Author: rdkrafka

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.

There is arguably no better way for an aerospace engineer turned fine woodworker to spend a weekend than to build Barnstorming Biplanes out of walnut and white oak scraps. These Biplanes are perfect desktop model airplanes for aeronautical enthusiasts and simultaneously  wonderfully sturdy children’s toys and thus highly recommended for those ages 2-100.

This ingenious dog food and accessory cabinet was designed by Ryan to reduce dog associated clutter that all dog owners are all too familiar with. This cabinet features a large easy open aluminum dog food canister, a pull out dog bowl drawer, and five adjustable shelves to store all your dog’s toys and treats just out of your dog’s reach. This stained white oak cabinet was methodically constructed to keep your dog a little more organized.

This walnut trestle table is one of my biggest table projects to date. I started the table in January, finished it mid-February and just finished the accompanying bench a few days ago.  It’s called a trestle table because, like a trestle bridge, it relies on many parts or supports working together to give it it’s great strength. One of the more striking components of the table is the contrasting steel pipe and end caps incorporated into the base… They exude strength and really add grandeur to this grand sized table.

This project was made possible by the talent and expertise of Colette Cook who made the plans, did the metal work for, and put a lot of hard work into this table before passing the project on to me to finish.

I designed and created these unique walnut and white oak plant stands as Christmas presents for family friends. They feature one of a kind mortise and tenon joints with tapered walnut at both ends. An exemplary pedestal worthy of holding the rarest botanical beauty.

I crafted these sleek and elegant watch boxes for a friend in Solon. Some I made with walnut exteriors, white oak separators, and walnut inserts to wrap the watch around. Others I made with a white oak exterior, walnut separators, and white oak inserts. The combination of the contrast of woods and sleek design produces an all but ordinary watch box. They have proven to be a handsome addition to any watch collection.

 

I made this red oak bed frame with maple panels for a family friend in Burlington, Iowa. The bed is equipped with four soft-close pull out drawers, two storage spaces with hinged doors at the head, three dimmable LED lights built into the headboard for reading, and an outlet with two USB ports on either side. It was a fun month-long project that turned into a breathtaking storage saving addition to any bedroom.

I made this beautiful quartersawn white oak dining room table for a family down Newport road. The table base is of full mortise and tenon construction using old barn wood 4×4’s pegged together. The top is nicely finished quartersawn white oak glued together with breadboard ends in the traditional harvest table fashion. Table extensions are a nice addition for those large family gatherings we all have this time of year!

 

 

I made this baby cradle for Solon High’s annual Dollars for Scholars gala auction this fall. Really happy with how the piece turned out. I designed it to be warm and inviting with a smooth swing. It’s primarily white oak, with walnut slats, and spalted maple head/foot boards. A fun piece for a great cause helping my hometown community.

I refurbished these doors for some clients who are transforming an “Early American Victorian” house downtown Solon, into a beautiful bed and breakfast called the Iowa Street Inn. I grew up in Solon, have walked and driven past this house on innumerable occasions, but never got to appreciate the beautiful old woodwork inside, until last month.

The two doors I was tasked to refurbish had been stored in the cellar basement and had deteriorated considerably, but as with most old pieces, the potential was there. It took some doing, but I deconstructed the doors entirely, glued them back together, re-laminated the oak veneers, replaced missing veneer and core structure, then set about stripping the doors of the dark and faded finish. Three applications later and the doors were ready for a fresh application of stain and finish. I would say they are good as new, but that wouldn’t do them justice. They are better than new now, because the history is still written in the grains, and thanks to my clients will continue to be written for yet another century or more.

* The all brass hardware on these doors is beautiful. Most interesting is the door stop, top left of hardware picture. It had a patent date of DEC 1899, which by my estimation puts it well over 100 years old in use and it still works flawlessly today!