View Full Version : My First Woodworking Project
nnewhouse
03/12/2012, 10:38 AM
Hello there! This will be the first thread I have started on RC but have been around for several years. I bought a 180 from a local dealer a while back and hadn't had the place to set it up. (looking for a house) So in the mean time I decided to try my hand at woodworking. It was a learning experience. Here are some photos before finish:
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0005_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17913)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0006_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17914)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0007_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17915)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0008_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17916)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0010_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17918)
I used a router to bevel the back side of the wood so the glass would fit up flush. It is tricky putting the tank on the stand because you have to slide it on but I like how it turned out. No black trim Wooo!
The router got away from me a few times when I was making the flutes. The canopy turned out much better I think. I also bought a different edge guide which helped immensely.
I decided to use knotty alder because of the character it has. The wood has wonderful imperfections, colors, and detail. I wanted to use a stain color that would bring it all out. I went to Sherwin Williams and found a "mis-tint" gallon sitting up front. I had them tweak it until I was happy and it only cost me $2 for a gallon. The specific product is called Sherwood. It is a fast drying production grade stain. If you have not worked with fast drying stain before I would not recommend it. I put it on and it was a little to dark for me. I let it set for about 15min then took several rags soaked in paint thinner and wiped it all down again followed by a clean dry rag. It turned out exactly how I wanted it to. All the knots are really dark but the grain is still present. So here is the final product:
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0059_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17920)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0049_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17925)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0048_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17926)
http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/files/6/0/4/imag0052_thumb.jpg (http://www.salt-city.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=17923)
For the finish I used Benjamin Moore's Low Luster Polyurethane. I didn't want to use a lacquer or pre-catalyzed lacquer because it has a tendency to discolor and crack around a lot of moisture. It is the only product I think BM makes that is worth the hefty price tag. It's designed for floors and bar tops so it is tough as nails. Thanks for letting me share my first woodworking experience with all of you. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. It was a lot of fun building it. Now we just need to find a house to put it in.
travisgerard
03/12/2012, 10:46 AM
Very nice :)
Love how the color came out.
BigCountry74
03/12/2012, 11:26 AM
Very nice work on the trim.
veloboy
03/12/2012, 12:06 PM
Well done! I can tell lots of work went into the making of your stand and canopy. Nice job, get that thing full of water!
nnewhouse
03/12/2012, 11:21 PM
Yeah it feels like water drip torture now. It is just sitting in storage waiting to be filled. :(
LeslieP
03/13/2012, 10:08 AM
Beautiful! Do you have any pics of the stand construction? We are thinking of building a similar one - with the stand being larger than the footprint of the tank.
nnewhouse
03/13/2012, 10:52 AM
No I sure don't. The framing underneath is made out of 2x4's and is the same size as the tank dimensions. Depending on the size of tank you have I would strongly recommend making sure the "I" beam support ( in my case 2x4s) rest directly under the tank. You can always fur out the skin to make it larger than the frame.
chrisd1986
03/13/2012, 04:04 PM
did you make the doors as well
pandimus
03/13/2012, 05:05 PM
Nice looking stand, this should be posted in the fancy stand thread.
pandimus
03/13/2012, 05:09 PM
btw does the front of the canopy lift up?
nnewhouse
03/14/2012, 01:40 AM
chrisd; No I didn't. I was in the midst of moving and didn't have time to build a router table. I am going to give a shot on the next project though. Should be fun!
pandimus; Yes the doors on the canopy lift up. I was thinking about putting in some small hydraulic hinges to keep them up when I am feeding. I was also toying around with the idea of building a lift for the entire canopy. That way I could have easier access for maintenance.
sammy77
03/14/2012, 08:36 AM
Beautiful job.
nnewhouse
03/14/2012, 09:11 AM
Excellent work! Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful job.
Thanks for the compliments!
chrisd1986
03/14/2012, 12:45 PM
dame i was going to ask how you made the design in the door
nnewhouse
03/14/2012, 02:01 PM
dame i was going to ask how you made the design in the door
It's a standard raised panel door. You can watch some DIY videos on UTube. I think it will take some patience and expensive router bits.
Very nice stand.
However, please don't lie and say it's your first woodworking project. That would be like somebody posting a Monet and saying it's their first attempt at painting.
There is only one thing I can see that is less than perfect on that stand. The flutes on the corners are not equal and do not appear to be symmetric. Other than that, that's a very complicated piece. So either you're telling the truth and you're one of the most naturally gifted woodworkers to ever try their hand at it (and had thousands of dollars worth of tools sitting around just waiting for a project) or you're full of crap.
Don't get me wrong, that stand is gorgeous. There's just no way it's your first project.
davocean
03/14/2012, 07:40 PM
Looks pretty darn good to me!
rovster
03/14/2012, 07:43 PM
Very nice stand.
However, please don't lie and say it's your first woodworking project. That would be like somebody posting a Monet and saying it's their first attempt at painting.
There is only one thing I can see that is less than perfect on that stand. The flutes on the corners are not equal and do not appear to be symmetric. Other than that, that's a very complicated piece. So either you're telling the truth and you're one of the most naturally gifted woodworkers to ever try their hand at it (and had thousands of dollars worth of tools sitting around just waiting for a project) or you're full of crap.
Don't get me wrong, that stand is gorgeous. There's just no way it's your first project.
LMAO, I was thinking the same thing. Awesome job, whether you're a beginner or not!!:smokin:
567234ta
03/14/2012, 07:52 PM
Not bad at all for a first timer :wildone:
My own critiquing opinion i would have chosen a different profile on the top of the base edge. That beading is just so common, a roman ogee would have matched the royal look of it better or even a architectural molding making the top of the stand look thicker.
A coat or two of toner to lessen the dramatic differences in how the wood soaked up a lot of stain in some areas and less in others would make it look nicer too.
But that's just my opinion so don't take it as a negative, i been a craftsman my whole life LOL so im fussy as heck.
I think it is by far one of the best looking stands ive seen on here.
pandimus
03/15/2012, 12:44 AM
Very nice stand.
However, please don't lie and say it's your first woodworking project. That would be like somebody posting a Monet and saying it's their first attempt at painting.
There is only one thing I can see that is less than perfect on that stand. The flutes on the corners are not equal and do not appear to be symmetric. Other than that, that's a very complicated piece. So either you're telling the truth and you're one of the most naturally gifted woodworkers to ever try their hand at it (and had thousands of dollars worth of tools sitting around just waiting for a project) or you're full of crap.
Don't get me wrong, that stand is gorgeous. There's just no way it's your first project.
actually I think it is very possible to make that as a first woodworking project, My stand (i think), was a little more complicated. It was my first woodworking project. I of course did not come up with the design myself. I found a thread on here with a stand build and i followed it step by step, and even asked the person who did the original thread questions. I also did my own raised panel doors. Solely on my tablesaw. (i dont have a 3hp router and the 100 dollar bits for raised panels, other wise it would have been ubbber easy)
nnewhouse
03/15/2012, 10:16 AM
Thanks everyone for the comments!
Very nice stand.
Don't get me wrong, that stand is gorgeous. There's just no way it's your first project.
A matter of fact it is. I have been in the residential painting industry since I was little (family business) and always been interested in trim carpentry. My new brother in law works at home depot and said if I needed anything let me know so I took the plunge. I bought a table saw, router, miter saw, clamps, jig saw, circular saw etc. for a steal. What a great brother in law. :) Anyway, I have always wanted to try my hand at it just never had the funds to buy all the tools to get started until now. So thank you again for your wonderful and constructive comment!
Not bad at all for a first timer :wildone:
My own critiquing opinion i would have chosen a different profile on the top of the base edge. That beading is just so common, a roman ogee would have matched the royal look of it better or even a architectural molding making the top of the stand look thicker.
A coat or two of toner to lessen the dramatic differences in how the wood soaked up a lot of stain in some areas and less in others would make it look nicer too.
But that's just my opinion so don't take it as a negative, i been a craftsman my whole life LOL so im fussy as heck.
I think it is by far one of the best looking stands ive seen on here.
By the base edge do you mean the top ledge of the stand? I used a roman ogee on the side of the fluted columns but didn't think about it on the top. I like the idea of making the top thicker though. Thanks! I know what you are talking about by the light and dark spots. I just figured it was an area I didn't sand well enough. I have never used toner before just wet sanded with stain to get highs and lows out. I am going to have to try it next project. Thanks for the tips!
nnewhouse
03/15/2012, 10:20 AM
actually I think it is very possible to make that as a first woodworking project, My stand (i think), was a little more complicated. It was my first woodworking project. I of course did not come up with the design myself. I found a thread on here with a stand build and i followed it step by step, and even asked the person who did the original thread questions. I also did my own raised panel doors. Solely on my tablesaw. (i dont have a 3hp router and the 100 dollar bits for raised panels, other wise it would have been ubbber easy)
Thanks for the vote of confidence pandimus! You are right it is not a very complicated stand. It took me quite a while and a lot of scrapped wood to get everything together like I wanted. But that is half the fun! Now I have a better understanding of how things will and will not go together and a great way to cut crown molding. (it was my biggest nemesis :uzi:)
chrisplaisted
03/15/2012, 11:15 AM
Your stand looks great. Do you have a local lumber yard that sells the knotty alder? How much does it cost?
nnewhouse
03/15/2012, 01:52 PM
Your stand looks great. Do you have a local lumber yard that sells the knotty alder? How much does it cost?
Thanks! Yes it happened to be right up the road. It all depends on how intricate the lumber is. 1x4's are a $1+ per foot while crown molding is about $2.5 a foot. It's a small lumber yard which was great. They let me cherry pick all of it. I tried to place at least one knot into each section I put together. Took some time organizing. I also went through a lot more wood because of it. There might be only 4 usable feet on an 8ft piece of stalk after utilizing the knots. That and trying to make sure it didn't have a knot on an edge I was going to router.
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