WOODEN SOLDIERS

I recently was asked by a client to create a handrail system using treated lumber and stainless steel cable in order not to obstruct the view from their deck. This particular view of the posts caught my eye.

CONTRAST

These kitchen cabinets are an example of the contrast of totally different woods, white pine and cherry. The cabinet boxes were constructed of A2 birch plywood, the face frames white pine. The drawer fronts, doors, and solid top were built in cherry. The finish was applied by hand and it consisted of 8 coats of tung oil.
Cherry is an amazing wood as it darkens with age and exposure to light. Also as a point of note, the cherry came from the clients property. The sink and side top are of black slate constructed by a local artisan in Vermont.

zhù

zhù, the old word for chopsticks. The simplest of eating utensils dates back to an origin of simple sticks that were used to stir food in hot pots simmering on open flames some 5000 years ago. Though they can be traced back to China, chopsticks are widely used in most Asian countries, however Thais do not use them as much.
This particular pair has a long history of it's own, I carved them out of remnants from an over 100 year old LILAC bush. This was the first time I had worked with lilac and found it fascinating.
The heart has a very rich tone and the grain reminds me of CHERRY, however the violet hues that highlight the knots are incredible. Sushi anyone?

CHERRY DESK

This desk was designed and built for a client who wanted a simple contemporary style piece to compliment her lifestyle. Constructed in cherry with walnut trim. The finish was six coats of hand rubbed tung oil.

ADJUSTABLE MULTI PURPOSE DESK

This is a height adjustable multi-purpose desk/table. I had originally thought this would be a nice platform for a laptop, but after it's inception it ended up as a night stand by the bed. The top can be adjusted in height simply by raising the front of the platform and sliding it up or down to accommodate a specific need. Once back in the horizontal position, the platform self locks and will not slide downward. Constructed in cherry and walnut, finished in hand rubbed tung oil.

FINAL RESTING PLACE

Thus ends the saga of that poor elm tree that had been destined for the wood stove. This once great American Elm is now part of a one of a kind platform style bed. I wanted to build not just your typical bed, but one with a large storage capacity. As you can see from the second photo, there will be four large drawers, two on each side. Cherry is being used to compliment and add a warmer tone to the very distinctive grain of the elm.

The headboard was a treat to make. Hopefully the top photo shows the slight curve, creating a wrap-a-round effect. I made a quarter inch solid cherry veneer for the top edge of the 'wave' to give an otherwise square object softer lines.

The finish consists of six coats of hand rubbed pure tung oil using a citrus solvent as a thinner for the first two coats.

SCRAPS, SCRAPS

Anyone that has ever done any woodwork can testify that the amount of small pieces of wood, aka scraps, cut offs, kindling, etc., can be overwhelming. Over the years I have burned, discarded, or simply stored for future use many a scrap. From time to time I'll go through the pile and make something, such as the small frames shown here. Cherry, walnut, maple, simply whatever I may have.

CURLY YELLOW BIRCH

Curly yellow birch remains one of my favorite woods to work with aesthetically, however it is very hard to work. It is very dense with a grain that is hard to plane and join. I have found that keeping the edges moist with water while joining reduces chipping. Also while planing, setting the blades on the shallow side, it takes a little longer to get to the desired thickness, but chipping is kept to a minimum.
This cabinet was designed to house a roll-a-way portable bed, along with mattress and bedding.
It was anchored to the wall and as you can see on the third photo the cabinet did not have a floor, making it easier to roll on the tile floor without having to pick it up for storage.
The finish was a sprayed waterproof lacquer, not my favorite to use for it's toxicity while applying and drying, but done at the customers request. I really like to use pure tung oil, it is food safe and natural. More on tung oil later.

MAKING SHOJI

Shoji screens come from an origin in the history of Japan which no one to this date has been able to pin point. In the early days there were wooden exterior doors that had to be lifted up to be opened. Behind these doors was another door, which had wooden lattice covered with paper to let light in. By the 11th century, shoji had evolved into its present style.

These are two examples of basic shojis, handcrafted in the Japanese tradition using Port Orford Cedar, rice paper, and rice glue. However, in the stone tub above, I used plexiglass for the high humidity in this particular bath.

Shojis can be made to by-pass or slide, bi-fold, or be free-standing. The applications are endless and the structural design of each shoji can be modified to please many architectural requirements.

Many thanks to Toshio Odate for sharing his art of making shoji.

DRYING TIME

Drying time can vary depending on humidity thickness of the boards, and the type of wood. Elm being very dense takes up to a year for this 6/4 thickness. I had no idea what I was going to make with this lumber but felt that 6/4 would be versatile enough for several applications. So off to the drawing board and see what develops. This wood will dry for about a year, so more on this later.

This wood was actually cut in late spring of 2009.

MAKING LUMBER

Sawing logs with a band saw mill is not my favorite but at the time it was available and hauling the logs was but a short distance away. I had marked the logs on the end as to how I wanted them sawn but the sawyer made some changes on the second of the three logs and I ended up with checks that could have been avoided. I'll drive further next time.

IT ALL STARTS HERE

Ulmus americana, generally known as the American Elm or, less commonly, as the White Elm or Water Elm, is a species native to eastern North America, occurring from Nova Scotia west as far as British Columbia, from northern Alberta at the top of its range, south to Florida and central Texas. It is an extremely hardy tree that can withstand winter temperatures as low as −42 °C (−44 °F). Trees in areas unaffected by Dutch elm disease can live for several hundred years. The preceding statement was from Wikipedia.
This particular tree was in a neighbor's yard and wanted it cut down for firewood, but when I saw what it was, the simple act of asking to cut it down for lumber gave way to some really nice boards. During the next few posts I will take you through the process of turning this standing dead tree into a couple of unique pieces of furniture.