a burst of activity

hmmmm .. busy time here in the designing and pricing and proposing department.  plus it's spring, which always cuts into the free time i usually have available for blogging.  this post will be more or less a continuation of one from the end of last month, where again, i didn't take the time to write in depth about specific projects.  i think, maybe too, the 'writing' is taking sort of a backseat to the enjoyment of 'living', for the moment at least.  getting out for five rounds of golf in april is pretty good for me. 

here's a quick april 'projects in the works' lineup, and some hints of what's to come in may ... click the photos to enlarge them ..

a claro walnut coffee table from the offcut of a previous dining table ... we keep 'em, and sometimes we get lucky, and someone needs one exactly the right size ...

this one's heading to chicago this week.  'industrial look' welded steel base by sam.

speaking of sam, the metal shop is humming, and he's cranking it out.  these are parts for some large turnbuckles that will hold a building together, where the second floor floor was removed.  there are four of them total ..

 that's 1" solid round stock bent into those graceful hooks .. turnbuckles from peak supply ...

and he fabricated and installed some new custom railing projects ...

i think this one was installed a couple of weeks ago ...

and these unusual objects will support wooden poles which a local message artist will hold on to while she walks on your back ... sounds interesting, but i haven't tried it yet ... a niche market for sure.

and next up we have the new design department.  this'll be a new kitchen, hopefully by this time next month ...

i finished the shop drawings using some uninterrupted time this weekend ... during the week, i often work from one interruption to the next, and drawings like these just don't flow for me unless i can concentrate.

and after a few sketches and cad iterations of this wall, we have a confirmed design for a long bedroom wall ... coming up in june sometime ...

another claro walnut coffee table ... waiting for it's base that will hopefully happen this week.  the 'ant attack' area is fascinating ..

and the pine sideboard is finished and gone, and now in its new home in stowe, vt ...

here we have another upcoming project that took some time to design and figure out.  it will be a credenza in a north carolina law office, along with the 'ant attack' table above.

 using claro slab cutoffs, we'll cut the short cut offs into veneers, and lay up the door and drawer face panels like a puzzle.  it will have a welded and polished steel base by sam.  i am looking forward to seeing this one get umderway.  it should be a fun one.

and this one, will whipped up week before last.  it's finished now, and i hope we can deliver and set it up in the client's home early this week.  shaker influenced design, simple detailing,

and will is currently, along with a couple of new banjos, working on this slightly smaller version of a lutyens style desk he built back in 2009.  luckily, in a couple of blog posts, we documented the process as we figured out the first time so he's got a little leg up on this one.  also, four additional years of practice doesn't hurt either ...

 

march, 2009 .. +/- 26 x 72

the new onw was starting to take shape by last friday ... still a long way to go though .. lots of detail.

and trevor whipped up this little 'rustic' coffee table last week.  it may not look so rustic in this photo, but now the base is distressed and pickled, the top has its breadboards, and the culry maple top will be distressed, stained and finished later this week.

and jim and sam made a couple of reclaimed oak tables in the 'bethlehem steel' style .. burned, and lightly distressed reclaimed white oak from west virginia ...

and, actually one of the larger projects we wrapped up this month has been ongoing since last september.  it will start to take shape, hopefully, by early july ... we have one more approval to go, and sam's new metal shop will start happening.  it's been a long slog, with lots of challenging permit related details, but i think we have cleared almost the final hurdle. we have received the loan commitment, and the last detail, which i will not mention for fear of jinxing it, will be approved by the 15th of may ... and then, my 'free' time will be gone.   'life is uncertain, golf now.'

ok, work on your pottery too

a french country table

well, this was kind of fun ... build a table like we built back in 2005 only almost 12' long instead of 7' long ... this one has a nice distressed, stained cherry finish with a thickish (1.375" ) top with breadboard ends and pegged apron/leg joints.  stretching out the aprons and redesigning/refining the leg/apron curve relationships was a bit of a challenge, but between trevor and me and the designer client, after a couple tries we figured it out.  click the photos to enlarge them ....

the original, copied from a photo that had been on that client's bulletin board for almost 10 years .. we blended the curve from the leg and flattened out the scallop detail of the aprons.

 the long aprons look pretty graceful.  what you don't see here is the 2" of steel behind them that support the top over it's +/- 11' span .. total length is 138" x 42" wide ..

 when we first laid the boards up on the tablesaw, we had thoughts of shuffleboard ... she's a long one.

it took a couple steps to get it right .. first we cut a full size 1/4" mdf end on the  cnc and then a leg pattern, then a poplar leg and rail intersection, and finally the real legs and aprons.

trevor very cleverly figured out how to cut the 10'aprons on the 8' cnc

    add a little distressing, some softened edges, a couple coats of stain and some finish and it looks like the top photo.  i'm hoping to get a better photo tomorrow .... all for now ...

inventory reduction sale ..

in my most recent post, i mentioned i might be having an inventory reduction sale.  well, here it is.  a show i've been in since january is closing on sunday.  a gallery i was in in massachusetts got flooded. and, i'm working with a vermont website to market our wood and steel pieces in the future, so i've got to have a few pieces for them to show when their gallery opens in may.  soooo, in the meantime, all this stuff is ready to go, and i would love to move at least a few of these pieces to new homes.  it's getting kinda crowded around here.  here goes .. click the photos to enlarge them. for info, email dan@dorsetcustomfurniture.com or call 802 867 5541 during regular business hours

the slab above is the top for a table i made last spring to display in the vermont visitors center in guildford, vermont on route 91.  it has since been to massachusetts, (flooded out), and in the process acquired a very small dent, which may or may not steam out.  the polished rebar base for it, ( a couple photos below) is kind of abstract, and i would consider adding a set of our regular shaker steel legs or some other type of welded steel base instead of the funky rebar ... 'as is' though would be the best price.

and here's a new 'bridges' bench, our third in the series.  instead of flat stock, this one sports welded rebar v's ... a little 'bridgier' than the flat stock .... 15" x 54" x 17.5" high ...

maple burl and welded steel ... 31 x 54 x 17

painted reclaimed chestnut and steel side table

a claro walnut coffee table ... still in massachusetts, but available +/- 44 x 55 x 18

the bullseye chestnut mirror is still around ... wall hung in the finish room now, but ready to go either way ... on its pedestal or wall hung, or both/either ... cool object ...

cool object ..

here's the top slab with it's rebar base in the guilford welcome center .. 

the six ladderbacks are still available too.

and then we have this table, currently with the chairs below, at the helen day art center in stowe .. show closes sunday .. pick up next wednesday ....

and last but not least, we have the 'bethlehem steel' bureau below .. steel legs and pulls by sam .. wood by will .. nicely figured cherry ...

mellowed after a year to a warmer color than shown here ... about 40 high, 18" deep drawers ...

the curved ash benches

 we've been working on these boookmatched ash benches since, oh, 2010 sometime.  well, actually, we've been wondering what to do with these planks for that long ... benches was always a possibility, but so too was a wall mounted or outdoor sculpture ... it's settled ... benches they are now ... and pretty cool ones too, if i do say so myself ...click the photos to enlarge them.

 lots of different ways to use them, but they seem to like to be 'face to face' like in the top photo, though the long version above is pretty cool too ...

 

 they are currently looking for a home, along with a few other items featured in ourinventory reduction sale in the next post.

 seriously, for more information and pricing, give me a call at 802 867 5541, or send me an email at 

dan@dorsetcustomfurniture.com .. '

rolls royce and planks, from the open studio 2010 blog post .. open studio coming up again this year on memorial day weekend ... be there ..

 this is more what they look like when they are not in the bright spring sunshine .. 

it really was spring here today.

the 'choir' or 'bleachers' position ..

 the legs started out as 12/4 ash, and jim tapered them with a jig he made for the planer, planing one tapered  side off a little bit at a time, on all of them, and then changing his shim thickness to do the other side ... the he rounded them off with a handplaned and addded the little 'left' arch at the base.

 for the finish, we burned them with the big torch, wipe on some ben moore carnival red oil paint, burned the ma gain and wiped them red again.  the tops were just treated with 'bitterroot' Penofin.  good to go, inside or out ... fun project ...