IKEA. So, have you been to one yet?

[poto]

Steve, I love your decorating scheme -  "late attic,  early basement".  While mine has tended toward "retro inherited", I have quite a collection of IKEA stuff that I'm planning on gradually replacing. I think that's IKEA's niche - nice looking (if you like Danish modern), cheap furniture for your first house. And I think it lasts quite well - as long as you don't move it! Those bookcases and cabinets are fine until you try to pick them up. Then the veneers peel and the tops fall off.

I still think it would be fun to give each of us Festoolians a single sheet of veneered particle board, some edge banding, and an assortment of fasteners, and get us to design a piece of furniture that uses the minimum number of cuts, minimizes waste, is easily assembled, and packs flat. Good exercise in design within strong constraints. Kind of like Top Chef, but with wood.

 

[Frank Pellow]

If you are selective about what you purchase, it is possible to get items that last a long time. A case in point is the kitchen cupboards and countertops that I installed at Pellow's Camp 18 years ago.  The design was such that they made extremely good use of a very small kitchen.

[attachimg=#2]  [attachimg=#1]

First of all they were transported about 1000 kilometres by trailer, boat, and wheelbarrow.  Then I installed then in 2 days.  Since then they have been subjected to lots of use and abuse by lots of different people.  All I have ever had to do is to resand and refinish the (beech) countertops once.

We also have a bunk bed and a double bed from IKEA (both pine) at camp.  They have been there for about 25 years and there is no reason that they will not last at least another 25 years.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I still think it would be fun to give each of us Festoolians a single sheet of veneered particle board, some edge banding, and an assortment of fasteners, and get us to design a piece of furniture that uses the minimum number of cuts, minimizes waste, is easily assembled, and packs flat. Good exercise in design within strong constraints. Kind of like Top Chef, but with wood.

This is a fun idea, so who is going to be the first contestant in the "Design you own IKEA inspired project" contest?? Both real projects or SketchUp designs will be excepted as entries.  ;D

 

[Steveo48]

I like the retro inherited, much much more current I think!

Frank, do you rent the cottage out?  My wife and I were thinking that IKEA stuff would go good in a vacation home IF it wasn't used as rental property.  Perhaps the difference is your cabinets were designed and made 25 years ago and not in the current manufacturing environment.  Do you know where the cabinets were made?

I like the"Design you own IKEA inspired project" contest idea too.  After I get this kitchen done I might be up to taking a crack at it!

Steve

 

[Frank Pellow]

...
Frank, do you rent the cottage out?  My wife and I were thinking that IKEA stuff would go good in a vacation home IF it wasn't used as rental property.  Perhaps the difference is your cabinets were designed and made 25 years ago and not in the current manufacturing environment.  Do you know where the cabinets were made?
...
Steve

No I don't rent the cabin but other family members and friends do use it.  I am there an average of about 7 weeks a year and others an average of about 4 weeks.  I'm not certain where things were made, but I think that the cabinet bodies came from Sweden, the cabinet doors from Canada, and the counter tops from Poland.

 

[The Woodentop]

Frank which part of the world is your cabin.....from the little bit of a view through the window it looks pretty nice.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Frank which part of the world is your cabin.....from the little bit of a view through the window it looks pretty nice.

It is in Northern Ontario.  In the 8th post in the threadhttp://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2683.0, I described it a bit and posted some pictures.  And, yes, it is pretty nice!

 

[MarkF]

I still think it would be fun to give each of us Festoolians a single sheet of veneered particle board, some edge banding, and an assortment of fasteners, and get us to design a piece of furniture that uses the minimum number of cuts, minimizes waste, is easily assembled, and packs flat. Good exercise in design within strong constraints. Kind of like Top Chef, but with wood.

This is a fun idea, so who is going to be the first contestant in the "Design you own IKEA inspired project" contest?? Both real projects or SketchUp designs will be excepted as entries.  ;D

PBS has a show where some High School students compete making furnitue for Ikea out of cardboard. http://pbskids.org/designsquad/challenges/s2-ep1.html

 

[Steveo48]

...
Frank, do you rent the cottage out?  My wife and I were thinking that IKEA stuff would go good in a vacation home IF it wasn't used as rental property.  Perhaps the difference is your cabinets were designed and made 25 years ago and not in the current manufacturing environment.  Do you know where the cabinets were made?
...
Steve

No I don't rent the cabin but other family members and friends do use it.  I am there an average of about 7 weeks a year and others an average of about 4 weeks.  I'm not certain where things were made, but I think that the cabinet bodies came from Sweden, the cabinet doors from Canada, and the counter tops from Poland.

I wonder where it's made now and if the specs have changed a little since then?  :

 

[The Woodentop]

Frank, Thanks, the place looks awesome. You have inspired a little jealousy in me this morning! Oh, and I like your saw horses too......can imagine making myself a rig like that as well.

 

[Steveo48]

So I had to ask myself this weekend, what [size=12pt]beer [/size] goes well with [size=12pt]crow[/size]?  Something hoppy or maybe a good imperial stout.  Looks like I'll have to eat some.

I was taking out some "old"  kitchen cabinets that I installed 20 years ago, Pease Omni's, their 4th of 5 lines they offered then.  Our whole kitchen, 13 feet of base and wall cabinets cost us only $800.00.  As I pulled the base cabinets out, they started falling apart as if they had never been glued together!  The kickplates fell off, back seperated from the sides, I was shocked, I was planning to put these in the garage!

Then ouch, I remembered what I had said about IKEA's stuff.  Then I realized that yup, there is a place for entry level cabinets.  After 20 years, I'd forgotten.

Got any good recipes for crow?  :

 

[jakiiski]

> but I think that the cabinet bodies came from Sweden, the cabinet doors from Canada, and the counter tops from Poland.

The Ikea stuff comes all around the world. I've bought some stuff quite recently and
- bodies still came from Sweden
- counter top from a former Soviet Union country, can't remember the name exactly now
- doors from Lithuania.
- levelling feet from India (plastic)
- LED lights from China

But of course melamine is melamine and if you're accustomed to ply/solid wood, it's not the same thing, even remotely.

 

[Frank Pellow]

So I had to ask myself this weekend, what [size=12pt]beer [/size] goes well with [size=12pt]crow[/size]?  Something hoppy or maybe a good imperial stout.  Looks like I'll have to eat some.

I was taking out some "old"  kitchen cabinets that I installed 20 years ago, Pease Omni's, their 4th of 5 lines they offered then.  Our whole kitchen, 13 feet of base and wall cabinets cost us only $800.00.  As I pulled the base cabinets out, they started falling apart as if they had never been glued together!  The kickplates fell off, back seperated from the sides, I was shocked, I was planning to put these in the garage!

Then ouch, I remembered what I had said about IKEA's stuff.  Then I realized that yup, there is a place for entry level cabinets.  After 20 years, I'd forgotten.

Got any good recipes for crow?  :

Maybe, if you had purchased them from IKEA, they would not have fallen apart. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

My wife and I went to the new IKEA in West Chester OH yesterday.  Big HUMONGUS big box store with irritating blue and yellow metal sides and trim.

Steve

They are about to open a new store. Guess where?

This is why I haven't been around lately.

 

[Fred West]

Michael, what a beauty. Now I am sure you did not build this for Ikea, so what is it for? It looks like something for a movie or play set but oh my gosh the workmanship is gorgeous. Fred

 

[Michael Kellough]

Now I am sure you did not build this for Ikea,

It looks like something for a movie or play

Fred

Thanks for the compliments Fred.

Now I am sure you did not build this for Ikea, ;

Who else would pay for it!  Well, indirectly via the production company.

It looks like something for a movie or play

How about an advertisement or commercial?
Soon to be a billboard and also stop motion animation of the assembly.

 

[nickao]

Fred and Micheal both your packages will  not go out until Monday. Erika, er lets say got distracted.  Goodies will be packed to make up for the long ship time!

Nickao

 

[johne]

Michael,

that looks great, what is the scale of that bridge?

How tall is that?

 

[Fred West]

Nick, thank you for the update and best of luck with a distracted Erika.  Fred

 

[Fred West]

Michael, really great work. How long did it take you to build this and which of the Festools did you use? Fred