back to work

we'll ok .. it's the new year, and we're back at work, and from the looks of it here, we're pretty busy.  luckily, the last few days things have kind of come into focus and under control ... a little new year miracle, compared to the last couple weeks of 2013.  click the photos to enlarge them.

trevor seems to have the 12' cherry cabinet details mostly complete, and we'll be doing some preinstallation recon work on site tomorrow or friday.  it's always nice to check the floors for level and the walls for plumb when you are installing a major piece in an older house.  well, first we have to finish the piece, but as soon as everything else here leaves, we'll be on that ...
it should be ready for finish after tomorrow.  next week after the other stuff leaves

the pool table is finished now that will has felted the rails below .. the felt is simonis, dark green and i believe it's the first time we have used that color .. like it.

and for above the table ..

 

we're working on this light, assisted by authentic designs, up the road in rupert .. 

it's nina mooney, the designer's concept, and i think it's going to be cool ...

we had to do some creative cutting, drilling, tapping, and epoxy work,  but i think we've got it.

 

photoshopped concept by nina here

and in the pool table photo above, you can see the model for the table in the drawing below.  it will be made from recycled chestnut and we should be starting the joinery tomorrow sometime.

and the benches below go with 8,  30 x 36" quartered oak table tops we finished on  monday.

the commercial pedestals are on site, and hopefully we'll install them next week with the 

pool table, the benches, and the dining table below.

we're using a fine (new to us) polyurethane varnish.  it's by a company called lenmar, which has been recently purchased by benjamin moore.  we used a coat of gloss as a base and applied two coats of satin on top with a 3" foam brush.  flowed out like it was sprayed.  i'm going to go out on limb and recommend it ... not something i usually do, but i like it as a finish.

this is another project for the hill farm inn, a rehab of a venerable bed
and breakfast down the road in sunderland.

there was concern that the antlers on the deer from the logo inlay

 would disappear if we left them in the burl.  sooo.

 

there was an antler that sam found in the woods rattling around, 

and trevor made some 'antler antlers'.  fun.

and we moved the mill from the old metal shop

 to the new one thanks to the help of our friend malcolm cooper, president and owner of jk adams

and his new company peace street rigging ... any excuse to use one of his tractors.

 the mill is happy to be back in a heated space ...

 sam's busy in the new metal shop .. knocking out a few projects before 

starting on a new big one next week

this coffee steel table base going to san francisco

and this one will be a base for a new claro walnut slab table we'll be building from the slab below.

it's going to be a nice one.  there's some good figure lurking in there

all for now ..

a pair of reclaimed oak tables

well, after a long wait for the wood to arrive from west virginia, we finally wrapped up this pair of reclaimed oak tables.  they are designed for high stools and to be used both separately and together as a long skinny table, 36 x 96, or squared up at 60 x 48. 

our classic, 'bethlehem steel' bases, made from 2.5" square steel tubing and 2.5" angle iron.

  we tried to line the boards up as best we could, trimming the edge defects as required, and matching the grain.  new man on the job, chris, checks them out before gluing them up.  there were also a few 'holes' that required patching too.  as the saying goes, 'if they were on the floor, you'd trip over them'.  we did leave a lot of the natural small knotholes, which add to the reclaimed wood feeling.

before the stain, we burn the oak with a 'red dragon' torch to enhance 

both the grain patterns and the color.

in the shop, and ready for finish ..

as two separate tables

a reclaimed oak coffee table of the same 'bethlehem steel' series, only with tapered legs.

road trip ... pool table installation

 will and i took a nice road trip today to sugarbush ski area in warren, to install the reclaimed post and beam pool table we finished last week.  it was a beautiful, sunny two hour drive, over brandon gap in the national forest, and up route 100 to warren, vermont. 

 the house had an easy, back door access and the installation went off without a hitch.  here's a link to a video of the table in action, with me missing some easy shots so you can see how the cushions work.  ha ha ... i'm liking the video thing as you can now see a little bit how the table plays and sounds.  i think i will try to do some other videos on a couple of the local tables we have built over the years.

we installed this table on a polished concrete floor that was absolutely, 100 %, perfectly level.  never saw anything like it before.  it was a welcome change from the last table we installed, where the floor was about 1/2" out of level from one end to the other. 

 

 it was a very nice, lower level room with great light, easy access and the tv was already installed.

 

 after truing up the edges of the slates with very thin index card shims, will bondoed the cracks before we stretched the felt.

 a little pocket trimming and some leather liners ...

 and it was time to rack 'em up.    

we had a couple of job site labs to help us out and keep us company ... good dogs...

the cue rack installation was easy ..

the house was beautiful and almost finished

 there was no snow, but the mountain looked steep and challenging, and they were trying ... all the guns were blowing snow, but it still looked pretty thin.  one of the carpenters said 'they're grooming the same four inches for the last two weeks'.

 on both legs of the trip, we passed the very scenic moss glen falls, around granville, on route 100.

 

sunset coming down brandon gap the other way ... home by 5:00 ...

a custom curved built in bench

here was a fun one ... a curved couch, not exactly built in, but close. it has to fit really nicely in a clearly defined space ... click the photos to enlarge them ..
we started out with a 1/8th scale model, which you might remember from a post earlier in the year ...

the cad drawing, from which we made the model, was made from a paper template that the builder sent us ... it was a little rough, but surprise,surprise, when we checked our cardboard cuts in the space, they fit not closely, but exactly. you don't often get stuff like this on the first shot ...
from the elevation in the cad drawing above, trevor made the cardboard parts for the model and we had at it.
he cut the seat planks on the cnc after altering the cardboard pattern drawing and then we created a framework for the bench seat to sit on ... it has a slight angle for comfort (about 1.5 degrees ) and the back is angled at 8 degrees from the seat face. it's surprisingly comfortable even with no cushions ... we fooled with various concepts for the tapered, angled, (part of a cone) backboards on the front and in the end chose a simple butt joint with a combination of construction adhesive and micro pins. sort of carpentry like, but the options were limited and in the end, since the wood is reclaimed and there are other distressings, it looks great.
the backboards were vertical, and not tapered, and we made them narrow and since they are against the wall, nailed them on.
neatly fitted and applied by trevor ..
we had a brief study on the 'table' which will stick off the end and made it 18.5" wide, and so, even with the seat support below it. it will have a vertical support element when everything is assembled later in the week after we complete the staining and finishing, and install it on site.