h3nry Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 OK, so here's my latest effort at furniture making: a pair of bedside tables... The construction is all Walnut with a simple mortice-&-tennon frame with the stretchers attached on the diagonal with dowels. The top and shelf are hammer-veneered ply with mitred frames. Finished with Deft danish oil and wax. Practise makes perfect, and as far as the veneering goes I still need more practise, bacause the results were definitely less than perfect, although non-woodworkers seem not to notice. This is my first attempt at string inlay, my tools were simply a scratcher made from a piece of broken knife blade attached to the end of a marking-guage for the straight lines, and attached to a block of wood with a nail in for the curves - although primitive it seemed to work. Also my first attempt at hand-cut mouldings - thanks to Shannon and Bob for the how-to vids. With my newly acquired moulding planes I managed to avoid using the router completely, making this my first project made entirely without power tools (except for the vacuum cleaner). The drawers were the first time I've cut half-blind dovetails, but they really weren't any more difficult than through dovetails. I remain convinced that the most difficult joint to get right in woodwork is the simple mitre, and all four of the mitred frames here had some small gaps that needed filling. I'm still bad at cutting smooth curves. There are some curves but they are on the stretchers hidden under the shelf where they can't be seen. I only put them in for practise really. some other comments I have, and things I learnt: - The walnut veneer I bought for the edge of the drawer front didn't really match the grain of the solid walnut, and when the finish was applied didn't darken in colour in the same way, so it ended up looking a bit out of place. - When the finish oil soaked into the tulipwood banding the colour really popped, and I think it ended up a bit too bright pink. - Scraping the banding down to match the thickness of the burl veneer was difficult to achieve without damaging either the banding or the veneer. - In my sketchup model I didn't really think about how I was going to attach the table-top to the frame, so when I finally got to thinking about it I discovered that there was very little room for the attaching blocks without interfering with the drawer, making the blocks somewhat smaller and more fragile than I would have liked. - The board I used for the legs didn't have enough clear straight grain for the front legs of both tables, and the grain pattern on one of them is a bit askew to the stringing, I need to be more careful picking boards with appropriate grain in the lumber yard. So there they are ... any comments or tips on what I should have or could have done differently in construction or design? or suggestions on how to go from here and advance in my next project ... let's hear 'em. hmmm ... I see my next project ought to be a new headboard - any recommendations for a complementing design? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 nice looked pretty good especially since you just used hand tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 Outstanding job, Henry. To eliminate the veneer not matching, you might try cutting your own from the same stock you are using for the rest of the project. It takes a while to do by hand, but the results should compensate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guillaume Breton Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 pretty cool, gj ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 I like the end tables alot great detail work. Maybe you could have used these fasteners instead of the blocks http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=786&site=ROCKLER&filter=figure%208%20fastener Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 Absolutely gorgeous work. I would work the headboard in the same walnut and burl veneer style personally maybe with a slightly arched top (just my own design aesthetic though ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 Looks Great! For the headboard I would try taking the same design from the table top and setting them into a recessed panel on the headboard. I love the color combinations and the detail on the legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Where do I start? I love that hidden uplift detail on the lower shelf, making it appear to float without something like dowel pegs but still being a fantastic structural and design detail. I appreciate the detail on the device to make the string inlay grooves, and had never realized it was that simple. Thanks! I cannot get past how marvelous (and simple) the string inlay looks. While I agree that the figure 8 fastener is quick and simple, I appreciate the time and effort taken on the wood blocks (having only recently read about the process to make them). I question why they were placed there, but I'm not privy to all the details. I hate that I showed it to my wife.... Now I have to make a set...(Care to lend a hand with that? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted January 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thanks guys, when I look at my own work I see all the scratches and blemishes that I couldn't get rid of - I really am my own worst critic, so it's nice to hear an unbiassed critical view from woodworkers. I was worried that someone would say that cutting my own veneer would be the way to go - I don't think I'm quite ready for that, with every piece of veneer a different and uneven thickness. I think the figure-8 fasteners would have been a good choice - why didn't I think of that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 when you start criticising too much walk way come back a month later and look at it. if you spend too much time looking at it you will only see flaws. looks at it from across the room. look at it in the room your puting it in because your shop will probably have such harsh light you will only see the flaws where as in the bed room where the light is dimer you will only see the form. and remember no matter how well you build it its still only wood and wood dents and chips and scratches everything gets worn out when its used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thanks guys, when I look at my own work I see all the scratches and blemishes that I couldn't get rid of - I really am my own worst critic, so it's nice to hear an unbiassed critical view from woodworkers. Hehe, I think everyone who builds stuff has that problem. I'm just now starting to get to the point when I show something I made I don't start with, "I hate it, cause I screwed up this and this and this" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Overall beautiful work and a nice outcome. I really like the detail/style of the stretchers. Those could've stood on their own as a design element. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdale51@yahoo.com Posted January 12, 2013 Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 Those tables made my jaw drop! Absolutely gorgeous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman50 Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Fantastic looking pair of side tables! They turned out great even without using power tools. I like the wood, finish and the design with the details that add some character to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted May 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2013 I thought I'd post an update here. I finally finished a bed to go between the tables. It definitely improves the room getting rid of the cheap Ikea bed. I tried to make the style match the tables, partly because I didn't want to be battling against learning new techniques, and just concentrate on improving my existing skills. Fortunately I still had just enough veneer left from the same flitch to match. I think it turned out all right. Although it was supposed to be a simple design, I did underestimate how big a piece of furniture a bed is, and it seemed to take much longer to complete than I anticipated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted May 18, 2013 Report Share Posted May 18, 2013 Tasty!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted May 18, 2013 Report Share Posted May 18, 2013 I really like the string inlay! What wood/material did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kronewi Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 A very nice effort. Excellent job!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 I really like the string inlay! What wood/material did you use? I just bought a bundle of stringing. I believe it is sycamore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieboy Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Thanks for showing your unbelievable talent! The detail, design , inlay and structure are perfect.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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