New Gift Started

With Christmas just around the corner it is time to start turning out some gifts. The first gift I am going to start out by making my daughter a bank for her collection of pennies from the various places that we have gone on for vacation. I am going to use a PO Box door for the front which I purchased from a local woodworking store. You can get old out of service boxes that were in United States Post Offices but due to time I purchased this one. For the body of the bank I am going to use red oak along with pine dowels as an accent on the sides and top. This should offer a nice contrast when the project is complete. Here are a few photos of the parts for needed for the start of the project.



The pieces of the PO Bank are starting to come together. I cut the final pieces for the top and bottom today and routed the detail and here is what it is going to look like. Stay tuned for more updates.

Candle holder

I started a new project today using some Cherry and Pine that I had sitting in the shop. The main part of the candle holder will be made of cherry and have an inlay of pine down the middle once completed. Once completed the holder will have spots for 3 candles. Today, I removed a 1/2"x1/4" chunk of the cherry down the middle. This will be the place where the pine strip will be placed. Below are a few photos of the progress that has been made. Take a look and feel free to comment or ask any questions.

1)Solid piece of Cherry

2)1/2"x1/4" groove removed for pine inlay

3)Pine inlay glued in place

After drilling out the 3 places for the candles and a little sanding the candle holder is starting to take shape.


I made some progress today on the holder by routing the edges with a roundover profile and getting grooves cut for the feet. The feet will keep the candle holder elevated off the bottom.

I finally got the chance to apply the finish to the candle holder over this past weekend to complete the project. I applied 3 coats of Minwax waterbased semi-gloss clear finish. The finish really brings out the color and grain of the Cherry. The pine inlay gives great contrast to the cherry. This should make a great center piece for a kitchen table or dresser.

Floating shelf detail and final mount

I was able to get the shelf finished with several coats of Minwax Semi-gloss water based poly. With the hidden mounting bracket the shelf has clean lines and appears to just float on the wall.

After getting the shelf put together I thoguht I would post a photograph of the back which shows the various pieces that make up the shelf. As you can see the shelf is made up of 6 seperate pieces that together make up the design and detail. I have put one coat of Minwax golden oak stain on so far and a coat of Minwax semi-gloss clear coat. In the end I'll probably put on between 3-4 coats of clear.

Progress:floating shelf

I was able to make some progress on the floating shelf this weekend. The mile of leftover oak has been transformed into a floating shelf. The shelf consist of a top made of 3/4" oak plywood trimmed with solid oak to hide the exposed edge. Just below the top is a piece of 1/2" oak that adds some detail. The oak crown molding sits in the piece of trim to add additional detail. The bottom is inclosed with a piece of 1/2" oak plywood with 1/4" oak trim to add once last piece of detail to the profile.

Next project:Floating wall shelf.

The next project on my list to complete is a floating wall shelf. The shelf is going to be made out some leftover red oak that I have sitting around the shop. The only think that I had to purchase was the crown molding. The rest of the pieces are comprised of 3/4" oak plywood and solid oak. I will make sure to post photos and updates as progress is made. These two piles of wood may not look like much now but once they come together I should have a fine piece of furniture to hang on the wall. Stay tuned for more photos and updates to come.

Cutting board completed

I just finished the cutting board that I had started a few weeks ago. The cutting board is made of oak and aspen leftovers from previous projects. The board measures 9.5"x22.5" and .5" thick. The board was finished with 6 coats of General Finishes salad bowl finish. The board has 4 rubber feet to prevent it from slipping while using.

Display/Cutting board update

I have made a little progress on my latest project which is going to be a display/cutting board once completed. I did not have a specific plan for this project just trying to use up some material I had leftover from previous projects. I'm planning on applying a salad bowl finish once I figure out the final design is going to look like. I am thinking that I may round the corners and make it a little softer. I did use a round over router bit for the edges in this picture which is not noticeable. I will have more photos to come as progress is made.