This all started with wanted to clean up my side of the bed. I have a CPAP machine, I like to read and I am a techno-geek. There simply wasn't enough space for things to fit, so they find themselves on the floor.
I started looking around at furniture stores, and none of them were exactly what I was looking for, and the ones that I would have considered were $500+. I thought to myself that I can use this as a learning opportunity. I found Ana's site here and immediately knew I had found the right place.
I downloaded the plans to the Rhyan End Table and was so impressed with the layout. I wanted to know how the construction pictures were built and downloaded Google Sketchup and the Rhyan End Table plans and proceeded to build the end table virtually. I am truly in awe of the power of that tool.
Then I started the actual build of the project. I hadn't really done a lot of woodworking - but I am now a fan of the Kreg Jig. What a great tool!
I know I should have read everything *thoroughly* - but I didn't. Because I didn't have all my own equipment, I went to a friend's house to cut all the boards. In hindsight, I now know why that wasn't a good idea. Because I had pre-cut everything (and was as accurate as I could make it), when I got to the drawers, I was really in over my head. I had a woodworking friend help me set the drawers and shave off a bit of the drawer slide mounting boards, so the drawer would fit. One side effect of that is that I decided that putting the spacer board in-between the two drawers would made things more difficult and could possibly make the drawers not work very well, so because it is for me, I decided to leave the spacer board off.
I just finished putting the last coat of Pecan Poly on last night and moved it in.
As this was my first project, I learned a _ton_ of stuff. So I left it rougher than other people would like but I already love it.
Now my wife wants one for her side of the bed :-)
Thank you Ana for your site, your passion and inspiring me to start doing a little woodworking!
-Bryan
2 Coats of MINWAX PolyShades Pecan Stain and Polyurethane Satin 320
I didn't sand in between, just left it kind of "rough" - I'm fine with the results. My friend said it best when he said you can't be a perfectionist in wood, it will drive you insane.