Tenugui Hanger Revisit

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Greg Merritt

The weather here has been unbearable. Several days in a row the heat index went over 100F.  Having temperatures in the 90’s is tough but doable.  However, when you factor in humidity levels in the high 60% to above 70%, conditions are just too much for working in an unconditioned space.  So not much has been happening here on the woodworking front.  I have fought the good fight though.  Working for 15-20 minutes right after work just to get my fix in.  This limited time means that the project has to be simple. Continue reading →

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Wabi-Sabi-ish

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Greg Merritt

I’ll probably get myself in trouble with this one.  I’ve not formally studied design nor Japanese philosophy, but here goes anyway.

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese design element/philosophy that essentially finds beauty in the imperfections of an object.  Those imperfections can be a result of use or result from the making of the object.  At first blush, this sounds like a great excuse to be sloppy in your work.  It’s not quite that simple though. Continue reading →

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Tenugui Hanger-Design Drawing

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Greg Merritt

Just a quick followup to my posts on the tenugui hanger.  Mostly for my own record keeping, but there is the off chance that someone out there may want to make one of these for themselves.  Anyway, I worked up a drawing for the making of my tenugui hanger.

One thing to note…tenugui are mostly a standard width (330mm), although they do vary.  The point is that this layout should accommodate just about any standard tenugui, but you may want to verify fit before building anything.

Greg Merritt

Posted in Design, Illustrating, Tenugui Hanger | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Japanese Art on a Hillbilly Budget-Part 2-Complete

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Greg Merritt

So the idea is to hang a tenugui on the wall as an art display.  When I purchase a new one, I’ll switch them out and put the previous one into service.  I didn’t invent anything here, there are tenugui hangers commercially available, but I wanted to make my own.  I also wanted to make it to my own vision.  That’s why I’m a woodworker after all.

Continue reading →

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Japanese Art on a Hillbilly Budget-Part 1

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Greg Merritt

I’ve wanted to write about something for a while.  It has nothing to do with woodworking and is somewhat frivolous, so I kept putting it off.  Finally I have a tie-in with woodworking and I feel a little better about writing about it.

Continue reading →

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Old Fan Gets a Retro Makeover 

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Greg Merritt

If you have been reading my blog for a while then you know that we moved into a new-to-us house last summer.  You may also remember that it was a one-owner home and retained most of its original detailing.  If you paid close attention, you may also know that management and I decided to run with the vintage theme of the house.  Now if you really have been paying attention, then you know that I keep finding stashes of wood in the attic, pine, maple and mahogany.  Continue reading →

Posted in Fan Restoration | Tagged | 7 Comments

Cedar Chest Facelift

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Greg Merritt

As soon as the headboard was installed, upholstery project #2 became evident.  There is a cedar chest/bench that sits at the foot of our bed and management wanted it to match the new headboard.  The chest is a family piece from management’s side.  Not particularly old and I have a few issues with the construction, but it is solid enough.  So I drug it out to the shop. Continue reading →

Posted in Upholstery | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Headboard

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Greg Merritt

So as I was installing the freshly minted side tables/nightstands, management begins rattling off a list of my “next” projects.  She is getting a little carried away and if she is not careful the Hillbilly Daiku will be coming to you under new management. 😉

Continue reading →

Posted in Headboard-Queen-000 | Tagged | 9 Comments

Staked Side Table-Part 9-Complete

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Greg Merritt

Since Saturday I have applied three coats of the tinted BLO and one coat of Tried & True original.  For those not familiar with Tried & True, it is a mixture of polymerized linseed oil and beeswax.  It is non-toxic, food safe and leaves a low-luster sheen and a velvety smooth feel.  With the finish applied, all that remained was to install drawer stops and pulls. Continue reading →

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Staked Side Table-Part 8

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Greg Merritt

Whew!  Lots of progress happened this week.  So much so that the first coat of oil is on.  Oh, you want a little more detail than that?  OK, I’ll back up a bit.

The week started off with fabrication of the bearers and subsequent drawer runners.  The bearers are just slabs of wood that hang from the bottom side of the top slab and are screwed into place.  So oak pieces were cut to size, about a 1/16″ taller than the drawers, Continue reading →

Posted in Staked Side Table-000 | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments