A Learning Adventure in the Workshop

Not really woodworking

Well, this isn't quite a woodworking project, but...

My wife and I have a pine hutch that was used as display shelves in a store that she used to own.  The hutch isn't old, and it isn't well made.   It is mass-produced, about 10 years old and is made of "pallet" grade pine...ugly.   I'm not sure exactly where it came from, but it was called "French Country" in style.   It was bare pine with a very thin coat of some sort of clear finish. 

It made its way into our dining room a few years ago because we needed a piece like it, and it was to be  serviceable until I got around to making a better one.  I haven't  gotten around to making a better one yet, and likely won't for some time to come.

I have always hated that hutch...

So, my wife suggested that we paint it, and even though I am generally against painted furniture, I figured that it could only help this piece.  On Sunday, in one day, we put on a coat of thick primer and one coat of latex paint.  I then "weathered" it with a wash of dark brown latex paint that I quickly wiped off to give it an aged look.

I have to admit that I like it.  I won't be so embarrassed to have this piece in our dining  room now.  I still don't care for painted furniture, but this piece needed to be painted.   See finished pictures below.  I wish that I had a "before" picture to post also, but I don't.

Water-based vs. Oil-based Top Coats

Now that the dust is settling from completing the two G&G desks, I have been thinking through some of my experiences on this project.

I had noted in an earlier post that I had used a water-based finish for the first time on the first G&G desk and that I generally liked it (particularly the lack of smell).

I did the second desk with my old-faithful GF Arm-R-Seal oil-based finish that has long been my favorite.  When the desks are side by side there is no question in my mind...the oil finish is still better.  It has a more even satin finish, more even build, less grain-raising, etc.  The two finishes are not significantly different, but they are different enough for me to switch back to my old favorite oil finish from now on unless I really need to avoid the odor and fumes.

I like the new water-based finishes, but for me, they are not quite there yet (but they are close).

G&G Desks...Finished at Last!

I have finally finished the "almost"  matching pair of Greene & Greene inspired desks for my wife and me.  The photos below are of my G&G desk #2, made based on the Aurora desk by Darrell Peart at www.furnituremaker.com.    Darrell sells the plans for this desk at American Furniture Design website.

My desks are made from African mahogany and ebony. I finished this one with General Finishes brand Arm-R-Seal that I tinted with a little General Finishes “warm cherry” stain.

These took almost 2 years to complete because other small projects kept intruding and I would get distracted away from the desks. I am very glad to be done!

I started these desks before Darrell had his plans for sale, so after emailing him for permission, I made my own drawings to build my desk. During the two long years of work, Darrell’s plans hit the market and I bought a set of the plans. Boy would I have saved time if I had those from the start!!

My drawings were very close to Darrell’s dimensions, but were off just enough to make it impossible for me to follow his plans exactly. Since I had already started cutting parts to my dimensions, I stuck with my plans and only used Darrell’s plans for reference.

My shop now looks huge without these two desks sitting in the middle of it as they have been for a long time now.

Photos below are of G&G desk #2.  As I said in my recent posts, G&G desk #1 came out darker than I'd like (it was done with aniline dye).  I will post photos of that desk soon.

Front

Front right

Front left

Top

Front

G&G drawer detail

G&G drawer joint

Worksharp 3000 - Repeatable Sharpening

I received a WorkSharp 3000 for Christmas, and so far I am very impressed.  Since the Worksharp has been reviewed to death in woodworking magazines, this will be a short post.

I've tried a number of sharpening methods and most recently converted from water stones to the "Scary Sharp" method.  I have been very happy with the Scary Sharp method (as well as the water stones before them), but both method methods required setup time and labor.

The Worksharp seems to be a good way to implement a Scary-Sharp-like method as a faster "power sharpening" method.  Because of its integral jig, it has a totally repeatable sharpening angle.  This makes it very, very fast.   You can quickly sharpen a chisel without setup, etc. 

I don't think that the Worksharp makes my tools quite as sharp as water stones, but they are very sharp, and more than sharp enough for general woodwork.

My only real complaint is that the Worksharp can only sharpen plane blades up to 2", so my larger plane blades will not fit in the jig.

For around $199, I think that this is a good machine at a good price.

2nd Desk Nearing Completion

I made progress this weekend toward finishing the 2nd desk.   I decided to do the 2nd desk with a different finish than the first one, since I was disappointed with how dark the first desk turned out.  I like the finish on the first desk, but it is too dark to really appreciate all of the ebony accents in the desk.

For the 2nd desk, I decided to try tinting General Finishes oil-based Arm-R-Seal with a General Finishes oil-based stain.  I used 0.75 ounce of  GF  "warm cherry" to one quart of Arm-R-Seal.  So far, I am VERY pleased with the results.

Two coats are complete and a few more to go.  Pictures coming soon.

Oh, I almost forgot,  the drawers for the first desk are now done and installed also, so the 1st desk is now fully complete.