Making a bunch of columns is alchoices fun if youre like me, the one watching ... And, according to Will, if you are turning them too. I think I got burned out on the thousand or so chair legs and stretchers I turned when I was starting out as a furniture maker and thought I wanted to be a Windsor chair maker ... I like to turn still occasionally, but Will is soooo good at it that he just does it ... It helps to have the Vega, which he has tuned to deliver superior results in amazingly short order. Click the pictures to enlarge them ...
We got some excellent .dxf files from the architect/designer which, after deleting the dimensions, went right into our cnc toolpathing program so Trevor could cut the template for the duplicator on the cnc. Slick.
After a little brainstorming and sketching we came up with the jig to remove the quarter section that you see in the top photo.
This picture shows the smooth cut Will gets right off the diamond tool on the duplicator.
He then removes the duplicator and hand turns the final details with traditional chisels, giving them their handturned look.
We thought we could make hollow columns as there is no 12/4 white oak available that I could find, but in the end, we made them solid with core wood added to the inside.
There are 8 columns in white oak, 6" in diameter at the large point ... Its gonna take a lot of wood ...
Sam and Will took a truckload of our latest niche product, the Wagatha dog treat rack, to town today. There were 75 of the bag racks, 25 more to go, and Trevor made 10 of the bulk biscuit racks below. The client thinks he can get us more work like this if were interested and he actually has a third compact counter top display design in mind. Were working on that ... Its interesting work from a design and engineering standpoint but I would hate to burn Trevor out with the mass production thing ... Once you figure it out, its time for a new challenge ... The racks assemble with hooks and by sliding, the tolerances being crucial to the process. but, once theyre together, they are amazingly strong and rigid ... I dont have a picture of a rack fully loaded with bags and graphics yet, but I think it will look sharp ... Lots of pieces ...click the photos to enlarge them ...
75 rack times 4 = 300 shelves right off the cnc
Only half the backs
Ten of the bulk racks, ready to go ... well be posting an assembly video online shortly ... Trevor really got the intricate joinery worked out perfectly ... He gets a gold star ...
The original prototype.
