From: Scott Sanford

Location: Reno, NV

Hobbyist or Pro: Hobbyist

Materials: MDF and Laminate

Project Description:
OK, I don’t know if “L” is allowed on this site, L being for laminates. Yeah, I said it! But I had never worked with them before and I built these two counters for my church. The first is an 11 foot long computer counter with hidden doors on the sides which open up to reveal a pull out tray that the computer sits on and a drawer. The second is a 16 foot long two-level reception counter with storage in the back. The “S” curve is made up of 5 different radii. And the brushed aluminum on both was very expensive and easy to mess up.

In a lot of respects his wasn’t as painstaking as some actual wood furniture projects I’ve done, simply because there’s a little more room for error in something you’re going to laminate. However, in many ways this was by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever built. The shear size was a huge part. I had to build an adjustable height assembly table that could roll around and also hold 800 pounds. I used the torsion box construction that Marc demonstrated. The installation of the dang thing was nearly as hard as making it. Joining two 8 foot cases by scribing a weird shaped toe kick to the floor to make them level and remain at the same height over the whole length was a challenge.

Anyway, I could go on and on. I know it’s using laminates but I’m still grateful for the challenge and what I learned. It was a good project for a good cause!

Hey Marc, I?ve been meaning to write you since I read your article about the sticking drawer in the shaker end table. Now this is not really about the article, which was awesome as usual, but this is more about something you said in it. I too am a lover of comic books, and I have an ever growing collection that use to take up a ton of room. But as a fellow comic reader I think you would understand that. Well I was always trying to find a nice way to store all my books, and couldn?t find anything at all on the market that I really liked. I always hated the card board boxes. If they weren?t full, the books that were in there would fall over and they were incredibly hard to keep organized.

I have a little bit of OCD with certain things, and my comics have to stay organized =o) So, I decided to go to one of my other loves and make something that holds about 90% of what I have. I should have made it a little bigger to allow for the growth of my collection, but now I know, and as they say, knowing is half the battle. =o) Well it?s not really anything fancy, just some big box store ply and a little solid wood trim, but it has worked out really great. There are no runners. I was worried about the weight of the drawers when they’re full. So the inside is a solid grid of 3/4 ply that the drawers sit on to help hold all the weight. Each one of the 12 drawers are grooved every couple of inches so I can insert the hard board dividers to keep everything nice and organized. I wish I had done a little better job matching the grain on all the fronts but I think I got them pretty close. The drawers are all made out of ½ MDF as it allowed for the most room in the drawers themselves.

All finished off with a little stain and 4 coats of a wiping varnish. I learned about the wiping varnish from the first wood working video I?ve ever purchased. It?s by a guy who calls himself the ?wood whisperer?, I mean come on, what’s up with that name. =o) One of the things I love about being able to build stuff is that I build something that is kind of a specialty piece that you can?t go anywhere else and buy. It really is a one of kind. That was until last summer when my buddy?s wife asked me to make one for him so she can get rid of his ugly long boxes. It will be my first ever commissioned piece. Since it is for a very good friend I?m not going to make a ton of money, which is fine by me. I only do this stuff for fun, but the fact that someone liked it enough to ask me to build one for them, and they’re willing to pay for it really made my day. I think I?m going to end this very long little note and just say that I love your site, and thanks for all that you do. And by the way, I think that your trestle table series is how wood working should be shown on TV. Absolutely awesome!!!

Outtro music provided by El Saxofonista! Thanks Horacio.

This is a very nice piece submitted by Nick. All of the details look masterfully executed. Wow! Nick also wanted me to mention that this piece is for sale.

I built this cabinet on a stand a few months ago. I love the works of James Krenov and decided to pay homage to him by building a cabinet in his style. The cabinet itself is made of Beech. The doors of the cabinet were coopered and shaped with hand planes, with sides being in at a slight angle are also shaped with a hand plane. Inside there are 2 small drawers with hand-cut dovetails with curved fronts. The stand is made of Red Oak, with the rails having odd angles cut on the ends to match the angles of the cabinet, also have curves and bevels. The cabinet was finished with a light coat of shellac while the stand was finished with a few coats of oil.

The 2 handplanes inside? Well before Krenov stopped making planes/passed away i asked him for one. After receiving it, a bad crack had developed in the cross pin. I told him about it and he sent me another one, insisting I keep the first one.

To learn more and James Krenov, check out the Wikipedia page and the Krenov Website.

Here you can see one of my initial SketchUp drawings. A number of changes were made from the original piece in the magazine. The 6-panel doors have become wide 3-panel doors (more on that in a second). You’ll also notice I only sketched in one curved leg for reference. The actual cuve is based off a template from a previous project, and I am not good enough with SketchUp to display it accurately. So this was just a very rough visual reference.

I am incredibly psyched about the doors on this piece. The three raised panels on each door will be made from birdseye maple. But as you see in the sketch, the center of the panel is walnut. So the plan is to veneer a thin sheet of solid walnut over a piece of solid birdseye maple. Then with a big panel raising bit, I will run the piece through, cutting through the walnut and revealing the birdseye beneath. You can definitely expect a video on this process.

After sending the first image to the client, it was brought to my attention that the legs are actually supposed to be made from 8/4 stock. The original doesn’t have this, but in order to match a previous piece I made for him, they need to be thicker. So back to the drawing board. Now here’s an image with the thicker leg stock (without the curves drawn in). I actually like the look of the thicker legs better and frankly, the straight leg design really appeals to me. But, its not my cabinet! haha.

Once the overall design and look of the piece was established and agreed upon, I made another sketch for my own purposes. I like to have a few skeleton sketches that I can print out and bring into the shop. This helps me figure out the joinery details and visualize the exact sizes and positions of the internal parts. It also helps me eliminate any errors before they occur. I would much rather have to redraw a SketchUp model than recut a piece of wood.

So that’s what I’m up to. I need to pick up some 8/4 stock for the legs today, then I can start the milling process. I won’t be filming the entire project, but I will make a few episodes from parts of the process that I think you might find interesting. Wish me luck!

In an effort to relieve our backlog of viewer submissions, this is a grouping of several projects from multiple woodworkers. We will do a few of these over the next few weeks so there will be plenty of eye candy!

Cypress Planter by Dennis

This is a cypress planter I made for my mom. The panel assemblies were constructed using a 90-degree jig and some spacers for uniform gaps. The vertical slats are screwed to the rails with stainless steel screws. I cut mortises in both the posts and the horizontal rails of the panels and assembled them with loose tenons and Titebond III. Inside the planter are 2 horizontal stretchers that support the plastic liner purchased from Lowes. The legs are chamfered on the bottom to avoid chip out. The mitered top assembly was reinforced with glue and pocket screws to ensure they do not separate. The liner fits snug, but it can be removed and replaced if needed.

A majority of my time was spent on the finishing of this project. I consulted and went with the finish recommended by The Wood Whisperer. 9 coats of Epifanes Marine Varnish later, I was done. I applied 6 coats of gloss and then 3 coats of satin to get a perfectly smooth finish. I am very pleased with the look and with some luck, it will hold up just as well.

Cedar Lined Chest by Micah

The majority of materials I purchased for $1.70 Per Board foot and planed them down to just over 3/4″. I got the inspiration for this project from my dad when he built five of them years ago. I used one of his as a model but made mine slightly larger. This is my first project with raised panels in it. I did not find them hard to route, but I couldn’t take very much material off at a time. The base of the chest is made of 1×4 with 1/2in dcx ply on the top.The dimensions of the chest are 52 1/2” wide x 22 3/4” high x 21 1/4” deep. For the finishes I used Golden Oak by Minwax and for the sealer I used clear Satin by Minwax. All in all it was a great learning experience.

Ben’s Kitchen Cabinet

I am a student and got into woodworking the summer of 08. My apartment had no counters in the kitchen so when I went home for a visit I made this. I thought the top was cool, it is end grain ash. Nothing fancy about the rest of it but I was happy for the experience. Most people don’t even notice the mistakes. The whole project is ash but some as you can see is stained. I used a linseed oil finish for the body and a mineral oil and mineral oil/beeswax for the top which I just use as a large cutting board. I know ash has open grain and is not ideal for cutting boards but it has attractive end grain I think and it is cheaper than maple or walnut, so I just make sure to keep it clean and stay on top of re-applying mineral oil/beeswax. I enjoy looking at the projects on the site and I hope someone enjoys seeing this and gets an idea!

Dave’s Shop Cabinet

This a cabinet I made for my new Delta Planer. The base and shelf is made from 3/4 birch ply. The door and drawer front are Oak that I had left over from a blanket chest project that went horribly wrong. The drawer itself is made from poplar and 1/4 birch ply for the drawer bottom. The top is made from 15/32 Arauco ply (never heard of it but it was cheaper than most) doubled up and then routed with a 1/2 inch round over bit. My only regret is I used screws instead of brad nails, but I do not have a compressor or brad nailer yet. It’s on the list though. I used bullseye sealcoat for a finish, (two coats with a light sanding with 120 grit in between). I think it really brought out the grain in the Oak. I have only been woodworking seriously now for a little over a year and have made some decent projects so far, but this is my very first attempt at cabinet making.

Build Along!

If you plan on building this project, this exploded diagram will give you the measurements you need to get the job done. A Sketchup file of this project is also available, thanks to Chris Williams.

Want This Project on DVD?

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Products Featured in the Show:

Concealed Hinge JIG IT(R) System Drill concealed hinge cup holes with ease and accuracy. Easily locate, center and drill cup holes on cabinet doors for fully concealed hinges. Concealed Hinge JIG IT(R) System

Clamp-It(R) Assembly Square Align it, clamp it, and fasten it to get perfect 90 degree angles every time! Here’s a solution that’s so simple, you’ll wonder why it took so long to develop! Clamp-It(R) Assembly Square

Rockler/Insty-Drive Self-Centering Bits Self-centering bits feature a hex collar that allows for use with the Rockler/Insty-Drive exclusive Insty-Driver. You?ll get perfectly centered pilot holes for accurate hinge and hardware installation.. Rockler/Insty-Drive Self-Centering Bits