New shop?

There's absolutely no guarantee that this is going down.. I mean, the offer has been accepted. Financing won't be an issue.. But, I am a pessimist. So it may blow up, at any moment! 

Nonetheless..

This could be the new Killer Tables, Killer Workshop.. Maybe.. If things keep going along smoothly.

There's a ton of room, for killing and tabling.. Despite my lousy photography skills. So, I am hoping that this will boost production! As well as offer some storage space.. Maybe some sponsor banners.. Who knows! But, I've sure got a lot empty walls, for advertising. ;)

The downside to all this, of course.. Is there's no production as of lately. Several people have been asking for tables.. And there's just nothing I can do. Which is killing me.. All this damn free time and nothing to table! I need to table! But, I can't even..

Temporarily out of order

Just while the house is selling.. I can't have tables and weird smells, lingering around the place. It may effect the market potential..

Moving? Wait, what?

Yeah, that's right! I am packing up, and moving to a better shop! Keep an eye open, for updates on that..

But don't worry! I am not going back to Nova Scotia, just yet. I'll stick around and make you folks some more Killer Tables, for a bit.

Getting Started

Okay.. I know what you're thinking.. How the heck does an author land himself a successful furniture "business." Going from writing, to woodworking? That doesn't make any damn sense at all!

And you're right. I never would have imagined myself as a carpenter.. Although, my father would be presently surprised, I am sure. As well as his father. Both of whom were fully certified carpenters. With their fancy book learned trade papers and all! Not me though. I can't stand the abhorrent taste of tuition, on my tongue. It would ruin the whole experience, for me. Entirely!

So, I skipped school.. Skipped the loans and debt.. And now? I am making a name for myself.. My popularity is growing, due to my low cost, high end looking furniture. I mean.. There's no real difference, aside from how the builder values his time. I am just being more realistic.

So what kind of investment did I make? Roughly? Well, I needed to make straight cuts. So I bought a $20 mitre box, from home Depot.. A couple of nails.. A hammer and about $20 worth of lumber. That takes care of the building process. What about stain? A hunk of steel wool and a few cups of vinegar. That's it. The whole thing started with a few bucks and a little patience.

Now I've got a whole plethora of RYOBI tools, and gadgets.. Saws, stains, fans, and filters..

The best advice I can give, for anyone looking to get started?

-It might not work out. So don't get carried away, with buying tools. Start small.

- Don't over estimate your value. Whatever amount of time you put into a project, is Irrelevant to the consumer. Price realistically.

- If a customer doesn't like a piece, made specifically for them. They're either looking for a freebie, or they have far too much free time. Drop them, immediately.

- Some people are just fucked, and should be avoided at all cost...

Another day at the office.

I've been working pretty hard on a new project.. I am really excited about it, actually! Unless that's the paint fumes, again. Actually, I've never really noticed how pretty the color of this room is..

Ah, Er.. Never mind.

So, a young guy came by and put a deposit on something really big.. So big, in fact. I am not entirely sure I can get it back up the steps! So, what is it? Well, I am not gunna bloody tell you! You'll just have to wait, and see.

In other news.. I am just about cleaned out, again. I just can't keep an inventory. Sam Walton would be proud.. I am destroying the competition, with lower prices! And, I am not even ordering anything, from China!

Made in Canada

And, lastly.. Everyone decided to pick up their furniture, on the same damn day! All within about twenty minutes from one another. Two clients even passed by each other, in my little condo complex.

Ryobi Sponsorship?

Some of you may have noticed that I am quite fond of these Ryobi folks.. There's always a couple of their toys in most of my pictures, and you're probably thinking; "Sponsorship.. Must be nice." Well, yes. It must be! But, that's nothing I know anything about! I just happen to use their brand of tool. But, being sponsored would sure be a whole lot more awesome! Hint hint. 

Okay, they have sent me a few presents.. I'll admit. Like this fancy, Ryobi dragon!.. Okay, that's my dragon. But, the tool box showed up in the mail, thanks to my good friends! It looks fantastic in my living room, where my clients come, to view the furniture. Which I build. 

And hey.. We look good in green.

Killer Sofa Table

With Everett at his grandparents, and the sun, high above us.. I got some serious tabling done, today.

This giant sofa table is five feet long. It's perfect, as a hall table, or just a sofa table.. Whatevs. I love it. It looks incredible, in my hallway. Well.. It's not done yet.. But, it will look incredible!

I am really super happy with this one. It may be hard to part with.. Unless the price is right. ;)

Dragon house!

Here's and oldie, but a goodie!

This is a project that I had done a while ago. Enjoy!

Before

It started with an armoire, destined for the landfill. It seemed to have run its course. An obsolete cabinet, designed for an obsolete style of television. Game over, you big, ugly waste of space..

But wait.. Recycle!

After drawing out some horrible plans, I immediately gave up on planning. The only way I would get this done, is by recklessly diving in. No guides, or foolish diagrams to hold me back. It's DIY anarchy!

Then my wife stepped in and told me what color to use.. Which started me off in a specific direction. So, it's off to the hardware store! And then Walmart.. Then back to the hardware store!

This is mostly a Home Depot project. Although, I did end up getting the light fixture and Mod Podge from Walmart. But, only by chance. Had I found a sealer and cheap light at Home Depot, I would have shopped there exclusively, for this project.

That being said.. I have since found a better, cheaper solution to Mod Podge. Stocked at Home

Depot, is Minwax Polycrylic non-toxic, water based sealant. Knowing this, I would definitely suggest substituting the Mod Podge, for Minwax. It's reptile safe, once dry.. So, give it a few days.

Materials used:

Free, donated, or already owned.
Shitty armoire
Stone basking tile
Dome basking light
Dragon

Purchased for project
Stone flooring - $ Home Depot
Paint - $27 Home Depot
2 paint brushes - $2 each
Mod Podge - $30 Walmart
Plexiglas - $32 Home Depot
Sliding track - $3 Home Depot
Light fixture - $20 Walmart
2x2 lumber - $2 / 8 feet Home Depot

Tools used
Measuring tape
Drill and driver bits
Ryobi one+ drill
Ryobi one+ fan
Ryobi one+ circular saw
Ryobi one+ spotlight (painting at night)
Ryobi one+ shop vac
Yeah, I have a thing for Ryobi tools..

Step one, was to rip the bastard apart and set everything aside. Most of the painting was done inside, because of the armoire's weight. And thankfully, this acrylic paint didn't give off any weird fumes or toxins. It wasn't ideal, but it worked.

Although the paint dried surprisingly fast, I still gave it a day, before applying the Mod Podge. This stuff is messy, expensive, and smells like a kindergarten class, during craft time. I really wish I had known about the Minwax sealer, prior to this step.. But, that's just bad luck, I guess.

I used a tub and a half of the horrible Mod Podge, which worked out to about 3 coats. 4 along the sides, where I felt the dragon may regularly brush against. Each coat was left for an hour or two, drying with the aid of a couple fans.

Once the miserable process of sealing was finally out of the way, it was time to mount the lights! The strip light was a cinch. I simply screwed it at the back of the top shelf, dead center. Nothing fancy, here. But the dome light isn't made for this kind of enclosure.

There was a lot of silly attempts, to hang the light, without drilling a hole.. But, in the end, I used the little clamps, that come with these types of fixtures. Well, half of the clamp.. Instead of fixing the hardware to the actual clamp, I tightened it onto a long bolt. The bolt was tightly fit into a hole, drilled near the strip light. Then, for added "No fally" protection, I applied a nut, onto the end. That thing ain't goin' nowhere!.. Excuse my double negative..

Aside from painting the doors, I didn't do anything to them.. Just screwed them back in place.. Originally, I was going to cut windows into the door. But, instead, i left them solid. That way, if I want to hide the dragon, from prying eyes.. I can easily close him off, from the world.

Which leads us to the sliding door!

I had some idea of how I was going to do this. But, not really. I knew that I was going to have two sliding Plexiglas doors.. The rest was a little bit of walking around Home Depot, looking for anything useful.

Eventually I spotted these plastic things, bending high above me. I still have absolutely no idea, what they are.. But they only cost $3, for a strip, measuring 8 feet. It's solid enough to hold the doors, and easy to work with. I used a hand saw, however. I felt that the circular saw may produce some level of shrapnel danger.

The bottom track is held to the main flooring, of the unit, with Mod Podge. It's staying there, pretty solid, for now. Though, it may need added support at some time, in the future. The top of the sliding doors is a a length of 2x2, cut to fit the armoire. Once painted and sealed, I used a few nails to hold the track in place.

The 2x2 itself, is held in place by a couple of thick screws. I drilled the holes first, using slightly larger drill bits on the armoire. This leaves the board sturdy, in place, yet it can still be twisted in place. This is important, because not only are my doors a bit big. But, at some point, I'll definitely want to remove them, for cleaning. This technique makes it much easier than taking the whole thing apart.

Larger planks?

I am not sure how I feel about using larger planks, on a coffee table.. I guess we'll see, come sale time. I'll have them set up, next to each other.. So, whichever proves to me most popular, I guess.

Its almost identical, in any other way, though. So maybe, it will be a hit!

Last weekend, I sold out.. So let's do this! Open for business!

TV table

I am just finishing up this tv stand, for a senior gentleman. It's a really nice looking piece, with light weight, in mind. For maneuverability. Because, he's old.. And I think of these things. ;)

I'll add this to the side bar, with a price, later today. I can whip up some more, if there's a demand.

Facebook

Check out the new Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/KillerTables

New, in my living room..

A slightly larger, more better, coffee table!

What's coming up?

I've been working fairly hard, in the shop, lately. Which has been even more enjoyable, thanks to my new RYOBI toy. If you follow me on Twitter, you've likely seen the adorable picture of my son, screaming into my RYOBI shop fan.. Well, that picture was cause enough, for that wonderful tool company to send me a One+ radio!

Which was fairly incredible of them.. Really. <3

Okay, okay. So more killer tables. Yes! My inventory has been virtually exhausted, by demand, lately. But, I have a number of great products coming up! Very soon, I may add.

Be sure to check back, regularly.. Because, I love posting pictures of these things! And, if you see anything, you want. Act fast. These don't last long at all.