The Blackstone Valley School of Crafts

Please allow us to introduce ourselves.  Steve Butler, Richard Chiros and jeff Hollis are three professional woodworkers, artist and educators.  We believe that preserving craft is preserving something that is inherent to us all.  We all love to make things.  We love what craft has done for our lives and we want to share our passion with you.  We want too make sure that craft remains part of our community.  So we invite you to the beginning of our next creation, "The Blackstone Valley School of Crafts." The Blackstone Valley School of Crafts is in its very early stage but we feel it's very important to be part of the community.  We will put the emphasis in woodworking and wood turning  workshops, offering general interest evening night and day classes and weekend workshop intensives, as well as offering classes in other mediums such as stained glass, jewelry making and ceramics and others.  We are located in an historic theatre in South Grafton, Massachusetts off of Rte 122, easily accessible from Providence, RI, Worcester, MA and Boston, MA.  Please come and see what we have to offer, visit us at www.theblackstonevalleyschoolofcrafts.blogspot.com . 

Elvis has left the garage

Making a living as an Artist/Crafts person is wonderful yet can be full of many stresses.  We not only make the product but we are responsible for marketing and promoting our work.  We are the salesperson trying to sell our product and the graphic designer.  Bottom line is we wear many hats.  There is no regular pay yet the bills still come in regularly.  Most of us work alone in the studio,  It's a tough way too make a living.  This said and done I still couldn't imagine doing anything else or being anywhere else other than the studio.  This lifestyles allows me to meet like minded individuals who don't take life so seriously ( it can be serious enough without us adding to it).  This past weekend we had a BBQ/Birthday party.  My friend Jeff gave me a full size Elvis cut-out.  If I worked in an office I would never have the opportunity to work side-by-side with the King.  My point is ( without sounding to lofty)  life is short- so why not try too make a living doing what you love.  Being creative and working with my hands makes me happy, therefore I'm a better partner and a better Dad too my son when I come home at the end of the day.  

Glue up

Today I glued up the box for the guitar stand.  The glue up went well.  Once the box was dry I flush trimmed the dovetails with a router and did a final sand.  Once the box was completeIi took the nest from the prototype and measured it up against the final piece.  The box and the nest fit perfectly.  It takes more time to do but it is always a good idea to make a sample piece or a prototype.

The Garage. " Project Two"

Today we shot the second project for the TV show " The Garage"  We chose to build a Bread Side Table.  The table can be made quicly and easily.  They're fun too make. The shoot went well .Thanks again to Jeff Ellis.

Boxes, Boxes

Today was a dreary rainy day, a good day to do tedious work such as fitting the bottom into the box and final fitting the dovetails.  I cut a template in order to flush trim the bridge opening.  The maple box is moving along nicely, I'm glad I made a prototype to work out the kinks. You can see the pine prototype beside the maple piece.

Table Saw Dovetails

Yesterday I finished cutting out the dovetails in the birds eye maple box.  I cut the tails and the pins on the table saw.  No trickery involved, you still have to lay out the markings for the tails and transfer them onto your boards.  The table saw just replaces your hand saw. 

 If you've laid everything out properly they should fit nicely together as these did.

Sorry Folks' More Dovetails

Today I sanded the boards and started cutting the dovetails in the birdseye maple boards that will become a music stand.  The prototype is made.  I hope to have the project completed soon so that my friend Harvey can take it back to New York with him after his visit. The stand is for his wife Fiona.

"That's A Wrap"

Today we wrapped up the final shoot of the first project for the show " The Garage"  We have enough material for three episodes.  The show is in post production and should air by the end of the month.  Thanks Jeff'  It's been a lot of fun.  Soon I'll have some video of the show on the blog.

Completed Garage Table: Take Two.

I Finally finished the second table for the show.  The walnut legs are tapered the entire length of the leg.

The top and aprons are made of flame red birch.  The aprons have a bead of curly maple on them and the legs are capped with curly maple.  This entire project was made from wood in my recycle bin.

The table is finished with a coat of Duraceal oil finish and then waxed.

The Garage Continued

Yesterday and today we continued too shoot the TV show "The Garage"for the local cable access channel.  This is the second version of the small table I made for the show.  The first one ended up in the trash bin.  This table has a beautiful bead of curly maple added to the aprons.  It really works well with the curly maple caps on the end of the legs.  Standing behind the camera is producer Jeff Ellis.

The table is made out of flame red birch for the top and aprons, walnut for the legs and curly maple for the beads and leg caps.  The premise of the show is too show that you can make beautiful furniture without having all of the expensive  machines and tools.  The old adage " Tools do not make the craftsman be" is very true.

 

Using the compass planes to cut the curve on the aprons inspired me to cut the bevel edges of the underside of the table top by hand.

I used a marking gauge to draw a reference line on the face an 1 1/2" for the edge and 1/4" from the bottom.

I have an old miller falls jack plane that was perfect for the job. The plane did a great job on the face grain and then I switched to my Lie Nielson low angle jack plane for the end grain. Both did the job well.

Hand Planes Old and New

Sometimes it's nice to get back to basics. I needed to cut a curve on the aprons
of the small table I'm making. I was rummaging through an old antique tool trunk I have a saw my old planes.

One of them is my old Stanley Victor # 20 compass plane and the other is an old wooden Robert Sorby compass plane.

The Stanley is adjustable, so I adjusted it to cut a slight curve. It worked beautifully and gave me a great sense of satisfaction when it left a pile of shavings on the floor and a nice clean finish on the aprons.

Sometimes it's good to step back, slow down and get back to basics.

Dick Sargent

Dick Sargent is my friend and was a colleague of mine at Peters Valley Craft Center. Dick is the Department Head of the Blacksmithing studio at the valley. Each year Peters Valley has an annual auction to benefit the craft center. All Department Heads are expected to donate their time and materials and to make a piece for the auction.

This is a table that Dick and I worked on together.

It was a lot of fun. Thanks Dick' Lets do it again, we gladly take commissions.

Art Museum Continued

It's always good to get out of the studio and get inspired. Looking at other work is inspiring, even if it isn't the style and aesthetic that I'm drawn to. You can always learn something by looking at other work. Here are a few more samples from the museum.

Worcester Art Museum Furniture

On Saturday we went to the Worcester Art Museum. The Museum is free to the public on Saturday mornings. The museum has a small yet excellent decorative arts wing. Here are a few samples of some of the furniture pieces. There are some Arts and Crafts pieces, some Art Deco pieces and some Modern pieces. They even have an Eames LCM chair.

Legs, Legs, Legs

The legs for the "Garage Table" are tapered on all side so I had to make a jig to do the job. The jig isn't complicated, a simple plywood platform cut to mimic the taper of the leg. After the legs have been tapered I added on the maple accents and then ran the jig through the table saw to complete the leg.

Garage Table

This is a table I'm working on for the the TV show "The Garage". It is a small display table made out of Flamed Red Birch, Walnut, Maple and Curly Maple.

The aprons will have a subtle curve with an accent bead of curly maple. The legs have an extension of maple attached to the walnut.

Bella Luce Art Cafe'

The Bella Luce Art Cafe' is a new creative arts center located in the historic 1826 Red Brick Building in the Alternatives Whitin Mill Complex in downtown Whitinsville, MA.

Owner Cristi Winona Collari has done a great job to create a beautiful center.

In the center you'll find a great gallery space,a retail gift shop and a studio space for classes in different mediums.

Yesterday I delivered some tea lights, bread side tables and a bench to Cristi.

Northbridge Antiques

Yesterday my quirky Bread Side Tables found a new home at Northbridge Antiques. Owners Rich and Ed are great to work with and have already posted the tables on craigslist and ebay.

The tables look perfect amongst all of the other wares. This is a great place to rummage around in, there are treasures everywhere. Please visit www.nbantiquefleamarket.com

Eagle Eye Antiques

My friend Jeff Hollis owns Eagle Eye Antiques in Uxbridge Massachusetts. Eagle Eye Antiques is located in a great old mill building. Jeff is a great furniture builder and restorer who has graciously let me show my trestle table at his place.

Trestle Table Again

Last week I went to New Jersey and picked up more of my work out of my storage locker. This is a trestle table I made a couple of years ago. The table top is made out of Sapele, an African Mahogany wood. The base is made out of mahogany. The trestles are two old woodworking clamps, you literally clamp the table together,

The table measure 94"lx41"wx29"h.

Today I set the table up at my friend Jeff Hollis's antique business " Eagle Eye" Antiques in Uxbridge, MA.