Look what I did this week!

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

Well I have needed to get ready for a class I'm teaching in August for the last month. Since my family left July 4 to go see family in Virginia what better use of my time than to get out to the shop and build the prototype and doccument it for my class handout. I'm actually making 3 as I want one built, one in parts to use as a show and tell example and one for a friend. I'll build up the show and tell unit duriing class. we only have 3 days to build this table but ............ well we'll see! I'll be the first to admit that I'm a very deliberate woodworker (slow) but I have found that doccumenting in pix and notes really doubles my construction time. I've also gotten so much more attuned to grain and color matching when laying out the parts on the rough lumber and that slows down layout but results in a much nicer product. Well here's what I've gotten done this week:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c166/indymac24/Shaker%20Side%20Table/2TablesandParts.jpg

There are the two partially assembled tables into which I just fitted the drawer fronts before I quit for the night. That little pile of parts behind the two tables is the show and tell parts of the third table. The three table tops are glued up and stacked to the right awaiting sizing and sanding tomorrow. Then the pile of maple right under the table on the right is to be resawn tomorrow for the drawer boxes (6/4 is all I had in the attic stash). It is some gorgeous curly maple that I didn't realize was quite so curly when I began to saw it up. When I started jointing it the curl just about floored me! Excuse the yellow hue (incandescents) to the pic but look at that curl!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c166/indymac24/Shaker%20Side%20Table/CurlyMaple.jpg

They are going to be some nice looking drawers! Well I hope to finish by the time the weekend is over! Boy now I understand why Norm builds a prototype, it let's you find all the places to make mistakes the first time through and hopefully avoid them in class! Next week I'll start editing the pics into the handout. I've found I really like the teaching which is a big surprise to me. It feels good to pass on some of that hard earned knowledge.

Mac

[Alex Elias]

Thant seems like a nice, simple yet usefull project. Good luck with the teaching class.
As far as the drawers out of that beatiful stock no ofense but I think is kind of wasteful for a drawer, to nice to be hidden.
Thanks for showing

[Don Bullock]

I just built that exact table in cherry in a three day class I took at our local Woodcraft store (future gloat). It's a great project, but a rush for three days. Fortunately we met once a week, so we were able to do all the sanding as "homework" instead of trying to do it all in class. We got all the parts put together in class except for attaching the top. That will be done after I put the finish on it. Right now I'm working on a test sample for the finish I plan to use. Good luck with your class.:D

[Tim Malyszko]

Good luck with the class. The students are very lucky to have an instructor that is going through such lengths to prepare.

As far as the drawer fronts go, the curly maple will look terriffic. I certainly wish I had maple with such an extraordinary figure laying around in my wood stash. When you get the final one done and finished, please post. I cannot wait to see the finish on the curly maple.

[Richard Wolf]

Great effort. Good luck with the class.

Richard

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

As far as the drawers out of that beatiful stock no ofense but I think is kind of wasteful for a drawer, to nice to be hidden.


Alex it's the only maple I had and I knew it had some curl but it was really cut rough so the extent of the figure didn't show. The board had some cup and twist to it so I cut the pieces to length first and ran them over the jointer. That's when the figure really popped out.


I just built that exact table in cherry in a three day class I took at our local Woodcraft store (future gloat). It's a great project, but a rush for three days. Fortunately we met once a week, so we were able to do all the sanding as "homework" instead of trying to do it all in class. We got all the parts put together in class except for attaching the top. That will be done after I put the finish on it. Right now I'm working on a test sample for the finish I plan to use. Good luck with your class.:D

Don the nice thing about where I'm teaching is that we can work as late as we wish as long as there are two of us in the shop. So I can see a late evening or two. As for the finish, what are you using? For cherry I almost always use a brew of oil/varnish/turpentine.


As far as the drawer fronts go, the curly maple will look terriffic. I certainly wish I had maple with such an extraordinary figure laying around in my wood stash.

Tim the maple is for the drawer box and bottom, there will be cherry on the front. As I told Alex it's the only maple I had and I didn't want to run to the board store for more and pay more than I paid to get the curly some time back in a bulk buy. And yes I have 3 more long boards of it in my stash.


Thanks all for the kind words. I better finish breakfast and go out there and get some work done in the shop before the family gets home!

Mac

[Mike Cutler]

Nice work Mac.
That is some beautiful curl in that piece, it should be a stunning accent.

3 days, wow! I couldn't do it in three weeks.;)

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Those are some very lucky students. That's a nice project to do and they will learn a lot.

[Phil Thien]

Those are some very lucky students. That's a nice project to do and they will learn a lot.

Yeah, I was just going to say that. I'd love to take a class like that. Great work, plenty to learn from such a craftsman.

[Don Bullock]

...Don the nice thing about where I'm teaching is that we can work as late as we wish as long as there are two of us in the shop. So I can see a late evening or two. As for the finish, what are you using? For cherry I almost always use a brew of oil/varnish/turpentine...
Mac

I set up a test piece of cherry. From most posts I found here and elsewhere most seem to use BLO as a base and put shellac on top of that. Some others suggested lacquer either over BLO or just lacquer by itself. I hadn’t seen a combination like you suggest. I’ll have to try that sometime when I’m a little more confident with my finishing.

I think the evening hours will come in handy. Our class was limited to 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

That table is the perfect class and project for someone like me who is getting back into woodworking after being away from it for many years as well as for those just learning the basics of furniture making. Even though I did make some mistakes, I was able to recover from them and no one, except the teacher of the class will ever know what they were.

The guy that taught the class was an excellent teacher (that’s a compliment from someone who’s been teaching almost 40 years and teachers generally make terrible students). He was there to jump in and help when needed, but left us alone when we needed that as well. If someone had a “big problem” he helped to solve it so that the end product turned out as nice as possible. I really learned a lot. I’m sure, from all the prep work that you’re doing for the class that your students will learn a lot as well.

[Jim Becker]

Very nice, Mac!! Table projects like that are great, too.

I'm very glad to see your comment about grain matching, etc. That's the work that really makes a noticable difference and is frankly, the first step in the finishing process. It can take great or even just "good" craftsmanship and make it outstanding!

[John Schreiber]

I've found that teaching something is the way to really learn it yourself. I'm not nearly a good enough woodworker to teach anyone.

[D.McDonnel "Mac"]

I'm very glad to see your comment about grain matching, etc. That's the work that really makes a noticable difference and is frankly, the first step in the finishing process. It can take great or even just "good" craftsmanship and make it outstanding!

Jim I don't see much talk aboout it in books, mags or on the forums but I have become a real disciple of grain and color matching. I talk about it in everyone of my classes so as to plant the seed in new woodworkers. I have spent hours laying out the grain in table tops so that the joints fall in similar straight grain sections of a board. I could go on and on as it is one of my hot button subjects!


I'm not nearly a good enough woodworker to teach anyone.

John you might surprise yourself. I didn't think I knew enough either but Mike and Dana at American Sycamore talked me into doing a 2 day class a couple of years ago. I didn't think I could do it but after that class I wanted to do more. I won't tell you as a student I know everything but together we can figure it out! If you have a desire to try follow it!