Last weekend, I met with some of my fellow Artwalk participants and showed them the yellow cedar chair that I’d built to hang in the tree outside The Bistro Gallery where I will be showing my work.
Chair in a Tree
They loved the concept and encouraged me to make another piece for a second tree. So, that’s what I decided to do.
I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 10:21).
This is the eighteenth slide from my PechaKucha presentation.
Saturday was a full day in the shop. After breakfast, I went down to the shop and built 90% of a chair which will be installed up in a tree. (In case you missed it, here’s the back story.)
I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 22:41).
This is the fourteenth slide from my PechaKucha presentation.
Artists will be hanging art in the trees to promote the event and my idea is to hang a piece of sculptural furniture. I want to make a chair that is missing a back leg. Upon installation, the tree will become the back leg of the chair.
This Saturday, March 23, I will begin building (and hopefully finish) the chair. It will be a live Tweet-Along that you will be able to follow here: tweetchat.com/room/flairww
Of all the bench planes (bevel-down) I have acquired, the Veritas ones have been by far the easiest to adjust and for that, I love them. Blade adjustments have always been responsive and predictable; I could set the mouth to let through only a sliver of light quicker than you can read the upcoming quote, all without using any tools.
However, I never found their bubinga totes very comfortable. To me, they felt too flat, too upright, too narrow, and the sharp horn made it uncomfortable to brace against my stomach (as I do when drawing small pieces of wood across the plane’s sole). Rob Lee, president of Lee Valley Tools Ltd. (Veritas is the manufacturing arm of Lee Valley Tools Ltd.), once made this comment:
“You all should be modifying all of your tool handles to suit your own handle preferences in the first place. Any single design will only suit a part or the population in the first place.”
(Find this quote, among many others, on my page titled Quotables.)
I have made custom totes and matching knobs for most of my tools but a few have only seen minor modifications such as a touch with a rasp or the removal of the shiny plastic finish with a spokeshave or coarse sandpaper. Shiny handles suck!
Three years ago, I made a new tote and knob for my Veritas #4 which is my favourite bench plane. I used some really unique dogwood and the result was not only comfortable and non-fatiguing, but also beautiful.
Last Sunday, I had some free time in the afternoon so I decided to make a better tote and knob for my newest Veritas bench plane, the #5-1/4. For Veritas bench plane totes, the recesses and bores were a little more complicated to make than with others, but all it took was some careful layout and a little creative jigging.
Making the knob was simple in comparison.
I tried to find cherry with some character but was disappointed, especially so for the tote. Once I was done, I noticed that the light-coloured grips reminded me of Lie-Nielsen planes. Does anybody else agree with me?
I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 5:50).
One night last week, fellow planemaker Scott Meek and I were discussing scrub planes. Neither of us had ever built one and so we began a Scrub Plane Build-Off right then and there.
Scott’s plane was resawn, then laminated back together, the same way he makes the rest of his hand planes. Here are the specs for his plane:
Body: old-growth white oak
Length: 8″
Width: 2.5″
Weight: 1 lb – 10.5 oz (753 grams)
Blade width: 1-3/4″
Radius of blade: 4″
Photo by Scott Meek
Photo by Scott Meek
I opted for a hand-tool oriented approach, mortising the body with chisels. I knew that my scrub plane would see considerable hard use so I incorporated a lignum vitae sole.
Body: yellow birch with lignum vitae sole
Length: 7″
Width: 2.5″
Weight: 1 lb-4 oz (567 grams)
Blade width: 1-3/4″
Radius of blade: 3″
I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtags #FlairWW and #ScrubPlaneBuildOff (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 4:14).
I was asked to make a wooden body for a Veritas Inset Plane for demonstration purposes at Lee Valley’s Coquitlam showroom. Along with a basic instruction sheet, this is what was in the box.
Completing the plane was a neat project that only required a few hours, so I took the opportunity to do a Tweet-Along as I built a wooden chamfering body for the Inset Plane.
I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 5:55).
In Session 1, Session 2, Session 3 and Session 4 I began working on an exploded shelf I’m calling Deconstructed. I finished the last session by filling in air bubbles with epoxy.
Today, in the final session of this Tweet-Along, I completed the shelf, including applying the first coat of finish.
As always, I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I attempted to record my build in time-lapse as usual, but due to a technical glitch, that didn’t work. I compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 2:16).
In Session 1, Session 2, and Session 3 I began working on an exploded shelf I’m calling Deconstructed. I finished the last session by pouring clear resin around the wood parts set in a mould made of waxed melamine.
Tuesday, I unmoulded the casting. If everything had gone perfectly, all that would have been required would have been to apply a finish. Alas, that was not the case, so I continued work. This was my first time working with resin (Crystal Clear by Smooth-On) and, considering that, I’m happy with the results.
As always, I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I also recorded my build in time-lapse and compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 9:36).
In the next session, I expect to complete the shelf.
Earlier this month in Session 1 and Session 2, I began working on a new project. I had cut parts for the mould and begun waxing them.
Yesterday, I finished waxing the mould and poured the resin. As always, I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. I also recorded my build in time-lapse and compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 7:15).
In the next session, I’ll unmould the casting and find out if my first attempt at casting was successful and to what degree.
Last week, in Session 1, I began working on a new project. I finished the day with three parts for a shelf and the task of researching casting resins.
Yesterday, I bought Smooth-On’s Crystal Clear resin and proceeded with the build. As always, I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag #FlairWW (follow me @FlairWoodworks) which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed. As I did last time, I also recorded my build in time-lapse and compiled the photos and Tweets into a video (duration – 8:57). This time, I added more time to the still frames.
This is a new format and I would appreciate your feedback, especially regarding the duration of the still frames (if they are still too quick, you can click on the video to pause it).
In Session 3, I complete the mould and pour the resin.
I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag 
Yesterday, I finished waxing the mould and poured the resin. As always, I documented my progress live on Twitter using hashtag 
