My drive west in pursuit of this chair making journey was an enjoyable time.

I've been making furniture for some time now, but hidden in the wooded landscape has been a challenge, silently waiting. What is it?

Well, it's been a fun time, but the Northern Woods Exhibition has finally come to a close.

With 60 mortises awaiting, I'm now in the process of making 30 floating tenons. The black walnut off-cuts I've selected will work fine.

When you have a lot of mortises to cut, it helps to have the right tool for the job. These end mills are just the ticket.

The twenty-ninth annual Northern Woods Exhibition, sponsored by the Minnesota Woodworkers Guild, is just around the corner. That's why you see all this white paint in my studio.

As I began stacking up these desk brackets, my imagination began to see gold! But, alas, it's merely brass.

The 350 square feet of space in my studio gives few options for managing multiple projects, but as I wait between stages of milling the black walnut parts for the desk, I must keep busy!

Wow, I just wrapped up my second of two hand cut dovetailing demos. What an awesome time!

Two months have passed since I last wrote about the desk project. The black walnut planks for the desktop have been equilibrating to the shop atmosphere.

While the black walnut wood for the desk project settles, I have an opportunity to help a client with the repair of a 1960s vintage lamp shade that's taken an unfortunate tumble.

With the chosen plank in hand, it's time to head down to a nearby shop for some assistance. The goal here is to flatten the slab prior to resawing it into a pair of book matched planks for the desktop.

Next project. A desk. Natural edged. Nakashima style. So... here I stand, many phone calls and short road trips into the search for just the right plank of wood.

The Jeffersonian Book Stand has now found its proper home with the Minnesota collector who came to me with the idea for this piece. It's really been a fun project!

What do you get when you cross a library with an arboretum? Well, in Minnesota you get George Nakashima. Or, at least you get his furniture.

Here I am again, eking out the last little bit of wood from the original yellow birch plank for the Jeffersonian Book Stand. This is precious stuff, so I've planned the waste for the bevel under the book ledges to include this serious check in the wood.

I've been anticipating the moment of truth; that time when the most critical parts are fitted together. That time is now...

A short section of railroad track is just the trick to hold the post in position while the glue sets. Just don't bump into it!

Before we get to the actual test drive, let's recap what's been happening this week on the Jeffersonian Book Stand. I've been working through the details of all the carousel parts.

The last of the miter glue-ups is done. Here you can see one half of the veneer edge band miter at the corner of the top book panel for the Jeffersonian Book Stand.