Syzygy Woodworks

Some detailed shots of the kitchen I posted a couple of days ago. These shots were taken both during and after the installation of the cabinets.

I recently finished a kitchen remodel, a project which has kept me busy in the workshop for quite a while.  

I’ve been very fortunate to work with some wonderful clients over the years and this project was no exception.  It was a joy to work with my client and help to bring her vision to reality.

The remodel completely transformed the kitchen, dining, and living room space with the removal of a wall and subsequent relocation of both plumbing and electrical.  My role started with help on the design stage as well as building and installing all the cabinetry.

The large island features painted white cabinetry.  The panels behind the barstools are actually doors with push-to-open hardware and hide some large storage cabinets.

The perimeter cabinets are built from book-matched wenge veneer.   All the veneer was cut and joined by hand.

I’ll post some detailed shots separately but the kitchen featured the following:

• Undercabinet dimmable LED lights.
• Solid maple dovetail drawer boxes.
• Soft-close hinges.
• Soft-close hinges.
• Shop-made crown molding.
• Decorative wire mesh on the counter cabinet.
• Seeded glass on the cabinets left of the refrigerator.
• Decorative end panels on all exposed ends.
• Wenge veneer panels on both the refrigerator and freezer columns.
• Inset display cabinets on either side of the range.

This was a large and challenging project for me.  I learned a lot during the build and really feel that I improved as a craftsman.  My client is thrilled with her new kitchen and I’m very proud of the project.

Last week I wrapped up the installation of the cabinetry for this bathroom remodel. The cabinets were supplied by my friend, Mike at Quality Cabinet Services

I installed them and modified the drawer boxes on “her” side to fit around the plumbing and sink. Other features included a laundry hamper and a docking drawer with electric outlets.

I can’t take too much credit for this. My client came up with the design and chose the veneer, right down to the actual leaves and where they would be positioned in the piece. Nature provided some gorgeous rosewood veneer. All I did was put it together.

Floating vanity with matching inlay in a concrete sink. Push to open drawer.

Last year, at the start of the pandemic, I wasn’t sure how it would affect my business, so I set up an Etsy store thinking I would expand my geographical reach.  I’ve recently put the store on hiatus because of the amount of local work I have, but it was an interesting experience selling cabinetry with just online interaction.  

I only listed one vanity and, to be honest, never actually sold that exact design.  Most of the inquiries I received were in the line of “I have an inspiration image of a vanity I would like, can you build it for me?”

After much back and forth correspondence a design would be finalized and I’d start building the vanity.  Once built, I had to deal with the challenges and logistics of shipping such a large item.  A learning curve in itself.

If the local work slows down, as it inevitably will, I plan on reopening the Etsy store with a simple listing:  “Do you have an inspiration image of a vanity you would like?  Send it to me and I’ll see if I can build it for you.”

Until then I’m grateful for the amount of local work that have on my work schedule.

A desk area to help display a lifetime of memorabilia.

Shaker styles inset doors, tigerwood veneer desktop, textured laminate back panel, rain texture glass doors.

I have no idea what “tigerwood”‘ is. More than likely it is some marketing name, but it certainly is some pretty wood. The rain texture on the glass doors is vinyl applied to the glass, simple and very effective.

From a functional point of view, the highlight is the drawer adapted to house the printer. On the other side of the desk are a pair of filing cabinets. On the desk is a couple of pop-up outlets with both 110V and USB connections. On the underside of the upper cabinets are recessed dimmable LED lights.

Lots going on in this piece and all of it coming together to make a functional and beautiful study.

Workshop upgrade.

Over the last year, I’ve been doing more and more work with veneer and felt I was reaching the limitations of the vacuum bag set up on the table of my CNC router. In an effort to improve the efficiency and quality of my veneer work I decided to purchase and set up a vacuum frame press in the workshop.

It’s been a lot of work in the evenings and weekends to get it assembled and installed but it’s finally operational.

With the need to conserve valuable floor space I went with a wall-hung model. Of course, once the frame press was assembled and installed I discovered that lifting it is a two-man operation, which I’m not. That led to another project, researching, purchasing, and installing an electric winch to help me lift the table to stow it against the wall.

After many hours of work, the vacuum frame press is operational and I veneered a set of countertops with it over the weekend. I’m really pleased with the ease of use and am looking forward to many years of veneer pressing with it in the future.

Intended to be a feature wall this fireplace surround, cabinets and shelves have totally transformed the room. My client was thrilled with how it turned out, as was I.

The colors in the stone tile, the “Hurricane grey” veneer, and the cabinetry just work so well together and with the existing colors in the room.

The floating shelves feature dimmable LED lights controlled by a touch sensor.

The floating mantle was a last-minute addition I’m really pleased we added.

The stone tile was done by my friend Steve Parish from Parish Interiors.

The fireplace insert was provided by the good folk at Grill and Hearth.

Made from knotty alder veneer and solid wood these bathroom vanities fit a lot of features into a relatively small space.

Laundry hamper, make-up desk area, custom drawer box with grommets for hairdryer, and curling tongs complete with docking drawer. The docking drawer outlet has a thermal overload switch incorporated. Solid maple drawer boxes with dovetail joints. Full extensions self-close under-mount drawer guides. Soft-close hinges.

The slats on the doors and drawer fronts were a real challenge to build, requiring a lot of attention to detail and not much room for error. One of the more complex door styles that I’ve built, I’m very pleased with how they came out.

Lastly, the knotty alder trim framing the windows tied everything together perfectly.