Joinery

One of the most critical aspects of heirloom quality furniture is the joints. Whether it be 2 boards joined side to side to form a raised panel in a door, a rail meeting a stile on a face frame or an apron on a dining table, the joints are what will determine the life expanse of the furniture.
A coffee table will function with a scratch. A hall tree will hold a coat with a poorly sanded surface. But when the joint expires, so does the life of the furniture. The best case scenario when this happens is that the joint is broken and will only weaken further and cause other joints to give way because the broken joint is no longer functioning to support the weight, movement and other stresses on your furniture, and it is just the beginning of the demise rather than the final breath.
When a joint fails, your options are limited to


A) ignore it and let it deteriorate


B) Throw more money after your investment and pay for repair


C) Repair it yourself


D)replace it



The Knotty Woodworker combats a bad joint in many ways. For starters, at conception, the furniture is designed with only the best joinery available in my shop for each application. Let me start with what you WILL NOT find with furniture made by hand in the The Knotty Studio. You won't find construction nails or screws in any visible portion of my furniture. These are only used when they are permanently concealed.
You won't find a plastic wood grained circle sticker covering a screw head. Nor will you find cardboard backs barely stapled on. You won't find sticky drawers, poorly sanded surfaces, or loose pieces.
And, in the event that something misses my scrutiny, either in material or craftsmanship, all of my furniture comes with a 5 year warranty against defects in material or less than optimum craftsmanship - at no extra cost. Since I build furniture in such a way that it will be here in 50 years, 5 years is nothing to worry about.
Even if you buy a brand new home that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, you get a one year warranty!
I believe in my furniture. I have been trained by masters that had decades of experience and I listened well. Quality is 75% craftsmanship and 25% material selection.
The only complaints I have had in 3 years of business is that it takes too long. That is it! And sometimes it takes too long because quality is something that is sought after, it doesn't just happen. And, to be honest, I would really rather apologize for a completion delay than having to apologize for quality. Quite simply, the sting of poor quality will last much longer than the joy you will receive for a cheap purchase.




These are decorative in appearance, but are strengthening in function. See how the ends are smaller than the actual piece? That is the tenon section of a mortise and tenon joint. It is formed by cutting the work piece longer than what will be visible on the furniture. The outer area of the extra material is stripped away and a corresponding hole, or mortise, is made in the pieces which these will span. The result is an extremely strong joint with several glue surfaces. This is the most common joint used in table making. It can be used in many other areas, but different applications call for different types of joints. You can know that when you commission The Knotty Woodworker to build one of tomorrow's antiques for you, that much thought will be given to what will make the strongest connection between two pieces of wood. And that is what will be used, even in the event that I didn't charge for it. I have a long list of satisfied customers that would be glad to share with you their experience of dealing with The Knotty Woodworker and let you know how they received more than what they thought they were getting.





Here is what those pieces became. The tenons were 1" long and they extend into the adjoining rails a full inch. Quality. My furniture does cost more than what you can find in a manufactured furniture store. Except mine is handmade. Each piece of wood is specifically chosen for character and strength. And once I build a piece of furniture for you, it will never be replicated. It is and it remains one of a kind! You will never buy another one, whatever it is, unless you want two of them!
You can spend 500 bucks for a dresser that is one of thousands identically made and has no warranty once you take it home. In that choice, you may have a few colors to choose from, maybe it will be in your wood of preference, maybe not. It will be the size it is with no choice of modifying the dimensions. And, after a few short years, you will need to buy another dresser to replace it.
Or, you can spend $1200 bucks with The Knotty Woodworker, receive the highest quality available, along with a five year warranty, choose your wood species, finish and dictate the dimensions. And your grandkids will be able to enjoy it as well. You will spend money on furniture, but shouldn't it be the last time and shouldn't that hard earned money extend years into the future?

The Madison River Desk

I have been working on an executive desk. It is made from Beetle Kill Pine, one of a kind, and of heirloom quality. It was built in such a way that it will still be functional and useable and beautiful forty years from now and longer even. Here are the pictures of it in the client's home. I can build you almost anything out of this amazing wood - entertainment center coffee/end table set/ bed, dresser, etc. You can choose the rustic accents I incorporated in the desk, or I can build in contemporary or traditional styles without rustic accents - The wood itself is very rustic in appearance. View some of my earlier blogs to see the story behind the Beetle kill pine, my all natural, non-toxic finishing process and just why you should choose to order your handmade heirloom quality furniture through The Knotty Woodworker. Feel free to call me at 303 246 4766 to discuss your furniture needs. The quality will exceed your expectations, the beauty will captivate your family and friends and the cost will make your dollar go further than you imagined possible.


If you click on the images below, they will open up super size so you can see the rich detail.





The desk is 74" x 68" x 30" high





The drawer bank features hardwood dove tailed drawers. The pulls were handmade from a limb killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle.





When properly worked, end grain can be very beautiful.





There are three wire holes in the desktop for electronics. The wire chase continues underneath in the up right studs between the panels that comprise the wall. The wires then run behind the cabinet and out of the side of the cbinet in the toe kick.





Non-symetrical contours were added to replicate the natural edges of the wood as found in a log.





I had to chisel away the bark, exposing beetle burrow tracks in the "live" edge.





A beautiful knot on the live edge of the return side.





A Knot on the edge of the top. A nice contrast with the blue/black staining left by the Mountain Pine Beetles.





Mountain Pine Beetle burrow tracks in the live edge.





Doubled up "biscuits" used for alignment of the slabs and strength in the joint. Quality.





The drawer bank prior to installation.





Beetle burrow tracks in the handmade knobs.





You can see how the tracks are obvious on the sides of the handmade pulls, also.




The limb from which I made all the pulls.





I had some of the wood milled while I waited after choosing the logs personally. A sign of good working is grain selection and board placement. A step I NEVER overlook.





There is an Executive Desk and a gun cabinet in the back of the truck. I am not sure what else, but there is a lot of this wood available. What does your house need to Express Yourself?

Quality Drawers

Many consumers purchase furniture not just for how it looks, but because they need functionality. One of the best storage components available are drawers. You can access your belongings more easily that if it is just a compartment with a door.
But doesn't it really drive you crazy when a drawer no longer functions properly? In most cases, inoperable drawers are due to low quality guide systems and probably the next poor quality factor is when the drawer box itself breaks apart.The next common quality deficiency rears its head when the drawer front falls off of the drawer box. When you spend hard earned money to purchase furniture, the functionality of each piece should NEVER be an issue.
The Knotty Woodworker has very high personal standards for what I will create, market and sell. One of the ares I will not cut corners in is my drawer system. I use the best hardware and the best drawers available. Yes, it is more costly, but the fact of life is this; "The sting of poor quality lasts much longer than the joy received from a low price."
I don't require high quality drawer glides to put money in my pocket. I do so because, as my client, you DESERVE to have drawers that will operate like brand new 25 years from now.
Blum is a company that makes all types of cabinetry hardware and they are of the highest quality available. My drawer glides are made my Blum, they are called Blumotion. These under mount slides are not visible when the drawer is open. All you see is my drawer box.

These glides have a self-retracting mechanism that works much like a shock absorber. When the drawer is almost closed, the gas cylinder is fully extended. The pressure created on the cylinder when the drawer reaches this point causes the cylinder to slowly retract, softly closing the drawer. Not only is this a luxurious feature, but it prevents drawers from being slammed shut which prevents the drawer front from becoming loose or worse, as well as it keeps the shock from the slam from weakening the drawer box joints them selves.






Any piece of heirloom quality furniture with drawers that you design with The Knotty Woodworker will feature the Blumotion by Blum drawer glide system. I would much rather apologize for a slightly higher price than to apologize for poor quality.
When it comes to drawer boxes themselves, I offer two choices. The first is dovetailed drawers made from Beechwood. These are the best that money can buy. I fully guarantee my drawer boxes and my drawer glides for five full years, and the glides have a lifetime warranty by Blum. Think about it, a brand new house carries a one year warranty!



The other option are drawers made from solid wood in the same species of wood as your furniture. These are handmade and carry the same warranty. It is very painful to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of manufactured furniture and have it malfunction after a short period of time. That is why handmade furniture from the Knotty Woodworker is your best value. Spending money with me today spends your money into the future. What I build today will be be enjoyed by your grand kids. And the price difference between my quality and the factory made pieces from a store is not all that big. Seriously, just ask for a quote!