a french country table

well, this was kind of fun ... build a table like we built back in 2005 only almost 12 long instead of 7 long ... this one has a nice distressed, stained cherry finish with a thickish (1.375" ) top with breadboard ends and pegged apron/leg joints.  stretching out the aprons and redesigning/refining the leg/apron curve relationships was a bit of a challenge, but between trevor and me and the designer client, after a couple tries we figured it out.  click the photos to enlarge them ....

the original, copied from a photo that had been on that clients bulletin board for almost 10 years .. we blended the curve from the leg and flattened out the scallop detail of the aprons. 

 the long aprons look pretty graceful.  what you dont see here is the 2" of steel behind them that support the top over its +/- 11 span .. total length is 138" x 42" wide ..

 when we first laid the boards up on the tablesaw, we had thoughts of shuffleboard ... shes a long one.

it took a couple steps to get it right .. first we cut a full size 1/4" mdf end on the  cnc and then a leg pattern, then a poplar leg and rail intersection, and finally the real legs and aprons.

trevor very cleverly figured out how to cut the 10aprons on the 8 cnc

    add a little distressing, some softened edges, a couple coats of stain and some finish and it looks like the top photo.  im hoping to get a better photo tomorrow .... all for now ...

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angle of repose

i read a book by wallace stegner a few years back called angle of repose ... everytime i see a pile of dirt or sawdust like this one, i enjoy thinking about the term ...

from wikipedia "Explanation of the Novels Title

The title is an engineering term for the angle at which soil finally settles after, for example, being dumped from a mine as tailings. It seems to describe the loose wandering of the Ward family as they try to carve out a civilized existence in the West and, Susan hopes, to return to the East as successes. The story details Olivers struggles on various mining, hydrology, and construction engineering jobs, and Susans adaptation to a hard life."

a good read, and an enjoyable, thought provoking, though only very occasionally, useful term ....

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dorset artists then and now

this evening was the opening for a new show called dorset artists...then and now. an extraordinary selection of works by 22 artists living and working in the immediate dorset area, as well as an equally incredible assembly of works from private local collections that represent 26 artists from dorsets past. the works of the now folks were selected and curated by georgine macgarvey-holman, ( one of the nows ), while loans for the then works were arranged and assembled by barbara melhado. putting on a show like this is an incredible feat of organization and i would say this is easily the most impressive collection of works assembled and presented by unpaid volunteers that i have ever seen. my hat is off. the opening was well attended and people were extremely interested in both the variety and quality of the works on display. its impossible for me to cover them all here, and i would hate to slight anyone; essentially, these are the photos that came out the best as i casually strolled through the show with my camera late friday afternoon and today. you have to see this show in person to really appreciate it and youve got until september 8th to do it. come on by. 11-6 daily, except mondays. the show is located on the green, in beautiful downtown dorset, next to the dorset union store ... click the photos to enlarge them ...
an overview of the mission ...
some then folks ... cleade enders on the left... i think those are humphrys on the right
more thens ... remarkable stuff .. love the woman with the trumpet by lorenzo hatch ... also there, david parsons, john lillie and claude dern ...
a jay connachoice ... a local artist famous for his homer like seascapes, who was as good as they get
sam and jen, getting their history lesson
and sam and i on the bridges bench ... metalwork by sam, woodwork by will, inspiration by my grandfather ...
nancy howe russell on the left;
pam marron left, barbara rowles, right
penny viscusi
arthur jones
and, they were kind enough to include us furniture makers ... above, william laberge
and here, steve holman of holman studios .. also in this photo, john pitcher on the left and ace manley on the right. john and his wife sue westin are proprietors of the gallery on the marsh, just down the road on route 30.
and thats georgine, bursting on the scene, wrapping up the final details on friday. our table and chairs are in the foreground ...
and these are my woodburnings, out and about from the studio for maybe only the second time ever. im sitting the show sunday and ill try to capture a few more of the highlights then. come on by ...

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march 17 and then it was spring

winters over here as of today ... bluebirds are back in the yard, buzzards are back, ducks are back, 70 degrees today, the convertible top was down, fire in the sky, and its only the middle of march. what next tomorrow? hummingbirds? golf? maybe on the golf, another month at least until hummingbirds ... peace ...
great sunset on peters peak

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and then it was friday

quite a lot went on this week ... i wasnt sure i was going to make it through all of it, but, in the end, i did ... click the photos to enlarge them ...

will is finishing up a new version of this sideboard we made back around 2004 or 5.  it will be stained and have walnut hand turned pulls.  hes got the top moldings installed now and will be starting the turning and finishing process on monday.

and sam had a busy week, working on some BIG turnbuckles for a local  remodel project

 

and the stratton rails are finished except for some touch up paint on the welds .. complex project.  angles, level changes, drainspouts ... all done now. 

and he welded up a whole new railing job ... straight rail sections plus the stairs ... paint em black next week.

and jims working on some curved benches from some curved planks we have had air drying outside the finish room for at least a couple of years.  (actually they are in that link from 2010 ... finally made a decision.

first we curved the front and back edges of the tapered ash supports, then we burned them with the big torch, and then we swabbed on some red and black oil based paint ... these bookmatched benches will be good for indoors or out .. they are homeless for the moment and looking for a place to live ... price on request.

and trevor finished up the curly maple trestle table with some stain and varnish.  that one will be around until the room where it is going is finished in a couple weeks ... nice color!

and he started a new 116" long version of the table above, also from the mid 2000s.

 

roughing out the top made us think of bar shuffleboard .. all we needed was some wax.

the scale was different so we made mdf mockup aprons and a new, 4" square leg sample.

approved by the client ...

and the top is glued up .. nice cherry from our friends at irion lumber.

  and im working on my pottery chops, with a new technique of my own devising.

 

i have never had the time to put in to learn to throw shapes like these, so i devised some lathe turned mdf forms. first i roll out a .2" thick slab, then after it is on the form and rough trimmed, i put it on the wheel, add a snake for a foot and throw the foot onto the bottom of the bowl form ... it has allowed me to make shapes that my pottery throwing skills will most likely never be up to, and, i love the target shapes.  i can pretend im jasper johns or josef albers for a minute or two ... more on this technique later.

and were fooling with some new zinc table top concepts, like maybe a hammered over edge on a round top ... it could work .. 

and jim picked up a few items from a temporarily closed gallery in massachusetts ... ready to go and attractively priced for sure.

including this very fine claro slab table ... +/- 44 x 90 ... it has a polished rebar base, but we are open to other options .. call for prices and details on all these former gallery items .. 802-867 5541

   and the last of the ice went out of the pond today with the sunny skies and 50 degree temperatures.  i thin it is finally gonna be spring now ...

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Selasa, 07 Juni 2016

veneer bag storage

we finally bought a new veneer bag recently to replace our old one that had multiple, more or less, irreparable leaks. i got about 15 years out of it so, no complaints. part of our problem with the old bag was storage, so this time we took a cue from our friend steve holman and raised it up to the ceiling and out of the choice. heres a link to a video of it going up, up and achoice ... it kind of blocked the light over wills bench when it was up so we had to add another light fixture, but the whole rigging is sweet. lower it down, load in a piece, and raise it up and out of the choice ... pump and all. click the pictures to enlarge them...

we got the electric hoist, good for about 1100 pounds, for about $100. on line ...

a couple pulleys from mcmaster-carr and some 1/4" safety chains and were all set ...

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