I built the projects on this page for my home and they are one of a kind projects. There are no drawings or instructions available for them. All of these projects were constructed using biscuit joinery methods that I describe in detail in my project books.

Dining Room Set

The first project is the dining room set in my home. The set is also contructed using biscuit joinery and solid maple. The set is an original design. The first pictures are of the table which is constructed of 4/4 solid maple planed down to 1 3/4”. The table surface and edges were hand carved with a one inch wide gouge with a 1/16 depth of cut. The entire surface was carved in this manner using only the gouge without a mallet. This took many long hours of pushing the gouge until my hand hurt too much to continue.

The chair backs were cut from a 2” X 6” piece of solid maple and then hand carved to match the table top. Since these slats were attached to the uprights using biscuit joinery, I had to calculate the location of the slots and then cut the slots while the pieces were still square in order to support the biscuit joiner fence. After cutting the biscuit slots, I cut the shape out with a bandsaw and then hand carved each piece.

The drawer fronts and the headboard at the top of the china cabinet were also cut from solid maple and then hand carved to match the table top surface.

Handcarved Table Surface

The table surface is comprised of seven, six inch wide pieces of solid maple. The pieces were then aligned taking into consideration color and grain. Then I cut three biscuit slots every six inches being careful not to put biscuit where they might show when the oval shape was cut. Then I assembled all the pieces using glue in all the biscuit slots and along the entire surface of each piece. The pieces were then clamped together carefully, top and bottom, making certain that the surface remained completely flat. I allowed the glue to ooze out freely and to set up for about 30 to 45 minutes. Then I used a small scraper to remove the still soft excess glue. This makes the final sanding of the surfaces much easier.

It is true that the biscuit joints are not essential when gluing up boards in this manner. The final glue joint, if properly done, will be stronger than the wood itself. However, using the biscuit joints maintains the boards in absolute alignment during clamping and you don’t have to tolerate the slipping of boards as the pressure is applied to the clamps.

The legs are set in a different arrangement and there are no aprons. They are also cut from solid maple using a band saw. The carvings were done with a dremel and carving bits. They are fastened to the bottom of the table with drywall screws. The dremel, with a good set of carving bits, is an excellent tool for carving hardwoods. After being cut out with a bandsaw, the detail was carved with the piece clamped to a workbench.

This dining room set was designed to fit in with the casual, southwest look of our home. Since it is just the two of us, the table is not excessively large but can still accommodate six people when we have company for dinner.

You are not stuck with existing designs and drawings. To design something new you can start with a design that already exists and decide how you want to change it. The legs on this table are a prime example. I’ve never cared for the idea of the legs on the four corners of a table and decided to do something else with this design. In this case the legs are placed at the center of each side of the table and form a cross.

The China Cabinet

The china cabinet is also an original design. It was designed around the leaded glass squares that were given to us as a wedding gift. We had them hanging in windows for years before deciding to use them on the china cabinet.

After designing the china cabinet, I built the doors using the leaded glass squares. The rest of the cabinet was built around the doors. The headboard, countertop and drawer fronts were hand carved to match the table surface. The shelves in the top hutch are glass with a small light at the top of each section to illuminate the leaded glass.

Handcarved Plaque on solid Honduras Mahogany

The last personal project on this page is a carving that I made for my wife before we were married. We exchanged many letters during this time and one of them had a beautiful statement that I wanted to treasure. I designed and carved a large plaque using one piece of solid honduras mahogany. The carving includes a large eagle and the words in the letter. This piece is hung on our dining room wall.

If you haven’t already, why not try your hand at designing and building some pieces for your home. My tendency is to design informal classic pieces. You may like much more modern designs. Just do what feels right for you because there is no right or wrong. You may not like these designs and I may not care for yours. This simply reflects one’s taste not what is or isn’t correct.

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