Entertainment Center

In a previous post I shared some pictures of a piece of furniture in progress. Well, here is the finished piece!

this entertainment center is made from found and salvaged wood. The only things purchased where the drawer slides (new) and the drawer pull which I found at City Wide Garage sale here in Austin.

I decided to give it an aged white-wash look. The shelves and the two front panels at the bottom where previously stained. I liked contrast of the light white-washed wood with the dark stain so I decided to keep them how they were.

This was a fun piece to build. It was definitely a challenge finding enough materials to complete it. For a little while I thought I may have to purchase some wood but came across some bits and pieces that some friends were getting rid of.

The idea for this came out of how much I disliked my old entertainment center. It was very short, did not have a lot of storage space and was just a cheap pre-made bit of garbage we purchased at an enormous chain that will remain nameless. The lower drawer is not very deep or shallow but is very wide. It is perfect for video and dvd storage.

Reclaimed Oak Stool

I recently did the finishing touches on a stool/ end table I have been working on. The top of it was made a while ago but I was having trouble making a choice about the direction this piece would go. Initially I was planning on making an end table with a lower shelf. Then I found the legs you see in the pictures and my idea changed to maybe turning it into a stool. So here it is, the stool of indecision.

The top is layered oak panels that I reclaimed from a pallet. The pieces of purple heart I used as the inlay was a gift from my friends at Wishbone Woodworking in New York. The legs came off a chair I saved from the garbage collectors. It definitely took quite a lot of sanding and glue to bring them back to life. But I think they make a really nice addition to the whole piece.

The final step to this stool were the five coats of tongue oil, sanding in between each with some 320 grit.

Entertainment Center... In Progress.

This new project has been a lot of fun for me. I am building an entertainment center for my wife and myself. I decided to make it a bit more challenging by only using found or reclaimed wood.

The top and sides are made out of pallet wood. I spent a lot of time pulling nails for this one but I love the look of the old weathered wood so much. The first image shows the process of gluing the pieces together. I notched each piece to make it a bit sturdy.

Our current TV stand is very low and doesn't have a lot of storage space, which is always something I seem to never have enough of. So when I started designing this piece I wanted to double it. There will be four shelves on the top of the piece and one large drawer on the bottom. The front panel that will be the 4 shelves was a piece from an old desk I found on the street. It was mostly dismantled so i had a pretty easy time taking the pieces I wanted to save and leaving the rest. Honestly, when I found that front panel I started designing the rest of the unit around it. It was originally about 2' longer then it is now.

the final picture shows the entertainment center with the bottom fascia pieces. That is where the lower drawer will be. I think the drawer slides may be the only new piece of material I will have to buy. But I would prefer they be new and sturdy then old and rusty.

I am thinking about going to a few antique stores and thrift shops to try to find my drawer handles. I am trying to keep the look of the mismatched materials without making it overly cluttered looking.

This has been a fun project.

New ARP Woodworking Logo

My new logo is done! My good friend Sal has done a really great job. Make sure to check out his work on his site, www.salvationdesign.com/v3/. He is a really great designer and artist.

It's Logo Time!

It's about that time that ARP Woodworking got a little bit professional. My good buddy, Sal Dell'Aquila is, as I type this, working on a new logo for ARP Woodworking. I am very excited, he is a talented artist and designer.

Check out his work at the link bellow.

http://www.salvationdesign.com/v3/

New portfolio site.

I have decided to make a separation between the two current lives of the ARP Collective. Since this is, obviously, the ARP Woodworking blog I have decided to take my wood stuffs off my portfolio site and give it it's own place to live.

arpwoodworking.carbonmade.com

I now have the ability to share more of my wood work with the world.

To either put your drink on or sit upon...

I have been working on this piece a bit. It is a work in progress at the moment but considering I am having second thoughts on the direction it should go, I thought I would document it's progression.

Oak slats with purple heart inlayed into the top. I have the legs off an old chair that I am going to fix up for the legs of this. I want to stain the legs dark and keep a more natural look for the top.

I had initially meant to build it as a stool but I am starting to feel like turning it into an end table might be a little more fun. With the possibility of a shelf or drawer! But I haven't made up my mind yet. what you see in the picture is where I have stopped.

We will see...