a couple of challenging projects

 ok, it's good to be challenged, especially when you have an

extremely talented nephew for an assistant on the job.

hats off to Kristian here!

this is the first of two challenges we wrapped up recently

 and i can't wait to see this one in its new home ... 

it's a Moroccan inspired sideboard with lots

 of carved details that all had to line up horizontally and

vertically as they went around the cabinet ...

a bit of a cad drawing challenge ..

 head on view here 

 

inspiration photos above ... our clients decided against

the carvings on the end panels as there is a wall close by on

the right, and a door to another room on the left and the 

cabinet ends will not be very visible ... 

getting the finish right turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

we made lots of samples before we ended (finally) with an

aniline dye, milk paint over that sponged, and a matte finish

top coat .... the gray lends it a bit of a 'not too brand new' feel.

rather than the Moroccan wood details on the doors,

we at first suggested some perforated steel panels, but

the holes allowed too much visibility into the cabinet interior

and did not really 'pop'..

Sam had some square hole material from a previous job 

and when we painted it a bronzy color and put a stained and 

painted mahogany veneer panel behind it, it was an instant winner

a couple of other photos by Kristian on his @vttrees

instagram page below ... quite the piece!

 

custom cast pulls by ball and ball hardware in pennsylvania

we have been making this pull in wood since the mid 80s, 

and i started having them cast about 10 years ago.  fortunately

bob had saved the patterns and once he got the sample i sent

we were good to go ... 

 

and i leave you with a few images from a friends 

recent trip to Morocco

the famous 'goats in  the trees'

it's not photoshopped!

and some other Moroccan carvings and tile work ... 

they like geometric forms!

all for now...

the old man project

ok .. i have been out to lunch for a while on the old man project, 

that i started in july of 2022  ... i am back at it today, 

a rainy sunday at the end of april 2023 ..

in july of 2022, i started to write a somewhat lengthy

history of my time as a woodworker and 

furniture maker over the last 50 years ... 

here's a link

you should be able to start with 'milestones' and at the end 

of that post go to the 'older post' link for the next installment.

i am approaching the beginning of my blogging in 2007,

and from there, it's all here .. nearly a thousand blog posts 

and over 2,000,000 page views ... it's been quite a trip ...

if you have the google photos app you can 

view the slide shows, with literally thousands of photos 

of our work over the years

feel free to comment or ask questions if you have any.

thanks for reading!