Friday, February 25, 2011

the cylinder tables

2/26 ... the cylinder bedside tables left this week ... verrrrry funky objects ... we didn't get rich on this one, but hey, we love a challenge .... forgot to take a picture with the doors open and the shelves inside, but it all worked out and the client loved them .... we decided in the end to add hardware later if necessary. probably not as the doors open easily without it ...
there was a bench with a kilim covered cushion ( to be completed by the owner's upholsterer) that is in the same room as these. the legs are similar and the photos are at the bottom of this post ...
update 2 11 ... we spent most of this week finishing the 'big island' project ... more on that when it's really finished and delivered. in the meantime we puttered on the cylinder tables, trevor made a jig and figured out how to cut the powderjet snowboards on the cnc, and we moved along on four different custom seating projects i have yet to post ... also, we're tentatively entering the world of video ... slowly figuring out that people actually watch them ... i checked my you tube channel after i uploaded these two and found that a video i posted two years ago and mentioned once in my blog has been viewed 20,500 times. the others on my 'channel' have also had limited but surprising view counts ... i was just figuring it out .. anyway, we'll try to do more and better as time allows. above, trevor and jim veneer the tops of the glued up cylinder tables and the doors. they'll be ready to assemble and finish next week. the new videos are toward the bottom of this post ... let me know what you think ... thanks ...
well, you know what they say, 'no problems? ... might as well invent some' ... one of my longtime clients gave me the concept for a bedside table she had seen somewhere .. a cylinder with a door, and a space on top for a shelf, metal legs and a round top ... well, we love a new concept and, really, how hard can it be? a couple of forms, a little joinery? i mean, they're only 18" x 27" ... how long can they take? ... ok, we'll try it ... that was a while ago, and while i can delegate parts, i can't exactly delegate a process that i can't actually describe myself .. what's next? hmmmm, let's figure out this step and then we'll see ... techniques build on techniques and this one is a direct relative of this one, maybe like a second cousin or great uncle ... related for sure ... click the pictures to enlarge them....
we went through a couple 'pre steps' .. drawings, mockups, stuff like that until we settled more or less on the dimensions shown in the cad drawing above.
from the cad drawing, trevor made the form for laminating the wacky wood and bending birch sections of the cylinders ...
one still in the form ...
turn down your sound if you want to watch this video of the operation above. i forgot to record it with the sound off. i've made a lot of things with curved panels over the years and feel this to be a safe operation. some would protest and say i'm nuts ... so, disclaimer here: don't try this at home unless you have confidence in your wood working hand eye skills. you might want to use a higher reference fence to keep more of the panel in contact with the fence ... a foot operated off switch is helpful too ...
trevor also made the '1/3 jig' for cutting the sections to fit together into a circle ... another video clip here ... worked slick ...
we stuck them together, figured out the angles on the solid wood pieces we needed to join them together and recut them using the jig and the new lines...
we added some dominoes to hold the parts together until we get the clamps on them and we're almost ready to glue them up ... we still have to add the supports for the interior shelf and do some final sanding ... sam's got the first three legs made ... next week, we should have something to see...
this metal bench was part of the same project ... welded steel with rivets by sam


a short note : i hate typing ... particularly on a laptop. my fingers are like carrots and i spend about half the time i'm writing, correcting my mistakes ... so, those of you who know me know i long ago eliminated capital letters from my email correspondence, i am now eliminating it from my blog posts unless a howl of reader protest ensues ... what would miss shelley say? i say content and time are more important than capitalization ... (three typing corrections in the last sentence, even without the capitals) ... all for now ... packers? ... steelers? ... i'm originally from penns woods so i'm going with the steelers ...

8 comments:

Jeff Branch said...

Steelers and I don't think anyone is goiong to mind no caps since your content and photos are so good. :)

Jason Herrick said...

What's wrong with you East Coast Folk? Steelers????????? Such a shame. I can get over the caps because Jeff is right, and you indeed are a stud of studs.

Steelers? Really?

anyhow....... any chance you can share a bit incite as to the material for the bent lamination? Are there 6 or 7 layers of 5 mm birch? I trust fully that you and your crew have figured out "THE" way to do it.

Thanks for another great post.

Steelers? Really?

:)

Dorset Custom Furniture said...

ok jason .. i thought it was a pretty good superbowl. i'm not really a steelers fan, but hey, you got to root for someone and like i said, i'm from PA originally. so, except for a coouple turnovers, it could have gone either way.

the laminates are from inside to outside, 1/8 bending birch,3/8 wacky wood, another layer of 3/8 wacky wood, and then the outside layer of bending birch. the outside layer was preveneered with paper back yellow birch before we added it to the stack, so it was a finished piece after one 'pressing' ... there was surprisingly little springback ... all for now .. dan

Jason Herrick said...

GREAT!

Thanks for the info Dan. I am still pretty new to the whole bending thing, so any info I get from the 'pros' is much appreciated.

Thanks you!!!!

Sorry about the Steelers. :(

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Corrosion Prevention:
Apply a physical barrier between the stainless steel and corrosive agents by using a soft paste wax, such as an automotive wax. A coating of wax may last for up to six months, depending on equipment usage.Stainless Steel Benches

Anonymous said...

Hi I really like the middle wood only section of the bedside table and wondered if you could make a couple as side tables? And how much they would be ;) Thanks Dace

Dorset Custom Furniture said...

hi dace, can you send me an email at dan@dorsetcustomfurniture.com and i'll get back to you about the wood cylinders ... dan