lol, @lexi! Thx for the nice thought. Must've been having a moment when last I wrote. We are extraordinarily fortunate here and, contrary to the rumors, I am an optimist (shhh, don't tell), though our dear leader is doing his usual best to spoil my mood. Happy to hear that you are well.
@herringbone, Nice work on your hall table! Is it walnut? One of my last trips in the car before lockdown was to my closest favorite hardwood dealer to pick out a gorgeous piece of air-dried, claro walnut from California from which I am yet to fashion a tabletop display easel for a nice little 18thC(?) marble bas-relief by Marsy. The board is so beautiful I almost hate to cut into it, but my new delivery date is tentatively scheduled for August 1st so I need to make some final decisions on design details and start doing what I do best - turning valuable material into sawdust and shavings!
Just found this thread. I really need to check in more often!
Lexi, your garden is lovely---as is your bench, Herringbone. Hope you make it to Denmark sooner rather than later. I'd like to go again myself but if I don't get back there I feel very grateful that I've gotten to spend as much time there as I have.
My lockdown project was a Yugoslavian folding chair that I got on craigslist for 20 dollars right after everything shut down. I emailed the guy out of habit and then realized OH NO, i shouldn't have done that, now i'll have to go into an iffy situation! But it was ok. (My kids forbid me to go anywhere. They do all my grocery shopping for me.)
Anyway, I cut the paper cord off, knocked the frame apart, stripped what lacquer was left on it, then inked and reglued it and waxed it. Then wove the damn thing. I got it to use as a prop to photograph pillows that I'm selling, and if I didn't have a mountain of pillows taking up WAY too much space I probably wouldn't have gotten around to doing the chair for many months, if not years. I'm quite chuffed with myself for getting it done.
@lexi It’s funny how we learn to make the best of awfull situations and how we even miss the good parts once it‘s over. You mention the traffic, I enjoy the fact that there are no more planes going over my house and the calm that set in when all the tourists were gone. I hope that it stays that way a little longer.
@tktoo2 Yes, it’s walnut. Came out very dark when I oiled it. Even looks like I used stain in some places, which I didn’t. The walnut I had used before was much lighter. I wonder if it has something to do with the oil I used. It certainly wasn’t as nice a board as yours but for the drawer fronts I‘ll get one with a nice grain.
@spanky Very nice as usual. I always enjoy seeing what you do or make, because your work is versatile yet always tasteful. Sometimes I wish I had the chance to tryout all the different techniques of weaving you‘ve presented here, or maybe even learn the basics of upholstery. But since I am not in the business of buying and selling and don’t have an interest in that, I can only make things for my own use. Which is great: I‘m having big fun to learn how to build things with wood, how to weave and stuff, that’s the kind of creativity I have always been looking for. And I get to live with furniture I made myself. But then again it’s a bit of a downside that I have to learn quickly, I will still make mistakes and once a project is finished, I might never get the chance to reapply my newly acquired skills, just because my space is limited. What I try to say is: Thanks for all the inspiration (to all of you)!
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
@spanky. Love the pillow: simple, non fussy , just how I like them. A nice pop of colour.
Good job on the chair too.
It's nice that your children are being so protective.
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Also doing a full restoration on a streamlined moderne fireplace mantel found in the alley years ago from a demolished house nearby and had to remove decades of bad re-paint job and a not in good shape original lacquer finish. Experimenting on this one to do a blonde finish just like the example I found online.
Thanks @lexi, not sure for which one but both projects are filed under FUN, there's no deadline and I get to do both at my own leisure. Both are challenging projects, the garage/studio budget is on the low end and the mantel is a low brow dumpster dive find that I just have to rescue from going to the landfill.
Similar to that Eames quote making the most using the least approach, I just focus on what (or who) I have and not on what (or who) I don't have.
@lexi @tktoo2 - Here it is, my new hall piece. Made entirely from walnut. It’s the second piece of furniture I made on my own and I really like the way it came out. It will be one of the good things remaining from the (first?) lockdown and it’ll always remind me of the time when we couldn’t go anywhere except for our basements. It took six months to make from scrap but the experience was joyful and rewarding and I learned a lot about woodworking and cabinetmaking. The design is heavily inspired by Kai Kristiansen.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
@herringbone: That is really lovely and beautifully executed. I am truly impressed. 🤩
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@herringbone Nicely done, sir! For only your second furniture project, very nicely done. You deserve to show it off!
I'm seeing modernist and Asian influences. The woven shelf is an unusual element for the form. I like side-hung drawers. Did you cut the drawer joinery by hand??
Apologies for tardy response. We were away again and my phone wouldn't allow me to log in for some reason...
@tktoo2 Yes, I cut them by hand. Some look better, some look worse but all in all I’m pretty happy with it. I think I had made five drawers before for several pieces in our home which I thought could use more, three of them have dove tail joinery, so I had a bit of practice.
My only concern now is the box construction. I didn’t use particle board or anything but made it from solid wood. My hope is that the wood doesn’t move too much.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
@herringbone, I have relatively little experience hand-cutting dovetails, but enough to have great respect for those that have mastered their technique. If you've not seen Frank Klausz demonstrating his expertise, I recommend finding him on YouTube.
I can't tell for certain, but it looks like you've got the grain direction consistent on all sides of the case so seasonal movement shouldn't be a problem.
UPDATE: We here in Ireland are seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases, in the last few weeks; especially in Dublin. I have being adhering to government "stay safe " guidelines but apparently lots of people have not !! So back to local travel restrictions; which means Dublin county only for me. 🙄
Hubby very frustrated; due to go to a planed track day race meet near Belfast this weekend, in his ORANGE car: Now off limits; the only one planned for this year because of previous travel restrictions ( in UK/France/Belgium ) He is fed up!
Usually I take a trip, at this time of the year, with the dog and anyone else who wants to tag along, to Wicklow/Glendalough ( check it out on google maps) , lovely spot, scenic , spiritual : reminds me of John Keats "Ode to Autumn; the "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness". . Can't go at the moment; different county. 😥 I'm fed up. Blues.
Nothing much else to do...garden winding down....housework doesn't count. 😶
I know, not really problems at all, just an inconvenience.
However,all is not lost....I have just become aware of Ikea digitising their old catalogues. Guess what I will be doing in my spare time this weekend? 😱 Who needs Netflix .Will report back any interesting finds.
Hope you are all keeping well.
Link in case you are in need of a distraction, change of scenery.
Svenska IKEA kataloger | IKEA Museum
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