The Knotty Woodworker builds all types of indoor and outdoor furniture. Our specialty is Beetle Kill Pine. Recently I was commissioned to build a couple of simple farm style twin beds for a home in the Keystone/Breck area. This was actually part of a bigger job that included a bedside chest as well as a coffee table for te living room. The design is quite simple. Using plate joinery, the head and footboards are strong and sturdy and will last a lifetime. Take a look at the pictures and see for yourself that having a piece handcrafted by The Knotty Woodworker will not only be built well, the beauty will rise above other beetle kill pine furnishings that are available. With well over 20 years experience, The Knotty Woodworker can meet your every desire in buying a piece of quality furniture. Please check us out on facebook at The Knotty Woodworker and on twitter as @knottywoodworks.
The difference between manufactured furniture and handmade furniture from The Knotty Woodworker is phenomenal. That leaves out the fact that a piece of furniture handcrafted with The Knotty Woodworker's more than 20 years experience is available at very affordable prices. My pieces are more costly than the warehouse items, but that is only in the initial purchase. The stuff you buy that comes from factories will not last, so you will have to purchase the same items again in the future. With my 5 year guaranty on materials and craftsmanship, you can rest assured that what you have me build will belong to your grandchildren one day. It is all about consumer wisdom. You can pay $600 for a dresser at a retail outlet and in 2 years it will fall apart. That is after you "settled" for what they had to offer. Or, you can have me build a dresser to your exact specification in wood species, dimensions, and finish and pay slightly more. Not only will the furniture be an expression of who you are, you will never need to replace it. It will be a family heirloom and last for generations. Also, since it evolved from your imagination and my craftsmanship, it will be the only one like it. That is an incredible value. I know in these times we have to look at the bottom line and scrutinize it, that is just smart spending. However, if you look down the road just a little, you will see that the best value for your dollar along with the most satisfaction for each dollar you spend, the only intelligent answer is in a handmade, heirloom quality, ne of a kind piece of furniture from The Knotty Woodworker. Before you spend your hard earned money on less than desirable furnishings, just call and talk to me. You will be amazed. Really. 303-246-4766
Thank you for dropping by my blog. Whether you are here by accident or if you were directed here by a friend or by one of my advertisements, I am glad to have you. If you click through the "blog archive" on the right, you can see various articles I have written about handmade furniture, my building methods and stories about previous pieces I have created. You will soon discover that what I offer is Knot your average furniture. Please do take a moment and look around. Drop me an email and introduce yourself. Perhaps you need some furniture and this time you wish to spend your money more wisely than buying what is available in the stores. It's good for you, and it's good for me. Have a great day and again thanks for stopping by!
I do suppose that it will take months settle in to the new shop. There is always a need for shelves, storage, cleaning, organizing, etc. The shop is functional, even if it could be more efficient in time. I do still have some items in boxes and somethings have left me with no clue as to where their new home in the new shop will be. But I am up and running and I am very glad and thankful for it. If anyone would like to drop by and say hello and see the new set-up, just call me and come on by. I would be glad to meet you and show you around the shop! 303.246.4766
The Knotty Woodworker is pleased to announce that I have found a new shop to build furniture in. My last shop was 1800 sq. ft. but the layout was not conducive for efficient work flow. Half of the building was the actual shop due to a dividing wall. The other half was split as 1/3 office and 2/3 storage as the floor was badly sloped to the center to accommodate the business that the shop was originally built for in the early 80's. The new shop is one room, 1500 sq. ft., with 20 foot ceilings, a very level floor, and an 800 sq. ft. mezzanine. As well, I have a 14 ft. overhead door.
I cannot tell you how excited I am! The new shop is located in Loveland, CO. This is great for me personally as I am much closer to my family, but it is also a good thing because of where I get most of my Beetle Kill Pine. I do expect to increase production, lower production costs and just operate more efficiently in general at this new location.
I will be moving in beginning on the first of December. This is no easy task with woodworking machinery, but I am anxious to get moving on it. After setting up machines, building new work tables and running 3 new electrical circuits, I plan to cut the first board mid-December. I have a small bathroom vanity and counter top to build and then I should have some sort of grand opening get together in January. If you are considering a handmade piece of furniture from The Knotty Woodworker, there has never been a better time to place that order!
That is the new line of Beetle Kill Pine furniture from The Knotty Woodworker.
The pandemic is the catastrophic infestation of the Mountain Pine Beetle killing millions of acres of Pine trees here in Colorado and Western North America.
Provenance is the History of how something has come to be.
Thus, the name of the new line in furniture. The first piece offered for purchase in this style is a handmade coffee table. The overall dimensions are 17 1/2" wide x 44 1/4" long x 20 1/4" high. The table's legs are the main feature. Beginning with solid stock of 2 3/4" square, I inlaid fluted mullions on each outside face of the legs.
Each side features "bookmatched" inlays, meaning I took one board, split it on the saw, and opened it up like a book. The result is two near identical pieces. I did this mainly because the stock I had on hand for the legs displyed very little of the "blue" graining caused by the MPB.
The bottom of each leg has a 15 degree bevel on all 4 sides to create the illusion that the table is hovering just above the floor. This design for the legs came solely from my imagination. They are the only table legs that look like this, as far as I know.
I employed mortise and tenon joinery in the apron to leg fastening and on the lower runners. On the lower runners, I created a non traditional look by mortisinf the leg at a 45 degree angle so that the runners appear diamond shaped. The results are a one of a kind, heirloom quality table. Rustic in the wood choice, while the style is very contemporary. It creates a look that would be eautiful in a mountain cabin or big city high rise.
The boards use for the top were chosen for their uniformity in color. A color that reflects the Beetle Kill Pine's coloring. I sealed all the cracks that are natural in the knots with an epoxy to insure a very smooth top.
The Pandemic Provenance Coffee Table comes with The Knotty Woodworker's standard 5 year warranty on materials and craftsmanship. It will last for generations to come.
This can be in your home just in time for the Christmas Season. A gift that would say I love your uniqueness to that very special someone in your life. Each board is as unique as a fingerprint. And, this is the most environmentally responsible purchase in furniture that you can make. It has a triple coat of all natural Tung Oil. It doesn't get any "greener" than this blue table. Email or call today to make this one of a kind heirloom yours. Happy Thanksgiving from The Knotty Woodworker.
The latest Expression in Wood from the Knotty Woodworker is The Brother's Table. Born and raised in Florida, The Knotty Woodworker moved to Colorado in 1990. In Florida there remained four sisters and two brothers. My youngest brother, Jason, recently moved to Colorado and for the first time ever, two Abneys have built a piece of heirloom quality furniture, hence, The Brothers Table. It stands 31" in height, 40" in width and 82" in length. It has been fashioned from the heart of Beetle Kill Pine grown here in Colorado. This means it lacks the blue staining caused by the Mountain Pine Beetle. It began in Loveland, CO with the selection of harvested trees. From there, I had the logs sliced into 4 x 4's for the legs, and into 2" thick slabs for the apron and top. Not many woodworkers are blessed with the oppurtunity to choose their tree, have it cut, and then bring it to life in the shop. Although the trees have been cut and air dried for quite some time, I stacked the pieces in the shop with sticks to separate them to allow air drying to an acceptable moisture level. The Brother's Table features a drawer on one long edge that is 24" in width, 3" in height and 18" in depth for silverware/board games, etc. The top is crafted from four 10" wide planks and brought down to a thickness of 1 1/2".
The apron is 4" wide and planed to 1 1/2" thick as well. Each piece of the apron has a tenon that is 3/4" thick x 2 1/2" wide x 1 1/2" long that will fit into a corresponding mortise on each inside face of each leg.
Here is a video showing the strength of a mortise and tenon joint. My mortises are deeper and my tenons are longer and thicker than the average mortise and tenon joint, adding to the strength.
The solid legs are 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" finished thickness. The two outside faces of each leg is fluted down the center with a 3/4" core box router bit and on either side of that flute is a flute made with a 1/2" core box router bit, for a total of three on each outside face.
Simple. Sturdy. Hand crafted. Knotty. Heirloom quality. Guaranteed for 5 full years in materials and craftsmanship. As a woodworker, I enjoyed crafting this table for my client. I wondered what would take place at this table besides meals. Certainly, many cups of tea will be enjoyed at it with lively conversation. The owners of this table are English. How many nights of homework will be mulled over at The Brothers Table? Mother daughter talks about life, love and happiness. Family vacations might be discussed and planned at this table, built by two brothers far away from their homeland. Will a young man sit at this table in a few years and ask a father for a young woman's hand in marriage? The craftsmanship, care and construction of this table is only the first step in achieving the status of heirloom quality. The family's gatherings will do the rest. As a brother, having lived so far away from home, I enjoyed creating it with my brother by my side. Talking about life, woodworking, Colorado, Florida and the smiles that have occurred between the miles and years.
It's simply more than a table already. How would such a table be completed if it stood in your home? 303.246.4766
