58th John Cowell Curling Bonspiel Fire Truck

 I was asked to donate one of my fire trucks to the annual (59th) John Cowell Curling Bonspiel, as I enjoy working wood and it's been a while since I made one the decision was easy. I used several types of wood such as maple, Birdseye maple, oak, mahogany, walnut, lacewood, and purple heart. Like the other trucks I made, all but a couple of the parts are hand made, either on a small lathe, hand sanded to size, even the little pegs I used to hold the lights in place, about 110 pieces. Here are a couple of pictures of my latest creation. 

Candle Stand

 It was brought to my attention that we needed a small stand to go beside one of our chairs. I found this candle stand design in an older woodworking magazine, and decided to make it. It was also one of the episodes from The New Yankee Workshop. I make mine a little different and I used Birdseye Maple. I finished it with bees wax furniture polish.

My newest piece. 

The Birdseye really stands out.

Tables

There is always a need to maximize a space and in one of my wife's studios she needed a table that would fit over top a group of organizing carts. It needed to be 36 inches high, 82 inches long and she only needed it to be 19 inches wide. To keep it from sagging if there was too much weight put on top or if someone just leaned on it to look out the window I put a 1½ inch high support rabbited in the front and a 2 inch one on the back, this provided the support required. 

The other table I made was a sofa table with floating top, which doesn't need to be by a sofa. The design was altered a bit so the top would fit snug against the wall, therefor the legs needed to be 1½ narrower on all edges to offset the depth of our base boards. I used pine boards, applied walnut gel stain with MINWAX polish. It turned out a bit better than I thought. It's nice when that happens. Here is a look at this months work.

The studio table. 

Another look at the sofa table.

The sofa table.

New Cabinet

 I finished a new filing/storage cabinet for the office. I needed a couple of more drawers for the things I had in the old desk hutch. I can store my printer paper and other paraphernalia. It has full extension bottom drawers for the files and standard draw slides for the others. I cut in the ends so I can pull the drawers out.  Here is what it looks like. 

Drawers nicely spaces.

A good balance.

How it looked before.

Now with the new cabinet.

 

Desk Done

 It's finished and in place. the poly coating looks great with the pine, everything went well. I did have to as a little piece of wood under the front left leg to square it up as the house isn't quite square being 120 years old. Now to build the filling cabinet and get the office tidied up. Here is how it looks. 

New Desk

 This past couple of weeks I have been getting lumber dressed to make a new desk, all out of pine. It is an open style desk with one drawer and a place for the old computer tower, which I still use once in a while. The top is a breadboard style, 1 inch think, it turned out great. I have a cut out in the back of the top for wires and a platform for the monitor. I will be putting a plastic holder under the back side to hold the loose wires with a bit of foam to hold them in place. The legs and supports for the drawer and tower are held in place by dovetails. I just slide them in and out for easy assembly. A low edge on the back so I don't accidently pushing anything off. Once I get it finished with clear poly the pine will be nice and light for the office. Shortly I'll be making a new filling cabinet with drawers for odds and ends, as well a for paper for the printer. Here is the desk prior to the finish.

This is the new desk.

Just another angel.

A place for the computer and a large drawer.

You can see the dovetails to hold the legs in place.

Easily disassembled to move where needed.

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Basement Door

 It's taken a while but it's done, a new basement door. I used some of the lumber left over from the new bed project and I used some of the boards from the old bed frame. It turned out great, such a transformation to the space. Here is a look at how it went, after I made the door, frame and trim in the shop.

Old door, lookin in from the mudroom.

Looking at from the kitchen sink.

No door look.

Not a bad opening.

The door is in.

It looks better just like this.

Nicely trimmed out.

It looks great.