My furniture threak, now with better photos.

Especially like the side table.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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love the bookcase,simple,elegant. not crazy about the the desk though (sorry?) looks a bit cramped and has a "staples" vibe,although i can see teh functionality of it. maybe apply the bookcase clean lines to the desk next time... i dont build,but sell a lot of vintage furniture so i kinda know what im talking about (shrug)
I can see what frenchy means here, because the pieces are essentially just wide , rectangular boards boards butted together at right angles. I'm sure that in person they'd be much nicer, and wouldn't give off too much of a staples vibe. Yyou have some really nice, wide and I imagine expensive, material. I like both pieces as they are, but I think they'd be greatly enhanced by some more advanced joinery. Did you biscuit/domino these together? If think you could also look at adding some angles and curves to the design. I know a lot of furniture maker stuggle when making modern styled stuff that doesn't appear mass-produced, so there are probably some great resources out there. You have some nice grain patterns which goes a long way in helping this. What sort of wiping poly did you use? looks great.

I don't like consoles because they are essentially a case for displaying knickknacks, which I also hate.

Yours looks pretty good though.

Originally Posted by ruben

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I can see what frenchy means here, because the pieces are essentially just wide , rectangular boards boards butted together at right angles.

I'm sure that in person they'd be much nicer, and wouldn't give off too much of a staples vibe.


Yyou have some really nice, wide and I imagine expensive, material. I like both pieces as they are, but I think they'd be greatly enhanced by some more advanced joinery. Did you biscuit/domino these together?
If think you could also look at adding some angles and curves to the design. I know a lot of furniture maker stuggle when making modern styled stuff that doesn't appear mass-produced, so there are probably some great resources out there. You have some nice grain patterns which goes a long way in helping this.

What sort of wiping poly did you use? looks great.

this is what i meant,thanks for getting it.
for the record i didnt say it looks like something you would buy at Staples,i said it has a staples "vibe" becaue its the first thing i thought of when i looked at it...and yes im at staples 4 times a week so i know what im referrencing thank you very much.(maybe we got different Staples here in canada who the **** knows)
i meant it as constructive not just criticism,since im assuming you are planning on producing more pieces in the future.
i have seen a lot of it in my dealings and always thought less is more,something u might want to consider since i can see you are using top notch wood that is no doubt super expensive.
in the long run if you make things more angular like ruben sugested you might save some serious cash on materials since you will be using less of it.
speaking of,where do you get yours,reclaimed wood,mills?
a freind of mine builds furniture as well and gets a lot of his wood of craigslist believe it or not,also from thrift shops and resuses some of the mahogany and teak stuff he finds (recycling)
not that you asked for my advice but heres my two cents,study some of the danish post modern stuff and see how much they used to accomplish with how little and thats why its still desirable fifty plus years later

I agree that there is nothing fancy about the desk, and it kind of gives off that vibe just because we are so used to seeing cheap furniture.

Originally Posted by mm84321

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SkinnyGoomba, I absolutely love that console you built. I usually don't traditionally think of pairing wood and metal together, but the tone of the black walnut compliments the stainless steel perfectly. Very nice job.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

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Very very nice, I would absolutely love to have some very well made furniture in my house. That bookshelf looks awesome. You could definitely turn this into a business if you were so inclined.
Thanks Brian, definitely is something I've been toying with the idea of.

Originally Posted by xchen

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Great stuff all around, SkinnyGoomba! Everything looks to be of the utmost quality. If we weren't on an internet forum I'd guess you to be Amish!

I'd loved to be able to build my own furniture. I especially like reclaimed wood, and stuff with a more industrial or rustic look. And that desk definitely doesn't look like it came from staples to me, other than being rectangular. Anyone who actually shops at staples would never think that.
Thanks Xchen! I've been getting requests from one person to build a piece from reclaimed wood, something completely rustic, so this maybe something that I end up doing in the future.

Originally Posted by Yooxaddict73

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Always nice to see someone is making things instead of buying them in the store. Actually there are numerous craftsman (NH,VT,MA,PA,ME) who are making custom and reproduction furniture out of their homes or small workshops. The prices for their furniture are generally the same or less if compared to the high-end stores or antique shops. I am making my third custom order atm, and I don't think I will ever buy anything from the retail furn. store again. Once you experienced the pleasure of owning a real piece of furniture, made the old-fashioned way , there is no going back(sort of like with all good things in life).

Originally Posted by CDFS

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Especially like the side table.
Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by ruben

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I can see what frenchy means here, because the pieces are essentially just wide , rectangular boards boards butted together at right angles. I'm sure that in person they'd be much nicer, and wouldn't give off too much of a staples vibe. Yyou have some really nice, wide and I imagine expensive, material. I like both pieces as they are, but I think they'd be greatly enhanced by some more advanced joinery. Did you biscuit/domino these together? If think you could also look at adding some angles and curves to the design. I know a lot of furniture maker struggle when making modern styled stuff that doesn't appear mass-produced, so there are probably some great resources out there. You have some nice grain patterns which goes a long way in helping this. What sort of wiping poly did you use? looks great.
The side table uses sliding dovetail joinery, that's an advanced technique you wont find on mass produced pieces. The rest uses a variety of joinery depending on the task i'm accomplishing. I dont do it specifically to show off like dovetails on drawers, ect. I used a wiping varnish called 'tung oil finish' and in some areas I used a dark raw tung oil.

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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I don't like consoles because they are essentially a case for displaying knickknacks, which I also hate. Yours looks pretty good though.
Lols! Thanks Kent.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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this is what i meant,thanks for getting it. for the record i didnt say it looks like something you would buy at Staples,i said it has a staples "vibe" because its the first thing i thought of when i looked at it...and yes im at staples 4 times a week so i know what im referencing thank you very much.(maybe we got different Staples here in canada who the **** knows) i meant it as constructive not just criticism,since im assuming you are planning on producing more pieces in the future. i have seen a lot of it in my dealings and always thought less is more,something u might want to consider since i can see you are using top notch wood that is no doubt super expensive. in the long run if you make things more angular like ruben suggested you might save some serious cash on materials since you will be using less of it. speaking of,where do you get yours,reclaimed wood,mills? a friend of mine builds furniture as well and gets a lot of his wood of craigslist believe it or not,also from thrift shops and reuses some of the mahogany and teak stuff he finds (recycling) not that you asked for my advice but heres my two cents,study some of the danish post modern stuff and see how much they used to accomplish with how little and that's why its still desirable fifty plus years later
I focused mostly on danish post modern before I built the desk, it's where I took most design cues. They mostly do very simple design work.

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

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I agree that there is nothing fancy about the desk, and it kind of gives off that vibe just because we are so used to seeing cheap furniture.
Exactly, I wanted simplicity in this design. I wouldn't mind showing off a bit in the future, but i'm not all about that.

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

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The side table uses sliding dovetail joinery, that's an advanced technique you wont find on mass produced pieces. The rest uses a variety of joinery depending on the task i'm accomplishing. I dont do it specifically to show off like dovetails on drawers, ect.

I used a wiping varnish called 'tung oil finish' and in some areas I used a dark raw tung oil.


I guess that'd depend on what you would consider 'mass produced' to mean.
Just because something doesn't come in a flatpack doesn't mean it isn't mass produced, like much of the Danish modern stuff that I also like and seek out.

I also don't think I could disagree more that joinery such as dovetails, especially on drawers, is showing off.




Didn't mean for this reply to sound so dickish.
What's the next project?

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

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Thanks!



Thanks Brian, definitely is something I've been toying with the idea of.



Thanks Xchen! I've been getting requests from one person to build a piece from reclaimed wood, something completely rustic, so this maybe something that I end up doing in the future.





Thanks guys!



The side table uses sliding dovetail joinery, that's an advanced technique you wont find on mass produced pieces. The rest uses a variety of joinery depending on the task i'm accomplishing. I dont do it specifically to show off like dovetails on drawers, ect.

I used a wiping varnish called 'tung oil finish' and in some areas I used a dark raw tung oil.



Lols! Thanks Kent.



I focused mostly on danish post modern before I built the desk, it's where I took most design cues. They mostly do very simple design work.



Exactly, I wanted simplicity in this design. I wouldn't mind showing off a bit in the future, but i'm not all about that.

simple yes,but more subtle,nothing subtle about that "monolith"...sorry i gotta stick to my guns on this one and disagree with you.

I think that's the crinoid fossil you're referring to. I never said the decor was subtle, it's not.

Ruben,
Next project is a bed, I'll be doing some M&T joints on the bed, but for the most part it will again be a piece that can be taken apart if need be (in fact I'll have to assemble it in the room).

furniture is nice but that instrument is insane. what is it?
-Jeff

Jeff, that is a Zheng which is a chinese instrument.

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

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Ruben,
Next project is a bed, I'll be doing some M&T joints on the bed, but for the most part it will again be a piece that can be taken apart if need be (in fact I'll have to assemble it in the room).

Sounds cool, if the two you posted are any guide, I'd bet you have a really nice piece of something set aside for the headboard.

How much machinery do you use? will you be cutting the M&Ts by hand?

Thanks Ruben! I use a woodcutter who has a great deal of high grade pieces with great features and interesting grain, I use them for all my material and they've done well for me. I never have issues with twisting or cracking. They specialize in cabinet grade peices.

I use a variety of machinery, mostly a Bridgeport milling machine for complicated fit-ups. I will probably use a combination of machinery for these joints, bandsaw for the mortise, but it's likely that I'll be using the mill for the tenon. I may use it for both, it's also highly likely that i'll need to finish the cut with a chisel for a nice clean fit.

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

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Thanks Ruben! I use a woodcutter who has a great deal of high grade pieces with great features and interesting grain, I use them for all my material and they've done well for me. I never have issues with twisting or cracking. They specialize in cabinet grade peices.

I use a variety of machinery, mostly a Bridgeport milling machine for complicated fit-ups. I will probably use a combination of machinery for these joints, bandsaw for the mortise, but it's likely that I'll be using the mill for the tenon. I may use it for both, it's also highly likely that i'll need to finish the cut with a chisel for a nice clean fit.


I've never heard of a bridgeport milling machine, you cut mortises on it?
I assume it's a metalworking machine? sounds interesting though.

Either way sounds like all those shoulders that will need to be cleaned up gives you the perfect excuse to buy one of these:http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=042

Nice Ruben!

Yes it is a metal working tool (typically, lol).

Anywho next projects are coming up:

Building a walnut bed at the moment and designing a walnut shoe-armoire. The bed is fun, but again for my GF. The armoire is her gift to me for all of the work i'm doing pro-bono, she's supplying me the parts/materials for me to built it. I plan to build storage for 20-30 shoes, 50 ties laid flat side by side, 50+ pr of boxers, 100+ pr of socks, ect. Large doors covering 3 shelves and 3 drawers 48" wide and 6' tall. Should be fun and will help me eliminate 2 pieces of furniture I dont like in favor of 1 piece that i do.