Putting it all together

Because MilkPaint is water-based, it raises the grain when when applied to wood. I spent a good hour or so with a ScotchBright pad, knocking the grain back down and sanding out the color of the MilkPaint.

Once it was sanded, Watco Danish Oil was applied. Oil and MilkPaint are a match made in heaven - like peanut butter and chocolate, or lemonade and Absolut.

The oil "sets" the MilkPaint, and brings out its vibrancy. I made sure to stay away from the tenons on each end, which will be glued. The oil would keep the joint from gluing up tightly, sort of the way you might oil a pan to keep something from sticking to it.

I sanded the dogs just a bit with some 600 grit sandpaper, to bring out the wood grain,

I sure as hell can't afford these, so I borrowed some huge Bessey clamps from my buddy a few doors down and laid everything out for assembly.

By now, there was a little curiosity about the headboard - or maybe they're just taking bets on when I'll finally get this thing done!

A crowd was assembling as I spead the glue and put everything together.

I have to say, it was looking really sweet as I tightened the clamps.

The celebratory beverages were ready to be cracked open.

It feels funny when you're working in front of an audience. Everyone is usually offering suggestions, or lending a hand. These two were screwing around the entire time, making me laugh. It's a wonder the piece went together square, and with tight joints!

Danny was so inspired by my carving that he grabbed a chisel and started in on his own masterpiece.

The next morning, the headboard was unclamped and received another coat of oil.

The next pictures you see will be the bed assembled - by now you're probably sick of hearing about this, and frankly, I'm ready to move on to something new.

Race to the finish

There's an old Hoyt Axton song that just about sums up my week.

The chorus asks - Work your fingers to the bone - whadda ya get?

Boney Fingers!

It took about six hours to detail and sand this piece. I'm sure at some point I'll be able to bend my right thumb normally again.

I did a few experiments with oil on some scrap wood, and decided the oil didn't make the carved area pop enough. This may sound crazy, but when I'm building a piece, I really do have a vision of it in my head. The hard part is sometimes getting the finished product to match my vision.

I kept seeing muted neutral colors, and decided that MilkPaint was the way to go. I'd already used it on the carved lettering, and I liked the cohesiveness of using the came color on both the head and foot boards.

There was a little bit of the custom mixed Milkpaint left over, so I added a bit of water to it, to thin it down a bit. Here is some of it painted quite heavily on a scrap of wood.

Once it dried, I sanded it lightly, so the grain would show through.

Yup, that is exactly what I wanted!

The area to be painted was masked off with rubber cement

and then painting commenced.

There was a brief moment of wondering if I had enough paint to do the whole thing! Damn, I hate that!

Before I reached the other end, the first part started to dry.

Notice how much lighter it is.

The last time I made a bed, it was a three day project. This one has taken a bit longer than that; I'll be really happy when it's finished.

I'll be even happier when can bend my thumb again!

Sit back and listen

This post wasn't going to be about music. But I was listening to my iPod at the shop today, and this song popped up on a playlist. It is amazing. Please - treat yourself to something nice and turn up the volume.

Grab a chisel

Why does it feel like with every step I take forward, I end up two steps behind myself? This has been a week that hasn't been all that productive, but the baby steps I've been taking have all been necessary.

First - if you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I can be a little obsessive about things. So there was just no way I could live with the poor job I did on the lettering that I carved - the first thing I did this week was correct it.

The "G" was a little skinny, so I sketched some wider lines on the wood,

and then carved it away.

Luckily, I saved a bit of that brown Milkpaint that I'd mixed up, and painted the newly carved area.

With that behind me, I tried to focus on carving. I've had so many drawings and sketches floating around, I think I've been seeing them in my dreams. I was on a visual overload, and decided to just start carving, to help me focus and choose a design.

Just pick up a chisel and do it!

Here's a piece of Sassafras, planed and ready for carving.

Add some artwork and grab a chisel.

But first - I used a cove bit to machine a border around the carved area.

Burned the corners just a bit!

The artwork was transferred onto the wood with carbon paper.

Dennis Patchett has been teaching a carving class at the shop, and he recommended routing away the waste with a straight bit. So - I removed most of it with a half-inch bit, and then used a much smaller bit to get in even closer.

There isn't much more than a 1/32" left to be carved away.

Both flat chisels and small gouges helped to round over the edges.

With a little bit of sanding, these dogs start to take shape. This sample is only about fourteen inches wide, and still needs a little work, but I was so pleased with it, that I decided to go for broke and start the headboard.

But of course - there is one more fly in the ointment! The morning I was going to start carving, my friend Stacey sent me a drawing of a schnauzer - and you know how I love those!

I decided to play around (one last time, I swear!) with the design.

And yes - in the end, I added a few schnauzers into the line of dogs.

Here I am, routing away the waste. This was nasty, hot, sweaty, dirty work. We had a heat alert today, and the sawdust stuck to me like little fleas.

With most of the waste removed, the area still doesn't look like much

until the detail routing starts to define each shape.

All of the dogs are now ready to be detailed.

I have a date with a chisel and some sandpaper. You'll know where to find me for the next few days!

All decked out... and no where to go

Oh, I've totally screwed myself.

I should have known better!

I'm down to the last stages of making this bed, and I've done the one thing that I should have avoided. Sometimes when you over-think something, all you do is confuse the hell out of the situation.

In keeping with the "sleeping dogs" theme, I decided to carve the headboard. Well, at least my choice as of this morning. Who knows what I will come up with in the next two hours.

One of my all time favorite woodworkers is Judy Kensley McKie, who includes animal imagery and carving on most of her furniture. Like these panels.

Or this table.

Or this bench.

Judy's son was murdered many years ago, and I've always had a soft spot for her after that. Yes - art is therapeutic, but I'm not sure I could pick up a chisel after that. You can read about her work with The Garden of Peace Project here, it is a memorial project for victims of homicide.

Another favorite artist of mine is Mark Del Guidice, who includes a gorgeous combination of color and carving in his work. (I swear, some day - I will own one of Mark's pieces - and that is saying something!)

With dog imagery in mind, I started playing around with some petroglyph artwork. I love that whole tribal imagery. One dog is good,

more dogs = better?

Right?

Here is where the insanity started to creep in - I was playing on the computer, and Stella started pawing at my leg, to play with her. It dawned on me that my subject matter was sitting just a few feet away - why couldn't I use her for a bit of inspiration? So I started snapping pictures - and altering them on photoshop. I went from this

to this

to this.

And now I have (literally) around 85 different versions of artwork to consider before I even lift up a single chisel to start carving. See what I mean about screwing myself?

Oh hell, I turned my attention to something I could accomplish - and cut the decking for the bed. These sheets of MDF weigh almost as much as I do, so moving them through the panel saw takes every bit of my energy.

The dust is awful!

Get some up your nose and you're screwed.

But at least the bed is taking shape.

I applied another coat of oil to everything, and now it's up to me - start carving, or get off the pot.

Oh wait - I have to make some decisions first!