Wall Mirror

[butzla]

I built this for a friend to match the vanity I built for him last summer.  His Dad, who's no longer with us, had a tree cutting business back in the day. His Dad was in his late 70's still cutting trees.    My friend would help him on the weekends.  They felled this nice cherry tree in the mid 80's and his Dad told him he should have it milled into boards.  So that's what he did and they were stacked and stickered in his attic for thirty years.

So, he recently bought a nice cottage on a local lake and asked me to build him a vanity for the bathroom, using the cherry.  He like the vanity so much, he wondered if there was anymore wood left, would I make him a mirror to match.

This wood was a dream to work with.  Not a great grade but it was as stable and as dry to cut and mill as balsa wood or Spanish cedar.  It cut like butter.

I used my Domino 500 for the frame joinery and my my new Pro 5 sander for the final sanding.  All wood was hand planed before sanding.  And of course I used my MFT as an assembly table.

I applied 7 or 8 thin coats of General Finishes Arm-R Seal by hand. Rubbing out with 0000 steel wool between coats.

Here's some miscellaneous build photos:

 

[bertv]

Well done! And a nice back story…

 

[Rob-GB]

Very nice and I agree with Bert, the story behind this project makes it that much better too.

Rob.

 

[travisj]

The piece alone is beautiful, but like everyone else had mentioned, the story makes the piece even more special.

 

[Mismarked]

Really nice.  The back story gave me a warm feeling similar to the one I get when I use some old tools that a friend's father gave me before he passed away.  You sure are better at wiping on Arm-R Seal than I am, by the way.

 

[butzla]

Thanks guys.  And I am really happy with the finish.  The trick is very light coats and don't overwork the finish.  Let it dry, then buff out mistakes with steel wool and recoat.  Don't buff out final coat.

His Dad really was an amazing guy.  A true yankee maverick, he could have been in a Norman Rockwell painting.  Some highlights of his life:

• WWII veteran stationed in western Europe
  
• Started a tree cutting business after a heart attack ended his truck driving career at age 56.  Worked as a tree cutter well into his mid-seventies
  
• married for 67 years, raised 4 boys in a 1200 sq. ft. home
  
• went sky diving on his 80th birthday after he heard George Bush did the same.  Had to lie to the instructor by saying he was under age 65
  
• The photo below is him proving he could still do a back flip at age 82

He was an incredible guy.  It makes this wood very special, indeed.  Thanks for looking.

 

[Sparktrician]

Nice, Jim!  I know it wouldn't work in this case, but on flat surfaces, I often use Platin 1000 or 2000 at low speed to smooth out the Arm-R-Seal.  Must admit, cherry is my favorite wood by a long shot.  [smile] 

 

[butzla]

Nice, Jim!  I know it wouldn't work in this case, but on flat surfaces, I often use Platin 1000 or 2000 at low speed to smooth out the Arm-R-Seal.  Must admit, cherry is my favorite wood by a long shot.  [smile]

[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] ,  Thanks for the tip on the platin.  My son bought some used furniture and I refinished the tops with Arm-R-Seal.
I used 2000 and 4000 to polish, then waxed and buffed with the lambswool pad.  Saves a lot of elbow grease and smooth as glass.  The pictures don't do them justice.

 

[nclemmons]

Jim -

Fantastic project.  The design and execution are great.  GF Arm-R-Seal is a wonderful product and it really does look awesome on that cherry.  And your refinish job on the chests.

Great story.  How about a video of you doing a backflip off your bench?!

 

[JBag09]

  Jim, some excellent work again. And love the back story.
  I also have some old cherry and walnut that my uncle gave me a few years ago. He keeps asking if I need more, but I haven't figured out a worthy project for it yet.
  The one piece of cherry that I did plane down looked beautiful and it also seemed to machine nicely.
  After seeing your finish on that has me rethinking about the arm-r-seal. My local woodcraft only carries the non wipe on finish, I'd prefer the version you used, I'll just have to order it next time. Once again fabulous work

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sparktrician]

  Jim, some excellent work again. And love the back story.
  I also have some old cherry and walnut that my uncle gave me a few years ago. He keeps asking if I need more, but I haven't figured out a worthy project for it yet.
  The one piece of cherry that I did plane down looked beautiful and it also seemed to machine nicely.
  After seeing your finish on that has me rethinking about the arm-r-seal. My local woodcraft only carries the non wipe on finish, I'd prefer the version you used, I'll just have to order it next time. Once again fabulous work

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

General Finishes' retail products site call out Arm-R-Seal as "General Finishes Oil Based Arm-R-Seal Urethane Topcoat in Satin Arm-R-Seal topcoats are made with only the highest quality urethane resin, making them extremely durable and long lasting. They are formulated to be wiped on with a cloth or applied with a foam brush, thus eliminating drips and sags. They penetrate to provide deep down protection and that "natural" look."  This is the same version that Woodcraft sells around here.