A Bed...

...we had been out bed hunting for our little mate a few months ago ... afterall, he would be two soon enough... did the rounds of the homemaker hells looking at cheap asian imports or expensive wood but shoddily put together aussie beds...

and decided... da, dah!

...buy some decent cabinet timber and make our own!! I had made some furniture in my teens - how hard can it be to make decent stuff?!

1st learning experience ... Power tools ... had to return 2 sets so far... what is with letting the customer do your QC for you?!

2nd learning experience... timber... so far out of my depth can't feel the bottom even on my tippy toes... these guys deal in lots of different sorts and mostly undressed - the timber not the timber blokes. Timber blokes wear King Gee, carry tape measures and don't go much for words over 3 syllables... but they do know about quarter cut, end grain, shooting boards and 'on the mitre' ... you don't know what all that is do you? Nor did I - and they knew that I didn't know...
but they were old skool and integrity still prevails which is why - after an error on their part and them (Watts Wood) having the good grace to fix it - we ended up with two 3.8m lengths of 95x45 dressed Silky Oak. The bonus was half of one face was cut on the quarter which gives that classic silky oak shell effect...!!




This changed our plans and a decision was made to do mitre joints to show of the pattern rather than easier and quicker butt joints...
3rd learning experience... there is a reason why you don't see mitre joints in store bought furniture - it is exacting and time consuming. We even had to add a new power tool to the arsenal - a Hitachi compound saw and a lot of clamps - wood blokes love clamps...

expect progress reports up to 26 may!