Build Something!

Dream Build Mantel !

2011-07-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. In all it's filthy gourgous glory. This is the mantel we did for Jason Willis, which he did for a designer that owns a shop called Filthy Georgous. We only get the chance to build the real elaborate ones a couple times a year. This one may be the most intricate mantel I've built since opening my own shop. This was an incredibly fun build because I really got to flex the design muscles and take someone elses idea and develop it on paper for them, then build it. I just love these kinds of builds, so if you have an idea but just can't find the right guy to help you figure out how to build it, bring it to us down here at Craftsman Collectives Architectural Wood Products. The more complicated the better.

Pottery Barn Mantel !

2011-06-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here's our latest Low Cost mantel for the clean look set. We have a builder that could literally build a Pottery Barn. They know thier stuff, build to a specific clientele and stage thier projects so well, thier projects sell almost befoire they are finished. I love working with them. They give me creative freedom and are always excited with our work. Here they had a tight budget and wanted a clean look, Pottery Barn inspired. Clean as a country whistle.

Bifolding Fiberglass Door, Distressed !

2011-06-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Our latest bifolding door creation. This one is made from fiberglass panels and measures 12'0" across. The distressing into this door is what really makes it fantastic. It was done by Randy at New Look Painting. It looks absolutely incredible in person. He's the only guy I know who can distress a fiberglass door. He also just so happens to be one of my prefinishing sub contractors. So if you're looking for an amazing bifold door with a really killer finish, be sure to come by the shop. We'll hook you up.

Sawaii Doors

2011-05-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Every once and a while you meet a client that you just love. It's people like this that make me enjoy what I do. This door customer was an example of that. These people were more than patient with us. We've had a difficult year transitioning into our new operation. These awesome people were understanding, beyond patient, and I wanted to give them nothing less than my best. I think we did it. These Cherry Panel doors turned out just georgous..

But getting them installed turned out to only be half of the job. Once I got them in the Mr. of the house, quite a handy fellow in his own right, wasn't satisfied with the hinges. He felt they should be heavy duty ball bearing. I looked at them and thought to my self "Why doesn't EVERY door we build like this have heavy duty ball bearing hinges???" I was out there a few days later and discovered an outstanding technique for mortising hinges using the Festool MFK700EQ mini router and a shop built jig.

Here, I'm using the new hinges to set the depth of the router bit. You have to be sure you set the depth to the door edge, not all the way down into the old hinges mortise like this pic below is showing. Almost blew it there... Notice how the jig we made is the same size as the hinge, (we sell these buy the way) add a bearing or router bushing to follow the template and there you have it. Mortising jig for door hinges. What makes the MFK outstanding for this application (besides that it is the only router prethreaded to accept router bushings) is the wide platform base with the knob on it. This base give you unmatched control over the router which results in big time confidence biting into a multi thousand dollar furniture grade finished cherry hardwood door. Yes, it's still nerve racking.

The door stand pictured below makes the job a little easier, but no less scary.

As luck would have it, as I'm doing this. Literally the very moment I'm setting the depth, I get a call from my Festool rep who is travelling my area with his boss the West Coast Director of Sales. They just so happened to be in the same town I was working in and dropped by to see me and the MFK in action. They took a video, and if they ever get it to me, I'll post it up.

Recycled lumber Arbor

2011-05-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

One thing I love more than anything is taking something used, old, or discarded and making something fresh and new out of it. Here's a perfect example. Tim Dennis built this awesome arbor as his display for this years Carpentry Artist Exhibition. We wanted a display that could showcase the materials we have a great resource for (used lumber) and display it in a unique and creative way. Tim and I came up with a real neat design that makes this antique material look modern again. We precut everything right here in house, and could do the same for you.

Modern Craftsman Mantel Cap

2011-05-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Heres another mantel cap that has blown up in popularity. While I had this one sitting around the shop waiting to be installed, I had two more customers ask for pricing on it, and I've built one of them. I'm calling this one the Modern Craftsman.

Oak Mantle Shelf

2011-05-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling Oak is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Fallen from favor of designers and architects for more than a decade due to extensive overuse in the 80's, you just can't deny the timeless classic American hardwood. It's cheap, readily available, and hard as a rock. I'm liking Oak again. Here's a Craftsman-ish mantel I did that is basically an economical version of my popuilar mission mantel shelf.

The above shot shows the shape real well, below is it mounted up on the customers wall with the clavos on. I like this one so much I decided it needs to be built as a display.

This would probably look better with corbels under it, but it adds to the cost. I think the display unit will get corbels though. It just finishes off the look.

Festool Is In!

2011-05-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Its Official. We're a Festool Dealer. It's no secret how I feel about Festool Products (the f-n BEST) so I thought if our new store is going to be the be-all end-all destination for finish carpentry we darned well better have the best tools for finish carpenters to use. As if I needed to say it again, that is FESTOOL! It all started with me buying my first sander over five years ago. That began an addiction that has finally ended in me opening up a Festool dealership. Above is a shot of our "Festool Vault". Come on down and demo all the awesome Festool stuff. The first fondle is free! The shot below is me at the Festool Academy deep underground in an undisclosed location far benieth the Nevada desert where I underwent an extensive briefing of top secret not yet released uber super duper neato Festool new products.

The photo below actually is not a photo at all. It is a figment of your imagination of what appears to be a Festool table saw. However it is not, as a Festool table saw does not exist and therefore could not possibly be photographed nor posted on the internet. While true that I possess mad photoshop skills you must admit, this hoax takes the cake.

Open House!

2011-05-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe we got it done. I also can't believe how time flys! Here it is already May and I haven't even posted about our Open House, now two months behind us! Since we've opened the doors to the public, we've been pretty slammed. We were busy to begin with, just doing all the professional business. Then with all the fanfare and media attention, its been a little overwhelming. Here's a shot of our showroom during the Open House before we really got buzzing..

On the right is none other than Gary Katz. Gary is the de-facto professor of finish carpentry. I've learned more from his books and videos than I have from from making mistakes. Thats saying alot, because I make alot of mistakes. Gary put on an incredible presentation about ornamentation in carpentry. It was fascinating, the bits I caught between chatting up the customers, anyway. I was also real excited to present an opportunity for Jesse Wright, one of our featured carpentry artists, to get to co-host a Katz Roadshow. Here's a shot of the two of them during the show.

It was a great turnout and everyone enjoyed the show Gary put together for us. I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to Gary for coming up and presenting as well as the featured carpentry artists that put so much effort into our showroom builds.

First guy to thank, Jesse Wright from Architectural Moldings. He's got mad skills with design and builds his stuff to the highest degree of craftsmanship. You can check out his blog at http://www.archmolding.net/. Here's a shot of Jesse working with his favorite tool.

Another fella who really put in the effort and deserves considerable thanks and mention is Kevin Melvin from Sierra Interior Trim. Kevin works tirelessly and is one of the fastest finish carpenters I've ever seen. If you have a job that has to be done 'right now' while maintaining a high degree of craftsmanship, Kevin is your man. He doesn't have a website but if you come into the showroom, I'd be happy to flip you his card and point out all the fine details he has his hands on. Here's a shot of him working the Bosch.

And last but not least in the background of Kevins hero shot is Tim D. Tim is the propieter of Tim Dennis Construction. While Tim spends most of his working hours in the framing realm, he's no stranger to artistic builds. Tim whipped up our reclaimed lumber purgola in short order turning ancient timber into modern art. You can see this badboy standing proud right out in front of the shop at this very minute. Here's Tim deep in concentration...

He looks pretty serious there doesn't he? You shoulda seen the sawdust flying. There's a ton of other people that deserve mention and credit beginning with my entire staff and family. Everybody did thier part getting us up and running. I could never have done it without a single one of you. I'm so proud of our people and what we have done in the last year. Great things await.

Bosch Axial Glide Miter Saw Review !

2011-01-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

I just finished up my review of Bosch's amazing new Axial Glide Miter Saw. This review is published on THISisCarpentry, a very prestigious webzine published by Gary Katz! I'm honored to be considered for publication on the internets de-facto best source of professional carpentry information.

Check it out here:

http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2011/01/07/the-new-bosch-axial-glide-miter-saw/#more-7579

Sapele is the new Mahogany

2010-12-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

I got a referal from a good friend to help out a friend of his that had an unusual request to replace his front door. He and his wife had been on vacation in Bali and wanted to bring the Bali resort feel home with thier entry door replacement. The shot below is what they had existing.

The shot below is what I replaced it with. Sapele hardwood that I finished with my imported boat varnish system. The tambour panel mimics the reeded glass sidelites and the tapered casings with the notched header really makes for an island feel in this entry way. I like how this entry totally blends with the redwood ceiling to transform this entryway.

Dream Mantel Build

2010-12-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

I'm fortunate to every now and again get the opportunity to flex the design muscles a little. I had built a mantel for a contractor buddy of mine, Jason Willis, in the past, so when he got a client that really wanted to take it over the top with something elaborate and gawdy, I got the call. I was stoked to be able to help Jason look like the rock star he is with this mantel. I put a bunch of time into working the design sketch for him, we ended up scaling it back the origional design to 'value engineer' the project. Regardless, he showed up on the job with a design presentation that made the interior designer on the job look like an ametuer. He said it was very gratifing to stand back while the designer made all kinds of hand gestures and desciptions of what she had envisioned for the space while the client just kept saying she needed to see it, that she was visual. Jason didn't say a word until asked then dropped the sketch on her that sealed the deal right then and there. Here's a shot of it half installed. I'll post up the completed photos in the next few days..

Mantel Season

2010-12-24T20:39:00.000-08:00

Mantel Season is in full swing. We do more than alot of mantels a year, and the end of the year is always the busiest. Why? Everyone wants a mantel for the holidays. It's understandable, where do you hang your stockings for Santa unless you have a mantel. For the first time I had three projects in the spray booth at once, that's how busy we have been. I feel very blessed to be this busy in this economy. Here's a shot in side my booth of just a few weeks ago, two doors, two mantels, one spray booth. Its a good problem to have.

I've had quite a few people emailing asking questions about finishing. What equipment I use, what I thin the material with and all that. I've decided to do a piece on finishing. I'll post it up here when it's done so keep a look out for that. It may also make it's way to the HGRadio website or my good friend Gary Katz's awesome webzine, ThisIsCarpentry, maybe all of the above. Wherever it lands, I'll be sure to keep you guys informed of it.

Redwood Arbor

2010-12-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

We're beta testing a new offering to our services menu with pre-fabricated arbors and pergolas. One of our regular contractor clients asked us to design one for a high profile client of thiers, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to test out the prefab. We did all the cutting in the shop and installed this bad boy in about 8 hours. We'll have it to 4 hours once we bring it to the retail market.

Fiberglass Doors

2010-12-24T19:38:00.000-08:00

It's no secret, I love wood. But lets be honest, technology is cool too. When technology from the space industry makes its way into the building industry markets we get better products for the home. Case in point fiberglass doors. ThermaTru, Masonite, and PlastPro are three manufactures that are excelling in this exciting new technology. Why fiberglass? Because the trees we are harvesting these days are new growth, which means alot of sapwood, which is softer than the heartwood. To make a very long and complicated discussion short, the wood we get today is nowhere near as durable as the old growth of yesteryear. So fiberglass is coming into the market as a nearly industructable substitute. The technology is now to the point to where a good finisher can make fiberglass doors fool even pros like me. Heres one we did for a family in Napa.

New Bosch Compound Miter Saw

2010-10-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Had a great radio show this morning! I want to thank those of you that got up early and tuned in. For those of you that found the Tool segament compelling with our discussion on the new Bosch Compound Miter Saw I'm testing. Check out this video.

Vegas Ideas..

2010-10-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Yep. I find inspiration everywhere. I'm always on the lookout for something, anything, that looks good in structure. When I'm in a city I'm always at the ready to shoot a pic of something architecturally worthy. There is a reason they call Las Vegas the 'Architects Playground'. I didn't have alot of time to look around, but almost everywhere we went, I saw something I could incorporate into the new showroom. Here's some of my favorites.

This is a recycled lumber wall. Not like this is super original or anything. What made this stand out was the environment it was in. This is in the new Aria Hotel. Super Futuristic and modern, with this rustic wall right in the middle of it. Love the contrast.

Then there is this magnificent structure in the middle of the shopping mall. This is a restaurant. Al made of wood engineered beams. It is gigantic. See that little spec of spec at the bottom left hand side? That's a woman. I stared at this thing in awe for an extended period of time. Can you say Holy Boat building Batman?

Then of course, the over the top stuff you can only get away with in Vegas. Like this ceiling, in the carport of all places in Cesaers Palace. It hurt my head looking at this hungover after a long night, but there is one thing for certain, somebody spent an awful lot of time painting that ceiling.

Vegas Baby!

2010-10-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

So last week we went out to Las Vegas as one of our friends was competing in the Ms.Olympia Figure Championship! We are all so proud of Carin Hawkins amazing rise to stardom in the world of fitness. She placed 12th! That may not seem like an impressive finishing position until you consider that this is the biggest event in bodybuilding, it's basically the World Championship, and just getting on the stage at this uber prestigious event is an accomplishment conquered by only the elite of the industry. So WAY TO GO CARIN!!!

So of course while we are there, I'm checking out every architectural detail in the Playground of Architects. I saw so much neat stuff I got architecture overload. I got a ton of great ideas for the new showroom and just can't wait to put them to use. So much cool stuff. I don't have time to upload all the images right now, but I'll get a few up soon. Let's just let this post say Yeaaaaa!!! CARIN!!

Double Pillar Mantel

2010-09-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not back from Vegas for an hour and I get a message that Jason Willis came by the shop looking to get me to draw up and quote a mantel for a job he is hoping to get. I had built a mantel for him sometime back and he remembered I could draw. He needed it by tomarrow morning. Everytime I go away, I always come back swamped. Maybe I should go away more.. I came up with this.

Painting Corners VIdeo

2010-09-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Check it out, just finished up a new tips video. This is for our HG Radio site. Just a little quickie tip for painting nice tight corners when you're trying to do two different color walls.

Roman Doric Build Continues.

2010-09-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

We have been having way more fun building this detail than the definition of 'work' should allow. There is nothing I love more (besides my family) than building mind blowing architectural details like this one. Jesse and I have discovered a few awesome techniques and solutions that only doing a build like this would create opportunities to discover. Check the video Jesse put together there are a few really neat tips and techniques buried in this footage. Keep in mind this is just a rough cut edit. When we are done, we are going to edit something better to document the build of this detail.

Below is a shot of me assembling the guttae drops. This is a modollion block up under the cornice that represents the pins that secured the beams (which are represented by the trigliphs) in ancient architecture. This was a tedious detail to build that took Jesse and I together more than a full day to get together.

But all that tedious assembly work is worth it in the end. It's interesting to note another tidbit of fact about the reason the ancient architects used these drops like this. I read on wikipedia that the guttae drops were commonly used under the cornice not only to represent the pins for the beams but that they also were considered 'rain orginizers', meaning they helped to control where the rain dropped off the structure. Interesting stuff that I never would have been researching had we not gone this direction with the build. I've got to hand it to Jesse for that, and this pic below, rain drop organizers or not, these guttae drops look freaking stunning overhead. Is that a cool detail or what?

The quality of Craftsmanship and attention to both authenticity and detail clearly evident here are representative of the incredible talents of the fine folks at Architectural Moldings and Craftsman Collective Inc. ( I helped a little )

More mantels.

2010-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

In the course of starting a new business, building a new showroom, and developing a new radio show, I still have to work. My buddy Victor sent me a photo of the mantel I built for him now that it is installed. I'm really happy that a mantel I built here in Nor-Cal fits so well installed over 500 miles away. This is a modified sherwood mantel that we made fit into his highly contrained space. The simple shelf below was a great opportunity to introduce Stephen to the art of mantel building. He did great! While this is far from his first mantel build, this is the first one that I measured and turned over to him to build. When we went out to install, it couldn't have fit better. It looks simpler than it really is since the top actually wraps around a pop out. Regardless, Stephen nailed it... to the wall. As well as figuratively speaking.

Showroom Build Begins!

2010-09-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

We've been working on converting our old warehouse into our new showroom concept for a few months now. Most of the work has been painting racking and re-arranging stuff to get our layout optimized. While that was exciting in it's own right, I'm glad we have it figured out and now behind us. We are finally beginning the carpentry. I love building showrooms, this is when you get the opportunity to build stuff you rarely sell, but everyone talks about. I've been involved with the construction of numerous millwork showrooms, and toured many many more. I'm taking all that I have learned from what I and everyone else has done in the past and applying that knowledge along with a few ideas I've picked up from successful merchandisers in other industries and folding it all into our 10,000 square foot buildout. Here's a little sampler of one of the designs now under construction. This is the concept sketch I whipped up just to show Jesse how my wireless design program works.

This build is an authentic reproduction of a collonade taken from the Roman Doric Order, so there really isn't any design credit here. However, the success of both it's authenticity and scale is still a formidable challenge. I'm fortunate to be working with one of the finest craftsmen of our area in Jesse Wright of Architectual Molding. Jesse is even a bigger geek about this stuff than I am, and a highly (almost too highly) detail oriented builder. We're both enjoying working together. It's neat to work with someone that really understand the language of architecture and is passionate about it, like Jesse is. We spend a little too much time talking it, when we should be more focused on building it but we are both so excited about building something like this that talking about it endlessly is almost a given. Here's a shot of the entablature in progress, stay tuned as this stunning detail develops into a reproduction of a bit of historical architecture.

HG Radio Launches this weekend on 910am KNEW Sat. 6-9am

2010-09-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the launch of our new radio show on FoxNews Radio KNEW 910am. My buddy from HGTV, Ian McCartt and I will be co-hosting along with well known home improvement radio personality David Yates. This show will focus on all things Home and Garden. We will discuss topics ranging from home finance to repairing roofs. We are all real excited to bring this type of a show to the San Fransisco Bay Area market. I am super honored to be part of it and look forward to bringing my 30 years of building industry knowledge to the program helping people make improvements to the spaces they raise their families in. This is a fantastic opportunity for all of us that I couldn't be more excited about. Please tune in, we look forward to providing answers and solutions to your home improvement projects.

Radius doorjamb for antique doors

2010-09-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

We got ourselves a real neat build going in the door shop. One of our favorite customers dropped off a pair of antique doors asking us to build a jamb set for them. These are special doors, over 100 years old and still in remarkable condition thanks to the timeless craftsmanship clearly evident in their construction. We got right to work building the radius head jamb.

It took every clamp we had in the joint to get the assembly clamped to the buck. This was super fun to build. Stephen and I built the buck and the jamb head while our shop master craftsman, Ross, slept off a migraine. As much as Ross cranks out in the shop for us, I was happy to step away from the pile of paperwork and fab this little gem up in his absence. Any day I have to get out into the shop is another day that I don't have to push paper. I'd much rather build stuff. As I was finishing the glue up, Jesse showed up and we got on our Monster build. We kicked around design for a while and played around with some ancient architectural details and collectively decided we were going to replicate history. More on that later.. For now here's the jamb all finished up for this antique door set. The whole shop had a part of building this jamb. Good job fellas~

Panelled Post Collonade and wainscot

2010-09-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

I just received some photos from a customer we did a little trim work for when they did a remodel on thier home. This was a real simple build that gave the room quite an impact. This is a great example of what a huge difference just a little bit of molding will make to the overall feel of a room. I would have liked to have seen a crown on the colonnade, the customer didn't want anything to protrude out from the wall too far so we used a bolection molding for a crown. My design would have been a little different, but the customer is always right, and they loved it so ultimately that's all that mattered.

And below is a shot of the interior with a real simple, inexpensive, but still great looking faux wainscoting detail.

These panels are created by simply applying chair rail and deco molding to the sheet rock and painting the wall below the chair rail a different color. This is an effective and inexpensive technique to get the look of a real panelled wainscot for a lot less money than the real deal.

Greek Doric Order Build

2010-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've got a dream build going in the shop that is just insane. This is the type of thing you get to build once every couple of years if you're lucky. I knew my buddy Jesse would literally salivate at the chance to build this and I needed the help so I brought him in on it. We spent the first day basically just kicking around design ideas and trying to get the scale and proportion correct. Jesse is an absolute student to the history of the craft and a super talented builder. There plain and simply isn't a better finish carpenter out there to help me with this type of build. We're thinking about shooting the whole build for an article we could collaborate on. I'm doing and intervelometer shoot of the build regardless. We're really having a good time with this one, yesterday was awesome, we got all the subassemblies built. Here is the concept sketch that got the ball rolling...

I'm supposed to work on the backyard today for the lovely wife, but all I can think about is getting back into the shop and getting those subassemblies standing on the wall. This feeling is what I truely love about carpentry. The 'Wanna see it up" feeling you get when you're on to an exciting build and the "Yep, I built that" satisfaction you get when it's done. I'll post pics of the thing going up, it's going to be amazing. Jesse is pressing to take it more formally period correct in the Greek Doric order. While I just wanted to origionally do a relatively quick build, now that we're into it. I'm into it. I think Jesse is going to get his way. If you're going to do it, might as well do it Wright.

Barn Doors

2010-09-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Got a chance to get back to a great project we're involved with. Just had to install a little hardware. While there I snapped a few pics of the barn door we built for this house. These doors are 2-1/4" Thick, are made from Poplar frames with a routed MDO panel. They weigh a ton, but they slide like butter.

Tim D's Masterpiece

2010-08-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

One of my very best friends has decided to sell his house. I'm bummed to see him leave, cause he was just across the street, and this house was his Mona Lisa. But with the economy still lagging he decided to downsize. Since this was his own home, it wasn't quite finished... the cobblers children have no shoes effect applied to builders. As such, mine isn't finished either. To get ready for his sale we had to button up a few details. First off I had to build the mantel we never got too...

Then we finished up the deck off the master bedroom sliding glass door. Gianna got involved supervising this one.

We also supplied all the interior doors..

And all the trim materials. Below is a shot of the Kitchen Island with beadboard and hand cut corbels.

This detail is representative of the quality of craftsmanship produced by Tim Dennis Construction. Robust and polished. I'm proud to say I was involved in the build of this house, no matter who lives in it.

Poolhouse Bifolding Doors

2010-08-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

We're just about wrapped up with the bifold installs for this poolhouse addition. I'm really happy to have been invited to be part of this build. This estate is simply magnificent, and although the poolhouse addition is very simple, the workmanship by all parties involved is just fantastic. We put two bifolds in this structure that allows the building to be completely open when in use. The photo below shows the place all closed up.

On the left side of the poolhouse you can see a three panel slider that folds completely off to the left.

The big door which frames the pool is 18'6" wide and when it's open the whole house feels like it's open. When both are open it's akin to an exotic cabana in the tropics. The only difference is that this little poolhouse sports a full kitchen, laundry, and an antique bar from an old cowboy bar in the desert. Soooo Cool!

Poolhouse Cabana by The Bohon Group. Super duper cool doors by The Craftsman Collective Inc.

Craftsman Style Entry

2010-08-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I stopped by a friends house recently. I provided construction consulting, materials, and services for him while he remodeled this great spot. While there I snapped a few pics. This shot of the front elevation and entry I designed for him kind of got sun washed. I like the photo regardless, sort of artsy.

And below is a shot of the entry door we built for him. I really like the simple elegance of the Craftsman Style. This door is a great fit for this home with it's oversize 3'6" wide door, flat panels, and exaggerated trim tails. This door also looks great with the addition of a dentil shelf.

I had designed this door with tapered casings as well but by the time I caught that the carpenters hadn't caught that, the siding was installed and it was too late. Oh well, still looks great. Nice and clean.

Bifold Doors are Awesome!

2010-08-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a sweet day. We buttoned up an installation of a bifolding french door for a great client. This guy has great taste and is doing a remodel on a townhouse in full loft style. You all know how I love lofts and modern architecture so I really got into this project. I can't wait till this reno is complete so I get some photos. This door is a five panel that folds off to one side. We replaced a crappy old aluminum slider with this unit, what a difference it made to the room. Here it is all opened up.

So freakin' sweet.

Pottery Barn-ish Mantel

2010-07-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

I went out to a regular customers ongoing job to deliver doors and measure up stair parts. While there, I got a chance to snap a shot of the mantel I built for them. The homeowner likes really clean lines and nothing too fancy. She said she wanted a 'Pottery Barn Look'. What do you think? Did she get it?

Cabinet Pull-Outs..

2010-07-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

I went out to investigate a foggy window complaint and ended up getting sweet talked into building pullouts for a sweet little old lady. Another one I should have said no too, but how do you turn down a little old lady? It turned out taking four trips to get it done. She didn't like the fact that the color of the new maple pullout didn't quite match the old yellowing ones. I turned it over to my old timer Ross who nailed the color match perfect. It's nice to have a master painter around the shop for stuff like this, Ross saved the day and when I took the now tinted pull-out back to her, she was pleased. Alls well that ends well...

Salon is Finished

2010-07-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Heres a shot of the salon all done and ready for styling. Quite a few people chipped in on this project and we got it done in just a few weeks. Turned out amazing..

Track Saws are killer

2010-07-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

I love the tracksaw. I don't know how I ever got along without one. One thing they absolutely kick butt at is making wainscot panels. There is simply no more efficient way to do it. Here are some shots of the reception counter Stephen and I built at his wifes new salon.

And here it is in all it's painted glory. Looks pretty sweet for a late night quickie project.

I love Wood Boats!

2010-07-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

We haven't had a real vacation for years, and as hard as we've been working lately we needed a couple days rest so the girls and I went up to Tahoe for the weekend. I always wanted to stop by Sierra Boat Works and check out all the classic boats they have there. Just an amazing place, full of beautifully handcrafted floating works of art. They had not one but two Riva Aquaramas there.. for a mere $300K you ould take one home with you...

Another Classy Door

2010-07-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

This door turned out to be a very nice surprize. This is actually a very affordable door. Great bang for the buck for a cherry door. It looks absolutely stunning with a clear finish. The downside is that it is an import door, so sometimes they get backordered like this one did for three months. The veneer is super thin so you have to be really careful with it, no sanding, and you have to be careful where you use them. No harsh exposure for these babies. But if you have the right protected porch like these folks had, and are careful when you handle it. They come out looking like this one does. AWESOME!

Massive Door, massive headache

2010-07-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you take a job that you wish you would have just said no too. This door is one of them. This was the mother of all bailouts. The contractor had done work for these folks before and didn't want to let them down with the repair of this massive entry unit that was absolutely demolished by sun exposure. Cherry wood door stained dark. Then painted. Then patched and painted again, and again, and again. Until finally it refused to work and threatened to let water ruin the hardwood floor.

The contractor wanted nothing to do with it. His regular door supplier wanted nothing to do with it. The next guy he called wanted nothing to do with it. He got referred to me and being the economy what it is, I took it it on. I knew better but I did it anyway and it has been one problem after another.

First off, this door is a monster. 8'-0" in height, 20 years old, and it has one off artisian leaded glass sidelites that matched the transome above as well as in doors inside the home. This means I had to remove the uber fragile un-insulated artisian glass from the sidelights and temporarily fill with plywood while we took the glass back to the shop to build the new door. Then we had to prefinish the door to match the aged cherry interior transome and molding. I called in the wolf, my friend Andrew, and he matched it exact. Then we dinged the door during delivery somehow. Then during install we discover a mess of unexpected complications. First the jambs were continuous through to the transome. Which meant we had to temporarily support the transome while we cut out the jamb away, then figured out a way to permently support the transome in the opening. Then we discover the exterior of the transome is rotten at the corners... and I just can't leave a problem like that. Then the subfloor was rotten to no end. Why is the floor rotten? Because someone ruined the sill pan. Had to fix that too. To make a long story short I've got 45 hours into a job I bid at 10. Ugh. Every day I learn a lesson and this one is to always listen to my first instincts. Regardless I'm super proud of the end result of this door. We performed carpentry wizardry here and when I look at this thing I can't help but beam with pride knowing there are very few people that could have successfully done what we did here.

Custom Counter Build

2010-07-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

I went out to the Piedmont Lumber yard in Pittsburg before the big auction to clear up a little confusion about one of the items they had for sale that actually belonged to me and while I was there looked around at all my history there. In my tenure there I built out so many neat features of that store it breaks my heart. Here's a shot of the counter I build about seven years ago. heartbreaking to see this once might establishment reduced to the scavenging of scrounges.

"Measure a Door" Video

2010-06-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

We install doors, lotsa doors. We also talk about installing doors with customers on the phone. In an effort to weed out the tire kickers and only go out on real solid leads, we charge a measure fee. It's only $50 bucks and we give it back if we actually do the job, but some people still would rather 'get a number' before investing in our service. In an effort to help them understand the info we need, we produced a little video to explain the info we need to accurately bid a door for them. Here it is.

We do Displays

2010-06-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Just delivered a trade show exhibit we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to build for the manufacture of Bodyguard brand siding. We were super stoked to be asked to provide our skills to the build of a display for such a prestigious manufacture. This little building is currently standing proud in the Northern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, where Bodyguard presented their product line to the leading Architects in the San Fransisco Area. Talk about performance pressure. Can you imagine my stress, building a display for a manufacture to present their wares to a bunch of Architects?

Catching Up !

2010-06-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've really been neglecting my blog here. I just noticed I haven't posted since April and here it is June! It goes without saying we've been really busy here at the new old shop. We've been fortunate to be attraciting back our old customers, and getting some business from other lumberyards. We did another home show in Napa and built an awesome new booth for that one. Heres a photo of it.

The Napa Home Show Display

Stephen and I did the Napa show and we had a great time. The booth went together so easy I couldn't believe it, we actually got everything right with this one. We met alot of great people, got tons of interest in our company and overall had a great time. We set the booth up in the warehouse so anyone that comes in can see it. It's been a great conversation piece. After that show we got back to work with all the other details that go along with starting a new store.

A new store?

Yep, I got this this crazy idea of opening an Architecural Millwork Supercenter, wrote a business plan and was able to secure funding for the venture, aptly named Architectural WOODS. It took a couple months to get everything done. Its hard to really forecast everything that goes into launching a new brand but I'm plowing through it, even if it is all a little overwhelming. All while trying to keep the shop busy. It's been exhausting but we're all so excited about the potential, it fuels us to work crazy long hours. I'm really proud of our team and the potential for this thing to really take off.

A New Beginning.

2010-04-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Aftermath. The last few weeks have been a blur of surreality. Is that a word? After watching my expected future literally go up in flames, I have to admit, I've spent the last few weeks in a bit of a daze. To this day it still hasn't really set in that our Walnut Creek store is gone. I can't hardly even drive by it. I've found myself taking the long way home and altering my travel paths to avoid passing by. I'm not even trying too, its subconsious. But with the closing of one door comes the opening of another. With the showroom and store gone, the doorshop no longer has a sales force. Being as I have to do something, I thought "What If?" and decided to buy the door shop and go it myself. I've got a ton of clients and a few jobs why not? So I did. I'm now the proud new owner of Piedmonts former doorshop and am launching my own brand, Architectural Wood Products. Here's a shot of the shop with a 6 panel bifolding french door for one of my favorite customers.

Just to be sure I had plenty to keep me busy, I decided to attend the Home and garden show. What the heck, I had three days to build a booth, and put the whole thing together. Flyers, show specials, signage, displays, ect. plenty of time.. Heres Traci (my right hand man who happens to be a woman) and I in the booth.

Yep. We're having fun. I can't wait to get some sleep.

Old Piedmont Commerical

2010-03-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well it's aftermath time and I'm working with the investigators and the insurance people to try to give them as much info on 'what used to be' Piedmont as possible. I remembered a local contractor Lady was trying to launch a new TV show called 'Contractor Diaries', we were going to support the show and together we produced a little TV commercial for Piedmont. I had a real hard time remembering my lines as you can probably tell. It was a fun day though. This is a rough cut, and about as far as we got with it. I searched this out for the consultants to have some reference for the interior. Turely heartbreaking, what a horrible waste. I musta had a 50,000 hours in that place.

Trajedy Strikes.

2010-03-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

It isn't like business has been enough of a struggle for us the last few years. To add insult to injury fate has to go and throw another catastrophy at my family business. Saturday afternoon, my mantle sidejob was interrupted by my friend calling to inform me our lumberyard was on fire. As I ran to my van another friend pulled up in his truck so I jumped in with him. The video below tells the rest of the story.

Making Corbels

2010-03-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get someone asking me to build a shelf with corbels. Usually that means I'm making some corbels and since I haven't posted any of that info up yet I thought I'd show how its done. You can cut them out of big chunks of lumber or you can laminate regular boards like I'm doing here. First come up with your shape on one piece and trace that piece on all the others, then cut your pieces. I used a bandsaw, but a jigsaw or even coping saw will work. Figure out how thick you want the corbels to be and that will tell you how many layers you need to glue up. Since I want these blind attached I create a pocket in the back for a cleat.

Next glue them up and clamp them tight so the glue oozes out between the pieces. Notice the wax paper under the corbels while I'm clamping. This keeps that oozing glue from gluing the corbels to the workbench.

Notice in the photo below you can see how the cleat recess in the back of the corbel came out. This is where I'll use a 2X2 attached to the wall to hold the corbel against the wall. Now I have the corbels roughed out and will finish by sanding them smooth. I have a machine to do this now, but have spent many hours doing it by hand in the past.

Repeat Business

2010-02-26T18:49:00.001-08:00

Theres nothing more satisfing than having a customer call you back to do more work. I got a call from a young family that I had done a mantle for some time ago. Here's that mantle, a modified version of the Sherwood.

They had a bunch of little trim details to finish up before thier new baby arrived. The neatest thing I did here was this little floor vent solution with the base.

Mantle Cap Installed

2010-02-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

Heres the Cap for my detective customer installed. I ended up finishing up some baseboard for this fellow as well. He had been working on this family room remodel for a while and was almost done. When I offered to install his remaining missing mouldings, he was excited to finish up the job. I was happy to do it for him. I wish I would have got a close up of the base scribed into the stone, it was a pretty elaborate scribe. It took quite a bit longer than I had budgeted time for, this seems to be an ongoing theme with my work, but we were both happy with the outcome. It took longer than expected (as usual) and it was getting late. Being the nice guy he is, he treated me to his culinary expertise with a fantastic duck meal. It was awesome.

Mantle Shelf

2010-02-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

While I was making sawdust and priming and all that messy-ness. I thought I might as well bang out this little diddy of a mantle shelf for a Detective in the City. Don't want to be late on this one....

Finished Mantle (Montclair)

2010-02-18T23:01:00.001-08:00

...and here's the finished product. All primed and ready to roll. Thank you for your business and have a nice day.

Mantle feet

2010-02-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

So these are the feet those tiny pieces of moulding were for.

Big sanding blocks

2010-02-18T22:52:00.001-08:00

I make these big sanding blocks out of scrap mdf by cutting the pieces just big enough to hold a half sheet of sandpaper glued to it. I use 3M Spray adhesive to hold it on. Works like a champ, spray both the paper and the mdf, let dry then wrap the paper around three sides of the block. They come in real handy for all kinds of stuff, like sanding the little nubs off these tiny pieces that like to fly out of the saw if you don't use the backer in the next post.

Cutting Small Moldings

2010-02-18T22:46:00.000-08:00

Cutting small moulding short is really dangerous. The blade will grab it just as it cuts through and can hurl the little bugger like the pointed piece of wood scrapnel it is. I've seen them stick into walls. I finally figured a way to minizize the risk. Use a sacrificial backer to support the moulding. Duh. Only had to draw blood before figuring there had to be a better way.

Mantle Build

2010-02-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

I've got a real simple full mantle going and thought I might post up the build process and a tip for working with small mouldings. The first thing you need to do on a build like this is create your cut list. If you don't know how to do that... well. I'm not going into it here. But these builds always start with a cut list that allows me to spend a little quality time with the tablesaw to produce all the parts to build the project. The first photo is all the cut parts for this one. The second shows the leg bodies assembled. Notice how one side is shorter than the other, this is so the mantle leg can overlap the ston of the mantle facing.

Shelf Painting Tip

2010-02-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to work on the shelves for the media closet the other evening and realized I had a neat trick for painting stuff that requires painting more than one side at once. When you have something like these small sheves to paint, drive a few short screws through some scraps of wood to hold the part up off the work surface after you paint the first side. This holds the part up so the fresh wet paint doesn't get mucked up while you paint the other side. The fine points of the screws aren't the least bit noticable after the paint dries.

Robey Mantle

2010-02-04T12:11:00.001-08:00

I got a call yesterday from a past customer that I did a mantle for a few months ago. Nancy is a professional color consultant that did a substantial remodel on her home and hired me to do her mantle. She has a wicked eye for detail and knew exactly what she wanted. Here it is. She was so happy with it, she asked me to design a cherry storage solution for her husbands den to feature a new flatscreen. Heres the mantle that got me the next job.

Lamp wires concealed

2010-02-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here's what makes this mantle really special. Being as Nancy has that eye for detail she asked me to provide a solution for concealing the power wires for two Tiffiny style lamps into the mantle. The wires dropped out the bottom of the lamp and into holes in the mantle where there are recptiles for them to plug into. Not pictured are the finishing caps that fill the hole, they were drying at the time.

..and a timer.

2010-02-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

The power cord goes down the mantle leg and plugs into this timer which is plugged into the wall. The mantle was built to bring the legs right up to the plug so everything would be nice and tight. I was really happy it all worked as intended....sometimes it doesn't.

Hammer King!

2010-01-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

I just had to put this up. Check this guy out. He has to be fun at parties!

Crown Tip for Box Beams

2010-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here's another crown moulding tip that really makes for

uber sweet miters. When you're building box beams

with crown in them, like these here.

Assemble the crown pieces on the floor first
and then install them assembled. Be sure to under
size your measurements by at least 1/8" to insure they
fit into the beams. No one will notice a little slack, but
if the beams aren't perfectly square, you'll never get the
crown into them.
Note the two assembled crown units at the top of
the photo. I use the pinch clamps mentioned
earlier to help assemble these.

Media wires in Panels

2010-01-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

Heres what HE loved. This guy was a Home theater nut. Before the panels were installed he had wires everywhere. When I left, they were all hidden in the base of the panel wall system. it was a ton of extra work, but in the end, this really cleaned up a bundled mess of wires running across the floor and made the man of the house love the project too.

Cherry Mantle with wall panels to match

2010-01-25T12:21:00.001-08:00

Heres a shot of a real sweet build I did a few years back. This was a great job even though I lost my ass on it. I really enjoyed building it and the lady of the house absolutely loved it. Even her husband, who just couldn't fathom spending so much money on gasp the house, loved it when I was done. Turning him around was a very rewarding experience and made the fact that I only made about $25 an hour on the job worth it in the end. The fireplace is floor to ceiling brick and the panels cover all that 1975 ugliness.

This build is cherry and the finish is a waterbased polyurethane.

And the Mantle I built for my house

2010-01-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

What is unusual about this one is that it is actually for my house, thats right dude, this one is all for me. It's funny how much more accepting I can be of flaws and defects when its for my own house. Don't look too close! This one, like all the trim in my house is made from Knotty alder and finished with brushing laquer. Simple and rustic. ... and mine!

Mantle Shelves

2010-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

Just downloaded my camera last night and have a few of my last mantle jobs I thought I might share with my (1) follower! Here you go dude! Mantle shelves aren't all that exciting but they really finish off a fireplace remodel, but whats unusual about the this one is that it had to bend around a crazy pop out in a corner. Of course it was all out of wack so I built a template and took that back to the shop so the turns would be just right. Sorry didn't get any shots of the template.

Crown Moulding Tricks

2010-01-22T10:58:00.001-08:00

OK, going through the showroom pics I found one that gives up a tool set I've been keeping a secret cause it's just that good. I've been pretty protective of my discoveries that really make a difference in quality and speed of install in the past, simply because I invest alot of time researching, testing, and developing these techniques. Why should I just show them to some jackass I'll bid against one day? Well, not too likely I'll bid against guys around the internet, and since I can't take the knowledge with me, I might as well at least document my own path to find it. Besides, if you found this blog, chances are you're a guy like me on his own knowledge quest and probably someone I'd like working with anyway. You are afterall, spending time at a computer looking at carpentry techniques so you must be into the artform too...So here you go, another tool and technique that really makes a difference in your work.

Pinch clamps. These clamps were developed for the picture frame industry but they work killer for holding crown moulding outside corners and small casing miters tight. Basically anytime I need to clamp together a miter while the glue sets, I'm reaching for these. I often will build a crown assembly on the table with these clamps and let it set up before I install it. Real slick.

We sell these in our store. Call us at (925) 935-8400. Our website sucks.

Yep. I built this.

2010-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

This could be my most magnificent entry casing design to date. I've built alot of stuff I'm really proud of but this one just really came together. I started with a sketch the owner really liked so I went to work. This one crossed the line from work to fun, I lost track of the hours but I didn't even care. It's almost done here with a few mouldings missing in the facing panels. The keystone in the center will have a lit up sign with the company logo on it, and more dentil crown around the top of it. People just stop and stare at this thing. That gives me incredible satisfaction.

Showroom Work.

2010-01-21T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, got a chance to get back to some showroom work recently and snapped off a few shots while I was up there. This is an AWESOME project that I have been picking away at for over a year now. Its in Piedmont Lumbers Lakeport yard. Piedmont is expanding thier Architectural Millwork Division up into Lake County and to better showcase the products they sell, I was asked to design and build 'a showstopper'

My pleasure.

Here's a shot of me working on an arched collonade. I'm using the best ladder made, Stokes ladder, and a super cool new portable Co2 unit from Powertank to air up my gun. This is a real slick 'side arm' tank that hangs on my belt letting me run around without having to worry about a compressor or hose. Quality is top notch, and this little 1.25 pound tank will shoot about 200 finish nails. I did a review for these products in the Journal of Light Construction. The Powertank ranks amung my favorite tools. I don't even own a little compressor anymore.

For more info on these products go here: http://powertankconstruction.com/powertank-sidearm.html

Better Finishing Equipment

2010-01-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

The Alder pair in previous posts brought a glaring reality to light. I've been tracking my time in these prefinishing jobs and once its all said and done I'm not making very good money, and worse, I'm never truely satisfied with the finished product when it leaves for install. I know spraying would cut down the labor and up the quality. I have spray equipment, but it's automotive stuff and not good for materials I use on doors so I hit the internet and researched a unit that I thought would best suit my needs. I wanted an HVLP system that could shoot both latex and oil based as well as varnishes. I wanted something that had high efficiency of material transfer and was self contained. Graco had just the right unit in thier FinishPro series of sprayers. Its awesome. Better yet I found exacly the unit I wanted on Craigslist back east, called the guy up and we made a clean deal. I got this little beauty for half price, brand new. The finish Gods have begun to smile upon me.

Better Finishing Enviroment

2010-01-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

After the miserable struggle I had keeping the dirt out of the finish with the last door set I decided to step up the game a little.
I was able to get a 'decent' topcoat on the alder pair by resorting to my old automotive garage painting tricks. Wetting the floor, sanding the night before and letting the dust settle, ect.
It just became blatantly obvious that until I could design and build a proper spray booth (which I have a slick design going for), I was going to have to start tenting. This temporay tent set up using zipwall poles and visqueen will help provide a cleaner enviroment for finishing.

Damn Dust!

2010-01-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

The next hurtle I have to conquer is the dust issue getting into the finish. I just know I can do better and want to give my customers my very best. I can't stand seeing these teeny flaws in the finish. Despite my efforts to keep a clean shop and the dust down, I just can't keep it out of the finish. I guess a spray booth will have to be constructed..

The Secret Sauce

2010-01-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

Alright so I'm thinking that in an effort to make this blog a worthy read for guys who are into this kind of stuff that I would share the results of a recent discovery and expose a great breakthrough I have had recently in my quest for the perfect finish. What you see here is my new super secret cold weather quick dry formula. By using the Napthia to reduce the Epifanies and add the Japan Dryer (I think I'll just keep the ratios to myself at least until someone asks) I have been able to reduce the dry time of the Epifanies from 24 hours down to about 16, by adding heat I can get it down to 12. That means two coats in a day. The mixture is also super flow-y and lays out like glass. Awesome.

This post has been edited to keep some of my secrets to myself.

More Doors...

2010-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

Welp, Im up to my ass in doors. My brother in law, Bill is truely as talented at upselling as he is at building. Since bringing him in to take over the installs he's been very effective in selling the prefinish program. The result? He's got me so busy prefinishing the doors we install that I can't even take a holiday, or keep up with him. I got a few days off at Christmas but New Years was spent in my shop putting a finish on these beauties...

Today I met a Genius.

2009-12-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

So my New Year celebration this year is going to involve a Door finishing job. Being as its December and the temps are low, and the fact that I've been having a problem with finishes taking a really long time to dry in my shop, I did a little research and discovered the manufacture of my epoxy sealer offers his magical product in a cold temperature formula. Since tomarrow is New Years eve, I decided to visit the factory and pick it up in person so I could meet the time commitment. While there I got to meet the brains behind the formula and pick his brain.

Meet Steve Smith of Smith and Company. This guy has forgotten more about the formulation of varnishes and resins than I may ever know. I got the pleasure of getting an hour education on the history of varnish, the formulation of every thinning product available, as well as its proper use and so much more.

As much as I know about woodworking and finishes the more I want to learn. I am truely a student of the craft. Today was an amazing lesson.

If you're looking for the best products in wood preservation, check out Steves company at http://www.smithandcompany.org/

Whoa Im Loaded.

2009-12-23T22:32:00.000-08:00

So here it is. Equipment placed and wired up. Damn if this thing doesn't almost look fabulous. I realized while admiring my masterpiece, that thing is never going to been seen by anyone. It's going to spend its entire life concealed in the obscured security of a hidden closet. Brilliant. All thats left now is build the faceplates..

Rack, I'd like you to meet closet.

2009-12-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

So heres the closet where this cabinet will be living. This is the next project, I have a few plans for this as well. We'll get to that later...

Equipment Test fit.

2009-12-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

OK time for a test fit. I grabbed the reciever and prepared for the moment of truth. Do I know how to read a tape measure? Here's a shot of the nearly completed rack with the reciever in it. It fits.

Duct the Cabinet

2009-12-23T21:49:00.000-08:00

So now that I have the ducts in the floor to draw the cool air from, now I have to get that cool air up into the cabinet. In order to direct the cool air up in to the bottom of the cabinet. I cut a hole in the bottom of the cabinet and routed grooves into the bottom. In those grooves I inserted brushes that would reach the floor to seal up the cabinet to the floor. Check it out, works real slick.

Wait a minute, we need ducting.

2009-12-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

Since the media equipment is sensative to heat the rack has to be well ventalated. I did a little research on this and learned the sides have to be solid and ventalation is best from the bottom so I installed vents in the closet to suck cool air from under the house.

Insert Hardware Here.

2009-12-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

I wanted to be sure this little home built creation had all the bells and whistles of any commercial media rack so that meant hitting Guitar Rack for rack mount brackets, Piedmont Lumer for drilled angle iron that will be used for cord management and good old shelf standards to hold the equipment shelves that I made out of plywood and painted black.

Frame Built!

2009-12-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

OK so I I still can't figure out how to insert more than one photo in a single post so Im going post happy today. Here's a shot of the framework assembled.

Media Rack takes Shape

2009-12-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

So in the last few evenings I've been working on the media rack. I took those casings and built some framework for the rack using simple pocket screw attachements. Then I painted the inside black. While I was at it I added another thin coat to the outside to darken up that vampire finish. Once I got the panels finish on the panels they just didn't match all that well...

The Media Center

2009-12-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

So I'm super excited about this weeks build. I'm actually taking some time away from client work to do a build for my own house for Christmas, a very nice change of pace. When I built the house, I was just getting finished when the morgage crisis and all the other BS of our collapsing economy hit hard. (OCt 07) I was over budget and plain out of money. We were without heat for two months, no stove for seven, ect. Needless to say the media center was very low on the proirity list. As a gift to myself, I decided to get the basic components bought to get the system working on a minimilistic basis. As with all electronics the system spec'd at the time of build was now going obsolete so buying the basic controller components I needed via eBay and end of year closeout sales saved me a ton of money. What hadn't come down in price is the cost of the freaking rack to hold it all, still over $600 just for the rack.

I decided to build one. I started with some 1x4 Lifespan Casing that got painted red for an install job. The customer changed thier mind and wanted white. Knowing it would take three or four coats to fully cover the red with white, I just bought more material to save time, so now I had this red 1x4. Hmmm..

I thought I might do something artsy and dry brushed some black over it. The result was killer. It had this vampire goth look. I liked it, so did the missus, so I started building the framework for the component rack with this...

Kreg Pocket Screw Clinic

2009-11-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

It was awesome to see all you folks come out on such a nice day to learn about the Kreg pocket screw system. Its always flattering to see so many return attendees for my clinics, month after month.

I guess we're onto something good with these Free Carpentry Clinics.

Next year we will be another fantastic lineup of clinics. Some of last years shows will be repeated, but I have some great ideas for others I'd like to do.

Right now in the shop I have a ton of pre-finish work going on for customers buying doors. I was thinking that a clinic on finishing doors might be a good one to do. Alot of folks are u[pgrading and replacing doors and there's alot to know about finishing them.

Check back here for a tutorial I'm working on.

Thanks again everyone!

Robby

Wainscot Clinic

2009-08-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

I want to thank those of you who gave up such a beautiful Saturday to attend my latest carpenty clinic. It was another great crowds and again, I appreciate your participation very much. The fact that so many of you guys keep coming every month really makes me feel like you are getting something from them. It's great to be able to share my expertise with so many enthusiastic people. It was a good time, I hope you all build at least one of the featured details!

See you next month when we use mouldings to build small projects like floating bookshelves and flat screen TV frames.

Robby

Tomarrow we install doors!

2009-07-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

Tomarrow we'll be installing doors. Our monthly Carpentry Clinic series has been well recieved. We get tons of folks coming out to learn little tidbits about home improvement and some contractors too looking to pick up a trick or two. Tomarrow we're focusing on interior doors. Starting at 10:30 we'll go through the tools and products we use to install pre-hung doors, do an install, build a custom header then have a free BBQ lunch at Noon. The second half starts at 1:00 and covers the installation of a new interior slab into an existing jamb, a popular upgrade that we get alot of questions about.

I look forward to seeing you all there tomarrow!

Robby

2009-06-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

I’ve got a sneak peak for those of you that subscribe to this blog. I’ve got a sweet little jig I came up with that makes pre-finishing doors a breeze. No more wrestling with a heavy door to get to the other side or ruining the side you just finished by turning it over to early. I came up with a rotisserie type thing that the editors from the Journal of Light Construction liked so much they decided to put it in their magazine. You get to see it before it comes out!

Check it out here:

http://www.jlconline.com/cgi-local/view.pdf/c2de2f525969064c15d453cd3dc30e9b/www.jlconline.com/cgi-bin/jlconline.storefront/4a2d70130149d10027170a32100a0597

2009-05-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

This photo was from the last time I took out the Toyota.. Ended up on the lid and scaring the ladies to death..

So the trip North was a good one. Got a little father on this beast of a detail, which is actually a little farther than this pic shows, I just forgot to to take a new pic so Im using something from a few weeks ago since you haven't seen it yet anyway. I'll get some new stuff next week. Other exciting developments include the removal of the ugly tempory counters which you can see in this photo. They are now gone and replaced with a really neat desk thing I bought from the HomeDepot design center when they went out of business. (yay!)

While up North I got my rock crawler truck uncovered and cleaned up for the annual Prather Brothers Off road Poker Run pre runner party. Super fun times in the woods with hillbilly folk of all ages. What was really amazing was the cabin in the woods where the whole event starts from. It was built by hand from trees taken right off the property. The Prathers actually set up a portable lumber mill and cut every piece of wood they used to build this awesome cabin in the woods. Needless to say being a builder and overall wood-type guy, I was really impressed. Sorry I didn't get any photos, maybe next time. Check out the photo at the top for the last time I took it out..

Here we go

2009-05-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

So this is it, the first entry. Wow, I've arrived. Should I start with a recent history, or just current events? Do I bring you up to speed or simply assume that if you are reading this it's because I begged you to do so as a condition of your support for my existance. Hmmm.

A little of both. First a little bitty bio:

Has Been - World Champ type aging Gen-Xer . All the usual that goes with it. Starting to control the reckless abandon, accepting responsiblity, growing up, ect. Aging now into a pretty respectalbe family/business man who has taken a penchant to building most what ever I want. This comes in handy as the family business is selling ..wait for it..yes..building materials. Go figure. As a result of an obsessive compulsive reaction to things I'm interesed in I've amassed a random assortment of shortcuts and solutions to many things building. All kinds of stuff, homes, furniture, trade show booths, guns, cars, boats, ect. Haven't built a plane but I will. Enough about that and back to the why of this blog. So, I started doing these "Carpentry Clinics" and this is where this whole blog thing is going. (I guess I haven't completely outgrown the shameless self promotion. ) I'm going to post up info on my shows and projects and basically just shamelessly promote myself and the family business.

Current Events.

The last Carpentry Clinic was a real success, got a bunch of people to come and pulled the whole thing off like I actually knew what I was doing. I was a little overwhelmed by the response to be quite honest. Thaks to all of you folks that came and checked it out, it was real encouraging to realize that there were prople actually interested in learning what I was teaching. So the response was so good, I made a schedule for the year! The next one is on wainscoting and will be on June 6th. We'll be doing a free BBQ lunch again and look forward to another great event.