I've decided to do a series of copiously illustrated posts about my workshop and the things I do in there. I'll do this one first, for no reason than because I happen to have useable photographs available. I should have another post up about my workshop and other projects I have done or am working on. I encourage the other woodworkers to do something similar.

One caveat: I am not a photographer. The only camera I can use for this sort of thing is a camera owned by my younger daughter. It is small, pink, and has "Hannah Montana" -whatever that is- written on the side. With that aside, I begin.

Not long ago I finished work on a card table I had been building for my mother. As several gift giving occasions that passed whilst I was working on it, this is her Christmas/birthday/mother's day/Christmas gift.

It is made in the style of Hepplewhite and is made of Mahogany with Pine as a secondary wood. All the wood is recycled, meaning I gathered a bunch of skids or pallets from where I work, ripped them apart, and used that wood for this project. I did a french polish on the top. Every time I do a French Polish finish, I swear it will be the last.

The table can be used as a side table until some friends come over (or mom has one of her euchre nights) and then it can be pulled out and unfolded.

Here it is in side table format.

The first step in turning it into a card table is to swing out the back leg, like so:

Onc ethe back leg is swung out, the table top flips open and the table is ready for a game of cards.

Making the table top flat was the hardest part of the whole project. Making two large leaves lie together flatly using only hand planes is a difficult task, but I got there in the end.

As with all my projects, this was a learning experience. I like doing things that teach me more about the craft. I like trying new things, although they almost never work the first time. For instance, I tried a little inlay on the legs in this project, but when I applied shellac the inlay took on the colour to the point that it is barely distinguishable from the background wood.

At any rate, that one thing that I can cross off my to do list. Now back to the other six hundred.