Coffee Table

I know that many people do not read this blog and as far as that goes I know that I don't post that often.  As the title of my blog suggests sometimes there is not much time for fine woodworking . I would love to write about all the daily jobs that I do from basement and bathroom remodels to fences that I build or siding a house. Those things are nice but I can associate woodworking with happiness and a change in my life so that is what I choose to tell anyone that might read this. Life is about hopes and dreams and maybe some of you who read this will think about following your dream.  I know someday that I will be able to practice my passion more often than I can right now.  I have recently been spending a little more time in the shop and have begun to breathe that sigh of relief again. This coffee table is one of my projects that I am most proud of. It represents a time in my life that was difficult in many ways. I was experiencing a time  when I was not happy with my job. I was not happy with the way that I was approaching life and most importantly my mother was diagnosed with kidney cancer. There are many people who deal with things that are far worse than those that I mentioned especially in a personal manor but my Mothers diagnosis triggered a change in the way that I look at life and the people around me. 

   I initially withdrew from people and friends and became depressed about life. I am lucky to have people around me who believed in me and stood by me even if they didn't  always know where I was or didn't return their phone calls. I found myself looking through my favorite publication, Fine Woodworking, when saw a picture of a coffee table and I knew that I had to build it. The table was designed by Seth Barrett from New York. I changed a few things to make it a little more me and I went through the beginning of my new life philosophy with this table as a goal.  The only way for me to take the new steps of change was to complete this table.  It provided a break from everything that was real and difficult. A couple of hours here and there were often all that I needed to catch a breath between hospital visits. The shop became a sanctuary of sort.

  The table fascinated me because of its design. If you look at the top at a certain angle it almost appears to float because it doesn't rest on the legs. I really enjoyed its architectural elements and every piece supports another piece and so on until you have a coffee table. I think that applies to my life a little. I have a great supporting cast around me and they all lift me higher. I would not be who I was if it wasn't for those people. I think of everyone of you when I sit down and look at this table. The day came when finally conquered my goal. I am still working on myself but I am a lot better than I was.

   Sadly my mother never got to see this table in its completed form. I dedicate it to her and all the people around me who have made life something to treasure....

Cabinets

My latest woodworking job has taken me away from furniture and brought me to a more practical side of woodworking. I was asked to do a small set of kitchen cabinets and it has been a great experience. Those of you that are close to me know that at times I have come close to pulling my hair out but that was more in response to trying to make cabinets and get other jobs done as well. I know that in the future there will be more cabinet jobs and I cant wait. The cabinets you see here are going to be painted white. I am looking forward to their completion. The only downside to doing a job like this is my lack of space in my shop, so the cabinets have invaded my dining room. The doors are almost done and I probably only have a day and a half left on the entire project. I hope the customers love them. My spare time and fine woodworking are really synonymous in my life. I rarely ever have actual spare time and when I do I love to try some fine woodworking. I always seem to get slightly anxious when a project is drawing to a close and this one is no different. I cant wait to do one of my favorite things and that is spend a few minutes admiring what I was able to accomplish. It is so nice to not have my mind racing about what I am supposed to do next and just let everything go and  just marvel. It never lasts long. The next project takes over pretty quickly. I know that a lot of men and women build wonderful things everyday. Some of them build better than I and some do not but that doesn't stop me from being very proud of what I make. I encourage all of you to try to buy something from the little guys. You will find some wonderful craftsmen if you just give them a chance. We live in a wonderful country when you really think about what each and everyone of us can do what we love to do. 

Trays

This is a custom serving tray that I made. The tray is made of curly maple with walnut accents. The maple surrounds a fabric liner that is covered in glass. This particular tray  is 30 inches long and would adorn the top of a coffee table or dresser or even a dining table or kitchen Island. I also make the trays in other sizes that range from typical serving tray to square(perfect for that ottoman) or any size that is requested. The fabric can be chosen by the customer or  be replaced with many items such as tile or pictures of loved ones. I will try to post pictures of other trays that I have done to show other options that include inlay and various wood types. 

Presenting the Bench to my Father

Here is my Dad with his new Christmas present. You can tell by the look on his face that he is not sure what to think of it :-)

Bench

This bench is my latest creation. I say my creation because I built it but I did not design it. The bench was designed by the critically acclaimed woodworker Mark Edmundson. His version was featured in Fine Woodworking magazine #194. The bench is Marks design but there are a few changes that I incorporated to make it mine. I remember when I first saw this particular bench I was stunned at its beauty. I also felt that it represented several design elements that should be incorporated into my working habits. Prior to this project my woodworking had fallen into straight line and box characteristics. This bench had graceful and gentle curves and had a woven seat. I felt that it was time to break my old habits and begin to add design elements into my woodworking that were new to me and represented the next step in my dream to become an excellent furniture builder. The bench is constructed of Black Walnut and the small faceted accent pieces you see on the legs are made of birch. The seat is woven from Danish cord. The weaving process was new to me and took about 10 hours and to complete and about 24 hours for my fingers to stop hurting(wear gloves)

   Once I decided to build the bench it also came to my mind that it would be the perfect Christmas gift for my father. I had not talked to my dad in almost 7 years. In July of 2007  we had  decided to make a new start to our relationship and Christmas of 2007 would be the first Christmas that we had spent together in a long time. I did not have a lot of money to spend on my father for Christmas but I knew that he would understand the time and effort that goes into a project like this. 

   I am so happy to have been able to build this piece and present it to my dad Stan Peters (even though it was a month late).