Writing Arm Class part 2

Day 5 begins with drilling the arm and seat for spindles.  Yes we use lasers for this but only in one plane. We simply sight over the arm centered over the spindle deck to line up. Works really well.

 Spindles go in one at a time after careful sizing to the seat, arm and crest rail. The spindle hole through the arm is tapered from underneath and securely matches each spindle.

 Spindles installed waiting for the arm rail.

 Now the fun begins fitting the writing tablet to the chair. It slips over the last spindle and is routed underneath to fit over the arm rail. The two arm post hold the tablet level. This process went very smooth with great results.

 Day 6 and John has the tablet installed.

 Two wedges in the post.

 Martin installs his tablet beginning day 7.

 Fits like a glove.

 A few clamps to set the hyde glue and we are ready for the crest.

 Nice! Two writing arms complete. Ready for some drawers.

 The last day consisted of laying out and chopping dovetails. They insisted on cutting the tails first even though this is wrong. Ha Ha!

 It rained all day which is great for sitting down and chopping dovetails. These guys did great.

 John's completed chair with two dovetailed drawers. The upper drawer is curved to match the tablet. Notice the turned ebony knobs.

 Martin, myself, and John after a long 8 day class. Martin told me everyday how much he enjoyed the class and I feel like we accomplished a lot. Although we were tired we really had fun.

If this looks like something you want to try I am offering the same class again next November. Check out the 2015 schedule and sign up for one of 4 spots in this class. Good luck!

Writing Arm Chair in a Week!!!

Ok, it has only been 4 days of the writing arm class but these guys are flying by with great velocity but with extreme quality. It is always a pleasure teaching chair making alumni. I won't lie. I had reservations taking on such a class with so much detail but so far this has been so much fun. I can't believe they pay me for this. You can see below John (right) and Martin (left) day one working on spindles.

By the end of day 2 they had the spindles roughed out and the crest carved and bent.

Day three started with drilling and reaming the seat with lasers. Wow! Check out Martin's snazzy ebony reamer that Tim Manney made. What's next Tim, ivory reamers? 

 Day three and the seats were carved and all the stretchers were measured and turned.

 Day four John carving the knuckle. There is only one on this chair since the other side is a writing arm.

 Martin carving his knuckle. Both guys are making right handed desks.

 John fine tuning his legged up chair on day four. He's getting good use of the chair makers workbench.

 Fantastic work. These are museum quality chairs these guys are making. The bottom half is complete and all the carving is done by the end of day four. The next two days should have the chair complete. Saturday we start the writing arm and yes....dovetailed drawers!! Stay tuned to see how they turn out.

2015 Class Schedule

Here are the classes scheduled for 2015. All classes include materials and lunch everyday. A tool list will be supplied to you when you sign up for a class. The turnings will be supplied but instruction on turning will be given in class. I can have up to 4 students per class. I may add some weekend classes in the near future on stools and benches.

Jan. 12-17    Sack back $1000

Feb. 9-14 Continuous arm $1000

March 2-7 Comb back $1000

April 6-11 Sack back $1000

July 27-31 Fan back $1000

Aug 10-15 Continuous arm $1000

Sept. 14-19 Comb back rocker $1200

Oct. 12-16 Hoop back $1000

Nov. 7-14 Writing arm $1650

Dec. 7-12 Sackback $1000

Preparing for Winter

Well, while the squirrels are packing away nuts for the winter I have been cutting firewood. Last year I ran out. This year I will not.

With the help from a log splitter that Bill Nelson's father built I made quick and easy work of a whole mess of firewood. Lately I have been cutting lots of wood on the sawmill which takes me to the next stop.

 Craig Nutt who makes incredible furniture with such artistic vision to a level I could never achieve called me the other day to see if I could help him saw about 20 logs. Hows that for an introduction? He really is that good. We conveniently picked the hottest day of the year to do this but we survived. The tractor really helped.

 As I sawed Craig and his assistant (I have forgot his name) unloaded and stacked the wood.

 Craig gave me this sweet white oak log which I split to find really nice chair wood. No mill for this guy.

 I also got my hands on some really nice Catalpa logs. These came from Bill Nelson in Indiana. If you have never carved Catalpa for chair seats then you are missing out on one of the great pleasures in life. It reminds me of Butternut, need I say more. These beauties sawed out 18-20'' wide and very clear.

 Now I just have to wait a couple seasons before I can tear into them.........................

Now back in the shop, here is a quick tip on holding the crest while cleaning it up with spokeshaves and scrapers. Leave it on the form to clean the back.

 Cut out a simple jig to hold it while you clean the front. This keeps you from dinging it up in the shave horse or vise.

 A couple clamps on one end makes easy work of this. Use the rubber, plastic Irwin clamps.

 Good luck!

The Weekend Bench

One of the many joys of teaching is getting to work with people who really want to learn. My wife teaches 2nd grade and lots of her students are not always as enthusiastic as mine. I always come away from these classes having learned more than I knew before either about chair making, tools, or just the human spirit. I also get to clean my shop as you can see below which is all ready for the class I did on live edge benches last weekend.

I had Bob and Shane here last weekend, two friends from Mississippi. They were a joy to have here and Bob got my #5 Stanley cutting really sweet. He had a way of getting tools really sharp. You should check out his blog here. The Christian Tool Cabinet

 Shane finished the edges of his walnut bench with a gouge which I thought looked great.

 They both did so well that for the first time in my teaching history we put on a finish of oil/ varnish in class.

 The class was a great success and I know these guys probably went home and slept really long. They worked really hard. Great job guys!

Also I encourage you to sign up for the November writing arm class. I have a few spots left and if you like a challenge to build something very unique now is the time to sign up. See the class schedule at  the top of this blog. I have other classes available as well.

Three Chair Makers Walk into a Bar

Ok, sounds like the beginning of a joke but it kinda happened. I had a visit from two incredible chair makers last week. Glen Rundell (far right). He builds and teaches windsors in Australia .He was here in the states visiting old friends and other chair makers. Jeff Lefkowitz (center) builds and teaches Brian Boggs classes on ladder back chairs. Glen took a class on ladder backs with Jeff the week before and they both drove here to hang out until Glen flew back home from Nashville the next afternoon. It was great to finally meet Glen and Jeff who previously I had only corresponded with by email. I guess this is sort of a rare picture. Very cool to have one of the best ladder back chair makers in the U.S. and one of the best windsor chair makers in Australia right here in my shop. 

  This is my student David who was also here last week. He was here to make a comb back chair but since it was just him I talked him into making a rocker. He did fantastic!

 Carving the shield seat.

 Carving knuckles

 Friday afternoon day 5 assembly.

 Saturday morning and all complete. Always a comfortable and nice looking chair. Great job David!

 Here is my latest venture, a 1951 Ford 8N tractor to restore. I bought this from Bill Nelson who just sold his farm up in Indiana. We have pulled a few logs from the woods with this old tractor.

 He had the original front rims with the original tires from 1951.

The tractor is in great shape and purrs like a kitten. For those that don't know before I made  chairs I was a diesel mechanic for 17 years so maybe this is my way to use those skills to completely restore this classic. (Hey Jameel I finally got some old American iron)

Living Large

I have been out of the shop lately on vacation. Nice to get out and see the world on occasion. On our trip through Charleston we had to stop and visit the majestic Angel Oak on John's Island. There is nothing like standing next to the largest living thing on the east coast. This oak is more than 1500 years old and has branches that touch and grow under ground. If you are ever in the area you must visit this tree.

 We mellowed out on Surfside Beach in South Carolina. I think I woke up everyday at 5:30 to shoot sunrise photos over the ocean. I'm sure my Face Book friends are tired of them. It was nice to do nothing for a week but I am glad to get back to what I love.

 Later this week Charles Brock is coming by the shop to film an episode of the Highland Woodworker. I also have a class to teach the following week then back to chair making.