I got the idea for this picture frame from a project someone here did. Imitation is flattery. :-) For the life of me I can’t find the project that gave me the idea or I’d give credit where it’s due.

The wood is yellow birch and purple heartwood. Had some trouble with the pocket-hole joints, but it worked out in the end.

I thought the off-kilter accent pieces fit well with the subject the frame was made for. Gaudi (Spanish architect) doesn’t use very many right angles in his work, plus he was rather eccentric.

It’s a large frame, 41” x 34”

This is the project I’ve gotten the most compliments on for it’s ingenuity and requests to build replicas for others. My first commission piece. :-) (although relatives don’t pay very well) It’s not pretty or particularly difficult. The finish is…well there is no finish. I like it because it solved a problem. Where to put the litter box?

So I cut a hole in the wall between one of the bathrooms and the garage, built a box, added rope light, and made a door. Bingo, problem solved. Litter box and associated smell and litter dust is hidden away. Everyone’s happy, even the cats.

I mean come on, what cat wouldn’t like a lighted litter box with some privacy? :-)

edit:
While designing this my wife and I discussed the possibility of putting this on an exterior wall and putting the box outside. Of course that would mean some insulation and maybe some siding to match the house, but the point is, it doesn’t necessarily need to go in the garage or start in a bathroom, that’s just easier.

Ok, we don’t have any children, but we do have two small dog-like critters. The goal was to keep them out of the rooms with carpet so I made these dog-gates. Didn’t take too long and looks better than the plastic ones you buy at the stores. Bonus, you can simply step over them as well.

I hesitated to post these as they’re nothing compared to some of the masterpieces I’ve seen on here. However, they did bring smiles to the faces of the new owners, and that’s all that really matters. I am interested in any help making the next batch better. For instance, I managed the keys thanks to a jig I saw here on Lumberjocks and that was very helpful. I was disappointed with the fit of some of the lids and wonder if I did it the hard way. I made the box, sanded and finished it, then cut the lids off. If the box is square and you’re very careful with the cuts, that works fine. However, I did have one go terribly awry and wasted a couple day’s work when I cut the lid off. It would be salvageable if I could get my hands on a bandsaw with enough clearance.

I made a total of 7 boxes and gave 5 away. Unfortunately my camera and I had a little difference of opinion about wether or not the pictures should actually get transferred to my computer so I only have examples of 3 of the boxes.

I am motivated to try again and have gotten some great ideas here on Lumberjocks that I can’t wait to try.

Originally the island was a dark green granite tile that was improperly installed by the builder. Also, the island was much smaller, stopping just past the retractable fan. I used extended the surface area about 20 inches, added new tile, and installed bookshelves as requested by my wife. The bonus of the shelves was they acted as a support for the heavy overhang. The toughest part was matching the trim finish to the existing faux antique finish. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out and very happy with the cost vs the other options we explored.

This was my first project in the new house and the first of this magnitude.