It's not exactly a fine furniture commissions, but I had to put together a perch for some young chicks.  We are taking care of them for a few weeks for a farm we belong to.  There is just too much snow outside still.

I overdid it a bit.  I used some cherry off-cuts, reinforced the miter on top with splines, and set the cross bars into dadoes.  I rounded over all the inside edges to soften things for the little ladies.  They seem to like it.

Christmas gifts
December 2014
Near Christmas, I wanted to do some quick projects for small gifts.  It was also time to clean up the shop to allow for getting a car in there during winter snowstorms, so I tried to use up some scrap.

I made two small cutting boards in cherry and maple; one for each of my girls.

The I made two simple votive holders from layered cherry and southern yellow pine.

My wife broke our toothpick holder, so I made a new one out of maple.  I was making up the design on the fly and it works very well.

Finally, I made a set of refrigerator magnets with layered cherry and maple.  I set small rare-earth magnets in them which are very strong.

Everything but the cutting boards were finished with shellac.  It seems to tolerate the colder temperatures better than other finishes.

Lexie's treasure box
January 2015
I made this little treasure box for my daughter Lexie's 3rd birthday.  She uses it to stash her special things, but has also turned it into a seat, step stool, doll table, play stove, and doll bed.  I never could have planned for all that.

The case is cherry, with walnut breadboard ends on the top.  It is constructed like a traditional 6 board chest, with wrought nails.  I finished it in shellac - too many coats to count.  After a week of curing, I polished it with 400-grit sandpaper and buffed in wax with 0000 steel wool.