After weeks of finishing, polishing, pre-drilling, and re-drilling, the truck deck is complete. Now its off to replace all the drill bits I’ve broken in the process…

To install the deck (on this glorious Thursday afternoon), I first laid down 1″ x 3/4″ strips of Ipe (finished with the same epoxy sealer / varnish combination as the planks) running crossways to the bed of the truck. Working from the center plank outward, I used a 1/4″-thick spacer strip to place each subsequent plank. I pre-drilled and countersunk each screw with a 5/32″ bit (instead 1/8″) to account for the hardness of the Ipe and the brittleness of the stainless steel. Great care had to be taken not to snap off the screw head while driving each screw (which is not to say that I didn’t lose a few anyway…)

Given the oiliness and density of Ipe, I figured Stainless Steel screws would work best for the deck. Here is a trick I learned from my old instructor David Upfill-Brown for polishing screws:

Chuck the screw directly into the drill press. DON’T OVER-TIGHTEN THE CHUCK! Simply hand-tightening the chuck should be enough to hold the screw in.

With the drill press running, lightly press the screw head down onto a piece of adhesive-backed sandpaper for two or three seconds.

Remove the screw, and voila - shiny new screw head! The screw on the left was left “as-is”- the one on the right is freshly polished.

With all the parts milled and test-fit into the truck bed, the next step (and really the crux of the operation) was to finish each individual piece with an epoxy sealer and a marine-grade spar varnish. I applied the finish as follows: two coats of MultiWood Prime Epoxy Sealer, followed by four coats of Epifanes High Gloss Marine Varnish. The first coat of varnish I applied at 50% concentration, the second at 75%, the third at 90%, and the final coat I applied at full strength. High Test, in other words. I 36 hours betwwen coats of epoxy sealer, and 24 hours between coats of varnish. I sanded with 320-grit paper between each coat.

My hope is that this finish will last several years before it requires a fresh coat of varnish, although given the amount of abuse it will most likely suffer in the back of the truck (which lives outside year-round), your guess is as good as mine as to how long it will actually last.

Special thanks to Mr. Sean Clarke, for his article “A Durable Exterior Finish,” which appeared in Fine Woodworking #179.

My first “proper” piece, built in mid-winter while in Maine. (The name
was inspired.) This cabinet, executed in solid cherry from a single board, features two drawers and two doors. All boxes are constructed with internally-splined miters for strength and grain continuity. The pulls on the drawers and doors are actually small finger holes.

Dimensions: 18″W x 24″H x 10.5″D
Materials:Cherry, Maple
Finish:Hand-rubbed Oil w/ Natural Beeswax

Photos by Jim Dugan.

These small boxes can be used for storage, display, or simply as decoration – they will look great on your walls with or without anything in them. These playful, wall-mounted boxes are extremely easy to install, allowing for unlimited display possibilities and design opportunities. The maple boxes shown here fit twelve CD cases snugly. Please ask about custom sizes to fit your individual needs.

Dimensions: 6″ x 6″ x 6″ (Shown)
Materials: Solid Maple or Cherry
Finish:Three Coats of Wipe-On Polyurethane

Photos by Jim Dugan.

This Arts and Crafts-influenced chest is constructed from solid cherry and maple veneer. It features frame-and panel construction and wedged, through-tenon joinery. All parts are shaped and planed by hand. The version shown has a removable, sliding tray.

Dimensions: 48″ L x 24″ W x 18″ H
Materials: Solid Cherry with Maple and Maple Veneer
Finish:Three Coats of Acrylic Lacquer

Photos by Allison Seeman.

This mirror is made with Swiss Pear, a dense, fine-grained wood (and one of my personal favorites to work), and is constructed with wedged, tenoned miters. The opposing sides of the mirror are resawn to accentuate the dark streaks running through the otherwise pinkish grain. The mirror shown is a full-length, wall-hung version. As with all my work, each mirror is made to order, and can therefore be made to any size to fit your particular setting.

Dimensions: 67″ T x 20″ W x 1.5″ D (Shown)
Materials: Swiss Pear with Sterling Silver
Finish: Carnauba Wax

Photos by Allison Seeman.

Simple. Elegant. Graceful. These are not words that are generally used to describe my friend Tom, who originally commissioned this table. They do, however, describe this coffee table, which features a bookmatched top, and twelve individually-shaped and polished wedged through-tenons.

Dimensions: 49″ L x 28″ W x 16″ H
Materials: Solid Black Cherry with Texas Ebony
Finish: Three Coats of Hand-Rubbed Oil, Three Coats of Paste Wax

Photos by Patrick Bertolino.

In keeping with the Arts-and-Crafts tradition, each decorative element also serves a functional purpose - the ebony pegs lock the tenons into place, the breadboard ends keep the top from warping, and the trestles provide strength.

The two trays are lined with leather, and are the perfect height for a laptop or (perhaps more importantly) a cup of coffee. The center tray is can store small personal items, yet is shallow enough to remain uncluttered.

Each drawer pull is shaped and polished by hand, then mortised and wedged into place. While simply screwing them onto the drawer face, mortising ensures that the pulls will remain secure after a lifetime of use.

Detail of the lower left side of the desk. Through-tenons are double-wedged into place, and ebony pegs pin the vertical elements in place. You can see how I make them here.

This desk features one drawer, two pullout trays, hand-carved drawer pulls, breadboard ends (to allow for seasonal wood movement), over fifty mortise-and-tenon joints, and sixty-four individually-shaped and polished Texas Ebony pegs. There is also plenty of leg room on both sides of the desk, making it perfect for those long meetings.

As with all my pieces, this desk can be made to perfectly suit the user. The height of the desktop, in particular, can be adjusted before construction to maximize both comfort and function.

Dimensions: 74″ L x 32″ W x 29″ H
Materials: Solid Black Cherry with Texas Ebony and Maple
Finish: Three Coats of Hand-Rubbed Oil, Three Coats of Paste Wax

Photos by Patrick Bertolino.