Made with my WoodMizer

[dad2nine]

Here's a desk I made for my youngest 10 year old daughter. It's a full size desk 54x26 but, she'll grow into it.

The lumber is what they call around here "freckled white oak". Basically a pack of wood peckers pecked the heck out of the tree. After several years the tree healed itself to create kinda a birds eye effect (freckles), in what would have been fairly clear lumber. The desk is made entirely out of this QS freckled white oak. It's 1" thick finished thickness except the panels which are 3/4", it's rock solid and heavy ;D. The carvings on the bottom rails were done by hand and are supposed to resemble a dogwood flower. My daughter learned how to carve while we made this desk; she's darn good at it too. The drawer frames are made from 1/2 thick QS sycamore and 1/4 thick maple drawer bottoms.  Finish is 2 coats gloss poly, as a sealer sanded back off with  150 grit. Then 4 coats of satin polycylic, sanded with 220 grit in-between each coat. Last coat of polycrlic (5th) was rubbed out with 0000 steal wool.

Every piece of lumber that made this desk was cut on my Wood Mizer mill, stacked and dried. Then it was into the wood shop to shape all the lumber into the desk pictured. It's a great feeling to be able to go from log to furniture with all your own equipment. I could not have imagined how much this desk would have cost me to build if I would have had to buy the lumber, not to mention where would you find quarter sawn freckled white oak? Needless to say I am very pleased with my Wood Mizer saw mill. But what's better is now my daughter wants pink handled wood working tools  ;D.

[Bibbyman]

Looks great!  8)

I want one...  :(

Maybe some day..  :

[woodmills1]

very nice!

[kderby]

Beautiful work and so much better for her heart than a desk made "offshore".

Did you sign the work?  Do not use pen as ink can fade, bleed or get stripped. Graphite (pencil) or chalk will last.  Sign the makers name and date on a hidden place.  In a Century those details will sustain the value of the work.

I hope she gets the pink tools!!!  Congratulations to both of you. 8) 8)

KD

[jgoodhart]

Nice desk, I really like the freckle effect in the wood

[leweee]

Beauty deck 8) Freckled Oak ....I like it. ;D
    Glad to hear your daughter has taken to carving. 8)
And she is not the only one that likes pink tools. 8) 8) 8)

[brdmkr]

Really nice.  The hand carved pieces are a real bonus.  I don't suppose I'll ever get into carving.  I just lack artistic talent :(

[pigman]

Great job. 8) You even finished the back. 8)  I did some carving one a top once. It was an accident, the router got loose and gouged the top. :( ;D

Bob

[Don P]

Nothing like doing a final roundover and watching the bearing fall off the bit  :D

That desk is beautiful, the carving is awesome. I've got no talent there so try a little chip carving now and again for decoration.

[4woody]

Nice desk dad good job

[woodmills1]

so................ :D...do freckles run in your family?,,,,,,,,, :D :D

[WDH]

Very nice desk!  I too share your satisfaction in growing a log, cutting the log, sawing the log, drying the lumber, milling from rough to finished and making a piece of furniture from the finished product.  One post suggested that you sign your work.  You can have a personalized electric branding iron made that you can use to permanently sign your work.  You can have one made at Rockler.com.  Keep up the good work!

[kelLOGg]

Every piece of lumber that made this desk was cut on my Wood Mizer mill, stacked and dried.

Dad2nine,

Very impressive work. I aspire to such  but drying lumber is my weak link. I'd love to know under what conditions you dried it and how long.
Bob

[blaze83]

dad2nine,

very nice work,  I'm looking forward to cutting, milling ,drying and then building the kitchen cabinets for my mom with my dad when I get to Ohio this spring...

what's the next project ?  8)

[dad2nine]

Well the next project will be this four poster bed for my forth oldest son.

It's going to be made with this american elm I milled with my wood mizer back at the end of march.



Here's a captians bed I made for my 5th son back in april. Made of red oak, entirely cut with my wood mizer. Foot board posts are 4x4 and the book case headboard posts are 4x8 - so you can get a prespective. The reason I'm posting these projects is to just say; YES you can cut your own furniture grade lumber and take it all the way to a finished piece of furniture. I'm looking back at some of the stuff I made and would have to say yes my wood mizer has paid for it's self a few times over, what an awesome peice of machinery.

[Tom]

I have an 86 year old friend who began making furniture off of his mill like your are doing and he's become so famous that it looks like he's going to have to come back.

He would have had long and prosperous career making bedroom suites.

[WDH]

That is a great piece of furniture.  I stacked some red oak today that is going to make some nice pieces one day after it dries.  You are quite the craftsman (probably a pretty good sawyer too!!).  Wait......is a sawyer a craftsman?  That might be a whole nuther thread.

[dad2nine]

Every piece of lumber that made this desk was cut on my Wood Mizer mill, stacked and dried.

Dad2nine,

Very impressive work. I aspire to such  but drying lumber is my weak link. I'd love to know under what conditions you dried it and how long.
Bob

Bob, I, end coat with ancorseal, sticker for air dry with old tin as a cover, and landscape fabric draped over the sides and the ends (lets the air pass through, keeps the rain out). I tighten down the bunk with 1" ratchet straps right next to each sticker. Every once in while I'll go out there, lift up the fabric and re-tighten the straps, wood shrinks as it dries and I want to keep a good amount of pressure on the stack to prevent cupping and twisting. Once I'm at 18-20%MC (time depends on the weather, species and wood thickness). I'll carry the boards into my shop re-bunk, with the ratchet straps and place a dehumidifier in front center of the stack, throw a trap tent over the stack. Be careful of snakes, copperheads love to get in-between the layers of the boards and under the tin roof (so have your trusty snake stick/.22 with you). Run the dehumidifier until the boards are 8% or less (time varies from as little as a week to 4 or 5). Check it daily or more frequently especially towards the end of the drying cycle. Empty the water from the dehumidifier when it's full, I have a drainage hose through a hole in the shop floor. Keep an eye on what's going on inside the tarp tent, it is can get pretty warm in there, turn off dehumidifier and uncover if it gets to warm. It's important not to dry to fast or you'll get a lot of splitting, I've never let it get so warm as to melt the tarp, I was always afraid of starting a fire if it got to warm.

I've dried SYP, red and white oak, hickory, ERC, maple, sycamore, elm and a few other species this way, it seems to work well for ok for me. I'm sure there are better safer ways to dry lumber so use at your own risk.

The rest is just sawing, jointing and planing, etc...

[kelLOGg]

Dad2nine,
I have been mulling over your approach to drying for several days, now. It's economic nature is compelling and judging from the quality of what you have built with the lumber from it makes it even more so. I am in the process of installing lighting in the 2nd floor of my barn where I will put it and building a simple adjustable frame to support a tarp to house a dehumidifier, fans and lumber. (I have an elevator for lumber.) The possibility of overheating surprises me so I will install a thermostat. As I procede I will probably need to ask more questions. Thanks for the info.

Bob