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Showing posts from January, 2023

And... I'm back!

 Welcome to my new blog! I'm not much of a writer, but here I am anyway. Who ever heard of a woodworking blog anyway? But I feel like I almost disappeared for a while there. I hope to give a bit of an explanation for that, but mostly I wanna say, "I'm here!" I'm ready to take on your projects and get things done. COVID has been a long haul for many of us, and I'm certainly not excluded. We've had kids home from school, and all of us home sick, not to mention a career change to woodworking. Maybe not the best timing now that I think about it. Looking back in this time I can't help but notice that I've had the great privilege of being in surgery four times since COVID started. Early on I had both of my wrists done to fix Carpel Tunnel. I would love to say that it's fun having someone cut into your hand and promise that they're doing it carefully. Turns out, tt certainly wasn't my favourite experience. But I certainly don't miss the co

Chopping blocks. So many chopping blocks.

 There is just something special about an end grain chopping blocks. These monsters are easier on your knife, and last longer... if you take care of it. But most importantly every single one is different from the next, having their own bit of flare. Even I sometimes don't know what they're going to turn out like when they're done, but I'm focused on making the best quality anyway. If you love food, love your kitchen, or love someone who does, then one of these are for you. I usually focus on selling these things at craft shows and the like, but I almost always have a dozen or so available.

The interesting case of a rolling bookcase.

 This was a very interesting piece to work on. My customers love books! what can I say? They also love to be able to entertain and rearrange their space. When they first came to me with this unique design I had to take some time to wrap my head around it, but I love the idea. Shelves on one side along with selves and drawers on the other side. The worst part of this one was getting it into a condo. The best part was how happy my customers were when it was done. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get pictures of it completely finished, because the customers were tiling the top themselves. But I'm here to show off my work anyway. The trim is all custom made, and the whole unit rolls much more easily than you might imagine.

Kitchens

 One thing I had the opportunity for a couple years ago was to do some new Kitchen doors for some lovely customers. For one this was a full replacement of all doors and drawers, and for another we had a customer who moved into a house without any doors in the kitchen! I loved having the opportunity to help finally give them a sense of a finished space. I can do painted, or wood finished. I can do shaker style or flat panel. But nothing helps bring a kitchen back alive quite like a new set of doors. They are the mot prominent thing you see, and the most important piece for quality when it comes to a long lasting kitchen.

My first Wagler Workshop project

 This piece was my first project for Wagler Workshop. It was a bit of a beast to start with. This thing is not heavy after all. We also wanted to fit as many features as possible. There are adjustable shelves below. Gliding easy close sliders for the drawers. The hanging system for the glasses is a fine touch, butt here's also a roll out tray for prepping.  Beyond the features is simply the look of the Black Walnut itself. There's a reason this species is sought after by woodworkers and their customers. I was sure to source this Black Walnut from a local mill, and I couldn't be happier with the result. The colour speaks for itself. I've always wanted to do another similar piece.

Live edge Countertop:

 This was a really fun project for me. When I first met with the customer all they knew for certain was that they wanted some sort of counter over the handrail, with the possibility of something live edge. While we were discussing and getting to know each other, we got into the topic of math. My customer was a bit of a math nerd, and proud of it. So when I brought up the idea of doing some thin inserted lines he asked if I would be able to do the Sine / Cosine tangents running through the live edge slab. I love how this piece turned out. I also loved rising to the challenge of some high level math I didn't quite understand. Also, who doesn't love supporting someone's nerdy obsessions? Hard to see the inserts in pictures since it is outside. But I hope you get the idea.