The Woodworking Shows are a traveling trade show that moves from city to city showcasing new woodworking tools and equipment. The Woodworking Shows offer live demo’s and classes available to participate in during the show from many master craftsman. The first show I attended was in Tampa Florida about eight years ago. I liked going to the woodworking shows for several years. If you go to a show, you can learn about new tools and technics. I also benefited from the excellent discounts at the shows on the latest gadgets. One of the things I learned is that a little extra investment in better tools made for better results and also kept my interest in woodworking. If you attend one of the many live demonstrations, you can ask specific questions about the product or the steps used and why. The vendors and craftsman have extensive knowledge and enjoy helping old and new woodworkers alike.
It has been a few years since I could attend a show. I left Florida for North Carolina and spent the last few years setting up shop here. Now that I am in North Carolina I was able to go to this year’s show in Charlotte with the bonus of taking my now adult son with me. I had dragged him to so many in Florida, but he never showed much interest then. Now with his own family, he has an interest. We have worked on several projects together, and I can see he paid attention even if not interested at the time.
This simple writing desk project is something any handy person can make in a weekend. This desk is the inspiration of a close friend. Our friend found what she would like to make at a local furniture store. She would also like to work alongside us in making this desk to give a personal touch to this gift. This isfor her daughter’s room. This would be her first year of college and would live at home while studying.
The room is just big enough for a dresser and bed with a small side table. The desk would need to have a mall footprint and be stable. The design she saw at the store was a bit on the light side. Because of this, the desk is unstable and prone to falling over. To make this as stable as our Farmhouse table we are using MDF (medium density fiberboard)
At the time I was making some inexpensive cabinets for another client. I had saved a bunch of cut-offs and I thought I would make the base from this material. The MDF comes 3/4′ thick. Three pieces create a 2 1/4″ thick board. The boards are basically 2×4’s when complete. When we assemble the frames they become quite heavy. This weight also makes the very solid.
The top is Aspen that our client provided for the project. She asked that the finish for the base to be white. this makes the desk feel light in the room. She applied the blue stain to the Top and finished with a semi-gloss poly.
The simple writing desk is a quick project that a handy person can make in a weekend or two. Material choice for this project was based on what is available around the shop. You can use other materials to build this desk.
Laundry renovations are not rooms people give much attention to. It is a utility room and what more does it need to be. Having said that if a workplace is not efficient and the room is not welcoming, it gets out of control quickly and spending time in there is a chore as much as the laundry itself.
We are taking the basic contractor space and updating it for better storage, cleaner look and making it more welcoming. The room itself is an odd shape, however, it can be made to work.
Before
Lack of storage
Wasted space
Not inviting
In the photos above no consideration was given to storage. The room was blank. A storage shelf behind the washer and dryer adds some storage. A better plan is needed.
The laundry room renovation is a simple weekend project that any homeowner can accomplish.
The Plan
What the room needs are storage, color, and style. We want to keep the renovation budget friendly. Our renovation needs to flow with the theme of the house. The laundry room is in our Craftsman home. The budget may seem high. To offset this all of the cabinetry work we fabricate them in our shop. The other benefit, custom making our storage cabinet allows us to fit the space better. Off the shelf, storage cabinets can be used and will function just the same. If you’re looking for style choices, they are limited. We will be replacing the shelf with a slightly longer and deeper one, adding a cabinet above, and updating the color.
Last weekend I had time to fabricate four pantry doors. The doors will feature a ventilated center panel. This was a quick project to finish a custom pantry. The doors are a simple shaker style door. The doors will be painted white to match the pantry.
Before we begin any project, read and understand the instructions of the equipment you are using. Please use hearing and vision protection
The Joiner and the planer I will be using utilizing have a helical cutter head which reduces noise and in my own personal opinion provide a superior cut compared to a straight blade cutter. I have been using these machines for several years now and I couldn’t imagine being in the shop without them. For more information about helical cutters click here.
Step 1: Milling the stock
Joining
We are using Birch to fabricate our doors. This wood is common for making cabinets. I am using it for its stability rather than the aesthetics. Starting with rough stock I purchased at The Hardwood Store of North Carolina. I joined the edge on the joiner. With one edge joined I can flip the board giving me a straight edge. This edge runs straight against the fence while joining the face of the board. To make it easier to run the stock on the joiner I cut the length of the boards slightly longer than the height of the doors.
Rough Stock
Joning face
Joning face
Planing
From the joiner, the next step is planing the boards to the proper thickness. With the joined face down on the planer, we take a few small passes at a time. Our final thickness is 3/4″ thick. We run all the boards through to ensure they are identical.
