An Old Timer

Yesterday Liesl, Quinn and I visited some friends in Providence.  On the front lawn of their beautiful home is this fantastic Japanese maple tree, the largest I've seen.  I couldn't resist taking this picture.  The tree reminded me of an old man using a cane.  It looks wise and knowledgeable.  The tree is approximately seventy years old.

A+for perseverance

"A whole new meaning to continuing education"
Last evening we went and visited my good friend Glen and his family.  Glen and I first met when he took a class I was teaching at The Worcester Center for Crafts back in 2002.  The class was a one evening a week, ten week long beginning woodworking class. The project for the class was a small table.  We covered a lot of material in the class, how to use the machines, safety, joinery and theory.
This is the table Glen built, it's beautiful.  It's a fairly ambitious piece to try and complete in ten sessions.
As we all know life can get busy.  I tease Glen Because he started this table in 2002 and finished it in 2009, giving a whole new meaning to continuing education.

One More

I couldn't help but take one more picture of the completed run.  The chickens have more room to roam.  I made a raised bed and planted more tomatoes.

No jointer, no planer, no problem'

I finally got around to attaching the tops onto the table bases.  The tops are made from old antique pine floor boards.  I left the plane marks on them.  I attached the tops with wooden cleats and added corner blocks for reinforcement.  The tenons are pegged with 1/4" dowel pegs.  I'll sand the tables and then finish them with a coat of oil and wax.  These tables were made without using a jointer r a planer, using off the shelf stock already milled.  These tables are an example of the project built in a class I call " No Jointer, No Planer, No Problem.

The run complete'

Here is the run addition complete except for the wire.  It looks great and best of all it was built using recycled pieces of lumber.

The ladies get an addition

Today I started to build a run for the chickens on the other side of the coop.  I passed a place on the road that had some free pallet wood.  As I was digging through the pile for some good pieces I cam across what looked to be three trellises.  As objects they're beautiful.  I ended up using them on the new run.  All that is left to do is to cover the run in wire and then the Ladies will have more room to roam.

Liesl's Trunk Show

Liesl had a trunk show at Traillworks Gallery in Newton, NJ.  She did a lot of work prepping for this show, unfortunately weather played a part in the attendance, but it was a good event and her display was awesome.  You can see more of Liesl's work at her blog and at her etsy store, check out her site at

www.lcarlsonjewelry.blogspot.com

 

More Luna Parc

Here are more images of Ricky's place, Luna Parc.  Ricky has a sculpture garden made out of bowling balls, a fence made out of crutches and an archway made out of trophies.  It's awesome.  Ricky just completed his ball room which has an incredible stone hearth with wooden grill work that came from China.  The other side of the room has a fabulous doorway with two great wooden doors that came from China.  One of the other rooms has a staircase that Ricky made out of metal and a local chainsaw sculpture made that stair banisters which are shaped in the form of a human'''''' well -you 'll see.  I don't think Ricky sleeps.  His house is his canvas.

New Jersey and Luna Parc

This past weekend Liesl, Quinn and I travelled to New Jersey.  Liesl had a trunk show at Traillworks Gallery in Newton, NJ.  We use to live in the area so it was also a good excuse to get together with old friends.  One of our friends is Ricky Boscarino.  Ricky is a multi-media artist.  Ricky works primarily in clay and metal, making incredible animal and insect like jewelry but his main media is his house.  His house is a museum and a constant work in progress.  This past weekend Ricky held an annual open house.  People come from all over to purchase his work and to see what is new at his house.  The grounds are spotted with other out houses, a chapel a sculpture garden and a sweat lodge amongst other things.  Here are some images from Ricky's place but check out his web site to see more of his house and to learn and see  more of his work.  Ricky's house sits on 5 acres that he calls " Luna Parc"  visit www.lunaparc.com   Oh yea'' Ricky is also a ordained minister.  We had a great time.

Jeff's cigar box guitar complete

Today Jeff and I put the finishing touches on his cigar box guitar.  It looks great and plays well. We used a nice piece of walnut for the fret board and finished it with a light coat of lacquer.  Nice job Jeff'

Jeff''s Cigar Box Guitar

The concentration is amazing'

Here Jeff is drilling some small holes to accommodate the escutcheon pins.

Tables and Cigar box guitars

Today Jeff Ellis came by the studio to make a cigar box guitar.  Jeff is the producer of the show " The Garage".  In episode four of the show we made a cigar box guitar.  Jeff wanted too make one so today was the day.  Before he arrived I cut and glued in pegs in the table tenons.  I still have the tops  in the clamps.

Tables- Glued up

Here are three tables glued and clamped.  Tomorrow I'll make the table tops.

More parts

The chamfer are cut and the tables parts are being glued together.

Shaker not stirred Continued

Today I continue to work on the tables.  I cut the tenons on the table saw using the dado blades and then added a small chamfer on the edge of the aprons using a chamfer bit in the router table.  I then glued the aprons and legs together,

Shaker not stirred

Yesterday I starting making a batch of legs for some shaker style end tables made out of pine.  The legs are tapered on two sides.  I used a shop made jig to taper the legs.  The legs have a 1/4" W x 31/" L mortise in them.  I used a straight bit on the router table to cut the mortises.  The aprons will be made out of pine and the tops will be made out of various re- used pieces such as some old T and G pine floor boards.

I made 30 legs.

Home

I made this sculptural chair with two other artist around eight years ago.  The chair is made out of cherry wood and has a shovel handle at the top.  I've been very influenced by shaker furniture with it's clean lines and wonderful joinery.  This poor old chair has been moved around looking for a place to sit.  Due to lack of storage space where we live I had to move it to the garage.  The chair is in great shape and when I came home today I saw it hanging on a hook in the garage.  I felt badly that I didn't have a more honorable place to store the chair but then I realized that this was the prefect place.  The title of the chair is " Tired".  It looks like a hay fork or a shovel so I imagine it taking a rest after a hard days work in the fields.  The Shakers coined the phrase " cleanliness is next to godliness"  and hung their chairs on the walls so they were out of the way and they could sweep the room properly.   The chair is in it's perfect place, hung on the wall of the garage where you would hang a hay fork or a shovel and out of the way, much like shaker chairs of the past.
Perfect'

Perfect'

Bits and pieces

Today was an odd day.  I spent most of the day doing bits and pieces of projects.  I finished making the hand plane I was working on and I started making some coasters for my friend Terry Eason in New Jersey.  Terry and I share a love of post modern furniture, especially contemporary plywood furniture.  I have a collection of old interiors magazines from the 50's and 60's.  I colored photocopied two full page adds for Herman Miller furniture out of the magazines and laminated them to a piece of plywood.  I'll cut the images and plywood to coaster sizes and then chamfer the edges turning them into great retro looking coasters.

Chickens, Eggs and Tomatoes

Koopman Lumber Company was giving away free tomato plants today so Quinn, Liesl and I went and got some.  We took some old tires and filled them with soil to make planters.  We put the planters outside of the studio.  We have a real urban farm going on.  We have the chickens and now tomatoes, ten more weeks we'll have eggs.

The Studio

I love how the studio looks o a nice day.  The front of the studio is saturated with sun light most of the day.

It's awesome

Bread Box, Hand planes and tables.

Today was a day of variety.  I started another bread box.  This one is going to Austin Texas.  I Got stock ready to make some shaker style tables and I started building a hand plane. 

I gave the cutting board in the bread box a coat of lacquer. I got all of the parts ready for the tables.  I have to cut the aprons and taper the legs.  I glued a bottom onto a block of ash that I'm using for the plane body.  I cut the cheeks of the plane on the band saw and then used the mitre saw to cut the inner blocks at an angle.

Art Allstate Exhibition

Here is an image of my spot in the Art Allstate artist/mentor exhibition.  I submitted a tea box, two tea lights and two cigar box guitars.  The guitars were a big hit with the kids and I sold one to another artist/mentor.

Thanks Angela'

Thanks Angela'