The final 2014 Christmas present I had to make, was a frame for a new entry mirror. Since I was going to use some notoriously difficult to work species, I decided I would document the built. The Body of the frame is Wenge, and the keys are made from some Gaboon Ebony I pull out for special projects. I’ve used the combination of Wenge and Gaboon before, but not on the scale of this project, and I have to say I really love The way it turned out. As a side note, hopefully this video is a little better than the last one.
The finished Mirror
Gaboon Ebony key
I’ve had my new table saw for over a year, and I finally got around to making a new miter sled for it. Since one of my New Year’s resolutions was to start making videos again, that’s exactly what I did. If you can handle some so-so audio & videography check out the video below. The sled is my take, and a simplified version of the sled described in this Fine Woodworking article by Robert Hamon.
It’s pretty quick and easy to make, and an invaluable tool when it comes time to make a picture frame or two. All you need is a piece of any sheet good, and some hardwood for the fences and runners. The base of my sled is made from a 1/2″ thick piece of MDF that measure 15″ wide by 48″ long. The fences are made from 1-3/4″ square soft maple, and the runners are made from a piece of 3/4″ thick White Ash. I think I have about $40 total in the raw materials, so material costs are pretty low.
It’s always take me longer to get around to a post than I think it should, I should probably stop predicting when I’m going to post next. With that being said, I’ve finished some more lif-top boxes, and I even remembered to shoot some video this time. This is not my best recording job, but hey it was 45 degrees in the shop.
After a few shop projects, I can finally start my next “real” project. For several reason, some intensely personal, & others less so, this project is very important to me. This is the first piece, of “fine furniture” that is 100% my design. All my previous projects, have been a copy of, or my take on someone someone Else’s design. The Sketchup file linked below,shows what several might find excessive for something as mundane as raised dog dishes, but nevertheless it illustrates what I consider my evolving style.
Over the weekend I tried my hand at exporting an animation from Sketchup, and I must say it was a lot simpler than I though it would be. In less than an hour I went from knowing nothing about it’s animation capabilities, to producing the video shown below. For those that are interested in the animation functionality, I found this tutorial very informative.
Design details:
- Legs tapered on two sides
- Apron beading
- dovetail joinery
- buttons to attach the top
- made from solid walnut
The plan: raisedDogDishes.skp
The last shop project I needed to make, before I started my next “Real” project, is a small crosscut sled. I’ve found a small cross cut sled with 2 runners, to be more precise, than most high end miter gauges. Construction of a sled is pretty simple, so I didn’t go into a lot of detail in the video, but hopefully you will find it informative and entertaining.
