More Custom CNC Work

We're working on a project for my friend and neighbor down the road, Steve Holman of Holman Studios. He has a commission to design and fabricate a run of chairs for a company called Porta Brace, a Vermont based manufacturer of professional level camera and camcorder bags. It's been an interesting and challenging project, to develop a working concept and finished prototype for production on the CNC. We are not making all the parts, but we are doing the parts that are involved in the actually joinery of the chairs like mortises and tenons, hinge insertion spots, removeable arms, the folding footrests, and the shape of and decorative logo detail on the front of the arm stumps. The project has led me to think about my router more, like other woodworking companies, as a tool for mass production , than as a means to fabricate complicated one of a kind custom projects, which is mainly how we have been using it. As a result of this commission, we recently used it to do the joinery for a group of three custom double bureaus for one of our clients. It certainly speeded up that process, and now that we have a basic understanding, we can apply what we learned to other case construction opportunities and hopefully help other woodworkers with short run production challenges. Click the pictures too enlarge them for better viewinig ...

40 legs cut from blanks with hinge holes and mortises (on the other side)

setting up for the tenons

40 tenons ... 40 good fits

mortise and tenon

Click the picture for better viewing ... more photos to come...