Project Information
This had nothing to do with the challenge. I had some nice maple boards looking for a home, and had been wanting to try a side table (my first). This project proved that Murphy's Law is alive and well, but at least it was a learning experience.
Things went wrong from the very start. I somehow managed to screw up my biscuit alignment when I glued up the top, then I tried to even things up with the belt sander, and made a wavy mess of the whole thing. I had to end up ripping the joints out and removing a couple inches of stock so I'd have something reasonably decent to start over with.
I used a doweling jig I had just bought to construct the apron/legs/shelf assembly. That part went smoothly, and the dry fit looked great. But somehow, after gluing, the two front legs were slightly racked. After much self-debate, I sawed the bottom shelf off, and reattached it in a slightly different position to draw the legs back straight.
The drawer sides have 3/4" grooves to accept wood guides, which took a lot of tweaking to operate smoothly. The finish is a witches brew of two different colors of Watco Danish oil, with a bit of red oak stain thrown in. I was matching my existing cabinetry, so I kept adjusting and testing on scrap till I got it right. I finished up with 3 coats of wipe-on satin poly.
I'm posting this not out of pride in the end result, but to prove that you can make an acceptable save on just about anything if you are determined enough.
Things went wrong from the very start. I somehow managed to screw up my biscuit alignment when I glued up the top, then I tried to even things up with the belt sander, and made a wavy mess of the whole thing. I had to end up ripping the joints out and removing a couple inches of stock so I'd have something reasonably decent to start over with.
I used a doweling jig I had just bought to construct the apron/legs/shelf assembly. That part went smoothly, and the dry fit looked great. But somehow, after gluing, the two front legs were slightly racked. After much self-debate, I sawed the bottom shelf off, and reattached it in a slightly different position to draw the legs back straight.
The drawer sides have 3/4" grooves to accept wood guides, which took a lot of tweaking to operate smoothly. The finish is a witches brew of two different colors of Watco Danish oil, with a bit of red oak stain thrown in. I was matching my existing cabinetry, so I kept adjusting and testing on scrap till I got it right. I finished up with 3 coats of wipe-on satin poly.
I'm posting this not out of pride in the end result, but to prove that you can make an acceptable save on just about anything if you are determined enough.