Getting Close

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.