Project Information
This is my best and cleanest project to date (and my first posted here at Lumber Jocks!). It's a secretary desk made mostly of oak, with a fold-out front made of walnut (personally harvested by me and my dad) with a resin river. Since I only have a couple hours most days to work, it took me about two and a half months, but I'm very proud of it.
It was my first time working with hinges and clasps, and those were a lot easier to install than I thought they would be. In addition to the fold-out front, the top folds back as well, to open up the space and make it easy to operate a laptop.
It was also my first time working with through-mortises, which I made with my router and chisels. I doubt I could do them cleanly enough yet to look good without filler and stain, but I'm really happy with how they turned out here.
Finishing remains my bane. It takes FOREVER and never turns out as good as I think it should: There are always tiny little bumps that can be seen at the right angle (although they can't be felt, so that's good). I'm going to have to try something new next time, because I can't keep on taking weeks just to apply and polish the poly.
Like I said, I'm super happy with how it turned out. it's not perfect, but my wife assures me that nobody but me will even notice the imperfections. What do you guys think?
It was my first time working with hinges and clasps, and those were a lot easier to install than I thought they would be. In addition to the fold-out front, the top folds back as well, to open up the space and make it easy to operate a laptop.
It was also my first time working with through-mortises, which I made with my router and chisels. I doubt I could do them cleanly enough yet to look good without filler and stain, but I'm really happy with how they turned out here.
Finishing remains my bane. It takes FOREVER and never turns out as good as I think it should: There are always tiny little bumps that can be seen at the right angle (although they can't be felt, so that's good). I'm going to have to try something new next time, because I can't keep on taking weeks just to apply and polish the poly.
Like I said, I'm super happy with how it turned out. it's not perfect, but my wife assures me that nobody but me will even notice the imperfections. What do you guys think?