Spalted Maple Sewing Machine Cabinet Redo

                       My wife bought a broken down old sewing machine base years ago.

 It had been left out in the weather and nothing was going to be able to bring it back to life.

 We discussed a plan for the lovely cast iron base and out came the spalted maple.
The black lines in the maple play well with the black base.

                                                  A little iron wood detail on the corners.

                                                    A salvaged drop pull for the drawer.

A new life for an old falling apart sewing machine base. Very handy next to the door in the kitchen.

School Desk

                                        Another commission: a Victorian child's school desk.

                      I started with the cast iron pieces and not much else to guide the project.

                                                       Turned out well. Happy customer.

The African "Birthday Chair"

A client presented me with the pieces for a chair turned in their homeland of South Africa, twenty-seven years ago.

The design was copied from a family piece . It was completely turned without the aid of power tools, the dowels hand cut. It is made from an African Olive wood.

It was referred to as "Loliando," which may refer to the area in Tanzania that the wood came from.

The owner had held onto this bundle of pieces all these years until she found someone to put it together properly. That fell to me. It was a satisfying challenge.

The wood smells and machines like White Oak. It has a complexion like that of Mahogany.

Wood twists over time and it was a challenge to assemble the piece straight.

I used almost every clamp I owned to coax it into a straight and square state but once dry it was just fine.

Here is the glued-up piece awaiting finish.

A close-up of the seat which will be woven with leather and topped with a custom cushion.

Complete.

Mission Style Clocks

My wife and I participated in a small local Christmas craft sale over the weekend. I made a few clocks to bring along. Above is a white oak piece.
This one is made from Spalted Maple. Spalting is the beautiful multi-coloured effect found in the grain of Maple from a certain mould when the wood is still drying. It creates a stain pattern which gives the wood unique character.
It's always a surprise when you cut into the wood. Beautiful.

Stair Rail Update

We were back at the home owner's recently and got to see the finished renovation. They did some painting and added carpet to the stair treads.
I did not do the trim around the front door, however, I thought it a very nice job indeed and don't you think the integrated clock is a stroke of genius?

Mission Style Stair Rail Commission

I built these for a commission for folks in town. It is made of Red Oak and stained to their specifications.
There was a great deal of engineering involved to make certain that it all fit once the installation began. It all worked and the clients are very pleased with the results. They will be painting the entryway to suit the new installation. It's going to look great.
This is the profile of the railing that goes down to the basement.
I also installed hardwood flooring in the entryway so it all matches beautifully.

Mission Style Maple & Oak Rotating Bookcase

I just finished this piece. It is my interpretation of the antique rotating bookcase in the previous post. I used hard Maple for the shelves and fumed Oak for the upright stiles. The pegs are hand cut from Maple as well.


The Maple spline detail adds strength to the base as well as a terrific contrasting accent. It didn't take long for Jennifer to fill it up once came in the house! It spins like a dream too.