Pictures of the Big Tables

I got these photos from Steve a while ago but havent taken the time to post them until now. Its summer. The weather has been pretty near perfect. I have been playing golf and tennis .... I have requests for new work that I have to address and new projects starting up. We had friends in from Taos ... Anychoice .. Here they are now ... Click the photos to enlarge them ... I didnt take them and I know they were not easy tables to photograph, but here they are .. There is a list of all the relevant blog post links at the bottom ... See the whole story; start to finish by following the links in order ...
The 26 x 9 table
From the endThe small table ... 20 x 8
From the beginning ....
post #1
post #2
post #3
post #4
post #5

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a walnut slab bed

the completed bed
3/24/2011 ... well be finishing up an interesting new bed project today or tomorrow. it started with an internet request and an inspiration photo. we offered a couple of photoshopped options and settled on using some local slabs i had bought from lathrops lumber, specialists in vermont wood, in bristol, vermont.
as is photo from the client ....
photoshop option #1 ... photos of the slabs we used in the end, cropped and floated behind the existing bed
option #2 ... wide planks glue up square and straight ... the more time you spend with photoshop, the more rewarding and handier it is ...
the actual slabs cropped and photoshpped into shape
heres the layout ... click it to see the details ..
the end result, in process ...
discovering the high and low points ...
having at it early on .. trevor is great with the power planer
deciding which choice is up ... not that choice ...
we added some butterflies ..
we needed quite a few ...
will fabricated the drawer boxes ...
glued them up ..
and made some drawers ...
and we erected a temporary timberstrand wall to lay out the french hooks that will hang the bed on the wall ... they will have to be drilled and screwed to the studs in on site, (florida). fortunately the client is a tradesman and undaunted by the process ... wrap up photos later ....

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Walnut Slab Coffee Table

Similar to another coffee table we built last fall, we sent this one out into the world last Wednesday. Its eastern walnut rather than Claro. It was about 28" wide at the narrow end and about 7 long and 18" high ... simple base, two verticals of 16/4 x 16" wide and two 1/4" steel plates ... Beautiful grain ... The slab came from Alderfer Lumber in Pennsylvania ... Click the pictures to enlarge them ...
Close up of the crotch figure grain
The unfinished slab with the graduated butterflies
Here, you can more clearly see the base detailing, what little there is of it ...
On the bottom, we routed the slab to receive the 1/4" x 6" plates ... washer head screw/bolts in oversize holes to allow for expansion and contraction .... simple ....

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Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers Summer Show

The Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers invites you to attend a special exhibition titled “A Step Beyond: Collaboration and Innovation, New Work from the Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers”, to be held at the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, at 135 Church St. in Burlington, Vermont, from July 9th - 18th. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 9th, from 5:00 - 8:30 p.m.

This show will feature collaborative work by some of the guild members who have
collaborated with other Vermont craft artists, incorporating materials like forged steel,mica, stained glass, carved slate, and LED lighting. It will also include pieces with newprocesses, approaches and techniques that are innovative to the individual makers. This show is part of the statewide "State of Craft" exhibits throughout the year, sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council to mark their 20th Anniversary. The show will bring to Burlington the work of professional level fine furniture makers from every region of the state, and is the first time the Guild has held a major gallery show like this in Burlington.

For more information about the Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers visit VermontFurnitureMakers.com

The above info is from a Guild Press release regarding a furniture show that opened in Burlington last night. The space is on Church Street in the Firehouse Gallery next to City Hall. Its a wonderful venue and it looks like the members who are exhibiting stepped up to the plate for this one .... Check it out if you find yourself in Burlington ... It runs through next Sunday ...While youre here, also check out the New Guild Website at the link above. Click the photos below to enlarge them ....
Set up was yesterday and the organizers Johns Congdon, Lars Larrson and Dave Hurwitz really had their act together ... The show, just before the first visitor ... The turnout was amazing and went on until I left at 8:00 ...
Were exhibiting "Bethlehem Steel #3" and a set of six contemporary ladderback chairs. Thats Bob Gasperettis tapered piece in the background ....A detail of Johns Congdons sideboard, which he designed in collaboration with his wife. This is the back side of the piece ... On the other side there are 5 drawers with handmade silver hardware ...A detail of Erin Handleys pear woodside table A detail shot of Mario Messinas hanging lamp
The gallery on Church Street ...

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be careful !! i had this sort of hard white thing on the end of my little finger for 3 weeks or so. i figured i had a piece of steel in there and that it would work its choice out. well, sunday it did. i bumped it on the steering wheel and decided i had to investigate ... low and behold, there was a woody looking thing just under the skin surface. i grabbed it tightly with my special sliver tweezers from the lumber yard and gave it a yank.

holy cow !! it was white oak and it was about a half an inch long ... who knew?? it was right up there with the micro pin in the palm for a week event back in 2006. that was my first experience with 2d live xray viewing. so, watch yourself ! ... if you think theres something in there, you might be right ... all for now.

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Show Time

Theres a show called "Out Of The Woods" opening Saturday at The Southern Vermont Art Center in Manchester, Vermont. It will feature the works of 11 New England furniture makers included myself and fellow locals Bill Laberge and Steve Holman. The show has been a long time in the making and for a change we were one of the first to drop off our pieces so Ill be seeing all but one or two pieces for the first time myself on Saturday. Theres a meet the artists reception from 4 to 6 and their openings are alchoices fine events. Happening at the same time will also be the opening celebration for the 81st Annual Members Exhibition, a sure to be interesting display of the memberss fine art and sculpture work. Come by if you can ... Click the pictures to enlarge them ...
Well be showing one of our Bethlehem Steel series pieces, a walnut and steel table and six complementary walnut chairs.
A close up of the plates Sam made to cover hardware wounds in the 20" wide walnut boards.
A few photos from the SVAC website showing some of the other artistss work.
Steve Holmans sideboard ...
Close up of one of the bronze wood burl sculptures from the photo at the top ... Mother Nature is a pretty good sculptor too ...
There is also a very cool building on the site designed by the award wining architect, Hugh Newell Jacobson.

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the scott lenhardt show

well, you just never know whats next around here .... a couple years ago, at the last minute, we helped wills friend, scott lenhardt, get some stuff together for his first new york show .... scott is a graphic and fine artist and sculptor, most famous for his burton snowboard graphics. as you can see in the flyer above, hes got a show opening at the firehouse gallery in burlington this coming friday. below is a description of the part of the show will helped him with this time ... click the photos to enlarge them ....
scott had a rough prototype with him and some ideas for changes on his first visit a couple of weeks ago ... hes got 6 colorings and 6 birds so he needed 6 painted houses. we brainstormed it a bit and after some adjustments, arrived at the final prototype and the six houses.
naturally, the cnc was involved, as was mdf since they had to be simple, fast to construct, and easy to paint. they left thursday to be wired and painted and i imagine scott is installing the colorings and birds this morning as hes off to burlington later today and the show set up starts tomorrow ...
lots of details for a smallish object ... lights, cords, (groove down the back), discreet hanging on the wall, (french hook), ventilation (slot in the tops at the wall intersection), wiring accessibility, (rare earth magnets and 26 guage galvanized spray 90ed into place), frosted glass, hold the coloring (velcro), etc ... will got them all i think ... interesting project and were considering making the run to attend the opening ...
we also made two sort of big mitered frames (3 x 5) that led to the creation of one of our best ever construction jigs ... next post ...

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