhere after you make mouthbreather work up no less than four quotes (cherry, walnut, oak, and pine), then call up the store and cheerfully tell the owner why you didn't buy from him, and casually mention your affiliation and how you'll be writing an article about the experience building the buffet table for the monthly newsletter. Ha!

I'm partial to #1, although I do tend to prefer mission and shaker style furniture, so I might be biased. The more drawers you add the more time you'll spend constructing, so keep that in mind.
 
#11 ·
Feel free to post the store name and phone number here in your blog. There is no reason for that dingus to treat a customer that way. Wanna guess what we could do with the phone number?

And definitely look into joining a local woodworking guild. They will be tickled pink to have you! Find a mentor there and pull every last bit of knowledge from their brain!
 
#12 ·
Martina,
The guy was an idiot who was threatened by a woman…..his problem not yours. I would encourage you to seek out the manager of the store and let him know what an insulting idiot he has working for him.
YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT PLACE! Lumberjocks are helpful.
I am not acquainted with anyone who was born with complete woodworking knowlege or a fully equipped shop. Doing challenging projects is how we know what tools we need…and too often only desire. Rat was right…..all of the 18th C furniture masterpieces were built with hand tools…..I never thought of it that way but he is dead right.
First thing is to pick your design. Build what you are comfortable with. Take it one step at a time. I am concerned about your 4 1/2 foot height. Typically buffets used for serving are between 30 and 36 inches high. Reevaluate how many drawers you include, they usually only collect clutter. One row of drawers below the top gives a nice linear appearance. Pine would be a good choice as it is easily worked with hand tools and readily available in most areas. One of my first projects was a complete set of white pine dining room furniture. That was 25 years ago and I still use it every day. I can send pictures if you think it may be useful.
Above all Martina…BE SAFE. Please feel free to contact me at anytime and I will give whatever assistance I can. Actually, that comment was moot because that's what Lumberjocks do.
 
#13 ·
I like number 3 as well. Not knowing what your experience level is right now, I feel that doing all those drawers and openings might be a touch ambitious. If you are up for the challenge, then by all means, go for it. They are all great designs. A good way that may help you pick is to draw up a cut diagram. If you're like me and prefer to do some things the old fashion way, use an architect's scale along with some inexpensive drafting tools (triangles, T-square, etc.) and do up a scale drawing of your piece and you can also plan your plywood cuts the same way. Or, as I'm sure will be mentioned, you can try figuring out Google SketchUp. I say try, because I've been trying to figure it out now for a while and can't seem to get it.

As for the issue with the store, if they are part of a chain (i.e. TrueValue, Ace) then along with contacting the owner/manager, I'd write a letter to the home office about the type of service that is at that store. If that fails, a letter to the editor of your local paper can do wonders as well. I'm sorry that you were treated like that. Try not to let it get you down.

Good luck.
 
#14 ·
Hmmm….sorry to hear there are still neanderthals living amongst us….I would bet that person has no relationship of any consequence as his opinion is truly archaic. If it were my store, I would hope the customer lets me know about my sales people being so rude….He would receive his final check instantly….

Now as to your project…you should have enough time to perform either project that you roughed out. I think either of your drawings are superb and would make excellent tables….A choice would probably need to be based upon the personal preferences of your mother…as to type of decoration/furniture that is in place.

As to materials….In these types of situations….I use less expensive woods for the frame….and then cover the exposed areas with the better grades…..you can also use plywood backing and buy vaneer or use trim to cover the exposed areas (thus using inexpensive plywood to get the shape)....it just depends on what you are comfortable with using….On a piece I did for a friends kids room….(they didn't want to spend alot - but they wanted the furniture to match)....the pieces in the room were all maple (the rather ugly colonial style) so I used cheap 1/2" ply for the shape and drawers…then glued up some maple vaneer and some thin cut trim pieces….I used false fronts for the drawers…..They loved it…and it was easy/cheap to make.
 
#15 ·
Yall are amazing! I would love to have any of you as a father! I did call his manager and tell him about the issue and comments, he apploized and offered me 10% off my order.

Now how do you "?notch?" a drawer together? Is it a chisel and hammer? I hope so!
 
#17 ·
Hey Martina,

Firstly, I would suggest you tell us what hardware store, treated you like this. I'm sure some fellow LJ's in the area would happily boycott the store after hearing how the staff treated you.

As for which piece, I like most of them. I would say go with the one you like and feel confident with. If you happen to be new to woodworking I would probably opt for maybe number 2 it looks a little simplier and is still a very nice design.

Best of luck
 
#19 ·
As for the notching…I think you mean a box joint? It looks like interlocked squares? There are also dovetails…that look just like they are called….

It is easiest to do these joints with a router or table saw….but you can hand cut the squares and chisel them out…it's time consuming…but my grandfather used to do it by hand….he had it down to a steady rythm…I would use a good saw….like a box or japanese saw….and a very sharp chisel…..you can cut one side…then lay it on the other and use it for a template to mark up the adjoining side…

A T square is used to draw straight lines….the T helps you align to a straight edge like a table….and slide along to draw a line down the long part of the T… These are used alot in drafting….but yes…they can be used to draw staight lines on sheetrock.
 
#22 ·
I have a lot of sheetrock materials. I got tired of walking into this funny wall in my house - one night I was going to the kitchen and "BAM" right into the wall - I stubbed my toe so hard that I tore it 90% off… I had to go to the doctor the next morning and have it removed… I came home and while the pain meds were still working took a hammer and started knocking the wall down… well - luckily no wires or support beams… so I now have an "open" wall… I had to fix the part that I did want to keep up… lol - now. That was a lot of work, my family now calls me Demo…
 
#24 ·
First off THERE IS NO REASON FOR THAT BEHAVIOR FROM NO ONE PERIOD THE DUMB* HAS ISSUES SO you done the right thing by calling his super but I would have call corporate office. And the discount should be 30%. As far as your design, you do what you feel comfortable with.If you need info this place is loaded with knowledge Just ask
 
#25 ·
Hello, If your going to build this you have to see if you have the tools on hand to do the job. The walnut can be pricey. But I would use walnut and pine for a secondary wood. And like was posted before your dimensions are way off. Go to a library and check out some wood working plan books. And alter as you see fit. But I hope you have a well equipped shop to make which ever design you decide.
 
#26 ·
hey demo , you got guts girl ! and smarts too .
well everyone bashed that store/guy pretty good , so lets talk costruction .
the coment about the height is good , as most servers need a place to put the dishes at a convinient height ,
i would maybe think in terms of making it in parts ,ie. two smaller drawer/ door cabs , that can be readily moved into and around and make a drawer unit that ties them together in place and then the top .
draw out with your sheetrock square if you want the front and side views of the pieces try and make the drawings with the real dimensions of clean straight boards from the store ( you have to pick through them ) , any ply wood you use , go to a decent lumberyard and explain your needs to a kind worker or owner and have them cut your pieces exact , not close like some morons do . with the tools you have , you may think about making simple face frames and using the ply behind and glued and screwed to them , just watch the corners where they come toghether
so you don't have exposed ply showing , or cover that with trim later .
so where are you going to do this work ?
cutting a sheet of ply in your living/bedroom is going to be hard with a handsaw , hence making a cut sheet with grain orientation for " grandpaw " at the lumberyard .
dont get to much wood all at once unless you can keep it straight until you use it . poplar might be good , as it is relatively easy to work , and will take stain o.k. . the weight of each board will tell you how dense it is , some
are lighter than others ,dense and heavy being harder in weight and work ability .
as far as drawers go , if you can swing it , you can get premiled stock from rockler in differnt widths that you can crosscut to lenght , or just order drawers pre-built to your size , they are not that expensive and rockler has doors with every kind of style you could want sanded ready for stain .
so to recap :
1- make in sections .
2- make full size drawings and ply cut sheet ,with store bought clean wood .
3- make them sized to fit through doors and stairs .
4- stain in sections ( if a piece gets blown , its easier to fix/replace ) .
5- maybe use a krieg type jig for back screws for face frames ?
6- try and join a woodworkers guild and meet others that can help .
7- see about other LJ'S in your area .
8- take a vacation and come to new mexico ,you can build it here in my shop , with lots of tools .
God bless , and just pm if you need to ask questions ( of me or others here ) .
and hey , WELCOME to LJ'S !
 
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