A French cleat is as ingenious as it is simple. It involves securing a strip of wood with a 45 degree bevel to the wall, and then securing an opposing beveled strip on the back of a cabinet or anything you want to hang. Its incredibly strong and versatile. Its a great way to hang cabinetry and as you’ll see in this video, it can be used to make an awesome modular wall storage unit.

Now if you read just about any finishing book, you’ll come across one of those handy charts that compares the key properties of different finishes (usually abrasion, heat, and moisture resistance). These charts can be incredibly helpful, but nothing is more eye opening than a simple, practical, home-brewed test! Am I crazy for disliking the oil & wax finish??? To answer that question, I decided to make up a few sample boards and run a little experiment of my own.

I took 4 scrap pieces of baltic birch plywood and finished each one with different materials. My assumption is that if you are considering oil & wax as a finish, you are probably a fan of that “close to the wood” look. So the film finishes were applied very lightly in an effort to keep everything consistent. Here’s how I treated the samples:

BLO (boiled linseed oil) Only – I sanded the board to 320 (for oils, I like to go a little higher than usual to help promote even absorption). I flooded the board with BLO and let it soak in for an hour. I then wiped off the excess with a clean cotton rag and let the board dry in the warm Arizona air for the entire day and overnight. The next day, I repeated the application process. I did this for a total of three applications.

BLO/Wax – I treated this board exactly as above, only after waiting about 4 days after the final oil application, I applied two coats of paste wax and buffed it to a very pleasant sheen.

BLO/Shellac – I gave this board the same BLO treatment, but instead of wax after 4 days, I gave it two coats of Bullseye SealCoat (2lb cut).

Varnish Only – Sanded to 180. This board received three light coats of Arm-R-Seal satin with sanding in between.

When it was all said and done, each board (with the exception of the BLO-only), had a nice, natural-looking satin appearance. The BLO-only board was dull, as one would expect.

So now for my not-so-scientific test. I wanted to simulate a spill of some kind. In this case, I used a fairly concentrated solution of Transtint Dark Mission Brown in water. I placed a quarter-sized puddle of dye on each board, and let it soak. Let’s pretend this is soda, coffee, wine, or maybe even some delicious hot cocoa (we ARE entering the holiday season you know). After 5 minutes, I wiped away the excess dye and then scrubbed the surface with a damp rag. Here are the results:

The BLO-only sample looks…......well…...it looks like a bird took a poo on it. The dye seeped into the grain and through capillary action, traveled well beyond the original location of the dye. A stain like this would very difficult to repair. And if the project is made from plywood, you’ll most likely burn through the veneer before you completely clean up that stain.

The BLO/wax board clearly fared better. The wax does a decent job of preventing complete absorption of the dye and the spread was fairly limited when compared to the BLO-only board.

The BLO/shellac proved to be reasonably protective. A small amount of staining is present but it doesn’t seem like the dye penetrated far enough to travel through the grain. The staining is generally limited to the shellac film, and never really touches the wood. This would be a very easy repair.

And finally, we have the varnished board. Boring right? Honestly, there just isn’t anything to look at. The varnish completely blocked the dye from absorbing into the wood fibers.

Really there was nothing surprising here. Film finishes simply protect the wood better than non-film finishes. But deciding what finish to use on your next project depends on a number of factors, and protection from spills is only one of them. So try to pick the finish that suits the project at hand as well as your personal tastes.

What is my take on this? Personally, I am a big fan of the wiping varnish finish. Just take a look at my DVD, wink wink. You can apply just a coat or two to get that close to the wood look and feel, or you can slap on six or seven coats for the ultimate in protection. If you like the deep amber hue that BLO brings to the party, why not start with a single coat of BLO, and finish by top-coating with your favorite varnish? Or maybe compromise and use a Danish Oil or even a home-brewed oil/varnish blend. But when it comes to my projects, the time it takes to produce a BLO finish, coupled with the overall lack of protection, puts it smack dab at the bottom of my preferred finishes list.

Now one other thing that I must mention is repairability. Unfortunately, varnishes are not as easy to repair as other finishes. Shellac, lacquer, and BLO can all be sanded down and re-coated with excellent results. But with varnish, sanding too much can result in witness lines if you burn through one layer and expose the one beneath. So if you are repairing a varnished surface, you really have to take it easy. Fortunately, the increased durability of a varnished surface means you are a lot less likely to damage it.

So like many things in woodworking, its a balance and a compromise. But ultimately, its your project and your shop, and you are the boss. So choose whatever finish tickles your fancy. But if you want a truly durable surface, you should definitely give a film finish strong consideration. And of course, clean spills quickly and encourage the use of coasters!!

Its that time of year again: HOLIDAY PROJECT TIME! So this year, I decided to make a few little keepsake boxes, thanks to some advice from The Great WOODini. I also took inspiration from a box Nicole keeps on her nightstand and developed a new design that is much more practical for the average woodworker to make. The boxes feature a secret locking pin. Once removed, the lid slides off on a sliding dovetail. And as always with these holiday gift projects, you can modify them by trying different sizes, shapes, and wood species to make your own one-of-a-kind box. And since they are so easy to make, its no problem batching out a bunch of them in a single weekend. If you decide to make some, please send me pics of your variations.

Topics Covered:

• Creating sliding dovetails
• Using a dowel-centering pin to locate holes
• Cutting a recess with a pattern bit
• Sanding end-grain

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about my new shop. As I explain in the video, the sale of our old house fell through and we are now dealing with two mortgages. So I have what I am hoping is a temporary shop setup in my 3-car garage. So here’s the tour! Enjoy.

In the final part of this series, I assemble and attach the base, install the handles, and apply the final finish to the top. This project was an incredible learning experience, and not in the way you might think. I actually found it incredibly challenging to step back from my primary shop tools, and focus only on the portable power tools. Not only did I find new ways of doing things, but I have a new found appreciation for the tools I have been taking granted for years. But hopefully you’ll see now that even with a very basic set of tools, you can still produce high quality furniture.

A few of the topics covered in this part:

• Constructing the base.
• Gluing up miters using the tape trick.
• Attaching the base using pocket screws.
• Attaching the custom handles.

An important aspect of building furniture that many new woodworkers overlook, is the importance of finishing BEFORE the project is completely glued together. That’s the primary focus of this part of the series.

A few of the topics covered in this part:

• How to deal with color differences between plywood and solid wood trim.
• Raising the grain and applying water-based dyes.
• Theory and application of wiping varnish.
• Creating shelf pin holes for adjustable shelving.
• Applying angled trim to the shelves.
• Final glueup and clamping strategy.

Enjoy Lumberjocks!

The absolute worst time to find out you’ve made a mistake is while the glue is drying. So this part focuses strongly on the importance of a dry assembly, which I consider to be an essential part of the glue up process. By the end we’ll have a partially glue-up entertainment center.

A few of the topics covered in this part:

• Gluing trim pieces.
• Using biscuits.
• Clamping strategies.
• Using a wood filler to hide miter flaws.
• Cutting the big bevels on the top and bottom trim.
• Sanding.
• Dry assembly strategy.
• Measuring and cutting the back panels.
• Initial glueup.

New Project Plan!!
If you are interested, we now have a digital plan available for this project. The set includes a PDF plan/cutlist and a full-featured Sketchup file. The download is available in the Wood Whisperer Store.

Now many of you may remember that I was attending a week-long class being taught by Darrell Peart at the William Ng School when I had an opportunity to handle, trace, and measure the original Hall frame. During that week, in addition to meeting Gary Hall (Peter Hall’s grandson), I had the opportunity to meet Tom Moore, a Greene & Greene enthusiast and docent at the Gamble House in Pasadena, CA. Recently, Tom was able to view and photograph three more frames made by John Hall. These frames are still in the family and needless to say, its probably not easy prying them away from the hands of their owners. Fortunately for all of us, Gary made it happen and Tom was kind enough to share his photos with me. So let’s take a little trip back in time!

The first frame is being referred to as “Carved Frame”, for obvious reasons. The frame seems relatively simple, which is just as well given the wildly pronounced grain and the carving on the top rail. The wood looks to be pine or maybe some wild douglas fir. What I find amazing about this piece is how John Hall let the wood guide his carving. At first glance you might not even notice its there. I imagine its much more obvious in person. Tom reported that the wood appeared to have been “liberally wire brushed for deep texture”. This carving style seems reminiscent of the wall panel carvings I observed at the Gamble house itself. I remember taking note of how the carver (one of the Hall Brothers I assume) utilized the natural grain lines in those panels and this frame clearly exploits the same natural properties of the wood. Here’s an excerpt from Tom’s observations:

“The top rail is carved, although it doesn’t show up dramatically due to the coloring. The full carved scene shows three clouds, one over the full moon, and five large birds (seagulls?).”

The next frame is called “Island Paradise” and appears to be another straightforward frame. Judging from the ray fleck and grain pattern it looks to be of quarter sawn white oak. Remember that the Greene Bros. (and certainly the Hall Bros. as well) took a great deal of influence from the Arts and Crafts movement and the stylings of Gustav Stickley. So its not surprising to see white oak show up here. The joints on this frame appear to be pegged with white oak and I do see a few design features (cloud-lift-like elements) that are also present in the original Hall frame that started me down this whole path.

The final frame is called “Tender Memories” and is named after the painting within it. The most striking thing about this mahogany frame is how similar it is to some of the Gamble House frames: Gamble House Virtual Archives DA-005 and DA-002. The big question on my mind is when was this frame made? Was it before, or after the Gamble House project? Were these Gamble House frames actually built AND designed by the Halls? Fun questions to ponder. The frame features an inner frame made of walnut and Tom speculates that the outer frame was made before they knew exactly what would go inside it.

Tom and Gary disassembled the frame to see how everything was held together. Here’s Tom’s account of the event:

“We disassembled it to see how it was done. What a surprise. In addition to the Citizen newspaper, there were free floating strips of cardboard and small pieces of wood, most a bit smaller than a wooden match, that served as shims. The frame is similar to the one in the Gable House but the Hall frame is portrait while the Gamble is landscape. In addition, the Hall splines are mahogany, while the Gamble splines are brass.”

So after pouring over the numerous photos I received from Tom, I really started to wonder about the story behind these creations. While beautiful in their overall design, the fit and finish is not exactly at the same level as the pieces that adorn the various Greene & Greene houses. Being a woodworker myself, I can envision a few scenarios here. These frames could have simply been intended as practice. Perhaps they were done to iron out a particular technique or to play with unusual proportions. Were these just the “oops” projects? Maybe they were presents made for family members in between the paying jobs. After all, our family members tend to be a little less picky than our customers. Even without an accompanying story, these frames are a sight to behold.

I have never been much of a history buff but I just can’t seem to get enough of the Greene and Hall legacies. My Hall frame reproduction adorns a wall in my kitchen and every morning I get to appreciate it as I prepare my cup of joe. It serves as inspiration and a reminder of why I work with wood. The passion that went into John Hall’s work is the same passion that drives all of us, regardless of our skill or experience level. So I encourage you to exercise that passion as much as possible. Get into the shop and create! Just remember, even if you screw something up its not the end of the world. Give the “oops” projects to friends and family members and move on. You never know, your next creation could be your masterpiece!

If there is one major negative aspect to working with plywood and other sheetgoods, its the fact that we have to deal with the ugly exposed edges. But with a little know-how and some strips of wood, you can dress up the edges so that only a trained eye can tell that the board is not completely made of solid wood.

A few of the topics covered in this part:
- Edge-banding options.
- Sources for solid wood edge-banding.
- Attaching edgbanding to sheetgoods and trimming it flush with the surface.
- Cutting grooves and rabbets for the back panels with a router and edge guide.
- Using an inexpensive miter box.

New Plan

If you are interested, we now have a digital plan available for this project. The set includes a PDF plan/cutlist and a full-featured Sketchup file. The download is available in the Wood Whisperer Store.

Think you can’t build furniture because you only have a few basic tools? Well, check this out! This walnut low entertainment center was built using three primary tools: a circular saw, a router, and a drill. But that doesn’t mean I skimped on quality and design. The unit has sliding doors, good ventilation, a little shelf in the back for a surge protector, and all of the trim is beveled at an angle for a more interesting visual effect (even the trim on the shelves features this bevel).

This video series is full of tips and tricks that will help you get professional results from these simple power tools!

A few of the topics covered in this part:
Cutting down sheet goods.
Using a guide with your circular saw
The cheapest long rip guide on the planet.
Plywood thicknesses.
Cutting dados and grooves with the router.
Fixing a dado that was cut through when it should have been “stopped”
Chiseling the stopped dados square.

A Sketchup plan and cut list is on its way. We are hoping to have it by the release of the next part in this series.

And here’s a great clamping tool guide, very similar to the one used in this episode:

All-In-One Clamp Guides The first zero-deflection straight edge clamping guide! Provides you with straighter and more accurate cuts, dadoes and routing without additional clamps. All-In-One Clamp Guides