4 x 8 Projects

I received a few more submissions to the book project. All projects in the book are made out of a single sheet of plywood.

The three new pieces are very different, complimenting each other and creating a nice blend of projects in the book.

In need of a bed?

Do you need or know of someone in need of a bed?

If you live in New England and could use a twin size bed, frame only.

get in touch with me.  I will gladly give it to you and deliver it. 

Making the bed: Con't

Today, Jeff, Rob and I continued to shoot episode eight of " The Garage".  In this episode I made a toddlers twin size bed out of off of the shelf lumber. I painted parts of the bed with chalk board paint and added some colored blocks.  With some paint and imagination you can create many looks for the bed.  The bed is put together using dado joints and some lag bolts.  The bed was fun to make and best of all it works well.

Twin Bed

On Friday we started shooting episode eight of " The Garage".  In this episode we are making a twin bed for a toddler using only off the shelf dimensioned lumber.  With a little  imagination and some paint you can turn the bed into a castle, draw on it or put stenciled designs on it.  We sprayed some chalk board paint on the bed.  It is made out of 4" x 4" fir post and 2" x 6" spruce.  The total cost of the bed is around $50.  It also works well in a cabin or rustic style home.  The bed is put together with dado joints and lag bolts, making it plenty strong to be climbed and played on.  When your child out grows it you can give it a fresh coat of paint and use it as an extra bed in a spare room.

We'll continue too shoot the episode today and finish the bed project.  The episode will be edited shortly and available to watch in its entirety on youtube or on our web site at http://www.thegaragewithstevebutler.com/

'4 x 8'

I'm writing a book for Linden Publishing tentatively titled '4 x8' The Art of Plywood Furniture.

The manuscript is due at the end of July and the book will be published late next spring.  It's a 144 page book showcasing contemporary plywood furniture made out of a single sheet of ply, hence the title '4 x8'.

Columbia forest products has been generous enough to donate all of the materials used for the projects and Everlast Saw blades has donated saw blades for the book project.

The book contains clear images and step-by-step instructions on how to construct these pieces. Here are a few samples of the projects in the book

The Garage with Steve Butler

Wow' The show is doing very well, episode seven " Danish Face Lift" has just been released and we are filming episode eight this week.  We are on more than 200 stations in more than 35 States, awesome'
This week I'm making a twin bed using only off the shelf lumber, showing how you don't have to break the bank.  The total cost of the bed is around $60.
You can learn more about the show and watch full episodes at http://www.thegaragewithstevebutler.com/.



Art All State

There's a lot going on in life at the moment but I'll keep the blog posts to woodworking and art related events,  afterall that's what this blog is about.  I don't write about going to an interview or I applied for this job or that, I write about art events not everyday things'  On Saturday Liesl and I spent the day at the Worcester Art Museum.  We are both involved in an exciting annual event called Art All State.  Art All State has happened for the past twenty five years at the Worcester Art Museum.   What it is is a great weekend long art collaboration by some of Massachusetts best high school art students.  The students submit their portfolio to a steering commitee who then act as jurors and either declines or accepts their applications.
If accepted the students are put into groups of approximately eighteen students and are paired with two artist/mentors.  For two full days the students transform one of the studios at the museum and create a fantastic installation piece.
This year both Liesl and I were selected as artist/mentors.  I've had the privilege of being an artist/mentor for the past seven years, this is Liesl's first.  I'm excited for her, it's an invigorating event.
On Saturday Liesl and I sat with the other selected artist/mentors and learned about this years event.  There are sixteen of us.  It is always refreshing to listen to and talk with other like minded people and hear about their love of art and craft and why it is they have to do it and how it fuels and drives them.  They all suffer from the same struggles of trying to make a living as an artist and trying to hold their head high when so many out there think of us as flaky or think we're  not working hard or aren't working an honest job.  It's a nice sense of camaraderie.  We talked about our influences, our favorite artist, our passion and why we must create.  It was very inspiring.  I felt validated.