we installed this barnboard vanity last week. challenging project in that you have to go with the wood as it is. if you joint and plane it flat, there goes the patina. and what a patina it was. some light hand sanding, and a little very diluted aniline dye on the fresh surfaces made it look like a pretty thing. no finish, as its been outside for a hundred years just fine ..click the photos to enlarge them.
in the second photo down, i have moved the sink to be centered on the space from the corner to the window trim. we had originally thought to center it on the door, but no longer think thats the best place for it.
i had just enough stock
we had originally planned to include some molded details around the panels per the designers request, but they would have exposed more fresh wood and most likely been a distraction from the patina itself.
there was another complication as the whole thing had to be installed in pieces since it went wall to wall in a small room ... it broke down into base, left half, right half and then the face frame and doors last.
fun project!
all in, all done ... i had to take pictures of this one three different times before i finally got it right, but it was worth it ... this is a really wide piece of walnut and its kind of unlikely ill get one like it again. click the photos to enlarge them ...
you can see a little more of the base here ...
and in this shot, some of the natural defects (ant trails) that we left in the finished piece ...
and heres the photo from my supplier, good hope hardwoods, that i sent to the potential client to seal the deal.
and here is sams fabricating/welding jig that he used when building the trapezoidal shapes for the base verticals ... those he connected with 2.5" angle iron which gave us a rigid, independent base structure which we will remove for shipping ...
this table top had some miles on it before we finished, and it was no picnic to move it .. it started in california somewhere, went to pennsylvania, to dorset and the woodshed at my house, moved to the garage, from there to the shop for final smoothing and sanding, and then to the finish room on a special cart we built to get it out the door .. going down the 2 high 8 long ramp from the front steps of the shop was thrilling.
across the drivechoice was a piece of cake comparatively ... jim is actually on tiptoes here ...
and here you can see the cart and the more relaxing ramp into the finish room ...
where it went through its usual paces ... off to aspen this week, or maybe el paso first.
weve got a new event in town this weekend called discover dorset ... its an attempt by the chamber of commerce and some of the businesses in town to enlighten the public as to what dorset has to offer ... there are many events, speakers, and open studios, and there is a full schedule here at the towns website. will and i and maybe sam at some point will be in the studio from 10-4 to welcome the public for tours of the shop and past and present projects. click the photos to enlarge them ...
our claro walnut and rebar table and ladderback chairs will be on sale this weekend with a special price ... there are other examples of these large slabs of wood, both finished an unfinished available for viewing.
and sam will have a couple of his recent california balconies on display. they will be heading for grafton to be installed in a new house next week.
and will will be on hand, working on seeders banjo #12. walnut ebony and gold mother of pearl. he may even be doing a little engraving on the inlays ... a very cool process.
stop by and check it out and you can hear about his recent visit from WCAX in burlington ... he will be featured either this monday or next on the CAX segment made in vermont .. i cant wait to check it out ...
and ill be working on my drawings and model for an upcoming steel and claro walnut pool table (below), that will go in the same room as the 12 foot claro walnut table we sent to chicago back in july.
and we should have the custom curly maple kitchen weve been working on (see the previous post) all together in the shop, ready to deliver on monday morning ...
lots to see... come on by ...
it was our first really beautiful spring day yesterday ... fortunately i had made previous arrangement with frank pratt of frank pratt restorations a local building salvage/lumber recycler/beam and flooring seller to resaw some chestnut beams for 4 upcoming projects ... click the photos to enlarge them ...
frank is here sawing up some chestnut sleeper logs .... handhewn on two faces only ...
the first table were sawing for is a 46 x 108 chestnut post and beam table for a covered porch in georgia ...
the second is an expanding chestnut dining table similar in form to other classic empire inspired pedestal tables we have made over the years ... this project is at stratton mountain, vt, about 40 minutes from the shop ...
on that same project we also have about 60 of chestnut rail cap to go with some steel railings sam is fabricating as well as the cabinets pictured above. the photo above may look like a completed project but is actually a photoshop mashup of an empty room with part of a cabinet we made about 7 years ago...
as the room is now .. like i said, empty ...
cambridge, ny is on the other side of the western green mountains so coming home i was looking back into vermont, an unusual but dramatic perspective for me...
and the architecture over that choice is unbelievably different from here ... i think this is some kind of italian revival thing, out, literally in the middle of nowhere ...
i think farming was a pretty good business at some point ...
and here, 10 miles achoice from the one above, is another, even more impressive spread ..
nice farmhouse ..
home past the fort salem theatre in salem, newyork ... a classic greek revival ...
and past the fine church in rupert, vermont with the painted wooden clock faces ... i took this picture last summer, but i missed it yesterday ... it looked just like this, only without the gray sky and green grass ...
and home in time for sunset in the dining room .... nice day !
