Alex Workshop

Bend wood to make furniture using a bent lamination technique that involves cutting wood into the desired shape, ripping wood strips, applying glue with a roller and clamping wood pieces into place. Find out how long to let bent wood pieces dry in this free video from an award-winning woodworker on basic carpentry.

Expert: Kent Perdue
Bio: Kent Perdue is a senior in the furniture-making program at VCU, and has received many scholarships and awards for his work. Perdue sells his work at various furniture stores in Richmond, Va.
Filmmaker: nate thompson

Duration : 0:4:12

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Technorati Tags: carpentry, furniture, projects, restoration, shops, tools, wood, woodworkers, woodworking

The standard dollhouse consists of bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and usually an attic. These dollhouses often include the standard family with mom, dad, children, and even a dog. Most often, these homes are quite traditional Victorian homes, country cottages, or colonials. However, it’s interesting to know that there are some fun and different alternatives to the standard dollhouse.

There are many different types of miniature buildings that go beyond the standard house. A few examples of these are a barn, New England lighthouse, fire station, church, and country store. Each of these unique dollhouses opens up a lot of possibilities. Children have the ability to use their imagination in all different settings. Children and adults alike have the ability to grow their miniature collection with exciting and unusual structures.

The country store is a small dollhouse that can be used well as a display piece. It has true potential if decorated with care. The fire station is true to life and even includes the firemen’s pole. There is room for fire trucks as well as a bunk area for the firemen. The church has stained glass windows as well as an altar and pews. The barn includes areas for the animals as well as an amazing loft.

Each of these unique dollhouses, as well as traditional dollhouses is available as wood kits from Real Good Toys. This company is based in Vermont and showcases some of the traditional country structures of New England. Each design includes working parts, pre-cut pieces, and a complete set of instructions. This ensures that a model can be put together correctly and with ease. Some of these kits also include miniatures to start the interior design. These unique dollhouses are the perfect addition to any collection.

There is a wonderful sense of accomplishment to building a dollhouse from scratch. Each of these designs creates something very different. The lighthouse kit boasts electricity, bringing the finished version to life. The church includes a ringing church bell. Each design is true to its real life counterpart. These dollhouse models are perfect as a relaxing hobby or even as a bonding experience for siblings or parent and child.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to dollhouses. These 5 unique dollhouses are just the beginning. A true collector of dollhouses and miniatures should expand their collection to include some unique dollhouse designs. The barn, church, New England lighthouse, fire station and country store are just some of the potential additions to a great collection.

Veronica Scott
http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/5-unique-wood-dollhouse-kits-140145.html

Shopping for new furniture is always an exciting experience. Wood furniture is some of the most versatile and popular furniture of all. If you’ve decided to fill your home with wood furniture, here are a few useful questions to ask yourself before you make the purchase.

How much do I want to spend?

This is a great starting question. Even if you consider a budget to be more of a guideline than a rule, you need to have some idea of how much money you can comfortably spend on your new wood furniture. The cost will depend on several factors, of course. For example, there can be a considerable price difference between new furniture and antiques; between rare woods and common ones; and between designer brands and off-name pieces. You might also be able to find great discount pieces that just need a little refurbishing. If you’re willing to finish the furniture yourself, you can save even more. The good news for wood furniture buyers is that there’s something to suit every budget.

Which style do I like most?

Now that we’ve tackled the question of money, let’s move on to the question of style. Look at your existing furnishings and the construction of your home. Are you working with a small space? Then you might be better off choosing a few large pieces of wood furniture rather than a lot of smaller ones. Is your home decorated in a traditional or modern style? That, too, should dictate the design of your new wood furniture. If you’re starting from scratch, choose the wood furniture that appeals to you the most, and design your rooms around it. Rich finishes and detailed carvings lend elegance to any room.

Where and how will I use the furniture?

This is an important consideration when you select any piece of furniture. In particular, you’ll want wood furniture that’s sturdy enough to stand up to the kind of use you intend it for. If the furniture will be frequented by pets and children, look for strong construction and less ornamentation. You’ll also want a finish that is resistant to stains and scratches. Formal dining chairs that will only be used on special occasions can be more fragile and artistic. In general, look for form in low-use pieces, and look for function in pieces that will be used on a regular basis.

How long will the furniture last?

We all want furniture that lasts a while, but only truly exceptional or sentimental pieces will need to last for generations. Bedroom and dining furniture are frequently passed down through families. Other pieces, such as wooden cribs and glider-rockers for nurseries might have more limited use. You can opt for less expensive pieces if you’ll only be using them for a few years. Or, to make the most of your purchase, select pieces that can serve multiple purposes later on. For example, choose cribs that can be converted into youth beds and rocking chairs that are attractive and resilient enough to serve as patio furniture.

You’re probably excited about the prospect of new wood furniture, and with good reason: it not only represents a new beginning, but also an opportunity to let your personality shine through your home furnishings. Once you’ve answered these questions for yourself, you’ll be well on your way to making an informed and enjoyable purchase.

Jessica Whittaker
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/what-to-ask-yourself-before-buying-wood-furniture-576311.html

Two main types of wood are softwood and hardwood. Another popular choice is manufactured wood like plywood. Which type of wood you choose to use for your projects depends upon a variety of factors including: budget and cost, needed strength, hardness, grain characteristics and coloring, stability, weight, durability and availability.

Softwood

Beginning word crafters most often start out using softwood like pine because as it’s soft, it’s easier to work, plus you don’t need expensive tools to get quality results. Pine is readily available at local lumberyards and home centers, note that it does have limitations in furniture making since it is a soft wood and can damage easily.

Softwood comes from a coniferous (cone-bearing) or an evergreen tree. Popular varieties include fir, pine, cedar, spruce, hemlock and redwood. Although these types of woods are used a lot in the home construction industry in flooring and other projects, redwood and cedar are excellent choices for outdoor projects like benches, and pine is used a lot in “Early American Country Style” bench and other furniture projects.

Couple of tips:

- Pine and other softwoods generally absorb and lose moisture more than hardwoods, hence they are not considered as stable.

- Buy your lumber at least two weeks before starting your project and keep it indoors.

- You can usually find softwoods in standard thickness and widths like 1 X 4 at 3/4″
thick and 3 1/2″ wide, similar to construction materials.

Note that wood is most often priced per lineal foot, with the price increasing accordingly for wider boards.

Hardwood

Hardwood lumber comes from deciduous trees. Among the main domestic varieties are maple, oak, birch, cherry, ash, walnut and poplar. Poplar and red oak are those commonly stocked in home centers and lumberyards. And stock is generally sold in similar dimensions as it is in softwood, also by the lineal foot. You can call ahead to see what types of wood are available and in what sizes at specialty lumber and construction supply stores.

Working with hardwoods is quite different from working with pine. For example, you cannot drive a screw through hardwood lumber without first boring a pilot hole. Plus cutting as well as planing hardwoods requires very sharp tools.

Hardwoods like ash and oak are known as open-grain woods, with alternating areas of relatively porous and dense wood, and are good to use with furniture crafting. Open-grain areas absorb the color readily when stained, while the harder areas are more resistant. This tends to accentuate the grain patterns and can create a dramatic effect.

For more information about flooring, visit: http://www.tipsonflooring.com and for more information on benches visit http://www.bench411.com

Jim Ames
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/choosing-wood-for-your-projects-softwood-and-hardwood-134200.html