Elegant and unique furnishings

When it rains it pours. For real this time.

2007-05-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

Man, Oh Man, has the weather where I'm at been awful lately. It all started with the snow on Easter. Sure, if you live up north, or even in Colorado, that's no biblical occurrence. However, when you are 30 miles south of Dallas, heavy snow on an Easter is just down-right bizarre. Since then, we have been pounded with heavy rain and high winds on a routine basis.

Were I a farmer, I'd be overjoyed. Since I am a furniture maker whose newly established business depends on displaying my product outside, it is absolute murder. Not only have the high winds damaged my brand new shop, but I can't showcase my merchandise. Nasty weather + no sales = broke woodwright.

If anyone else out there is suffering from the weather, please let me know.

If you'd care to see the unfinished furniture that the Almighty choses not to let me show off locally, please feel free to visit my homepage at www.duvallswoodwright.com . I have a lot of unique gift ideas, and quite a few are less than $50.00.

Gary

Cross shaped wall shelf

2007-04-28T14:58:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

I have a lovely new product design that is up for grabs on my website at www.duvallswoodwright.com

This fantastic cross design shelf would make a perfect gift for any spiritually minded individual. Catholics and Christians alike will find this shelf both unique and charming.

The shelves are three inches wide and can perfectly accomodate your favorite religious knick knacks and faith shelves. At only $30.00 plus shipping and handling, (usually about ten bucks) you just can't go wrong. Surprise your favorite spiritually minded person today by getting them a gift they are sure to have never seen before. Just go to www.duvallswoodwright.com/CRSKKS4.htm and snag this wonderful shelf now.

New unfinished pine bookstand

2007-04-26T20:14:00.000-05:00

Duvall's Woodwright Shop is now pleased to offer a lovely hand crafted unfinished pine bookstand. This fabulous book stand can easily be displaye on any bookshelf or mantle. This lovely and unique bookstand can easily be decorated woth your favorite stain or paint, and then a little lace and artificial flowers.

This pine book stand is large enough to accomidate most bibles, dictionaries, or other prized books. If you would like, we can also make one a bit smaller for the smaller books in your collection.

This remarkable bible stand would make an exquisite gift for any religious occasion. Any spiritually minded person would be extremely greatful to receive this as a gift.

You can get your hands on this precious bible stand for only $15.00 plus $10.00 S/H. That is a great price for this one of a kind item. Just go to www.duvallswoodwright.com/biblestand1.htm and get yours now. While you are there, please feel free to have a look around and see the other fine products that we have to offer.

Watch out for the scams

2007-04-25T21:16:00.000-05:00

If you are like me, you get about forty e-mails a day doing several things: some tell you you have won millions in the lottery, some say they represent a company, individual, or deceased person that have millions and want you to help "channel" the funds, some offer to make you filthy rich overnight. All these wonderful e-mails have one unique thing in common: they are ALL SACAM!!!

Most folks know this already, but I just want to get the word out to any that don't know it. I pass this info along because I was once desperate enough to fall prey to these predators. I write this now so that you may know the signs and prevent the same pitfalls. Here is how the deal went down:

I got a call after requesting information from one of those $3000 to $5000 a month income ads you see everywhere. After it was all said and done, I gave them $4000 to "unlock the secrets" of internet millionaires.I got a tiny bit of advertising from it, and I got 12 30 minute sessions with a "Marketing Pro."Did I learn anything? Well, truthfully, I got a little good information, but that is about it. After four months, I am still making VERY minimal sales and income, even though I followed their "expert" advise to the letter.

As it turns out, most of the information I got was readily available on the internet for free, or for FAR less than what I paid. To protect yourself from these pitfalls, avoid the following:

The words "It takes money to make money." This loosely translates to "It takes your money to make me money!"

Anyone asking you to authorize a credit card payment without first allowing you to read a contract thoroughly. (This is the one that got me. I read the first two lines of the contract and knew it was a scam. Unfortunatel, the last lines on the contract said I had just three days to provide a written cancellation or my card would be billed. Even though I told the guy point blank the following day of my verbal authorization, I was still at fauly because I never got that far in the contract. He even had me recorded on the phone giving authorization. Be very careful with this one.)

Anyone asking you for your social security numbers or bank account numbers is a MAJOR red flag. Never give this information to ANYONE without first verifying the validity of their claims and the reputation of their company.

Promises of unimaginable wealth is a dead giveaway. The old addage remains true, "If it sounds to god to be true, it probably is."

Anyone telling you they are only looking for a "select few average joe'." What they REALLY mean is, "We are looking for as many suckers who are down on their luck enough to grasp at any straw they can find."

Anything that makes your proverbial "spidey" sense tingle. Trust your instincts, they are usually right.

Above all, keep your guard up. There are likely 1000 scam artists for every legitamate business opportunities. Be very cautious when dealing with someone you don't know.

This safety message was brought to you by www.duvallswoodwright.com, where you can buy unique unfinished pine furniture products, and a variety of unique gifts.

Gary

Making a connection, making a difference.

2007-04-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

Hello friends,

Well, I think I finally took a step towards my ultimate goal with my website design. I finally made a real connection with a customer, and possibly made a difference.

I was contacted by a woman who informed me that she had recently lost her son. She has been in grief counseling and said that God came to her in a dream. He inspired her to build something very personal. I refuse to go into details out of respect for her privacy. I will at least say that she found one of my handmade unfinished furniture pieces that put her on track of what she was wanting, but she wanted it a little bigger. She explained that she is planning to make and market a few and hope they catch on. If they do, I may be making a lot of them. She was worried that it would be too expensive if I made it much bigger, but I told her that after hearing her story, I would at least build the first one for the same price as the one she saw on my site.

I have it built now and ready to ship, but that isn't the important. The important thing is that her project is to make something for people who have lost someone close, that is intended to bring closure and peace to the buyer. I thought that was a cause worth getting behind. As I founded my shop as a tribute to my late father, I could definately relate.

To see some of my products, please visit www.duvallswoodwright.com

Peace be with you,

Gary

Folding Pocket Knives

2007-03-29T13:24:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

I have just added a new feature to www.duvallswoodwright.com . Althought Duvall's Woodwright Shop's main focus is our unfinished pine furniture, I have decided to add a few new pages where I offer fine quality folding pocket knives. As a carpenter and a craftsman, I can tell you that I never leave home without my trusted pocket knife. As such, i decided to offer, through my affiliate sites, a large assortment of quality folding pocket knives from such respected names as Buick, Gerber, and Kershaw.

Any and all of these folding pocket knives would make a wonderful gift to any hunter or outdoorsman. Just go to www.duvallswoodwright.com/pocketknives.htm to see these, and many other exquisite pocket knives.

Fear not the Reaper

2007-03-13T15:02:00.000-05:00

I hear the bells toll by the diistant sea
I wonder this time if they toll for me
I'm weary and beaten from what I most fear
It's not the grim reaper but the Tax Man is near.

He's worse than both Freddy and Jason combined
A most vilanous slasher with one thing on his mind
"Give me your money, or proceed straight to jail!"
Why can't this foul imp return back to Hell

If Uncle Sam needs more money then tell the ill slob
"Get off of your ass and go find a job!"
I've my own mouths to feed and my own bills to pay
To be the enabler of your boarish ways

So I fear not the reaper for once dead we all go
To a wonderful land where we no longer owe
At least until the Tax Man get's in his head
He's neglected for years to be taxing the dead.

Gary

Please take a moment to visit my website www.duvallswoodwright.com and have a look at the fine unfinished furniture products that I have to offer.

Rainy Days in Texas

2007-03-12T01:16:00.000-05:00

What a wacky weekend. I had a great party to go to and cooked a great big batch of buffalo wings to go with me. Low and behold, as I step into the driveway is the brother of the hostess. I just call him Satan!

Mind you all fellow travelers, I am a man of peace as far as peace can go. However, temp me not yon cruel fist of shame as to taunt me in front of my wife and kids.

Oh to my surprise did this dastardly neophyte introduce me to his pal as "The Idiot Gary" whilst I was surrounded by my loving family.

Never a man at a loss for words, I told his smiling buddy, and "Yes, this is the fifty year old A$$hole that lives with his sister."

So what was meant to be a gathering of good friends turned into a night of tense repugnance.

Never mind all that, today it rained, and perhaps it shall wash it all away!!!

Please stop by my home page at www.duvallswoodwright.com and have a look at some of the fine unfinished pine furnishings that I have to offer.

Sawdust blues

2007-02-28T21:41:00.000-06:00

When you build unfinished pine furniture, there is one task that dominates all others, and that task is sanding. From beginning to end, you are constantly sanding every individual portion of your work. As such, you must always wear some form of dust protection, and always ventilate as well as you can. Breathing in all this dust is obnoxious at first, and can lead to serious problems with your breathing after continued exposure.

For examples of my unfinished pine furniture, please visit www.duvallswoodwright.com and have a look around.

And another week begins

2007-02-25T22:28:00.000-06:00

Well, I just took on a job to build a guy some closets. He said he wanted something that stood off the wall. (His wife had other ideas.) I will be starting his "built into the wall" closets later this week. Go figure.

I will pitch them a few ideas and hope she changes her mind, as it is an odd room with a heavy sloping ceiling, and if I build what she wants, I will waste a lot of space. Ah the perils of building custom furniture. I will try to get some pictures of what I do and post them.

Her husband is in the National Guard, so i really want to do him a good service and make it affordable for him.

In lieu of my next post, please check out www.duvallswoodwright.com to see some other items I have built.

Save money on your craft supplies and remodeling gear.

2007-02-13T17:01:00.000-06:00

If you are a craftsman going broke on materials, or if you are just looking to do a little remodeling to spruce up your existing decor, try shopping on http://www.ebay.com/ for your smaller items, such as hinges, drawer pulls, wood spindles and wood plugs. When searching, follow your search with the word "lot" as this will allow you to purchase large quantities of the items you always use for a greatly reduced rate. Also, you can contact the seller if you wish to purchase many items at once from the same vendor, and most will even further reduce the price and will combine shipping. This is a real money saver.

Brough to you by your friends at http://www.duvallswoodwright.com where you can find a wonderful assortment of unfinished pine furniture and gifts, as well as other lovely furnishings provided by our trusted partners. Duvall's Woodwright Shop: Let Us Build a Place for You To Store Your Memoruies

How to stain unfinished pine furniture

2007-02-07T11:43:00.000-06:00

There seems to be some confusion out there about how to properly stain unfinished pine furniture. I ran across a message board post a few days ago that claims that pine furniture does not stain well. As a builder of pine furniture, I can assure you that this is complete and utter rubbish. My guess is that this misguided soul simply doesn't know the proper method of staining furniture.

Some people try to apply wood stain just as they would paint; with a brush. These folks paint the entire piece and let the stain set. This is very much not the way to stain unfinished furniture. Staining furniture should be done with some lint free rags. You only stain small areas at a time.

Take one of your rags and dip part of it into your well stirred stain. Rub said portion of the rag over a small area of the piece you are attempting to stain. Always begin with a part of the furniture that will not show, just to test the color. Once you have a small area covered, allow it to set for no more than twenty seconds. Using a fresh lint free cloth, wipe the excess stain from the area you just coated. repeat these steps to stain the entire piece. Once finished, use brushes to apply several (At least four) coats of a clear polyeurothane or tung oil clear sealant. The more coats you apply, the richer the stain will appear.

You see, paint simply adheres to the outside of the wood. Stain, on the other hand, actually soaks into the surface of the wood. The longer you leave the stain to set, the darker the stain will appear. This is why it is important to wipe away the excess before it has time to fully set. Once it is fully set, any runs or blemishes will show.

I hope this information is useful.

If you would like to see some unfinished pine furniture products, please visit www.duvallswoodwright.com

New Feature at Duvall's Woodwright Shop

2007-02-01T21:36:00.000-06:00

Hello all,

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been ever busy in getting the store up and running. I just wanted everyone to know that I have added a new feature to my Unfinished Pine Furniture store, and I would like some feedback from you. I have created a "Home Improvement Tip of the Week" page at www.duvallswoodwright.com/weeklytip.htm . I am looking for great and useful tips on home repair, wiring, plumbing, home decor and design, or anything else that pertains to making a better home, I would love to hear them. Also, if you have any questions on the same topics, I'd love to hear those as well. Any tip submitters that we publish will be given full credit on the site. I hope to hear from you. Send your e-mail to gary_duvall@duvallswoodwright.com with the words "tip of the week" in the subject line.

Excelsior!

Valentines Day approaches

2006-12-30T20:35:00.000-06:00

So you've gained a few pounds chowing on that Thanksgiving Turkey Leg, eh? Jack Frost has got your nose, and Santa Clause has come to town. Finally, the holidays are over, right? Just a minute you insensitive Cad. Are you forgetting something? Chances are, your beloved wife or girlfriend hasn't forgotten. Valentines Day, my romantically challenged compatriot; holiday de amor. The season of love. Forget this holiday, my friend, and you will be guaranteed to spend the rest of the winter on an icy sofa.

That's where your friendly neighborhood woodwright steps in. Don't be left in the cold this Valentines Day. Get a quick leg up by visiting www.duvallswoodwright.com and clicking on the "Valentines Day Specials" link on the upper left hand side of the page. Although Duvall's Woodwright Shop generally caters to unfinished pine furniture, and other unique wood furniture gift ideas, we have taken the liberty of scouring our partner sites for some lovely Valentine's Day gifts just for the occasion. From heart shaped curio tables to a plush chair shaped like puckered lips, you are sure to find something for the woman of your life that she will not be expecting. We have some lovely unfinished pine furniture with heart designs, some lovely accent pieces, including a heart shaped plasma light, and several other oddities geared towards the Cassanova within you.

Don't wait until the last minute to claim the gift that could steal your woman's heart. Get your gift now. Just go to www.duvallswoodwright.com and have a look around. Of course, if you aren't in the market for Valentines, you may still fine some lovely piece of furniture that you simply can't live without.

Display your Bible in style

2006-12-27T11:45:00.000-06:00

I recently got the idea to make some free standing bible stands from my sister, who ordered a bunch of them for Christmas Gifts. These quaint Bible Stands are approximately twelve inches tall, and are made to sip on top of an end table, a coffee table, a knick knack shelf, or any low standing furniture you may have. The Book base is about eleven inches by thirteen inches to allow for a pretty large book. My sister decorated hers with the help of a hot glue gun, by adding decorative lace and artificial flowers to the base of the pedistal. I sell these unfinished to allow the consumer to stain them to fit their own unique preference. You can get one for yourself, or to give as a gift by viviting www.duvallswoodwright.com/bookstand1.htm

To see the Bible Stand, our other unfinished pine furniture, or many other fine furnishing offered by our valued partner sites, please visit www.duvallswoodwright.com

Benifits of a friction hinge

2006-12-20T08:32:00.000-06:00

A friction hinge is used as a lid support on chests and toy boxes. These hinges provide a very important safety mechanism. In essence, the hinge makes it harder to open the lid. More importantly, however, it makes it harder to close the lid. This prevents the lid from slamming down hard on precious little fingers.

As you can see from the photo, the friction hinge affixes to both the inside of the chest, and the underside of the lid. When properly place, the hinge provides a furtgher level of safety by catching the lid and preventing it from falling backwards. This feature prevent damage to the chest by preventing the hinges from being sprung, or the lid from snapping off altogether. If you are buying a hope chest or a toy box for someone you love, you owe it to them to make sure your purchase comes complete with a friction hinge. All chests and toy boxes at www.duvallswoodwright.com come standard with this feature.

The friction hinge is not fail proff, and we all know that accidents happen. To get the most protection from your friction hinge, it is very important that it is properly serviced and maintained no less than once a week. At the bottom of the hinge, where it affixes to the inside of the chest, there is a small brass set screw. To insure proper friction, it is imperative that this screw be kept tight. The looser the screw gets, the easier it will be for the lid to slam down onto delicate fingers. This adjustment can easily be made in just a few seconds using a standard phillip's head screw driver.

To see examples of these fine hinges in action, or to just look around at all the fine furniture offerings, please go to www.duvallswoodwright.com .

Need a place to put your knick knack collection?

2006-12-19T09:17:00.000-06:00

Are you a collector of knick knacks? A knick knack is a small figurine, usually cast in porceline, that can depict any number of things from the comical, to the sentimental. These tiny figures acrue over time, and need a place to be displayed.

At www.duvallswoodwright.com, they have a very nice knick knack cabinet that has three adjustable shelves. This lovely cabinet is hand crafted and comes fully assembled from unfinished american pine.At only $65.00 plus shipping, you cannot go wrong with this quaint cabinet. If you have a family member that collects knick knacks, they would be eternally greatful to receive this item as a gift.

Again, you can find this lovely knick knack shelf, as well as a good selection of other fine furnishings, by logging on to www.duvallswoodwright.com

Are you looking for the perfect and lasting gift?

2006-12-09T23:56:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for a unique gift idea? At Duvall’s Woodwright Shop, we offer a wide variety of unfinished pine furniture. Just visit http://www.duvallswoodwright.com/

In particular, please look at our fine hope chests. These lovely chests are heirloom quality and are sure to please even the most demanding of gift recipients. We further suggest that you fill the chest with candy, flowers, jewelry or stuffed animals. Go to www.duvallswoodwright.com/hopechests.htm

If you are looking for fine wedding gifts, I also have the following web site.

cheap wedding favors

This site is perfect for anyone who has a wedding coming up, be it their own, or that of a cherished loved one.

For all your other gift giving, please be sure to keep www.duvallswoodwright.com in mind.

Finally up and running

2006-12-02T17:50:00.000-06:00

It has been a hard task indeed getting my woodworking shop up and running. Theere are so many unknown variables involved in opening any business, that it is amazing any of them ever succeed. However, months after the initial stages began, I am finally operation and have started building my furniture.

This small hope chest is the first of what I hope will be many pieces of unique furniture to come. This hope chest features unfinished ponderosa pine, and allows you to stain it to match your current decor. I find this type of furniture, often referred to as "naked' furniture, to be very appealing to those who have their entire home done in a specific color scheme. This hope chest also features all brass hardware, including an interior brass friction hinge to minimize risks of slamming lidds on fingers. Although this hope chest is the first thing i built, it is far from being all I wii have to offer. To see this chest, and my other available products, please visit www.duvallswoodwright.com

Holiday season to a hunter

2006-11-14T19:10:00.000-06:00

Mention "'tis the Season" to a hunter, and Jolly Ol' St. Nick isn't what comes to his mind. that's right, the Holiday Season to a hunter means one thing: Time to clean off the old rifle and hit the deer stand.

If you have a loved one who loves to hunt, you know I am right. Here in Texas, deer season is almost as popular as Football season. Hunters take their sport very seriously. They spent countless dollars on their rifles, pistols, scopes, and bows. To an avid hunter, losing one of his guns is like losing a close loved one.

Do you have some holiday shopping left to do for one of these modern frontiersmen? Like I said, these sportsmen invest a great deal of money in their gun collections. Do you want to make your hunter love Christmas all over again? How about a quality gun cabinet to display or protect his investment?

Take for instance this elegant hand crafted beauty. This charming gun cabinet features an interior light for maximum displayability of your hunters collection. This elegant gun cabinet has a felt lined back and can accomodate up to six guns up to 51 inches in length. Does your avid hunter prefer to hunt with a scope? No problem. This particular gun cabinet also has plently or room for most of the popular sizes of scopes. Also adding to the elegance of this enduring gun cabinet is the gorgeous silk screened etched glass door.

Maybe you sportsmen is concerned with the safety of his collection. Maybe, as a good parent, you are concerned with the safety of the children in the home. Perhaps the gun cabinet to the right would be more to your liking. This lovely vault will protect your hunters gun collection from fire up to 1400 degrees for thirty minutes. the bank vault syle design of this gun cabinet would deter even the most determined of thieves. This vault will hold up to 22 of your hunter's most expensive and valued guns.Featuring a portable ammo box and a drawer with two file cabbies, this gun cabinet is also perfect for some of your other home valuables and important documents.

To see either of these wonderful gun cabinets, or to see some of our other modelt, please visit me at www.duvallswoodwright.com/guncabinets.htm .

Check out these gorgeous curio cabinets

2006-11-07T19:32:00.000-06:00

Curio cabinets are thusly named because they are curious in nature. Although people think of curio cabinets as being solely for display, the truth is that any cabinet that falls outside of the ordinary could be reasonablt described as a curio cabinet. However, for our purposes, we will focus on the more traditional designs.

As you can see, this elegant curio cabinet would be perfect for storing even your most worshipped collections. Rather you collect fine china dolls, or just fine china, this cabinet would make a lovely display. It has a wonderful mirrored back and features glass shelves. This particular design is made to fit into any ninety degree corner.

Perhaps you have a bit bigger collection to display and are thus looking for a much bigger cabinet. The cabinet to the left offers beautifully crafted glass paned doors. Check out the fine craftsmanship in the top trim. This four door curio cabinet offers enough space to allow for multiple collections to be displayed simultaneously.

To view either of these and other lovely curio cabinets, along with many other quality unique pieces of furniture, just go to www.duvallswoodwright.com/curio.htm and surf to your hearts desire.

Are you looking for elegant unique furniture?

2006-11-07T18:15:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for something a little different to complete your home decor? Do you crave the perfect accent piece to add that touch of elegance you are missing? You may want to look into a bombe chest. (Pronounced Bomb-bay) These lovely pieces of furniture feature curved wood fronts accented by hand carvings and paintings, ensuring that each piece is, in and of itself, a piece of fine art. You can view some of these gorgeous bombe chests at www.duvallswoodwright.com/bombe.htm

I am sure once you see these lovely bombe chests, you will surely agree that these pieces of fine furniture would add grace and style to even the richest of homes.