My built-in furniture a.k.a kitchenette is finally finished , delivered , and installed ! This one was a challenge for me . The woodworking couldn't have been more straightforward , but a short lead time , an anxious yet indecisive homeowner , and a tricky staining procedure really kept me on my toes . I wasn't in on the installation , but I am told they fit flawlessly with no need to scribe either to the wall or finished floor . The stain color was also a dead match to an existing piece of furniture (which I had to match working only from a website pic) . The contractor told me that the homeowner said (about the cabs.) that "They're like furniture" .
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Veneered Tabletop
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Display Chest
I am a little late in posting this , but this chest was an October work . The visual simplicity of this piece - altogether it's just a box with a glass-panel top - is the cumulative effect of an exacting joinery set , good wood , and quality hardware . The box is joined with delicately proportioned (read difficult to cut) dovetails and the bottom panel (which nobody will ever see when the case is lined with velvet) is a rigid and stable fame & panel pine assembly . The frame in which the glass panel is fitted is fashioned with a mitered slip joint , which I chose because it meets the tricky structural requirements of the assembly and allows a certain 'grain flow' around the corners that doesn't distract the eye from the overall appearance of the piece or its contents .
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
2010 Bookcase

Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sculpture Stand
Period Shaker Tables
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sugar Pine Wall Case

I designed and made this cabinet to store my growing arsenal of fine handtools and select machine tooling . After completing the piece I decided it was a little too good to serve as a shop furniture . The case is presently employed as a display case at the gallery , proudly and conspicuously hanging between a couple of fine paintings . The pine (I would argue that this is the best quality pine on the planet) carcass of the case is joined with hand-cut dovetails . The door is assembled with mortise and tenon joints and is precisely hung with foraged iron hardware . After completing the piece and changing my mind about using the cabinet in my shop , I kinda think the only thing holding this piece back from being an absolute home run is the glass . If I were commissioned to make a similar piece for a client I would try to source antique glass for the door . For this piece I used common plate glass , which is totally suitable , but the irregularities and character of antique glass would really add a great deal of warmth and authenticity to this type of cabinet . The finish is my usual Tried & True brand linseed oil which I blended with beeswax . The interior of the piece is unfinished because I do not believe in exchanging the fantastic aroma of raw pine (I think the fragrance of sugar pine is almost medicinal) for the less pleasant smell of half-cured linseed oil or shellac . Every time you open an unadulterated pine case you get a sweet little hit of pine perfume .
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Colonial Sideboard
This custom sideboard is my early August '10 work . The piece features American Colonial period correct construction technique , hardware , and finish . The table was designed around a couple of very old Douglas Fir planks supplied by my client . This design may be rightly called colonial , provincial , country , or any of the descriptive terms applied to simple furniture making . I do not think this simple form of work should be thought of as a stylistic choice or genera of woodworking , but understood as the practical result of making furniture with a small kit of hand tools and limited time and resources . I set out to make this piece in that frame of mind . The working conditions of a frontier carpenter were my guide in terms of the design and the techniques I applied to making this table . I assembled drawers with glue and old fashioned square-cut nails , I finish smoothed all the surfaces with a handplane prior to applying the milk paint finish , and I sourced hand-wrought ring pulls for the drawers .
Friday, July 9, 2010
2010 harvest-style table


Sunday, May 30, 2010
three-drawer case on stand
This chest of drawers is my May 2010 work . Its petite size and accessible height suggest a multitude of minimalist storage solutions . The client for whom this piece was designed and made will be using it as a nightstand , but the form of the piece could easily be repurposed to a full chest of drawers , lingerie chest , media cabinet , sideboard , filing cabinet etc. The case features a blend of purist straight lines and subtle curves . The double-tapered legs have a soft flare and lend the piece a graceful yet solidly planted stance . The sweet-smelling Sugar Pine drawers exhibit my usual full hand-cut dovetail joinery and my signature "hole pull" drawer pulls . The drawer front "pulls" are accentuated with Beech inlays .
Sunday, May 9, 2010
the depressing side of woodworking
Friday, April 9, 2010
2010 Nightstand

Wednesday, March 31, 2010
furniture and light
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Artist's Stool
Sunday, March 28, 2010
furniturebyseth | the basics
