Fourth Project started in 2023

 A friend found this chair by the side of the road and snagged it for me!

I thought about saving the springs because they weren't in bad shape, but I decided to gut the chair and go a different route.

Once down to the "skeleton" I found the chair had many loose joints, so I took it apart.

Glue up involved drilling out and replacing broken dowels as well as some challenging clamping.

Reversing the clamp and applying pressure to the sides helped separate the top section of the chair--then the glue up with the clamp back to normal.

Once I glued the pieces back together, I realized that some of the edges where I need to staple fabric were is pretty bad shape. I used a trick I learned in an upholstery class:  I mixed some sawdust with glue and filled in the unsound areas. Sawdust keeps the glue from cracking when stapled.

Next, I spent a couple of days sanding the frame with three different grits of sandpaper. 

Then two coats of boiled linseed oil. Notice how it brings the wood back to life.

October 2025. Now I'm starting to rebuild the seat.

Restore a Cutting Board

How to restore a neglected cutting board...

1. Sand. I used an orbital sander and started with 80 grit -- then 100 and finished with 220.

2. Apply a liberal amount of mineral oil and let it sit for a while to absorb into the wood. Then wipe off the excess.

 

Box Joint Project

In June 2024 I took the "Fixins Tray" course offered by the  Philadelphia Furniture Workshop and had a great time learning from Craig and Greg.

• They gave us four pre-cut cherry pieces, and we used the table saw to cut box joints.

• We used a drill press to cut out the handle openings and a sander to smooth out the bumps.

• We used a router to cut the dado that holds the bottom panel in place.

• Lots of hand sanding.

• I chose to finish my tray with boiled linseed oil.

• Finally, I applied a coat of carnauba wax.

 

Building Shelves

The process of building shelves for a new bathroom closet

Lumber from Lowes

Created a jig on my miter saw stand so that I could cut all the boards and rails to the exact same size without having to measure for each cut

Used a biscuit cutter, glue, and clamps to join boards to the desired depth

Sanding and painting...

Final construction -- putting it all together