A textured top might at first seem the wrong choice for a writing desk, but with computers leading the writing world nowadays we think it’s a great idea. - Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement Magazine I completed the base for the 21st Century Writing Desk, to go with the top that I carved in November. … Continue reading 21st Century Writing Desk, Complete
Last week, I saw a picture of a roof top that resembled a wave. The roof prompted me to ponder the question: does a tabletop really need to be flat? Running with that notion, I carved this maple sample, dyed it black and waxed it to increase the sheen. I was really pleased with the sample, … Continue reading 21st Century Writing Desk – Making the Top
A couple of years ago while working on a chair, I found myself needing to lay out the position of the seat slats on the centre rail, which was basically a cross-lap joint. Normally, I'd use my marking knife for this operation, but due to the thickness of the components, my marking knife wasn't able … Continue reading Making a Long-Blade Marking Knife
In my last Craftsy blog post, I covered techniques to cut perfect mitres. If you've ever made a mitred joint before, you probably discovered that cutting them accurately can be finicky, but assembling them was downright agonizing. However, with a couple of tricks and the right clamping tools on hand, and some practice, assembling mitres … Continue reading How to Perfectly Assemble Mitre Joints
In 2007, I was into turning in a big way. I got into turning pens using exotic woods carefully paired with a package of pen hardware. My preference was chrome-plated hardware for its durability and affordable price. The result, when paired with African Blackwood, was an undeniably classy pen. One special piece of wood was … Continue reading Roots of Flair: Pushing the Limits
After routing the jigsaw puzzle design, I made a base out of four mitred lengths of black walnut to raise the table up off the ground. That way, it didn't just look like a cube sitting on the ground. Then came finishing. Let's just say that it required some patience to get an even coat … Continue reading Finishing Puzzle Table
After gluing up the four sides, my next step was to rout in the puzzle pieces. I used three combination squares referenced off of each edge to lay out a grid, which represented the size and location of the puzzle pieces. Pencil can be difficult to see on black walnut, but I found that roughing up … Continue reading Routing the Puzzle Pieces for Puzzle Table
After a week making the inside surfaces glossy and blue, I was back to making sawdust. I mitred the ends of the panels with my sliding table saw, using a stop block to ensure that they were all the same length. I appreciated the fact that my carefully-painted surfaces were able to just sit on the … Continue reading Assembling Puzzle Table
At some point in time, every woodworker has cursed the fact that wood expands in humid weather and contracts in dry weather. Because of it, lumber that was once straight became curved, twisted, or both. Parts that once fit snugly became loose, or impossibly tight. Turning green (freshly cut) wood was how I learned firsthand … Continue reading Roots of Flair: Accepting Wood Movement
Recently, I received a commission to build a coffee table with a jigsaw puzzle design on the surface. The idea was to use a dark wood on the outside and paint the inside blue. I wanted straight-grained walnut for the outside so not to distract from the puzzle pieces being routed on the surface. Since I wasn't … Continue reading Puzzle Table
