First Project

Gene Miller

Member
Messages
101
Location
Boca Raton FLorida
I'm making this for my wife. I have run into a lot of problems along the way. First I should have never tried to design my first project myself. Case in point, the doors are solid with a solid band. I have already been told that they will eventually split apart. I'll deal with that when it happens with new doors. All comments are welcome. I could surely use the help and advice.

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Gene

Nice looking job, my first project should have had so many problems :rofl:

Thanks for the post

Jay
 
Looking real nice, Gene. I've built a few things that defied the rules and won, and I've built a few things according to the rules that still moved in a bad way. Here's hoping things stay put on your doors. I think they look great. :clap:
 
Gene, for a first, or a 10th etc, I think you dun good! :thumb:

Yeah, nice saw, great to see some one buy their last saw the first time out :D

I don't know if your doors will split or not, they look like a rail and stile door with just a flat panel, or am I missing something?

Hope the door hold, they are sure beauties!

Cheers!:wave:
 
Great job for a first go! I wish my first one looked like that.

What are the woods you used? I'm working a similar project and I wanted to achieve the same contrast between brown and almost white woods but I didn't know which ones to choose

Thanks for posting the pics!:thumb:
 
gene, i think you done right designing by the seat of your pants. don`t fall into the "i need plans" trap....read and learn and above all keep building.
every one of us can look back even just a year ago and see things we built that we`d change, it`s part of the learnin`-growin` process and the beauty of working with wood is that the process never stops, a person can spend their entire life making "stuff" and never truely master all of the various aspects of the craft.
 
gene, i think as others have said you did well. here's hoping those beautiful doors don't split.

tod's right, every project i do i realize during the project or after completion there was something i could have done to make it better or easier.

keep at it.
chris
 
Here's hoping those doors and drawers hold on. You location may be an advantage since the humidity level in So Florida is pretty constant (always high!), and since it will probably be in an air conditioned environment year round you could get lucky.

Either way, nice design and work, and a darned nice machine, too!
 
Thanks for all the great comments. The doors do look like rail and stile but are glued solid. I never knew why that style of door was so popular. I do hope that the high humidy does help. Unfortunatelly the piece will go in my wifes gym which has the air on and off all day long. Either way it was good practice and I can always make new ones. As far as the saw I knew from my business that buying a good quality piece of equipment was always worth it.
 
Great looking project! I rarely use plans myself. Woodworking and cooking are a lot alike. Try something and see what happens! If the doors do split, you can chalk it up to learning something!

I only wish I had a TS as nice as yours! It like other things falls into the one-of-these-days categories!
 
Thanks it's good to know it looks like I'm on the right track. I'm starting to see the end and I'm excited.

Beware the dreaded "If I just do this, I'll be that much closer" syndrome. It causes me to shortcut right at the end of countless hours of care and effort (sometimes). Your project looks great. Slow and steady wins the race.
 
good advice Glenn. i have actually slowed down because i'm not sure about somethings. i don't have a dead line except my wifes impatience. it will get finished when it's finished. i have been doing something a little different since i made the top. i didn't realize how hard the glue from the joints would be to remove when dry. i was affraid that i would sand thru the thin veneer on the plywood. it was very slow and tedious but it did turn out. on the rest of the project i finished the pieces before i glued them up. it turned out much better with less effort and the glue just wipes right off.
 
Great job Gene!

Hope your wife understands that you will need just as many new tools for your second project.:rofl:

Saw your other post about schools - I'm not familiar with what's available in Florida, but obviously you have the aptitude, so I think some schooling would be very timely. Learn a right way to do things before you develop bad habits - sure wish I had.
 
Gene,

Great Job on the your 1st Project! :thumb:

The doors turned out nice!

I think there is alot of value in designing your own projects. There are probably things that you did on this project that will help you on your next ones....like "Gee thats a good idea, that really works well!" or "Doh! Have to make sure I don't do that again". Either way you are further along than before you did this one. I know thats how I feel after I finish most projects.

I also designed my first big project. I still look back on that with alot of pride.
 
i'm ready to put the hinges on the doors but i don't really know how. what i do know is that i like the eurpean stlye because they are so adjustable. i see how to use the regular type hinges but the ones that i found are not adjustable. this picture is looking straight down. i want the door to be even with the front. any help would be appreciated.
 
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