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.

a steering wheel restoration

well, it's not every day you get to fix a 50 year old steering wheel. particularly one that says when you look at it, 'bet you can't fix me' ... it actually was a quite a trick, and will pulled it off beautifully. i picked up the staining at the end and will is now applying about half a dozen coats of tru-oil gun finish, the same finish he uses on his banjos and it should be ready to ship monday. we won't get rich on this one, but it was a challenge and a worthy project for a cool old car ... i can't wait to see it in place. click the photos to enlarge them ...
this was the last shot before the stain.  the new wood was pretty obvious, so a a little stain was definitely in order.
this is what we started with ... it's from a restored 1961 lotus elite.  the owner asked if we could make 'a new one' and after a little study, i suggested we fix the original as i'm still not exactly sure how i would go about making a new one.
it is essentially two laminated five layer rings, (the middle one of ebony on the top) sandwiched over the aluminum spoked rim. above you can see the wheel was broken completely through and fixed before.  it also had some really nasty white filler of some kind and a piece of leather where the ebony is now, glued in with some kind of awful rubber cement.  we never found the splices of the ends of the ring laminations even though we looked pretty hard ... whoever made the original was good. it's a little like those miracle stairs in santa fe ...
will started by routing an angled flat spot not quite halfway through and fitting a curved, angled piece into that recess ... you try it ...
clamped up

 

here's will bending ebony with our 'hot pipe' set up.  this picture is from an old post on inlays for a round table, but he did the parts for the steering wheel when i wasn't in the shop.

and now for the top side ... since you can see the laminations in the original, we made a small two layer lammy and routed out the beach outside the ebony, which will soaked and bent with the hot pipe ... i didn't get a shot of that in action, and i know it was not all that successful materials usage wise, but hey, it's in there. it took about 7 pieces to get three usable ones .. ebony is tough stuff to bend once it's kiln dried, even if it's only 1/8th inch thick, or, particularly if it's only an 1/8th" thick .. breaks every time almost.
ok we're making progress ... this is after the wash coat of half and half clear and amber shellac
looks pretty good where we plugged in the new wood ..
back side before the shellac ... ok out there ... got one that needs fixing?  we got it under control now. steering wheel's are us  ...

more news from the metal shop

sam's been busy since open studio. today he finished this new steel table base for a client of his and tomorrow, we will make the table top, which will be painted white. it should be an interesting look. click the photos to enlarge them ...
he started by drawing the base in his cad program and then had trevor cut a welding jig on the cnc, which is always a timesaver. after welding the pair of xs with the plates on top, he made the jig below to position and support the stretcher for final welding.

once that was finished, he started work on a steel coffee table base that will support the 38' x 54" claro walnut slab coffee table top below.
the slab is one from a set we received back in march that i wrote a blog post about then. it was at that time affectionately known as 'the goat faced slab' and was in fact the first one from the group to sell. there will be a viewing by a potential client to select a desk top tomorrow and we will likely make a gallery piece with one of the two remaining slabs next week.
and he installed the three custom spark screens at a home in stratton ... they look right at home ...

and tomorrow, he and jim will finish the installation of about 160 lineal feet of railing that he has been working on off and on since the winter ... big week for installations and i'm sure he will be happy when that one is complete ... more photos later ...

a little more detail ... copper top table .. claro walnut table

 

as i was a little rushed setting up for open studio, i feel a couple of our pieces that we finished last week deserved a few more comments and photos, so here they are, along with some other photographic highlights from the weekend ... click the photos to enlarge them ...

above the open studio shop photo is a better photo of the claro wlanut slab table we had on display this weekend.  it is leaving tomorrow with the ladderbacks to spend the summer at the vermont visitors center in guilford.  a lot of folks (about 600,000 stop there per year) enter vermont from massachusetts and connecticut on route 91, and we're hoping that some of them will see our work and contact us with new commissions .. it seems like we ought to be able to get at least one or two out of 150,000 or so.  summer's a good time here ...

 

this is a close up of the under structure with our new base design using polished and welded 5/8ths" rebar.  people almost smiled when they noticed the rebar ... it fits in with our 'bethlehem steel' and 'bridges' series too.

for the copper table, which was the other big furniture hit of the weekend, we started out with a 1/2 size model a month or so ago.  i did that on my own nickle, even before i actually got the commission for the big table.  i figured i couldn't go wrong with whatever i wound up with, and i was intrigued with the clients' concept as well as my concept for executing their ideas.  it also was a test of my local sheet metal shop on the execution of the design ...

the clients loved the model and i even found a half size chair mockup i made a long while back to contribute a sense of scale.  this is it in the raw and our only objection was that the copper didn't lay perfectly flat and 'humped' and rattled occasionally, a problem i expected to get worse as the individual sheets doubled in size.  i also figured there are only so many nails you can apply before it would look too 'naily'.

so, our solution was to get some weldwood contact cement and glue each copper piece to the plywood and 2 x 10 substrate as we went along.  before we got our veneer bags, this was our typical process for installing central inlays in our dining tables.  it also works great for male/female lamination forms. these are mostly 2 ton hydraulic jacks you can get quite cheaply on line or at your local hardware.  i think i have about a half dozen.  be sure to support the table underneath before cranking them up.

 the last little bit of design was stablilzing the two base pieces and supporting the 9' span, which we did with sam's help and a little twisted and welded steel ...

 tah dah ...

after sanding and sort of polishing the copper and the nails with some red 5" round scrotchbrite pads we found at the hardware store, we applied a chemical called liver of sulfide (outside please... rotten egg smell) and today, after some back and forth, i oiled it with a polished on coat of linseed oil which blended the fingerprints from the weekend and made it look like a beautiful old penny.  i absolutely love the look and i have a couple proposals to send out for other sizes and different bases.  liver of sulphur is available from dickblick art supply.  clean the copper first with dish soap and a little ammonia. follow the directions and rinse neutralize (2 spoons of baking soda to 2 cups of water) the copper when it looks they way you want it to.  the initial cleaning seems really important ... 

here jim patinas the 1/2 size mockup.  you can clearly see the before and after here.

a view down the table's 11' length ... it's off to Connecticut tomorrow ... 

 and we have a 10' claro walnut table that is virtually finished, slightly ahead of the house where it is going to live. it needs only a final topcoat and some polish.  i thought about setting it up on its base for the weekend, but it's really heavy, and the shop was too full, and maybe we'd drop it, or someone would scratch it ... in the end, we left it on edge, covered with soundboard and only occasionally allowed interested visitors to have a peak ... enlarge this one.  it has a great fiddleback figure over its entire length and is without a doubt the most consistently figured slab i have ever seen.

   we did set up its blackened base though .. folks are always amazed at the minimalness of the structure, but that is made up for by the weight of it.  steel prices have skyrocketed lately though and that is the reason we are exploring other base deisgns like the rebar above.  just the steel and the cutting was $1800. and then the pieces still have to be drilled and tapped, ground and polished, sanded, patinated and finished, a process that almost doubles the cost of the steel.  i get a lot of inquires on these, but few takers.

 

 sam's spark screens above and will's custom banjos below were also much discussed items.

he's got a pete seeger type longneck in the works at the bottom of the photo above.  the fretboard for that one is as long as the entire new 'daffodil'  picolo banjo below. 

 skin head, nylon strings, canary wood inlays, antiqued brass hardware, warm tone.

kit's jewelry is back in the safe and

penny's paintings are back in her home gallery ...

the rhododendrons and peonies are blooming, most of the garden is in and dinner is done ... lights out ...