New Here, Looking for Some Advice

[Jason Merck]

Hello, new to this forum and actually pretty new to woodworking in general. I'm getting ready to start my first project that will be find its way to a highly visible area of the house. I'm going to make a dog crate for a puppy that will be here in a month. It's going to go at the end of a couch to also serve as an rather large end table. I'll also be building another "normal" sized one for the other size with the same stylings. I pretty much have the design all worked out & the plans drawn up, but I want to figure out the finish before I began any work. I plan to go with a dark finish (wenge, espresso - something along those lines) but want to make sure it is safe for the dog. Does anybody have any suggestions on any products that would be good for an application like this? If not then suggestions on products you know I should avoid would be great also.

Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

Modern finishing products are non-toxic after they've cured. The last legal toxic finishing product we had in this country was lead paint, which was outlawed fifty years ago. So you can use anything you find in the store.

However, you might want to reconsider the plan to use a dark finish near a puppy. An issue with a dark finish is that if you scratch through the thin color layer, you see light-colored wood, so the scratch is very obvious. If you scratch through a clear finish, the color doesn't change much, so the scratch is less obvious. Puppies may scratch stuff, or chew on stuff. I'd suggest a clear finish on the wood. If you want a dark color for the furniture, start with a dark wood.

[Tony Bilello]

inside a nice 'box' of furniture. The carrier would protect the wood from any puppy problems.

[Jason Merck]

Thanks for the replies. Although the puppy chewing on it from the inside is of concern, I was planning on taking an old wire dog crate & trimming it to fit on the inside to keep her from being able to get to the wood while she is in it. I was more concerned with any fumes that a finish might give off for awhile & if they would have any affects. Never even thought about the outside though (the possibility of her chewing on when she is out of the crate) - that is a good point about the lighter color of finish. As a result I am going with poplar and leaning towards painting it. Hoping this way if she does manage to scratch or chew on it I can touch it up with some paint. And if that won't work & I have to scrap it, well I'm not out that much money and it will give me a good excuse to try it again with a better design. That and to teach the dog not chew on her own dang house. I'm not real wild about painting though, as one of the things that is drawing me to woodworking is how beautiful the different species of wood can look with their grains & characteristics. But in this case I think the combination of poplar & paint would be the way to go.

Thanks for the help

[Phil Phelps]

Jason, you can make just about anything from wood. However, there are some projects that really aren't that practical made from wood and I consider a dog crate one of them. The PVC crates are light weight, come in a variety of sizes, and clean easily. Some even collapse and store with ease. I really believe that your efforts in wood working would be better used toward something else. Just sayin'.

[Jason Merck]

Jason, you can make just about anything from wood. However, there are some projects that really aren't that practical made from wood and I consider a dog crate one of them. The PVC crates are light weight, come in a variety of sizes, and clean easily. Some even collapse and store with ease. I really believe that your efforts in wood working would be better used toward something else. Just sayin'.

Phil, I agree with you that one of those crates would be more ideal. That's what we use for our dachshund that stays in the kitchen. The issue I'm running up against though is where the crate is going to have to go. No room to put another crate in the kitchen (or any other practical area) except in the living room. Since it is going to be in the living room we want something that looks like it belongs there (me being able to achieve that is a different story). But you are probably right, the advantages of the pvc crate do outweigh making one myself & we can always move it or store it when company comes over. I did already start it though, so I'll go ahead & finish it to get the practice, and who knows, it may even work out. If not, well it was a learning experience at the very least & the puppy will get a shiny new crate from Petsmart.

Thanks

[Phil Phelps]

In that case, take your time and do the best you can, Jason. It may just be the cat's meow.