The Pinstriped Console... in pages of a book in a bookstore near you!

Many moons ago (say four years worth) Julie and I needed a table by the door to throw our mail/keys/accumulated crud onto when we came home from work.  It also needed to pull triple duty as a surface to place cocktails, and store a variety of remote controls.  I whipped up this baby. 

I'd just started geeking out on woodworking, and had some new tools, and wanted to use them all.  I made a template for the top and bottom, and routed them out.  I stuck most of the pieces together using my new biscuit joiner.

After cutting all my slots, I plopped biscuits in and glued 'er up.  I was also fascinated with bending wood at the time, and bought this little vacuum bag used primarily for making skateboards.  I put it to work on this project to laminate the walnut and maple veneer to the back and the cabinet door.

Fast forward a couple years or so, and this guy Phil Schmidt contacts me about this book that he's making.  He says it's a How-To book based on all things plywood.  I said I made a thing or two, one thing leads to another, and I'm writing step by step instructions and taking pictures like this here.  I'm no pro photographer, but white paper gets you halfway there (no offense, pro photographers).

Luckily I'd taken a course in AutoCad recently because I had to draw up templates for the book.  They are still pretty amateurish compared to other pros in the book probably, but a baldman only has so much knowledge in catergories outside of speedy diaper changing and baby food mashing.

I sent this picture in to the book guys, and it made it on the cover!  Check it!

I have another table in the book too.  I'm pretty sure PlyDesign is coming out in the next few days.  Pick up your copy just about anywhere.  Tell 'em Baldy sent ya!  Stay tuned for cool book release party news in May!

Gettin Bigger and Balder

This was pretty cool yesterday... The kids section of Apartment Therapy, called Ohdeedoh, wrote a little thing on the kitchen I made for Claire. I've been reading that goofy ole blog for years and years, so you know. It's at least pretty cool to me! They said lots of nice things, which is music to my ears, as these days I hear a lot of baby crying and two year old yelling, which is quickly becoming white noise to my ears.

In other "Made for Claire" news, I made this table rather quickly, out of a piece of plywood and an old herman miller swivel chair base I bought at a garage sale about a year ago. I tried really hard make the swivel part not swivel (as the table ends up not level as it spins), but with two year old tyrants, that didn't last. I'm assuming Claire and her hoodlum toddler clan will be throwing this table through her new window soon.

Where them Wares at?

These days I've been screwing around with sites to upload some pics for potential customers. Customers that want something on the woody side. I checked out carbonmade a while ago, and bounced around with behance, and maybe I'm coming back to you, carbonmade. I need a pro photographer to be my friend. One who is sickgood at taking pictures of stuff/things. Anyway, here's this new thing I set up whilst a baby slept, instead of cleaning the house like a good househusband should.