Finished Rocker

Here are a couple of shots of the completed rocker, although, I hadn't finished trimming the rockers to the rear leg yet. This one is before the fuming and finish.

This is the finished chair. I used Tru Oil on it, which was interesting to work with, almost like shellac. It built fast and very even. It's a gun stock oil and I use it, or other varnishes like Spar to help give a little amber depth to the newly fumed chair. A chair that is newly fumed can look a bit greenish brown and it takes a year or two to get that amazing amber tone, so the varnish helps nudge it along.

I am always tinkering with my designs, but this one is as done as I can imagine right now. After a few strides in this direction, I am very pleased with the proportions, aesthetics, process and comfort. I'll take some beauty shots soon and post them, there are lots of little moments that I want to document. I think that this will be a chair that I want to make for a long time.

Moving Forward

As I mentioned in the last post, I just returned from Kentucky/Ohio where I shot a video. It was a great experience and I hope the product shows it. But now, something even more special has happened, I am actually getting some much needed shop time. I'm making and cementing the details and process for a new rocker. I am very excited and will share the progress as I go.

Here is a positioning jig to help with the reaming of the bent rear posts. While I was out in the midwest, I spoke with Megan Fitzpatrick about a series of articles on bending turnings that I've been considering. I am having lots of interesting developments in my turned and bent parts that I look forward to sharing.

Here is a shot of the all important rotation reference. When reaming in bent parts, it's vital to rotate them correctly and the same as the process goes on.

I've been restless in my desire to push this work forward. Stay tuned to watch the progress.

When I was in Kentucky, I got to roam around  the city as well as enjoy Chris Schwarz's workshop.

Here are some pics of the shop and the town. The architecture is wonderful and sets a great scene.

And for those interested in keeping up with my rescue pup Georgia, she's doing great. Settling in and starting to thrive and overcome the crippling fears that she had when meeting new folks. But last week she had a snag (literally) that cost her some discomfort and me a load of cash.

But she's a tough gal and has taken it all in stride.

How I missed that loose wire in the fence, I'll never know, but she's a quick healer and spunky as ever.

New Sights

Last week, I had the pleasure of accompanying Stephanie to Pennsylvania for a few days. The reason for the trip was to visit the DuPont Gardens at Longwood, but we also made it down to Winterthur to see some wonderful chairs.

The Main dining room at Winterthur

Nope, not these, although they were worthy of my attention for the entire time we were in the room. I just thought it might be of interest to see how the other half lives. Other half of what I'm not sure.

I deeply regret not having my good camera with me, but what follows are a few of my favorite sights in the hall of Windsors that I saw.

The staff was kind enough to give me a private tour of this room, it helps to ask. Much of the treat is the scale of the parts and the patina. It's so fascinating to see the thinness of the parts and the shapes.

A dramatic stance!

A stunning color

This seat was a favorite

The thin size of the parts on this birdcage are astounding in person

This triple back is a real eye catcher

When your name is DuPont you can have two

Pie Crust Table

I know that this last image isn't the usual topic here, but it really caught my eye and has occupied my thoughts. While done in what is clearly a masterful way, the subtle marks near the edge of the flat area clearly show the undulations of the hand of the maker. It definitely made me think about how our modern sensibilities expect a machined level of perfection on all surfaces and if I was to see a drawing of this table, I would expect that those marks wouldn't be there. I wonder how the maker and owner of this piece thought about this in their time. I am certainly aware of hand tool marks being prized on some modern work, such as chairs, for their proof of the presence of the hand of the maker, but I can 't help but wonder what it was like when the maker was obvious simply by the existence of the piece.

A week from today is the first class that I'll host in my Rollinsford NH school, there is still space to join me to make a fan back or balloon back. I am excited to get the ball rolling!

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