Desktable

I started out by calling this a "table", but I guess if it has a definitely front and back to it, I guess that makes it a desk? Most of the construction is 2x4s with half-lap joints held together by dowels and glue (no screws -- only screw-ups!). The top is a 2' x 4' x 1/2" sheet of birch plywood recessed into a 3/4" deep rabbet. The top slats were from a couple of pallets. Most of the work was done using hand tools -- Japanese pull saw, chisels, #3 scrub plane, and #5 jack plane. The slats were power planed and cut to dimension on a table saw (lots of repeat cuts). I used a power drill with a 3/8" bit for the dowel holes (since I don't have a brace and bit).
Most every surface was sanded after final assembly and glue-up (legitimate reasons for sanding are in the rest of the album below). Finished with a BLO + shellac mix with a BLO + beeswax paste wax finish on top.

Plenty of flaws and several lessons learned. I'm pretty sure I'll never do a 3/4" x 3/4" rabbet without a proper rabbet plane or a table saw (especially on the 4' long rabbets). Half-blind dados suck, too -- those could have been made better with a decent router plane. I really don't care for planing, but that could just be that I don't have a proper workbench and work-holding devices to make planing practical. I definitely dig the "hybrid woodworking" model I used, though. Making cuts and half-laps with my Japanese pull saws is definitely my favorite part of hand tool woodworking.

Also, no matter how much you sharpen your tools, they're never sharp enough. Mine seem to be plenty sharp enough to cut me without feeling it (scary sharp), but still don't come close to silky smoothness and ease that you see with Paul Sellers (he's my sharpness benchmark)!

[ wgb0.imgur.com ]