Cultural Council

Last year I became an appointed member of the Town of Uxridge's Cultural Council.

Well - we had a meeting last evening and I was appointed the position of Chair of the Town of Uxbridge's Cultural Council.  The position is for three years.  I look forward to working with the other members in bringing new events to the town.

Uxbridge First Night

In 1915, the tradition of lighting the Uxbridge Town Common was established and then expanded in 1997 by the Uxbridge First Holiday Night Committee and the Uxbridge Firefighters Association into an annual town holidaytradition. The committee thrives with the support of all members and the community. Beyond the borders of Uxbridge, they promote leadership within the community eleven months every year. Uxbridge First Night Committee works tirelessly fundraising in order to bring the holiday parade and Santa to the town of Uxbridge.

I couldn't think of a better organization to support. Today I delivered the toy chest I made as the project in the last episode to the committee. It's my pleasure to donate the chest to them. The chest will be filled with goody bags to give to the kids when they visit Santa at the Fire Station.
Thanks to the committee for all of their hard work.

As always - thanks for watching and following.
Best
Steve

Episode five of the show aired yesterday on Rhode Island PBS.

I made a knockdown contemporary plywood table.

The show airs on WSBE RI PBS at 2PM on Saturdays. Next weeks' episode is titled 'No Jointer, No Planer, No Problem'. I make a shaker style side table using off the shelf lumber and some old pine floor boards.

As always - Thanks for watching and following 

Best

Steve

NBTV

The show just got picked up by a commercial station out of Santa Rosa California called North bay TV.
I want to thank Jeff Badean of NBTV for the opportunity.
Check out NBTV at the links below.
www.northbaytv.com
https://www.facebook.com/northbaytv
As always - Thanks for watching and following.
Best
Steve

Canadian Furniture

I'm originally from Ontario, Canada.
Canada was developed much like America was. Early immigrants were from Europe and Britain. Canada, geographically is vast yet it's population small. The province of Ontario is where the capital city Ottawa is located. Ontario use to be known as Upper Canada and is where the british set up government.
Ontario is very much like New England in it's furniture history. Colonial furniture looks very much the same. The terrain and landscape are made up of the same tree species.
There are many books about colonial American furniture but very little is known about Canadian furniture, it's history and aesthetic.
Southwestern Ontario has a huge Dutch and German settlement much like Pennsylvania. Early pieces of furniture were painted and stenciled.
I have two wonderful hardcover books of early Canadian furniture in my collection of furniture books that I recommended. If you are interested in furniture styles and history then these two books are a must have. There are over 600 pages in each book filled with beautiful illustrations and photographs.
The books are titled 'The Heritage of Upper Canadian Furniture' by Howard Pain and 'The Furniture of Old Ontario' by Philip Shackleton.
As always - thanks for following.
Best
Steve

UCTV and Me

I love it when we're shooting the show, it gets my adrenaline going and I get to create and build. I love spending my days in my space, it's where I feel the most comfortable and at home.
Today Barry and Cameron from UCTV came over to shoot another episode. We got a lot done today, we'll resume shooting on Tuesday.
As always - Thanks for following.

Off Centered

My position at Peters valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ gave me the opportunity to meet and become friends with some of the most amazing artist and woodworkers such as Mark Sfirri from Bucks County, PA. Mark continually blurs the line separating woodturning from sculpture.
Mark states that
“As a furniture maker and sculptor much of my work centers around the wood lathe-turned object. Turned pieces sometimes turned on several different axes have allowed me to explore form in a spontaneous, mathematical, creative way.”
I am very fortunate to have a piece of Marks work. I think of it as a Mother-in-law rolling pin.
Thanks for the memories Mark'
As always - thanks for following.
Best
Steve

Fall is my favorite time of the year, especially in New England. The colors are fantastic and the smells in the air are fresh, clean and vibrant' I love it. I couldn't help snap this picture when I was out walking the dog this morning. I think that's what I like best about this time of year, you're more aware of life around you. Unless you're walking around with blinders on you can't help but notice the colors and the smells. I wish fall could last for three months or so, it's what follows I don't like. I'm not a big fan of winter. I grew up in Canada so I've had my share of winters. I had plans to move south but this is as far as I got'
As always - thanks for following.
Best
Steve

Episode Two

On Saturday WSBE aired the second episode of the show, 'Rustic Chair'. It's fun to watch the early episodes, i'm looking at the wrong camera and fumbling my words but somehow it all works'. If you live in the area tune in to next weeks episode on Saturday at 2PM. I'll be making a cigar box guitar. The episode also features the music of Mike Snowden from Marietta, Georgia who plays a cigar box guitar throughout the episode. Mike also builds awesome cigar box guitars. Check him out at www.snowdenguitars.com.
This episode is also available on youtube. Below is an image of viewer Bruce Ferrero's cohiba cigar box guitar.
As always - thanks for and following
Best

Steve

Danish face Lift

In episode seven, what I call 'Danish Face Lift' I give a makeover to a nice modern table and chair set. I cleaned up the table surface and reupholstered the chairs.I still have some to do. I picked up the table at a flea market for $40. I found an add from a 1960's Sears catalog advertising the table for sale for $100. I think I got a good deal.
The table is unique in that the three legged chair backs nestle nicely into the table and become part of the table apron. I love this table, I've never seen one like it before. I reupholstered the chairs seats, replacing the worn black vinyl with a teal blue vinyl. You can watch this episode on youtube or at the website www.thegaragewithstevebutler.com
As always - Thanks for and following.
Best
Steve

Purchase, NY , 2008

I think there are three kinds of people:
People who make things happen, people who watch things happen and people who wonder what happened.
Let's be the first kind.

Wendell Castle
Purchase, NY 2008

Cafe Style

I love projects that are simple yet efficient. I also enjoy repurposing and reusing materials. It gives me that pioneer spirit. When I was cleaning off the deck and putting away the outdoor furniture for the season I was reminded about just how much I enjoyed making the cafe style tables. I replaced a bulkhead door for a friend of mine. I kept the old door. I thought it was beautiful. It was made out of old tongue and grooved pine boards that had been painted over quite a few times. It still had all of the old hardware on it.

I used the door for the table tops. I was able to cut two circular pieces out of it. There's definitely no complicated joinery in these tables. I used a pressure treated 4" x 4" I had for the table posts. I cut 3" x 3/8" deep rabbets (notches) on both ends on all sides and then used some pine pieces I had leftover from a previous project for the feet and to hold the table top. I put them in the rabbets and glued and screwed them together. I drilled and countersunk screw holes in the top pine pieces to attach the top.

Screwing directly into the table top doesn't really allow for wood movement but it's quick and the top is so old and has expanded and contracted throughout the years I felt it was well seasoned. I did elongate some of the screw holes to help if their was an issue. So far so good.

The table has weathered and aged beautifully. It was simple to make, didn't cost a thing except my time and looks great on the deck. It doesn't get any better. I even left the door handle on one piece just to remind me of my friend Pat, the history and life of the table.
In an upcoming episode I'll be making the same table. To see the very simple yet very efficient jig I made to cut the two circles out of the door check out the 'Tips and Techniques' page of the website www.thegaragewithstevebutler.com
As always - Thanks for and following.
Best
Steve

Two at Two

After doing the grocery shopping or raking the leaves why not sit back and relax in a nice rustic chair. What? You don't have one?
Well learn how to make one for yourself this Saturday at 2PM on Rhode Island PBS.

Watch episode two of the show this Saturday and learn how to make a rustic chair with a shaker woven seat. Fall is the perfect time to walk in the woods and collect some small sticks for a chair. I used red maple to build my chair. You can peel the sticks or leave them rough, or use a combination of both' A few simple tools and you have everything you need to build a beautiful chair. If you miss the show you can watch the episode on youtube.

As always - thanks for watching and following.
Best
Steve

Noon and Eight

I just found out that Uxbridge Community television, channel 12 has been playing the show, episode five all week. Check out the show at 8 o'clock tonight. In this episode I'm making a contemporary knockdown table out of a single sheet of plywood. It's my homage to IKEA.
Uxbridge TV changes it's schedule on Tuesday so hopefully those of you who live in the area can catch the show tonight. If not you can always watch an episode on youtube at The garage with Steve Butler or on the websitewww.thegaragewithstevebutler.com. This episode is available on youtube. If you miss it, no worries, it'll be on Rhode Island PBS in three weeks.
As always - Thanks for watching and following.
Best
Steve

WSBE

The first episode of The Garage with Steve Butler premiered on Rhode Island PBS today.  This episode is four years old now but new to PBS. I turned an old vintage bread box and a vintage ottoman into what I call a " Bread Side Table".  If you live in the area please tune in to next weeks episode.  I'll be making a rustic chair with a shaker taped seat.  To see other projects from the show check out the 'Project Gallery' page on the web site www.thegaragewithstevebutler.com 

Also- please like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/thegaragewithstevebutler 

As always - Thanks for watching and following

Best

Steve

A Sad Day

It's a sad day in New England today.
This morning I cleaned off the deck and stacked the chairs and put them away. The leaves are on the ground and fall is definitely in the air. Don't get me wrong. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year, but it's always too short. If it could last for say, three months, that would be perfect.
What saddens me the most is putting away the chairs for the season.

These chairs, well, chairs in general hold much meaning to me. I think about driving around to different flea markets and garage sales with my family where we purchased the 1950's metal ones and then going out for lunch afterwards. I think about the time spent sitting in the wooden adirondack chairs I built while watching my son as he played in his sandbox, mesmerized by his fantastic imagination. I took apart an old bookcase and used the pine boards to build those chairs. He sits in them next to me as I cook our dinner on the grill and just randomly tells me about what's going on in his young world. Awesome'

Chairs are inviting. You feel welcomed when someone says " Please have a seat" or you know they are giving you their full attention.
The style and design of a chair dictates whether you relax, pay attention or dine. Chairs play an important role in society. We talk about a chairperson and chairman -of-the-board. We don't take those roles lightly. When two world leaders meet they sit next to each other in great chairs. Chilean poet Pablo Neruda wrote in his book 'Odes to common things' that
War is as vast as a shadowy jungle.
A single chair
is
the first sign
of
peace

So you see - chairs hold great meaning for me. Putting away the chairs for the season is like the end of school vacation, or closing up the cottage or camper. You say goodbye to good friends - but you know you'll see them next season.
If you feel so inclined to read more thoughts and essays please check out my 'Uncommon life of common objects' page on the shows websitewww.thegaragewithstevebutler.com
As always - thanks for following.
Best
Steve

Here are a few more images from 'Quinn and the Magical guitar.'
I've been working with illustrator Jackie penny from Worcester to create the illustrations for the book.
Please check out Jackie's' work at www.jackiepenny.com

It always amazes me how people and places connect. Jackie commissioned me to build her a custom outdoor table as a gift for her husband a couple of years ago. I had no idea that she was an illustrator. I started the book project and a partnership was born.
It is indeed a small world.
As always - thanks for following.