So, I kept seeing stuff pop up online, pictures mostly, tagged with ‘jason mitchiner’. Looked like really clean, simple design work, especially some small furniture pieces. Minimalist, you know? Not a lot of fuss. I had this awkward corner in my living room, needed a small side table, and thought, “Hey, I could probably knock something like that together.” Famous last words, right?
Getting Started – The Idea
The idea was simple enough. Find some decent wood, cut it super precisely, join it neatly. Looked like a lot of his stuff just used basic joints, maybe some hidden screws or dowels. Seemed achievable. I wasn’t aiming for an exact copy, just the vibe. Clean lines, solid wood feel.
I sketched out a rough plan. Just a small square top, four legs, maybe a tiny shelf underneath. Nothing fancy. Headed down to the lumber yard. That was the first reality check. Finding perfectly straight, nice-looking wood isn’t as easy as just grabbing stuff off the shelf. Spent ages picking through boards.
The Actual Work – More Mess Than Magic
Okay, got the wood home. Time to make some cuts. This is where things got interesting. My setup is pretty basic. A circular saw, a hand saw, some clamps. Getting those perfectly square cuts? Way harder than it looks in slick online videos.
- Measured everything twice. Or maybe three times.
- Tried clamping a straight edge for the circular saw. Still got a bit of wobble.
- Ended up using the hand saw for finer adjustments. Took forever.
- Sanding. So much sanding. My arms were killing me.
Then came the joining part. I decided on using pocket holes, trying to keep the screws hidden underneath. Bought a cheap jig for it. Drilled the holes, started assembling. One leg went on fine. Second one… slightly crooked. Dang it. Had to take it apart, re-drill slightly, try again. It’s always something small that trips you up.
Honestly, it reminded me of this time I tried fixing the dishwasher. Watched a video, seemed straightforward. Buy the part, swap it out. Took me a whole Saturday, ended up flooding the kitchen floor a little bit, and the darn thing still leaked. Sometimes, simple-looking stuff is designed by folks who have way better tools and way more patience than me.
The Final Result? Well… It’s a Table.
After a lot more fiddling, sanding, and applying a simple oil finish, I had… a table. Does it look exactly like those slick ‘jason mitchiner’ pieces? Absolutely not. It’s a bit wonky if you look closely. One leg might be a hair shorter than the others, needs a little cardboard shim. The joints aren’t perfectly invisible.
But you know what? It stands up. It holds a lamp and a couple of books in that awkward corner. And I made it. It wasn’t the clean, zen-like process I imagined, more like a wrestling match with wood and my own lack of skill. But it’s done. It’s got character, I guess. The character of frustration and slightly uneven cuts. Learned a bit, mostly about my own limitations. Maybe next time I’ll just buy a table.
