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Freedom of design, materials, schedule… methods… wow! Sometimes being a carpenter is a dream job for those of us that enjoy the work.
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I started with some measurements of the space and a meeting with the client to go over exactly what she hoped to accomplish and some details of construction. > Built-in cabinets consisting of Adjustable Bookshelves with Deeper cabinets below and a new mantle, everything to be painted white.

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While I was building the cabinets at my shop, I scheduled a plumber to cut the existing baseboard heater shy of the new cabinet location. It took a day to collect the various trim for my idea and another two days to machine and assemble things before I could start the installation.

One of my options was how to make the shelves for a 40″ and 45″ cabinet. Experience shows that 3/4″ shelves just won’t hold up when spanning 42″ without middle support. The client didn’t want a divider in the middle of the bookshelves, Thicker shelves or a built-up edge?

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Today, a week later, the job is painted, the paint is dry and I’m guessing the shelves are being filled. In lieu of making the custom size raised-panel doors, I ordered them and they should arrive next week.

Since building these cabinets, I have heard nothing but praise for providing something this client has dreamt about having for years. “It completes the room and makes it feel much bigger and brighter. I love the cabinets!”

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An exciting phase of this job was to install new interior trim on the lower windows. The previous homeowner had installed mahogany trim around all the windows leaving 1″ for a future window upgrade but he skipped wrapping the lower windows.

The task of precisely matching the color was a challenge and the results were beyond my expectations. My freshly planed Philippine mahogany was quite pinkish but the existing wood is quite yellow. After an extensive array of samples, we hoped to ensure the new work would age similar to the existing by bleaching the new mahogany before finishing it with a transparent stain rather than use a semi-solid stain to cover the pink.

I was told the previous contractor used Sikkens Cetol 1 “Natural” but learned during my research that Cetol 1 and 23 are not approved for interior use because of high VOC’s believed to cause cancer. I called Sikkens and discussed my options using their 2008 product line. Sikkens now makes a Cetol “Log Décor” for interior applications that comes in several colors including the “Natural Light” color I needed. Nobody stocks this product! I found that of five local distributors not one had any idea how to correctly apply the Sikkens products they sell. (One distributor told me Cetol is a single-coat process, then handed me the product data sheet saying maybe I should read about it first. When I opened the brochure it’s right there in bold print: Application Procedure: 7 steps, 3 coats.) hmmm…

My finish process consisted of first bleaching all the wood with two-part “Klean-strip Wood Bleach”, then applying 3 coats of the new Cetol in Natural Light, then a top-coat of “Sikkens Cetol BL Interior Clear” to achieve a low-lustre sheen.

When installed the new and existing interior trim pieces were indistinguishable from one another. (see photos)

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A new exterior stop was fashioned from clear cedar to hold the large panels in place requiring many passes through the shaper. The clear cedar was more expensive than mahogany. At the start of this project, I planted ten saplings behind my house in a caged started box.

With the holidays upon us, I decided to clear out my dining room and finish the room. I finally chose a color for the walls and completed the built-out trim.
The painter came and prepped and first coated the room, check it out so far:

The door casings stand 2″ proud of the walls and I used a small piece under the crown to give it a richer look. You will really be able to tell when the walls are painted their final color.

I can’t wait until it’s finished!

As with most jobs, I visit the location to assess the situation and make the required measurements.
My client wanted a fireplace mantel built in their family room.
I would have to build this mantel to fit.

• Maintain 8″ stone for code
• Build top of mantel below built-in flatscreen TV
• Accommodate center channel speaker built-in wall. (right in the middle!)

I measured it up and left the client with a book showing various styles of Fireplace mantels to choose from. Later we agreed on what was feasible and might look good and I built it up in my shop.

I built the mantel based on a plywood panel so I could cut out for the speaker and maintain strength. I cut the plywood ends at 45º and added edges to keep the plywood away from the wall the thickness of the stone surround. I made some custom plinth blocks and added some 1×3 legs. The capitals got another wrap of 3/4″ wood and then trimmed out.
For the mantel shelf I laminated a piece of 1/2″ finish ply to a piece of 3/4″ for a nice thick profile. For the leading edge, I used the same trim that crowns every door and window casing in my own house.

After finishing a basement remodel and some cabinetry work here in Darien, CT. I was called out to Bronxville, NY to build some cabinets for a friend of the clients who noticed my last job.

On certain projects I work with a Contractor, Designer and an Architect. Most often I visit a home and meet with the residents myself, to inspect the location and discuss their desires and the possibilities.
I take that information home, draw up a picture and send it to the client with a price.

For this project I gave two layouts and a few options. The clients chose to eliminate a radiator and build a window seat alongside the bookshelves they required. I built up the boxes in my shop and made certain I had all the pieces before making the long drive toward the city for the installation.
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Remember when I said that I deliver the proposed plans and then we discuss possibilities. Not atypically, it’s how is it possible to make alterations to the price and I do what I can to accomplish everyone’s goals. In this case I was able to shave off $80 dollars by changing from decent hardware to slides that cost $4 each. Even though this change was documented and discussed before the downgrade the client later said “If I knew it meant losing that 4″ of space on each drawer I would have paid the $80.”

I’ve learned that being careful pays but being cheap can sometimes cost you so much more.

To replace them with full-extension hardware would now cost $100 in hardware, 2 hours labor and about 4 hours of driving. How much would you charge? He lived with it and I went away feeling I didn’t do a perfect job. Since this is a backdated post to the time when the job was completed, now five years later, I can see how nice these cabinets really are.

Not to make this entry too long but on every job we learn something. After this project I made several changes to my policies including covering expenses for travel or not accepting work at such a distance and I no longer option cheap hardware. Today, my prices are super-reasonable and nearly double what I charged these folks back in 2003.

I was called by a friend of this client, years later, for a similar task. After explaining there would be a fee for my plan drawings after a visit their NY home they lost interest in my attention and I… breathed a sigh of relief.

WoodDance Studio

In 2002 I was called to make some alterations to an interior room that I had previously worked on for the same homeowner. The task was to eliminate an interior door opening and laminate the Mahogany wall covering over the opening, closing off the door permanently.

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After machining pieces of mahogany removed from an office wall and stored in an outbuilding on site, I applied them to a new hollow-core flat panel door fastened in the opening. On the reverse side the homeowner hired an artistic painter to replicate the view outside the office window.

Well, …it wasn’t permanent! Another beautiful job well done but a few years later and a new homeowner and whamo; I destroyed this work and replaced the original door.

Zen.