Fiona's

Today I finished Fiona's guitar stand.  It is made of curly maple for the box and sits on a nest of rosewood.  The interior will get covered in medium density foam and then covered in velvet.  This is something Harvey and Fiona will do.  The finish is a shellac finish with a coat of wax.  It looks really warm.  .

The Garage: Rustic Chair

Today Jeff and I shot the final footage for the rustic chair project.  I attempted to weave a chair seat with shaker style webbing.  I ran out of the black tape so I couldn't do the small corners but all in all it worked out well.  I didn't weave the back, I tacked some small pieces of maple to the back rails and used some wire to re-in force it.  It worked out well.  I left the wood natural so it would patina with age.

Rustic Chair-Again

Here's the leaning chair or the haunted house chair waiting for a seat. This chair is the latest project we're building for the show " The Garage". I had these sticks leftover from Peters Valley. I have literally run out, there was just enough for this project. The seat is level and square but the back twist as if it is being blown by the wind. I like it. It will get covered in a red and black shaker tape seat. It's not pretty but it works. The other image is just me sanding

some rosewood parts.

"The garage" Rustic Chair

Yesterday and today Jeff and I shot some footage for the " Tha Garage".  I'm building a rustic chair with pieces I collected from a workshop at Peters Valley Craft Center.  I don't have many so we're trying to make it work with what we have at hand.  The chair seat will be covered with a woven shaker tape. 

The Studio in snow

I had to take these images of the studio covered in snow after the last Nor' Easter.  It looked like a quaint

 alpine lodge.  What a great environment to work in.

Nor' Easter

We woke to plenty of snow this morning in Massachusetts. These shots were taken looking out our front door of our house. It's a snow day for all. A good day to get some long over due

computer work done.

The Band

I thought I'd start a garage band and these knuckle heads auditioned for the band.  Actually I have to thank Christopher Whitehead of the Worcester Art Museum.  Last year the Art Museum had an exhibition called " Who shot rock".  These cut outs were all over the museum.  Christopher called me up and asked if I wanted them.  I already have a 6 foot cut out of Elvis in the studio so these fit perfectly.  Thanks Christopher'

New wood stove

We recently got a new wood stove in the studio.  Liesl's Dad did a great job installing it quickly so we could

get back to work making.

Rosewood continued

Here I'm test fitting the nest to the box.  I'm using double sided tape to hold it in place.  I then took a sharp knife and scribed a line where the nest meets the box.  I glued on blocks of rosewood at the scribed line.  I'll then cut the curve shaped pieces, sand and finish them.

Birds eye and Rosewood

Here is the nest for the prototype guitar stand/Box. The final stand is made out of birds eye maple for the box and rosewood for the nest. The nest is joined with lap joints cut on the table

saw with the dado blade.

Toy Box at Play

There is no greater compliment than seeing a piece you made being used.  This was such a fun project to build.  Here is Quinn's toy box, in his room, being well used.

Build a wooden hand plane

Saturday February 5th 10-4
Tuition $115 + $60 Material Fee

This is a great class for any one who wants to learn the basics of woodworking and who has a love of hand tools. There is nothing more gratifying than making your own tools. Of all the tools used to shaped wood, the hand plane is the one that has come to symbolize craftsmanship. It's no surprise. Here's a cutting tool that is designed to create truth: dead straight and flat surfaces ready for finishing and precise joinery. Tuning up one and mastering its use are two of the greatest thrills of woodworking. There is a genuine pleasure in using a finely tuned hand plane. Making your own out of wood is truly rewarding because you can create something that that fits your hands and suits your needs. In this workshop we will learn how to make, tune up and use a Krenov style wooden hand plane.

Skill Level: Beginner-Advanced

For more information email: blackstonevalleyschoolofcraft@gmail.com
or call 413-717-5062

Jeff Hollis, Eagle Eye and Analine Dyes

Here is my friend Jeff Hollis, owner of Eagle Eye Antiques in Uxbridge, MA.  Jeff is a great furniture finisher/re finisher.  This birds eye maple box is part of a custom piece I'm working on.  I took it to Jeff to get some advice on using analine dyes.  Jeff was a great help, we mixed up a few colors until we got the look we were after and finished the box with a few coats of shellac, rubbing out teach coat with 0000 steel wool and then putting on a final coat of wax.  The end result looks great.  These two pictures are of Jeff's store.

The Toy Box

I finished Quinn's toy box.  The box will get a durable polyurethane overcoat.  This was a fun project to

 build.

 

Slowly but surely

Last week I picked up the seat cushion for the diner settee.  It's a wonderful teal blue vinyl. I have to install

 the trim and make the drawer

Keeping Watch

Last week Liesl and I drove up to the studio to be greeted by these beautiful hawks sitting in the tree by the

 side of the studio.  A nice way to start the day.



Uxbridge, MA

I haven't posted anything in a while. We've been busy packing and moving. This past week Liesl, Quinn and I moved into our new place in Uxbridge, Mass. The house is from the 1800's. It use to be a boarding house. I took these pictures too show some of the woodwork. Two of the three fire places have this beautiful ornate carvings and mouldings. The doors are beautiful. Graining use to be part of a finishers trade. The wood has been painted and grained to look like

rosewood. There awesome.



What is old is new again

Ten years ago I built these Adirondack chairs. The chairs are made out of old pine floor boards that came out of a house in Cape Cod. The house and boards are from the early 1800's. They are varnished on one side. The varnish is peeling off and the chairs are quite weathered. I love Adirondack chairs. There is a book by author Akiko Bush titled " The Uncommon Life of Common Objects" On the cover is a picture of an Adirondack chair. These chairs are taken for granted. They are so common place they have become ubiquitous. We don't even think about them when we see them, we just sit in them and relax. That's why they are my favorite piece of furniture. No other piece of furniture ( maybe a bed ) says "relax". They are deep with large arm rest to place a drink or a book on. Most chairs look stiff and rigid but not these. These chairs also get a bad rap by some craftsman who don't see them as high end furniture. They don't have the complex joinery as most chairs and you can buy them most anywhere but I can't think of a single object that when you have finished building it you can sit in it, admire your hand work and just relax. Perfect in my opinion. Liesl's dad just completed these two and a small table to go with them. What a great commission in

the cold weather.

Toy Box Inlay

I have a few projects on the go but the best one to work on is Quinn's Toy Box.  It's a lot of fun.  I bought some old fashioned wooden blocks, glued them together, cut them to size and inlayed them into the front of

the box.

 



More Toy Box

Yesterday was a busy day doing other work, not building.  I did get a chance to put the bottom in Quinns' toy box.  It looks great.  The contrast of the knotty pine and the painted panels works well.



Toy Box Continued

All of this box is made from recycled lumber or pieces out of the scrap box.  The joinery is all tongue and groove joinery. The frame of the box is made out of pine bead board.  The panels are off cuts from a bead board panel.  I cut them to fit and then painted them.  The center panels are painted in primary colors.  The two end panels are painted in chalk board paint so Quinn can draw on them.  This is a fun project to build. When building a toy box make sure you use proper hinges and lid supports that won't close on fingers.