WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Stevens told jurors on Friday that he and his wife tried to plan and oversee their home renovation project as best they could, but he suggested that some details may have gotten lost amid the busy life of a senator working thousands of miles away.

The Alaska Republican appeared as his own star witness, trying to convince jurors that he paid every bill he received and didn’t know he received any freebies during the renovations.

The 2000 remodeling project is at the heart of Stevens’ corruption trial. The Senate’s longest-serving Republican is charged with lying on Senate financial disclosure documents about more than $250,000 in renovations and other gifts he received from his friend, oil services contractor Bill Allen.

Stevens told jurors that he and his wife, Catherine, relied on their friends to oversee the project and arranged a loan to pay for it. He described making it clear that he intended to pay for everything.

But he also recited the many responsibilities of a U.S. senator: the committee meetings, the long hours and the challenges that come with representing a state four time zones away.

And he said the renovations were essentially his wife’s project. When renovation bills arrived at his office, Stevens said, his staff members forwarded them to his wife.

“What goes on in the house is Catherine’s business. What goes on outside is my business,” Stevens testified.

He told jurors he never asked for some of the key features of the renovation project, such as a balcony and steel staircase. He said he didn’t know anything about them until he saw the completed project.

Stevens is trying to cast himself as an honest lawmaker who was out-of-the-loop when it came to the home finances. Prosecutors contend Stevens knew he was getting more work than he was paying for and intentionally concealed that from Senate financial disclosure forms.

Stevens blames Allen, his one-time friend and drinking buddy, for adding freebies onto the project without telling him. Stevens sat stonefaced Friday as he accused Allen of lying on the witness stand. Allen testified that Stevens knew he wasn’t getting billed for everything and just wanted invoices to protect himself.

“That’s just an absolute lie,” Stevens said. “I heard it. It’s an absolute lie.”

The trial has jeopardized one of the Senate’s storied careers. A figure in Alaska politics since before statehood, Stevens is now fighting to hold onto a Senate seat he has held for generations. He’s hoping for an acquittal before Election Day.

Stevens generally appeared relaxed on the witness stand but the true test was expected to come Friday afternoon, when prosecutors can cross-examine him. The challenge for Stevens will be keeping his famously short-fused temper in check.