21__When pieces are not greater than the whole

This coming week marks my final evening woodworking classes for the spring. The experience was well worth it. Not only did I get tips on how to properly use most of the tools that I have, but had access to extraordinary machinery many of whose value soars in 5 figures.

Taking full advantage of the resources, my personal project during the class was ambitious - not in its size - but how it exclusively used the tools I didn't have access to in my home shop. The result is a beautiful solid tabletop that blends 3 hardwood species to create a parquet floor effect. Coincidentally as I was giving the surface a finish coat my coworker came over to photograph some of my work. Here's an action shot with the near final product.



The top features cherry, oak, and jatoba - cut from three very small lengths of 2" thick rough boards. These were then jointed and planed to give square and level pieces. They were then cut into 2" strips and then cross-cut further into shorter lengths for the parquet effect. Finally once the puzzle pieces were complete, each strip is biscuit jointed on both sides to complete the solid wood top. It weighs nearly 60 pounds.

The final steps at the SCCC woodshop were to smooth all the joints with their 24" planer. The entire top could be leveled precisely with just a few passes removing 1/32" from either side. Then a quick pass through the 48" belt sander (yes, 4 foot capacity) and the finish is perfectly smooth. These machines are each about $20K - quite out of the question for the start-up woodworking operation.



Taking it home I rounded all the edges with a 1/4" roundover bit on the router, and the top was ready for assembly. The base is a recycled pedestal from a curbside throwaway that served as our dining table since we moved in last October. To my surprise, the rust that blotched the chrome legs was easily removed with my palm sander. Using a fine grit (almost buffering quality sandpaper) not only was the rust stripped away but much of the original luster restored. It practically looks brand new.



I turned a lot of heads in that classroom. There were skeptical folks who asked why I wanted such a variation in the wood color. The darker jatoba really stood out from the subtle oak and cherry. Although I'd never tried it before, I knew that each species would react a little differently by applying the stain, and it worked. The result is striking.

20__The early years: DC projects

Ha, I know how ridiculous that title sounds. It hasn't been very long at all. Most of these projects were completed barely a year (or less) ago. But in a way it's a distinction that should be made, since my shop has grown so dramatically since the move - so too the projects have grown in scope and complexity. With this introduction, I want to showcase a few of my favorite projects from the past couple years.

First is a planter for a small herb garden. With a few tomato plants, cucumbers, basil & cilantro, this box soon became dwarfed by the height of plants and the vines growing down the sides and around the fences. Here is an image barely a few weeks past its completion.



By far the most complex project I'd built at the time, it maxed out the capabilities I had with my one miter saw, drill, and a finish nailer. The design features an inner box (painted black and lined with tarp to provide a moisture barrier between the wood & soil) with bands of weather-treated wood wrapping around the exterior. The clean lines and proportions are something I believe to be quite a success.
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A second generation project, this shoerack was my first true commission - at a whole $2/hour above the cost of materials. I really couldn't have cared less, a chance to share something conceived from my head to her living room for years to come.



I had built the first version for Nicole, and seeing it at a party our friend asked for one of her own. After having just tested the construction methods for the first time, I knew the setbacks to improve, giving a remarkably better result.



Because you're probably wondering how you use this unconventional shoe/shirt/towel/wine rack, check out a picture of it full:


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This may be the earliest hack I built, dating back to 2003. But it still holds an important place in the Florida Ave kitchen today. But of course: the Blamp.



Find a vintage blender, cut its cord, remove the blades, frost the glass and rig a lamp. It's the type of project I love - with a glow that perfect for backlighting the otherwise shadowy kitchen counters. If only I could have wired the buttons to turn on/off/dim the light, then it would have been genius.
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Keeping it in the kitchen, I wanted to clear clutter from the counter in a house shared by six. I saw an opportunity to use the wall space for a spice rack, making the dozens of them all readily accessible. It even incorporates the wall outlet, spacing it between the shelves on the far right.



The deep mahogany stain compliments the medium oak tones in the cabinets and contrasts the pale yellow wall color beautifully. Compare with a before photo below (should have put taken the spices out of the pantry for this one).



Here's a testament that simple and very affordable change can dramatically improve the atmosphere and functionality of the rooms we spend so much of our lives.

19__Alki Beach in February

West Seattle is closer than it seems. Within the city limits and a mere bridge away from downtown, it's incredible how this tiny distance seems like a complete regional shift from the northwest to the beaches of California.



As temperatures soared into the mid-60s, everyone was out in the sun. Rollerbladers in numbers I hadn't seen in my life, bicycles, joggers, volleyball - what a bizarre thing to find barely 15 minutes from your house - especially when you didn't know it existed.

Later we explored the neighborhood, a small strip with all the coastal restaurants, bars, and boutiques you'd expect, plus a wide variety of consignments, antiques, and furniture shops. Passing through the "antique mall" (3 floors of crap!) I found the best nostalgia toy I've ever seen. At first glance it's a 7-up bottle with a power cord. But wait...



It opens up to be a desk lamp! And still looks like a soda can. Yet too expensive to even bring home. The pictures will have to tell the tale. What design!



On the way home we stumbled across an incredible lookout back across the bay to the Seattle skyline. This photo at twilight does not do the experience justice. Take a look at a pro shot from this same vantage point (not taken from a camera phone).

18__Experiments

In the lull after the rush to finish preparing the house for visitors and the housewarming, I'm finally finding time to test some techniques that have been on my mind for awhile. These two projects are the first of many to follow. In a sense they are prototypes of a style - something of a collection I'd like to offer - which would be promoted locally through business card/postcard ads and a website in the coming months. While I'd like to offer custom pieces whenever possible, this is a starting point for anyone who's unfamiliar with my work (i.e. everyone but my family and friends).

First is a mail organizer. It will be wall hung as soon as the final finish coat dries.



The pattern is an experiment because it's not done with tape or paint lines, but is a repetitive cut through the finished board. Taking care not to scuff the surface much, I could take a black painted board and carve the natural wood streaks right out of it. Simple, slightly deceptive, but full of potential for future work. This is particularly exciting when creating textures or giving the illusion of multiple boards meticulously cut, sanded & joined. Take a look at an example of this I'd seen in a bathroom vanity at an open house:



It could save hours of time in the shop as well as in cost of the materials. Now back to the mail organizer.

I'm particularly proud that this handy piece was constructed completely out of scraps leftover from other projects and took a mere 3 to 4 hours to build. It's a shape and profile that I really like, with features like the color/texture/patterns that could be customized in dozens of ways. Overall a definite success.



Now for today's project. We grabbed a set of six chairs from a banquet hall that was giving away hundreds of them. I'd always planned on refinishing/reupholstering the set. Today I decided on a bit of a whim that I should go beyond a color change. Since the material cost was negligible I wanted to experiment with the shape and give the chair some flair. Check it out:



I'll admit it's not exactly what I was expecting, and may be a little too quirky for my taste. It was a fun challenge - a relaxed way to pass the afternoon without the pressure of what the final product would exactly be. My plan is to take the other 5 chairs and test new profiles and shapes with each. Why not? It'll make for a cool choose-your-own-adventure game each time guests sit down to dinner.

17__Modular Bookshelves

In developing a set of low shelves on a budget I immediately began thinking of something modular. Who knows if the next apartment will have a ten-foot stretch of wall? I wanted there to be a rhythm to the complete piece while providing varying heights for books compared to oversized magazines & larger format art books.



The shelves vary in depth, following the subtle angled profile. This minimizes the shadows on the lower spaces, while suggesting an overall organization. Smaller paperback novels fit best on the upper shelves with larger textbooks below. This assures books of similar sizes to be together which is more visually appealing.

Constructed of birch plywood, the larger bookcases are finished with a clear water-based acrylic lacquer to maintain their natural color. The narrower bands between are stained to exude a deep walnut tone.



A photo of them full is soon to follow. They really complete the living room!

16__A week with the old roomies!

John and Andy came to visit last week and stayed nearly a week! In a stroke of luck I was able to get most of the days off to take them around town. Since it was by far the most things we've ever fit into a week here's a laundry-list summary of what happened:

tuesday--
Linda's on Capitol Hill hosted a 15th anniversary night featuring a free shirt, 1994 beer prices and cheap food. 2+ hours of food and drinks for 3 people = $24.

wednesday--
Baby-sized burritos (literally an infant) were shared at Gorditos. Shock and awe crossed with pure culinary delight.

We won trivia night! Probably not much of a surprise considering our visiting ringers. Didn't hurt that one of the categories was the Inca Trail.

thursday--



We explored Seward Park and Columbia City. I made drinks for us as we soaked up the Seattle coffee shop vibes at my bakery.



Some things never change.



We later explored a new bar in Capitol Hill featuring a mural artist whose canvas was recycled wood strips - followed by word games at the Stumbling Monk with the best selection of Belgium ales in the northwest.

friday--
I finished the bookshelves to prepare for our housewarming party that night.



Nicole took the guys to the dive through the bins at the Goodwill Outlet - an adventure in itself and a guaranteed afternoon killer.

We then showed the guys the quirky Fremont and Ballard scenes. On Ian's recommendation we all tried the Cuban sandwich at Paseo, and it proved the best sandwich we have ever tasted.

In Ballard we played many many rounds of Skee-ball at King's Tavern and saw the largest record collection (possibly on Earth) at Bop Street Records. The owner talked our head off while giving us the tour of his 750,000+ collection.



Our party that night brought a fantastic group together. Nicole's and my coworkers, friends we've made through those coworkers, combined with the friends we had known before we moved here. I loved being able to show off all the projects I'd finished, too. While still a small gathering of 20 or so - everyone's reaction was "I had no idea you knew so many people."

saturday--



We used this gorgeous day to try and fit in everything outdoors. Andy and John tried scooting. We explored Discovery Park at the edge of Queen Anne.



Afterwards a wrong turn prompted an excursion to the Ballard Locks where (unlike DC) we got to see them in action!



With a stop at the fish fry and lots of Bananagrams later, we took off to explore the eclectic Georgetown neighborhood. It truly is the opposite of it's DC counterpart in all ways except it being the oldest part of the city. A community of artists, tradespeople, hipsters, and bikers - filled with 100-year old warehouses - it hosts some of the best nightlife in the city. Our destination featured pinball, shuffleboard, and peanut shells all over the floor while still maintaining a classy & casual atmosphere.



sunday--
The rest of the gang went to brunch while I worked the morning shift. We experienced the goodness that is Half Price Books, a used bookstore that pales in comparison to Portland's Powell's, but sparks your interest for hours with all the cheap entertainment you could have.

We then witnessed a competition that exposed a whole other side of Seattle to me. We went to an international break dance competition at the Experience Music Project. If we could have cut out the ridiculous commentary we probably would have lasted awhile longer, but the sheer talent and strength of these performers was remarkable.



What a good week! Now back to usual...

15__The Dresser

Many of you have heard me talking about it. "What are you working on lately?" The answer has almost exclusively been this over the last two months. 100+ hours in the woodshop, it's finally done, and it looks gorgeous.



I'll talk about it in depth soon. But for now here's a couple photos.





If you were wondering, the casing is birch plywood with stained hemlock drawers.

14__Scooters and Bonfires

This weekend has proved the most fun yet in Seattle. Doesn't hurt that I've had an extra day (this gorgeous 50-degree, football-filled Sunday). There's been an empty-house sendoff party, a new scooter purchase, plenty of woodworking in the shop, friends stopping by to pass an hour, and tonight Nicole is in a play at the Filipino Community Center - highlighting an active and diverse week.

So Wednesday night we said goodbye to Lynette and Chris. They're en route to North Carolina, having sold all their furniture before the party. The opposite of last year's BYO Cup party, this night had the slogan "if you like the plate you're eating on, take it with you!" The yard was surreal.


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You enter a 10-foot hedge fence (I went back to snap a photo of this in daylight) and inside is a terraced lawn and garden - with a fire to gather around.



The next day we decide to simplify our transportation issues. Nicole and I have always been sharing one car. Seattle has a good transit system, but everything we do usually falls within a couple miles of home. These are easy distances, and we've been talking about the advantages of getting a scooter for months.



It's very fun to ride, can park anywhere, and gets 110 miles to the gallon. 100+ mpg!! And filling up is under 3 dollars.



Just the day before, we'd gone to look at a used one at the Capitol Hill dealer. It was going to save a few hundred bucks, and came in a cute yellow that Nicole liked but between the time we reserved it and came back the next day to fill out the paper work and pick it up, the shop closed for business overnight!!



Not even the salesman had any idea it was coming, or he would have been sure to finish the deal that night. It was a little disheartening, but much worse for the staff that lost their jobs. Tough times are certainly among us.



One proud scooter (and the scooter)... ha.

13__Cutest Infestation Ever: Bamboo Housewares

So the new year has brought with it a collection of new furnishings for our home. They're all modified (hacked) products, something that I get great satisfaction out of. It may be something that anyone can find, but once you've made it your own - it's a unique reflection of your taste worth showing off. All three of these items are bamboo, but as Nicole reminds she's asian - so it's alright.

Project 1

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I can't tell you the anticipation I've had piecing together this wall clock. When I found the dish I wasn't thinking: clock! But after being mesmerized by the dense concentric circles, I knew it was the perfect surface to turn into one of the first accessories in my collection.

I found a number of places online to purchase the quartz movements. There's hundreds of options, and better yet very very good volume discounts. When purchasing a case of 100 the price for each hovers around 10% the cost of buying just one.

It's a simple and beautiful piece. Plus it's bright warm color brings a smile every time I see it.

Project 2

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We hate carpet. It's not the texture really that bothers us, but more the drab look that it exudes. The bluish-gray fuzz under your feet with the white walls (textured to prevent us from painting) is enough to make you want to scream.

So when searching for the ideal Christmas gift I found a reasonably priced full room bamboo rug. It's an ideal makeover for the living room. Thanks Mom & Dad! When looking at the thumbnails online, the colors seemed much more rich and radiant than the delivered product. We still loved the look of it, but wondered if we could easily transform it to exactly what we were hoping for. I tested the corner of it with some wood stain, and was shocked to see that it was mostly (if not completely) unfinished - which made for an easy stain and polyurethane job.

Better still we found a new palette of stains available that (similar to their latex cousins) are mixed to order directly in the can. The result is this gorgeous "coastal gray" finish that really accentuates the bamboo look. Check out the before and after combo photo! And this is just during the first coat.

Project 3

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Here is the resurfacing of my plant stand from last spring. It's the same clean line simplicity that I love to work with. It's a very primitive first prototype with the cheapest wood available. I'll find an image of it from our DC home with the beautiful orchids that originally inspired it.

Here there was a place in the room without much sunlight that called for a tall grassy plant who could hide (or be highlighted by) the lights that illuminate the fabric above for our homemade canopy bed. In the search for the right plant, these bamboo stalks stood out. They are virtually impossible to kill (unlike the orchids which barely lasted the month) and came in a variety of heights to achieve a nice layered effect. I still plan on finishing the stand with stain or paint but have been ambivalent since it's been lacking something to display for most of the last year. I do still love that in it's natural state, it looks as if it's been carved out of one tree trunk.

Thanks for listening to my rants. More updates to follow!