Master Woodworking and Furniture Repair

I've got several projects going on right now, but I thought I'd build a post dealing with turning spindles.  Pretty much every woodworker I know loves turning wood on a lathe.  It's very satisfying shaping and smoothing the wood as it spins in front of you.  A customer has a crib that he is re-engineering and he needs four spindles turned matching the originals.    This project started with selecting some white oak that had a grain pattern similar to the original wood. Next the stock has to be glued into blanks, squared and dimensioned. Below the first blank is mounted on the lathe and roughed into a round/cylindrical shaped using a rasp and roughing chisel. Then the roughed unit is smoothed down to nearly the final maximum diameter.  I've begun to lay out the pattern below.  I do all my work freehand, so I spend a lot of time measuring and checking. I've cut in the first couple of inches using the actual spindl...

This is another lead from Thumbtack.  A really nice local couple wanted to replicate the style of their existing cabinet (see below) in the opposite corner of the room, with a space for their big screen television.  The challenge here is that the angles are tricky, to say the least. Here's the existing cabinet that's being used as the model: The new cabinet will be somewhat wider.  Also, the bottom three sections of glass door will be open space for the television.  Below is a drawing that represents the concept.  Final drawings are in progress. The original base dimensions give an idea of the challenges involved in making all of the corners work. The 120 degree angle at the back right corner reflects the angle of the wall.  The right side is constricted by a window, so the whole thing has to fit between the back wall and the window trim.  You may also note that the front right corner is an acute angle and the front left is an...

I've been commissioned to create a belt buckle display cabinet by a lovely lady whose husband has a large and fascinating collection of belt buckles.  We had a pleasant chat and came to some determinations about dimensions and requirements.  Basically, we're looking for a fairly narrow cabinet (5" - 6" wide).  30" wide and 50" tall + a bottom drawer.  Adjustable shelves (8) and a single framed glass front covering all of the display shelves. Note the black, flocked back panel. One big challenge is going to be selecting hinges that aren't going to be intrusive, but still capable of supporting a 2.5 foot wide, 50" tall piece of 1/8" oak-framed, plate glass.  I'm hoping to find a suitable flat piano hinge. Additionally, the cabinet itself will be very heavy as it will be of solid oak construction.  So, mounting it to the wall will require substantial fasteners. I've already selected and rough dimensioned the white oak stock f...