Well here I sit, at the end or perhaps beginning of the Made by Hand journey. The book was sent out yesterday and I’m ready to take off a week or two to spend some time with my family. I’ll be posting some new projects as they develop over the next few weeks so check back often.
In the meantime here are some shots of the six projects that will be in my book; Made by Hand – Furniture Projects from the Unplugged Woodshop.
Cheers!

goin’ down the road- a cabinetmakers toolchest

ain’t no feathers around here boys… a wall cabinet with half blind, through and sliding dovetails

skinny legs and all – a side table with tapered legs

where the good books go – a small bookcase with through mortise and tenon joinery

picture pefect – a post and panel cabinet

where the hunters heel – a modern take on a traditional sideboard

Here’s a sneak peak at the latest project from my upcoming book. It’s a small book case with doors featuring through mortise and tenon joinery. I had some beautiful Flame Birch sitting on my shelf for the past few years and decided this was the time to use it. After sitting for more than two years in my wood shop back in Cape Breton air drying, to six more months here in my new shop in Toronto, I figured it would be good and dry. Stable is perhaps a better word to use…man, was I wrong. Sure the moisture content was low but stable it was not. Once I cut into it and planed it the pieces for the doors and the top warped like a banana…Seeing as this was a limited stock I had and I figured I wouldn’t find any other Flame Birch locally I decided to use a few bits of Walnut from my off-cut pile. I’m very happy with the results however if this piece had of been for a client, it would have ended up in the firewood pile. I would have never taken the time to try fixing it. Seeing as it’s for demonstration purposes and was my prototype I took the extra steps and worked through these challenges. It changed the aesthetic of the piece which probably changed some of the design features as well. The sticks captured inside of the door frame as well as the desicion to use hand made paper for the panels…I’m happy I decided to keep going with it and make what I had work. I guess thats the point here, doing the best with what you have. So my Birch bookcase with Walnut top turned out to be a good thing .

Cheers!