Arts & Crafts Storage Coffee Tables

Wow that is really nice. Excellent work.

They turned out great.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Looks fantastic! If only you can see the problems, then the project is a success!

Both of them are really nice. Good work.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Very nice. Live the pic of all the parts layed out I love that part of doing a project

If your into arts and crafts I grew up I. Syracuse (Eastwood actually the neighborhood he started in) I heard the factory there is cool to visit in Fayetteville ny

I went to craftsman farms this summer in nj, that was awesome!

-- Ev in Framingham, MA

High complements to you. Your approach in the shop makes mine look like a hail storm on on water…......;-J

-- Joe in Pueblo West, Colo. jdelong264@msn.com

Is that red oak? It came out really nice.

-- http://www.etsy.com/shop/KandJWoodCrafts

Yeah, it’s red oak. Minwax English Chestnut oil-based stain is a pretty close approximation of one of the Stickley colorings, so we’ve been using that on almost everything. (mainly because my wife says so).

At this stage I still wasn’t very comfortable with the price of quarter sawn white oak, and I hadn’t learned about “secondary wood” yet, so every part is made of oak. It’s been 2 years since this table, and while the price still makes me cringe, I think it’s totally worth it to use the QSWO for arts & crafts pieces. I really like the feel of it over the red oak.

My brother and I started out with a few bundles of mildewy red oak hardwood flooring that our uncle gave us for free. We cut the tongues and groove off and planed them down to 5/8” thickness and made a run of 50 picture frames and a few other odds and ends. It was a nice (free) pile of lumber to practice on. I made that first little end table out of it (don’t have any photos of that little table though… I oughta go take some, but it would mean another trip to my in-laws ;-)

-- I've been creating problems to solve since I was born.

Poplar is used extensively as a secondary wood. I really enjoy working with it and have built jigs and shop fixtures with it. It’s a medium hardwood. Poplar prices have increased during the recession. Small mills that relied on poplar have been closing.

I believe it is still much more affordable than red oak. I can’t bear to watch when I buy lumber. I turn away at the register, bend over, and hand my debit card to the cashier between my legs. So I don’t really know.

-- DJ Peck, Lincoln Nebraska. I don't have a Shop. I think of it as a Tool Chase. Where the hell did I put that?

@DeLayne Peck: Yeah. I used poplar for secondary wood on my tool cabinet and it was like a dream working it with hand tools. It has a luster to it and comes out feeling so smooth. Harder and more durable than pine, but cheaper than maple. I’ll definitely be buying poplar again. One of the lumber mills near my home sells knotty pine for $1.50/bf and poplar for $2.35/bf. I have no idea what other lumber mills in the northeast are selling domestics for. Maybe that’s a good idea for a forum thread. I really don’t like the lumber mill I’ve been going to as they don’t seem to care about furniture makers. I’ve been looking for a new mill for a couple weeks now and might try ordering online to see how that goes.

-- I've been creating problems to solve since I was born.

Oh, meant to say the coffee table is gorgeous. That’s an heirloom that will bring years of admiration and enjoyment.

gildedrain, thanks for price note. Popular is well worth the price difference over pine. I’ve become a “Poplar Snob.”

-- DJ Peck, Lincoln Nebraska. I don't have a Shop. I think of it as a Tool Chase. Where the hell did I put that?

I like the last picture drawing. Which program did U use?

Beautiful results, nice design! Keep up the good work and keep posting your projects!

-- "I never met a board I didn't like!"

Great job. I am planning on building an A&C Style coffee table in the future, but never thought of putting drawers in it like that. We could really use the storage in our living room. Nice work.

@mxrdrver: I make the 3D models in Google Sketchup. It’s a free download. Works on Mac & PC.

-- I've been creating problems to solve since I was born.