Comb Back

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

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

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

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.