Little Acorns & Mighty Oaks

The African "Birthday Chair"

2010-09-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-11-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Antique Rotating Bookcase

2009-06-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

This was found a few years ago through an ad in the paper. It needed a little TLC as the joints were failing and the wood had split apart on the top shelf. Some of the old wood plugs were missing too. It still worked well and holds a great many books.
The turning mechanism is actually five round balls in the base.

This is the refinished piece. I was careful to clean the surface without removing any of the original patina.

Mission Oak Plant Stands

2009-06-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

I created a pattern from an old plant stand we had kicking about the house. When the boys were little, they used it as a table/work surface while playing and it came in handy for so many other things that I thought I should build more. They are extremely sturdy too.

Eastern European Workbench

2009-06-16T02:34:00.000-07:00

Back in 2001 I began work on my own Eastern European workbench.
It is made from hard Maple and the top is Walnut. It was nice to be able to build to a comfortable height that works well for me.
The plans came from an issue of American Woodworker magazine.
The two vices and adjustable dogs are very handy for various sized projects.
It's a true workhorse in the shop.

Mission Oak Computer Bridge

2009-06-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

I have had a big old Oak desk since I was a student in college. It was in sorry shape for many years and after restoring it decided I needed something more efficient than having all my computer stuff on the work surface thus limiting the amount of space I had to actually work at the desk. I came up with the idea of a "computer bridge." It holds my printer on top, out of the way and the little box cubbyholes on either side under the top self hold my speakers. It keeps the clutter off the work surface and helps things stay tidy and organised. Someday we will likely have a lap top instead of the the old PC but for now it works very well.

Shop Counter

2009-06-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Jennifer has a little shop on our property called the Milkhouse Gallery. It's in an old stone building. She wanted an old fashioned shop counter but as finances and availability were limited she came up with the idea to use a couple of old doors. The front of the counter uses a door with a window in it so we have instant display space.
The sides are another old door.
Here is the finished counter. The top is an old piece of slate found for free on our way home from church one Sunday. Behind the right side of the cabinet are shelves to hold necessities like tissue paper and bags. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Oak Resting Box

2009-06-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

Jennifer met a woman whose daughter had recently passed away. Try as she might, she couldn't find a suitable container for her ashes. So, she enlisted my help in creating the perfect final resting place.
She was so very thrilled with the results. (This piece was designed for actual burial.)

Frames, Mirrors & Shadowboxes

2009-06-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

We lost a big Manitoba Maple during the massive ice storm that hit Eastern Ontario years back. It was large enough to have some of it milled into lumber. The wood came out Spalted due to the moisture getting into it and beginning to rot. It makes for a lovely effect on the wood. I make almost all of Jennifer's shadowboxes for her work. Each one a little different.
Here are a pair of Oak frames using lap joints and the square peg detail.
Another of Jennifer "finds," an old English tile, found its way into a custom Oak frame.

Stickley Mission Oak End Tables

2009-06-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

These end tables are from our living room. Made of Oak with drop leaf sides, they are perfect for the living or family room.
This is of the same design as the one above but has a magazine rack on the bottom.

White Pine Blanket Box

2009-05-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

This is something I made years ago to the recipient's measurements. They were very dear friends and it was truly a labour of love.
Inscribed in the lid is their favourite Bible verse. The tray provides added storage.

Cedar Fench

2009-05-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

In our old home, Jennifer planted a shade garden on the east side of the house, under a big old tree. Being on a corner lot, she also wanted to have some fence built to create a private garden space. The ground was very rocky so putting down posts was not an option, so I built a "Fench." One side is a bench where you can sit and enjoy the garden, the other, looks just like a section of fencing.

Summer Fun

2009-05-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

I built this croquet set a number of years ago. Every summer we set it up and enjoy a game or two. The stand is Oak, the mallets are Maple.
I even turned the balls. Everything fits nicely on the stand for storage too.

Our Pine Dining Room

2009-05-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

Although I prefer to work in hardwood we wanted a warm, informal dining room so we went with Pine. The Sideboard above was actually the last piece to be built, the whole process taking a few years to complete. Jennifer came up with a general design idea and the basic dimensions and I engineered it for actual building. The teacup/teapot handles on the drawers were found at Pier 1 Imports years ago. She didn't want any handles on the cabinet doors so as not to make the piece too busy.
Our dining table can seat ten people. It is seven feet long and three feet wide. The drawers on the one side go the full depth of the table and are very spacious. The benches were built by Jennifer's grandfather for his own family of five children, many years ago. We deliberately left it unfinished so it would collect the life of our family as we used it. Homeschooling three sons, rolling cookies and doing small repairs, along with many art projects have left a patina of history on its surface.
This was first piece I made for the dining room. While recovering from heart surgery, thirteen years ago, I decided I wanted to create something I could pass on to my sons. So began my adventure with wood.

Mission Oak Footstool

2009-05-27T04:03:00.000-07:00

Necessity is the mother of invention. We needed a footstool to go with an old Mission Rocking chair, again found at a yard sale. This is what I built. The original design had no slats at the bottom to hold magazines or books so I added them. Super sturdy too. I did the upholstery as well.

Mission Oak Tray, Frame & Maple Rolling Pins

2009-05-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

This Oak tray sits perfectly on our leather Ottoman. Again I have used through tenon joinery. Simple, yet classic. It's seen a whole lot of "Chips and Salsa" Sci-Fi movie nights over the years.
Jennifer found the needlepoint at a yard sale and had me build this quarter-sawn Oak frame for it. Notice the rays or lighter flecking on the wood, unique to quarter-sawn Oak.
Many years ago Jennifer found an antique rolling pin with a "Thistle" handle. I decided to reproduce it and alter the design slightly to create one in Maple.

Oak Trapezoidal Bookcase

2009-05-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is a special piece and was a fun challenge to build. As usual, my wife wanted it taller than the original plan so some serious adjustments needed to be made. It measures 18" by 18" at the bottom, and 14" by 14.5" at the top. It is 64" tall. The peg detail on the sides is purely decorative and not functional although smaller versions of this piece can be built to be knocked down.
Here it is full height. Everything is cut to a three degree angle top to bottom, side to side, and front to back. Well worth all the work.
It also sports a secret drawer at the top.

Greene & Greene Maple End Table

2009-05-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite projects. The end table is made of Maple and the contrasting wood detail is Ebony given to me by a friend who lived in Africa. The design is reminiscent of the work of Greene and Greene, architects and designers in the heyday of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Mission Bedside Table in Ash

2009-05-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

I made this for my oldest son. This time I used Ash. While the bottom is open, the drawer creates a small space to tuck things away.

Another view of the table.

Mission Oak Bedside Table

2009-05-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

For bedside tables, I designed them so that you could store items without adding clutter. I use the square peg detail in a number of my pieces. Notice the through tenon joinery on the sides. It measures 17" wide by 15" deep by 27" tall.
The drawer and cupboard below do a good job of keeping your favourite book or the remote control handy. The Oak leaf and Acorn hardware were found in Balderson, Ontario.

Mission Oak Wardrobe

2009-05-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

This was the first piece I made, many years ago. It measures 39" wide by 29" deep by 64.5" tall.
The inside is outfitted with drawers and shelves on the left and on the right is a small shelf and a rod for hanging slacks.

WELCOME

2009-05-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks for dropping by. I will be posting my furniture and other things I have built. The Mission Style is a very classic, livable design suitable for modern homes as well as the more traditional homes and offices. Browse around. I hope you enjoy your visit.