wood and metal furniture and summer in vermont

 not much blogging this month  .. it is summertime in vermont and there are lots and lots of 

distractions.  you've got your birthdays early in the month ... dan, sam, and will .. wow! 68 for me this year.  at my birthday dinner, i had a distinct and extremely lucky 'pop the champagne cork event'.  we were outside, and when i popped it. the cork went straight up about 8 feet and came, seriously, right back down into my outstretched hand .. didn't even have to move to catch it ... for other distractions you've got your golf, your tennis, your horseshoes and general beer drinking, your convertible rides, your live music here and there .... summer's short in vermont, so we try to make the most of it .. we have been working though .. below are some highlights ... 

click the photos to see them better ...

 here's the rundown

 

a reclaimed oak bethlehem steel coffee table .. left tuesday ..

ditto on the cherry and steel huntboard

leaving next week

and a couple of crotch walnut bedside tables coming along ...

a small claro walnut and steel coffee table out the door ..

some new belt buckles by sam

chalkin' up the states .. sam's just finished new jersey, michigan, virginia,and new york above,

and now the south carolina palmetto thing ...

and will has updated his website with his five latest banjo projects ... lots and lots happening in his shop.

check it out on his website or instagram feed

a steel base for a 3m acrylic table top .. can't wait to see that when it's finished

with the polish and clear coat

and a couple of steel and white oak nesting tables .. after

before

and a 'sap spout maple' bethlehem steel console

cool wood ...

parts and pieces

a couple of add on railings to get folks down the steps in north bennington ... 

 

and we have a nibbler for a conference table using the crotch mahogany 

slab we are trying to find a home for .. so we made a model ..

it'll be sharp .. hope it goes through ...

steel base in 3 x 3 square tubing and angle iron

finished the bar ... see the previous post ..

 and there's a cool project coming up involving a python snake skin ... a new one for us ..

and we've got a 10' walnut table going with self storing leaves..

should be ready for the finish process early next week

and we cut about 70 mdf stair balusters on the cnc for an architect friend who's building a house in florida

  and then you have your yard and garden ... crazy apples above ..

 the garlic is in .. bumper crop ...

and we're about to be buried by everything else that kit grows ...

the employees will be lockin their car doors once it all starts coming in ..

                                                   all for now .. i'm sure that's enough 

lots of stuff from the metal shop

sam's been quite busy in the metal shop lately ..

 tomorrow he'll finish up this custom steel table base with 1" solid rolled arcs on the corners.

 we'll be getting the reclaimed chestnut 'any day now', so we can start on the actual top, which will be similar to the top on the 'basque style' chestnut table we made back in january

the steel will have a blackened patina and a matte sheen clear finish

 next up, a dough bowl sink.  the clients came to us with this antique dough bowl which is a totally handmade, irregular, antique object.  i made a wood mockup and fitted the 'sink' to it. sam then crafted the actual metal base by matching the steel angles and lengths to the wood mockup.

 weld up the ends and connect the dots ..

it's all blackened now and sam will deliver it to londonderry tomorrow.

 and here's a custom coffee table base for a friend who will make his own top and lower shelf.

sam will finalize the finish color with the clients tomorrow

and some 'vermonter' beltbuckles.  i saw #238 on one of them.  in the foreground is a hammer sam forged in a class with his friend pat quinn at the adiurondack crafts school a couple weekends ago.  pat just received his masters in black smithing from southern illionois university in carbondale and his work is featured in the latest issue of the anvil's ring, the quarterly magazine of ABANA.

and another in our series of claro wlanut slab coffee table bases

 fooling with a snow roller wheel for a designer client ..

we're going to try to hang it and light it

and lastly, some 'adjusted' new grill work for the wood fired grill at a local restaurant.

Sam's Vermont Belt Buckle

Steel with brass details
Sam's movin' on with his belt buckles. He's made a few others, but these are the only three I caught with the camera ... They go by too fast ... Love the skull ...

The mountains and trees buckle is mine ... It reminds me of my woodburnings ..

Vermont buckles

On your pants

Here's Sam's latest from the metal shop ... "The Vermont Belt Buckle" .... Similar to the Vermont Bracelet .. but for your pants. Available to order now ... call Sam at 802-325-2073, or here at the shop at 802 867-5541 .... Other states or countries available by custom order. Click the pictures for a better view ...