There are several firsts in this project – the first time I’ve added modern design elements to a table (the legs); the first time I’ve used tongue and groove joinery with a web frame and the first time I’ve used walnut. Walnut; after decades of woodworking, this week was the first time sweeping walnut’s dark brown sawdust from my shop floor. And it is such a gorgeous wood. The dark brown color has hints of pink and purple and the board I sourced from City Hardwoods was wide, mostly clear and flat. I’m using walnut as an alternate color for the side and back slats as well as the drawer pull. This is the point in the project where it gets really fun because it’s these 17 slats which brings the most distinction to the table… Once I obtained my beautiful piece of walnut, I quickly went to the Alabama Woodworkers Guild workshop where I got help re-sawing it in half. My bandsaw is still out of service. Fortunately I have several options for bandsaws …

If you have been a woodworker even for a short period of time, you’ve no doubt come to realize that building furniture has a lot to do with problem solving. I have been in this craft for more than 35 years and I can still make the most boneheaded mistake (as if I were a drop dead beginner). As mistakes happen, problem solving takes place. Solving problems isn’t simply due to mistakes though. For example, achieving a pleasing design or resolving complicated joinery issues require problem solving. Problems can be disappointing or frustrating, but solving them often leads to a big smile. One recent problem involved the numerous slats found in the sides and the back of my side table; specifically how to join the slats to the rest of the table. The only real way for me to do this is with mortise and tenon joinery. But I then had to decide how I would make these joints. The material I’m using is white oak and I have 34 mortises to make. Because the …