Here is my little craft project for January. I've refinished and restored lots of old furniture items. This was a much more minor project, and not something vintage. I had downsized a little by getting rid of a desk and dresser. I wanted a place to keep easily lost items, like eye glasses, wallet, and keys. I found this drawer box on Amazon. It will do the job, but I didn't like how it looked when it arrived. Those holes for drawer pulls are not for me. Also, it's stained but no actual finish, so I think it looks dull and dirty. I thought about adding drawer pulls that covered the holes, but they would be kind of big and the placement difficult. Then I thought, why not turn those drawers around, so the backs become the fronts? I kind of liked that, and thought a two-tone look would be nice. The wood was a bit rough, so I sanded all of it, inside and out. Going from 100 grit, to 200, 300 then 400 grit. Then I sealed all of the bare wood with an oil based wood conditioner. I like black wood-stain, which has a kind of ebony look. So I added a black rubbed stain to the case. Oh, I like that much more. I think it looks more like walnut than ebony. That may be how this wood takes up stain. Coming from China, maybe it's Zelkovia or oak, or eucalyptus. I don't know. The stain also highlights the joinery but doesn't darken it too much. I wanted to stain or dye the drawer fronts red, but I couldn't find what I wanted. Then, after rubbing in the wood conditioner, I liked how the sort of golden natural wood shone, so I did not stain it, just condition and polyurethane. After six coats of satin finish polyurethane... Now the drawer pulls. Most were too big for this small box, so I had to order smaller ones. (I also added felt feet for the bottom) Now I have a place for those items I tend to lose, plus a little extra. I enjoy looking at natural wood grains. I also like looking at the joinery, which is often hidden. The satin polyurethane has a nice feel and lustre. I like this much better than the original.
Mate, this is such a great posting. I know so little about woodworking that I spent a while reading and looking. It is a remarkable piece. Very clever trick to turn the drawers around. I like those types of solutions.
Oh by the way since we are almost neighbors I have a few areas around that could use your wood working skills….….kiddin..
These days I can do small projects, but big ones are too much. In days gone by, I was always looking for something in need of refinishing.
Yeah I know exactly how this aging process goes.. one day I’m fine ,loaded with hope and energy. Head out after one small project that took a lot longer than ever, and i’m totally zapped..
This is my favorite furniture restorer. She's in Nova Scotia. Sometimes she does much more than restore - she starts with something that looks like hopeless junk, and creates something beautiful and modern.
I think it looks fabulous! Really an amazing display of skill on your part! So well done I say! Only thing I would add to this, will be some magnetic reed switches that'll turn on LED lights inside each drawer as you pull it out. Doing this completely eliminates fumbling in the dark - I did this with my gun cabinet, and it's made life very easy regarding quick access at odd hours of the night... It doesn't even need to be magnetic, it can be any number of other options available. The way it all works is the same way light inside the refrigerator turns on as we open the door.
A tiny project, and not the best. But in a similar vein. I wanted a container for remotes and reading glasses so they don't get lost or chewed.. (I'm not the one who does the chewing). This box was sitting in the garage on a back shelf, broken into several pieces. I think cedar wood is particularly beautiful, with the grain color variations and knots, and the base red-ish color. I glued it together a while back, but set it aside. I finally got it out and sanded all of the repairs and smoothed them, then applied multiple coats of polyurethane. I bought new hinges and a hasp on line. The liner is a super-thin film. I thought it would give an old paper antiquey look, and not leave bare wood inside. I might redo that some time but meanwhile it doesn't show. Back in the day, I used to use a lathe for some woodworking projects. Cedar was my favorite, because it was so soft and smelled so good, and the color was so nice.
