Around the Shop

Logan's First Dovetails

2012-01-20T22:10:00.006-06:00

My son Logan came to me a while back wanting to make a lap desk so he could have a place to read, do homework, or draw, write, etc.. I told him what was involved and how you had to dovetail the box together. He picked out a piece he found in a shaker furniture book. After I cut out everything and set up to dovetail the sides I decided to get Logan involved and before I new it he was chopping away and with great success.

I don't know who was happier, me or him!
I'll post the completed piece later. It turned out nice and he uses it every day.
The stairs and loft came together fast and has proven very useful. I now have the band saw upstairs hooked to a shop vac. I ran lights and plugs everywhere and have another shop vac hooked to the lathe downstairs. All I have to do when sanding on the lathe is hit the switch and all the dust is sucked away and the noise is upstairs. Notice the brace has been cut away going up the stairs. I guess people watch their feet when climbing stairs because everyone seemed to smack there head on it so it had to go.
About a year ago I ordered bench vises from "Benchcrafted" and a couple weeks ago I finally started building the bench. I reduced the length to 6 feet from the plans. I walk around the bench a lot when carving seats and 8 feet seemed too long. I think it went really well and this bench should not dance around when I carve tough seat blanks (elm).
I still need to wipe on some oil finish and make some dogs. The vises are very strong and seat blanks do not slip in the face vise. I have several classes coming up and look forward to breaking her in right.

The Next Steps

2011-12-03T21:28:00.005-06:00

I have been wanting to finish the loft on the other side of the shop for some time. The other loft has an attic pull down and has proven very difficult to carry things up or down so a real set of stairs is a must. This is the last empty corner big enough for the steps. No windows and just enough room over the back door. I had to move the library but there will be plenty of room upstairs later for it.

I dusted off the old chain mortiser to create the pockets for the floor joist. 3 x 6 beams of red oak (from the same log as the other side loft) worked great for the floor. It's always fun working with the timber frame tools. It's such a simple way to build and very strong. Notice the strong checking that has occured since raising the frame back in 2009. They claim this does not affect strength.

Here is a shot of all the floor joist mortised in place. I connected the two lofts with a walk way so I don't have to use the attic stairs ever again.

The stairs are all red oak from a tree I cut last spring. The stairs work great but watch your head on that brace on your way up. Soon I will complete the railings and flooring up stairs. I might put the band saw up there along with a place to paint chairs and of coarse a lot of storage. I have almost doubled the size of the shop. Now I need to get back to making some chairs.

Half the Size Twice the Fun

2011-10-30T19:54:00.010-05:00

I have been toying around lately with the idea of small size chairs. I decided on a sack back at 50% of adult size. My kid size chairs are 2/3rds the size of adult so this makes this chair too small for human use. Great for dolls maybe or just art to sit on a table or hang from the ceiling. The chair is scaled exactly from an adult size. Every measurement is divided by 2. The joinery is all the same except I used straight tenons instead of tapered tenons. I even used the same tools on each process including the turnings. It is a great exercise for detail work and using hand tools. The top of the spindles are wedged at 3/16ths of an inch. No room for sloppy joinery here. The steam bending was easy and only took 25 minutes in the steamer. Overall I like the result and look forward to trying several different styles. I will take these to the spring TACA craft fair in Nashville to see if they sale. Those fancy dolls need somewhere to rest.

Recently I had Matt here for a Comb Back rocker class. This is the first time I have ever had a student complete the chair of this degree of difficulty in 5 days. This is the first windsor he has built which he completed for his wife who is due their first child in November. Very impressive even if he had stayed late but done in 8 hour days. Matt, you are going to be a great dad.

Road Trip

2011-09-01T20:21:00.010-05:00

Once again I have been procrastinating with the blog. Busy? Yes. But I really have no good excuse but being so focused on other things.

Speaking of focus, Jake Wiens stopped by the shop to shed some light on photographing chairs. We used the youth high chair as a specimen. Below are two examples of his work. He gave me some good pointers on how to use a cheap flash and poster boards positioned above the chair to bounce light in the right places. He took these photos which brought out the detail better than I normally get. Jake works as a professional videographer and photographer for promotional programs out of California. Good job Jake.

Recently I went to Jonesboro to meet Curtis Buchanan to shop the log yard for sugar maple. He was so kind to give of his time like this. He knows how to find the really good stuff and it's only 20 minutes from his shop. We found 2 perfect logs and one slightly stained but still very straight for turning stock. I love the shot of his shop in the background. It looks as if it grew there.
This is what I brought home. You can see the flared out stump end sections I cut off. I give these to bowl turners.
Below you can see how Curtis lays out the log to split with the froe. No doubt this is the best way to follow the grain but I use another method using the saw mill. I don't think Curtis likes my process but let me plead my case.
First I cut the log into two 6 or 7 foot lengths and mount on the mill. Then simply measure and level the piths with shims on each end of the log. This method only works this well with really straight logs so only buy the best.
I saw the boards into heavy 8/4 or 9/4 thickness.
Then I chop saw the boards to length according to what I need ( legs, arms, stretchers. etc.) and carefully follow the grain with a straight edge to band saw the individual turning blanks. Don't forget to seal the end grain or you will find yourself in "Checkville".
Then simply round them all and stack to air dry. You can see the grain running true through the piece. Are they all a 100% perfect? No but those who don't make the chair will create lots of heat. Sometimes I get blanks at the butt end of the log with flare-out and cross grain but I still end up with hundreds of turning blanks really fast. If I didn't have to supply so many chair classes then I would just rive them like I do the oak for bending and spindles. But I have hundreds of turnings to complete so this will be my method. Sorry Curtis.

A Simple Turning Exercise

2011-06-25T19:13:00.009-05:00

Here is a basic stool you can make in a couple days. Very simple and all done on the lathe. Face plate and bowl turners should love this.

I start with a 1 3/4 to 1 7/8 inch thick bandsawn blank that is usually around 11-12 inches in diameter. My Oneway 1224 lathe only allows me to turn 12'' in diameter. I find that anything bigger starts to get in the way of the back of my legs while sitting. You can see the profile below. I also find not to dish out the seat too deep. There is not a front or back and dished out too deep is uncomfortable. I think this one is only 5/8'' deep, heavily rounded on the edges and chamfered below to give a delicate appearance.

The layout after turning the seat could not be more simple. Draw a line on the bottom centered and following the grain. Draw the second line centered and perpindicular to the first. These are the sight lines. I usually find 14 degrees to work well on these stools.

After drilling the leg holes with a straight 5/8'' bit I taper them with the 6 degree reamer. Below you can see the bamboo style leg I used for this stool but use your imagination to create any style you want. Remember to add 2'' to the length of your leg blank to whatever seat height you want. After drying the leg tenons and stretchers assemble just like any other windsor chair undercarriage. I love these stools for shop use at the bench or while sitting to fine tune another chair. It helps to have a few at different heights but mostly I use 24'' and 18''. They are also wonderful to play around with paint finishes since they are so fast to make. They make wonderful gifts as well. Have fun!

Lately I have been busy with gardening and Logan's baseball games. I think we are 2 and 3 right now. I also managed to lock up our computer loading pictures and have now been reduced to using this slower lap top so the blog has suffered.

Below you can see the progress of the corn. I hope I can keep the deer away. Last year they totaly mangled my second crop.

Here is a shot of the second garden with potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, and watermelon. The sunflowers popped up from last year. This garden keeps my mind clear from too much time in the shop. Well, time to harvest some cucumbers for some fine sower dill pickles.

Big Boy

2011-06-02T21:26:00.007-05:00

Every once in a while I'll get lucky finding great wood. This old walnut tree gave up the battle after a storm several weeks ago. The tree from a distance looked small and so I drove past it without too much notice. One day I decided to actually get out and look at the tree. It was a monster. It was also lying in a creek and very hard to get to.

Owning a sawmill keeps me constantly hunting for trees and allows me to take advantage of fallen trees that nobody else seems to want. It also allows me to meet new people one of which has the big Holland you see below. Johnny Watson was very kind to extract this tree to the bank of the creek so I could pull the mill next to it. In exchange I will saw a white oak for Johnny that he owns which is over 150 years old.

As you can see the sap line in this walnut was very small. The log was about 3 feet in diameter and had a 10' clear section. It also had lots of figured crotches that were some of the longest I have ever cut.

Bob and Pete were there to help unload the 22 inch wide boards as I cut them. I could see them drooling over the stuff even though they were worn out from lifting these things. This tree tested all of us but in the end I think we won. It will be hard to wait a year for these boards to dry. The tree provided well over 1000 bd ft of prime stuff.

Recently I had Anthony Watts here at the shop learning to build a settee. He is coming over several weekends around his work schedule to get it done. You can see below Anthony smiling while legging up the undercarriage. I must be doing something right.
Anthony is doing a fantastic job and seemed to really like the laser drilling method. All of his stretchers measured evenly either side of center and look perfect. He will return soon to finish the settee. I think this will be a birthday present for his wife. Happy birthday Betsy!

Facelift

2011-05-18T20:52:00.007-05:00

Finally, a chance to blog about a few of the many things I have been doing lately. First and foremost I am glad to show the new color of the shop "olive grey" from Porter Paints. I am sure my neigbors are pleased to be rid of the big yellow shop. The Hardie plank siding says to paint within 90 days to prevent voiding the warranty. Oh well, 90 days, 2 years, what's the difference? At least I gott'er done. I also added the front porch roof which gave the best atmosphere inside the shop thus far. I wish I had done this a long time ago. There is still lots of loose ends to tie up but I'm headed in the right direction.

Another project that had been lying around was this monster red oak log someone brought me to cut. (thanks Todd). Wow, the picture does not do it justice but this was the biggest log to date that I have sawn on the mill. 44'' at the base tapering to 36''. I wish this had been butternut.

Last weekend was the TACA craft fair in Nashville. I finished a rocker for the show. I had the chance to use Pete Galbert's method to rout the rocker slots in the legs. The up spiral bit although expensive(and noisey) worked very well.

As you can see below the joint is flawless and cleaner than the ones I use to cut by hand. I made the cut in one pass and the bit did fine. Not bad for hard maple. The chair, which uses a parabola rocker design, was a big hit at the show. People seemed to think that the chair was very comfortable.I received several orders.

Logan has been doing well at guitar practice. His teacher, Kevin at Sam Ash Music, is quite amazing with anything with strings. He has great patience with Logan and has taught him things that I never could. I get to sit through his practices and the biggest key that Kevin pushes is repeating the rif over and over. Logan has learned Sweet Child of Mine, Black Dog, and Stairway to Heaven. I guess my versions of John Denver were not enough for Logan. Anyway, what fun it is.

Berea Bound

2011-04-01T21:54:00.004-05:00

Well, we did it. The turnings are done. Below you see Pete Wiens and myself with everything done. Pete did half of the double bobbin legs. Pete is an accomplished turner who just finished a comb back class and decided to help me over this mountain. Thanks Pete!

This is what happens after you have completed over 200 turnings in one week. Your brain decides to do something useless but artisitc. Besides, when will I have so many turnings in one place again.

Everything is ready to go to Berea, Ky. to help with Pete Galbert's class at Kelly Mehler's. This has been great fun turning and splitting chair parts for 26 chairs. I look forward to the 2 classes we are doing and the awesome food Kelly provides. I have said it before, if you haven't been to one of Kelly Mehler's classes you are missing a fantastic opportunity. See everyone in a few weeks!

Oops!

2011-03-29T20:40:00.010-05:00

No, this is not my car. I don't even know the people who live here but I bet this guy wished he had parked in the garage. Several weeks ago a severe downburst of straight line winds blew through the Indian Lake area of our town. This shows the power of falling timber. I didn't get to aquire the walnut from this yard but it was very nice. There were more trees than I could ever imagine trying to harvest. I am only one man with limited equipment. I also simply do not have the time to be gathering trees, although.......

With some help from Pete Wiens and Bob Peterson we did manage to gather a few. That's me on the left only wishing I was able to cut the beech tree you see behind us. This tree was near 200 years old and 4 feet across. Pete(far right) wanted a quarter section to turn on his lathe so I tried to cut a piece for him. The tree company people felt sorry for my little 20'' Sthil chainsaw and showed me up with his monster saw which melted through this log without hesitation. He grinned the whole time he was cutting. He knew he had showed me up. I'd like to see him make a chair!

Here is the result from the beech tree. Remember, this is only a quarter of the log.I cannot wait to see how Pete will chuck this on his lathe. Good luck.

Here is a cherry tree I cut up into turning blanks for chair parts. I also sawed a hickory and maple for firewood. The best tree we found was a butternut and of coarse we sawed into seat blanks.

For those of you coming to the chair class at Kelly Mehler's here is Bill Nelson helping me harvest some white oak for your chairs. Bill recently had hip replacement surgery. What was he thinking?

I like being able to select the trees while I can see them standing. We also cut some post and rafters for the front porch of my shop. This will be my next project after returning from Kelly's school mid April.

I like this picture showing all the wood I have been collecting the past month. On the trailor the front porch wood, the chair logs already unloaded on the ground(by the way they split very well), and in the back ground tons of firewood for next winter.

I have had lots of students at the shop during all this and one more class to teach right before I leave for Berea to help Pete Galbert. I finished the last of the turnings tonight and will post some pictures later this week. Time for a nap!

Preparing for Class

2011-02-13T21:28:00.005-06:00

Once again I have the honor of assisting Peter Galbert with the chair class at Kelly Mehler's school this spring in Berea Kentucky. We had a great class last year and the responce to this years class prompted Kelly to add another class. So we have 2 weeks and 2 different sets of students. Pete is flying in from New York so I'll be responsible for all the materials. No pressure there, right?

I've aquired a nice oak log for spindles and a nice sugar maple for all the turnings. I sawed the maple into 5 foot lengths and then sliced them up into 8/4 on the sawmill following the grain as close as I could.

Then I brought the 8/4 slabs into the shop and cut to length and ripped into billets on the bandsaw. It's funny how you cut a round tree into squares only to round them up again.I sealed the ends with anchorseal wax to prevent cracks. As you can see below I have a lot of work ahead of me rounding and turning enough stock for about 20 chairs. After rounding the blanks they must dry for several weeks before I can turn the legs, stretchers, and back posts. I'll get some pics of this operation later.

Logan worked on one of his favorite projects of splitting wood. My stove only accepts 12" lengths of firewood so the short sections of red oak blow apart with relative ease. I always seem to have scraps of logs to split up. Nothing goes to waste. You can see the nice stack of wood Logan has already split. Maybe this will get him ready for baseball next season.

I hope by now some of you have tried the laser method of drilling angles. I wanted to show Pete Wiens below drilling a stool leg for box stretchers. With only one of the lasers set up shooting down the center of the leg(hard to see the laser in the photo) it gives you the true center to start drilling. The laser is also set 90 degrees to the bench (checked with a square of coarse) which shoots a beam up the drill so you can drill perfect 90 degrees. I still use the mirror for the the other angle which is easier to see. The stools that Pete Wiens built were drilled so perfect using the lasers that the footprints of each stool matched perfectly. Please let me know if you try the laser method and what you think of its accuracy and simplicity.

Laser Reaming

2011-02-04T17:02:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I like to bounce new ideas off of students. Sometimes I get a blank stare or "yea, that's cool", but yesterday after showing Pete Wiens how to drill and ream his stool seat with sight lines and mirrors it hit me that I needed something different. The problem is getting someone who isn't use to looking at sight lines and bevel guages to ream at the proper geometry to get all the legs really close to what they should be. Up til now "really close" was the best I could hope for. All I said to Pete was "what if we had lasers?", and today we have what you see below. With this set up anyone can ream the tapered holes for the legs spot on. It gives the students more confidence than I could ever imagine and it really sets up in seconds. If it were not simple then believe me, I would not fool with it.
It works like this. Go to the local home improvement store and pick up two cheap $15 B&D line lasers. They have a small magnet on the bottom. We built the base out of scrap wood with a heavy hardwood bottom for stability. It's good to have rubber glued under the base so they won't slide around on the bench. The dowel makes it adjustable for easy setup. The laser sits magnetized on a metal nut imbedded in the base.

Now on the bottom of your seat blank after you have drilled the straight holes from above the usual way, draw a perpindicular line across the hole to the sight line. Set up one of the lasers tilted to the drilling angle and sighting down the perpindicular line. The other laser will be adjusted to 90 degrees to the seeat blank and sighting straight down the sight line. Stay with me now.

Now all you have to do is start reaming keeping the crosshair of the lasers right on the top point of the reamer. That's it! It comes out perfect and I have not found a flaw yet.

A couple things to remember. Never look directly into a laser. This set up with this brand of lasers keeps the line of light lower than eye level. Also it helps to turn off the lights above your workbench. I have windows all around and still had no problem seeing the laser lines. Also turn the top of your tapered reamer slightly concave so the laser will fill in to the top of the reamer. I hope this will shead some light on reaming perfect angles. Good luck.

The Next Generation

2011-01-29T20:40:00.003-06:00

The other day I picked up my son from the bus stop at the end of the driveway (our driveway is almost half a mile long).After the usual questions about homework and how was his day I could tell something was on his mind. I had recently been working on a small walnut jewelry box for his girlfriend which had to be done right away. To my surprise he told me she broke up with him at school that day. I remeber how that feels and you want to take the hurt away but you can't. At least he hadn't given her that dovetailed jewelry box yet. Boy, 6th grade can be tough!
Let me introduce you to my son Logan. He's eleven (and a half). He is so full of life and loves to tinker with tools in the shop. You can see him below cautiously carving the front of a seat. What you can't see (or hear) are all the questions and comments as he works away. "Dad, why is the wood so rough right here? Dad where can I carve next? Boy this really hurts my arms. How far down do I carve? Can we make a bow and arrow now?" The questions are not much different than the ones my more mature students ask. Watching someone for the first time try to figure out grain direction is cool. It's something I do without thought but first timers go against the fibers every time. It doesn't take long for the wood to tell you what you are doing wrong.
I use to not let Logan pick up sharp tools in the shop but he has really taken an interest with the draw knife, spokeshave, and shave horse. The practice is priceless at his age to learn the nuances of wood. His mind is like a sponge.I wish I had this opportunity 30 years ago.

I guess we haven't done too bad as parents .Logan has such a big heart and strong mind. He is very respectful of his elders and likes to help those who are less fortunate. I would love more than anything for him to follow his old man's footsteps but whatever he does I know it will be great and with that blond hair and blue eyes I'm sure he will find a new home for that jewelry box.

Recently I commented to Pete Galbert about a method to grind the relief on the back of my draw knives. I was using rare earth magnets stuck to my tool rest but the magnets collect the shavings and tend to bind the knife as I work it back and forth on the edge of the slow speed grinder. I now just free hand it on the rest without any sort of fence which works fine. You could clamp a wood fence to the rest and apply paste wax to smooth the operation.I move the blade close enough to hit the back in the center and hollow out enough to aid in honing the back flat. Sorry I don't have a picture of this but it is very similar to Pete's method of sharpening the bevel. You only need to do this once and it's so fast and effective for future honing.

Everything In Its Place

2011-01-28T21:31:00.008-06:00

Organization has not always been one of my strengths. If you don't believe me then come check out my pole barn full of un-graded lumber or check out my garage shop after building a case piece. It didn't take me long (after sweeping expensive tools into the burn pile) to come up with the tool cabinet you see below. Modeled after Andy Rae's tool cabinet in "The Toolbox Book" from the Tauntan Press, it holds most of what I use while making chairs.

A quick glance and I know if a tool is missing. Forcing myself into these good habits has been very helpful. It keeps the bench clear as well as my mind. Now that I am getting more established in the new shop I am beginning to hang tools on the walls.

I have also brought my woodworking library and magazines out to the shop and designated a small area for writing, reading, or just deep thought (or a blank stare). This is the first time I have ever had all my magazines in order which can be so nice trying to find a particular article. Hey Pete, I have room for one more book!

Recently I had Sam Hughes from South Carolina come for a two day milk paint class to paint the chair he made in Pete Galbert's class last year. He chose the black over red technique which seems very popular among most. He stayed on the rest of the week and built a shave horse. This is the third class I have taught building the shave horse. Sam did a great job and will return to Kelly Mehler's this spring for another chair class with Pete. I'll be assisting Pete again this year at Kelly's. His school is always a blast.

Seen below is the finished sugar chest that I taught Ron Underwood to make. He was very happy how it turned out and wants to do more pieces in the future. I'm going to miss all those powdered donuts he brought to class everyday. Great job Ron!

Building Horses

2011-01-19T21:10:00.006-06:00

Lately I have had a couple students building shave horses for a class they will take here in March. Pete and Bob live here in town so I'm helping them along to get things ready for the class. I have always been a big fan of the horse which Brian Boggs designed with the ratcheting head. It's a good size to haul around and seems to fit just about anyone with the adjustable seat. The plans for this horse is in Fine Woodworking issue #139. It is made from 8/4 stock and the widest board is 8'' but could be glued up of coarse. I prefer hard wood to pine for durability, especially the ratcheting part and clamping areas. We used cherry and maple since I had so much dry stock lying around. If you have built chairs without the use of this tool then you are missing one of the best ways to clamp and re-clamp wood quickly and securely. While pulling back on the draw knife through the wood you naturally push with your feet so it's a natural effect.

On this horse the only change I made was adding a place to rest the draw knife on top of the post. It just seemed like a natural place and the edges of the blade are not exposed while not in use. I guess it's sort of a tool tray. I still don't like tool trays on benches.

This past week I have had Ron Underwood taking a class on fine furniture. He wanted to do a sugar chest based on one he sold to the Tennessee State Museum about 30 years ago. Made from walnut the case features half blind dovetails. The base is mortised and tenoned with a nice crotch drawer front. These were the first dovetails that Ron has cut and I must say that half blind case and chopping the crotched drawer front is quite a challenge for a first timer but he did great. I always teach cutting the pins first which has always seemed more natural to me, sorry Kelly.

Ron will return next week to finish the sugar chest. Just so you know, the sugar chest was used to store sugar in the late 18th and early 19th century primarily in the southern states. It was stored under lock and key. The top will have breadboard ends with applied mouldings around the top and waist.

Physical Therapy

2010-12-16T09:04:00.002-06:00

I am sorry for the lack of post lately. I have been out of commision for a while due to tendon surgery on my left hand. I want to thank everyone who has been patient during this time and also those who have helped along the way. There are so many good people in this town.
I hope to get back to full use of my hands in 2-3 weeks. I believe making a chair should be good physical therapy. I have one student in January and 3 in late Febuary so I must follow all the doctors orders. If I damage the same tendon before it heals can mean much longer recovery or possible loss of movement in that finger. Anyway, lesson learned. Never hold the piece of wood in one hand while aiming the chisel with the other. I guess I didn't take my own blog entry serious enough about taking my hands for granted.
I do now.

Wood Mizer

2010-09-22T07:37:00.008-05:00

Back in the spring of 2006 we had a tornado devistate our area. I watched in fear the funnel going across my front yard within a 100 yards of my front porch. The storm left many trees along the creeks down. These were good size trees with really straight trunks. The city was going to bulldoze them into piles to burn. This was the time I reallized maybe a sawmill might be a good investment. A few months after the storm I drove to Wood Mizer in Indiana to pick up an LT-40 sawmill. This is the biggest tool I have ever bought. I quickly cleaned up and cut lots of walnut and oak from along the creek banks. Since that time I have cut many logs and air dried lumber in my pole barn. My plan was to use the pole barn as my wood shop but it filled so fast with drying lumber that this was not an option. Later it dawned on me to build a timber frame using the mill which turned out much better than I ever thought. Another benefit having the mill is re-sawing wide boards for bookmatching panels for doors and matched panels for table tops.

This past week I cut some very nice , clear cherry and walnut. You can see the cherry below how straight the log was which around here can be rare.

Bill found this tree near his place. The tree lost its top and he was afraid it might start taking on water and rot prematurely. The walnut he found was very straight and had very little sap. These logs were fun to cut. It was good to get out of the shop a while and cut lumber next to the woods.

After cutting about 500 ft or so to fill my trailor I had to get it home to stack for drying. I use blocks leveled as a base. The stickers are spaced about every 2 feet and lined up in the pile. I still need to add weight (more blocks) on top to keep everything flat. This stack will air dry for about a year for the 4/4 stock and longer for the 5/4. I have a small fan in the wall to draw out moisture and keep the door open on the other end. I have found this pole barn to dry wood at a good rate with very little checking. If you dry too slow you can have mold and too fast could cause unwanted stress in the boards or surface checks. I was able to cut some 17''-19'' wide 5/4 cherry for table tops. I also like to quarter saw smaller logs. These two trees will provide some really nice material for next season.

I also cut out the crotch material where the tree forks. You can get some interesting grain patterns here where the tree tries to hold itself together. I'll use these for drawer fronts or even live edge benches. The bottom line is I can cut logs the way I want and not have to try to match boards from a large lumber yard or pay those high prices for boards full of sap wood. The mill has already paid for itself many times. Now if I can just convince my wife.

This weekend I'll be at the TACA craft fair in Nashville again showing chairs and dodging rain showers. Back to work!

Epoxy?

2010-08-19T07:43:00.004-05:00

I wanted to show the bird cage arm chair before painting. Curtis Buchanan said he uses epoxy on the false miter joint seen below. I decided to try this even though I had reservations of using the stuff. Once glued this way there is no turning back. It worked wonderful and closed any gap I may of had. The joint is a 3/8'' turned tenon into a blind mortise on the top rail. I have run the post through the rail with a wedge in the past but I like the clean look of this method much better.
I haven't coompletey decided on a color scheme yet for this chair. With all the gutters carved in the seat and v-grooves on the turnings I know I will accent these in some way. Stay tuned.

A Bird in the Hand

2010-08-16T18:56:00.004-05:00

One of the best tools we have is our hands. Sometimes I take them for granted and forget that they cannot be replaced. Recently I learned that one of my friends working on a timber frame structure had pinched off the end of his finger while a dovetail joint fell together unexpected. Even the wood itself can be dangerous, not just the tools. Sometimes you can do everything right and stuff just goes wrong. I know my friend will be ok and keep on working wood but I sure hate to hear such stories.
This is my hand below. Nothing fancy, just a hand. To make this tool as efficient as I can it needs to have strength, a strong heart and lungs for support as well as good nutrition. To do this I try to excercise and eat right. Not always easy but letting myself fall apart would be as bad or worse as never sharpening my tools.

Today I glued up the Bird Cage chair I started at Curtis' shop. We never went over the details for completing this chair before I left. It was an adventure to say the least but over all was succesful. I still need to glue the top rail and carve the false miter. I have done this before so maybe tommorrow I'll be ready for paint. This has to be one of the more complicated chairs to make but the challenge has been great fun. I learned so much with this chair and look forward to evolving designs based on this style. And oh is it comfortable!

Recently I completed the loft which allowed me to move lots of stuff off the main floor. Then I finished the sharpening station cabinet with the recycled granite top. You can see it behind the Bird Cage chair. I have built lots of cabinets based on shaker style. I love the simple lines which shows off the cherry really well. I had fun making boxes for a change but have really enjoyed getting back to chairs. The shop is now starting to get that familiar, comfortable feeling which allows me to work more organized and focused on the task.

Soon I will show the Bird Cage chair complete. Now if I can just figure out where to put the birds.

The Loft

2010-08-04T21:27:00.008-05:00

Recently I was able to put the beams I cut from the old dead red oak to good use. I hewed the 3 x 6 joists down to 3 x 4 at the ends and mortised them into the cross-beams of the timber frame. I spaced them on 24'' centers and ran them 3'' into the crossbeam. I added blocking down the center and the floor seamed really sturdy.

I framed in an attic pull down ladder to access the loft. This kept a staircase from eating up shop space.

After all the joist were in place I nailed down tongue and groove bead board and then plywood flooring on top of that to make a strong floor for storage. The bead board is mainly for looks and it was cheap. I found the stuff at the Habitat for Humanity store in Nashville and bought all thay had.

I now have plenty of space to store all the clutter out of the way. There is room to add another loft on the other end of the shop but that can wait til winter.

Here is the comb bending form for the fan back chair I had left off of the previous blog entry. Please send me some pictures if anyone makes one of these chairs. Best of luck!

Sawyer Fan Back II

2010-07-13T21:59:00.011-05:00

Well, here is the finished "Dave Sawyer" fan back windsor chair ready for milk paint, otherwise called "in the white". I really like the classic look. The chair is very light and sits you up to a table. Very comfortable.

For those of you who are ambitious woodworkers wanting to try a chair I have included
somewhat of a road map below. The first figure is the post turning which can be difficult due to it's size and length and possible chatter. I like to use green maple that has been drying down to about 15% moisture content. If you turn this post dead green it will "egg" shape when dry and possibly warp to the point where it is noticeable throwing the chair out of alignment. Next is the comb which I did not give the bending radius but if anyone needs this I can post later. This I make from green white oak split from the log. I completely carve then steam bend. After drying in the kiln I scrape and clean the details. (don't sand). The posts will enter the comb 11/16" from the ends of the bottom of the comb. There is lots of shaping I cannot show here.

The final figure and probably most needed is the seat pattern and sight lines. If you understand the sight lines this should be clear. These drawings will work best if you have made a chair before. The seat has elaborate carving. The grain runs front to back. I usually drill all holes then carve the seat which erases all the sight lines. The seat blank usually hand planes out to 1 7/8 " thick.

The chair looks best with the baluster turning for the legs. I usually make the seat height 18" in the front dropping an inch to 17" in the rear. The 7 spindles are 21" rough length with 1/2" tenon in the seat(dry) and 3/8" tenon in the comb(dry). I know this is only the tip of the iceburg but if you have done windsors before then you can do this. Good luck, now go make Dave proud!

A Fan (back) of Dave Sawyers

2010-07-11T20:32:00.007-05:00

While spending time with Curtis I got to see many of the chairs he has made over the years. One in particular is a fan back side chair which had been designed by Dave Sawyer from Vermont. I have not met Dave but only talked over the phone. He was making chairs long before a lot of us knew how to sharpen a draw knife. He was Curtis' first influence in chair making back in the 80's. Curtis has always talked very highly of Dave and said he was very giving of all his chair designs. Curtis has always given forward in sharing his designs as well. The fan back Dave designed remained unchanged with Curtis' hands because Curtis says it looks great 360 degrees. He highly suggested I build one to appreciate what Dave had done. So this week I will share my version of Dave's fan back. I am sure many fellow chair makers have made his chair. It is sweet.

I will post pictures of the fan back as soon as it is complete. Below are the swivel barstools I had been working on. I have two more to finish to complete the order. Tom & Shelly seemed to really like them. Tom is Logan's baseball coach. Logan has really impressed me this year due to the hard work and dedication Tom puts into my son's team the "Diamond Jaxx".

My garden has kept me busy lately. Everything seems to come in at the same time. Kim has made many jars of bread and butter pickles. We have froze sweet corn and now the tomatoes are coming in. The watermelon are getting close and the peaches and cream corn is not far behind.

Website in Progress

2010-07-05T15:30:00.003-05:00

I have been working on my existing web site trying to bring it back to life. As time goes by I will add better photos to the gallery and more info on classes and chairs. Thanks for all your patience. http://www.penningtonwindsorchairs.com/

The Garden

2010-06-19T21:30:00.011-05:00

This past week I have spent with chairmaker Curtis Buchanan and his family. We worked on a bird cage arm chair in his back yard shop in Jonesborough, Tn. Curtis has an amazing family who is so giving of their time and energy making you feel like family. Making this chair is only part of the fun. I learned more about organic gardening as well as eating some of the best meals which mostly came from the garden. Curtis has an amazing balance in his life knowing when to work, when to garden, or spend time with friends and family. Even his soil has balance. I have to show his garden below. It takes up the whole back yard. There is no grass to cut.

Curtis' timber frame shop was my inspiration for my own shop after seeing it years ago. His shop keeps looking better with age. I took some pictures to show you how it looks but you have to be there to really get the feel of this one man chairmaking shop.

We had a great week getting lots of chair work done. We drove to the log yard and I picked up an awesome sugar maple for turnings. I can't get good maple in middle Tn like they have near the Appalachians. Curtis liked his table I made for his family. We broke it in right with his mothers incredible Italian cooking. You can see the table below. Notice some of Curtis' chairs around the table, very cool. Thanks again Curtis!

Eye to the Sky!

2010-05-21T22:19:00.003-05:00

Thanks to weather technology and early warning systems and 8 windows around my shop I can get really close to the action when it comes by. I wish you could have seen the movement of these clouds. It was not a tornado but wasn't far from being one. The weather people called for a severe thunderstorm warning for my county but we dodged the bullet. Lately the weather has been very interesting in middle Tennessee.

The barstools I have been working on shows below the mock-up for what they might look like. The card board is flimsy but I like to see in 3-d when doing something new and it's the quickest way to get results and work out the bugs. The swivel will be mortised into the lower part of the stool and somewhat into the seat. It will be sort of a hybrid windsor/ ladder back stool. Thanks Brian for your influence. I knew your class would come in handy someday.

I'll be posting more of the process soon.

Career Day

2010-05-16T10:54:00.006-05:00

I had the opportunity to spread some knowledge of woodworking to the wonderful kids at Whitten Elementary School on Career Day. They were very excited to see wood shaved on a shave horse. They were struck by the strong smell of white oak. I explained how furniture comes from trees. They liked it when I blew bubbles through a piece of red oak with liquid soap to explain how there are pores in wood. They asked more questions about the shave horse than my chairs I brought. I hope maybe something I said might spark some interest in these kids. They are wonderful people with very curious minds.

I have been without my computer lately and have not been able to post but I have returned. We have had all sorts of devistation around me here in middle Tn with flooding but we were fine. All my questions where water could go were answered with 13 inches of rain in 48 hours. My heart goes out to those who lost so much.

On my last post I had mentioned uncle Kenny's adze which he got from his grandfather. It was a nice piece of forged metal which after cleaning and sharpening took a really good edge. As you can see below with the new handle it is now a very usable tool but not for tilling the weeds from the garden (O.K. Kenny).

The steam bent handle was easily shaped from white oak, dried in the kiln, then carved to fit the adze, then split and wedged. A little oil on the handle, done. This tool with the flat edge really removes wood fast for hewing timbers. I wish it had been curved to chop out seats but none the less it is a beautiful tool.

This week I have started on some barstools that swivel, should be interesting. The biggest challenge will be to design the stool to look good with the bulky swivel section. Stay tuned.

Bevel Up or Bevel Down?

2010-04-27T21:58:00.014-05:00

The first time I used a draw knife was to build my first chair. Man were my hands sore and my thumbs were numb from gripping this tool learning and feeling it's power. I only thought I had control of this simple tool but was fighting what I did not understand. What I quickly learned was how the relationship between the blade and handles determined whether the tool should be used bevel up or down. From what I have learned over the years is that when the handles are in line with the blade then it is a bevel down knife. Using the bevel down knife gives you more freedom to cut coves such as the side of windsor seats. When the handles are not in line with the blade you use the knife bevel up. The flat back of the blade will ride along the long fibers of the wood giving you great control to follow the grain. The best way to check which knife you have is to sit down at the shave horse and pull the knife toward you till it starts to cut. At that point if your wrist are popped up higher than your hands then flip the knife over and try again. Your wrist should be in line or slightly lower than your hands and the knife should perform much better.

When making spindles for windsor chairs I like the control I get with a "bevel up" knife. Most of the knives I have are "bevel down" . Upon reading Pete Galbert's post on replacing the handles on his draw knives I saw my opportunity to finally fix all my knives to perfection. At least to me. I had 3 knives to repair handles and two of them to turn into a bevel up draw knife by simply bending the handles. Now I did the first one cold with no problems. If you have really thick metal you could use a small torch to heat the handles (after the wood handles are removed) to aid in bending. Just stay away from the blade so you don't lose the temper of the steel. The picture below shows the handle furthest away from you still in line with the blade and the handle closest has already been bent. It is not a severe bend at all and could be done with the wood handles on in a metal vise and padded vise grips. If you were to make a pommel knife by bending the handle straght out on one side then heating to a cherry red is a must or the arm would most likely break.

Here are some shots of one of the draw knives after turning new handles and bending to make a bevel up knife. After sharpening this $12 flea market knife really sings. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. See Pete's blog on how he did this.

Stay tuned for the restoration of uncle Kenny's adze. He gave this to me to use on the soon to be floor joist for the new loft. It had a tobacco stick for a handle and he used it to dig the weeds from the garden.

Ready for the Trip!

2010-04-20T17:17:00.003-05:00

The settee going to the museum in Ireland is complete. It will be picked up on Thursday to be shipped. I wish I could go with it .I guess maybe a part of me will.

I think the settee turned out good and has a nice look in its simplicity. I have learned plenty in reproducing this piece and inspired to try some new designs. I am grateful to the Tennessee Historic Society for this opportunity and I hope I can work with them in the future.

Chairs Old and New

2010-04-14T20:58:00.006-05:00

The Rogan house settee going to the Mueseum of Ireland is coming along nicely. Below you see the one piece poplar seat being scraped. Although this piece looks very simple the complex drilling angles to match the original has been a challenge. I would love to know how they did this back in the 1830's. Using Peter Galbert's method of drawing sight lines and getting the resultant angles has really helped. Also scribing the line to the leg and drilling with one angle has become habit now and really keeps things accurate both sides of center. No more wind swept looking chairs. Thanks Pete, the results of your wonderful techniques will follow this settee all the way to Ireland.

I'll post the finished settee soon.

Last week I spent a lot of time at my parents house cutting down the big red oak. When searching around Dad's garage looking for splitting wedges and mauls I came across some family history. The chair pictured below was my grandfather's first chair when he was a child. The chair had been forgotten and left under the crawl space for the last 30 years or so. If I had to guess it probably is about a 100 years old. The arms are 2 different sizes and the arm posts are not an exact match. The original color seen underneath the seat was turqoise. I can't decide whether to restore this chair or reproduce it. It was cool to find it. My grandfather taught me many things when I was young. How to swim, how to draw and use oil and acrylic paints, how to play guitar, golf, and many other things but never chair making. He passed away back in 1986 when I was just 16. Now all these years later I will learn from him again by the study of this chair.

Goodbye Old Friend

2010-04-11T07:01:00.005-05:00

Several years ago we were hit by a severe drought in our area of middle Tennessee. This was the worst drought I can ever remember. It killed many trees, shrubs, and gardens. One tree in particular stood next door to my parents home where I grew up. This tree seen below draped my parents back yard standing over 80 feet tall. The loss of this tree has made me think of all the times spent under its canopy raking many leaves from its branches, hearing the wind blow through the top during spring storms, and watching animals build homes safely up high. This tree has been a big part of my childhood but has gone really unnoticed. It's part of the landscape that I assumed would always be there. So this is my dedication to this old red oak. Goodbye old friend.

We cut the tree down last week for fear of it losing branches putting the children in danger. The tree leaned toward some homes behind my parents yard so we had to use cables, ropes, and a truck to pull it the safe direction. This isn't so hard with a small tree but 3 feet in diameter and 80 feet tall put some concern not only on me (who was doing the sawing) but on the nieghbors near by and Shawn who owned the tree. Below is the video that Shawn Lance took as the tree came down. Notice at the end of the video after the tree hits the ground the wisk of wind coming past the camera. It's sort of the last breath of energy the tree could give.

We were able to cut this oak on my sawmill. It will live on as floor joists for the lofts in my timber frame shop. Not a very romantic way to honor this tree but I will remember it everytime I look up. The 24 3x6's you see below came from one log.

From Ireland to Here and Back Again

2010-03-27T07:09:00.008-05:00

Hugh Rogan was an Irish immigrant who settled here in Sumner county back in the late 18th century. He settled the community of Rogana near Bethpage Tn. You can see his original stone house above.Hugh was responsible for bringing Catholics to this area. His son built a second home in the early 19th century. The National Museums of Northern Ireland have purchased this 2nd historic home to dismantle and ship to Ireland to be re-assembled. This is where I come in. Several of us have been commisioned to build furniture from that period based on records from Sumner county to complete the restoration. I will be building a settee based on one fron 1828 that use to sit on the porch of Wynnewood. This is a historic home that was damaged by a tornado 3 years ago. With the help of John Garrott I was able to measure the original settee which was also damaged and in storage. Below is the settee pictured at the bottom of the page out of the book "The Art & Mystery of Tennessee Furniture Makers before 1850".

Pictured below is the condition the settee is in now. It is in great need of repair but I am able to get enough measurements to make a reproduction.

I mentioned John Garrott who at 82 years old could probably work circles around me. He started the Sumner county museum back in the 70's. He is involved with a lot of historic sights in this area. Now he makes reproductions of 18th and 19th century furniture. You can see John below showing me the chair he made for the Hugh Rogan house(pictured at top) which was moved to the Bledsoe Creek historic sight. John made most of the furniture in this house.

The settee has to be completed by late April to be shipped over to Ireland. I will post on the progress soon.

Going Green

2010-03-23T21:04:00.010-05:00

I decided to try a green chair this week. The culprit is a fan back you see below. After careful cleaning and scraping I mix a thinned up amount of "barn red" milk paint. About a 70/ 30 mix with warm water and let it sit for half hour or so. You can use the anti-foam agent to reduce the frothing while mixing.Filter the mix through cheese cloth to get a smooth finish.

I brush the chair while keeping a wet edge and trying to keep consistent surface quality. Brush with the grain. Remember the saying, if you aren't looking at it you might not be painting it. Milk paint dries really fast so try not to overlap over dry areas. The first coat will raise some grain so I usually sand very lightly with 220 to break those little fibers for the next coat of red. The second thin coat of red will give a good base for the green.

The "Lexington Green" milk paint is mixed the same way as before. While waiting for the paint to settle I buff out the red with 0000 steel wool. Don't go crazy here because too much buffing might cause some adhesion problems for the green. Carefully paint the coat of green and try to flow the paint on evenly. Try to resist over brushing the areas. Out of habit I paint every coat in this order:chair flipped, legs, stretchers, underside edge of seat, flip chair upright, comb, spindles, deck, then seat. I also allow a day between each coat. Don't rush it because I think it helps the paint to cure a little better to prevent reactivating soft paint with the next coat. I stopped with one coat of green because I liked the look of the red showing through. A thinner second coat would look good too. Seen below is after buffing with 0000 steel wool. This coat I buff really good. If your hands don't hurt then rub some more.

Now if you like what you have then you can put on a finish such as linseed oil, shellac, or a mix of varnish and oil. I decided to play around and use a one pound cut of shellac as a sealer. I just reduced a "new" can of premixed shellac with 50% denatured alcohol. The Zinser brand is dewaxed and works fine if it's fresh.

After 12-15 hours brush on a thin coat of "burnt umber" oil paint. It helps to thin this with some paint thinner to flow on better. This is a glaze technique which after about 15-20 minutes you wipe it all off leaving the oil paint in all the details of the chair. I use a clean rag and go slow to look at every place to make a consistent appearance. After wiping down, let this sit for several days to cure. The final step is 2 thin coats of shellac which is rubbed out with 0000 steel wool and paste wax. This knocks down the high gloss and gives that silky touch to the chair.

I think I could change the way I finish each chair everytime. I am always changing something in the process. You should never be afraid of change because that next new thing you try just might be that perfect finish you have been looking for. Good luck and happy painting.

Goodbye Tyvek

2010-03-10T17:06:00.005-06:00

The continuing good weather has once again forced me to be outside working on the shop. As you can see the "Hardie plank" siding is going up. This stuff has concrete in it and is eating my carbide blades at a fast pace. The siding comes this color and I will paint to taste later. It's looking more like a house all the time but I am glad to finally cover the Tyvek wrap.

Well, thanks to 11 hard working students and the amazing direction of Peter Galbert there are 10 more windsor chairs in the world. One husband and wife team made a chair together. All the students worked well together and stayed on pace. Pete has a way of making things make since to non chairmakers. We all had a great time and Kelly Mehler seemed very pleased how the week went. I look forward to working with Pete in the future.

One Good Turn Deserves Another

2010-02-22T21:51:00.005-06:00

I have been having much fun turning all the parts for the upcoming chair class at Kelly Mehler's school in Berea. For those who have not been to his school I can't tell you how much fun the experience can be. I highly incourage all who like working with there hands to attend. Peter Galbert will be instructing the c-arm class next week and I am thankful that they are letting me tag along to help.

I have had many visitors to the new shop lately and it has been messy and sometimes difficult to navigate in and out of the shop. This past weekend reached the mid 60's so naturally I had to work outside. So I started building the front porch. It is basically a deck that later on I will cover with a roof to protect the front of the shop from all that western sun. My front door is taking a beating and the paint is peeling off with great speed. When the weather actually improves for real I will put on the hardy plank siding along with a rear porch (not covered). Since the cold has returned I will focus on a new work bench geared toward chair making ( more on that later) and other indoor shop duties to make things flow better.

But for now I will get back to spinning out miles of maple ribbons from my lathe. Tommorow, arms, arms, and more arms!

Moving In

2010-02-09T20:16:00.013-06:00

Below is pictures of sanding the shop floor with the industrial belt sander. 36 grit through 100 grit and it was ready for satin polyurethane. I hate using poly but it is a durable finish. Below is after the first coat. I had to leave a path to the wood stove to keep the shop warm while the floor was drying. The second coat turned out much better.

I have not posted in some time. It has been very busy with finishing the floor of the shop and now slowly moving equipment, tools, cabinets, and building new cabinets for a sharpening station. As well as my own shop floor I refinished all the hardwood floors in my grandmother's house in Nashville. She passed away over Thanksgiving and we are getting her house ready to sell. It's sad to see her home so empty that was so full of life for over 4 decades. Her house seems so small now. You can see the finished floor in her dining room below.

I got a visit from Curtis Buchanan and his wife the other day. He dropped off some things for the class I'll be helping Peter Galbert with in Berea next month. We talked about a table I'll be building for him and his family. He also brought some walnut boards to make the trestle table. I'll post some pictures as I get started on this later this spring. It was good to talk to Curtis. It was cool to show him the shop that he inspired me to build. Here is the shop as it looks right now. This will no doubt be the cleanest this shop will ever be. My first job for the new shop will be turning all the legs, arms, and stretchers for the chair class at Kelly Mehler's. Pete asked me if I could do this to help free up some of his time. I hope I can meet his level of craftmanship. I look forward to getting all the practice. I'll post on the progress next time.

Comb Back

2010-01-19T09:01:00.007-06:00

This week starts the completion of 3 Curtis Buchanan inspired comb backs for a customer here locally. He fell in love with this design at the chair show I did in Nashville last fall and wanted them finished naturally (not painted). I used cherry turnings with a butternut seat. The back is still white oak which shaving down to 5/16ths entering the comb cannot be compromised.

I love making these chairs but can't wait to embark on my own designs. Building this new shop has taken all my free time to play with new ideas. Soon I should have the floor finished so I can move in. It won't be long til the craft show at Centennial Park this spring and I have got to produce some nice chairs to show. This is where I can try some new designs and finishes. I'll be posting on these later this winter.

I picked up enough white oak to complete milling the hardwood flooring for the new shop. This is time consuming grunt work but I should have this complete by the end of the week. If all goes well I should be moving into the new shop later next week. Thanks to Anthony Watts for all the great 1/4 sawn white oak.

A Good Book

2010-01-05T20:31:00.006-06:00

Wintertime in middle Tennessee can be brutal. This week we have dropped to single digits with snow chances in the forecast. I have ran out of white oak for the flooring and plan to get more later this week so not much work is getting done on the new shop. I did pour the footings for the front and rear porches.

I have been burning wood in the new stove and the shop is very comfortable. During the day when I can catch a break I love to read a good book rather than watch T.V. This reminds me of a poster in Kelly Mehler's school that is titled "How to Build Community" which the first line says to turn off the T.V. Check it out, it makes a lot of good sense. I will sit by the wood stove and read. Some of my favorite books have always dealt with people who get off the couch and do something amazing. I have always enjoyed the story of Richard Proenneke's "One Man's Wilderness". This is an amazing true story of a guy who gave up society and built a cabin in Alaska. Another favorite is the true story of Peter Jenkins' "A Walk Across America" who travels on foot to get to know the country. If you like fiction check out "Jayber Crow" by Wendell Berry. He brings to life a fictitious town of Port William. I like the way he writes and phrases things. It brings back to life a time I wish I knew. I also love to read Stephen Ambrose books on American history including "Nothing Like it in the World" about the building of the transcontinental railroad, and my favorite "Undaunted Courage" about the Lewis and Clarke expedition.

I am always looking for good books to read and I love when people refer a good book they have read to me. This is one reason I am telling you about some of my favorites. So go pick up a good book and turn off that T.V.

Bring On the Heat

2009-12-11T16:29:00.005-06:00

No wood shop would be complete without a wood stove. There are always scraps to burn for heat in a wood shop. I decided to go with the "Harman Mark I" coal stove that also burns wood. It is the smallest stove they offer which heats up to 1400 sq ft. I fired it up yesterday for the first time and the temp last night fell into the teens. It did very well after the paint smell burned off the stove. I loaded it full with coal and it lasted all night and half of today. I didn't see any smoke and the shop is very comfortable. Coal burns hotter than wood but has more ash. I can mix wood and coal together. The coal also helps keep creosote out of the chimney.

The chimney for the 12/12 pitch roof was very tall and very scary to install (by myself). I am not afraid of heights, just widths. All went well and I look forward to finishing the hardwood flooring so I can get moved in.

Getting Close

2009-12-05T07:23:00.007-06:00

The only thing keeping me from moving in the new shop is a floor. I have started milling my own floor from quartersawn white oak. This has proven to be much work. Going from tree to final floor is not the fast way for a hardwood floor but when have I ever done things the fast way?

Each plank is milled down to 3/4'' thick and 4 1/2'' wide. Then routed with a set of tongue and groove flooring bits made by Amana Tools. They work great.

I think the quartersawn floor will be much more stable since the wood is air dried. It also looks good with the ray flecks from the white oak. I hope to be done with the floor sometime later in December.

I made the side light for the front door to match the old one. Can you tell which one I made?

This week I'll be working on 3 comb back chairs for a local customer. They are made with a natural finish using butternut for the seat, white oak for the back and cherry turnings for the legs and stretchers. I'll post on these later. By the way, I made the sidelight on the right.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T20:58:00.003-06:00

From my family to yours, have a safe and meaningful Thanksgiving. Now I must go dust off those running shoes.

Greg, Kim, and Logan

Chopping Tails

2009-11-11T19:43:00.004-06:00

Well I couldn't wait another day. I had to try the new shop even before it was finished. I needed to cut dovetails for six drawers going in a sideboard. I have to say the numerous windows was a good decision. I had so much natural light coming into the shop that lights were not needed.

I chopped dovetails all day long. The curly maple was no easy material to work but what fun I had. There is something just therapeutic about the whole process of dovetails. Laying out and cutting to the line then using the razor sharp chisels to complete the process. It doesn't take long to get into a rythym.

It wasn't always so easy to cut dovetails. I learned many years ago to cut the tails first then mark and cut the pins. This works fine but I learned a much faster method from Alan Breed to cut the pins first. After years of doing this method I cut to the line with hardly any clean up and the joint fits right together. Anyone can do it with practice. I must say I look forward getting up tomorrow and walking to work and cutting more dovetails.

Ready for Siding

2009-11-09T19:43:00.011-06:00

It has been some time since posting on the progress of the new shop. As you can see the Tyvek wrap has been installed over the OSB boards to keep them dry until the siding is put on. The insulation went up quick and with some temporary heat on in the shop has proved to be very effective. The 60 amp sub panel has been installed and lights are going up. I should have plenty of power to run a number of plugs although not many will be needed in a chair shop.

Once the floor is put down I'll be moving in. I have to lay tile for installation of the wood stove. The flooring will be 1/4 sawn white oak that has to be planed and routed for the tung and groove.

After many, many days of thinking how to use the beautiful windows that Carl had given to me I had to break the news to him that I would buy new wood windows. This was a very hard decision but if I were to be able to move in the new shop this year I would not have time to build all the frames for these windows. Insulation factors played a big part too.

I did get to use Troy and Katie's old front door unit. They only had one side light so I'll have to build one to match. Troy is a good friend of mine who I grew up with here in Hendersonville. He is traveling with his family on a trip around the country for a whole year to live and learn all they can. I look forward when they walk through their old front door again.

Raising the Barn video

2009-10-29T20:36:00.003-05:00

O.K. The video of the barn raising that Shawn Lance has produced is now available from his web site. He has a trailor you can watch. Just click on the title above. Enjoy!

Reincarnation

2009-10-24T20:52:00.010-05:00

I don't believe in reincarnation for people but trees.....well....sorta, kinda. Bill and I cut an enormous white oak the other day that died over the summer. It was located in a mans front yard that Bill had spotted while driving by. Bill has a way of finding treasures in the strangest places. After several trips to track down the owner, Bill talked the guy into letting us have the logs for simply cutting it down. The dead tree will now be reincarnated into many new useful things. I could have hiked 50 acres of woods and not found such a clear and straight white oak such as this. It was nearly 30'' in diameter and maxed out the cutting capabilities of my sawmill. We had a blast cutting this thing up watching all the beautiful quarter sawn boards stacking up on the trailor. Bill's dad Raymon came by to help as well.

So much is going on right now. I just completed the triple back settee for Mr. Underwood. He has been very patient since ordering it over a year ago. My next piece is the sideboard out of curly maple. The timber frame shop has the window openings cut out along the front which makes it look more like a shop than a barn. Boy is this the time of year to work outside. I never take for granted being able to work from home doing what I do. I don't miss the old 9-5 job I did for 17 years at all. I guess maybe I have been reincarnated too.

All Boarded Up

2009-10-09T21:14:00.006-05:00

Once again trying to beat the rain I completed the installation of the rough sawn timber on the outside of the new shop. It looks like a "barn" at this point. It has taken thousands of board feet to cover this shop. The front door has been roughed in and the side lights on each side. It will look better when I get the windows cut out but for now will hold out the rain.

Shawn Lance has completed the "Barn Raising" video which has already started airing on Hendersonville's local comcast channel 3 every Friday night at 6 pm til the end of the year. I will soon have some info on how to purchase a copy of this DVD if you're interested. Shawn did a great job putting this together and I highly recommend this to anyone considering a timber frame structure. A picture is worth a thousand words and this video should answer some questions on how to get started and what a "raising" looks like. I will have a link to his web site to purchase the DVD by the next post.

I have so many irons in the fire right now so work on the new shop is slow. I do still make windsor chairs and have a settee to do next. I also have a sideboard to make for a dining room. This is for the same couple I just delivered the dining table to in Alabama. The curly maple for this sideboard came from Irion Lumber Co. out of Pennsylvania and it is prime stuff. I highly recommend these guys for matched sets and crazy figured hardwoods. Check out the finished dining table top which was finished using russett amber maple dye, amber shellac, and laquer.

Ready for Thanksgiving

2009-10-02T15:10:00.009-05:00

I can't believe October is already here. Time is flying by and I can't do anything about it. I guess I've been having too much fun. I look forward to the change of season, the cooler air, fall leaves, and a warm wood fire. It's the best time of year to get outside and work like a dog on all the things I've been putting off over the summer.

The dining room table I have been working on is ready for Thanksgiving. I will deliver this soon to its new home in Alabama. The eight chairs I made have been patiently waiting for this table and I hope compliment each other. The sideboard is next!

I got to meet Peter Galbert at Highland Woodworking last week. He was teaching a class with Curtis Buchanan on the c-arm rocker.Pete is a very talented chair maker who will no doubt change chair making history. We went to dinner to discuss the chair class I will be assisting him with at Kelly Mehler's school in Berea, Ky in March. If you want to learn chair making you don't want to miss this fantastic opportunity. Go here to sign up. http://www.kellymehler.com/. If you haven't already checked out Pete's site and blog http://www.petergalbertchairmaker.com/

The Barter System

2009-09-29T20:13:00.005-05:00

I am not a brick layer. I can't believe I even considered laying the brick on this shop but I found a way out. Bill's friend Larry King (not the old one with suspenders) is a very experienced and talented brick layer. Larry is also having a baby in December and needed a rocking chair for the baby room. I make chairs, Larry lays brick. Problem solved. Bill and Larry layed all 1500 brick on Sunday while I was finishing up the Craft show in Nashville. I hated to miss the fun but the two of them looked as if they had just climbed Everest. It was a long day and Larry had to drive back to Indiana to be at work the next morning by 6 am. My hats off to both of those guys who did a fantastic job. I hope Larry will like the rocking chair.

The brick is called "Jefferson Wade Tudor". It's a tumbled brick made to look old. The mortor is a buff color which gives a period look to the brick. They didn't have gray mortor in this area back in the 18th century so this should fit the decor of this shop.

I have many things to do in the next few weeks that will keep any work from being done on the shop. I have many chairs to make as well as other pieces. Soon I will return to Elberfeld with Bill to cut more timber. We have an awesome white oak to take down that died last spring as well as other logs to saw for the new shop walls and loft. I will post on this later.

Time Lapse

2009-09-23T11:30:00.005-05:00

Here is the short video that Shawn Lance did of the barn raising. He is still editing the complete barn raising program. Thanks once again to all who helped.

I will be headed to the TACA fall craft fair in Nashville this weekend to show my chairs and talk to interested woodworkers. It's a long 3 days but I always enjoy the connection with the people. Looks like rain will be a part of this outdoor show so wish us all luck.

Closing In

2009-09-18T20:36:00.010-05:00

Well the roof is finally done and in good time. The rains have set in thanks to a stubborn low pressure system stuck in Texas pumping moisture right into middle Tennessee. I still have the "Snorkel" machine which allows me to take some good pictures of the roof from 50 feet in the air. I started closing in the eaves with the same system of rough sawn planks, black felt paper, rigid insulation, and OSB. I rough framed for the window which is kind of a guess right now. My windows were donated from Carl Kowalski from Northern Indiana. These windows are from the late 20's and are beautiful leaded paned glass. I will have to build the frames for each window which is why the framing is a guess. More on the windows later.

I am trying to get all the things done up high while I still have the lift machine. It goes back on Saturday. I could use it another week but it's too expensive.

Shawn is still working on the video program on the barn raising. It will air on local channel 3 after he completes all the editing. Shawn is very talented at what he does and I am so grateful for his interest in documenting this process.

Snorkling

2009-09-13T19:45:00.006-05:00

The Snorkle is a 4-wheel drive machine that lifts 50' in the air with a basket where you operate it. After a while I got comfortable navigating the snorkle around the new shop trying to beat the rain finishing the roof. By Sunday night I had one side complete except the shingles. Here are some photos of the 2'' rigid insulation and OSB sheathing going on. The insulation is taped together and wraps the roof like a thermos for a very tight structure. No rafters will interupt the insulation like conventional stick framing.

The dining room table is coming along great. It's so nice to get back to doing what I really enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute working on this shop but I could not keep up that pace full time.

After sanding the curly maple top I sharpened my card scrapers and put the final finish on. The photos show how slick the surface is after scraping.I pull the scraper toward me at a skewed angle which leaves these curled up shavings. The scraper is tuned pretty good but I re-sharpen often. The curl really stands out after scraping away all the scratches left by the sandpaper. This is important because the water based dye will show every scratch but will also make the curl pop.

Much Needed Space

2009-09-09T16:31:00.007-05:00

Many people have asked why I'm building a new shop. Well as you can see in the photo of the table base I am at my limit of space. Also the concrete floor is cold and hard to stand on all day. The windows and lighting are insufficient. But most of all it just ain't cool working in a space made for a car. I joke with people sometimes and ask them why they park their car in their woodshop. Most people have at least a two bay woodshop attached to their home and don't use it.

Speaking of space, I just returned from Illinois with a maxed out load of 2'' rigid foam insulation to insulate the timber frame shop. I found this place in Sullivan, Illinois on the internet that sells factory seconds for 1/3 the cost of new. I saved about $1200 so yes, it was worth the 8 hour drive round trip. If you need insulation for a pole barn or whatever his web site can be found here http://www.insulationfactoryseconds.com/ .

Next week I am going to rent a 50' knuckle boom lift to safely get this roof done on the shop. I still lack some rough sawn boards on the back side then roofing paper to hide the silver insulation froim being seen from the inside. Then I'll add the 2'' rigid foam insulation topped off with 7/16 OSB. At that point I'll be ready for the roof shingles. I'll post on this later. Wish me luck.

Barn Raising Part 2

2009-09-04T21:12:00.011-05:00

I thought I would add some more photos from the barn raising day to show some of the process we used to get this thing together. Everything seemed to go right up with ease. Everyone was in sync and performed as if they had been to many barn raisings. So much for worrying about the weight of red oak timbers. These guys could have done anything that day and I haven't even fed them yet.

I like this picture of us moving the gyn pole into position. It reminds me of the Marines at Iwo Jima. The gyn pole was 18' tall with a fork at the top to hold the block and tackle. We used it to raise the top plates on to the bents. It worked very well and the price was right too. Who needs a crane?

This was the point when setting the top plates that I was sure something would not go together but it did. With 44 mortise and tenon joints that were cut weeks apart from each other I must have been lucky.

On the last top plate we had to pull the rope through the door of the pole barn. Something just seemed very funny about this but it worked.

Overall it was a great day with perfect weather, great food, and the best volunteers. Thanks again to everyone who worked so hard. I have been truly blessed.

Wrap it Up Tight

2009-09-02T19:48:00.006-05:00

How do you finish the outside of a timber frame structure? I hate to cover the beautiful timbers but the weather says I must. If I used 2x4 studs framed between the post I would lose sight of the interior timbers to interior walls. The best way to insulate a timber frame is by adding all the layers outside of the frame itself. I will start by nailing 4/4 rough sawn oak to the roof and exterior walls. Then a layer of black roofing felt followed by 2" rigid foam insulation. Then a layer of plywood sheathing followed by siding and roof shingles. The interior of the timber frame remains fully exposed and the insulation is not broken up by 2x4 studed walls which gives a better R-value. So all I will see inside is oak walls and timbers. The exterior will have lapp siding with a brick base. With the windows and shutters it will look like an old colonial house.

O.K. maybe I am getting too far ahead here. I purchased a Woodmizer sawmill back in 2006 after a tornado devastated my area. I had access to lots of timber that the city would have piled and burned. I cut lots of 4/4 oak and stickered it away in the pole barn. I have thousands of board feet of this stuff and finally have a use for it. It took a little over a thousand board feet to cover the roof. I still have to do the walls but I am still working on the placement of windows and doors. I have to add some 4x4 posts where the windows and doors will be then I will add the horizontal 4/4 boards. Sounds like a lot of work because it is. I am having the time of my life building this shop but it's nice to get back to furniture making. The rest of the week will be devoted to a curly maple dining table.

Tha Barn Raising

2009-08-26T07:36:00.009-05:00

Well we did it. The barn raising was a fantastic success. I couldn't have had a better group of people to make this happen. I had to add this old picture to see the similarities. I think we were all too tired for some to climb up top for the group photo and some had to leave before we took the group shot but we all had fun and a day to remember.
Thanks again for all the wonderful volunteers. Also to Kenny, Carl, and most of all Bill Nelson who's dedication to this project has kept me going. These guys know what hard work is all about. Bill, I hope the sore muscles heal soon.
I can't leave out the hard work that Shawn Lance has put into video editing and a time lapse of the raising that I will post as soon as it is ready.

Uplifting Moment

2009-08-22T07:05:00.010-05:00

I managed this week to lose both of my tents that have sheltered me from the sun during this whole process of timberframing. One of the tents was secured with concrete blocks at each corner and I was holding on to a leg when the wind ripped it from my grasp and sent it rolling through the field. Looks like lots of sunscreen til the raising day next Saturday.

Here is my 9 (almost 10) year old son Logan using his favorite tool the "commander". It is also called a beatle or mallot. It can get the job done of knocking the beams together. He has taken a lot of interest in this project and says he too wants to be a chairmaker someday, will see.

For all of you coming to help raise the shop don't forget it will start around noon next Saturday, August 29th. Please bring sunscreen, gloves, camera( for the big group photo), and swim suit for those who want to swim. We will have a celebration with dinner and snacks Saturday night. I hope to see you there. It should be great fun!

The Bigger the Joint the Bigger the Tools

2009-08-16T20:36:00.005-05:00

Time is drawing near to the barn raising. I have really enjoyed my time working with these oversized tools. They have become somewhat comfortable in my hands over the last several months and it seems almost sad to know soon they will be put away, but not for good. I know better than to sell these tools for another timber frame addition or building is always possible.

After months of planning and cutting timber and now putting the bents together the excitement of the raising is starting to build and at times a sense of panic sets in. The frame is of red oak which is extremely heavy. Hundreds of years ago a bunch of farmers would get together who were use to daily hard lifting and work and raise a barn by hand as a necessity. Now days we have cranes which can take the place of many people. Can a hand raising of red oak still be possible today? What fun would watching a crane do all the work be anyway? As these thoughts pass through my mind I can't help but think a community of people from many different backgrounds can come together and make the impossible possible. I think a lot of us would like to go back to see what it was like hundreds of years before 9-5 jobs and fast food chains. Maybe those who come to this barn raising can get a taste of what it may have been like back in "the good ole days". Maybe we can prove our "good ole days" are now.

White Oak Gold

2009-08-07T21:25:00.007-05:00

I just returned with the last load of timber for the new shop including braces and misc. framing material. I also cut a nice White Oak for windsor chairmaking. I shot a short video while Bill cut it down. It was very straight and clear which should split and rive into a lot of nice chair parts. This tree was 18'' inside the bark at 5' off the ground. It was 34' to the first branch but the clearest part was only 16'. Plenty of wood to last awhile. I always look forward to splitting a fresh new log. It's hard work ( especially when it's 95 degrees) but makes good sleep at the end of the day. Stay tuned for pictures of inside this beauty.

Getting Organized

2009-08-03T19:16:00.006-05:00

Many things must take place before cutting the first mortise and tenon on this new shop. I have read many books including Jack Sobon's book. Peter Galbert from New York has been very helpful in planning. Check out Peter's blog. I decided to go with an 18' x 36' footprint with 4 bents and 3 bays. Using a 12/12 pitch roof. I even built a small model to work out all the details. No I am not building it like the model now.

Gathering certain tools such as a chain mortiser, 16'' beam saw, slicks, mortise chisels, mallets, commanders, and other measuring tools has been fun and expensive but so far worth it. My biggest obstacle has been time. If I only had more time. I think I am organized enough at this point to start using the tools.

Most of the wood has been cut and ready to work. We have had a lot of rain this summer and as you can see in the background I have tried to keep water off of the subfloor the best I can. Stay tuned for the next post which should show some progress.

Gravity

2009-08-02T09:57:00.006-05:00

One of the more difficult aspects of timber framing is moving the logs. A tractor is helpful but sometimes just getting the beams on the trailor can be a challenge. Hydraulics are very cool but when not available you have to depend on ropes, pulleys, and very strong backs. Red oak will make a very strong frame but sometimes I wish I had access to white pine which weighs half as much. I respect gravity and what it can do. Logs can weigh between 800-1000 pounds when green. I have had close to 7000 pounds on my trailor , scary!

I leave next week for Indiana for another load which should be the last trip for the timber frame shop.

The Perfect Tree

2009-07-31T16:54:00.000-05:00

After months of planning the timber frame shop we started searching for the straightest tallest trees we could find. Bill Nelson supplied all the red oak trees for this shop from his farm in southern Indiana. He is an expert at felling big trees and without his help none of this would be possible. Bill, pictured above, has played such a big role in this project and we both have had a blast cutting all the timber.

As you can see Bill has some real nice red oaks. The straighter the better. The logs are cut to rough length then sawed on the Woodmizer sawmill. 8'' x 8'' posts and 8'' x 10'' beams are cut with the pith in the center or otherwise known as boxed heart. This allows the timber to remain stable with equal amount of wood to dry around the center of the log. Doing this has proven to be worth the time because these timbers have remained straight since cutting these back in March.

The New Shop

2009-07-31T06:57:00.000-05:00

Hi, Welcome to my blog about what's going on around the shop. I am a chair maker from Hendersonville, Tn. I am in the process of building a timber frame shop to build chairs and other period style furniture. Windsor chairs have been my specialty for many years.

I remember the first time I walked into Curtis Buchanan's shop in Jonesboro how I felt as if stepping back in time. The timber frame interior had a warmth to it that made you feel alive unlike the garage shops I was use to. The wood floors, timbers above, wood stove, and many windows surrounded you with a perfect environment to create your work. It was not a hard decision what to do when I needed a new shop.

I will be posting pictures of the progress of the shop from time to time. The "Barn Raising" will take place August 29th. The foundation is in place for the 18' x 36' space. I will post pictures of cutting the timber next.