Author Archives: woodworksbyjohn

About woodworksbyjohn

I'm a retired woodshop teacher. I build one of a kind furniture pieces and custom picture frames. You can see some of my sell and carvings through my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodworksbyJohn?ref=si_shop Contact me about your project -- always up for the challenge of unique work.

Custom Cat Furniture

Posted on November 30, 2019

One of the many aspects of woodwork I enjoy is the variety of work you’re able to do with so many different types of materials. The last project was made from Baltic Birch and this project is a continuation of … Continue reading →

SawStop One vs. Finger Three — stitches that is!

Posted on November 14, 2019

I must admit that when the SawStop technology first came out I wasn’t really in favor of it. The first I heard about it was someone invented a good idea for saw safety but was trying to get rich from … Continue reading →

Posted in Artist Furniture, custom furniture, SawStop Sliding Table | Tagged Baltic Birch plywood, clear coat Baltic Birch plywood, dado, drying cabinet for artists, L-Fence for tablesaw, rabbeted joinery, SawStop, slotting jig | 2 Comments

New Frame Commission and Drawing Desk Follow-Up

Posted on October 25, 2019

Before I begin to talk about the frame commission allow me to share the final results of the drawing desk. If you missed that post here is a LINK to it which includes a YouTube video showing how it … Continue reading →

Posted in Artist Furniture, custom furniture, custom profile, Picture Frames | Tagged adjustable top drawing table, custom drawing desk, custom picture frame molding, custom picture framer, Diane Eugster art, Merle Band Clamp, picture frame, Rees Fine Art, Woodworkers Source | Leave a comment

Drawing Desk Complete

Posted on October 7, 2019

In the last blog the dovetails had been cut and fit for the bottom section of the custom drawing desk. If you missed it, here’s a LINK to that one and before I talk about the remaining work, let me … Continue reading →

Posted in Artist Furniture, custom furniture, Hand Cut Dovetails, YouTubeVideo | Tagged adjustable top drawing table, artists furniture, Baltic Birch plywood, custom drawing desk, custom drawing table, custom furniture, Drafting table hardware, L-N Bronze Smooth Plane, Lie-Nielsen planes, Osmo Polyx, Rockler hardware, Rockler woodworking, WoodworksbyJohn | 2 Comments

Modeling Job = New Commission

Posted on October 1, 2019

Many of you know that I occasionally work as a portrait or costumed model since moving to the Phoenix area. For me, it’s a great experience — I get out of the solitary life in my shop, meet different artists … Continue reading →

Posted in Artist Furniture, Artist Model, custom furniture, Design Process, Hand Cut Dovetails, Hand Tool Woodworking, Tutorial | Tagged artists model, Baltic Birch plywood, black walnut, custom artist furniture, Divinity Tattoo, dovetail, drafting table, drawing table, Rockler hardware, tails first, Veritas skewed rabbet plane | 2 Comments

Twisted Feather Carve — Sharing the Process

Posted on August 27, 2019

When I first began making picture frames it was incredibly difficult to find information about the finer points of how to go about it. Most literature was pretty old and when talking with other framers I’d get the feeling that … Continue reading →

Posted in Carving, custom profile, custom profile, Design Process, Picture Frames, Tutorial | Tagged #20 biscuit, Basswood, Chris Pye Woodcarving Workshops, custom picture frame molding, design pattern making, Design Process, Diane Eugster art, leaf carve, wood carving | Leave a comment

Frame #168: Final Work

Posted on August 21, 2019

If you’ve been following the consruction of this Tabernacle style frame you’ll remember that the last BLOG dealt with how the roof was constructed. That was an interesting challenge that I can now say I’ve conquered; at least for this … Continue reading →

Posted in custom profile, Gilding, Picture Frames, Tabernacle, tabernacle picture frame | Tagged 12kt. gold leaf, airbrush, custom picture frame, gilding, LA Gold Leaf, Liberon Black Bison Wax, oil gilding, Red burnisher sealer, tabernacle frame, tabernacle picture frame | 1 Comment