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Comment by Hal Schmidt "Woodmeister" on December 6, 2010 at 9:42am

You are lucky, I have been unable to find a local source for quarter sawn oak, but I can get good walnut, regular oak and maple from a mill about 30 miles from my house. Happy holidays!

Comment by William Burton on December 6, 2010 at 6:58am

Good eye, Hal, it is quarter sawn oak. This was my first project using quarter sawn white oak, and I really enjoy the way it works and the way it looks. I was lucky to find a good source that maintains a pretty good inventory of the stuff.

Comment by Hal Schmidt "Woodmeister" on December 5, 2010 at 10:31pm

I love that wood. Is it Oak? Looks like quarter sawn oak

Comment by William Burton on December 4, 2010 at 9:57pm

You betcha - joy is a not-for-profit activity. I like that. It isn't about the money, and maybe that is why I enjoy making sawdust out in the shop and working toward creating something. I guess it is fulfilling on a number of levels - to me, it is making all the measurements add up, it is the feel of a sharp chisel cutting a mortise, it is making a joint that makes 2 pieces of wood look like one, it is figuring out a way to construct something, and then figuring out an even better way, and its about the challenge of completing something that began as just an idea. I have only made a few pieces to sell, and that was a long time ago. I have given away a few pieces, and some friends have asked me to build things for them. But most of the time I just want to work on whatever I have taken an interest in. And that makes it fun.

Comment by Cornelius W. Badie on December 4, 2010 at 7:58pm

This is true, William, but when you're done, you either keep it, or sell it...I feel when you're ready to pick up the game, you will. You're already good at it, so when you're ready to earn a living at it you definitely will! I imagine you do it for the joy of it and that's okay...Joy is a not-for-profit activity, right?

Comment by William Burton on December 3, 2010 at 11:09pm

You are right, slow is good when you are trying to do nice work, but if it is how you make your living, slow can be pretty bad. I am a slow woodworker. I know it. That's why I have a day job that doesn't involve woodworking. I can afford to go slow when I build stuff, because I usually spend more time designing and planning than I spend building. Also, I have to be inspired to work on a project. It's like something inside me tells me when its time to start a certain project. Like . . . last week that something inside me said it is time to build a ukulele. Seriously. I carved the neck last weekend, and bent the sides tonight. Why a ukulele? Beats me. I would rather be building a wooden kayak or slant top desk. I hope my inspiration decides its time to start those projects sometime soon . .

Comment by Cornelius W. Badie on December 3, 2010 at 9:03pm

Now to finish that conversation...Slow is good...I guess what I meant was making furniture would be what I do between installing built-ins and cabinets and hanging drywall, wainscoting, etc... Slow is good if you want to get it right, I guess...

Comment by Mike McGuire on December 2, 2010 at 1:45pm

What Cornelius said...Really nice work William.

Comment by William Burton on December 2, 2010 at 1:21pm

Hi Terry,
Yes, drawers can be done with the Kreg jig, you are correct. I still make most of my drawers with dovetail joints for 2 reasons: First, it is hard to get a much stronger joint than a dovetail, and second, I like the way they look. Even people who don't know much about woodworking seem to know that a dovetail joint is an impressive looking means of joining wood. (It allows me to be a show-off.) I have a dovetailing jig made by Jointech that allows me to make dovetails with a router table. Once everything is set up, I can do a whole series of dovetails pretty quickly.

Comment by Terry Gabhart on December 2, 2010 at 11:02am

beautiful stuff! i can't help but notice the dovetail drawers. it was my impression that the Kreg jig eliminated the need for that?

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