Wednesday, June 29, 2011

New again desk

We decided to move our office to the first floor at home, so I was on the hunt for a desk.  After much searching I wound up at the JOT EM DOWN store in Forney Tx.  I found a desk in my price range and after some negotiations (pointing out that it needed work) I got a 25% discount off of the asking price.  Most of their antiques come from Europe so I think this desk is some kind of European Oak.




I had to take it apart as soon as I got it home to get it into the garage, so I didn't take a good before picture.
The wood was in good shape but someone thought these handles looked good!



  It needed lots of work.  Years of finish and dirt had to come off.



I had to glue several sections back together to strengthen them.
It has two great pull out boards that create additional work surfaces. 
They are hidden under the top when they are put away and pull out over the drawers on both sides when in use.



The top had a faux leather middle piece which looked good but had black spots on it, 
It was dated 1979 so it was not original but added later,  it had to come off and will not be reused.



The drawers were an indicater that the piece was very old judging by the construction and craftsmanship.  They were dovetailed both on the front and the back of the drawers.
This is not used in newer pieces and another indicater that it is old traditional construction.
New desks may have dovetailing in the front but almost always are butt jointed in the back where most people wouldn't look.  The grain in the wood was real great.



So I started stripping and sanding all of the pieces. It took about 6 hours to get them all done.



Once the sanding was done I chose dark walnut, rub on stain.
As the stain went on and soaked into the grain on the top the texture started to come to life.



Here is a close up of the grain on the top before the finish wax was applied. 
Even here you can see the great variations in the grain that almost give it a tiger stripe effect.



Once all of the striping ,sanding and staining was done(out on the hot driveway),
I brought the parts inside to assemble and put the finish wax on. It was much cooler inside!
The modesty panel was missing so I fabricated one to replace the missing peice.
It did wonders to make the whole desk sturdier.



The new hardware, with the old antique look, that fits much better than the previous hardware.
As my mother would say "Looks Rich!"



I decided not to varnish or seal the stain, instead I applied a traditional hand rubbed wax finished.
The grain on the top is incredible and really came out when the wax was applied.



I like it so much that it will not be covered by any leather center piece.



Now that this is done the plan is to finish bringing the rest of the furniture down this weekend.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the room shortly!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, June 24, 2011

Today I Will Make a Difference



Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.


I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.


I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… . I will get up. It’s OK to fail… . I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.


I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.


Today I will make a difference.



From Shaped by God (original title: On the Anvil)

Copyright (Tyndale House, 1985, 2002) Max Lucado

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Changes

Debi is away at a creative workshop for the weekend so I'm getting creative here at home. Currently we have a guest bedroom downstairs and an office upstairs. Here are some pictures:





The office.





We decided to swap the rooms so I started the process of making the change.



First I cleaned out the downstairs room.



I used the opportunity to make some decorative changes to our dining room.


Do you think Debi will like it???


I did get the carpet cleaned with a steam cleaner.


But the I got distracted and went outside to build a platform for our barbecue off the deck out back. I built the deck and the cover earlier this year.


The distraction was not a total loss because I did get the shelves cut for the closet to be installed in the new office.


I quit for the day because a close friend was in town and visiting with her was a perfect excuse to break for the day. That's where I'll pick up today.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Wooded Creek Ln,McKinney,United States

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