The projects shown below are designed with AutoCAD 3D and then built in my woodworking shop using my EKHO Mobile Workshop. It has been an inspiration as well as a high quality tool to let me do work that I did not know I could ever do just a year ago. It works equally well on large cabinet projects right down to the tiniest little hardwood box. I still consider myself an amateur, but with some patience, creativity and this new tool, I have been amazing myself, family and friends with projects that look very professional. These designs are all geared towards making products that will look great and last a lifetime, unlike the cheaper products that come from larger mass production with the cheapest of materials. The gratification from doing this type of rewarding work is worth a million bucks and the most relaxing type of work one could ever enjoy!!
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Breakfast Room Glass Top Table
Created with 2-3/4" square Maple legs and Jatoba rails using mortise and tenon joints. The edges of the legs and rails are beveled for aestheitcs and wear resistance. The mortise and tenon joints have resulted in an exceptionally strong frame for the very heavy 54" diameter x 3/8" thick tempered glass top. One of my very proud accomplishments on this project was to have no waste. The Jatoba rails were cut to precisely 4 equal lengths from an 8'-5/8" long board and then cut precisely into 3" and 2" widths from a 5-1/8" wide board. The 36" Maple legs were cut to 30" long and then the 6" cutoffs were turned into Candle holders. So only the sawdust was removed and it will be used as Mulch for my trees!!
Part of the design intention was to make the room look larger than the previous 59" round Mahogany table did. The transparent glass top does accomplish this very well. You just can't sit at the table without your pants on!!.
Custom Entertainment Center (Click to view)
Family Room Entertainment Center
This custom designed and hand crafted unit consists of 4 separate modules: A TV shelf and storage, Double Drawer storage, 4 Door Storage and a floating Shelf. The material used for this project is Maple plywood, Bird's eye Maple trim with Purpleheart pinstriping and hand rubbed Jatoba Doors and Drawers. The frosted glass sliding doors conceal the unightly aspects of the modules and their cables while letting the user see what is stored in each section. The modules all hang on the wall with very solid French cleats to give it a very classy floating look. The floating look is a big hit with all that see it and creates a more roomy look in the family room. The LED rope light mounted under the unit provides a soft and classy look at night and consumes only 6 watts of power!
The wires are all hidden in a 1" secret cavity at the back of the TV module. The Jatoba doors and drawers are a natural hand rubbed oil finish that complements and matches the Jatoba hardwood flooring that was installed earlier. There is pleanty of storage in the drawers and doors for a large Blu-Ray video collection as well as the various electronics that are associated with the various modules. The floating shelf has plenty of room for books, ornaments, etc. and is exceptionally strong to take any reasonable amount of weight.
Call us at 613-822-6935 to order your own identical unit or a customized variation of it for your own classy entertainment center. This very stylish contemporary unit will accommodate the largest (up to 65") of the current generation of flat screen TVs.
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My Christmas 2010 Projects Please check the story out on this page to find more information. The three projects consisted of: - Solid Oak Dining Room Table frame with a glass table top for my oldest daughter. - Walnut Jewellery cabinet designed by my youngest daughter. - Solid Oak Jewellery cabinet for my wife.
And a few words of wisdom to all you silly woodworkers out there who think this will save you shopping time for the family. What a great deal this was for me, I managed to chew up about 3 times 40 to 50 hours per project to save about 3 hours in the shopping malls! But seriously, I had lots of fun, learning and gratification from doing brand new projects and techiniques I had never tried before. (Dovetails, Aniline Dye, Mortise and Tenon, Rail and Stiles, Mirrors, Secret compartments, turning mistakes into features, rushing to meet a Christmas deadline, etc.)
My First Dovetail Tool Box
My First Dovetail Box Thanks to the generous offer of a friend (who let me borrow his Akeda 16" Dovetail Jig) I have attempted and completed my first small tool box with very strong dovetail corners. It was a fantastic learning exercise. The Akeda jig is amazing and lives up to the great reputation I have read about. In spite of it's brilliant design, there is still lots of room for a beginner like myself to make lots of foolish little mistakes. I managed to make the following silly beginner's errors that I will hopefully avoid on my next project: - Cut too deep thanks to a slipping router bit. (My Milwaukee router chuck seems to have trouble holding tight.) - Cut with a dovetail bit when I should have cut with the straight bit. - Cut the dovetail angles backwards. - Cut on the wrong side of the jig for the final cuts. - Tried cutting some Baltic Birch plywood with disastrous tearout and chipping. - Cut my oak pieces too fast which causes unnecessary tearout. These errors were an invaluable training session for my future efforts.
The final result turned out OK for a first project and will be used as a small tool box for my Bosch 12 Volt cordless PS50 Multi-X tool and accessories.
Mobile Boot Rack from Recycled materials
Mobile Boot Rack I recycled all the leftover melamine shelving from the basement oak kitchen and bedroom closet project to make this mobile boot rack. It will be placed in our garage to clean up the messy collection of boot trays, shoes, etc.
The side and top walls are made from two layers of 5/8" Melamine glued together with Gorilla Glue. The front edges of the unit and the adjustable shelves are covered with solid oak moldings that I have custom made in my shop. They are doweled and glued to the edge of the Melamine. I thought dowels were important because the smooth Melamine surface is not the best for a solid glue bond, even with Gorilla Glue, a polyurethane based glue.
The attractive, Italian made, locking, swivel casters provide very convenient mobility. This unit is exceptionally solid, but very easy to move around because of the casters.
Basement Kitchen Update with new Wall Tiles
New Oak Basement Kitchen Our good neighbour Joe has been most generous with getting rid of his excess Oak stock in anticipation of his house sale. He kindly invited me to use as much as I want, so I decided to take on the challenge of building a new set of rail and stiles doors and drawers for our basement kitchen. The tile backsplash was finally completed on Jan. 29/2011, The 2 floor mount cabinets on the left were built from scratch with Oak veneer core plywood and solid oak doors and solid oak kick plates!!
Highlights: - New back splash tiles just completed on January 29/2011. - New Custom Counter top is 8' long x 18" x 1.5" thick Maple with Purpleheart trim and spacers. About the same material cost as a low grade Melamine counter top. - 2 new floor cabinets were built with the best of materials for only $75 of real Oak veneer plywood core and $40 of self closing damping hinges by Hettich. - Planed, jointed, cut, routed and sanded rough finished oak material into the rail and stiles frames shown here. - Glue up of the rail and stiles profiles are extremely strong and self squaring. - Added one low profile undercabinet 36" flourescent light fixture. - Added 2" lighting valence trim along cabinet bottoms with a cock beading edge. - Added 1/4" Oak panelling to lower cabinet drawers and doors. - Inserted clear 3/16" Plexiglass to upper doors. Future job would use a "grey" tinted plexiglass that shows like a light blue shade for a little more interesting look.
Purpleheart and Maple Glass Door and Drawers
Purple Heart and Maple Glass Door and Drawers for Master Bedroom Closet
I have wanted to work with Purpleheart for a long time, so decided to try this small and low risk project in our Master Bedroom's walk in closet. I glued together a piece of 1.5" Maple with a 1" wide piece of Purpleheart running around the perimeter. I used a new rail and stiles router bit set for the first time to make the door's frame and then added a small 1/4" cock beading edge to the vertical edges of the drawers and door that really look good. I also tried out some new Hettich Sensys concealed and self closing hinges with a small self damping shock absorber built right into the arm. It works well to prevent harsh closures that loosen and wear out the hinges over time.
For those of you not familiar with Purpleheart wood, it comes from Central and South American countries like Costa Rica and Brazil. It seems to be about as hard as Maple and has a beautiful rich purple grain. The color in the photo does not do it justice, as it is a very rich purple, without being gaudy. Click on the small photo to view a larger one that is a bit closer to the real color. All in all, this finished result was a very satisfying and successful project, not to mention a great learning experience that took about one week to complete. Purpleheart starts out as a brown color when first cut and then turns purple with exposure to light within about 2 days.
Padauk Trimmed Serving Table with Floating Cabinet
Padauk Trimmed Mobile Serving Table My most current project consists of Padauk and Maple layered legs with a solid oak top that is trimmed with Maple and Padauk also. The top with a Padauk and Maple border looks fabulous. The red Padauk contrast is really great when treated with Danish oil to bring out the rich red color and the interesting grain. The Maple/Padauk striped legs that look so simple were very hard to make, taking 2 full days of gluing, clamping, planing, jointing, sanding and cutting.
The red Padauk border on the solid Oak top is not a thin veneer like a store bought fake, but a very rich looking solid piece that goes right through the full 1.5" depth of the oak top. The 1/2" Maple outside edge gives it a really refined look that is exceptionally pleasing to the eye. The four very attractive white and black locking swivel casters are made in Italy and will support up to 140 lbs. each.
The luxurious and very strong Baltic Birch cabinet is suspended from the Oak top and between the legs in such a way as to make it look like it is floating in space. This was carefully designed to make the unit very unique, but still provide an exceptionally strong table and serving trolley with lots of storage.
The drawers consist of a red Padauk 1/4" cock beading trim framing each of the 4 drawer perimeters. Send me an e-mail to tell me what you think of this piece of work. This table is available for sale at $1599.00 if anybody is interested in a very attractive hand crafted product that will last for many generations and provide a unique beautiful touch to any modern home.
Oak Top "Butcher Block" table (Click to enlarge)
Mobile Butcher Block Christmas Gift
Since my daughter and new son in law are enjoying cooking and baking I decided to surprise them for Christmas 2009 with this mobile butcher block designed by myself. It is a 1.5" thick laminated oak top with 3 types of attractive and contrasting wood border perimeter: Maple, Walnut and Oak to compliment the rich grain of the main oak top. The legs are 2.25" solid maple with walnut stabilizing rails at the bottom using my first ever mortise and tenon joints that worked out very nicely. There are 2" casters on the bottom of the 4 legs to let it roll around their kitchen easily. The top has been treated with 3 coats of food safe walnut oil that really brings out the wood grain and color perfectly. It was very well received as a Christmas gift and should see lots of action with their new found passion for cooking and baking. They like it so much they don't want to cut directly on it, but have placed a protective butcher block on top of it for their real chopping!! I would do the same if it were mine!! I have recently upgraded this design with a skirt made of 3 laminated woods, Oak, Maple and Walnut. I also changed the black rubber casters for a more refined design from Lee Valley that has a better look as well as an excellent little foot brake pedal that works really well.
Mobile Serving Table Given as a Wedding Gift
Solid Oak Serving Table
This solid oak serving table was designed and crafted for our neighbour's daughter and her new husband as a wedding gift. It has a 1.5" thick solid oak top with solid oak legs, rails and skirt. It has been stained and then the top was coated with 3 coats of Varathane. The legs have 3 coats of Danish Oil. The rails are held firmly in place with mortise and tenon joinery. It has been built to last for many generations to come.
Padouk & Maple Storage Case for Chisels
Wood Chisel Storage Box
This simple storage case was made from pieces of red Padouk, Maple and Baltic Birch scraps left over in my workshop from other projects. I could have purchased a case with the 7 chisels for only $20, but had way more fun building my own custom storage box that sits on the wall in plain view when I need it. It has been treated with Danish Oil to bring out the color and protect the wood from drying out too much. It was custom made for these specific Lee Valley chisels with slots sized just right for each of the 7 chisels.
Mini Mobile Workbench
Mini Mobile Work Bench
This 39" wide solid oak work bench top makes an ideal shop accessory. With it's walnut and maple trim, sturdy 18 mm Baltic birch cabinet, locking swivel casters and 4 drawers on ball bearing glides it is a perfect work surface for small projects. It is a great example of a project that works out surprisingly perfect using my EKHO Mobile Workshop for precision cutting, fitting and finishing. The 1.5" thick oak top has an appealing border of 3/4" walnut and 1/2" Maple that compliments the walnut drawer front edges. The top has been coated with 3 layers of Danish oil to bring out the wood grain and color perfectly.
This project was inspired by a piece of 1.5" thick laminated solid oak sitting in my shop waiting for an assignment and an old plastic Rubbermaid cabinet sitting between the doors that did not fit, either physically or visually, so a quick measurement told me the oak top was the exact size needed to squeeze between the doors. Putting casters on it was a very wise move as I can now use it anywhere in the shop, patio, garage or even the pool deck as a bar table.
Laundry Room Maple Cabinets
Laundry Room Maple Cabinet Replacement
In the winter of 2008 to 2009 we decided to replace our 18 year old melamine faced laundry room cabinets (2 upper and one lower) with a new Maple counter top, granite sink by Blanco plus two new storage cabinets. One new one is a taller unit for mops and brooms and the other one includes a new slide out ironing board (not shown). As a unique custom touch I added a strip of custom moulded African wood called Padouk like a "racing stripe" on each door. When finished with varathane, the padouk takes on a beautiful high contrast beet red color that makes the whole project stand out. The doors are actually Baltic birch that have a grain that looks very close to Maple with rounded Maple edge banding. The new washer and dryer were covered over with a very large Maple plywood shelf (not shown) that provides a large work surface with 2 slim drawers underneath for Christmas gift wrap storage. This went from being a rather bland and flimsy set of older 5/8" particle board cabinets to a modern, solid 3/4" plywood set that will last several lifetimes. And of course, in the interest of not wasting anything, all of the old cabinets found a much appreciated and very useful new home in my wood working shop for tool and accessory storage.
Glass Door Maple Cabinet Project
Glass Door Maple Cabinets with Granite Sink
This set of Maple cabinets have some very interesting firsts for my experience level. First time I used glass doors and glass shelves. The granite sink by Blanco is a very solid and heavy undermount design custom fitted under a custom made Maple counter top. The sink does not show in this photo because of a unique CNC cut cover. Rather than waste the Maple counter top cutout, I designed it with AutoCAD, supplied the precise cutout to a CNC shop that made the cut with a very precise 1/4" router bit, so that we could drop it back in over the sink when it is not being used. This gives us a huge work bench surface area as well as a large granite sink for cleanup. There is a full size slide out drawer in the bottom of the sink cabinet as well as a mini "floating" drawer that sits right under the granite sink and is actually partly attached to the sink bottom for secure support. I used an LED rope light around the inside of the glass door cabinets to act as a night light in a dark basement room with no windows. I then installed 2 Quartz halogen pot lights in the top of the glass cabinets to give it a warm golden glow. The original drywall backing was covered with a pure white ceramic tile to brighten this dark area as much as possible. A mirror on the right side wall makes the room feel much larger and brighter, so the final look of a small dingy room with only a small plastic laundry tub has changed very dramtically for the better. Flourescent lights were added above the cabinet as well as under the cabinets and concealed with a Maple valence.
Mini Jewelry Box Christmas Gift
Mini Jewelry Box for Christmas Gift
This small box was inspired by my desire to hand craft a Christmas gift for my youngest daughter and test my skills for the first time at some precision jointing on a small box with my EKHO Mobile Workshop. It consists of the Walnut, Maple and Oak laminations from the cutting board project. What I did not appreciate with such a small item is how it is almost the same work as the much larger cutting board. It is protected with Danish oil to bring out the grain and color of the wood.
My main lesson learned from this little project was that I need a much better method of joining and clamping to achieve a real professional miter joint.
Pine Table with Walnut Trim
Pine Table with Walnut Trim
My wife spotted a pine shelf at Home Depot one day that she really liked for the large brown knots. After buying it we added some Walnut trim to compliment the color of the knots and some 2"x2" Maple framing on the underside for strength. Some IKEA metal legs with casters finished it off and she has a very light and very mobile table for her arts and crafts.
Compound Angle Saw Horse
Compound Angle Saw Horse
In November 2009 my "long lost" younger brother Larry came to visit for 5 days on his way to an exciting new job in the Algerian oil fields. He was so intrigued by my EKHO Mobile Workshop that he wanted to try creating something quick with a challenge. Going from his memory of a previously built model back in Calgary he proceeded to do some compound angle cuts on the table saw. It was very impressive to me, since with a bit of careful thought he managed to get all his complex cuts right the first time and this very sturdy saw horse is the result. It has since been a great little platform for me to reach high on the walls and to my shop ceiling many times during various shop renovations. It was created with left over project scraps, but has been a big surprise as to it's strength.
What made the 2 to 3 hour project even more interesting from my perspective was getting to know my younger brother's great skills, patience and exceptionally like minded approach to work we both enjoy. It provided quicker insights to each other than many casual conversations have done over the past year or so. He was much more patient and thoughtful about the compound angle cuts than I would have been for example in spite of my long time woodworking hobby and engineering background.
