My Man's Handy!

I'm so proud of my crafty man!

Here's a nightstand he made for our son. The pattern's from _The New Yankee Workshop_ by Norm Abram. It's made of clear pine (which is knot-free pine) and finished with three coats of Hydrocote Resisthane Plus water-based polyurethane, a great product.

Woodworking requires a LOT of tools and basic skills to make even simple pieces of furniture. The DH and I are really happy with the way this piece turned out, but it's an imperfect piece of furniture. However, some of the errors my husband made on this piece can also be seen in the sample shown in the book, made when Norm was already good enough to have his own TV show and books published. The people who say Norm's success is all in the tools are severely underestimating his craftsmanship, because the stuff he makes now is perfect.

I really like the tapered legs and perfectly centered drawer. Also, the kid has a piece of furniture in his room made for him especially by Dad.

The fishy drawer handle is cool, isn't it? It's from Silver Star Hardware on 3300 S, right near the former location of Soul Spun Yarn. They have hundreds of drawer pulls, more than I've ever seen anywhere else. It's a hardware store for chicks, grrlfriends. You should go!