It Has Been Way Too Long

The Past

The last few weeks have been very busy and I just haven’t sat down to write a post. I have gotten a good bit done despite a lot of non-shop things going on. Fortunately for me, one of my three cats, Cookie, has decided to help me get this post written.

The built-in cabinet in my basement storage room is complete with the exception of a little trim at the top and some caulk. I am really pleased with how this has come out.

I will add a simple trim to the top to hide that gap that will match the trim over the doors in the basement and use painter’s caulk to fill in the gaps along the sides. Other than that the cabinet is complete.

I have started work on a project for a client. I have the plan approved and a downpayment. Most of the materials are on hand. I should begin construction later today or tomorrow.

I have also had conversations with a few other potential clients and their projects are waiting in the wings.

The Present

My main focus for the next week or so will be to finish the client project for which I have been gathering the materials. It is interesting but fairly straightforward. I will be adding a section to an existing entertainment center (see the photo to the right).

Until recently, the client had an old console television that rolled on the floor and filled the space in the middle. Now that they have upgraded to a flat-screen, they would like a center console that matches the rest of the entertainment center.

It appears that the existing piece is made with white oak and oak veneer over pressed wood. Below you can see the sketch that I made at my first meeting with the client and the subsequent SketchUp design.

I will construct the carcass from 3/4″ oak veneer plywood that I was able to get at Lowe’s. The doors will be made from solid white oak that I purchased from my go-to local source for hardwood, Jeffries Wood Works. I was able to find some solid wood knobs on Amazon that are almost identical to the existing knobs. The console will ride on casters that I also purchased at Lowe’s. This will allow the client to easily slide the TV in and out of the opening in the existing entertainment center.

The Future

Other than working on the entertainment console project and finishing the details on the built-in cabinet, I have a couple of other items that I hope to get to in the near term.

The first is that I finally received my Exact-90 Miter Gauge from Woodpeckers last week. The assembly should be very straightforward but I would still like to make a quick video of the assembly and my first impressions using it.

The second is that I have had a few requests to do a shop tour video. Along with that, I hope to also publish a What I Use page on my site.

Stay tuned.