I love the mixture of straight lines and subtle curved seat carved out of a block of black walnut. The finish looks supremely natural and will likely age very well. In the two taller versions the footrest is covered in black leather.
I am tempted to give this type of wood shaping a try in my workshop, but it looks like alot of work to get the seat curved in the right places. And the pressure to get it right would be significant because you know a block of nice wood like that would not be cheap.
As much as I love these, I will not be buying them for my home. The price is $1130 for the short one and it goes up as the stool gets taller. Best I can do is maybe to try it for myself with a lesser species of wood.
One of the coolest Idea Houses I worked on is now toast. Lightning started a massive fire that burnt the River Dunes, NC home to the ground earlier this month. It is a such a waste of a gorgeous home.
Saddest thing to me is that the 4′ x 7′ red oak dining table that was custom built from old barn timbers was presumably also destroyed by the fire. It was a beautiful piece—pardon my prejudice—that I really enjoyed building. You can see more pictures of the table here and there is a shot of it in the news video above.
There is a new DVD set on Chair Caning that I wish was around when I was teaching myself to restore chair seats. The four DVD set ($79.99) covers the 7-step method, pre-woven cane, fibre rush, and splint-type weaving. If you only are interested in one aspect of seat weaving, you can buy any individual DVD ($24.99).
As for books, I can personally recommend Seat Weaving by Ricky Holdstock and Chair Seat Weaving for Antique Chairs by Marion Burr Sober. The former is a great resource with lots of pictures. The later is a 64 page booklet with line drawing diagrams, glossary, and easy to follow instructions for hand caning, rush weaving, splint weaving, and Shaker tape weaving.
Just received a thank you letter from the Birmingham Symphony Decorator Show House Design Team. The Virginia College students have learned their lessons well and listened to their mothers instructions on etiquette. They were great to work with for starters and now they have proven themselves gracious and well mannered. Below is the text of the letter.
The 2009 Designer Show House has come to a successful close. The entire Design Team from Virginia College would like to thank you for your willingness to help us achieve our goal of creating an interesting and inviting playroom in our assigned space. We would not have been able to create our vision without the generosity of supporters like yourself, especially during these trying economic times.
The room was a child’s “Enchanted Forest” playroom and the gorgeous handmade cabinet you loaned us was the perfect addition to the room. Not only was it the correct size but was beautifully handcrafted and received many favorable comments on the quality.
Once again thank you very much for loaning the cabinet to our effort, it helped to make our room a popular and well-liked living space. We look forward to patronizing your business in the near future.
“The children’s playroom, decorated by students at Virginia College, is a woodland wonderland. The wooden stage, topped with an arbor, is trimmed with river rocks and features a chalkboard background “so they can change the scenery,” says instructor Ginny Aday. One corner of the playful, angular room features a hand-painted tree, trimmed with fairies, while another is outfitted with a custom-built banquette, which is upholstered with a brown-tweed fabric and topped with robin’s egg blue pillows.”
No mention of my piece, but it may not have been delivered yet. I got it in just under the wire.
Delivered cabinet to Birmingham Symphony Decorator Showhouse today. Did not get to see the entire house, but the children’s room is very fun and well done. The cabinet fit in perfectly and the interior designer (Ginny Aday Interiors) in charge of the commission was pleased. Of course, I forgot my camera, but Ginny took this picture at the patron’s party and sent it to me. I heard that B’ham Magazine will be doing a shoot so will be on the lookout for their coverage.
Another photographer was at the house. I was very pleased to see my friend Jean Allsopp there. Her photos always showcase a house well. I also met designer Marjorie Johnston who decorated the foyer.
Showhouse opens April 24 for touring.
Monday – Saturday 10am – 3pm, Sunday 1pm – 5pm. Tickets are $20. For more info, click here.
Delivery tomorrow to the showhouse. Finish was still a bit tacky, but by morning it should be fine. I applied a coat of paste wax over the satin polyurethane to dull the finish even more. No time to add much in the way of peeled wood accents, but did add a natural twig handle. Hinges are rusty iron and there is a hidden door catch. I am pleased and hope the interior designer will be too.
With the deadline looming, I have been working like crazy on the cabinet for the Birmingham Symphony Decorator Showhouse. This weekend I got everything assembled except the door. I even started to put on the finish before I remembered to take more pictures. I had already applied stain (Olde Maple) to the interior of the cabinet in this picture.
At first I wasn’t too sure about the final result, but after covering the entire piece with one coat, I am very pleased. The finish looks very natural but has an aged feeling to it that compliments the origin (barn timbers) and rustic character of the raw wood. I have not decided about a second coat. I am leaning toward a coat of paste wax.
What remains is to mount the door and, if possible, apply some fall peeled wood accents to the door. I had originally thought I would trim out the top with the peeled wood, but it is very difficult to get straight cuts on naturally curved wood without a band saw. That may be my next purchase. Applying some accents may or may not work out. More on that later.
The compound miter saw came in handy on this project and I finally laid to rest my Porter Cable orbital sander. It died after a very useful and productive life. I replaced it with a Black and Decker Palm Grip Sander after trying out the newer model of the Porter Cable sander. Did not care for it and returned it the same day. The B&D is very nice and feels great in the hands due some gel inserts in the multiple handles. Bonus: It was also on sale for only $34. The PC model I returned was $59. Gotta love that.
You will find here the musings of a self-taught woodworker, crafts-person, and occasional potter. Projects, plans, and products relative to rustic and salvage woodworking will be the norm. Randomness is possible too.
Enjoy!
New to the Design Within Reach catalog is the Tractor Stool Collection made from top-grade American walnut and inspired by old-timey tractor seats.
From AL.com:
Delivered cabinet to 
Delivery tomorrow to the 
With the deadline looming, I have been working like crazy on the cabinet for the 
