Month: May 2018

Ryan custom made this maple cutting board for his wife’s birthday. She was elated to find that not only did it fit the counter space perfectly, but it also was built to have a slight angle and a lip that fits over the sink so that when foods drain they don’t create a mess. Ryan has also included adjustable pads, for the times you would prefer that your cutting board not be at an angle. He thinks of almost everything.

This white oak and walnut bench was designed for a woman who wanted an outdoor bench for her patio that she could bring indoors in the winter. These requests required the bench to withstand Iowa weather, and to be fashionable enough to bring indoors. Ryan managed to do just that. With the seat carved out for comfort and the entirety hand finished with three coats of polyurethane this stylish bench would be suitable for almost any location.

We had a customer who had been storing a slab of red cedar, which he had inherited from his father, in his garage for years, hoping to one day make it into something useful. He approached Ryan and asked him if he could make it into a plant stand. From that proposition Ryan designed this unique plant stand to feature the red cedar slab. The oak barn beams form the A frame base, while the copper wires add stability to this stunning one of a kind novelty.

A couple came to me with this dresser that had been handed down through the generations. A beautiful small chestnut dresser that needed a good deal of restoration. The top of the dresser had some deep water marks from water glasses and what I suspect was a potted plant. Over the years and through the
changes of seasons, various cracks had formed on the top and sides originating mostly from where the large “cut nails” had firmly held the top to the dresser frame. In terms of holding strength and longevity, nothing really compares to the “cut nails” of yore. Their only drawback, is that their wedged shapes lends to considerable crack formation over time. I cut out most of these large cracks in the top and sides, where feasible, then re-glued the pieces back together. The top was sanded down to remove the water marks while the other surfaces were stripped three times to remove the old worn finish. A curved piece of trim was missing on one of the drawer faces, so I took a scrap piece of walnut and carved it to match the void. Much of the original backing was missing so a new backing was made and fit to the dresser. Then lastly the dresser was stained and finished to last yet another century of use.
And as to not forget about the history of the piece. I used the original “cut nails”, the ones that held the top on for so long and consequently formed the cracks, to visibly fill the holes they had originally occupied for so long.

Ryan custom designed and created this gorgeous free edge cherry bench with a brass support bar for a customer who had a cherry table and wanted a bench to match. It’s obvious this beautiful pair were made for each other.