Fine furnishings

On Sunday morning we went to the fine furnishings show in Pawtucket, RI.

The fine furnishings show is an annual show showcasing American made handcrafted furniture and accessories.
I love going to this show. I get very inspired by the pieces I see.

Some are more traditional than others and some are very funky.
For the artists and craftspeople involved it gives them a chance to sell their work and maybe get a commission. It also gives them a chance to see and talk to like minded people. Most artisans work alone in their workshops or studios so the show offers them a chance to see what others are doing and creating.

I enjoyed talking to fellow furniture makers. I couldn't wait to get home and make'. I've attached some images of work from the show

As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative.
Best
Steve

WAM

Yesterday was a fun creative day. I'm ambivalent about big box stores. I'm neither for or against them. I do prefer to give my business and money to a local, neighborhood mom and pop store. However - because of the volume of business a big box store does enables them to offer some things a smaller business can't.

Each first Saturday of the month the Home Depot offers kids workshops for free. The kids get an apron, a badge with an image of the workshop project on it, a certificate of completion, and a finished project.
Yesterday we headed off to the workshop at 9 AM. It only takes an hour to complete the project but what a great way to spend some quality time with your child. And - it's free. These workshops occur at every Home Depot in the nation at the same time. We purposely went to a Home Depot further from our house so we could enjoy a country road drive.
Yesterday my son made a military style jet in honor of veterans day. It came with decals from each service.

After the workshop we drove the country roads and headed to the Worcester Art Museum. Each first Saturday of the month the Worcester Art Museum has free admission. Not bad considering that the regular adult ticket is $14. If you've never been to the WAM you should go. It's a first rate museum. My son loves the collection of armor they have. The knights exhibit even has the real Batman dark knight costume. I always look at the collection in the Americana exhibit. The period furniture is so well crafted and beautiful, I'm in awe at what was achieved.

There's an exhibit by a Moroccan artist that I fell in love with. His recreation of a vernacular Moroccan salon is fantastic. I love high end furniture like the pieces in the Americana exhibit but I also love pieces that are simple and made out of necessity. There's a different beauty to them. The ordinary is made extraordinary.
As is the case in the salon. Flour bags are made into beautiful pillows that sit on coca-cola crates, creating a sofa. Paint cans and buckets are made into beautiful stools and seats, adorned with cushions of Moroccan patterns. I could feel the sense of pride the maker must have had when he finished. He had to be resourceful due to economy and finances and yet he created a beautiful place for his family.

After our trip to the museum we went out for lunch. Our creative venture started at 9 AM with a visit to our local library. We finally got back home sometime past 2 PM. What a great day we had. We all had fun. The drive was like a Sunday dinner at the dining table. It allowed us to talk to each other and catch up. I - like the salon artist at the museum had a great sense of pride. Because of economy we have to be resourceful, we created a fantastic day for ourselves, and all for free.

As always - Thanks for  following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

A new home

One of the Shaker benches I made for the show has a new home.
My good friend Glenn and his family wanted it so I delivered it to his house in Providence, RI today.
The bench is unfinished. I'm not sure if Glenn will paint it or just put a urethane topcoat on it.
The bench will stay on the back porch. I took this picture and sent it to Glenn when I got home. He had no idea I was delivering it today. He informed me that the cooler on the porch was full of beer. Timing is everything''
Oh well - next time'
As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve

Planes and mallets

I'm making a mallet and a hand plane. The mallet is pretty straight forward too make. The wooden hand plane is modeled after the type cabinet maker James Krenov made popular in his book 'A Cabinet Makers Notebook'

The plane is made by cutting a block like a sandwich on the band saw. You then take out the center piece and cut two sections. One section is cut at 45 degrees and the other is cut at 62 degrees. The center piece is used to make a wedge that will hold the plane blade in place. Before we glue the sides back onto the center pieces you have to drill holes to allow for the dowel rod we'll use. The rod holds the wedge in place, which then holds the blade in place. The 45 degree wedge gets a slot cut into to accommodate the cap screw of the metal chip breaker that attaches to the blade.

This is a quick explanation I know, there's a little more to it but all in all it's not that difficult to make your own hand plane. I then use the mallet I made to adjust the plane. This style hand plane is adjusted by tapping the back of the plane to loosen and retract the blade, and by tapping the top front of the plane to move the blade forward.
I love using a tool I made with my own hands, and then use it to make a piece of furniture.
Awesome'

As always - Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve