Building nice wood

These are some photos of the display cabinets and reception desk I recently built for the new offices of the Celtic Colours International Festival. The only real criteria I had to follow was that the piece compliment the existing decor and that it incorporate some reclaimed material with a connection to the local area. For the top of this piece I used Douglas Fir that I recently salvaged from the demolition of Saint Anthony Daniel school in Sydney. The planks were floor joists that spanned 24 feet and measured 2-1/4" x 15-1/2". Pretty awesome stuff. After planing the planks (and pulling the nails) I darkened them with oil based stain. I then sanded and polished them to highlight the heavy grain of the wood and finally applied several coats of an oil/varnish blend. I love working with reclaimed and unique wood and this piece was a great opportunity to bring some local history into the shop.