Side Table - White Oak & Wenge Wood $250

The two dark bars are wedges of wenge wood.  Around it is a section of the table leg that goes through the table top.

Completed this project using scrap oak from previous projects. I decided to go traditional with the double-wedged mortise-and-tenon joinery at each corner. The dark wedges are made from an African wood called wenge (pronounced WHEN-gay).

I kept the wedges that were sawed off as decorative items. Maybe not so pretty, but it helps people understand why the wedged mortise-and-tenon is the strongest joint on Earth.

Hallway Shelf - Maple Plywood

This project was all about building for the space I have. Only 5 1/4 inches deep, it is over 8 feet long. Not my proudest accomplishment (It's made of plywood, after all.), but at least it's a place to put shoes without causing claustrophobia in the hallway. My cut-aways for the baseboard are too short. Gotta pull this down someday and saw off another inch.

Butcher Block - Soft and Hard Maple

The best cutting boards are "end-grain-up," meaning that the pieces are actually very short boards glued together. This construction helps keep knives sharp as the blade edge slips between wood fibers. I was lucky to get a hold of some abandoned soft maple to build the base. All of the joinery involves wooden dowels except for the drawer, which is connected to drawer sides via hand-cut dovetails. The end-grain-up top is hard maple, and it is not attached to the base. It simply rests on vinyl bumpers that are stuck to the top of each corner post. So the top can be flipped over at any time or even brought to the kitchen sink for more serious clean-up needs. The cutting surface is covered with organic and nontoxic materials. I rubbed-in multiple coats of mineral oil (sold in grocery stores as a laxative) which is then sealed-in with melted paraffin wax. Works great. Now I need the nerve to let it get dirty.

Tool Chest - American Cherry and Hard Maple

Using cherry sure made this tool chest prettier than expected. Instead of a typical polyurethane or varnish finish, I used the more traditional shellac and wax. As I recently found out, shellac is made from an Asian insect known as the lac bug. The insect's secretions are dissolved in alcohol and the resulting solution brings out the natural color of wood. Three coats of wax (carnauba, bees, and other waxes) were rubbed in and buffed to a polish. Hand-cut dovetails made this project considerably time consuming, but worth it in the end. Hard maple, used for the drawer sides, works well with cherry's red tint.

Dining Table - Soft Maple and Hard Maple

I wish I could say I loved this dining table, especially after all the work I put into it. It's a decent piece for a first time job, but I'd do things differently next time. Other than some small blemishes, the table top (hard maple) developed some considerable wood warp. Not sure how it happened, but the literature says that warping is a common frustration for wood workers. Fortunately, it still works as a table, and the top can be "unwarped" by simply putting a wet towel on it for one day, however it slowly warps back over a couple weeks. Some day, I'm sure I'll make a new top, twice as thick which I'll firmly attach to the pedestal base with tabletop fasteners. Until then, I'll put up with the warping since I like the option of pull-out leaves. Finish: Sanded to 220, two coats of clear gel stain, then two coats of clear varnish.

Towel Dispenser - Walnut and Soft Maple

Side Table - White Oak

Entertainment Center - American Ash

Coffee Table - White Oak

Guests to my house are usually surprised to learn that this table was made without a single nail or screw. Its incredibly solid and has zero wobble. Its rigidity comes from twelve mortise and tenon joints, the strongest joint known to woodworking. At the request of my wife, I hid the tenons by using "stopped tenon" joinery. The solid white oak certainly adds to its strength, given oak's density of about 700 kg per cubic meter. The entire structure was glued-up at once with about 15 clamps. It's a bit scary to know that this table will outlive me. I hope my children enjoy it long after I am gone. Finishing involved rubbing in two coats of a clear gel stain followed by four coats of satin clear varnish (Pratt & Lambert #38).

Tool Box - Red Cedar

This red cedar toolbox taught me plenty of valuable woodworking lessons. Each side panel is actually made of three strips of wood glued edge-to-edge. This technique allowed me to manipulate the final look of the piece. In this case, I put white rim along the top and bottom. Without any chiseling skills, I was compelled to make dovetails with a router and jig. The red cedar certainly had an aroma when cut. To me, cedar smells like the gerbil cage I had as a child. Sanded to 220 grit and finished with a clear gel stain, it came out prettier than anything I thought I'd ever make.