More on Turning

This weekend's post hurricane weather was beautiful. Since I have been neglecting my lathe for months now, I decided to get out and turn.

I started by finishing the "water glass" I still had in the chuck. It turned out nice, but only with about 5.5 oz capacity.

And while I was at it, and in an effort to hone my skills with the hollow master, I turned a very tall goblet.

And with most things I turn, I realize only after its finished and off the lathe, that it didn't turn out exactly as I envisioned it. I was aiming for a sort of long tapered look, kind of like a champagne flute, with a bead in the center of the stem, and a much narrower stem.

Don't get me wrong, I still like it. It's just my mind and my hand aren't exactly in sync yet. I am having fun sculpting by my whims, and not repeating cup designs, as of yet.

And finally, I've had a chance to make the handle for the mug I was asked for. It's been a while, but I'm still way ahead of my deadline for it. A nice big mahogany mug (haven't spec'd out the capacity yet) with a maple hand carved handle. Even carving out the handle's mount points on the side of the mug turned out to be less daunting than I imagined.

Now I just need to get it covered and delivered in the next 5 weeks.

Linnaea Update

So, it's been a while since I've had the energy to sit down and blog something out. Not because things haven't been happening...just because.

On the work front, we are coming to a close on the 8 week project that has been the Linnaea seating. We are down to a coffee table, a pair of end tables, and one sofa. And they are getting pushed into another portion of the shop for the finishing touches...so I'm free.

Free to fix the sideboard/credenza. Last week, while I still had an assistant working on the couches, I commenced working on the sideboard. Unfortunately, as I found out while assembling all the parts, the AutoCAD drawing had 2 different top views. One showing the relationship of the case, top, and pedestal, and one showing the interior parts of the case, tambour door track and dividers.

The one I based my CNC program off of (the one showing the interior parts locations) was 1" less deep. The other was correct. So now the tambour doors will not cover and/or pocket correctly.

Fortunately the top and pedestal are correct and can be used, as well as not having the tambour yet so no waste there. But I do have to make a new case, with the updated measurements.

While I am at it, I'm also working on the chest of drawers, and the 6 drawer dresser. Those cases are going to be pretty straightforward; it's the drawers that are going to get us. Especially on the 6 drawer dresser, with bow front, and matching curved drawers. We'll have to figure out how to cut the curved face out of 8/4 lumber, plus how the 1 3/4" thickness on one side of the drawer but not the other affects the operation of the drawer. Exciting new engineering prospects.

Linnaea Tables

The Linnaea collection has end tables and coffee tables. Only I've neglected to get any photos of the coffee table, so you'll just have to make due with a look at the end tables.


A curved front on the drawer and shelf, with the curve running along all four sides of the top. It looks a little big on its own, but works well when it is next to the Linnaea seating.

On the production front, we've been able to get our apprentice to the point where he can just bang out the couches. I've got a little catch up work to do now that the tables are finalized, so we can finish all of our current commitments, and then its off to build the second round.

We already have drawings for a dresser, a chest of drawers, a bed table, and a sideboard. All of these pieces were designed as a case, with a bowed front, curved drawers, a footed pedestal, and a quasi floating top. Quasi because it will be raised above the case by a recessed framework, creating the floating look from further away.

Hopefully I will be free of these 21 production pieces be the end of the week, and get on with the newness.

Mirror Stand

It's been a bit hectic at the shop since the Lemonade Social a month ago. With 2 sofa sets sold at the social, and another set the week following, I've been mostly working on those 11 pieces plus the 10 tables (coffee and end tables that is) that go along with them.

What did get a little overshadowed was a mirror stand, for which I was requested to craft. The lady whom I made the copper wall hanging/disc into a coffee table, had a mahogany mirror that she wanted a stand for. And since she enjoyed my table so much, and got to meet me then, she wanted me to make this as well.






Fluting on the 3 exposed sides of the post, with a finial, and our Chevel mirror stand foot, made a nice simple stand that looked very nice. And the little light colored area on the rear is my cherry plaque with my signature.

On YouTube

The video project that I participated in for the company a few months ago is finished and posted on YouTube. For your viewing pleasure:




And click here for the other two videos posted that don't feature me

Lemonade Social

This past weekend, we had our 2nd annual Lemonade Social at work. Last year I didn't have much of a role, but this year all of the projects I was working on were featured, as well as being there Saturday talking with customers and giving tours of the shop.

In addition to the new Linnea Sofa, we had a matching chair, coffee table, and end tables. So the last few weeks got a little hectic, finishing the couches, getting the coffee table built, and having the end tables thrown in at the last second (well, 4 days before the event).

With a fair amount of luck, and a ton of help, we got it done. And there was a tremendous response to the set. I heard a lot of good things from young modernists, to old ladies, telling us how we got the look and feel of it just right.

The exception to that was the chair. For whatever reason (I'm still having trouble figuring it out) the chair was just a sofa scaled down in width, but it felt too big. Some of that was the seat is 28" wide, enough for 2 people to cozy up side by side in it. But with the wide feeling was also one of it being too deep...for some people. 2 or 3 of the people I was talking with liked it at that size. We even had one couple order one of the large chairs, and one of our as yet un-built small chairs.

So that is one of the things I'm working on now. Setting up a chair 5" less wide, and 2" less deep. And for some reason, we're working on a medium sized chair, 2" bigger than the small, I guess just in case Goldilocks shows up to try them out.

We also had the cubes out on display. Dubbed Suzy Cubes (hey, not my idea) we had them stacked up and going around the corner to show off some of what you could do with them. The scrap pile cube got a fair amount of attention I'm told, so I might have some more scrapping to do in the future.

The other piece that was featured was the Laptop Desk. I got to work on it a bit right before the event because it needed a little help. One of those
"all hands" situations.

A simple base, with some paper management on one side, a drawer and charging station on the other, and a power adapter/USB throughput in the center. Some good cord management down through each of the back legs keeps the rat's nest out from under your feet, and then a set of pullout shelves in the front skirt. If I didn't already have a desk, this would be at the top of my list. I might need to set up an organizer like that for mine however.

One of the most interesting parts of the event was one of the tours I was giving. It was composed of a lady who helped design what is now our Artisan Sleigh bed, a friend of hers that does some woodworking, and another of their friends. During the whole tour the woodworker was engaged and interested in how we do all of our work, the lady was fascinated with the whole process and loves our product, and the third was stone faced throughout the tour. And so I felt as though I had to find something that would grip him, but couldn't seem to get there. As it turns out, he thinks the work we do is beautiful and amazing, and when he gets his house after getting out of the Navy this year, how this is the sort of furniture he wants. Especially our Waterfall line.

New Moccs

The new moccs arrived yesterday after months of anticipation. Scott, from Walking Liberty Moccasins, did a great job and exceeded my expectations/demands.

The welder's split turned out to be this nice neutral shade of gray instead of the horrific shade of construction boot mustard that I had resigned myself to when he said it came un-dyed. He artfully added the requested toe cap to minimize any added stiffness.

The only trouble is in the stiffness of the leather. This hide was stiffer than what he is used to working, but unfortunately all that was available. To counteract this, he has done his best to allow for the extra stiffness, Gooped up the soles (something he doesn't do anymore) so that I could try them out right away, and is even all prepared to hunt down a softer hide and remake them for me if they just don't work.

So, the breaking in period starts. Normally 3-4 days, but add a few more for the extra stiffness. And I suspect a few more for the added toe cap. I put them through their paces at the shop today, and they are already starting to work in. The toe area is definitely where the most work is needed, to allow my big toe its own wiggle room.

Since I wore them to the shop I got loads of comments. Everything from "ugly", to "must be hot", and even "those would be great hiking boots". Most people were surprised that they were custom made.

Granted, they look a bit silly with shorts, but as they soften I should be able to turn down the tops and "cuff" them into low-tops. And I have to say they aren't any hotter then my old pair of Doc's, but they sure do breath better. And even though they've got a bit to go before they break in all nice, my feet are already thanking for getting them out of those crummy old sneakers.

As much as I'd like to break them in all in one go, I'm pretty sure that's not the way to do it, so I think I'll give them (and my toes) tomorrow off and let them rest.

Shinto Bench

On and off for the past 3+ weeks, when I haven't been working on the new sofa, I've been working on what I have dubbed the Shinto Bench.

It was finally decided by the powers that be, that we (meaning the Design Team, aka me) need to have actually produced something. Since 2 of the 6 benches are for customers, they have been jumped up to the top of the priority list, and I have been working on them solidly for the past week.

They are a simple bench that echo the lines (in my eye at least) of Shinto Shrines and Temples. Simple in looks, and basic construction techniques, but actually turned out to be quite involved.

All of the tenons were through tenons, where the tenon penetrates through the legs and seat. The seat tenons will be flushed up, and have a wedge of ebony, while the stretcher tenons are left proud and are keyed with more ebony.

The mortises in this case were better served to be square, made with a hollow chisel mortiser. The hollow chisel, a sharp chisel blade on 4 sides, with a drill bit in the center, echoes the construction technique of yore, where they would drill out the waste wood first, and then come back and square everything up with a chisel. The hollow chisel mortiser does take some getting used to; making sure that everything is lined up just so, cutting just over halfway through, and then flipping, and cutting from the opposite side, leaving you with a clean surface.

To complicate all of this, the legs are splayed in both directions, necessitating the tenons going into the seat to be cut in with compound angles, which seemed simpler than cutting the mortise other than straight. The leg mortises were cut with only one angle, so the tenons could be straight with only an angled shoulder.

Then the tenons were cut by hand, with a tablesaw and dado blade, then mortised in the tenon to allow for the key. The seat was cut with our CNC router, with required a bit of tricky programming of what turned out to be 1/4 of a sine wave. Fortunately, I laid this problem to one of our showroom guys, who happens to have a background in engineering and a love of calculus, and he set me up with the equation I needed.

It was only after everything was cut and finished (for 6 benches) that I could clean one up enough to dry fit, and hope I was accurate enough for it to go together.

Fortunately, the dry fit went fine. Unfortunately, it is not easy making sure each tenon fits into each mortise. There is a lot of sanding of tenon faces, and paring of mortise cheeks until the proper fit is found.

I am pleased that it is all coming together, and that I've had the opportunity to experiment with non-traditional wood. The long cherry bench was requested as Artistic Sapwood cherry, where I was to select an interesting board with sapwood, and sort of bookmatch it into a seat. It may be a bit hard to see in the photo, but the sapwood runs down the middle of the seat, lightening in the center where we cut down into the heart. It was to be a bit rustic. I followed through with that same thought for the other customer's bench, in walnut. In this case, there was more sapwood, so the only heart left on the bench is in the 4 corners.

Too bad I didn't think to make one for myself, I do really like them. I just don't want to ever have to make them again for any reason.

An Overabundance of Logs

Sudden and severe thunderstorms are sort of the norm in the Mid-Atlantic region during June and July. Tornado warnings aren't unheard of, but I remember hearing about them maybe once a year, and sometimes not at all. This year, it seems as though every other T-storm has tornado warning associated with it.

With all this crazy wind and rain branches and limbs are coming down all over the place, which gives me a great opportunity to get green wood to experiment with.

Yesterday I got some walnut logs and branches, as well as an elm branch, a dogwood trunk section, and some type of fruitwood.

Then there is the limb that came down in our own backyard. The landlord cut it up, and stacked it against the fence, and there are a few sections that I have my eye on. I've also got some maple being held for me from a downed limb at a friends house.

One of the things I'm looking forward to is trying out different woods than what I have access to at the shop. The other things is turning the green wood, and then letting it distort as it dries.

And, We're Off

Tuesday's design collaboration came up with a good looking couch frame. I then "sculpted", sanded, and reassembled the couch so that it may go out to our Rockville showroom.

We're having a second back cushion made, as the complaint on the top of the list (so far) is that the back is too hard/stiff. I'm personally not terribly in love with the bullnose on the arm, and we still need to pin down the edge treatment for the rest of the frame.

We'll do all that after we get a few weekends worth of input from out customers. If you happen to be in Rockville MD, come by the Hardwood Artisans showroom and sit in it.