Thursday, March 25, 2010

Miter Saw Table

In an effort to focus on something positive, I am going to add a woodworking category to this blog. Building furniture and projects is one of the ways that I keep my sanity. Although the extent that it saves mine may be the same amount that it frays my wife’s nerves. Hopefully we are achieving a workable balance.

Last year, I bought a miter saw to cut sugar maple molding for an entertainment center. I wanted something accurate to cut molding that cost $3 per foot. Of course, the saw is not much use without some way to hold the molding.

So like anything else I need help with, I went off to the internet. I found several designs for free plans and chose this design from Woodsmith.com. It is made from plywood and put together using dados. It’s about as simple as you can get for a project.

Here is a picture of the dado joinery, just like the plans show.



And here is a picture of the finished table.


I gave it a coat of Minwax stain for protection and have been using it ever since. I had this built in one afternoon and it has been getting more and more use. The back support may be too high, but so far it works and I can cut the back shorter if I need to. By the way, I did finish the entertainment center. The miter saw was quite handy when it came time to building the cabinet doors too.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Strive to be an Optimist

The pessimist finds fault;
The optimist discovers a remedy.

The pessimist seeks sympathy;
The optimist spreads cheer.

The pessimist criticizes circumstances;
The optimist changes conditions.

The pessimist complains about the apple seeds;
The optimist plants them.

The pessimist imagines impending peril;
The optimist sees signs of prosperity.

The pessimist disparages;
The optimist encourages.

The pessimist creates loneliness;
The optimist finds friends.

The pessimist nibbles at the negative;
The optimist is nourished by the positive.

The pessimist builds barriers;
The optimist removes roadblocks.

The pessimist invents trouble;
The optimist enriches the environment.

~ William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

Found on Beliefnet. A little something for everyone, I guess.