Redwood Picnic Table

My friend asked me to help him build this 10-foot picnic table for his back yard.  He bought $400 worth of farmed redwood since it is so incredibly weather resistant.  Redwood requires no chemical sealants.  His previous picnic table was made of fir and, according to my friend, it crumbled from the moisture of the fog.  The San Francisco moisture can also wreak havoc on regular screws, so we used galvanized decking screws which have extra zinc plating.  I developed a lot more respect for construction workers during this project since the 16 penny, twist nails that we used wore my arm out.   He and I  pulled the whole project together in an afternoon, and I hope to make another one another day just because I love to build.  

My Niece's Rocking Chair - Hard Maple and Walnut $1000

Building the Form for the lower rails.

Gluing and clamping slats of wood to the form.

This form was used to make the back styles.

It took about 40 hours to make this piece.  To make curved pieces, I had to make forms (kind of like molds) to which I glued several thin slats of wood.  Curved work is fun but presents lots of challenges.  I finished this with high-gloss polyurethane and wax.  It is designed to fit a 2 to 3 year old.  Again, no nails or screws in the entire piece.  Any metal in a rocker would just make it feel cheap.  The next one should only take about half that time.

Walnut Coat Rack

We were in serious need of hooks for jackets and hats at home.  I found some scrap walnut, bought some nice hooks and fastened them into the front.  I key-holed the so that screws attached to the wall nestle into the back of the coat rack and remain hidden from view.