I have received several emails requesting photos of my older projects since it has been in just the last couple of years that I have re-kindled my interest in woodworking. My interest in Woodworking came in the mid 1980's when I saw my first episodes of the New Yankee Workshop. Yes, it was all Norm's fault. Prior to purchasing the Radial Arm Saw in 1989 I built my first few pieces using a Skil Circular Saw mounted upside down in a table saw setup manufactured by Vermont American (or at least sold under the VA name). My wife won it from her food service job in South Lake Tahoe, California. In fact, all of my first tools including the Skil Saw, Black and Decker Router, VA saw table, Black & Decker Drill, Black and Decker Jig Saw and a Black and Decker Orbital Sander were all prizes my wife chose for me from her work efforts. That was a great Christmas. These tools alone were used for several octagon shaped picnic tables and a pine plate rack. The following are some photos taken with a digital camera.
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Pine Plate Rack - This was my first project. Nothing special here but at the time it was a HUGE accomplishment.
Pine Chest of Drawers - This was a challenging New Yankee Workshop project. Trying to get good glue lines by ripping on the Radial Arm Saw was a reall chore. Got to use my Sears dovetail jig for the drawers and the base. Don't think I have used it since.
Bedside Table -You may notice that the bedside table is shorter than what Norm's plan called for. That is because we moved the set into the family room and my wife wanted to use it as an end table next to the couch but it was too tall. So she talked me into cutting the legs down a bit. Well.....quite a bit.
Display Case - A small oak display case for some of my collectible guitar miniatures.
Oval Mirror - The oval mirror was also in an issue of Woodsmith. This was a challenging yet fun project. It took longer to make the oval jig for the router than it did to actually cut all of the profiles.
Entry Settle - The oak entry settle has small raised panels in the doors. This was my first attempt at raising panels on the router table with a jig and straight bit. The jig was in an issue of Woodsmith magazine.
Cherry Corner Cabinet - The corner cabinet was my first use of cherry. I wish I would have known about the use of a cabinet scraper back then. Would have made things a bit easier. I also didn't know much about finishes then (still don't for that matter) and used two coats of linseed oil followed by a coat of paste wax.
Oak Table - The oak table is a reproduction of an antique fern stand. It was the first followed by a longer version and then the coffee table to match. I am currently applying the finish to a second coffee table that was commissioned by a friend for his new office.
Book Case - Another New Yankee Workshop project. This is made out of birch plywood and the face frame is made from Alder.
Foosball Table - The foosball table started out as sort of a joke project but after I got into it a bit I decided to modify things quite a bit to make it a real game table. The original plan was in a Sunset magazine.
Oak Hall Tree - Nothing special here. Planning on making a replacement for this one in the distant future. The legs were attached with dowels on this one but on the next one I will attach them with a sliding dovetail joint.
2/24/02 - Today I dug up some more photos and fired up the scanner. I have more but can't seem to find the photos. Here are a few of the scanned pictures.
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Child's Rocker - I made this rocker for one of my god children. It is a little hard to see but I routed her initials in the front.
Trellis System - I built this attachment to the house shortly after moving into the Roseville house. It has held up well for over 10 years now but is finally starting to show signs of fatigue.
Baseball Card Display Case - This was my first attempt at designing a project. The son of one of my friends was really big into trading baseball cards. He asked me if I could build him something that he could store all of his cards in and carry it with him to the shows. This is the end result. I have not spoke with him in a while but the last I recall it worked out well for him. It had doors in the back to store the supplies and a plexiglass front on hinges so there was easy access to the cards on display. It was basically built from scraps of plywood and pine.
Rocking Horse - This was the second rocking horse I built. The first was out of doug fir and pine scraps and this one was made out of oak. I learned a few hard lessons on this project. I use templates and a router to form the legs and other body parts. The extreme angle on the hooves caused kickback when using a table mounted router. I wasted two flush trim bits before I got the message. The project turned out great though. This was one of the first projects I actually got paid to do. I used a hand held router to carve the initials of the recipient into both sides of the body.
Router Table - This was my first router table. Even though I have an FT2000 mounted in the extension wing of my table saw I still find myself using this table today. It was one of the first designs that appeared in Woodsmith magazine. It still serves it purpose but at some point I intend to build its replacement.
Bird House - This was a fun project. I had some redwood left over from building a picnic table and so I gave it a go.. This little condo is still going strong after being in the yard for close to 8 years.
Pouting Chair - I made this pouting chair for my other god child. I was back in Michigan recently and got to give it a good inspection. It is holding up well. I was surprised because if memory serves me correctly I used Minwax Poly-Shades on this project. The stuff with the stain and finish all in one. It still looked great after several years. Go figure.
Hand Mirrors - These hand mirrors are from Woodsmith magazine. The one on the right is personalized with my wife's first initial and is made of cherry. The one on the left is made from Hawaiian Koa. I made one for each of my 4 sisters and my mother from walnut as Christmas presents one year.
Mail Box - Another Woodsmith plan. This has proved to be a worthwhile project. It gets plenty of use as Fedex frequents my home as a part of my everyday job. I also incorporated the personalization from the hand mirrors by routing the letter of our last name on the front panel. This raised panel was my first raised panel cut on the Table Saw.
Small Jewelry Box - Yet another Woodsmith plan. I made this for my wife out of some scraps of cherry. She would like another but without the dividers so she can store her longer chains in it. The finish is very dull at this point. I think I just put one coat of tung oil finish on it. It is screaming for some attention.
If anyone has any questions about any of these projects feel free to EMAIL me.