and this is a big one .. probably just under 300 pounds. the stone (another +/- 500 pounds), will be cut and fitted in new york ...
specifications included : " must support dancers" .. sounds like fun.
it had a nice dark bronze patina and some decorative screw details in the top frame ..
and weve got a pair of stools waiting for the final stain color approval. theyll be upholstered by the designers workroom in massachusetts .. tougher than they look ...
and were coming down the home stretch on the kitchen project. its starting to look like the model. were awaiting appliances and counter tops, which should be arriving sometime in the next few weeks.
and there are other parts to that project too, like the +/- 8 x 8 painted vanity below. we turned it over to the painters on site and will be reassembling it as it appears in the shop, as the counter tops and stone backsplashes arrive.
there will be a mirror and some sconces in the big open space. the horizontal shelf over the sink area is just for our convenience as we built it.
and upstairs, theres a quartered oak vanity/shelf unit .. steel pipe supports on the end later.
and downstairs, a barnboard vanity for the half bath.
the curved moldings in barn board are gonna be a trick .. working on that tomorrow.
coming up, some living room shelves involving a barn beam from the renovation and a bunch of 3" thick torsion box shelves ... should be interesting.
and a baby gate !! i havent made one for about 30 years now ...
and i never made one that wasnt a piece of painted plywood with a poster on it ... this one is gonna look official!
and will, for the time being at least, has officially moved on to full time custom banjos and stringed instrument repairs. hes been at it for a while now, and while i miss his input and production in the shop, im wishing him the very best of luck following his heart. why wait .. start now. see where it goes.
and sams busy ... along with the railings he finished recently, above and below, he is coming down the home stretch on a major project at the local church downtown. more on that later ...
jig for building the railings
3 floors on this project ... fussy figuring ...
and the metal shop doors and stairs are here, as is the slate,, below ...more progress soon.
and our friend rachel turned 70 last week. big party last sunday. people we havent seen in a long time. we made her one of our garolite and zebra wood life event coasters. kit said i should have made a dozen of them . were gettin up there.
all for now
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A couple of weeks ago, Sam installed the balcony he was working on back in September and October ... It was a very cool project with some somewhat daunting challenges. Build it here ... install it there, 15 in the air ... Make it safe ... That kind of stuff. I swung by last week and took some pictures ... Looks like it was made to be there .. Click the photos to enlarge them ..
The platform with its expanded steel floor and outline of the rails
Sam had made a couple of sketches but mainly, on this one, worked as the spirit and his vision moved him ..
Until he had had basic decorative design figured out ...
Next were the support brackets with some ideas sketched in ...
Back to the circular elements of the main railing
and then a test assembly on the wall of the shop ...
All welded up and ready to prime and paint
One of the fishies on the floor of the balcony ...
From afar
From below
From the end, showing the 4 supporting brackets
You lost me there for a minute .... Ive been reading ... And, actually, I am pleasantly surprised at the flow of new inquiries and project design requests trickling in ... Were currently working on a walnut slab table project, the ladderback chairs, a new vanity project inspired by Dean Martins Bar, a couple of steel and walnut tables, and my website, where we have added a new section called client testimonials. Theres a recent one in the Updates post below. Over the years, clients and friends have suggested that I post some client letters, but, somehow, it seemed a little shameless to me ... Ive been converted recently by a persuasive consultant, and now that I have them up there, it feels pretty good.
Also, one of my friends/clients has written a book about his familys experience. Its called What Else But Home, and the subtitle is Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse. As a family who had two different guests in our home for Wills junior year and most of his senior year in high school, it particularly resonated with Kit and I. The Rosens journey, however, was much different. Its another testimony to education and support rather than discipline and (attempted) control.
And, finally, a revisit to a favorite author, Jim Harrison, who we have been reading for at least 20 years now. This guy can get you thinking with every, and I mean every, sentence. I borrowed it from a friend but Im going to get my own copy. Some sections are so beautifully written and thought provoking they just take your breath achoice .... You find yourself opening to earlier sections to reread the best parts before opening to where you left off. A historic saga of family life and nature on the American Plains ... Try Dalva too ...
and this is a big one .. probably just under 300 pounds. the stone (another +/- 500 pounds), will be cut and fitted in new york ... 
