This is a simple Toy Chest made out of Solid Maple, sliding Tray requested by customer and swivel wheels. Corners are simple Through Dovetails done with a jig and child proof hinges installed on lid. Finish is to be done by the customer.

It’s been a busy summer here and as usual time passes faster than we can keep up with but we have been busy in the shop as well as the many outdoor activities.
We started this project as a gift for Christmas to our LOML and since we enjoy building period furniture it fit’s our home interior as well as our endeavors to progress our woodworking techniques.
Since we had several hundred board feet of Cherry in stock we decided on it as the primary lumber with Maple used for Drawers and poplar as secondary structure components. We picked the design of Glen Huey as it fit our capabilities and with plenty of storage to suit those daily writing tasks.
Finishing was done in oil rubbed in several coats and a top coat of Satin Lacquer.
Further details of the construction can be found here-
http://www.firstdesignwoodworking.com/id11.html

With the workshop becoming quite crowded with a number of BF of various lumber species, it became evident that a project was long overdue and acquiring any usable workspace a few projects would need to be completed.

Smitty

Every woodworker knows the frustration of dealing with a given space to not only work in but appropriate a space for machines, tools and supplies but also the acquisition of newer tools or even more important-‘Lumber’.
When the opportunity came along for us to acquire a sizable quantity ( 1000 Bf ) of Maple and already stocked to the ceiling, we just couldn’t pass it up but where would this load be placed.
Unknowingly, our ‘significant other’ is many times instrumental in solving these dilemmas’. As many of us who are woodworkers, we are also homeowners and with those humble abodes come the responsibilities of property maintenance so naturally we have all the equipment at our discretion for the chore. Since our garden equipment shed had just about outgrown its useful purpose and showing many signs and years of deterriation, our lumber storage situation was easily solved when the Mrs. Suggested she needed a new garden shed next to her flower garden. With that said, we had the opportunity to draft up some plans to accommodate both parties and especially our own hunger for lumber.
Setting on piers set 3’ deep, we constructed a 12’ x 12’ barn style garden shed with ample room for a potting bench, garden tools, lawn equipment and of course a wall for lumber storage. A double door at one end provides easy access for getting equipment in and out and a side door accessed off of the porch to the potting bench inside.
GARDEN HAPPY, MRS. HAPPY AND WOODWORKER HAPPY!!

We were asked to build something for an upcoming retirement party for my LOML’s Office Manager and for several years we had store a few pieces of nice Pecan and Walnut. The Pecan was from a tree that had to be cut down during a renovation project next to their office and had always been admired by the office manager as it gave him some amusement watching the squirrels scurrying through the tree gathering their harvest for the winter. Their building was situated in the hospital district and years ago the area was a Pecan Grove so the tree was well over 100 years old and quite a statue next the building but as all cities must progress into the future so must many fixtures of old and the tree was one of them. At the time I was the a Supervisor for a large fleet maintenance facility and it so happen the site supervisor for the renovation project was a customer. When I told him the story and the history of the tree as well as the the upcoming retirement of the office manager, he told me when I was ready, stop by his site office and he’d be more than happy to help in the acquisition of any material on the site I needed. Thus the appropriation of many large trunks of prime Pecan!
Yes , your right , again we’re playing the Fred Sanford role but this time with a very deep meaning.
The clock of course represents the dedication of ones time to his employer and with the little touch of Pecan to accent the Walnut , it gives that extra memory.
Hope you enjoy the Clock as well as the Story that goes with it.

A Practice in Mortise and Tenons

There are many styles of furniture construction but one of the most commonly use in joint connection is the Mortise and Tenon. Well fitted and properly sized it is one of the strongest woodworking joints a woodworker can use. Considering that it was used in early house and barn construction as well as ship building in the early 17th and 18th century is has stood the test of time in reliability and well as strength.
When I was approached to build a Sewing Table for my LOML ( With Picture in Hand ) I cringed at the thought of it’s complex joinery of M/T joints but thought , this would be a good Time to give my skills some practice in perfecting this joint.
Perfecting’ you say? Sure! Have you ever cut the tenons only to find when assembled in the mortise the joint had gaps or didn’t set square to the face? Or when multiple pieces assembled together created an out of square frame assembly and you agonizingly tried to re-shave or compensate for the irregularities?
To begin the table construction, square and trued stock was essential as this type of construction only exemplifies any irregularities.
With squared stock, next, machine setup must be accurate no matter what your procedure or method of cutting your joinery may be, in my case my preferred method is the table saw and the mortiser.
Shoulder cuts were made with the Miter sled and stop block referenced from the fence at the proper distance.
Cheek cuts were done using the sliding tenon jig. In both cases the tenons were cut proud of their final size to be later pared with a sharp chisel for a firm fit in the mortise.
The mortises were cut using the bench top mortiser and again, setup was critical so many test cuts were done to finalize the settings.
After many hours of prepping and cutting stock to the proper size, cutting tenons and mortises we had the gratification of assembling our accomplishments.

All the flat panels were set in dados and allowed to float for expansion and contraction. Drawer guides are tenoned into uprights and glued with the rear tenon installed to float in their mortise. All remaining structural joints are glued and pegged.
This being the major construction of the table all that remained was to construct the flat panels for the tops and construct the drawers.
Since the Mrs. wanted the worn/antique Shaker look, the finishing started with an aniline dye for color. Since this was constructed of maple, a light gel coat was use to even out the color and the topcoat was tinted for highlighting.

Since I have been mostly writing in my Blog Section ,I thought I’d get started here in the project side with a ‘short step up’ to one of my weekend projects.
The LOML decided on a new mattress for our bedroom and of course I leave most of the furnishing decisions up to her ( She does Have Good Taste ) .
Well she came home saying she bought us a very nice mattress but ( Here It Comes ), You’ll have to build something for me. Come to find out she purchased a box spring and mattress that when installed on the bed frame , stood taller than she was able to reach so we spent the weekend constructing this little step stool to make things an even keel.
Made of Oak and finished in a light oak stain and top coated in Lacquer it proved to be just the right height and solid enough not to scoot around when stepped on.