Author Archives: millcrek

About millcrek

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Upholstery Repair ( damaged tack edge )

Posted on November 28, 2012 by millcrek

A recurring problem in the repair of upholstered furniture is the degradation of the edges where the upholstery is tacked to the piece. Many upholsterers are not wood workers, so when removing old upholstery you never know what you will … Continue reading →

Posted in Repairs, seating | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Expantion Rates and Wood Movement

Posted on November 19, 2012 by millcrek

All materials expand and contract due to heat, and in some cases moisture, and in some cases both. Each material expands and contracts at different rates. Different metals expand at different rates due to heat, as the metal warms up … Continue reading →

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Finish Adhesion Failure

Posted on October 9, 2012 by millcrek

There are two places where a finish can fail to adhere. The finish can fail to stick to the substrate (substrate adhesion) or it can fail to adhere to the previous coat in the finishing system (inter-coat adhesion). There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Finishing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts on Design [ A Short Introduction ]

Posted on September 21, 2012 by millcrek

Design “Too often professional insecurities are masked in impenetrable language and professional reputations are buttressed with unnecessary complication, and confusion.” David Savage In 1965 I enrolled in college and started a program of study in architecture. As one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in design | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Straightening a Warp [ Compression Set ]

Posted on August 16, 2012 by millcrek

One of the most common questions I receive is “can you remove the warp from this_____” fill in the blank with something like table leaves, drawer bottom, or table top. The answer is always the same. ” That depends”.  Anything … Continue reading →

Posted in wood movement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Context [ Ways of Working ]

Posted on August 13, 2012 by millcrek

There is a piece of furniture in your minds eye, but you can’t seem to ever get it out. You can see it in your head as plain as day, then you build it, you step back, you look and … Continue reading →

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Wedged Dovetails

Posted on August 9, 2012 by millcrek

If you read Chris Schwarz’s blog at Popular Woodworking, there was recently an interesting post about wedged dovetails. Historically it’s been said that wedging was done primarily to close up gappy or sloppy dovetails. In the coments of that post … Continue reading →

Posted in Tables, Uncategorized, Wood Working | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Finish Reamalgamation [ just one advantage of shellac ]

Posted on August 6, 2012 by millcrek

This is a Victorian dresser that came in to be restored, luckily it had it’s original shellac finish so it could be repaired and not refinished. One of the advantages of shellac and lacquer is that they can be re-amalgamated. … Continue reading →

Posted in Finishing, Repairs | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

What is Finishing really? [ how much protection do you really need ]

Posted on July 30, 2012 by millcrek

Ask wood workers why we put a finish on our projects and the answer most often given is ” to protect the wood”. This is understandable we put many, many hours in to a project and we want it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Finishing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

You Are The Jig

Posted on June 26, 2012 by millcrek

I was reading one of the forums today and saw a post that said a flat back on a parring chisel is absolutely necessary in order to pare without the chisel digging into the surface of the work. This idea … Continue reading →

Posted in gateway skills, Wood Working | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments