Trim - The Perfect Miter - Katrina Gets a Shellac'n

Continuing to work solo I trimmed out the front area experimenting with different styles - It took a few tries but I think I have found a winning combination; some decorative and some plain but something on every seam.

It was an unusually warm day in the Northwest last Wednesday the 3rd of November so I bowed out of work for a half day and did a bit of Shellacking.... I've been stressed about matching the color on the various types of wood I used (can't seem to find any Birch other then plywood) plus the old vs. new coloring not to mention the humidity level as the torrential rain starts here in Washington.

I received a really awesome email from my Brother Butch and will be sharing a little of it in each entry starting today.  It really shed some light on the proper use of tools.....

It's called "Tools Explained" here's the first segment:

"Drill Press" A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting your freshly painted project which you had carefully placed in a corner so nothing could get to it.

Yup confirmed it for me too - I've been using it correctly all along...

Here's some other tidbits I've learned recently:

• I have a vast and growing vocabulary of profanity; this really comes in handy!
• Do NOT buy Birch at Home Depot! The only piece that de-laminated with the shellac at all was the one piece I bought on a Sunday and HD was the only place open. 
• Apply your first coat (at least) of stain/shellac/varnish before you install your paneling! Especially important for CEILINGS!  I feel like a dummy and do not really like sticky, shellac covered hands.
• Japanese hand Saws are awesome! I was able to cut small pieces of trim without any splintering very accurately - these are a MUST for this type of work!

Okay here are the pictures:

The miter on the edge of the cabinet came out perfectly with my little Japanese hand saw....I know it's no biggie for you veteran wood workers but it seemed like a HUGE accomplishment for the rookie here!

The wide ceiling trim which covers the seams between the sheets of Birch is a rope pattern with the cabinet molding more decorative 

One coat of Shellac shows the great color, Zinsser Amber seems to be the choice....although I did look into buying the shellac flake to make my own LOL, yah I need to do that too!

The trim between the paneling on the walls is plain and looks great - I should have put at least one coat of finish on the Birch prior to installing it - oh well live and learn right? 

The old wood will need some work to get it as nice as the new = I plan to use some sanding sealer and block sanding to get it smooth

The old wood on this cabinet looks great after a through sanding and cleaning prior to applying the Zinsser - the trim grain is not too open so I suspect will take a coat or two more then the paneling


Next: Bringing up the Rear