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Custom Design Showcase

Custom Design Showcase

Before setting foot in my wood shop in Spring Mills, PA, the first step for every custom furniture project is design. I love creating customized pieces for my clients. Tried and true designs are great, but creating something new and unique is fun for both of us as well as incredibly rewarding.

I take the time to model all custom furnishings in Google SketchUp to ensure that I have a client’s vision and an accurate budget fully realized. I provide each client with their own design page with images and interactive 3D models of their design options as well as a quote for each variation.

Below, you’ll find examples of custom designs I’ve completed for clients (and some for my own home) over the years. Click on each of the titles to expand and view 3D models, images, and descriptions for each project. Click on the 3D models to activate rotation. This works best on tablets and computers. It can be buggy on phones.

When you’re ready to start your own custom woodworking project, contact me to get the process started!

Click on a project title to expand it and see details, images, and 3D models:

A-Frame Playroom Table and Bench

I built this A-frame table and bench set for our good friends. They had struggled to find a kid-sized table for their play area that would hold up to the daily abuses of craft projects, pretend restaurants, and lunchtime. Most kid furniture is flat-packed, requiring assembly and periodic tightening of all hardware to keep it from wobbling.

The A-frame legs of this table and bench are great for stability, and rounded corners and edges make it comfortable and safe for hours of use. While the tops of both the bench and table can be removed, the bases are solidly and permanently affixed with screws and wood glue. All visible hardware sits down in counter-bored holes that I plugged for a smooth final finish. Loose hardware and wobbly legs won’t be an issue.

Here’s a few pictures of the final pieces for comparison to the original design plus a client photo of the table in its new home. If you’re interested n seeing how this project came together, I put together a blog post showing some of the steps of building this awesome playroom table and bench set.

  • A-Frame Playroom Table and Bench, White - Full View
  • A-Frame Playroom Table, White - Shelf Detail View
  • A-Frame Playroom Table, White - Leg Detail View
  • A-Frame Playroom Bench, White - Leg Detail
  • A Frame Playroom Table and Bench, White 3

Benches to Match IKEA Skogsta Table

I designed these benches for a client to match an IKEA Skogsta dining table. I built a pair of them, and they are sized specifically to sit next to each other on one long side of the table or one each at the two shorter ends.

This project was a fun challenge. Working from an existing table design, I created benches that complemented the larger piece. IKEA doesn’t make benches that match the table, so the client may be the only family in the world with a matching Skogsta dining set.

The table has several distinctive design elements that I incorporated into the benches: angled legs, a large “V”-shaped support structure between trestle legs, and what I can a “through dado” – a crossbar at the base of the V that sits in and extends beyond a channel in the lower supports of the trestles.

Here’s a few photos of the final benches:

Bookshelf Bench

I designed this bench with an integrated angled shelf for my daughter’s room. She was four years old when I finished the build, and there was a temptation to paint the finished bench with bright colors to match her room, but I ultimately decided to go with a stained top with a white base, a timeless look that work wells now and that will continue to look beautiful as she grows and her tastes change.

As the design is definitely something that works for any age, I staged a photo in a more neutral setting before moving the bench into my daughter’s room and filling it with her books. This would make a great addition to a front hallway or a reading nook in any home.

Front Porch Plant Stand Bench

One of my first custom designs and builds, a pair of these plant stand benches sit on our front porch. We have a covered porch across the entire front of our house, and we wanted to fill the space with something that would add curb appeal while also being functional.

These benches fit this bill, and the only problem we have is deciding if they look better in the spring filled with a variety of annuals or in the fall with large pots of hardy mums.

Check out this blog post to see more details of how I build these planter benches.

Castle Joint Patio Set

This massive patio set features an 8 foot by 4 foot table with four benches. All pieces feature castle joints on the corners and half-lap joints on the long sides. The legs and sides of the benches are made of 4x4s, and the legs and sides of the table are made of 6x6s. The table weighs more than 500 pounds!

The castle joint patio set is an ongoing project. Here’s a look at the first bench I completed that will serve as a template for the rest. The client opted for a beveled edge that wasn’t in the original design that I think makes these pieces something really special.

Keep up with my progress on this insanely large project (I’m making two complete sets!) by following my Instagram or liking my Facebook page. Once the project is complete, I’ll post photos here and on the Project Gallery page.

Modern Dining Table

Another large project for 2020, I designed this dining table for my family. The top will be made of hard maple and stained a dark brown to complement our floors, and the base will be pine stained an onyx black-brown to match our kitchen cabinets.

I’ll post updates later this year as I progress with the build.


Ready to start your custom furniture design?

If you live in the State College, PA area and are looking for piece of custom furniture, I would love to hear from you. I deliver to all corners of Centre County, and smaller pieces can be shipped if you live further away. Contact me today to start your the custom furniture design process!

Recent Posts

  • Project Spotlight: Hexagon Cupcake Stand for 1st Birthday Party
  • Customized and Personalized Home Decor and Gifts in State College, PA
  • Project Spotlight: American Flag Cornhole Boards
  • Build Diary: Playroom Table + Bench
  • Build Diary: Lego Table

My Instagram

33rdstreetwoodworks

Another build from #Christmas2020, my sister-in-la Another build from #Christmas2020, my sister-in-law commissioned this kitchen sink cover for my niece's first apartment. The cove-bit finger holds on the sides really take the simple design up a notch as well as adding functionality while sticking to a request for no handles. Pine stained with @minwaxusa Golden Oak #woodworking #kitchendecor #kitchenideas
#Christmas2020 has come and gone, so I can start p #Christmas2020 has come and gone, so I can start posting everything I've been working on for the past several weeks. First up is this toy bin stack I made for a neighbor. Lots of fun angles and different techniques for this one. Pine stained with @minwaxusa jacobean. #woodworking #playroom
That feeling when you put the back panel in a cabi That feeling when you put the back panel in a cabinet and realize you accidentally dead-centered beautiful book-matched grain in the veneer. Just the face frame and about 1000 dowels left for this one. Happy Friday! #woodworking
Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful today for a supportiv Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful today for a supportive wife and kiddos who (eventually) go to bed so I can disappear into the shop for an hour or two and make sawdust. #thanksgiving #happythanksgiving  #woodworking #sawdustselfie
We had our first dusting of snow last week, but th We had our first dusting of snow last week, but this wheel barrow planter/ address marker has me thinking about next spring already. A gift for friends.  #woodworking #gardendecor #planter #planters
I dropped this #littlefreelibrary off at a retirem I dropped this #littlefreelibrary off at a retirement community this morning. The residents aren't able to leave the grounds often, if at all, and the book mobile has stopped running. I was excited to take on this commission to try to improve the lives of a vulnerable and isolated group. I'll post more pics once the grounds crew at the complex stains and installs the box. I also plan to put plans together for the box and post them on my website for anyone to use at some point. #woodworking #littlefreelibraries #littlefreelibrariesofinstagram
Happy birthday to my amazing wife! This isn't her Happy birthday to my amazing wife! This isn't her gift or anything - just something that she requested several months ago that i finally got around to last weekend. #woodworking #jewelryorganizer #jewelry #rusticelegance
I made this pair of toddler stools as 1st birthday I made this pair of toddler stools as 1st birthday gifts for the cutest twin girls you're ever likely to meet. They'll be climbing and causing endless trouble for their parents any day now! (It may or may not have already started.) #woodworking #toddler #toddlerstool #1stbirthday
I boxed up this #Peloton shelf early last week and I boxed up this #Peloton shelf early last week and sent it off to Long Island! Thanks to my client for tracking me down on IG. It's almost identical to the last one I built - just a shade lighter with the @minwaxusa classic grey instead of the varathane carbon grey. I love how these are turning out, though I may need to come up with a more compact design for shipped orders. Building the box took almost as long as building the shelf. 😅 #woodworking #cardboardworking
New project alert! I was contacted by a local seni New project alert! I was contacted by a local senior living community last week about building a pair of little free library boxes. With COVID limiting library services in the area, specifically the book mobile that visits the community regularly, the residents need a new way to access reading material. I worked with their director and came up with this design, and now I'm off and running! Should be a fun build. #littlefreelibrary #woodworking #SketchUp
I finished the second #castlejoint table this week I finished the second #castlejoint table this week and delivered it on Saturday. My neighbors are on their game and already have it stained! Here's a few pics of the first table with a full complement of benches. The color looks great, and as massive as all of this seemed in the shop, it looks perfect on their deck. I loved this project, and my day-to-day in the shop is going to feel very different without 40 castle joints on my plate. On to new opportunities! #woodworking #patiofurniture #joinery
The mortises in the legs of the #castlejoint table The mortises in the legs of the #castlejoint table are 5.25" deep. A 10" table saw blade only cuts 3.5" deep. Here's a look at clearing out the rest by hand. The video is definitely NOT running at 5x speed. I've just gotten that good with hand tools during quarantine. 😁 #woodworking #joinery
I made this hickory end grain serving board (#char I made this hickory end grain serving board (#charcuterie board if you're fancy) as a housewarming gift for our good friends. We were finally able to get together over the weekend for an outdoor play date for the kiddos. So nice to see them and get a taste of a normal fun summer weekend for the first time in a long time. #woodworking #charcuterieboard
I'm working on the second table (and final piece) I'm working on the second table (and final piece) of the castle joint patio sets, and the graduation goggles are in full effect. Figured I'd share more of the process this final time through. Step 1 is breaking down the 8ft 6x6s from Lowe's and milling them to get a 5.25" square. Pic 1 shows the final result, pic 2 shows the irregular trapezoid I started with, and pic 3 shows all 12 rough-cut chunks I milled on the jointer and planer over the weekend. #woodworking
One done! I delivered this massive 8' x 4' #castle One done! I delivered this massive 8' x 4' #castlejoint patio table to my neighbor yesterday - with the help of his flatbed trailer and a couple of his friends to help us lift it. This thing is without doubt the biggest piece I've ever built, and it might just be my best as well. The angle iron corner brackets - made by the client - that reinforce the leg joints are an awesome touch visually and add considerable strength. Despite the weight, one person can push it into position thanks to large squares of UHMW polyethylene on the bottom of each leg. Now to get started on the second one! #woodworking #patiofurniture #joinery
Happy anniversary to my amazing wife of 11 years! Happy anniversary to my amazing wife of 11 years! The traditional gift for 11 years is steel, to signify the strength of a long relationship (10 years is tin/aluminum - so apparently that 11th year ups the durability quite a bit). I made this wire-and-nail EAT sign for our kitchen. Our old EAT sign, painted MDF letter cutouts, broke when the wind blew it off a shelf, and it's a relief to finally have clear instructions in the house again. #woodworking #rusticelegance #rusticdecor
Step 1: Push 5' chunk of 6x6 vertically across you Step 1: Push 5' chunk of 6x6 vertically across your table saw using what you used to think of as your "big" tenoning jig. Step 2: Take moodily lit photo of your setup. Step 3: ??? Step 4: Profit #woodworking #castlejoint #joinery
Using a forstner bit in a hand drill often leads t Using a forstner bit in a hand drill often leads to crooked bores and a ragged entry.  I was inspired by a YouTube video by Woodworking Nut to put together a quick guide block, and the difference is amazing. Incredibly clean entries on these counterbores! #woodworking #shoptip #tooltips #tooltip #shophack
Dropped this beauty off this morning - a #Peloton Dropped this beauty off this morning - a #Peloton shelf with a great high contrast look between the @varathane smoke grey and the red and white of the vinyl and shoe hooks. #woodworking
Here's another look at the castle joints I've been Here's another look at the castle joints I've been building, this time showing how the joint evolves after it comes out of clamps - in reverse order. Pic 1 is the final corner. Pic 2 is the joint after rough-sanding everything flush with a belt sander. Pic 3 is the joint after trimming some excess glue right after it comes out of the clamps. I take advantage of the softness of the pine and leave the various tenons a bit long so I'm certain to get a smooth surface in the end. #woodworking #joinery #castlejoint
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