Back in January I started a carving class at UNM-Taos. This is my first piece, a Nicolai Fechin inspired design. I got the idea from a door panel he carved, as documented in the book ‘Fechin: The Builder”. Fechin was a Russian born artist who moved to Taos in the 1930’s. Primarily known for his paintings, Fechin was a pretty talented designer, builder, and carver.

Just finished this little guy; it is a small side table of Cherry with tapered legs, curved aprons, and a floating top. I was looking for something simple and quick to make; it is my goal to have a few pieces that I can make in small batches in order to hit a favorable price point and sell through a couple local furniture retailers. I will post better pics when I get a chance. Let me know what you think….

Regards, JM

Obviously this is not furniture; actually, it’s what keeps me (in most cases) from making furniture. But, it pays the bills…

This is a kitchen that I built & installed recently. The doors, drawer fronts, and face frames are all solid Cherry with a ‘Washington Cherry’ stain, and a semi-gloss, water-bourne conversion varnish topcoat. The cases are maple ply, and the drawers boxes are dovetailed Birch. The drawer slides are Blum Tandem w/ Blumotion (self-closing, full-extension).

The countertops are all polished sandstone; the pictures don’t do them justice. They looked amazing in person.

Later, JM

I finally got the jewelry box ready for the wall. Not much to say at this point, but I’m excited to move on to my next project, and hopefully finish up some other pieces that have been hovering over my head for a while.

The only thing I guess I should add that I didn’t mention in the previous post is that I used 3/16″ square stainless steel bar stock for the jewelry hanger and the drawer pull. I first sanded it to 400 grit and then polished it with wax and 0000 steel wool. It is let into the front stiles of the case and secured with epoxy.

As always there are many things I would do differently if I were to build another one, but overall I am pleased with how it turned out. Hope she likes it….

If anyone has suggestions for what to call this besides a jewelry box please let me know. It doesn’t seem to fit, but it’s all I can come up with for now. Vanity, maybe…?

Cheers, JM

So, it’s not really a box, but it does have a drawer and it holds jewelry. So, for today it is a jewely box.

At any rate, this is a gift I am building for my wife. I asked her for some ideas the other day; some things we could use around the house. One of her first responses was “a place to hang necklaces and a shelf to put my perfume on…” So, while I was working in the shop the other day I came across some Walnut that I salvaged from a dismantled project from early on in my ‘career’. I started sketching some ideas and this is what I came up with.

It’s a pretty basic contemporary design aesthetic. I didn’t do any detailed drawings; just took the sketches and started playing around until I came up with some dimensions I liked. The corners/dividers are mostly butt-joints with dowel reinforcements in certain areas.

There is still a little work to be done; I have to build the drawer box that goes on the far left of the shelf, finish the French-cleat from which to hang it, and apply a couple more coats of the oil/varnish blend that I am using.

I’ll post more pics when it is on the wall…

Regards, JM

So, I decided on using some salvaged Doug-Fir from a remodeling site to construct the chest on stand, and I was excited at the prospect. I rescued three large cutoffs (approximately 6″ x 6″ x 48″), took them home and resawed them to more managable thicknesses, and let them dry for a couple months (they were kiln-dried to begin with, and they had been stored in a crawlspace under a tarp for two years prior to my getting them).

Once I started milling them to rough dimension for the project, however, things got a little ugly. There were large internal checks and cracks, and almost everything I thought was usable turned out to be junk. I got a few relatively clear pieces out of it all, and decided I would use it to build a mock-up of the project instead.

I only have rough drawings at this point, so I thought a mock-up would give me some insight into some of the concerns I had about the scale, design details, etc… For instance, after building the mock-up, I decided I like the scale of the base, but I am still unsure whether I prefer straight stretchers, or curved ones, and also what the spacing should be between the aprons and stretchers. Anyhow, here are some pics of the base mock-up in Doug-Fir.

I am still working on the mock-up of the case. I haven’t decided whether to use bookmatched boards, or frame-and-panel with some funky burl veneered panels, or what… Any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.

Hope this all makes sense. Anyhow, keep checking back….

Regards, Jarrod

So, I have been finishing up a kitchen cabinet/remodel job and there just hasn’t really been time lately to spend in the shop. But, just over the last couple days I started to work up a plan for a chest on stand that will be a gift for some friends who are expecting their first child.

The picture above is the leg/stretcher detail I am thinking about. I haven’t quite decided on material; I am leaning toward a Walnut stand with an African Mahogany chest. My other choices for the chest are vertical-grain Fir or Canarywood; either way I have some really beautiful quarter-sawn cedar for the interior of the chest.

The chest itself will either be dovetailed at the corners, or possibly mitered with contrasting splines. Haven’t quite decided on that either. Handcut dovetails sure do take a long time… At any rate, I will post updates soon as I have finally gotten finished with the cabinet job and will have ample time to work on the chest on stand.

Regards, JM

To kick things off I thought I would add photos of my most recent completed project – a Greene & Greene inspired coffee table. Built of solid Cherry with Walnut accents, it measures 18″w x 40″l x 19″h.

It features handcut joinery including through-wedged mortise & tenon on the lower shelf, as well as pinned mortise & tenon at all the corners.

The top is attached to the stretchers and aprons with wooden ‘buttons’ which allow it to move with seasonal changes in humidity.

The finish is an oil/varnish mixture which is great because it provides water resistance, and it is easily repaired/renewable.

So, I decided to take the next logical step in an attempt to bring some attention to my work, and to encourage me to stay on the path of productivity. I will be making (at least) weekly posts as I progress through some current portfolio projects. It is my intention to take you through the construction process of my pieces, as well as presenting finished work as I attempt to develop a body of work worthy of consideration for galleries and juried art shows. Please check back, and leave questions or comments… jarrod.murphree@gmail.com

Regards, Jarrod