A Blog by Benham Design Concepts @benham-design-concepts - Tumblr Blog

Does more humidity equate to more open time for glues?

Short answer: yes for PVA, mostly no for epoxy, and the reason comes down to how each glue actually cures. PVA (Titebond, etc.) PVA glue is a water-based emulsion. It doesn’t cure through a chemical reaction between two parts; it sets as water leaves the glue line, either evaporating into the air or absorbing into the wood fibers. Once enough water is gone, the polymer particles coalesce, coming…

Any suggestions on filling gaps in a glue-up?

Gaps, whether they’re large or hairline, can be annoying and unsightly. I also feel like I’m judged as a woodworker by how tight my joinery and glue-ups are. Here are several methods I use to deal with them. How to Fill Gaps in Your Glue-Ups as a Woodworker Wood Filler: This is my least favorite method. Most commercially sold wood fillers never really match the color of the wood you’re using.…

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How to Prevent Streaks in Wipe On Poly Finishes

Today’s finishing question: How do you prevent streaks in wipe-on poly finishes such as Arm-R-Seal or Minwax? This is a pretty common issue with wipe-on poly finishes, and it has a lot to do with how thick you apply the finish. But before we get to applying the finish, let’s talk about applicator prep. You want to use a clean, lint-free cotton rag, like an old T-shirt. Woodcraft Supply sells a…

Do You Pre-finish Before Glue-up and Assembly?

This is very much product-dependent. Most of the time, I try to do as much assembly as I can before I pull out a finish. This lets me sand off any glue squeeze-out and sand flush any joints or surfaces that should be smooth, in case something got off during assembly. For example, where a rail and stile come together to create a door frame, those joints can sometimes be just a tiny bit off after…

What is The Best Way To Apply Epifanes

Photo from Epifanes Epifanes is one of those products that gets talked about a lot, but not everyone understands what it actually is or how to use it well. Here is a straightforward guide covering the basics: what it is, whether you need to thin it, and how to successfully apply it. What is Epifanes? Epifanes is a Dutch marine coatings brand that’s been around since 1902. It’s best known for…

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How Do You Surface Prep Wood For A Hand-Rubbed Oil Finish?

This advice applies to penetrating oils such as mineral oils, linseed oil, tung oil, and Danish oils like Tried & True, as well as any of the hard wax oil finishing products. Before we get into applying multiple coats of oil, and before the first coat even goes on. It’s important to prep the surface of the wood to get the best results. How do I prep the wood before the first coat? Sand through…

Why Raise Wood Grain with Water Before Finishing (Water Popping)

Why Does Wood Get Fuzzy When You Wet It? (And Why Sanding It Again Fixes It for Good) If you’ve ever sanded a project smooth, wiped it down with a damp rag, and come back to find it feels rough to the touch, you’ve run into “raised grain.” It’s one of those steps a lot of beginner woodworkers skip, then wonder why their finish feels gritty. Here’s what’s actually going on. What is “raised…

What "Made to Order" Actually Means (And What It Doesn't)

I hear the phrase “made to order” thrown around a lot in the furniture world. Manufacturers use it. Big box stores use it. Even some designers use it when they’re describing something that’s really just picked from a catalog, and the reason it’s made to order is that it is customizable but not custom-made. The problem is that the made-to-order phrase gets stretched to cover a lot of different…

How to Choose the Right Bar Stools for Your Restaurant or Bar

Build Your Own Barstool at The Wood Whisperer A Custom Furniture Designer’s Perspective on Bar Stools After years of designing bespoke pieces, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty: the bar stool is one of the most underestimated elements in any commercial interior. Clients often come to me having already chosen their flooring, lighting, and wall treatments, and then it is up to me to…

Top 10 Ways to Organize a Breakfast Nook And What Actually Makes the Difference

If you’ve got a breakfast nook, you know how fast it goes sideways. One week, it’s a cozy little corner for morning coffee. The next it’s a pile of mail, half a school project, and three mugs that didn’t make it back to the cabinet. Breakfast nook organization sounds like a simple problem, but the reason most solutions don’t stick is that the furniture wasn’t built for the space, or built at…

Boulder Custom Furniture as Art

Boulder has a remarkably rich and intentional art culture when it comes to custom furniture, interior design, and handcrafted goods, and it all ties together in a way that feels very true to the city’s broader identity: outdoorsy, sustainability-minded, community-rooted, and deeply invested in craft over convenience. A Culture Built Around “Fewer, Truer Things” Boulder’s ethos tends to push…

You Picked the Fabric. That's Not Custom Furniture.

I hear it a lot. Someone tells me they have “custom furniture” because they went to a showroom and got to choose the upholstery fabric, or pick from a handful of stain options. And I get it. The salesperson probably used the word “custom.” The tag on the piece might even say it. But picking a fabric off a swatch card is not custom furniture. Not really. Let me explain what I mean, because there’s…

How to Build Dressing Vanity with a Decorative Swoosh

I’ll be honest, I feel like I’ve spent the vast majority of my woodworking career jointing and milling lumber to thickness and squaring things up. This project was something else entirely. It’s a dressing vanity with a decorative swoosh that wraps around one side, across the front, and down the other. There’s real geometry involved, and the finishing sequence matters just as much as the joinery.…

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#Woodworking Projects

Headboard with a Swoosh

Wall-Mounted Mid-Century Modern TV Cabinet Build

Today I’m building a wall-mounted mid-century modern TV cabinet. It Starts With the Wood Before I cut a single board, I spent time just laying everything out and looking at the grain. This is one of those things that separates an okay project from a really good one. Getting the grain direction right and making sure it flows nicely between boards all matter for a good custom furniture design to…

Sculpted Fireplace Mantel in Walnut

Sekijoju Bonsia Chess Table

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A Blog by Benham Design Concepts