Wood working question

[Budweiser John]

Just a quick word on 'big box store' pine boards/pine trim.

This so called pine is plantation grown and is called Radada Pine. The stuff is crap. Just look at the space between the growth rings. There is a significant difference in density across the face of the boards so they don't stain well and painting requires multiple coats of primer to obtain a decent finish. It also doesn't machine and sand well.
B. John

 

[EarPlug]

We converted a bedroom to a closet and used the ELFA system from the Container Store. It is not wood and cabinets but it worked out great. It is very functional and can be easily removed to convert back to a bedroom should we ever move.

 

[N80]

One thing to keep in mind that is not obvious, (but to someone who does it all the time is so obvious that it doesn't even bear mentioning): your floor is not level. Your ceiling is not level. Your walls are not plumb, they're not straight, and they're not perpendicular to each other.

I'm glad you reminded me of this. It is something that I know but often forget. I have actually done some cabinet work myself. I built a log cabin myself (from a kit) about ten years ago. I found some cheap pre-fab kitchen cabinets for free and installed them myself and fortunately my brother-in-law reminded me about squaring them up with shims and then installing the toekicks.

Off topic...a little, I made the counter tops myself out of cedar planks that my B-I-L had cut from some very ancient cedar trees on his place. It is very hard and tight grained. I planed them about 1.25" thick and then ripped them with a table saw since I did not have a joiner. I glued them up and attached them with a strip of the same cedar underneath. I sanded them very smooth. Now I realize that cedar is not exactly prime countertop material but this is in a cabin, they look great, there has been no warping, splintering or checking and the board-to-board joins are almost invisible in most places even without a joiner. We keep them coated in mineral oil (which is the only finish we have applied) and they have held up extremely well to cooking, spills, dampness for 10 years now. The grain has never risen up even with water sitting on it.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Just a quick word on 'big box store' pine boards/pine trim. This so called pine is plantation grown and is called Radada Pine. The stuff is crap. Just look at the space between the growth rings. There is a significant difference in density across the face of the boards so they don't stain well and painting requires multiple coats of primer to obtain a decent finish. It also doesn't machine and sand well. B. John

When we moved to Sacramento I spent some time locating a real lumber yard that caters to the trade, opened an account. Also located a place that supplies cabinet grade plywood and MDF. The quality of the materials and how they are stored is excellent. I never buy wood anything at the box stores.

 

[N80]

Just a quick word on 'big box store' pine boards/pine trim.

This so called pine is plantation grown and is called Radada Pine. The stuff is crap. Just look at the space between the growth rings. There is a significant difference in density across the face of the boards so they don't stain well and painting requires multiple coats of primer to obtain a decent finish. It also doesn't machine and sand well.
B. John

Quite right.

 

[N80]

We converted a bedroom to a closet and used the ELFA system from the Container Store. It is not wood and cabinets but it worked out great. It is very functional and can be easily removed to convert back to a bedroom should we ever move.

View attachment 464556

Someone else mentioned this as well. I will look into it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Excellent advice guys. I'm starting to scare my wife with all this DIY talk and she is now reconsidering hiring a pro and just spending the extra money..................mission accomplished! ;-) Not really, I like learning to do this sort of thing and there would be a compound miter saw in the budget and I want one anyway!

Okay, way off topic and I'm sure it has been discussed elsewhere, but Eddie, I love your gazebo....and I'll expose my closet nerd here, it reminds me of the style of architecture in an old computer game called Riven. Did that happen to be an inspiration for the design.....if not, where did the design come from.

http://img.jeuxvideo.fr/028A016D2500-c2-photo-oYToxOntzOjE6InciO2k6NjUwO30=-myst-iii-exile.jpg

Thank you, I'm not familiar with any video games. When I drew the design on some graph paper, I was thinking Lord Of The Rings, and what would a gazebo look like if it grew out of the ground?

 

[N80]

I'm impressed with the design. You nailed the Tolkien vibe. You nailed the organic aspect too. Very impressive. I bet you could make a living building them for people. I see a TLC series: Gazebo Master!