Dad took up woodworking as a hobby after watching his father and older brothers build their woodshop projects. He made his first woodworking creation in junior high school back in 1960 — a flying wooden goose with copper wings that still sits perched on the wall of his workshop today. Recently, he took it down to show us the intricate curves of the wood and how difficult a project it was for him as a teenager. No matter how difficult, Dad loved the challenge. As a CPA and accounting professor by day, he’s a natural at working with dimensions, angles and measurements. When building a project, he never forgets to remind us, “Gracie and Leslie, you measure three times but you cut only once.”

Of course, Dad has made mistakes along the way. He’s thrown away projects, started over, wasted wood and spent extra money. But once his projects are complete, they are always beautiful and well worth the time and effort. They’re even more special to our family because he made them.

Just Couldn’t Wait!

In 1984, Dad began working on a grandfather clock. He found the design and plans in the November/December 1984 issue of Woodworker’s Journal, as a matter of fact. Falling in love with this new and detailed project, our dad started ordering wood, sharpening tools and getting to work on it — his first grandfather clock! Unfortunately, that magazine issue only provided part one of the clock build. He was so excited to keep building and finished the clock up to the end of part one in no time. He knew he needed part two to finish it and recalls that he just couldn’t wait!

Since Woodworker’s Journal was only published every few months, Dad reached out to the magazine by phone to request the rest of the clock plans, hoping he could continue sooner than anticipated. The magazine staff was kind enough to not only get back to him but also print out the second installment and mail the plans to him before they were even published! Now, four decades later, he still has that printed paper plan.

More Clocks Coming

After years of designing and creating new projects, Dad has started to build grandfather clocks once again. He’s working on the second and third clocks now, and we can’t wait to see how they turn out! The original sits in our family home, and the two new clocks will be for us, his two daughters. Reading your articles and thumbing through the pages has led Dad to create the most beautiful pieces of woodworking throughout the years … from small table clocks to outdoor benches, wooden reindeer lining our front yard for Christmas (we even were in the newspaper once for those!), figurine chests, a Murphy bed for Leslie and even a dining room table for Gracie’s new home.

Over the 40 years that have passed since Dad made that first clock, he says a great deal has changed in the woodworking world — digital clock mechanisms, easier tools for creating delicate moldings, new advanced saws and sanding machines … But one thing remains the same: his creations are still filled with beauty and love, and they remain timeless for our family. Dad’s first clock has inspired us every day of our lives, thanks to his woodworking skills and that original two-part article from 1984.

By Grace and Leslie Blix

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That’s exactly what we’ve done here with this sofa armrest table. It started out as a roughly 10″-wide x 30″-long slab of 3/4″-thick walnut. You can find similar slabs at Rockler stores or many hardwood lumber vendors these days. The dark brown heartwood, separated by stripes of walnut’s cream-colored sapwood, can’t help but call attention to itself! And wrapping the slab around the armrest of a sofa not only makes it a conversation piece but also a super handy place to park a coffee cup, your smart device, a bowl of snacks or the game controller you’re using at the moment.

You won’t need a lot of power tools to build this project. It requires the use of a table saw or track saw to make various cuts, Rockler’s Corner Key Doweling Jig to reinforce the miter joints, a drill/driver and a random orbit sander. A tape measure, combination square, several F-style bar clamps and a means of cutting the dowels flush (we used an oscillating multitool, but a flush-cut saw will work fine, too) are about all you’ll need for hand tools.

Cutting the Miter Joints

The sofa shown here has armrests that are about 6-1/2″ wide. So, after crosscutting the ends of the slab square, we found its center point and drew a layout line across it. Then we drew a pair of parallel layout lines across the slab that each were 4-3/4″ away from the center line. Those established the top corners of the table’s top panel; if you draw a 45-degree line back from these layout lines on what would be the edge of the slab, the “bottom” length of this top panel is 8″ — an easy fit over many sofa arms. But be sure to measure the armrest width of your sofa and adjust the length of the top panel accordingly, if needed.

It’s imperative that the slab be held securely when cutting the top panel free of the two side panels, and this becomes trickier if your slab has very irregular edges. One way to do it is by setting the slab on a crosscut sled, aligning the edge of the sled with each of the cutting lines on the slab and miter-cutting them at 45 degrees with the slab clamped to the sled. You could also tip a track saw to 45 degrees and align the edge of the track to follow each cutting line, then cut the top panel free from the rest of the slab that way. A miter saw could be another option, but it will only work safely if both edges of the slab are flat and parallel so you can set them against the saw fence for cutting.

You now need to miter-cut the edges of the two side panels that were abutting the top panel to 45 degrees. Line these cuts up carefully so all you are doing is trimming off the mitered waste but not shortening the side panels in the process. That way, when the table is assembled, the slab’s grain pattern will wrap around the armrest in a continuous “waterfall” style.

With the miter cuts behind you, set the top and side panels together to check that the miter joints form 90-degree corners. Now is also a good time to verify that the length of the side panels will allow the table to sit flat on the top of the armrest without being obstructed by the seat cushions. Shorten the bottoms of the side panels if they are too long for your sofa. Then give the faces of the three panels a finish-sanding up to 180-grit or higher.

Assembling the Table

Rockler’s Corner Key Doweling Jig enables you to drive dowels in three different diameters diagonally across miter joints. It reinforces them with a mechanical connection that makes the joints significantly stronger. The dowel ends show through the faces of the joints as ovals, which adds a decorative detail. We followed Rockler’s instructions to set our jig up for drilling 3/8″-diameter dowel holes here. The jig enables you to adjust the position of the dowels within the joint, and we located them to be centered on the joint thickness.

Both members of a mitered corner are clamped together inside the jig, so you can drill each dowel hole completely through the joint in a single pass. We positioned the dowels for our table about 1-3/16″ in from the front and back edges of the joints, but you could locate them anywhere you like. Same goes for how many dowels you choose to insert in the joints. We think two look good for this project because the walnut dowels we usedcontrast nicely with the light-colored sapwood. But you can use as many dowels as you like.

When you drill the holes, don’t try to drill all the way through at once. Drill partway, back the bit out to clear the accumulating chips and then drill some more, letting the drill and bit do the work. Ease up on your hand pressure on the drill when the tip of the bit begins to poke through the other side, to avoid punching it through the joint face and potentially tearing out the surface. The cleaner the exit holes are, the better the dowel details will look!

It’s time to round up several bar clamps so you can assemble your table! Since the dowels will hold the joints together, that’s a pretty easy process to do. We spread glue along the mitered edges of one joint, set the top panel and side panel together and inserted a length of dowel into one of the glued dowel holes.

Leave the dowels overly long for now so you can continue to install dowels in the remaining hole or holes of the first joint, then repeat the process for the second joint. Install clamps on the table to pull the joints closed, and wipe off any glue squeeze-out before it begins to cure. Allow the joints to dry for at least eight hours.

Finishing Up

When the clamps come off, trim the ends of the dowels flush with the faces of the panels. Then give the dowel areas another round of careful sanding to smooth them until you can’t detect their ends by feel from the surrounding wood.

Walnut with sapwood like this is too pretty to cover with stain, so we decided to keep the wood’s color as natural as possible. You can enhance the color and grain pattern, however, by wiping on a liberal coat of boiled linseed oil. Wipe off the excess completely, and give the oil at least a full 24 hours to dry. Then topcoat with oil-based polyurethane in a sheen you prefer — we used satin. The poly will give this project a durable, waterproof surface. Rub out any imperfections, and apply a second coat. When that dries, it’s ready for use on your sofa!

Click Here to Download the Drawing and Materials List.

See more woodworking projects at makingmanzanita.com.

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Fifteen years ago, my wife Jean and I read an article about education becoming free in Africa. Schools became overcrowded, often with more than 100 students in a class. We contacted Michael Kremer, a Harvard economics professor and subsequently a Nobel Prize recipient, about how we could help. He said that donating money to sponsor a teacher would be beneficial, which, as teachers, we were very happy to do.

Our Kenyan contact person, Helen Mukanda, told us of the many needs of the Nambale community in Busia County. In 2010 we decided to start a 501(c) (3) nonprofit called Grow Against Poverty and to raise money through the sale of my woodcrafts. Since then we’ve raised over $71,000 selling salad bowls, cutting boards, toys, tea boxes, candleholders and other works in wood.

Ideas for the programs and projects come from community residents, school staff, Helen and other volunteers, who see education as an important way out of poverty. Using Grow Against Poverty proceeds, we’ve implemented school projects and programs. Classrooms have been built, and we’ve outfitted a 12-station computer room. We started a meal program, which is now community-funded, and we’ve planted school organic gardens as well as tree seedling nurseries. These will soon become self-sustaining.

Pedal Power Program

A particularly effective program that was started two years ago is a school bicycle transportation program called “Pedal Power for Kenyan Education.” Many students walk over 5 miles each way to and from high school, often needing to wake up at 4 a.m. to make their morning classes. Grow Against Poverty has provided St. Mary’s School with 50 bicycles, helmets, safety vests and tool kits to loan to students, most from subsistence farming families living on less than a dollar a day.

With a reduced commuting time, students have more time for studying, caring for siblings and working on family farms. Attendance, promptness and academic performance have all improved through this bicycle program. Seven recent graduates have gone on to university, compared to four the previous year. This success has brought requests from five other schools for similar programs. We are starting to raise money to furnish each school with 50 bicycles and accessories.

The immediate focus of Grow Against Poverty is the predicted famine that could affect this region because of the current COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve sent funds to purchase hoes called jembes and other tools and supplies for 100 farm families so that students who are home from school can provide extra help with food production.

Charitable donations of wood and other supplies for my woodcrafts make our fundraising for these Kenyan projects possible. Local businesses have given me woods such as oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany, teak and Brazilian ebony for this endeavor. A local hardware store has supplied glue and finishes. Online businesses have donated finishes, veneer and inlays, too. I supply whatever else is needed as well as pleasurable time in the shop with a hobby that has the extra benefit of helping others.

– John Roccanova

To find out more about Grow Against Poverty’s programs, visit: www.globalgiving.org/projects/pedal-power-for-kenyan-education and www.growagainstpoverty.wixsite.com/kenya.

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I’ve never been much of a bystander, so I quickly set to work on prototypes for personal protective equipment (PPE) that I hoped to produce in sufficient quantities to at least cover the needs of my closest friends and family. And since “crazy” seems to know my exact location at all times, it took less than 48 hours for a major national news network to find me and place an order for 8,500 face masks for the purpose of protecting their reporters and staff who would be so critical in covering news of the crisis.

To make this essential, yet (then) extremely scarce piece of gear a reality, we ramped up from a single parttime employee to a team of 10 to seamstresses working from home. Calavera purchased many thousands of the most expensive vacuum bags known to our woodworking and construction industries and scrounged for every inch of elastic we could get our hands on. By the time of this writing, we have shipped well over 20,000 high quality, well-fitting masks, including a couple thousand donated outright to veterans hospitals, food banks and many other good causes around the community. (And yes, I made sure Mom and Dad had plenty from the start to stay safe.)

We must take responsibility for one another, regardless of politics, beliefs or any of the other factors that make individuals out of each of us. I have been extremely grateful for the opportunity to put whatever skills I have to use for the greater good, in whatever small manner that may be. And well, if I’m being honest, I do enjoy a good challenge and a little bit of chaos now and then. Stay safe, good people, in these challenging times.

Michael Williams is the founder of Calavera Tool Works

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