Two new side tables (for sale)

In between working on commissions for customers, I still find a little time to just make stuff. These two side tables are good examples of the fruits of that labor. The pinwheel patterns on the top of each were made by meticulously cutting and fabricating several hundred diamond pieces in precise patterns. After sanding the tops, I finished them both with several coats of satin polyurethane.

The table on the left is made of walnut, canarywood and paduak and is 18.5" tall x 12.5" in diameter. The one on the right is made of walnut and paduak and is 20" tall x 12.5" in diameter. Both tables feature elegantly curved legs made from steam bent solid walnut. Even cooler is the fact that the material is 100% recycled from scraps and cut-offs of other completed projects. So, as far as wood furniture and art goes, these pieces are relatively environmentally friendly.

These are both one-of-a-kind pieces that won't be reproduced. They're also for sale! If you're interested in purchasing either of these side tables, please feel free to inquire for price quotes. They're perfect for holding a cup of coffee while you're reading the morning paper (or blog)...

Patrick's Bed

Late last week, after a wee bit of trial and tribulation, I finished and delivered my first bed, to my client, Patrick. Patrick's full/double bed is made of 3/4" birch veneered plywood with a dark walnut stain. It holds a standard size mattress, which is about 75" long x 54" wide. The design is decidedly different than most of what I've done in the past, since I don't tend to use plywood or stains much. However, it was an opportunity to try my hand at what seemed like some pretty intense - and at times challenging - series of mortise and tenon construction.

The headboard and footboard are individual solid pieces that serve as the basic structure of the piece, and are supported by posts fabricated using several layers of plywood. The side rails are long tenons that sleeve into double mortises cut front-to-back and side-to-side into each post. The posts also accommodate lateral tenons that mortises through the central length of support. The lateral supports that span the width of the bed sleeve onto the central and side rails. Several pins too keep everything in place round out the design. After finishing the basic structure, I found that there was still a little too much movement from front to back, so I attached some metal brackets to stabilize each post.

Now, it's back to business. My new projects include a new bent plywood and paper seat chair, a dining table or two, and a record/turntable cabinet that's supposed to be for my friend Jason, but that I might have to keep for myself. I'll also be posting photos of a couple side tables I put together in my spare time over the past couple of months. Those will be for sale, if you're interested. Stay tuned.

A doggone problem solved!

It's become part of our daily routine at the Cales-Proskocil household to chase after our 2-year-old Lhasa apso, Hazel. One of Hazel's favorite things to do is take things she's not supposed to have and then brazenly trot into another room to chew and chew and chew. Hazel's favorite items include tissues, socks, undies, shoes and, above all else, Niz's slippers. The picture on the left shows her with a recent victim of her incessant chewing. The sort of boudoir shot on the lower right is just there to show you how cute she is.

Niz is more Westernized than I am, but one of her many Eastern attributes is her use of slippers in the house. She keeps them right next to the bed where they're easy 'pickens for Hazel to brazenly snatch up and run into the living room to devour.

As I mentioned, this happens pretty much every day, so in an attempt to combat this doggone problem, I designed a hanging paper holder for the slippers. I've used the same heavy watercolor paper employed in a couple recent woven chair seats. I attached the simple, curled slipper holders using some snap fasteners. The brass grommets applied to each corner can be used to nail or pin the entire piece to the wall.

This is version 1.0 of the slipper holder; the curled holder pieces aren't exactly the same size, and the snap fasteners and grommets were attached quickly with little regard to symmetry or evenness. It may not be perfect, but while it's in use, Hazel will have to settle for my dirty socks.