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Murphy Bed For A Client In College Station

Texas Custom Murphy Bed by Dailey Woodworks

We just finished up this Murphy Bed for a client in College Station.  Right now in Aggieland, we are all about College Football.  Every few weekends, Bryan and College Station are overrun with people coming into town for college game day.  With a seating capacity of over 102,000, Kyle Field at Texas A&M is the biggest football stadium in Texas (including pro football stadiums).  That’s a lot of extra friends and family coming to town.  Wallbeds are great for adding additional beds for gameday guests.

Guest rooms are great for people who have friends and family stay with them regularly.  But, at the same time, an extra queen size bed takes up a lot of floor space in a room that mostly sits empty.  That’s the same issue that Stacy was facing.  She needed a place for guest, but also wanted her craft-room.  So she got both.  We built and installed this awesome queen size Murphy bed in an average size room.  When folded up the bed only takes up 17″ of floor space.  We also flanked the bed with two 2 foot wide book cases with fully adjustable shelving.

Starting with the Best Materials and Hardware

We’ve recently switched to Purebond Plywood for all of our cabinetry builds.  It’s a fantastic, environmentally friendly product that I loved using on this build. Learn more about it here.

Milling up all the parts

The hardware we use is simply the best.  I’ve actually been criticized by fellow online woodworkers for spending $299 on a hardware kit, because they “can make the kit themselves for $50.”  No. No, you cant.  I can spend days searching and finding the hardware the kit contains, figuring out how to make it all work safely and consistently, or I can purchase a high-quality hardware kit with a lifetime warranty that allows almost anyone to operate a 150lb folding queen size bed easily, with one hand.  I gladly guarantee my work because I’ve carefully chosen the parts that go into my products and builds.

 

For the finish on this bed, we used Durapoxy by Kelly-Moore Paints.  The color was custom matched to the existing trim and cabinetry throughout the house.  If you’re in the Bryan-College Station area, I highly recommend Hill Country Paints.  In fact, they are my exclusive paint and finishing product supplier because of their superior products and amazing customer service.

Matching the Existing Cabinetry

A fun challenge for this bed was to match the style to the existing cabinetry in the house.  Honestly, this was a lot more work than I expected.  I ended up getting a new 70-piece router bit set just to match all the profiles (darn, more tools to buy…noooo!)

The cabinet door facing we applied is actually a four piece build up.  Starting from the outside we used pre-primed radiata pine. This is a very stable and easy to mill material that is a great value on paint grade projects.  We set up a combination of table saw jigs and router bits to match the the outside profile.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t come across in the pictures well.  The second piece is a stepped cove that we have sitting about 1/8 of an inch below the white frame.  The third piece is the faux raised panel that starts at about 3/16″ thick and goes up to 5/8″ thick before meeting the final piece.  The fourth and final piece of this build up was the trickiest.  It’s an Ogee paired with a round over.  To create this, we started with a 1×3 and routed it on edge to create the Ogee, then flipped on it’s side to route the round over.  The final step was ripping the finished and fragile trim off with the table saw.  The recessed field is the plywood foundation of the bed.

Flanking the Murphy Bed with Book Cases

Adding two bookcases to the sides of the bed really sets it off and helps balance the bed in a room.  It’s completely optional of course.

 We built these book cases with the same material that we build all of our paint grade cabinetry with.  Since the book case was over 7ft tall, we needed a fixed center shelf to keep the cabinet from bowing out over time.  The rest of the shelving is completely adjustable thanks to 1/4″ shelf pins.

Murphy Bed Installation

It’s important to have everything out of the room where your Murphy Bed will be installed on installation day.  Installation, adding trim, and any touch up painting typically takes only one day. We bring the pre-finished bed pieces and build parts and assemble it in place.

Final Touches

After installation, we paint the trim, perform any touch ups, then thoroughly clean the work area.  If you already have the mattress, we are happy to install it for you as well.

If you’d like an extra game-day bed, extra room in your spare room, or just love the concept of a Murphy Bed installed in your home, check out our Murphy Bed page to start the process.

Craftsman 150-Piece Mechanic’s Tool Set – Product Overview

I recently received the new Craftsman 150 Piece Mechanic’s Tool Set in “Gunmetal Chrome” from Lowe’s.  If you’re anything of a tool nut like myself you’ll know that Sear sold the Craftsman brand to Stanley-Black and Decker and made a deal to sale Craftsman branded tools at Lowe’s.  Getting to the point this new Craftsman lives up to the legendary Craftsman name.  I’m very impressed.



Now I’m not a mechanic and I really dislike working on my own vehicles, but the simple fact is everyone needs a decent socket and wrench set for basic DIY tasks from assembling furniture to light auto maintenance like changing a battery.  As a professional carpenter I need a high quality set of wrenches, ratchets, and sockets to maintain my tools and equipment, assemble the barn door hardware I use, and various other things work related.  I also do perform my own basic auto maintenance.

Youtube Video:

 

Overall I’m very impressed with the quality of the Craftsman Tool Set.  The plastic case is fantastic, even after some pretty vigorous shaking all the pieces were still in their proper place.  The case is well laid out and it’s easy to both find and retrieve the tool you’re looking for.  The “Gunmetal Chrome” finish looks great on the overall excellent fit and finish on all the different parts.

Craftsman did a great job clearly marking and labeling the sizes on both the wrenches and the sockets.  Big easy to read font and nice deep etching make identifying the correct size a breeze.

If you’re looking for a great quality tool set with most of the tools you’ll need I can fully recommend the Craftsman 150-piece Gunmetal Chrome Mechanics Tool Set as a great buy for yourself or as a gift.

What Kind Of Door Do I Need: A Door Buying Guide For Your Home

what kind of door do i need cover photo

I often hear the question, “What kind of door do I need?”

When it is time to replace a door on your home you have many options and likely many questions. Our goal with this post is to provide a clear, yet concise, buying guide to help you choose the right door for your home. We will briefly touch on interior doors then focus on exterior doors for the bulk of this post. If you’re in the Brazos Valley, we provide interior and exterior door installation and are happy to help you with your project.  And of course we build and install custom Barn Doors as well.

How to measure your front door.

href=”http://daileywoodworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/IMG_5390-e1534364495843.jpg”> This door measures 24 inches so if I were to replace it I’d buy a 24″ pre-hung door.[/
There are rough opening dimensions, finished dimensions, etc.  Thankfully residential door sizes are pretty much standardized throughout the industry.  This means it’s as simple as measuring the width of the actual door.

I snapped this picture sitting at my desk in my wife’s new craft room.  As you can see this is a 24″ door.

Pre-hung vs Slab Doors

There are two options when buying a new door.  Slab or Pre-hung.  A slab is just the door.  It may come predrilled for a lock set or it may not.  With a slab the hinges must be mortised and the door trimmed to fit the existing jamb.  A pre-hung door is just that, a door that is “pre-hung” on a jamb. I always recommend purchasing a pre-hung door.  The cost difference in negligible.  In fact, I charge more to hang and fit a slab on an existing jamb than I do to remove and install a pre-hung door.  With a pre-hung door you get a full “door unit” and everything lines up straight from the factory.

Interior Doors: Hollow Core vs Solid Core Doors

A “Hollow Core Door” is hollow and a “Solid Core Door” is solid.  Glad I could clear that up!

Hollow core doors are lighter and cheaper both in quality and price.  You can pick up a hollow core interior door off the shelf at any box store or building center.  Your house most likely has hollow core doors.

A Solid Core Door is solid.  This means it weighs more, about double from my guestimation.  They also cost about double.  The advantages are that a solid core door will take more abuse from your three year old super hero, block sound a lot better, and will also insulate better than a hollow door.  The disadvantages are cost and availability.  The 24″ door in the picture above is a solid core and is used as a passthrough from my shop to my wife’s craft room. We chose a solid core for the sound and insulation benefits.  We had to special order the door and it took about 3 weeks to come in and cost about double.

Exterior Doors: Steel vs Fiberglass vs Wood

When it come to exterior doors there are a plethora of options: double doors, arched doors, doors with windows… you have a lot of options. Knowing the differences in cost, quality, and maintenance will help you make an informed decision.

Steel Doors – The Economy Option

Steel Doors are your basic option and the cheapest option for an exterior door.  At my fixer upper, we’re slowly replacing our exterior doors with steel doors.  Our house is in a “working class” neighborhood and it would be a poor return on investment to spend more money on a higher quality door.  If you live in a “fancy” neighborhood going with a “cheap” steel door isn’t a great idea for resale purposes.  The only real advantages of a steel door are the cost savings and being readily available.

The down

[/caption]The downsides are as follows: They dent and scratch very easily, once they are dented it’s almost impossible to hide the dent.  Other flaws like “ripples” are almost impossible to see until after you paint the door. The ultra flat factory primer makes it hard to spot these imperfections, but once you apply a semi-gloss paint EVERY flaw in the door stands out.

Steel doors have their place; cost savings, rentals, back doors, and starter homes for example, but I recommend going with a fiberglass door whenever possible.

Fiberglass Doors

I recommend you install fiberglass doors in your home.  The cost difference varies from about $75 more than a basic steel door to upwards of $2000 for a wood-look premium fiberglass door like this one:

Fiberglass doors insulate better, don’t rust, and resist dings and dents better than steel doors.  It’s definitely the way to go if you want the best door for your money. (Read our blog post about this door installation in Bryan TX.)

Wood Doors

Absolutely nothing compares to the beauty of a real wooden door.  I love them.  This is a door I sanded down and refinished a year ago.  Which brings us to the big downside of wood doors: maintenance.

I left this picture big so you could take it all in as you were scrolling down.  What an amazing door!  They are also very expensive.  A prefinished solid wood door and a top of the line “wood-look” fiberglass door are about the same price.  Now I will begrudgingly share with you the negatives of a real wood door…  As I mentioned earlier, maintenance is the biggest draw back of a wood door.  With the extremes in temperature, humidity, and the blistering summer heat you can expect to refinish your wood door every 7-10 years (prices change but refinishing a door like this runs about $450).

Here is what the above door looked like before I refinished it.

Summary

Thanks for reading all the way through.  If you call the Brazos Valley home and need a door replaced or refinished send us a message and we will provide a free estimate.

For interior doors you have two main options: Cheap and available hollow core doors or expensive and special order solid core doors.  Wood interior doors are also an option.

Exterior Doors have many options in three main categories:

  • Steel Doors – Cheaper/lower quality.  Good for rentals, back doors, the budget friendly option
  • Fiberglass doors – Best value and quality.  You simply get a lot better door for your money.  I recommend fiberglass doors especially for the front door that everyone sees.
  • Wood Doors – Unparalleled Beauty but High Maintenance…There’s a marriage joke in there somewhere but I’ve closed the door on jokes made in poor taste.

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After thoughts:

Right Hand or Left Hand In-swing

I’ll be honest, this still confuses the heck out of me.  I’ve lost count of how many doors I’ve installed (over 100 for sure) and I still have to re-enact opening the door or draw a picture for the guy at the store. Instead of trying to explain it to you and confusing us both, here’s a diagram I found.

My Favorite Locksets

I really like these keypad locks from Kwikset.  They are easy to install and have an “auto-lock” feature.  It’s nice to be able to text grandma the code instead of finding an extra key.

Over Size Door Installation in Bryan Texas

This doorway was a challenge.  The entry to an older home in Bryan, TX was a massive door that, unfortunately, was damaged beyond repair.  Years of rain, Texas heat, and, most recently, a beating from Hurricane Harvey had caused the old wooden door to swell, crack, and begin to fail at the joints.  We set about replacing the door and rebuilding the entryway.

My clients chose a door from our door supplier and we installed it when the door arrived a few weeks later.  The old entryway had no insulation and I can imagine that in full summer heat or winter chill, you would feel the draft walking by.  We completely tore out the old framing, built new framing, installed the door, added insulation, closed it back up, and painted it.

The finished result really boosted the curb appeal of this home.  In fact, the homeowners loved it so much that I’m going back to replace a few more doors for them in the next couple of weeks.  We originally painted the door and surround in Doe Skin by Kelly Moore but since both of the homeowners are professors at Texas A&M University, it just wasn’t right without some Aggie Maroon.

 

We professionally install interior and exterior doors throughout the Brazos Valley, Contact Us for a free estimate.

Whiskey Barrel Table Build

My client supplied the whiskey barrels for this project and thanks to pictures knew exactly what he wanted me to do.  We took two whiskey barrels and made two matching tables for him and his brother.  We went with an Oak top stained with English Chestnut and finished with a semi-gloss clear coat.

Oak gives the strength and stability needed for this type of table.  We initially make a top out of pine with disappointing results.

Cutting a perfect circle in wood is a little tricky.  There are a few methods of doing this.  I chose to make a compass jig for my router.  You can buy these but making one is very simple.  Using shallow passes made multiple cuts until I bottomed out my plunge router.  I then used a jigsaw to cut away the rest and cleaned that up with a flush trim router bit.

 

To mount the top we used some very simple 2×4 bracing.  Our youtube video shows you how we did it better than we can tell you.

Pinterest is a fun place for ideas and projects.  I’ve done a folding workbench a client found on Pinterest and a few other projects.  If you have an odd build request use the Pinterest Challenge contact form are we will work on bringing your ideas to reality.

If you have a project in mind Contact Us, we can build what you want and have nationwide shipping available for furniture projects.

Check out our Youtube Video to see how it’s made:

Budget Kitchen Transformation

Does your kitchen look like this?

Let’s walk you through how we transformed it into this

This was a Kitchen Remodel in Bryan TX.

Your kitchen is the most important room of your house.

It’s where you prep your meals, it’s where your junk drawer is, it’s the countertops you put groceries on, it’s where you make your coffee… I could go on (but I could have also just said your kitchen is where you make your coffee to establish my point).

The Kitchen is the Hub of most homes, if that space isn’t functional or enjoyable then it affects your whole life.  We took this old, worn out, and poorly laid out 1960’s kitchen and completely updated it to be beautiful and functional.  AND WE USED THE EXISTING CABINETS SAVING THE HOMEOWNER $1000s!  

Modifying existing cabinets is called “Cabinet Refacing.” Refacing cabinets can be as simple as new door and drawer fronts on a functional but dated kitchen.  Or Refacing can be extensive modifications to existing cabinets to drastically change how a kitchen functions.  Sometimes it is best to go with all new cabinets but many times we can come up with budget-friendly solutions.

This kitchen had a built-in oven and a separate range, both broken.  We looked at the option of replacing each but it’s shocking how much a built-in oven costs.  We decided to demo the existing cabinets and build to new base cabinets to allow for a combination stove/range.  Even with the cost of new base cabinets for this area and a nice new stove was still about $500 less than it would have been for separate built in oven and stove top.

I built two drawer banks to flank the new oven and when we were all said and done you cant tell where the original cabinets end and the new ones begin.

All About Those Drawers

All but one of the base cabinets were converted to drawer banks.  Deep drawers do a better job of not only organizing your pots and pans but also allow for better access.  We built all of our drawers with 1/2 birch plywood and have 1/4 drawer bottoms that are captive on 3 sides.  This creates a very strong drawer that can hold a lot of weight.  We use ballbearing full extension drawer slides.

The drawers are clear-coated with lacquer for a durable finish.

Doors and Drawer Faces

Simple elegance was the goal with this kitchen.  Shaker style doors and drawer faces create a timeless look.  We only use Euro Style concealed hinges on our cabinets.

Finishes

DuraPoxy by Kelly Moore Paints is my go to paint for cabinetry.  It goes on beautifully and when dry gives an extremely durable finish.  Park Oak Paint in Bryan is the Brazos Valley’s only Kelly Moore dealer, and my favorite paint store.

Shout Outs

No remodeling project is done by just one guy.  It takes various tradesmen to get the job done.  My tile guy Chris is outstanding in his attention to detail.  The Electrician installed all new can lights, undercabinet lighting, and brought everything up to modern code. Scott, my favorite plumber from Bass Plumbing puts up with me and fixed what was a mess underneath the sink.

Our countertops were done by Brazos Valley Granite.

YouTube Video

Want a walk through?  I documented this remodel on my youtube channel so you can see the process of how this project came together.

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Straighten Boards With This DIY Table Saw Jointer Jig

Straight boards are essential to quality woodworking, however, I’ve yet to buy a perfectly straight board.  This easy to make jig can be made in a few hours and will definitely up your woodworking game.

A Jointer is a woodworking tool that is used to get a perfectly straight edge on a board.  You cannot typically do this on a table saw because the curve of the wood will follow the fence and you’ll be left with a narrower curved board.  A Jointer is a specialized tool that is able to deal with the imperfect boards to get them straight.  They are also expensive ranging from $400-$3000.  

Also, I don’t really have room for one in my shop.  But I can achieve the same results faster and a whole lot cheaper with a jointing jig for the table saw.  With this jig, I’m able to get perfectly straight edges on lumber up to 2x12x96.  That’s a little overkill for most folk so you can make a smaller one that better suits your needs.  The jig uses plywood, which will have a straight edge from the factory and inexpensive toggle clamps.

Watch the Video Below to See How It’s Made

 

Built-In Cabinet Modification

Custom Cabinets in College Station TX

Did you know that you’re existing built-in cabinets can be modified?  Many people assume that built-in cabinetry has to be completely removed and new cabinets made if they ever want to make changes.  What a waste of time, money, and materials!

Cabinet Modification, also commonly called cabinet refacing, allows existing cabinets and built-ins to be changed, modified, and updated to change their function and style.

This entertainment center was built in the days of big heavy CRT televisions.  Thank goodness for new technology and better TVs.

Seriously, this 49in HDTV is only $300, and has Netflix built in! And it only weighs 25lbs vs 9,001lbs

For obvious reasons, my client would rather have a TV like this rather than the old style that this cabinet was built for.

 

They saved $1,600 modifying the existing cabinet vs building new

Here’s what we did:

Partial demoing of the cabinet (Hover over pictures for captions)

This was actually three cabinet units
The full center section was removed and cut down
The sides of the outer cabinets were left

Modifications

I skinned the back wall with 1/4 Maple Plywood
New plywood top
Bookshelves add to top
Faceframes added and cabinet primed

Detail Pictures

Routed faceframes to match the original style
Before: Obsolete track system
After: Skinned with 1/4 plywood
Edge trim added to new top
Crown Molding
Crown Molding adds a finishing touch

The client opted to save even more money by painting the “New” cabinet themselves. They were pretty happy with this 2-day modification.

We build new cabinets and modify existing cabinets.  Contact us to set up a free estimate for your next home improvement project.

Improving Dust Collection on a Jobsite Table Saw

how to improve dust collection on a table saw

I recently purchased the Ridgid 10in Heavy Duty Portable Table Saw (R4513) to replace my Hitachi C10RJ Table Saw (Sigh). The Ridgid R4513 has a great fence, plenty of power, and a “gravity rise” stand.  I’m mostly happy with this saw and can trust it on the job site unlike the Hitachi.

One area that really could use improvement on the Ridgid Jobsite Table Saw is dust collection.  I’ve really been on a dust collection crusade recently, because of the health benefits, time saved in clean up, and an overall more enjoyable woodworking experience.

Check out my youtube videos for my homemade two-stage dust collector and the amazing auto switch I use to automatically turn my vacuum on and off.

I noticed fairly quickly that the dust collection was poor on my new saw.  Looking underneath I found that the shroud was mostly open which didn’t allow for strong suction.  I decided to do something about it,

I couldn’t make a shroud cover out of plywood or stiff material because it would interfere with the blade tilt mechanism.  Therefore, I simply doubled up some duct tape (sticky sides together) and started closing in the empty spaces.  I also used Zero Clearance Tape by Fastcap to quickly make my stock throat plate a zero clearance throat plate and to add some rigidity to my Gorilla Tape shroud underneath the saw.

The results were too good.  I actually closed up the saw to the point that air was only entering through the zero clearance throat plate.  This caused too much restriction and quickly caused the dust shroud to clog.  I cut out a small portion of the duct tape at the front of the shroud to allow for air flow and it works great.

This simple improvement greatly improved the dust collection at my table saw and makes it far more enjoyable to use.  I did this to my Ridgid Portable Table Saw but the same method should work on any table saw.

VIDEO

Watch the video below to see how I did this.  It should work on any jobsite or portable table saw.

how to improve dust collection on a table saw

*Click image above to watch video*

Cheap and Easy Two-Stage DIY Dust Separator

I don’t have an elaborate dust collection system at my shop.  My system is two shop vacuums that I got on Black Friday deals for about $40 each. I did splurge on a few extra hoses here and there but that’s it.

One thing that I always do is run filter bags in my vacuums.  Especially while sanding the fine particles will quickly clog a filter and dramatically decrease performance.  The filters also really suck (no pun intended) to clean.  Filter bags do a great job of keeping your wet/dry vacuum performing at full capacity until the bag is packed full, but man they are expensive!

Filter Bags get Expensive, Y’all!

The best prices I’ve found for filter bags are on Amazon (which is not always the case).  Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/2u5oCzU

These are 3 for $10 with free shipping,  If you look sometimes you can find better but $3.33 per bag is about the best I can find.  The Orange store runs about $5 per bag and the Blue store is a shocking $7 per bag.  It pays to shop around!

If I’m building a Dog Kennel running my miter saw, table saw, and sander I can fill one of these up in a day, easy.  So I decided to try and make my own dust separator.

 

There are, of course, commercially available cyclones and chip separators (Like the Dust Deputy) that probably work better than mine: but where’s the fun in that?

My separator is about 80% effective.  This means that every time I fill up the trash can I used I save at least $13. That adds up over the year.

What You’ll Need

Here’s what I used:

All together I spent about $20 in supplies. If you count the trash can then it would be about $50 total.  Use what you have and be creative!

Form Fit PVC to Shop VAC hose with a Heat Gun

Now we run into a problem when we try to connect a 2″ vacuum hose to a 2″ PVC pipe.  It doesn’t work… but we can make it work.

Use a heat gun to soften the PVC and then work it over the shop vac fitting.  When it cools it will stay molded to the fitting giving a nice friction fit.  (BTW I love my DeWalt Heat Gun)

See how I put it all together on Youtube

diy dust separator

One More Thing…

I purchased an auto switch that automatically turns on my vacuum when I start up my saws.  It is an amazing time saver and I should have bought one sooner.

See how it works with this Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/BYaHQQNWKgY

 

 

 

 

Thanks For Reading

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