Contributor
Nice work Mike. White oak or red is hard wood to work. It does give you nice clean lines. The problem with it is people seem to like it. My wife loves the stuff so I have worked a pile of it. When you get a chance to work some other wood, like walnut, it is very pleasurable. The basswood you are carving must be like cutting air after the oak. My guess is that your wife will love it and want more oak items. Keep your stones handy and saw files too.
Jim
[OP]
Member
You couldnt be more right! The basswood just melts. I like the oak, but Im looking forward to making something out of this board of curly cherry I found hiding at the lumber yard! Score!Originally Posted by James Pallas
Contributor
Substantial build - I'm enjoying it; thanks for posting.
Great job Micheal- a classic design very well executed in a challenging, but beautiful wood! You should be very proud!
To me the combination of the white oak and the robust and simple design have a timeless elegance that will never go out of style. It goes without saying your wife will love it and I'm sure the desk will be a treasured heirloom in your family for many generations. Someday one of your grandkids is going to notice the inscriptions you made and say "I never realized Grandpa Mike is so cool" and your daughter will tell them "I was there when he built this in our garage with his own hands and a lot of sweat"
I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to document your build- both commentary and pics are excellent , very informative and much appreciated. In particular I really enjoyed your description of the twin motice and tennons- one of my favorite joints.
You got lots of great advice from our fellow neanders that I'm sure will make your next project that much easier. There's nothing I can add in the way of build advice that would be of much value. Perhaps one thought to consider, that has served me well when doing M&T's; my Dad used to say he wanted his M&T's to fit so he could "push them together using his left hand while really listening to the Dodgers on the radio". FWIW, when sawing tennons, I've rarely been disappointed by aggressively sawing to the marking gauge line. However I've often have left tennons too fat by trying to "split the Line", which resulted in unnecessary, time consuming work to make the tennons fit.
Thanks again for sharing your work and I very much look forward to seeing more of it in the future!
Semper Fi,
Mike
Contributor
Love your project and your M/T joints...Patience rules there...Nice job..Thanks for posting!!!
Jerry
Contributor
Looks great Mike, thanks for posting some pictures and encouragement to try double tenons. Will look forward to seeing your carving efforts and the finished desk.
Best,
Chris
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
--Yogi Berra
[OP]
Member
Thanks for the kind words, Mike! You've been instrumental in my learning this craft and I thank you for opening your shop to me. We probably need to get together soon!Great job Micheal- a classic design very well executed in a challenging, but beautiful wood! You should be very proud!
To me the combination of the white oak and the robust and simple design have a timeless elegance that will never go out of style. It goes without saying your wife will love it and I'm sure the desk will be a treasured heirloom in your family for many generations. Someday one of your grandkids is going to notice the inscriptions you made and say "I never realized Grandpa Mike is so cool" and your daughter will tell them "I was there when he built this in our garage with his own hands and a lot of sweat"
I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to document your build- both commentary and pics are excellent , very informative and much appreciated. In particular I really enjoyed your description of the twin motice and tennons- one of my favorite joints.
You got lots of great advice from our fellow neanders that I'm sure will make your next project that much easier. There's nothing I can add in the way of build advice that would be of much value. Perhaps one thought to consider, that has served me well when doing M&T's; my Dad used to say he wanted his M&T's to fit so he could "push them together using his left hand while really listening to the Dodgers on the radio". FWIW, when sawing tennons, I've rarely been disappointed by aggressively sawing to the marking gauge line. However I've often have left tennons too fat by trying to "split the Line", which resulted in unnecessary, time consuming work to make the tennons fit.
Thanks again for sharing your work and I very much look forward to seeing more of it in the future!
Semper Fi,
Mike
[OP]
Member
This is kind of a first for me and Im not sure how this video will turn out. Hopefully it looks ok.
This is the underside of the desk...in case I messed it up haha! Forgive my hairy arms, Im part sasquatch.
Contributor
Awesome work Mike! Time lapse video is nice, we do these at work from time to time when we have a large assembly project or fast field harvesting. I like it.
Bob
[OP]
Member
Well thank you sir, I am quite the amateur at making a video. Thanks for taking a look.
[OP]
Member
Here she is, ready to lie in her resting spot. I might haul it out to my wifes retirement ceremony to officially present her with it, time will tell. The finish is BLO/Poly/Mineral Spirits with paste wax for a nice satin finish. I had a hard time deciding between this and Tried and Trues oil/wax finish. I just felt like the Tried and True takes to long to finish whereas the BLO/Poly/MS dries fast as all get out. I cant seem to photograph the rays in the top very well. If I didnt mention it before, some of the boards were closer to rift sawn than quarter sawn. Im not certain, but I think that had a bit of an effect on how pronounced the rays are. As always comments and suggestions are most welcome.
Moderator
Mike, I have been following this thread with enjoyment. Your skills are impressive to me. Nicely done.
It's substantial, and elegant and your joints are tight as I aspire mine to eventually be.
Pls don't take this constructive opinion as anything more than a nitpick, but is it too late to angle or soften the ends of the stretcher? My eye wants it to taper as the tusk does or perhaps not to be as long.
Contributor
Very nice Mike. That table will be around for a very long time. I like your design. Very clean and straight forward. Can go with any kind of decor.
Jim
[OP]
Member
I welcome your opinion wholeheartedly, Prashun! Are you referring to how far the through tenon extends past the wedge? If so, I totally agree. That was one of the design elements that I sorta disliked from the book that Mr. Mike Allen let me borrow. I honestly just wanted to try this particular type joint as I've never done it before and I wanted it to be knockdown. Are you suggesting that maybe it have the same curve as the wedge? How about shortening and chamfering the end of the tenon for a softer appearance?
Im grateful for your opinions and you are far too kind in reference to my skill level. Perhaps it's true, we are our own worst critic. Thanks for following!
[OP]
Member
Thanks Jim, I appreciate your input. Of course, I can't take credit for the design but I agree it is very clean which is what the wife asked for.
Your comments made made me wonder something: While building the desk, I had multiple neighbors and family members comment about how the desk looked too short in reference to its height. I also felt it looked rather short in length. The funny thing is, when I sat it in position in the house it looked monstrous. It's the classic looks smaller in the store deal. The question is: Do you guys ever experience this while building a project? I mean I literally felt a little anxiety about the height because of the comments several folks made about the height seemingly being too short. When I rolled a chair up to it, it was perfect.
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