Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Child's Table and Chairs

My son and daughter in law asked that I build a chair and table set for our grandson for his play room. The table is 24" square and is made of  white limba, a wood I haven't used before and chose based on the recommendation of my lumber dealer. It works very much like poplar or soft maple. It is also only $1.80 bd. ft. There is also black limba, a beautiful wood, and is a little more.


I built two chairs and added a walnut strip for a little detail in the seat. I will deliver the set this weekend on our next visit north this weekend. I enjoyed building this set. I had built an identical set for our grand daughter about 7 or 8 years ago.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Jewelry Box - Curly Maple and Wenge'

Just completed this commission piece for a client who had made a previous purchase. The box measures 14"w x 9"d x 6 1/2" h and is constructed from soft curly maple, also known as ambrosia maple, and wenge' (wen-gay). The drawer liners are craft foam and worked out surprisingly well. I wanted something different than the traditional felt.














Shown with the lid and drawers closed, note the shape of the front and rear legs.




















The curve of the drawer pulls match the curve of the lid handle giving the viewer the impression that there are 3 drawers.















Monday, August 2, 2010

Walnut Chess Board w/ Drawers



Now that I have some more time to catch up on projects since I retired 7/1, I finished this chess board I promised my daughter to give her husband as a gift for his birthday. 
Overall size is 16" x 16" x 3 1/2".








The board is constructed of wenge' and maple and is set in the frame with clearance for wood movement. There are 2 support rails for the board and I drilled slots in those and mounted the top with screws like a table top. This should allow for wood movement without damage.









The pieces are held in a drawer on both ends of the board. Walnut dividers keep the pieces organized, green felt drawer liners in each.

I applied 2 coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal gloss with a coat of wax.