New Stuff

Started a new project last week that I am super excited about. A dining table for the Stanley family who live in that dreamiest of towns... Chapel Hill, NC. So the Stanley's are my kind of family. 3 super cool kids, the hippest, play-set building mom ever, and lets just say... a dad that is building quite a collection of jeans. The Stanley's have been renovating a house for the last year or so and their knack for design is crazy good. We have been kicking ideas around for a year or so about beds and such when Chrissy (cool mom) shifted gears towards a dining table for the family. She wanted something clean, and modern, but durable, and a tad rustic. We looked at some examples of things she liked and came up with this design. Its going to be white oak, quarter and rift sawn,,, which for some reason I am obsessed with right now (never thought I would be crazy about white oak but I am.) Some changes have been made since this drawing was done, but when finished, I think we will have something that will not only last for decades, but adapt with any changing styles. The table is also gonna have two accompanying benches for full on family style dinners and Chrissy is gonna find some badass mid century chairs for the ends. Can't wait to see the finished table.

Undaunted

Well... I wouldn’t quite compare my trip to the Linville Gorge with one Mark Hekman to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The similarities are sparse. A few days in the wilderness vs few years crossing the uncharted country (uncharted to europeans that is.) However, when we lost the trail within the first hour, I thought about Meriwether and William. If you aren’t familiar with the Linville Gorge, it is 12 miles of rugged wilderness carved by the Linville River over the last few million years. Grand Canyon of the East they call it. In fact, it is so rugged that the 12,000 acre wilderness is one of the only areas in the southern Appalachian Mountains’ long history of logging to be fully spared from a single cut. So trudging past virgin stands of hemlock that were possibly growing before europeans crossed the Atlantic was (not to be sappy but...) awe inspiring. Because it is so inaccessible, the amount of other people in the Gorge is, to say the least, small. Particularly when the temps aren't getting out of the 30's and snow is in the forecast for 2 days. So after Hekman (also known as “Heksquatch” or just “Squatch”) and I found the trail again, forded the river to get to the world’s greatest campsite ever, and got a fire rolling, it was nice to sit down and warm up with a little bourbon. A few days of hiking and camping in the Gorge did us right. Only one fatality... Mark’s finger was crushed by a log. Prognosis as of yesterday... broken in 4 places. He's one tough mutha. Never whined at all. But this just reinforces my theory that he is forever cursed for cyclocross. 4 years and running with a broken bone before the season starts. We were definitely glad to get warm hugs from the family when we got back but after excursions like this, as soon as I’m home, I start thinking about doing it again. Big thanks to J-Fed for the gear. It was a life saver!

Into the Wild...

Mark likes introspection. He took lots of time to reflect and meditate... not really.

Great spot to camp... only... its on the other side.

Fording the river. 39 degrees. almost sundown. slippery. fast current. miles from anywhere. oh yeah... that 30 foot water fall 50 meters down river... not dangerous (or stupid) at all...

home sweet home.

Almost as comfortable as home. Hard to beat this place. Well worth crossing the river.

Crossing again.

Tired...

tired too...

The gorge...

"Hoe-Down" from Aaron Coplan's "Rodeo" plays us out...

Old School

Whenever I have a request for something on the more traditional side of the spectrum I get a little excited. While I love modern aesthetics, thinking, and design, every now and again, building something a little old school is nice (whether it be simple or intricate.) Like if I was a musician and I wrote a song that sounded like the Stones or Dylan, or if I was an artist and I painted something like David Hockney or Roy Lichtenstien... it would be nothing groundbreaking or innovative (and I am certainly NOT saying anything I have ever done is either of these. to the contrary in fact) but fun and satisfying nonetheless.

So, I am not a huge fan of staining wood... I am also not one that criticizes it either. In fact I get annoyed when I hear people DIS (yeah I said it) using any kind of color or paint on wood. I think coloring wood gets an unwarranted bad rap from too many crappily (yeah, I said it too) done jobs. Simple fact, sometimes stains, if properly executed, look badass. And if you want something to look aged you have to go to the stain... or wait 100 years. (aged, not distressed... I REALLY am not a big fan of the distressed look on a new piece. really. it inevitably looks like someone beat the thing with a screw driver. Age is subtle. Distressed can turn out looking contrived)

So here is my "go to" finish when I am trying to get the 100 year look. It is a modified version from the book Great Wood Finishes that I started using years ago.

It serves so many purposes that all around, for practical purposes, it is the only "staining" process I use.

First, as always, start with a well prepared surface. sanded or scraped to a least 220 grit.

Then I spray the entire surface with deionized water to pre raise the grain. I do this because in the next step, I use a water based dye (not stain... there is a difference... a big one) to give the piece 1 solid tone. Because the grain is already raised, I can eliminate some sanding and not risk sanding through my dye coat. Let the water dry the scuff sand with 320 grit.

For the dye coat I use 10 drops of TransTint's honey amber dye in 1 pint of deionized water. Spray the entire surface and let dry for at least an hour. The honey amber will look super yellow and freakishly awesome. This finish works particularly well if you have multiple boards glued together with different tones or unmatched sapwood like cherry. But it is also laying down a layer of that in the end will give a piece unmatched depth and well... age.

After the dye is dry (nice) I spray a thin thin thin coat of de-waxed shellac over the surface then scuff sand to 320 grit. This just seals the dye.

SUPER YELLOW!!!

For the next step I used to use a dark reddish/brown naphtha based stain by Mowhawk that is no longer made. I couldn't find anything comparable so now I do this in two steps. First I lay down a dark brown stain and let it sit for 20 minutes before wiping off. I let it dry for 1 to two days, depending on the humidity and, again, sand to 320.

Once dry, I will lay down my first coat of finish. Here I am using a wiping varnish. I let that dry for at least 24 hours then sand.... yes 320 grit. I now use a red mahogany toner on top of the first finish coat. These multiple layers create ridiculous depth and color. After the toner drys (1 hour) I then apply 3 -4 more coats of finish. Finish is important for the look. If I want it to look aged, I will most always go with a muted finish. Wiping varnish, shellac and lacquer have always done me right. Wax it up and its done. 100 years in a few days. Little bits of the yellow base come through the stain/toner/finish and make it look crazy!

On a different note... I should probably clean the shop.

Audi 5000!!!

If God Isn't a Tarheel...

Finally getting a little chill in the air here in the NC foothills. Could be my favorite time of the year. Milo has started rocking It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at night, and the leaves are just on the verge of making things feel like magic.

I haven't done anything with cherry in a while so when I started milling some today, it got me feeling a little crazy. Julie Andrews,,, Hills are alive,,, crazy. A good crazy! It smells SO unbelievably good when you cut it. Sweet and drippy. Like a cheese danish, or baklava. Maybe it was the coffee, or the blue skies, or the cancer causing dust particles entering my lungs, whatevs... I got giddy.

Glued, scraped, and sanded some tome tops. Gonna start the finishing process tomorrow. Priming, painting, and finishing for the next few days. Dreading it, but somehow nice weather makes it seem like fun.

In my state of autumnal euphoria, I began to think about my favorite things in the shop. Some are sentimental, all are essential. Maybe I secretly want to be John Cusack in High Fidelity...

Top Five favorite things in the shop:

1: Tie for first- Picture of my baby boy at the bench/ My now big boy hanging out with me.

2: Card Scrapers: Hands down my favorite tool. (low angle block plane a close second)

3: The worlds craziest music machine donated by Mr. Famous Bike Racer himself and best friend to yours truly, Mark Hekman.

4: Super, ridiculously, dangerously, scary sharp chisels.

5: Last but not least, my sweet sweet Izz-Bot.

Hope everyone in the Old North State enjoys the week of freaky nice weather!

You know it!




Its On You.

Ok.... I am going to post a tip that may be helpful to some. I will make every attempt to thoroughly cover all safety issues........ But if you get hurt.... I have a very good lawyer.

Also... By no means am I trying to say my methods are the best, correct, or not crazy. There are 10 ways to do everything in this business and thousands of years/ people doing them. This is just something I do. If it helps you... I would be elated!

Quick and Accurate Way to Measure Blade Height on the Table saw.

Measuring blade height on the table saw with a rule can be frustrating and sometimes inaccurate. The top of the blade arc is sometimes difficult to find and the eyes can often play tricks. I use a sacrificial strip of square stock to very accurately set blade height while wasting little time.

I generally use this method with the dado blade but it would work equally well with a single blade.

1: Find or make a square piece of 2' x 3"x 3/4" stock that you can sacrifice. I always use a piece of 3/4" plywood with at least 1 jointed edge. This is your sacrificial strip. Plywood is generally very strait/ stable, and I always have lots of cutoffs that I will never use.

2: Make 3 marks at the desired height in the middle of the sacrificial strip about 1' long. Connect the dots. I always make 3 marks because with only 2, 1 could be off and give you an nonparallel line. The 3rd mark keeps everybody straight. You could also use a marking gauge here.

3: Attach sacrificial strip to your saw fence. Make sure the clamps are TIGHT SON!!!

4: Make sure you have the correct throat plate in your saw. Drop your blade below the table. Place the sacrificial strip over half of the blade (make sure you don't go too far over and cut into your fence! Disaster.) Turn on the saw and slowly raise the blade until its highest point touches your line.

Now your blade is at the perfect height. Sweet!

Workin' It

Lots of cool projects coming up. Tables, beds, crib?????

Milo and I hit the lumber yard (not necessarily a real yard) this afternoon to pick up a little extra poplar for cabinet face frames and cherry for another project. Miss Rhonda from Wall Lumber up in Madison came out to the truck to get a hug from Milo. He told her he went to Spanish class and told someone to "Back Off Son!!!" He's been assured a job as soon as he turns 16. Love it!

Plugging away at cabinets. Even if they will be painted, I still like to treat cabinets as if they were to have a clear finish. Takes a little more time, but they always turn out better. Got all the face frames attached. Doors are in progress, along with the trim which will be a 1 1/2" cove moulding underneath the natural cherry tops. The cherry tops are going to get one of my favorite finish treatments. I'll post on it later this week. Here are some shots.

My homeboy

Hole at the bottom of the far one is for an air vent.

Baseboard and base cap will come up to the bottom of the

face.

Face frame is attached with biscuits and glue.

Used the Domino to glue the face frames.

People You Should Know.

Two of the titans.... or legends.... or icons.... these don't do justice, passed this year within months of each other. Sam Maloof and James Krenov arguably laid the foundation for "modern" woodworking (modern= strange for a craft spanning 1000's of years where the basic tenants remain fundamentally the same). Both lived long lives, Maloof 93, Krenov 89, both emigrated to the US, both lived and worked in California. Totally different styles. For me their influence was less about design, technical skill, or aesthetics. In fact I may go as far to say that I never really cared for their particular styles, although its hard not to love the lines of a Maloof rocker. More so they articulated, for me, the essence of the process. Krenov's "The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking" was the first woodworking book I picked up. I was lucky enough to work at a fantastic contemporary art gallery where it rested in the library. I knew nothing - absolutely - ... might not know much more today... and was, to say the least... intimidated. Krenov hit me like bricks:

"This book is not intended for professional cabinetmakers. It is for amateurs in the true sense of the word: those who love the material and the work of their craft more than anything else about it.... What some of us find is an enjoyment we can't weigh against money, recognition, or artistic aura. By whatever term others call it, it is the feeling of doing something we want to do-and doing it well, by measures both honest and sensitive." -James Krenov, The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking

Maloof was the guy I wanted to be. California lemon farm, shop with his sons, super cool glasses. If Krenov was about philosophy, Maloof was about lifestyle (at least for me.) More so than any traditional woodworker, Maloof broke through the "craftsman" barrier and became a design icon. His lines are echoed everywhere. Sculpted and new, his methods were a revelation to many... me included.

These were some of the guys that inspired me in the beginning and continue to today. I go back to their books sometimes frequently and other times infrequently, not necessarily for technical know how, but more for reassurance or comfort. They are like mashed potatoes or chicken soup. Always good, always comfort.

So I was very sad when I learned they were both gone. Not that I knew or met them or ever would. Just that they were gone.

Maloof on the cover of the 25th ed. of Fine Woodworking (the periodic bible you might say)