Headboard

[Jim Bills]

I thought I would post a photo of the headboard I am building, before I mess it up with the finishing process. This project involved several firsts for me.

1. First time use of rough sawn lumber directly from mill.
2. First time attempt at veneering.
3. First time use of "Beadlock" joinery system.
4. First time use of a pattern bit.
5. First time attempt at curved top panels.
6. First time to use qtr sawn red oak.

I am sure there are some more firsts, but I'll not bore you with any more revelations of my lack of experience.

[Keith Christopher]

first time success ! Good job !

[Bob Winkler]

Looks great Jim,

How did the Beadlock work out? I bought the system over a year ago and keep meaning to try it out.

Bob

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jim.....1st.....great job on that headboard! 2nd.......it's always fun to try those new processes! 3rd.....You are not boring us! Please continue posting as you work your way through this project!

[Jim Bills]

The "Beadlock" system actually worked better than anticipated for this project. I would prefer to use conventional joinery, but the length of the horizontal members made this difficult. I actually used some tricks from John Lucas' website before attempting to use the system (www.woodshopdemos.com IICR)

[Dave Carey]

Jim,
Looks like a great job. I'd be interested in your first experience with the veneer. I'm about to try my hand at it as well but haven't taken the plunge yet.

[Tim Farrell]

I am sure there are some more firsts, but I'll not bore you with any more revelations of my lack of experience.

Great work - your self described lack of experience certainly didn't seem to get in your way - Beautiful work.

[Jim W. White]

GREAT JOB ...it looks like a project that with gather a LOT of praise!!

I too would be very interested in hearing about your "first" veneering experinece. I've shaied away from this due to fear of the unknown and I'd love to hear about your "lessons learned"

...Jim in Idaho

[Vaughn McMillan]

That looks very nice, Jim. If your success so far is any indication, there's no need to worry about the finish...I have a hunch you'll get it right.

I can't help but notice you had a fall-back plan in case the headboard didn't work out...I see the bag of Kingsford in the background...I'm guessing it's to destroy the evidence in the event the headboard didn't turn out right?

- Vaughn

[Jason Tuinstra]

Hey, I like it. I'm sure it will look even better with some finish. Any firsts planned for that?

[Jim Bills]

Thanks for all the kind words. It is good to have nice things said about your work by your friends.

I applied paper backed qtr sawn white oak veneer to the front of 1/2" baltic birch and paper backed face cut red oak veneer to the back. I built a make-shift press from some scrap MDF with cambered stiffeners screwed to the bottom and cambered loose cauls on the top. I used a plastic resin glue purchased from a local woodworking store (the kind you mix with water)

I actually built a "sandwich" of all the veneers and baltic birch with wax paper between each layer. Nine pieces in the stack, then used a MDF cover and 5 cambered 2X4 cauls for the top. I used all ten of my Cabinet Master clamps, as well as 4 or 6 smaller bar clamps. Clamped it all together and went to bed. The next morning unstacked the whole shebang with no problems at all. Just fairly intense work getting it all done in a short time frame.

I filled the grain with a filler designed to be used on red oak flooring. I made several samples to check for color, as well as the use of the filler. The samples actually looked better filled. I plan to stain the headboard with a Generel Finishes oil stain, the color is called "Spiced Oak". This will go with several other pieces of furniture in the bedroom.

Thanks again for the interest.

Jim

[David Duke]

Nice looking headboard Jim and be sure to post pics after you have applied the finish, I'm sure it will look GREAT!!

By the way its nice to see a fellow Creeker on this side of town.

[Ken Shoemaker]

As a newbie I'm inspired... You do outstanding work. Thanks for letting me see your work.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Outstanding work. I can't wait to see it with some finish on it.

[Jim Dunn]

Neat looking job all around!!!! And congrats on all the firsts.