My secret weapon... for staining wood, that is....

Remember the last post, where I wrote about working on this old RCA cabinet?  

I had to line this old shelf with a new skin of walnut plywood, and (hopefully) match the stain to the existing cabinet. 

I'm not sure how you feel about it, but matching stains give me a headache. It's difficult, and sometimes impossible. And customers don't care how hard it it, they just want it done. 

Enter Mohawk finishing products... 

my secret weapon. 

They make a variety of spray stains/toners that are PERFECT for matching stains. In fact, I bought a full spectrum of their colors - so that I could layer them onto existing pieces, matching the stain PERFECTLY.

I recently had someone stop by the shop and drop off a set of 36" table legs. He re-did his dining area, and fell in love with some different chairs. chairs. So he wanted these legs lengthened by eight inches. 

My metal magician, Hugo, fabricated some collars that slip over the existing leg, and allowed me to bolt on the extension. He's a master! 

I laminated some hardwood that I had on hand, and planed and squared it to the right size to just fit into the collar. 

(Well, one of them took little coaxing with a hammer.)

(Well, one of them took little coaxing with a hammer.)

They look fabulous, and all that's left is staining them to match, Which is where the Mohawk toners come in. I sprayed them with a red walnut toner, but then touched them up with the brown walnut toner, to blend and match. 

Honestly, these lower extensions look like they've always been there!

Some decorative screws to attach everything finished off this project, just it time for my client to re-assemble his kitchen table and get ready to host his Easter dinner. 

If you've never experimented with Mohawk toners, I suggest you buy a spectrum of colors, and keep them in your shop for jobs like these. They allow you to layer colors and blend just about any hue that you need to match.

 Here's a link to check some out.

At around $7 a can, you can stock your shop pretty nicely. 

And that is my secret weapon for matching finishes... you can thank me later!

A quick follow -up on the old RCA console TV cabinet

This was a fun little project to work on, and I was sorry to see it leave me shop yesterday.   It's always interesting to have a glimpse into how pieces were manufactured years ago. 

The sides of this cabinet were only 1/4" thick, and were basically just a skin around  a wooden carcase.  It was not very durable, but the care with which they applied the veneer was remarkable. 

 

Adding these shelves for electronic components was a vast improvement to its functionality. 

I applaud the owner of this piece, who wanted to resurrect its place in his home.  I'm fortunate enough to have the opportunity to build another piece that goes with this...  stay tuned!

World's largest push stick... and an old RCA cabinet - the old and the new!

The best way to describe having a Glowforge laser engraver is that it's a complete distraction (in a good way) from my normal woodworking. Even though I go to the shop every day with tasks at hand, I'm completely distracted and thinking up ways to make cool things for the shop.

On a whim, I cut and engraved this push stick. It was a little small, so I re-designed it.

 I forgot to resize it, so I ended up with a 18" push stick - WAAAAYYYY too big, but very fun to have in the shop.  (It may not look like it, but this is a beast!) 

Meanwhile, some classes have started, and more classes are starting back up next week. 

That means a lot of prep at the shop - glue bottles to be filled, 

and boards to be planed. 

But I wanted to share a cool project I just completed - working on a mid century modern TV cabinet. The TV has long since quit working, but the owner wanted to resurrect the cabinet and turn it into something more useful. 

It's beautiful - walnut veneered and book matched doors, and gorgeous details.

 Like decals 

and name plates. 

 The inside was unfinished, and once the electrical components were removed, the exposed surfaces needed some TLC. 

This is where the TV once sat, with power and speaker wires running through this opening. This opening was just the start of the process.

 I measured and cut some panels, fitting them into the cavity - with holes drilled for adjustable shelves. A little stain and lacquer, and this cabinet was ready for resurrection. 

This bottom panel looks like it was always there; the stain and sheen match perfectly. 

I'm finishing up the cabinet tomorrow morning, and the owner is over the moon with its process. In fact, he could barely contain himself when I called to say it was finished. I'll post a few pics in the next blogpost... stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I'm going to fool around with the laser for a few more hours before this day is over. Hope your woodworking is as fun as mine is!

Damn, I jumped down a rabbit hole with the laser. I can't stop cutting boxes.  This box is small, but the detail on that logo is amazing in its clarity. 

But....

There's a new kid in town... well, new to us, at least!

A huge thank you to the Lazer Ladies, who donated this amazing Epilog laser engraver to the school. If you're not familiar with what they do, you really should click on that link and check out their site. 

They're amazing entrepreneurs, and their story is truly an interesting feat in assessing their market and starting a very successful business. 

MaryLou and Cindy warned me that the machine might need some maintenance and TLC to coax it out of retirement, as it had sat idle for a while.

But - when Cutting Edge Systemsfrom Costa Mesa, California offered to service our machine while they were in town servicing another customer - well, you couldn't ask for a better offer from both companies. 

Their technician ran us through hours of demos on maintenance, cleaning, and more, and within a few hours, we were up and running. As a sample, Dave printed this photo on a piece of aluminum - and this picture doesn't do it any justice. This looks better than a photograph, with perfect precision. Amazing clarity at 600 dots per inch. 

We tackled a few simple cuts, including this sign for the shop. We cut this design in a few different pieces of wood, experimenting with wood thicknesses and species.

Baltic Birch plywood here.  

Here's a piece of mahogany plywood. It's pretty interesting to watch the laser do its magic.

Seriously, this machine is nothing short of amazing. 

This opens up so many new avenues to explore - and in fact, we've just accepted a commission for which this machine will play an integral part. 

I'm ready to throw away my jigsaw....

Thanks MaryLou and Cindy for the donation - our work has just begun!

As you might imagine, having the Glowforge laser engraver is opening up all sorts of new design avenues. I'm still taking baby steps, but right off the bat, I was able to cut and engrave these small boxes. 

Perfect for holding business cards. 

 But that's not all - I found a pretty amazing web page that allows someone to plug in a few dimensions and cut a custom sized box. 

Since my BoyFriday, Denny, is a huge Kiss fan, I pulled some clip art off the web and engraved a small box. 

Even better? I made a small puzzle for him, too. 

Together they make a fun little gift for a music fan.  The big news - we've acquired yet another laser engraver, and well.... this one is a powerful beast! 

Stay tuned...

The Glowforge has arrived...

Think back to 2016. 

July 4th, to be exact. 

Do you remember where you were, or what you were doing? (Besides watching fireworks, of course!)

Way back on the Fourth of July, 2016 - I ordered a Glowforge Pro unit.  You can watch a video on it here.

It took over a year and a half to get it, and there were times when I'd read message boards where people wondered if the machines were ever going to ship, or if the whole company was a sham.  But slowly, they started shipping, and as new owners fired them up and started cutting their first pieces, the internet lit up with excitement. 

My "day" came a few weeks ago. 

I'd received an email, announcing its imminent arrival, with tracking numbers for all the boxes heading my way. As a way of thanking buyers for their patience, Glowforge threw in a lot of goodies, including extra materials, extended warranties, and more. 

And then... the boxes started to arrive.

Their website has perfect instructions for unpacking the machine, and its set-up was so simple, even a kid could handle it. 

Pop the handles off, 

lift out the foam padding, 

and open the lid and remove even more padding. 

The crumb tray and vent hose were the last two parts of the puzzle, and I was ready to start cutting. 

Within minutes, it was connected to my computer, and recognized the piece of Baltic Birch plywood I'd inserted. 

Glowforge offers all sorts of files for people to start with; I chose the Founder's Ruler. 

Four minutes later, I had my first creation - and I have to say - my DVR is more difficult to use than this machine!

Here's a video - I can't wait to spend some time coming up with new creations!