woodworkin' pt.3

Well, the time has come.  Day 3 of the course was glue-up day.  A pretty exciting prospect seeing the components all coming together.  First step was to check that the legs all fit and the angles were all OK.

Then flip her over ...

Wow.  Seeing the stool at this stage was a real motivator - it's actually going to come together.
From here we had to take a breath and get precise again - measure and mark the placement of the stretchers (that's them sitting by the stool on the bench - crucial elements).  Once their positions were marked, some very cautious drilling was called for - I was so paranoid about the possibility of wrecking it now I was almost happy to stop here and call it an ornament.
Anyway, it all went fine.
Once the stretchers were glued in, we put kerfs into the tops of the legs, glued and hammered (!) them into the top and then whacked in walnut wedges to tighten everything up.  A quick saw, a slow and gentle trim with a chisel and ta-da ...

After a little more refinement of the seat surface with a scraper it was home time.  We decided to use a Danish oil to finish the stool for a bit of surface protection and durability - last coat is drying now, so will take a snap once that's done. 
Suffice to say it is a VERY comfortable piece, supportive and stable, and you can feel your posture improving the longer you sit (or perch, as it were).
Amazing ... I made a piece of furniture!  Stay tuned for the next one ...

So there you go - if you have an interest in fine woodworking (or need a perching stool), get in touch with the guys at Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking - you'll be glad you did.  Thanks Alastair for the tutelage, and Peter Galbert for a really nice design.

woodwork goodness

As a long-time designer who now collects and restores mid-century furniture, I have had a jones to design (and make) chairs for a while now ... but no experience in the process of turning a tree into something you could use at home.  Looking at a craftsman-made piece, it all looks just way too complex.
BUT, that was then.  Last week I was lucky enough to participate in a 3 day intensive workshop at the Melbourne Guild of Fine Wooodworking, where the amazing Alastair Boell took a group of us through the process of making our own 'perching stool' (designed by Boston-based chairmaking wonder Peter Galbert).  And it was the most inspirational and empowering fun!
This is what we were working towards ...

 The whole 'fine chairmaking' process is about the use of traditional tools and hand-work for the shaping and forming - drawknives and travishers rather than sanders and routers.  At the start I was a little doubtful about the possibility of me making something even half as nifty ... especially seeing the big square chunks of wood that we were expected to transform ...

Sure - a fat rectangle and five long, skinny bits of mahogany - that looks like potential (?!?).  I'm confident with a pencil and paper, at ease with a mouse and some software, even happy enough with fabric and scissors.  But a block and a super-sharp curved blade on a handle?
So, day one of the course was all about the seat ... here's a few step-by-step pics ...

And what do you know?  After 8 or 9 hours of scorping and scraping a curvy shape had emerged, and the rest of that fat chunk was on the floor in teensy shards.
Day 2 is legs - wood-turning on a lathe ... again - how the heck am I going to do that?