Standing Coat Rack

This coat rack is made of cedar from Home Depot. I had to take my time to select a straight 4x4 for the long part. The rest was made from scrap left over from my outdoor patio table and benches.

The business end of the coat rack was fun. I got to use all my power tools to work it out. I cut the pyramid shape on the top using the power miter saw, the arms were cut to shape with the bandsaw then routed flush to a template with the router table. I used mortise and tenon joinery to attach the arms to the post. This involved the router table, hand held router, and chisel to complete.

The legs were cut with the power miter and simply glued onto the post. This part was pretty easy, but I completely smashed my left index with my mallet while I was trying to align the legs! Yeah, that really hurt – and no guitar for a few weeks. :-P

We haven't chosen a finish for this piece, yet. I'm thinking a nice walnut stain/finish would blend nicely with the exposed wood in the house. :)

Getting Started

I am not sure where the idea to start woodworking really came from because I've always been interested in building things.. Perhaps my LEGO obsession finally just decided to grow up? A few years ago, I borrowed a woodworking book from my father in law. The Complete Woodworker (1980) showed me examples of hand tools, joinery, and how to build practical things out of wood (without the help of power tools!) from fences to tables. I developed an understanding that it doesn't take a shop full of expensive, commercial power tools to build a simple project.
So, I set out to acquire the essential tools to get started. I went to my local hardware store and picked up a simple hand saw/miter box combo and an oak board. I attempted my first dovetail joint -- and it was terrible. I did a little research on YouTube and the second attempt was better, and I started understanding how it was all supposed to work. I got even more excited!
A few more books later, and I eventually worked up the courage to visit a local lumber yard. After seeing rough-cut lumber in real life, I realized I was silly to think I could do it all with hand tools -- I just didn't have the time. Or the tools. After sulking about it for a while, I discovered a temporary solution: Club Workshop. I got excited and went to check it out. The owner gave me an enthusiastic tour which included work spaces for automotive repair, metal fabrication, sewing, and of course, woodworking (including a CNC router -- but we'll get to that later). All I needed was a project.

Purpose!

The purpose here, is to communicate my projects and ideas from whatever area of interest I happen to be obsessed with at any given time. :) Guitar building and woodworking projects are my primary goals, but don't be surprised to see posts about guitar skills, music, photography, art, electronics, android app development -- basically, anything that starts with readily available materials and skill, and ends with a tangible, aesthetic, or useful product.

Classical guitar in progress..