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Having retired last year and making a bunch of small projects (boxes, etc.), my wife said, "why don't you make a bedroom set." I said, "Are you kidding?, I could never do that!" I guess having someone believe in you is half the battle.

The major pieces were from plans I purchased from Wood Magazine. The basic design for the wastebasket was stolen from a commercially available one I saw online. I incorporated the cherry to match my theme and guessed at dimensions. I used a "sketch up" design for the plant stand but modified the dimensions and bent legs to match the other pieces. The picture frames were my own design and were really just reverse engineering starting with the size of the photographic prints.

I have learned so much this past year, I am truly amazed. I learned about heartwood and sapwood. I also learned about re-sawing (after the project!) which would have saved me a lot of wood, planer blades and sawdust removal! I have learned about patience and thoughtfulness as it applies to strategizing my next move and rushing a task (not that I always listen). I also need to remind myself that a project is not a "job." Take it easy - you're retired!

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Comments

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Very well done! Absolutely beautiful work. I commend you for taking on such an ambitious endeavor for your first large project. I can only imagine the level of effort.

You do however realize that the wife will now expect other rooms full of furniture. That should keep your retirement days filled up for a while. :)
 

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That is awesome Jerry…you did an excellent job. You have to be very happy with that project. Beautiful wood and design, I really like how you did the drawer fronts. Thanks for sharing.
 

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a gorgeous set! very well done!
 

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Outstanding first big project, beautiful, design, wood combination and workmanship. See how her confidence in you paid off big time, great job, congratulations.
 

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Great stuff. That' how I intend on spending my retirement.
 

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That's a great looking bedroom set! I like the suit hanger, the A&C lamp-heck, I like them all!
 

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Not just the bedroom set, but the light, and stand too.

Nice work. I like contrasting wood, so to me it's a home run.
 

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Inspirational work. I've got to make some furniture for a bedroom in a house my wife and I will soon move into, and I've favorited this project just so I can look at it over and over to remind me of what is beautifully possible.
 

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Very, very well done. Keep it up
 

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Nice. Looks like you could make the gentlemen's valet in Fidgen's book.
 

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Really beautiful set. Now it's time for the dining room set!
 

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I love that lamp. Great work!
 

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I have the same idea. I love the color of the wood. What was the hardest part of the build? What type of finish did you put on everything?
 

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very nice!I like those things you made!
 

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Well Jerry you have arrived - your execution is terrific. Now the family will be lining up. Trust me, you will become known as the family furniture maker. You don't have to worry about becoming a couch potato.
 

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Thank you all for your wonderful comments - much appreciated!

Subwoodchucker: The hardest part of the project(s) were the bent legs. I started by plate joining & glueing 2- 4qtr pieces and then bandsawing them per the templates provided in the plans. The drum sanding took much more time and effort than I anticipated. I found a template guide in the Wood Magazine website. This helped quite a bit, but is not a majic cure just because of the nature of the rubber drums. Then it's on to final sanding, which I did by hand so as not to overshoot my final desire. I started by clamping all four legs together to try and get them as uniform as possible.

As far as finish, I used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal, wiping it on with a rag and sanding between coats with red sanding pads and finally with grey pads. I used two coats of gloss and a final coat of satin on most surfaces. The tops have five total coats.

Aussiedave: I was a rather prolific photographer and shot 4×5 view camera (the one with the black cloth over your head) for many years. My main interest was fine art black & white landscape. So, I also collected a lot of old cameras I just liked to look at and wonder about their history.The camera you are looking at is indeed a Kodak.
 

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You did a great job on this! I love the design and the wood contrast.
 

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Nicely done! I'll be starting out a bedroom set build sometime soon.
 

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Having someone believe in you is truly half the battle. l know because the same thing happened to me ! Great Work
 
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