some claro walnut slab tables

well, we shipped out a couple more fine slabs of claro walnut from goodhope hardwoods today. i've been buying slabs from them for about 10 years now and i've never been disappointed. these two were no exception ... click the photos to enlarge them ...
a crotch slab my client found for me in the 'specials' section on their website, a category that comes and goes as needed apparently. this client chose the same simple 'block' base we have used on tables like this before ...
the table above is part of our 'shaker' series with 1.5" thick solid steel bases. this client wanted to have his base 'blackened', a patina process we do with a chemical called 'redi brown' from, i think, triple s chemicals ? in LA. i'll have to look it up.
sam did a beautiful job applying the patina and neutralizing it, and we then sprayed on a couple coats of clear satin metal finish.
we started with two of these slabs ... the one on the wall we previously made into a coffee table and shipped it to aspen; the horizontal one is now the coffee table above, and the one on top of the stack standing vertically became the dining table.
here trevor's chiseling in the butterfly keys to restrain the natural drying cracks.
ready to plane flush ...
off to the finish room for its first coat of gloss ...
and today, jim took off in the town and country for north east hampton, long island. i can't feel too sorry for anyone who gets paid to take six ferry rides over two days, even if it is a long drive ... he was ready to go when he left. you've got to be at least a little amazed that we can get two 7' plus tables and 8 chairs in here and still have room for more, even if there will be 'some assembly required' on delivery ... and, it's a smooth ride to boot ... almost wish i were going myself ... next time for sure ...

other claro walnut tables
50 x 120 x 3" thick
36 x 120 x 2.25" thick
a 5/4 coffee table
36 x 94 x 1/25"

two cherry dining tables

ok, here are a couple of cherry dining tables we made last week. 42" x 120" with a 1.75" thick top and 2.25" vertical uprights. click the photos to enlarge them ... we debated between the arced stretcher above and just below ...
and the 'cloud lift' stretcher below, a greene and greene inspired detail.
our first version was a little 'heavy', so we took a little off and slimmed it down.
better, but not as good as the arcs ...this is the first version, upside down, with the heavier stretcher ... scotch taped on ...
couldn't get my 11 x 17 printer to work so we taped two 1/8th" = 1" drawings together to have a full size paper patten for the model to work from
ok, cat's out of the bag .. these are 1/8 scale models. we made them for a meeting with our clients on friday and the models were extremely helpful in arriving at the final design concept below ..
which is currently a combination (as so many designs are) of the two models above. the top one is a previous table we first made in about 1992 ... sam actually had the idea of 'suspending' the stretcher on pins between the open verticals of the trestles. his idea would require that the whole trestle be glued up as a unit which might be fussy but it can be easily done. in that case, the pins become part of the structure and the design ... there's still a little final design work to do, but the client is on board and enthusiastic, and i'm sure we'll work it all out.

more posts on models and mockups here ...

news from the metal shop

just like in the wood shop, sam is humming along in the metalshop, welding away. now that all the table bases above are finished and ready to ship, he's been working on other projects. click the photos to enlarge them ...
these are the, i don't know, 25? base shoes for a large railing project with a local builder in rupert. stairs and a deck around a pool house that's 80 ' long and 50' wide.
looks like 116' of it, without the stairs. gonna take a while ...
and then we have a new style 'blackened' shaker steel base. i really like it. it's kind of shiny, but not too shiny, kind of black, but not too black ... it's just a really nice complement to the claro walnut slab top.
a corner of the table top. more on that later ...

and then he fabricated the full size version of a steel table base shown in the model below ...
first make a 'U' and then add two 'Ls' and some 1/4 x 2 aprons.
trevor routed fitting jigs on the cnc which made the job a little easier. it was still fussier than it looks. mitered corners in 3" tubing ..
and then, after making the curved towel bar above ...
he use that concept to come up with a leg design for another client's table base. roll the 3/4 square stock and then give it a half twist to make the 's' shaped legs. pretty cool imho.
leveled and flattened all 8 legs and then
added the plates so it can sit outside on the grass ...
and then we met with a client about a hoist bar over his new barn loft ... that'll be coming up soon as it's been in the background for a while ...
and then, when i came home for lunch yesterday, i was surprised to find this object in my driveway. take a guess .... no, ok, i'll tell you ... it's for hauling your hounds in the back of your short bed toyota pickup. the bed is 63" and so is the unit above. it will have welded on open mesh sides, top and door, and it will be just like the dogs are riding in the back of your pickup, but legal. in vermont, technically, you can't just stick 'em in the back, (or strap them to the roof for your family vacation), but this'll be fine ... enough update for now....

dorset artists ... then and now

this evening was the opening for a new show called 'dorset artists...then and now'. an extraordinary selection of works by 22 artists living and working in the immediate dorset area, as well as an equally incredible assembly of works from private local collections that represent 26 artists from dorset's past. the works of the 'now' folks were selected and curated by georgine macgarvey-holman, ( one of the nows ), while loans for the 'then' works were arranged and assembled by barbara melhado. putting on a show like this is an incredible feat of organization and i would say this is easily the most impressive collection of works assembled and presented by unpaid volunteers that i have ever seen. my hat is off. the opening was well attended and people were extremely interested in both the variety and quality of the works on display. it's impossible for me to cover them all here, and i would hate to slight anyone; essentially, these are the photos that came out the best as i casually strolled through the show with my camera late friday afternoon and today. you have to see this show in person to really appreciate it and you've got until september 8th to do it. come on by. 11-6 daily, except mondays. the show is located on the green, in beautiful downtown dorset, next to the dorset union store ... click the photos to enlarge them ...
an overview of the mission ...
some 'then' folks ... cleade enders on the left... i think those are humphrys on the right
more 'thens' ... remarkable stuff .. love the woman with the trumpet by lorenzo hatch ... also there, david parsons, john lillie and claude dern ...
a jay connaway ... a local artist famous for his homer like seascapes, who was as good as they get
sam and jen, getting their history lesson
and sam and i on the 'bridges' bench ... metalwork by sam, woodwork by will, inspiration by my grandfather ...
nancy howe russell on the left;
pam marron left, barbara rowles, right
penny viscusi
arthur jones
and, they were kind enough to include us furniture makers ... above, william laberge
and here, steve holman of holman studios .. also in this photo, john pitcher on the left and ace manley on the right. john and his wife sue westin are proprietors of the gallery on the marsh, just down the road on route 30.
and that's georgine, bursting on the scene, wrapping up the final details on friday. our table and chairs are in the foreground ...
and these are my woodburnings, out and about from the studio for maybe only the second time ever. i'm sitting the show sunday and i'll try to capture a few more of the highlights then. come on by ...