Category: Latest Work

It’s been a while since I posted anything. The reason is not that little has been going on in the workshop. Quite the opposite. I’ve been busy with many projects as well as improvements and upgrades to the workshop. I plan to catch up on sharing completed

First up is an extensive study project that occupied much of my attention over that time period. The design was by Lani Collard of Mialani Interiors.

With the addition of nearly six hundred square feet of cabinetry and wall paneling, the room was transformed into a functional home study displaying a lifetime of memories from a painting of the church my clients were married in to a set of 100-year-old stained glass windows salvaged from a relatives home.

It’s hard to list all the custom details in the study, suffice it to say there were many. Sliding doors at each workstation to hide computer drives, LED lighting throughout, large glass display doors, LED panels to backlight the stained glass windows, sliding shelf for the printer, cabinet to hide the shredder, filing cabinet drawers, and slide-out keyboards. The list goes on.

The countertops were made from Richlite, a material I had not worked with before. It’s basically paper infused with resin under pressure. Very hard, and very heavy, it’s rated for outdoor use, and finishes beautifully. Of the many options available for countertops this is one I will bear in mind in the future.

As has happened so often in the past, I was once again blessed with wonderful clients. Working alone on a project this size, the installation was done over many days, and some of my fondest memories of the project were sharing lunchtime breaks with my clients. Nice food, great conversation, and companionship made “installation days” something to look forward to!

This is my second attempt at a “Cracked Ice Platter”.

The veneer is white oak and the solid wood is also white oak. The veneer has been stained an ebony color.

The wide rim on the platter is slightly concave. From a woodturning perspective, this is fairly standard. However, from the perspective of applying the veneer, doing so to a curved surface raised the degree of difficulty somewhat and required learning new techniques, which ultimately is the reason why I’m doing these platters.

It’s nice to see a project after it’s been in a home for a while and has started to take on the character of that home. I don’t often get that opportunity.

These fireside cabinets were made from solid maple and stained knotty alder veneer. My first time making doors with muntin’s, the doors have smoked glass panels and self-close hinges. Solid maple drawer boxes with under-mount soft-close guides. Lastly, an idea I got from a previous client, an electrical outlet with USB ports was recessed into the mantle.

At the end of the day I took a break from cabinet making and turned a small box at the lathe. The design is from a book I have “50 Turned Boxes” by Chris Stott.

The box is made from pecan. It’s fairly small but, if you pack them tight, it’s big enough to store all your hopes and dreams 😉

Laundry cabinets with shiplap and floating shelves.

This project added a lot of storage space and style to the room. The cabinets were supplied by the homeowner. I built and finished the shiplap and shelves as well as installed the project.

Reading the closing chapter of “The Wisdom of our Hands” by Doug Stowe this question really stood out to me.

I’m sure, for many of those reading this, the answer is a resounding “yes”. I can’t help but wonder if the same is true for society in general.

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.