Here are pics of last winter's project. I'm figuring this all out as I go (with help from all of you here).
The shelves are sized for cds and are built of red oak and oak ply. The table and benches are red oak and utile (sipo to some, I believe, but the local place calls it utile), with a little oak ply (no more ever again--I promise). Drawer fronts on the cases are utile. Legs are tapered, bent laminations. Pulls are cutoffs from the laminations. The phone is from Bellsouth. Finish is oil/varnish blend.
I learned a lot along the way. As many of you explained on the finishing forum, this is not a very hard finish. In rubbing it out, I was rubbing too hard, and in many cases rubbed away much of the buildup I had attained. I waxed. We'll see how durable it is.
I definitely developed (and still am developing) my planing skills. I made a Krenov style smooth plane and used it on the top, and many of the parts. Utile is tricky for me to plane. The grain changes around a lot, and tears out often. I did some sanding for sure. I need to cut in an insert to close the mouth of my plane.
Anyway, take a look, and let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Nelson Howe