Showing posts with label what. Show all posts
Showing posts with label what. Show all posts

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Furniture Woodworking Plans What to Look For

In recent years, our world has changed dramatically. In fact, in many ways, we have come full circle. There was a time when good quality handmade furniture was valued for its craftsmanship and would withstand the use of several generations.

In the not so distant past, mass produced furniture became popular and would be used, discarded and replaced at an alarming rate. Today, many of us are looking to the simple and more frugal times of our parents and grandparents.

The financial crisis and the damage we seem to be doing to our planet has caused many of us to reconsider our notions of disposable and replaceable materials.

So, it is little wonder then that more of us are reverting to a self-sufficient lifestyle, growing our own vegetables and building our own furniture.

Constructing your own furniture has a number of advantages, not least of which is that by choosing the materials, you can ensure the quality and strength of the item.

But, of course, if you are going to build your own furniture, it is a good idea to start with some good furniture woodworking plans. So, how can you tell if the plans are any good?

There are a number of things that you should consider before purchasing any plans, including:

Have these plans been used by the provider, or are they just copied from another source?
Are you just getting blueprints and designs or is there expert advice, too?
Are there hints and tips on which materials to use?


You may have already noticed that there is a huge range of websites all offering woodwork plans. It is easy to assume that all of these sites are the same, but, on the contrary, they are quite different. So it is wise to do a little research before downloading the furniture plans that you want.

It is highly recommended that you select a site which offers advice from professional carpenters or craftsmen, as this will ensure that the result of your hard work is a functional, suitable and sturdy piece of furniture.

If a site is just offering plans for download, then you have no way of knowing whether the designs will turn out as advertised and, more importantly, there is no port of call for advice should you encounter difficulties.

Building your own furniture can be a relaxing hobby; a cheap alternative to buying shoddy mass produced furniture and can even turn into a business if you find that you have a flare for woodwork. In any of these cases, it is a good idea to obtain the right plans. If you are building furniture for a hobby, then you want your labor and money to produce something worthwhile.

On the other hand, if you wish to earn some money from your woodwork, then it is imperative to the success of your business that you produce high quality, long-lasting furniture. Of course, the key to this is having the best furniture woodworking plans. So, when looking through the various sites that offer downloadable plans, be sure to shop around.
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Tips for Applying Nailtrim and what Im nailheading!

As I finish the cane chair, I thought I would share another project that Ive been working on ...

Yesterday I decided to put nailhead trim on our sofa. The other week I mentioned it to David and he was unsure, because of what was underneath ... so I forgot about it. Today as I was looking at it and I decided to try it, whats the worst that could happen a few little holes?


After applying nailhead to the Tufted Headboard and the Ottoman Ive learned what works best for me, so here are my tips!

First, one of the most important things is to buy better quality nailheads (i.e. not from wal-mart). It will help keep the nails straighter as they go in, mine are from DIY Upholstery Supply

Also, I like to use a tack hammer rather than a rubber mallet because I have more control (I havent had an issue with damaging the nail ... as long as I dont hit it too hard :) 

Heres how I do it:

1. Align the nailhead as close to the edge as possible to keep a straight line - this was pretty easy on the headboard since the wings didnt have a lot of padding, the sofa was a little more difficult.

When aligning the next nail, hold it above and center it, aligning it with the edge of the previous nail

2. Hold the edge of the nail with your pointer and thumb and lightly tap the other edge with your hammer until it grabs the wood


3. Hammer harder (once your thumb is out of the way!) till it is almost all the way down


4. Then tap back and forth until the nail is straight



5. and then hammer all the way!


It takes a little practice, but eventually you get in a rhythm and goes by pretty fast!

Its almost done - finished pictures soon!


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Thursday, January 23, 2014

What Do You Think Of The New Veritas Tools







Peace,

Mitchell

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