# What's the most difficult woodworking project you've ever done?



## WoodGoddess (Sep 27, 2012)

What was the outcome? Share pictures? How long did it take? What tools did you use? What wood?


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

I'm still working on it… ;^)

It's a reproduction ~ 1765 Connecticut tea table in tiger maple, with scalloped skirts, cabriole legs, and carved bun feet. It was started in a class taught by one of the Society of Antique Period Furniture Makers founders. We met at the museum on a day that it wasn't open to the public, and measured, templated, and photographed the original back in June. I've got about 60 hours in, and I'd say I'm 50% complete.

Due to other projects, I've done very little on it over the summer, and am just getting going again. This is my first period piece, so it's definitely interesting work.

I'll happily share it when complete!


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

My 30×40 two story shop.


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

This was a fun project. No plans to go by, just an idea I got while making a bandsaw box. The chest is approx.
48" wide, 32" tall and 22" deep. The top drawer when opened, actually has 3 different sized dovetailed drawer boxes attached to the single drawer front. The bottom drawer when opened, actually has 2 different sized dovetailed drawer boxes attached to the single drawer front. Blum Undermount slides (which was a real challenge to align on a curved surface)

The case was built with bendable plywood and veneered with Wormy Maple.

The front and back was laid up with solid Wormy Maple and the drawer fronts where cut from the front slab so the grain would flow through the drawer fronts and face frame.

Even though the handles where made from seperate Wormy Maple, I tried to pick grain that still looked like it flowed with the grain of the drawers.

Mounted on recessed caster so you can roll it around because it's heavy as all get out and nothing to get a hold of the pick up. lol.

I still have the chest, but my daughter has laid claim to it, so it resides in her bedroom.

It was the first project I posted on lumber jocks over 3 years ago.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Wail' sheeeott! If we are going there then it has to be my elevated astronomical observatory on a +16ft pier with less than 2 arcsec deflection. Pretty much, just me and the girlfriend did +90% of the work with some critical help on three days of of the construction lasting three months. Lots of woodworking!










http://www.horizontalheavens.com/WebGallery/Elev-Building_Construction/index.htm










HOMEPAGE OF THE GOOD STUFF:
http://www.horizontalheavens.com/


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

Is that a hot tub under the 'scope house? ;^)


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Uh… almost. We can still see the Space Station passing from the Hot tub…


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

lofty expectations followed by reality checks, changes ones focus to achieving what we once thought impossible










to even bigger dreams of what we are capable of










Life starts perfect and slowly turns fugly










we decide where are abilities stop










I hope that mine will never cease










I hope I never reach the answer you ask for


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

work and the task at hand is never as complicated as the people who surround you with emotion who over ride objectivity


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Okay, now I'm jealous, Mike. Awesome observatory and nice shot of the Cone and Fox Fur! I didn't realize you did some astroimaging.

BTW, that looks like a TI ProDome. I built three of them for 3RF. We got 80% through the projects and the organization shifted priorities. Eight years later, they sit in a dilapidated state and will have to be replaced someday. Those would have been my toughest projects, but since they were never really complete - the smaller 10 footer was at least functional robotically, albeit not complete - I can't really choose them for my hardest project, I suppose. I did manage this shot of the Pleiades remotely through that setup before it ruined completely:

Pleiades - M45 here

The toughest project would definitely be my kitchen renovation. It may never get finished because I'm just too busy doing everything else, including a guitar and a new wetbar with kegerator. Woot!

Edit: Okay, now I remember…I'd been to your site before, Mike. Forgot that you discovered that planetary nebula. Too cool!


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

all hubble observations are done in black and white

the colour added is mere speculation of a hired artist


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## WoodGoddess (Sep 27, 2012)

These are all fantastic, inspirational, and beautiful.

@Barry…I can't wait to see it! Tag me or something so I don't miss it! ;-)

@Clint…maybe I'll build my own pool house? Hmmmm.

@Huff…wow…how beautiful, innovative, and useful.

@HorizontalMike…love the elevated astronomical observatory and that you and your girlfriend did it together…give her a hug for me!!!

@Moron…two words for your post…timeless and beautiful….except your last one. lol ;-)

Keep them coming guys! I'm so happy I asked!


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

This took me a while…










.

So did these! ;-)
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/52869 (two full summers)
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/24145 (~2-3 months)
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/36725 (~80 hours)
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/14772 (~100 hours)


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

I look in the rear view mirror at this one and everything is gauzily dreamlike:














































Walnut and alder. I learned to use air tools with many-toothed wood removal business ends. I purchased two dear rasps and they were worth it. Most importantly, I learned to trust my eyes and my hands and my intuition way more that I had thought possible. There is no denying that building one of these can easily become a spiritual experience.

I thank Sam for his inspired design and generous heart, and Charles Brock for his helpful video and book.

Thanks, WoodGoddess, for sending me back there.

Kindly,

Lee


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

Lee,

Exquisite! Thanks for sharing.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Moron:

Any more posts about astronomy from you and you'll definitely earn your name.

Learn a little something about spectroscopy and perhaps you'll see what the Hubble "colors" are all about.

Everything is black and white with CCDs…even your digital camera. The difference is that color filters are ON the chip with your camera (Bayer matrix) and in FRONT of the chip with much of our astronomical images. The HST uses spectral band filters to highlight specific gas emissions, namely hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. Both Horizontal Mike and I have such amateur images at our sites using the same technology and techniques. While there is some interpretation to be done - and therefore variance when processing the images - there is a ton of scientific objectivity. Heck, there's chromatic subjectivity with ALL images, astronomical or not, film or digital, but it doesn't make them any less important, instructional, or inspirational.

And as for "earthy colors," we only see what we are designed to see, namely in the 400nm to 650nm range depending on our age and health. Just because you don't see a spectra doesn't mean it doesn't exist anymore than a bear fart doesn't stink if you aren't in the woods to smell it.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread, but it really bothers me when people speak out of ignorance to the point where it insults others' considerable efforts. Shame on guys like us for hoping people would actually appreciate and not insult our work.


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

Well done, Lee!


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

BTW, I see that Moron deleted the posts I'd consider objectionable and insulting. That's appreciated. Back your regularly scheduled programming.

And, yes, I love that rocker, Lee.


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## WoodGoddess (Sep 27, 2012)

@knotscot….I love that pergola and fireplace!!! The guitars are beautiful. Love that curly wood!

@Lee…That rocker is absolutely exquisite! I can see why you say that it can become a spiritual experience. The creator of something with such beauty and sound usefulness for generations to use not only solidifies your craft and skill in woodworking…but is a testament to the man inside.  Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with me and others here.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

The first one was the toughest . Everything after that was easy.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

A ton of truth to that, Betsy. I think I almost cut off my finger on my first project with a jigsaw. I was about 10 years old.

Come to think of it, I feel like I'm highly capable of making the same mistake some 34 years later.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

JAY: *"... I did manage this shot of the Pleiades remotely through that setup before it ruined completely:
Pleiades - M45 here…"*

Very nice shot Jay! This is a target I cannot do justice to with my ST-10XME, for obvious reasons. Your STL-11000 was a perfect choice. Well done indeed!

My TI Dome is actually a HD-10 that is fully automated. It just looks bigger because I put it on top of a 12×12ft base and elevated it ~15ft.

My best narrowband image, IMO is my shot of the Rosette Nebula through my NP-127. This was in early January and I was fortunate to have absolutely 5/5 seeing on both imaging nights. Double checking against the USNO-SA 2.0 Astrometric Reference Catalog and discovered that some of the center stars reached 20th magnitude! Quite a feat for a 5in APO. FWIW, I did play with the final color rendition in PS4 and that some might protest that little tidbit. I actually DID try to process this for the "Earthly Colors" in order to increase the wow factor. But you can never please everyone when processing. For others, do notice that the total time on this particular image is almost 13 hours of perfect pointing of the telescope while leaving the shutter open. My longest thus far is nearer 30-hours of time lapse.

http://www.horizontalheavens.com/3-NGC2244_SIIHaOIII.jpg
NGC2244 Rosette Nebula - Narrowband Hubble Palette (S,Ha,O), ST-10XME on NP-127 w/.8xFR, 528mm f/4.2, 12.66 hours Total Exposure, (12)20m SII, (12)20m Ha, (14)20m OIII, 01/09-10/2010.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Maybe this. Or maybe one of the others.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I think maybe Paul has trumped the rest of you!


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Yuh thunk?... ;-)


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Yeah, quite deep for a 5 in. apo, Mike. Just a terrific image of that object!

Definitely bloom city with the ST-10xme on something like the Pleiades. I used one for a while and loved it though. It's wonderfully sensitive, especially in the h-alpha. I actually like the NABG chips, which is why I also have an STL-6303e. I'm fortunate that I have both cameras for a wide variety of imaging types, though they seem a little less sensitive over the years. I need to ship them to SBiG to have them looked at, but I do astronomy so infrequently now that I just haven't done it.

Ironically, my best narrowband in the HST palette is the same object! Mine is a two frame mosaic of the core cluster stars and it's surroundings, 11.5 hours of total exposure time. Of course, the 12.5" RCOS can really get some resolution. This was actually an APOD, seen here.

Rosette Nebula APOD

Hard to believe that image is so old, but I've been doing astrophotography for quite a while now! Of course I don't have a freaking nebula named after me! That's too cool…I merely dabble in the science side of it, so I admire those who really take it seriously. Well done, Mike!


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Holy crap, Paul. I can't tell you how often I've thought about trying something like that. Then, I wake up. Amazing that you actually did it.


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## Byron (Nov 19, 2011)

I decided I wanted to make a chair where the back was only held by dovetails, but I also wanted it to be very comfortable and solid wood so I shaped it all by hand and cut dovetails on a compound curve also by hand. Then I had to make my understructure fit the complex curve of the seat. Another difficult part was I wanted to make it all out of one board of quarter-sawn Sapele, so the grain changed direction about every inch meaning so did the direction I was planing.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

That's just incredible, Byron! That's not just some ordinary chair. That's functional art! Well done!


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

My whole shop….it's a 40×50, and building all the shop furniture, work tables, workbenches, storage bins, the whole enchilada took several months…...just remember, when you build a shop, you're never finished with it…..you're always adding more, changing things around, and re-arranging to make room for more stuff…...not including the 140 projects (mostly customer things), it's time comsuming, but well worth the effort in the end…...now you have a place to really get seroius about woodworking…...


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments but *WOW* on Mike's observatory and Byron and Lee's chairs.
Everybody's good at something.
Good thread.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Paul: "...Everybody's good at something… Good thread."

Yeah, that kind of says it all. It is definitely fun looking at other folks really large scale projects. Jay and I could get lost for hours on the astro-imaging of faint fuzzy space bodies, Rick's killer WW-shop, your incredible wooden ship art, and all those other earlier posts of wooden dreams fulfilled! I do have to thank Byron for bringing us full circle with his drop dead gorgeous dovetailed chair! I think the OP was wanting us to talk about pieces of furniture/art that would fit inside of a pickup truck's bed and such,... but she did say *"...most difficult WW-ing project…"*, didn't she *;-)*


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

OK I didn't get that part. Can I change my answer? ;-)


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## WoodGoddess (Sep 27, 2012)

I sure did Mr. Mike! You guys have done some impressive things! Dreams fulfilled and leaving something beautiful for generations to come seem to be the overall theme of this thread now. I love it and will admit to "pausing speechless" when seeing the pictures. WOW! Amazing! Truly amazing at what one can create and build with his/her bear hands.

@Paul…to "bend" the wood…I have a really stupid question. How? Is moisture content heavily involved in something like that? Or is it more of the type of wood used? Perhaps a combination of both?

@Bryon… remarkably beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

@Rick…your own shop is a testament to your courage and commitment to your craft. I admire that and appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts here.

@Betsy…very true. But I will admit the first one is just a tease while the ones after that are generated by sheer passion…or so it seems.


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

I have not finished it yet, but it is my condo's entry way. Been working on it for about 6 years… I did the copper work and the leaded glass… and the whole thing is flame grained black cherry… left to go: 4 carvings and 3 pieces of trim work and a door buzzer plate. Doesn't seem like that much, but the devil in is the details.. which you can't see from these pics. sigh. There will be a full blog a bout this later.

Bench ~ steam bent, laminated, and cedar lined








Leaded glass Franks Lloyd Wright style, turned coat pegs.








Walking stick and umbrella holder: copper and cedar lined: steam bent laminates.


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## WoodGoddess (Sep 27, 2012)

@Paul…it's lovely and inspiring. Feel free to change your answer as much as you want. lol ;-)


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

*WoodGoddess*, You are right it is a combination of both plus heat. There's a post in the blog on that boat that covers steaming and bending the ribs here.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

I've got a LOT of learning and improving left to do. These projects, all of them, are just amazing.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Hey Jay, been down around Quanah lately…? How about some good Dutch's cafe food…? I still can't believe that cafe is still in business after all these years…...!!!!


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## ADHDan (Aug 17, 2012)

My most difficult project? Convincing my wife to let me take over the back third of our garage. It took about eight months. I discovered that it was best to work slowly, adding new bench tools and cabinets gradually to allow for wife acclimation.

Real answer: an oak sideboard took the most time to make, and some finger-jointed boxes gave me the most headaches (building a decent box joint router jig, calibrating and testing it, resolving chipout issues, and at one point trying to resaw 4/4 maple on my table saw).


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks, WoodGoddess, I appreciate it…..Yep, it takes a long time to put a shop together, and i'm not done yet…...But it's pretty much where I want it at this point for now…..!!!


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Hey, Rick! Unfortunately, no. I'd love to head that way just because it's been a while and I need to see some old friends. It's also been a while since I worked some events out at Comanche Springs (the 3RF astronomy campus). But, yeah, I need to get some bisquits and gravy at Dutch's one of these Saturday mornings!


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

@ Lee and Byron - Wow….those chairs are works of art! So is shipwright's boat! Incredible stuff!


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## RyanHaasen (Oct 29, 2011)

Probably this crane I made last year. Its a scale Liebherr Lr 1300 crawler crane. Everything is functional. At its tallest, it measures 13'. The hardest part was making the Lattice boom and Jib, and making sure it would be strong enough to support its own weight. It took a month for the planning and 7 months to build. 

















Here is a shot of myself standing beside in on the first set up (I was 6' tall at the time). 









It is by far my biggest challenge yet. By the way, shipwright, that is an awesome table!


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

That's just sick, Ryan!


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

This is a ridiculously impressive thread.


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## WoodGoddess (Sep 27, 2012)

@BTimmons…tell me about it!!! Aren't they all fantastic!!!!


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Have we got some impressive woodworkers on this site or what? Great thread!


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