Breaking Down Slabs

The large majority of the wood that I have is sawn in slabs. While the live edges allow more design possibilities, there are times when I don't need them. Layout To process this slab, I start by aligning my straight edge just inside the bark. This results in the straightest grain with the least amount of waste. … Continue reading Breaking Down Slabs

Black Locust Wall Table, Part II: Putting it Together

In Part I - Visualizing in Wood, I selected and prepared the table components.  Part II - Putting it Together covers everything else - joinery, sculpting, and assembly. To facilitate laying out and cutting the long tusk tenon, I first flattened one face of the upright.  I used three round, wooden bench dogs to immobilize … Continue reading Black Locust Wall Table, Part II: Putting it Together

Black Locust Wall Table, Part I: Visualizing in Wood

This table was inspired by a coffee table design of Brian VanVreede with a daring cantilevered top.  I worked out my design in my head over the next five months until I built the first wall-mounted version. How I Chose My Materials The entire table was made of black locust because it was hard and strong enough, and … Continue reading Black Locust Wall Table, Part I: Visualizing in Wood

Feels Like Summertime

Yes, I realize that the temperature is hovering around 5 degrees, there's still snow on the ground, and the sun doesn't come out much. But what I mean by summertime is that I can spend my day out in the yard doing my darnedest to cover the ground with sawdust and wood chips. I started … Continue reading Feels Like Summertime

Acacia – Block to Bowl

Right now I have a half dozen blocks of green acacia in the garage.  I spent a good portion of last Saturday turning a pair of bowls from a single block.  I first outlined the shape of the bowl on the block and cut it out on the bandsaw.  I screwed the block onto a faceplate … Continue reading Acacia – Block to Bowl