Treasures

This week we wanted to post one of our recent restorations that we did.  It is always so fun to find an old piece and see it brought back to life.  

This desk is from the 1920's and was brought over from England by a family years ago.  It has since stayed in the same family until I got a hold of it.  It was in pretty rough condition when I got it but it was such a beautiful piece that I couldn't pass it up.  Everything on it was original and someone at some point started stripping the paint off of it.  

With a desk this old there are layers upon layers of paint from years of people wanting to 'freshen' it up.    I have never had a piece that was so hard to strip (and hope I never will again :)  The game plan for this desk was simple : 1. Remove paint  2. Sand tops down  3.  Repaint, stain and varnish  4.  Reassemble

I left a little bit of the old paint on the edge of the desk top because I really loved the look of it.  The top is stained in an 'early american' stain and given 2 coats of varnish.  The top was so dry that it soaked up the stain really quickly, so I had to be careful not to leave it on to long.  The whole base received 2 coats of paint that was tinted off white, to give it an antiqued look.  The casters for this desk are original porcelain.  The bottom 2 handles were missing on this desk so I took it to a friend who deals in antique and vintage hardware.  He found some handles that were similar but in the end I decided to leave it up to whoever would buy it.  

Sometimes I wish that I had a huge house to fill with all of the treasures that we find.  I also wish that I had lots of money so that I didn't have to sell the same treasures.  Maybe one day both will be true but until then we will keep on carrying on.  

Treasures.

(This piece is for sale, please contact if interested)

   

En-Sweet Vanity

Over the last couple months there have been some beautiful pieces that have come out of our shop that we have neglected to post.  Not because we didn't want to post but simply because we are not very punctual at it, sorry.  We will try and get it together with our blog posts to make sure you are not behind the times.  

This vanity is one of the jobs that was recently finished.  We designed and built the base of the vanity that will go into a newly finished ensuite bathroom.  The top of the vanity will be an under mount double sink counter top.  When designing and building a vanity there are always challenges because of the clearance needed underneath for the sinks and plumbing.  It always is a factor, especially when designing the drawers.  

To describe this beauty we have to start at the beginning.  This vanity is made totally of Walnut and all of the wood was purchased rough cut from a mill in Stouffville called 'Century Mill'.  The legs of the vanity were originally rough cut 4 x 8's that I planned down and cut into 4x4's.  Once they were the right size I took them to a wood turning company with the design and dimensions and within 4 days I was picking them up looking better then I expected.  The rest of the wood was all run through the shop planner until I had them all the same width and then they were squared up.  The time consuming process in building a piece like this is doing all of the joinery.  I used different joints throughout building this piece like mortise and tendon, lap, rabbet and dado.  Each joint serves there purpose and when done correctly will ensure the piece you are building will last for many years.  

The bottom shelf, the drawer fronts and the sides were all buiscut joined together, then planned, sanded and installed.  On this specific vanity the top two drawers were made to be tip drawers so that they would not interfere with the under mount sinks, yet still act as functioning drawers.  The lower drawers are full functioning drawers with center mount runners to allow room on the sides for plumbing.  This whole piece got a nice sand and 2 coats of satin finish varnish.  

All in all I was super happy with how this vanity turned out.  It was a pleasure building it and I hope that it will be enjoyed for many many years.  If you have a custom piece that you want designed and built, we would love to work with you to see your vision brought to life.  

Stumpy Twins

We would like to introduce you to the 'stumpy twins'.  These two beauty's are made out of maple and were originally meant to be matching for the customer but the order was changed and they only wanted 1 instead of 2.  So, we created 2 different styles of stump side tables so they could choose which one they wanted.  

Firstly, both tables were lifted off the ground, using wood, to allow them to air dry nicely.  This will prevent them from cracking during the temperature and humidity changes in canada.  The first table below is the table that the customer went with and it was given a more cottage rustic feel.  The folks who purchased this table were expecting their first child so they had it personalized with a 'J' for the babies name.  On the back of the table the year was carved in roman numerals.  This table got planned with an electric planner to get the top nice and flat and to round the edges.  Once it was planned it got a good sand.  The bark was removed from the sides prior to drying them out so it too got a nice sand.  Once it was ready for finishing we mixed up some epoxy and hit the tops of the tables with it.  After, the top got 3 coats of satin varnish while the sides got 2 coats.  

The second table followed the same routine but instead of rounding the edges we left them with more of a modern rustic feel with nice clean lines.  

It is always so nice when you can perceive the natural beauty around you and be able to preserve it in a fun and useful way.  These two tables have a unique beauty about them and are a lasting addition to any family home.

Stumply Beautiful :)

The Young And The Old Restoration

One of the fun things for us is when we find an antique or vintage piece of furniture that is in rough shape.  Our eyes light up because we don't see it as it is but how it can be.  This antique pine desk was one of those moments for us.  

We found this desk online and were able to pick it up for a decent price after some tough bartering :)  It had some very beautiful and unique marks in the wood from wear and tear over the years and simply because it was old.  

When we first got it into the shop we didn't know exactly how we wanted to finish it.  We knew that we wanted the top and the bottom to contrast each other and since the bottom was looking pretty rough we decided to sand it right down to re-stain it.  You never know how easy it will be to strip a piece of furniture until the first few minutes.  This desk was so old and dry that the previous finish almost jumped off of it and in about an hour the old finish was removed leaving us with a beautiful antique pine slate.  We chose a stain called 'Early America' for the base which is typically lighter in color than it turned out but because the wood was so dry it sucked up the stain pretty good.  After the base got 2 good coats of satin varnish.  

When we got this table the top was missing so we picked up some rough pine from Century Old Mill in Stouffville and planned it down to 3/4 of an inch.  We then got the joints nice and joined all 5 boards together leaving them overnight to dry.  In the morning the top was squared up nicely and sanded down then attached to the base.  The top was left natural and given 3 coats of satin varnish.  The original handle for the drawer was missing but had this cool brass knob in its place, so we just left the knob as we thought it looked good but it also allowed you to see where the other handle once was.  

We are so pleased how this desk turned out.  The base of it carries years of history and the top adds some fresh new life.  

The young and the old = a beauty restoration.

Before & After

        

        

 

Canada Day Show!

On July 1st we had such a blast joining in on the festivities on Main Street Newmarket as one of the many street vendors.  The whole street was shut down as thousands filled the streets for the day to celebrate our countries birthday.  There was food, dancing, music and many cool vendors to visit and check out.  

We focused on smaller unique hand made items for the day that were centered around the theme of the Canada.  Our tent was packed with canadiana products ranging from branch pens made from maple wood to pin wheels boasting our countries colors.  Everyone had a great time, young and old, with the night being topped off with fireworks that you could hear miles away.  

Thank You to everyone who came out to support us and also a big thank you to those who organized the day, it was a big success. 

Happy Birthday Canada!

Card Holder

It's been a few weeks since our last post.  As I was looking over the last few weeks it is hard to decide what to post about because we have been doing many jobs at once.  I thought that I would show off one of the many products that we designed and made for 'Life is Good' on Main Street.  

'Life is Good' on Main Street is a clothing store that also sells posters and cards which we have had the privilege of working with in designing holders and frames for.  

This specific card holder was made for the 'Life is Good' recycled holstee cards.  It is made of 2 different pieces of reclaimed barn wood that were cut on the same angles.  The faces of the wood were run through the table saw to create a channel for the cards to sit.  One of the pieces was then flipped onto its side to sit higher and make a two tier holder.  3 carriage bolts were used to secure the two pieces of wood together and it also gives it a really nice look.  The whole piece received a coat of varnish to seal it and to keep any dirt and dust from getting onto the stores product.  The length of this holder is approx. 5 feet in length making it able to hold lots of product whether used in the store or at shows.  

'Life is Good' on Main Street uses many reclaimed materials in their store displays as well as some of their products.  We have found our styles to fit together nicely and compliment each other really well.   

Check out 'Life is Good' on Main Street and see some fun display units and some fun great products.

Life is Good :)

Table Restoration : Part 2

And now for the moment you have all been waiting for, the finale of the two part table restoration.  I mentioned before in the last posting how each restoration has its own personality not only in the finished product but in the process of the restoration.  This table, unlike the last one, had certain pieces of the table restored and re-used and others completely replaced.

This table was in very rough condition when it was dropped off.  The legs of the table were the main part of the table that were to be re-used leaving the rest of it to be re-made.  When we got at the table the first thing we did was to take photographs of it and then disassembled it.  Because this table was to match the other table from the part 1 posting, we took the legs sanded them and painted them 3 coats of this antiqued off white paint to match.  The owners of the table decided to do the top as one solid piece so we met up at the wood mill to choose the type of wood.  I suggested a hard wood because this would be used in their coffee shop, so it was decided to use 1 inch thick hard maple.  The width of the table top is wider then would be typical now because we were fitting it with antique table legs.  The older antique tables in this style were usually fairly wide, over 40 inches.  We re-made the border under the table to match the top and secured it using hex head cabinet screws.  The table top then received 2 coats of a stain called 'early american' and then 3 coats of satin finish varnish.

To top off both tables we went in search of functional antique casters.  It took a bit of searching but we were able to find matching casters for both tables but at different sizes.  This table was much lower then the previous one so we used bigger casters to give it a little more height.  Also this table was much bigger and the bigger casters were much more suited to its size.

Wether you are restoring a table or some other piece, you can't help but appreciate the history that you are helping bring back to life.  Sometimes it's a total restoration, sometimes a restoration of the style of the era it was built.  Either way it is always an honor to be a part of it.

Enjoy.

Before

After

Table Restoration : Part 1

 It is always fun designing and building a piece from scratch but when your restoring an item, it always has its own challenges and surprises that come with it.  Every restoration is different but you can rest assured that the reward at the end is well worth it.  

This specific restoration is the first of a two part blog post that we will be doing on 2 different tables that we just did for a local coffee shop here in Newmarket called Covernotes.  

Now before I get into the process of restoring this beauty some of you may be wondering, like I was,  the history of this table.  This table has been in the owners family since the 1940's and was used for years at a children's camp owned by their mother.  For years it was used for kids to sit at and eat their meals together.  So fun.  I find the history behind the piece being restored gets you even more excited to see it in its future glory.  

The first process for this table was to remove all of the paint from the table top.  This took a little longer than expected because their were so many coats, at least 7.  Once they were removed it went to sanding.  I started off with a really gritty paper to remove any color that seeped into the grain of the wood, slowly working to a nice 220 grit.  One of the table top boards had come apart from the rest of the top so we re-glued it all back together.  This table, like many farm tables from its time, was made out of pine.  Because pine is a soft wood it had many marks and scratches left on it from years of use which added to the character of the table.  The legs for this table were given 3 coats of an off white satin finish paint and the top was given 1 coat of a stain called 'early america' and 4 coats of satin varnish.  There once was a drawer for this table but was missing so I rebuild a drawer front and used an antique brass drawer pull.  The drawer for this table is not functional as it will be in a coffee shop.  

I could not be more pleased with how this table turned out.  I never got tired of opening the door to the shop and seeing it staring back at me, all of the history and character.  

Restoring is defined as....

1. Bring back; reinstate

2.  Return to a former condition, place or position

I'm not entirely sure what this table once looked like but I'm pretty sure it has been 

'Brought Back' :)

Enjoy.

Before / After

feel free to leave any comments below :)

Simple And To The Point

Sometimes the most simple designs turn out to be the best.  I have learned over time and experience to never over think a design but to keep it simple and keep it me.  The moment I try to design and build something that is not me it tends to crash and burn, smile.

This shelf was made to let the raw materials do the talking.  The wood for the top was salvage hard wood and it was cut to size and given a light sand.  I left it with a rough look but not rough feel condition.  The brackets used for this shelf are steel salvaged from an old barn.  I cut the pieces to size with a grinder, removed the extra bars leaving one bar to hold the shelf.  The top of the steel bracket was notched into the wood and screwed in from the back.  The rough steel was cleaned up a little with a steel brush leaving the old paint still on the steel.  

I really love the rustic / industrial finish of this shelf.  The finish of this shelf makes it suitable for many different rooms and styles.  It has nice clean lines and tons of character.

This blog post is just like the content that it is about....

Simple and to the point.

:)

The Bench Story

I really like making benches and I'm not sure exactly why.  Don't get me wrong, I love making anything but I especially enjoy benches.  I love how the piece of wood sets the tone for the entire design and then all the pieces seem to fall into place.  If the bench were a story then the piece of wood chosen for the bench is like the introduction.  It sets the mood that leads to the next chapter which then in turn leads to the chapter after that. 

This Bench was one such story.  I saw the piece of wood and could see the story all of a sudden start coming together in my head.  

This particular bench was made for a customer who had an idea of what he wanted but wasn't 100% sure so he gave me a lot of creative license, which I love.  I built around the outline that he gave and this was what we ended up with, awesomeness :)

The main piece of wood used for this bench is a solid 2 inch piece of Ash that has a beautiful rustic live edge.  The other edge of this bench is bare and gives a totally different look. (I really like making benches with multiple personalities, depending on which side your looking at).  The wood used for this bench tapers at the one end, which gives it a super unique look.  The top and bottom of the bench got a generous sanding but not enough to remove some of the fun textures left from the planer.  After the hight of the bench was marked I then cut the one side on a 45 and then joined it back together making it one of the legs.  The two 4 inch bolts were ordered especially for this project and are not only for design purposes but they are also functional, adding stability.  I gave the bench a coat of walnut stain and 2 nice coats of satin finish varnish.  For the other leg of this bench I ordered a 6 ft length 3/8 thick piece of steel that I cut to size and bent into the shape that I wanted.  Working with steel that thick and bending it can be quite a mission but it is such satisfaction seeing it all together.  

If this bench really were a story then the steel leg would be the conclusion.  It finishes everything off and balances the design creating the perfect ending. 

The End.