My Hardest Woodworking Project Yet - Rockler Challenge

[@jerryrudolph6603]

Great effort. A couple of my golden rules you might find helpful- 1. Never buy plywood from big box store. It is low grade with voids and football inserts to fix the surface 2. On a larger project like this I find a mock-up of cardboard and scrap wood skeleton pieces let you both visualize and modify the parts before more expensive wood and time are utilized. This project would be dynamite in laminated walnut strips also. Just subscribed so you are on the right path.

[@elenamakes]

Appreciate the tips and thanks!

[@romleyhardy5691]

Very cool

[@brianknowles7130]

Can only admire your grit & determination on this build. No such thing in woodworking as a ' failure ' .. just a design change ..lol .. as Jimmy D. says." .. the first try is always a learning curve ..' look forward to more of your builds. Rgds fm UK

[@iainjohnson1]

Bravo 👏

[@francisgusmao119]

Congratulations on having the courage to do a different project! It's your story, your first organic chapter!

[@distortohio]

Wow! You weren’t kidding, that wipe on poly really made the plywood pop 👍

[@elenamakes]

A finish can make all the difference :)

[@Nyteaker]

Love this.. thinking of ‘dabbling” in this kind of hobbyist work myself .. finding your presentations truly inspirational… thank you.. please keep going…..

[@timknevels9650]

Very nice. Congrats

[@superme63]

Ive hot the same Makita belt sander. Its such a beast. I love that you can clamp it down on its right hand side for more delicate work.

[@cherylridone2155]

Well done...excellent focus and energy...very nice looking...(David)

[@riaanvanzyl-ti6sd]

A great job well done.

[@fayiznalu8411]

Great job 👏

[@MH-qq3kj]

Well done!

[@anthonyjonas6236]

Being young is the best. To have the energy and grit to clean up all that saw dust.

[@josh8494]

That looks much better than I originally thought. When you talked about power carving and did the proof of concept I was really loving the effect that carving through all the layers of ply gave. When it switched to horizontal lines of ply layers I was fairly saddened that we were not going to see a large scale version of the proof piece. When the poly hit that plywood and the layers started popping, you won me over with the design. It ended up beautiful. Now I am wanting to try some power carving on plywood.

[@elenamakes]

Glad you liked the end result 😊 there definitely is something to that first try so I think I'll have to revisit soon just for something other than a coffee table.

[@josh8494]

I think the coffee table could work, leave several points at the as built height (uncarved) and those points would be a resting point for a glass top instead of trying to do epoxy over it. Honestly, it reminds me of a topographical map. Maybe I could glue a couple sheets of 3/4” on top of each other and carve a reproduction of a place that has special meaning using the layers of plywood as topo contour lines. I’m thinking that may be something that I try after I finish figuring out the power carving on the garden bench I’m learning on now.

[@RobertHall-k8u]

I had the leakage problem on my first couple of epoxy pours. KZbin helped me figure out how to get things better and now my sons both have desk tops made from the boards they broke in Tae Kwon Do with an epoxy protective layer. This is how we learn. Keep up the good work!

[@elenamakes]

I'll revisit it for sure and hopefully next time there is no leaking. 🤞

[@bonniesf6719]

Great rehoming of the broken boards for your sons. Maybe add on pictures of them actually breaking the boards, to give the pieces even more memories?

[@bonniesf6719]

​@@elenamakesI believe in you! I am a new subscriber, and I really enjoyed this video. Your dad could maybe buy you at least one chisel each time there's an occasion? Birthday, Christmas, your class reunion, etc.

[@dp1068]

Did your dog just wink at me… 7:15 mark 😊😅😅 I was a little worried at first but the table turned out fantastic. Awesome work and lots learnt for your future. Remember you win or you learn. There is no failure. 😊 keep up the great work.

[@elenamakes]

haha don't mind him, he winks at all the viewers. Thank you!

[@suzylarry1]

Very nice outcome , you show the work from pencil and paper to cardboard then cut on wood . I think this gives many , including myself to try a project like this . Thank you

[@CreasisChaos]

This is such a cool project! 😍 Thank you for sharing the ups AND DOWNS of trying something new. It makes the final result even more impressive. Also for some reason I am romanticising working outside in the rain now. That looked like it felt magical. ❤

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! Working in the rain can be a pain with setup but it is rather relaxing 😌

[@chrismalmberg3426]

This turned out awesome!

[@adambrink4475]

Glad to see you are learning

[@thureinphyo9768]

Those hands are steady af!

[@cherylscott-baillie2858]

I love watching your workshop setups Elena. Much love from Northern Ireland x

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy them.

[@sturdyboneswoodworking]

Well done! Way to pivot when things weren’t working. I like your approach to visualizing the changes in photoshop with a mask. Smart!

[@seanpatterson1609]

It looks good. Thank you for sharing the story of your journey, your thoughts on the design, and your decision-making process.

[@elenamakes]

Glad you found it interesting!

[@richardcaton7334]

That was a fantastic job!!! You should really be proud of your accomplishments. I can see why you were intimidated, because that was a hard project to do and to make it all come together. You did a wonderful job and it would be a great piece for everyone to admire in your home. Never give up on a project and always have a backup plan which you did. Keep the videos coming.

[@thomasbjerregaard1080]

Good job, i understood all of your concerns during the project, but I think you made the right decision and pulled it off in the end

[@rodpotts2666]

How proud is Dad right now!

[@randymartin2396]

love your vision and your work ethic the table in my opinion looks great for you doing this for the first time

[@สุจิตพรหมจรรย์]

You never gave up,that's important.

[@hansolo6242]

Congratulations, great job. Thank you for sharing the whole process.

[@timswoodshop3655]

Nice job. Two things I would have done differently. Baltic birch ply and with a bigger glue up, I would use a extended open time glue. Titebond makes a couple options.

[@Slider1604]

Elena, thank you for your videos. They are inspiring. I am in the process of finishing out, and setting up my 24 X 9 storage building to be my woodworking shop. And your videos, especially this one, are inspiring to me and make me wish I was finished with the woodshop and was onto actual woodworking. I can't wait to glue up and shape some plywood into something unique as you did here. Excellent. Keep it up.

[@elenamakes]

It makes me so happy to hear my videos bring others inspiration 😊 Best of luck with your future projects!

[@jayneal8293]

That is design and woodworking. You work, you make mistakes, you fix mistakes, and redesign it is what makes you better! Keep up the good work

[@windfall331]

Nice work! Notice that you changed your mind along the way. That helped make it turn out so well. You'll always change your mind. It is like a land mark on your path to completion. The carving is tricky simple and elegant. Good job!

[@elenamakes]

Thanks :)

[@JeanetteDawson-q6t]

I am 67 years old I have loved wood work all my adult life to watch a young girl like you makes me so proud of you. It’s like watching you fills my every dream

[@ImGonnaMake]

What a wild ride, but that end result is so worth it. It's giving me vibes of desert stone sculpted over centuries by the elements. I really love the top-down view of the table with the layers.

[@elenamakes]

I love that comparison to desert stone, thanks!

[@YuriNGolfeto]

I think your way of overcoming all difficulties and changes is incredible. From changing workshops a few times and overcoming the flaws and difficulties of the projects you proposed to do and even in this project that you didn't feel would be the result she expected, you overcame it and made it something you liked. This is much more than just working with wood, it's inspiration :) congratulations

[@elenamakes]

Very kind of you to say :)

[@jessemeyle401]

Awesome job! Love the way the plywood is sculpted. Makes me think of erosion layers of the rock formations in pictures.

[@elenamakes]

Same, I like that it looks a bit like a canyon wall.

[@Andi.Mitchell.Designs]

Great job!

[@timgwaltney5770]

Great work…. Super smart to step away and pivot the way you did. Looks awesome

[@Steve-vz3ud]

I like it .modern look the glass top looks Awesome

[@bobhood4482]

Lol this whole video was sooooo relatable...loved watching because all your tools and your space is where I am right now seem like the hardest part is designing and having it come out the way you see it in your head, good luck and don't give up!

[@jonpaulhand4731]

Great job. You are inspiring people to try things outside of their comfort zone.

[@garyvarley1426]

Nice job. You can get get finer discs for the angle grinder. Love the way you show your flaws. End product looks great. Now wait until you try a 3d cutting board. I’ve done 2 that turned out awesome.1 was a disaster

[@Jose-gj8hv]

You made me remember when i first started my woodworking journey. You learned from your mistakes and adapted and ended up with a great piece! Don't ever underestimate yourself. Congrats!

[@elenamakes]

Pays to be persistent I guess, thanks!

[@DrHutOfHandcraft]

It came out great! I find it really cool that you also share the disappointments and “fails”. Congrats on trying so many new things and on your coffee table 🐕😄

[@PaulEaklor]

Very glad I found your channel. Like you I wanted to enter the try that challenge with my take on a walnut media cabinet with some complex flutes on an angle that must meet together at the seams to form a delightful geometric design. Unlike you I abandoned it because I failed so badly. Watching you adjust your design, without compromising your end goal, trying SO many new techniques, with very few high end tools, AND finishing in such a short time…well I subscribed. I want to be here as your channel grows and your skills grow. Please keep up the inspirational content. Cheers.

[@markherring4559]

Thanks for sharing and having the courage to try something new. It looks great!

[@BlueTurtleStudios]

I really enjoyed the video. I do like the carved plywood aspect and it inspires me to use the same technique but with all the walnut, maple cherry, purple heart, etc small scraps maybe create a free form sculpture with layers carved. Thanks for the video -good luck!

[@elenamakes]

Ooh I think that will turn out lovely, best of luck to you and thanks!

[@sid515able]

Try doing a mockup out of foam boards. Easy to do, quick, and nor expensive. For your first time, you did a great job.

[@TheKrietjur]

Looks great, I love it! I also like that you also show things that go wrong - a lot of people wouldn't show that.

[@elenamakes]

Appreciate it 🙏

[@ethanethan153]

i had no dout you could do it nice job

[@RattiDave]

The finished product makes up for any of the missteps along the way. And the finish looks wonderful. Only one nitpick - That *bench* sander looks more like a portable _BELT_ sander. Be that as it may, your project turned out brilliantly. Makes my old best efforts pale by comparison. May be time to get off my lazy butt and do some more wood craft. Thank you for the inspiration.

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! And yeah you're correct. I got my terms mixed up when recording the commentary and didn't catch it before publishing.

[@ΓΕΡΑΣΙΜΟΣΣΤΡΑΓΓΑΣ]

It's turned out great 😊

[@mattingly1217]

I got a tid bitty of info... now that you got your tablesaw.... you're gonna want to make or buy a stand for it but if you get a outfeed roller stand make sure its not a solid roller like i got... get the individual ball roller bearing stand because the roller stand has to constantly be adjusted so the wood will roll out straight and it will pull it away or towards the rip fence ... just get the individual ball roller outfeed stand... trust me lol

[@dieterkellermann6840]

Wunderbar !!! mit Deinem Tisch 🎉

[@adamborchert5965]

Great video. You really show the whole process, and the result is lovely. Plus I always love to see a cargo bike in the background!

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! Shoutout to my pops he made the cargo bike.

[@imaginationingrained]

I think it turned out nice!

[@artoall243]

Usaha yang membuahkan hasil 👏👏👍

[@LeeWeiler]

Looks incredible! Thanks for sharing the journey, struggles to finished product.

[@chandrastory5239]

This turned beautifully! Keep challenging yourself!

[@KG4FJF]

Nice Job! I really like the redesign of the project.

[@andrewgalbreath2101]

Looks great, I love seeing exposed plys with a finish on them. I'm also very glad you've gotten a table saw. Having one really allowed me to focus on more creative aspects of woodworking, instead of spending time coming up with workarounds for not having one

[@elenamakes]

VERY excited about the new tablesaw 🙌🏻

[@darthrevanakc]

I liked really liked this video. Felt like a story and like an experience I would go through if I tried making something.

[@Taguun]

Nur wenn man Fehler macht, kann man lernen. Wunderschöner Tisch. 👍🏻

[@robertberger8642]

Great process, great final product! Thank you very much for taking us on this journey with you.

[@crawroy11]

Great design and execution.

[@pathardage1880]

Way to go! great video. Thanks.

[@thelastbanana0678]

that was great job have been done ! at the end you have learn and try something new about this project .

[@wellsistvan]

great job, great job! great job continuing believing in your vision and not quitting. keep making things, got my sub.

[@benjamindvorak3025]

Super inspirational for someone that has planned out doing art and design again for years, continue to gain all of this knowledge obsessively, and religiously.. but still haven’t acted on a single project only gathering the tools and materials. I saw how much a. Beginner you looked at times and I have not wanted to have myself seen that way.. but what’s pretty awesome now is that the whole time I saw you as a newb and criticizing the choice of plywood,, I wanted you to get a piece that you set out for and you did. More importantly the “failures” you had happen were not failures at all. They were the most crucial thing of this whole project. Thank you for being human.

[@iandodd7828]

As an experienced woodworker, it’s interesting to watch somebody who’s starting out where I was a few years ago. I remember when plywood and epoxy were my materials of choice and a Black & Decker Workmate my only bench. I felt for you when the first attempt went sideways, having experienced those kinds of failures/learnings. You may not have a big shop full of expensive green and red branded tools yet, but when I saw you pour your finish out into an empty Talenti gelato container, I knew you were on the right path. As the old saying goes, a woodworker can never have too many clamps or Talenti containers. Keep going, growing and trying new things.

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! And that saying is all too true.

[@davidhullinger3636]

When you started your glue up I would have used a gallon of glue in a small paint pan and a roller. Makes the glue application go much faster.

[@jimrosson6702]

Great video and great job way to overcome all the challenges that came your way throughout this process I think it turned out great the finish made it pop for sure. Good luck in the ROCKLER CHALLENGE

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! Lots of talented people made projects so we'll see...

[@hgcrandy548]

First time super awesomeness Totally radical great work

[@Rodbuilder109]

Very nice job. It turned out great.

[@Gozeto17]

Fantastic. I wish I would have known about the challenge. I just created a shadow box for thr first time and had a blast with it.

[@nava1uni]

Nice video and very encouraging to try new things and tool techniques

[@kevinfiebelkorn2647]

Great job, inspirational!

[@marciojoseramoscorrea4171]

Ficou muito bom sua mesa... parabéns pela dedicação beijos do Brasil 😘💐🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@chrisp.76]

Every challenge or problem that presents itself is a means to discover more about woodworking, art, craftsmanship and ourselves. Great job!

[@Bawos]

good job

[@vicentevolmir]

Parabéns Elena ficou muito bonito..😂beatiful

[@norm5785]

Thank you for sharing your awesome project with us. Looks great. I have only made one mistake in my life. That was when I thought I was wrong about something and then found out that I was right. Love how you adapted. Everyone stay safe, warm, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia

[@eerikkinuutinen5808]

Just as a tip: While carving with any tool, take long passes and You'll get it a lot smoother. As You take short passes, You can't control the depth and the shape.

[@porker5749]

Very, Very nice!! I wasn't sure about all the veneers in the plywood, as at first it gave it a "stripey" look, but with the sanding and finish I think it looks really good! The stripes are much more subtle.

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! :)

[@5280Woodworking]

For a project with a lot of “firsts” it came out awesome!

[@elenamakes]

I think so :) thanks!

[@stevepiechock9234]

This video proves you have what it takes to do this kind of work. You have something special you may not be aware of. It's called "the can do attitude". Keep going the way you are and you'll never regret it. If you had quite when things got rough, you would have regretted it. I look forward to seeing more creations from you.

[@elenamakes]

Much appreciated 🙏

[@Michael-Makes-Stuff]

It was a bold experiment but it turned out great. Nice job! 👍🏼

[@elenamakes]

Thank you 😊

[@glenncol]

Awesome piece

[@jonscott1948]

I think the end result is really good but found your video/storytelling with your deadends and pivots super intresting and insightful.

[@elenamakes]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@danmd0]

Is looks great!! great video too

[@DudeSawdust]

You should be proud of this project (and I can tell you are). I think it came out great. I really enjoyed your style of video. Nice work!👍

[@elenamakes]

Thank you so much!

[@bobmiller9058]

I think it’s beautiful and a tremendous display of your artristy snd craftsmanship

[@elenamakes]

Thank you!

[@intothewoods_23]

Really great video!!

[@1myfriendjohn]

Its a beautiful piece. I am jealous haha

[@imccrae]

Absolutely loved this build, well done. Looking forward to the next one. Hope you're having a good week.

[@elenamakes]

Thanks, you too!

[@jraglob5924]

I like it! I use a lot of plywood and pallets in my work and find both economical and I like the effect that comes out. It's less traumatic (and expensive) when trying new techniques. Keep up the videos and don't give up on epoxy pours, it take practice.

[@lancel6948]

Love your sketches

[@elenamakes]

Thanks :)