ryandetzel Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 So we had a mock Thanksgiving this weekend because my wife is cooking for 15 people for the first time on TDay so she wanted to do a test run. The only thing that went wrong was we ran out of counter space fast so she wanted to run to Ikea to buy an island for $300. I'm just getting into working working(in the last week) so I suggested why not let me make her one. :-) She was not thrilled with that idea since we only have a few weeks and I have zero experience. I've built stuff before and I renovated our entire basement so she knows I'm good with tools but this was still something new, building something useful. I got a budget of $250 and ran off to Lowes. Fives hours later and this is was I came up with. There are at least five flaws in it but my plan is to use this for TDay and once I get better at WW to make a new one with drawers and better wood. The legs are fur(or poplar) and the rest is pine. She wants to finish it with white paint on the sides and legs with stain on the top of shelf. I'm looking for other suggestions on finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Not bad for someone with "zero experience". Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Heinbuch Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Pretty good for an afternoon's work. The turkey won't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 i was looking at building one recently was thinking of puting a butcher block insert in the top so we can cut up stuff on the same surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areynoldsre Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Good project. About finish - if this is to be used for Thanksgiving day you'd better get the finish on soon so it has time to cure. Any finish on the top is going to need a couple of weeks to fully cure before you can use it without stuff heavy/hot stuff sticking to it. I'd go with 3-4 coats of a semigloss polyurethane varnish. Do a light sanding between coats (220 grit) and it will look great. Varnish will give the top the best protection against most kitchen things (water, alcohol, turkey, potatoes). I am not sure I'd do a stain - pine can sometimes get blotchy with stain and it might look worse with the stain than without. Test on some scrap first to see how it is going to absorb. If you do use stain you might need to do a seal coat of shellac first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickHosey Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 hey man that looks great. youre going to do good things in woodworking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 Very nice work Ryan. Staining the pine should work okay if you use a washcoat of shellac (as Andrew mentioned) first before you stain. It'll take a few more coats of stain likely to get the colour you want, but you'll avoid most of the blotching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric71m Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Nice job!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Reuten Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Well done Ryan, I love paint and clear finish combinations. I would suggest you put a sealer coat of shellac on the base before painting as the knots may bleed through. Rather than white, suggest cream or sage. Something with a tinge of green will make the clear finished parts warmer. I would leave the slats on the shelf clear as well as the top. On those I would use a food friendly oil finish such as linseed or tung oil. Use it. Beat it and keep touching up the top with oil or wax. It will feel like a family heirloom in no time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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