Entries by Ben Wurst

Finishing touches

Well, I’m in the home stretch with the large dining table. So far I’ve got three coats of polyurethane on the table top. I figure it would take 1-2 coats to finish it off. Then add 2 coats to the bottom of the table. The base is pretty much done. All pieces are painted white […]

Reclaimed table top is stained

One thing I’ve always noticed about working with reclaimed wood is the way it takes up stain. It definitely enhances the texture and old character of the boards. Below is just an example of why I decided to leave the worn edges on some of the boards. They took up more stain and appear darker. […]

Making progress…

I worked on the large reclaimed wood table again last night for a couple hours and successfully installed a 3″ wide board on each of the ends. This is not only for looks but also for structural stability of the table top. Now, the fun part is going to be fitting this table through the […]

Work continues on reclaimed table

I haven’t made too much custom furniture in the past. A few small tables, benches and an entertainment center for my house. This is the first dining table I’m making and I have to say I was a little intimidated at first just by the size of the table that I was making (9×4′). Many […]

What’s new: coasters and a table top

I’ve been pretty busy lately. Art & Decor at Surf City is now open on weekends now on Long Beach Island. Last weekend my largest item for sale there sold (a 4×3′ framed mirror) and another customer came in looking for a the same mirror with a lighter finish. I’ve also been working on a […]

Salvaged wood osprey platforms

Last week I installed two osprey nesting platforms for the organization I work for, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ. Each of the platforms were made entirely from salvaged wood. The only new parts were the stainless and galvanized fasteners and an aluminum predator guard (to keep raccoons from climbing into the nest). While at […]

Dining table in the works

Currently I’m working on something other than framing. I’m building a large (9’x4′) dining table for some friends of mine. They contacted me about making the table and I mentioned repurposing one that was picked from the trash a couple years ago. I was using it as a stand for my miter saw. Since they […]

All my lights (and power tools) will be off during Earth Hour. Will yours?

Landscape of the Day

I’ve decided to mix up my blog a little bit. Instead of only posting my woodworking projects and artwork I’m going to start sharing some photography of mine. It is how I got into working with salvaged wood… Read more about how I got started and I hope you enjoy the photos I post!