I’ve been using hand tools and power tools since I was a kid. I didn’t really build much at that point, but helped my Dad build or repair things. When Mom and Dad had their current house built, they did the staining and varnishing of all the woodwork, doors, and cabinetry themselves, so I grew up with the mindset that nothing is complete unless it has some sort of finish on it. When Mom bought me a waterbed somewhere around 1979, I wanted a simple, plain frame. It optionally came unfinished—just plain soft pine. I stained the entire thing. That was probably my first large finishing project. We still have that bed (it's on its 2nd mattress and 3rd heater (4th heater as of 2/2004)—not bad for being almost 25 years old).
When Kim & I bought our first house, I had my shop in the garage, so most everything had to be put back at the end of the day so one or both vehicles could be brought in. I started collecting woodworking tools at this point. Their primary use was to remodel the ’70s out of the house. I removed the woodwork (most of which was oak) and sanded the dark brown stain off using belt, finish, and random orbit sanders. Some doors were salvageable, but others were simply replaced because the dark brown stain had soaked too deeply into the cheap mahogany and luan wood. We ripped off the dark brown panelling that was waist–high in the foyer and stairway. Ripped the dark brown carpeting off the stairs and replaced the treads with oak as well as added solid oak flooring to the landing and part of the floor at the top of the stairs. That's when I bought a nice miter saw. I bought a router and built a couple small tables. To hold all our CDs, DVDs, and books, I built floor–to–ceiling shelving onto an 8' hunk of a wall in the family room. I also upgraded to a much better table saw. Then we bought a much better and bigger house because I was sick of the old one, was tired of having to bundle up just so I could work in the shop in Winter, and applying poly sucks when it and/or the wood is cold.
In the new house, I took a 16'x12' hunk of the basement for my shop. I wish it could have been more, but we really need the space for storage, our music equipment, etc. Now I have a much more comfortable environment in which to make dust. And as long as I don’t build anything too large, it’s big enough for me. It still has to fit through the door!
On these pages I’ll be posting my projects, past and present. The newest stuff will be at the top. Enjoy.
