Author: Keith Larrett

Continuing with my quest to combine veneer and CNC work with woodturning, this platter is made from curly maple and dyed poplar veneer and solid sapele wood.

I didn’t use the CNC much with this project apart from using it as a plotter to draw the design on construction paper. A “cracked ice” pattern, inspired by some of the work of furniture maker Tim Coleman.

This is my first attempt at marquetry, the process of joining small bits of veneer together to make a pattern or image. A friend of mine, Andrei Zborovski of Avrora Inc. has a lot of experience with veneer and marquetry. He taught me how to do the marquetry.

All the pieces are cut by hand with a knife using the window technique. I feel fortunate to have his instruction and knowledge to draw from. A time-consuming but very relaxing process requiring a lot of focus and attention to detail, I feel that marquetry is an easy thing to learn but I could spend the rest of my life learning how to do it well.

This fireplace design is proving to be quite popular. This is the third time I’ve done some variation of the theme, each time sizing the project to fit the space and modifying the design to customize it for a client.

There were a couple of things that I did differently on this project. First, was the addition of the floating shelf to accommodate the soundbar. The second change was the addition of a flush-mounted outlet with USB ports in the mantle shelf. This should prove to be a great feature during the holiday season when the mantle is decorated. I think I will make this standard going forward.

I’m please with how the project came together, as were my clients. It’s very gratifying to be told: “the piece exceeded our expectations”.

A fireplace surround with shiplap.

The mantle and shelf were made from a single slab of white oak. The live edges were cut from the slab, the slab was then resawn and two new slabs were built with the live edges and the shop sawn veneer. Once built they were stained ebony.

The shiplap color is Illusive Green.

The electric fireplace, with optional driftwood feature, was supplied by the good folk at Grill & Hearth

I do a lot of work with my CNC and, in the last couple of years, I’ve been doing more and more work with veneers. I’ve been looking for a way to combine these two disciplines with my love for woodturning. These bowls are the first of some of the ideas that I have.

The bowls are both made from leftovers from various projects I’ve done over the years. The sycamore bowl is veneered with wenge, while the sapele bowl is veneered with curly maple. No dyes or stains, just a clear coat of finish. The legs were carved by hand after turning the bowls.

In my reading of Daily Stoic I learned a new word.

Poiesis – “the activity in which a person brings something into being that did not exist before”

What a great word and an amazing way to spend each day.

Now, like the word “Syzygy”, I know how to spell “poiesis” and what it means. If I could just figure out how to pronounce it and use it in a sentence!

This project, installed earlier this week, is special for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the rolling library ladder makes it unique. Take any bookcase, add a rolling library ladder and you’re going to kick things up a couple of notches!

Secondly, the scale of the bookcase. Thirteen feet wide and nearly eleven feet tall, it is big. I swear it didn’t look that big when I drew it out!

A lot of engineering to get all the parts of this puzzle to fit, but I’m very please with how it all came together.

I’ve been very busy in the workshop and have fallen behind with posting images of completed projects. This is a laundry and utility cabinets that I built and installed the cabinets for last month. The cabinets are finished with pigmented lacquer tinted to match the trim work in the house, SW Classic Light Buff. They have solid maple raised panel door and drawer fronts, concealed under-mount drawer guides, solid maple drawer boxes, and pullouts with dovetail joints and self-closing hinges.

 “It’s not a question of sitting by yourself and doing nothing, but instead asking, ‘How do you allocate the attention you have in more focused, intentional ways?’” 

From an article, I read early this morning, something to think about as we close out the year. 

Wishing everyone all the best for the New Year. 

At the end of each year, I choose photographs from some of the projects I’ve done that year and compile a collage calendar. It’s a nice memory of the year. This year I discovered I had too many images for one calendar and had to make a second calendar. A very busy year. No wonder I’m so tired 😉

Thanks again to all my wonderful clients for trusting me with a project for their homes.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and all the very best for the New Year!

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Fireplace surround with shiplap and stained knotty alder veneer and solid wood. 11 feet wide by ten feet tall.As is often the case, a couple of first for me.

My first project with shiplap, first time coping crown molding to existing crown, and definitely a first tiling the back of the kitchen island. It’s nice to be challenged by a project and satisfying when it comes together so nicely.

Fireplace provided by the good folk at Grill & Hearth

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