I made a reversible chalkboard. Critique is welcome.
Both the stand and the frame are made from pecan.
They're finished with walnut oil. It was my first time using it. It looks great compared to tung oil and linseed oil (much less yellow), and doesn't have a smell. It feels quite dry to the touch, but I don't really know how to tell when it's cured. I used spectrum brand walnut oil from the grocery store, which is apparently well filtered/purified.
They're glued together with hide glue, which I'm still new to. It worked great for the stand, but the working time was short to get the frame together, and there's some parts that are a bit gappy/out of alignment as a result. The squeeze out was actually gelled as it was, but it seems to be holding together.
To attach the chalkboard to the frame and allow it to rotate/lock, I drilled and tapped holes in the frame and stand, threaded some pecan dowels I made, and glued handles to the threaded dowels. I oiled then waxed the threads so they'd turn smoothly. I wasn't sure how well it'd work, but so far it works great. Time will show how much longevity the wood threads will have I guess.
The chalkboard itself is poplar, coated with chalkboard paint. I'm not too impressed with the paint. It just looks like wall paint, scuffs very easily, and doesn't have a great texture. In the future I'd just use more hardwood finished with walnut oil, since I've found that works and looks better.
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