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Thread: What is your favorite piece of wood furniture you made or own?

  1. #1

    What is your favorite piece of wood furniture you made or own?

    I have been working on restoring an antique banker chair that was in rough, but solid condition. While admiring the curves and comfortable contours, I started thinking about all you woodworkers on the forum who have had some impressive projects.

    What is your favorite piece of wood furniture you have in your own home whether you made it, or bought it?

    My favorite is an antique church pew roughly 4' in size. Years ago, I stopped into an antique store as a favor for a friend and walked past the pew. I have never seen one like this and sat on it. Wow. VERY comfortable. The curves of the arms and subtle curve of the seat & back seemed so unique to other benches I have sat on. A week later, I was still thinking about it and told my LOML I had to have it. Luckily I rarely "have to have" something and was given the okay to buy it. It's currently in our vacant front room until we focus on moving more furniture around.


    AntiquePew.jpg
    I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that’s not going to happen."

  2. #2
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    What a great idea for a thread. I am anxious to see the replies.

    I have two, if I may. One is a four poster bed. My father bought the posts in England after WWII and flew them back to the states in a B-26. (He was a somewhat high-ranking officer- he could do things.) My grandfather built the rest of the bed to match. I am allowing my 8-year-old to use it and she knows the history and knows not to jump on it or write on it!

    5459C4DE-777C-4E5B-AE6E-63CBD46A845D.jpg

    The other is the cradle boat I built for Petra when she was born. It has 198 hand-hammered copper rivets. The name is “Nod” and it is inlaid in abalone. There is an inscription in the bottom for future generations to know it was made by me for Petra.
    EBF3E56E-C204-405B-BB66-B302A4870490.jpg D8092A01-D508-452D-B0EC-3C2AB64CED0B.jpg

  3. #3
    I LOVE the cradle boat! How unique and functional!

    After dealing with my dear friend's massive estate, knowing the stories behind furniture and items is so much more meaningful and adds to the value. I love how you thought to put an inscription on the bottom.
    I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that’s not going to happen."

  4. #4
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    What a great cradle Malcolm.

    Mine would be my Stickley table / desk.

    _MG_5469.jpg
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  5. #5
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    My Cherry tool chest.

    100_3067.jpg
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  6. #6
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    That’s a tough choice. I’m 40 years deep into a love affair with Arts and Crafts furniture. We’ve been fortunate to collect a number of pieces of Stickley (all from the Audi years) and a number of vintage A&C pieces from turn of the century Stickley contemporaries. I’ve made a few myself. I’m a sucker for QSWO. I’ll try to pick a favorite and post a photo.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  7. #7
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    A late 17th, or very early 18th Century six board chest, built from Santa Domingan Mahogany. Quite possibly a ship's Captain's chest, which is pretty fitting, because my 7th, and 8th GGF's were ships captains. One brought Smallpox to Jamestown.

    It is dovetailed, with mitered ends. Specific gravity is close to 1, as close as it could be measured, and weighed. It's Very heavy, even just the top.

    There are only tiny remnants of the corroded original hardware. The second hinges were made from Coopers nails. Then a worn out pair of cast iron, late 18th Century hinges. Other than one corner of the protruding base being broken off, it's in pretty remarkable shape.

    The only pictures I have, currently, are buried in a drawer with other 35mm pictures, and slides. It's in our bedroom though, so I'll try to remember to take some.

    Our furniture it mostly all old antiques, but if there was a fire, this would be the first piece I'd drag out. It takes two Strong people to carry it.

  8. #8
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    Mine favorite is simple and functional. It's my favorite since we've used it daily in two houses for over 40 years, the center point of the kitchen.

    kitchen-island.jpg

    No fancy joinery. Made from hard maple, legs, shelf, top glued up. Built this when my shop consisted of a radial arm saw, a drill, two clamps, a hand plane, cabinet scrapers, and some sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. Indestructible.

    In this house it's in the middle of the kitchen central to fridge, microwave, convection oven, coffee pot, sink, counters, silverware drawer, range top, pantry, toaster oven, dish cabinets. Grandkids eat breakfast there, play with legos, used for rolling out pie dough, staging for salads, drinks, and leftovers, surface for chopping things, pounding chicken, setting down groceries before putting them away, making vanilla extract and limoncello, surface for emptying the dishwasher, great for sorting medicines, filling out birthday cards, browsing through cookbooks.

    JKJ

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    Mine favorite is simple and functional. It's my favorite since we've used it daily in two houses for over 40 years, the center point of the kitchen.

    kitchen-island.jpg

    No fancy joinery. Made from hard maple, legs, shelf, top glued up. Built this when my shop consisted of a radial arm saw, a drill, two clamps, a hand plane, cabinet scrapers, and some sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. Indestructible.

    In this house it's in the middle of the kitchen central to fridge, microwave, convection oven, coffee pot, sink, counters, silverware drawer, range top, pantry, toaster oven, dish cabinets. Grandkids eat breakfast there, play with legos, used for rolling out pie dough, staging for salads, drinks, and leftovers, surface for chopping things, pounding chicken, setting down groceries before putting them away, making vanilla extract and limoncello, surface for emptying the dishwasher, great for sorting medicines, filling out birthday cards, browsing through cookbooks.

    JKJ
    Solid table John. Functioning for 40 years and still doing it's job.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    A late 17th, or very early 18th Century six board chest, built from Santa Domingan Mahogany. Quite possibly a ship's Captain's chest, which is pretty fitting, because my 7th, and 8th GGF's were ships captains. One brought Smallpox to Jamestown.

    It is dovetailed, with mitered ends. Specific gravity is close to 1, as close as it could be measured, and weighed. It's Very heavy, even just the top.

    There are only tiny remnants of the corroded original hardware. The second hinges were made from Coopers nails. Then a worn out pair of cast iron, late 18th Century hinges. Other than one corner of the protruding base being broken off, it's in pretty remarkable shape.

    The only pictures I have, currently, are buried in a drawer with other 35mm pictures, and slides. It's in our bedroom though, so I'll try to remember to take some.

    Our furniture it mostly all old antiques, but if there was a fire, this would be the first piece I'd drag out. It takes two Strong people to carry it.
    I would really like to see that piece. Do you think it was made in the West Indies?

  11. #11
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    Workbench, From Logs to Lumber

    My workbench. Built based on Ian Kirby plans.
    A large red oak, on "river authority" land behind our house, fell during a storm. At the time, the only woodworking tool I owned was a Stihl chainsaw. I didn't want the tree to go to waste, so I ripped the tree into manageable planks. I stickered and stored the approximately 2-in. x 10-ft planks in my garage for 2 years+. I wasted a lot of wood due to cutting these planks with a string line and a chainsaw. Another big red oak had fallen about 300 yards from my house. I cut that tree into several ~300-lb cants and literally drug them to my house. I bought a Jet 14-in. bandsaw and built a 160-in. bandsaw mill with sliding table (based on this design http://www.afterhourswoodshop.com/Ho...ndsaw-log-mill) to mill the cants into rough-sawn lumber. I stickered and dried these boards. Then I bought a MM FC30 jointer/planer, a used PM1000 tablesaw, some hand tools, a router and I was on my way...
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    Loran Galey
    Do good and be good and you will be happy.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    Favorite - 4H project

    My daughter built this chest as her 4H woodworking project several years ago.
    IMG_2746.jpg
    She let me keep it and took her favorite, the chest she built a year earlier using spalted maple from a tree on our property.
    IMG_2101.jpg

  13. #13
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    Mike, I don't think that anyone can compete with furniture built by a son or daughter. Priceless!

    One of my favourites in the exact copy of a Hans Wegner chair ("The Chair") I made in 2014. This was built entirely with hand tools. I do own an original, from which I could take measurements. I learned to weave Danish Cord for the seat.

    In fiddleback Jarrah ...





    Alongside the original ...



    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  14. #14
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    ...and nobody can compete with Wegner's chair designs. I saw them at the Copenhagen museum and The Chair was my favorite. I hope to have time to make them someday, after I finish refurbishing this house in xxx years.

  15. #15
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    My first and still the biggest, computer hutch:
    Attached Images Attached Images
    NOW you tell me...

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