in the workshop

I am extremely impatient. I hate traffic. I hate waiting in line. I hate not having what I want now, RIGHT NOW. It has always been in my nature to try something once, then dismiss it as "stupid", when it didn't work. When I became a carpenter a few years ago (officially the "cabinet guy" at our remodeling company), I really had no idea that I'd frequently be putting myself into a world of hurt. This is a craft that requires a level of patience that I simply don't naturally have. But our nature, bad habits, and excuses must be worked on when the alternative is even worse. I pushed past my urges to give up over and over, and found that the satisfaction in the end makes up for the sometimes challenging points along the way. Somehow things always seem to work out.

In my posts I will share with you what's going on in the shop: inspiration, design ideas and drawings, prototypes, and hopefully a few finished pieces.

The latest, is a media center made of walnut. I love walnut, that rich gray/brown color right out of the box just makes me happy. I have a sheet of plywood sitting around that was going to be used for this, but I stopped by Builders Surplus in Santa Ana the other day and found some 10' long walnut stair treads for about $3 a linear foot. Perfect! Reclaimed and CHEAP. This works out great because they are substantially thicker than 3/4" plywood and will give the piece a nice chunky look. Stair treads are normally about 12" deep, so I cut one of them in down the middle, and glued it to another whole one, making the media center nearly 18" deep. Being an impatient fellow, I just started building this thing with no specific vision in mind for the base. I've changed my mind about ten times so far, but I think it's getting narrowed down. Sometimes I just have to sit and stare at things for a while before a solution becomes clear.

Here it is so far:

The frame is built and has been stained. I made lots of samples with water based stains from General Finishes, but wasn't happy with the 'muddy' look and the fact the pretty grain was obscured too much. Dark Briwax gave a nice look, but had a little more yellow than I wanted. Ultimately an old can of Minwax-Dark Walnut gave me the look I wanted after being thinned 50%. The sealer will really bring out the colors, but I'm off to the store for something different, because the stuff we normally spray looks a little too "factory perfect", if you follow. I want this to look slightly rustic. You'll really see what I mean next week, when we experiment with forced patinas on the metal sheets that will become the doors of the cabinet.

Introducing

I would like to introduce a new guest blogger, my husband and business partner, David Betz (whom I have lovingly referred to as D when writing about him here). D is a carpenter and furniture designer, making him a great addition for a weekly post called in the workshop.

Each week you'll get a sneak peak at what he's working on and learn about the things that inspire him to do what he does best. D is all about honesty and he's the first to admit that it's not as easy as it looks. He's got a great sense of humor too so be prepared for some laughs and a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure :)

Welcome David. I'm sooo looking forward to this.

over the weekend

My challenge this weekend was to turn this $15 flea market find

into a nightstand for our master bedroom. The plan was to end up with a white base and walnut top, similar to the Saarinen table I showed in last week's post. Here's how things went:

First, I had my husband resize it a bit to make it better for a nightstand. He sawed about 5 inches off of the legs. Next step was the oh-so-fun process of sanding. When I got to the tabletop I made the discovery that existing wood looked pretty cool, with deep grain and block edges. So I changed the plan a bit and decided to keep what was already there.

After sanding I painted it white using a non-toxic flat furniture paint. This took several coats since I was still going over black in some areas. Tip: using a paint pad instead of a brush gives a more even coat without brushstrokes. It takes a bit of time to get in the groove but it's worth it. I did use a brush to get into the smaller areas though.

And here it is in the almost finished state. I need to clearcoat it to protect everything, which will also bring out the grain in the natural wood a bit more too.

weekend project

This weekend I will be working on refinishing the black table I found at the flea market.


The inspiration for the redo was this classic Saarinen table with a white base and walnut top.



I'll let you know how it goes...happy weekend!

in the library 9.21.09

I love fall weather, and each year I get nostalgic about the days I used to spend all bundled up going to flea markets and antique shows. If you're like me, you'll love this week's book selection, which shows some great ways to incorporate your fancy finds into your existing decor.

On a side note: if you don't get the fall weather because you're in L.A., but want to enjoy a day at the flea market, the Pasadena Flea Market is an awesome one. It's held the first Sunday of every month from 8-3 at Pasadena City College. More information here.

find it at amazon or your favorite local retailer

ware {house}

With a collection of salvaged, found and re-furbished industrial wares, Cleveland Art is one of my favorite resources for unique furniture. A new shipment just came in and I wanted to share some of my favorites.