Ladder Framing

[Chris Head]

And you could turn a pepper pot in the eother end then it would be a 'shake rattle & roll'! Look forward to the piccys JJ, thanks! Some of the worlds best carve at that event, they're geniuses.

Maybe sending a petition to Judy would spedite Dicks thicknesser? I wonder if you're playing it right though Dick?

I know I'm lucky enough to have all the timber I wan't, I suppose I get used to it and forget that not everyone has the same access to the material, it must be frustrating.

Chris

[powerdesal]

frustrating - definitely,  mind stretching - certainly, satisfying - incredibly so   [:D]

[Dick Smith]

The thicknesser isn't a runner in England, but when we get our workshop finished in France it is top of the list. At the moment it is roof and walls and an earth floor, so it may be where I learn about mixing concrete as well. No electricity yet, either.

That's a retirement project, though, when we will be out for longer periods. Trouble is, you run out of places to put furniture!

[powerdesal]

                 

  

Just some more items, the kitchen drawer fronts have now been joined by

a matching cupboard door, all hand carried on aircraft from middle

east. The wine rack and table are still in sharjah. Both the latter are

from bog standard pallets, the kitchen stuff is from a limited supply

of american white oak that I located in Sharjah (at some expense). The

work top is black Indian granite and the carcases are straight B &

Q.

The table and wine rack are in walnut stain with multiple wax coating

finish, the kitchen stuff is natural with a polyurethane varnish coat

for kitchen type protection The bowl on the table is also home made.

[Chris Head]

Your skill and enthusiasm are more than obvious Steve, great looking work! And by making your own furniture you're creating something that is unique and will give pleasure every time you walk past it. What's the next project?

Chris

[powerdesal]

Finish the kitchen doors and finish a 50% made welsh dresser - as and

when I can find some more American white oak imported to Sharjah!!!

After that  ??????

My wife has an ambition (for me ) that ultimately all the furniture in

the house will have been made by me, how ambitious is that (of her)?

With the wiring and plumbing all being part of the masterplan I can see a conflict of priorities looming.

[Chris Head]

My wife has the same ambition for me Steve but I guess it's a bit like the mechanic and his own car! I'm too busy with other peoples work, I'm just a bloke who can't say no to a challenging project!

I did make this for Sarahs last Christmas present though, I don't know what you'd call it but it's a kitchen cupboard and wine storage unit, note the empty wine racks, we're not as well behaved as Dick! I've got about 140 hours into the piece, 100% local Oak predictably.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/chrishead/DSC01043.jpg[/IMG]

Just to stir you up a bit, here's some of my Oak drying, about 11 m3 in 30mm planks, it's been air drying for two years now and is ready for the kiln, it's like nurturing a baby and watch it develop in front of your eyes....heaven!

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/chrishead/DSC01042.jpg[/IMG]

Chris

[powerdesal]

Chris,

You are a master. The grain pattern and obvious patina are gorgeous, I

love the arched top rails of the doors. Are all the joints dry and

pegged, glued or did you use mechanical fastenings? I think I would

need a lot more than 140 hrs to even come close

Dont tell me where you are or I might be tempted by that stack of oak one dark night!!!!!!  [;-)]

Many regards

[Christine Animal]

... But we are saving plenty of palettes for Steve, for next time he is over.  What happened to the hedgehog   [:(]

                

[TWINKLE]

Chris!

That piece you made for Sarah is beautiful and unique - as usual.  Such talent!

 

Christine! Love it!!
Are you the stunning red-head  in front of the palettes?

[Jonzjob]

What hedgehog?

What do you dry it down to Chris, about 14% or less. It's an impressive stack of timber. Mind you our French neighbours would see that as a warm winter, bloody philistines! That unit is lovely. I like the idea if the tall cupboards each side and the draws in the middle. Shame about the wine rack, was it full and fell foul to a thirsty day? I know that whatever I can make that I would struggle BIG time to make that unit, well done mate! Also anyone that can make such lovely furniture out of pallets has my admiration!!

[TWINKLE]

That's not fair!

Carving in this heat is obviously a thirsty job[;-)]

[powerdesal]

Christine,

The hedgehog made way for the Zafira especially for Cassis, it was

getting a bit boring as an avatar anyway. As Zafiras are supposed to be

equally boring I will replace with something else - eventually (

Ins'allah)

[powerdesal]

Are matching pink glasses of Baileys too OTT?

oops, it hasn't updated yet

[Chris Head]

I couldn't even start to describe the emotion that went into that piece, dont you lot get it? It's not about a friggin machine or a lump of wood, the whole thing is about expression, ask Twinkle about expression, like me she does it for a living, our mediums might be different but we do the same job. How many of you step outside of your safety zones 'cos you're afraid of failure? And then you die and and on your deathbed how many will say 'I wish........' ....NOT ME! I want to do stuff I cant do & I'll do it.

Could somebody please post up tommorrow 'BILLY IDOL' for me, I'd forgotten about him & need to download his stuff & I'll forget unless reminded.

KEEP yer mitts off my timber you woodies!

Isn't life just toooo good? I've got lots more I'd love to share...

Chris

 

[Christine Animal]

[quote user="TWINKLE"]

Christine! Love it!!
Are you the stunning red-head  in front of the palettes?

[/quote]

Non, c'est ma petite fille !   [:P]

 

[TWINKLE]

Elle est magnifique!

Je suis sure qu'elle te resemble Mme. Animal[:)]

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="Chris Head"]

I couldn't even start to describe the emotion that went into that piece, dont you lot get it? It's not about a friggin machine or a lump of wood, the whole thing is about expression, ask Twinkle about expression, like me she does it for a living, our mediums might be different but we do the same job. How many of you step outside of your safety zones 'cos you're afraid of failure? And then you die and and on your deathbed how many will say 'I wish........' ....NOT ME! I want to do stuff I cant do & I'll do it.

Isn't life just toooo good? I've got lots more I'd love to share...

Chris

 

[/quote]

Hi Chris, that's a bit unfair on some of us, although not meant I hope? Here is a project I was given. It's a late 19th century lens from a naval telescope. It's about 6 inch diameter and I was asked if I could make a mount for it? The mount is made from one peice of English elm. The rim had to be turned in 2 halves, not too big or it would move and not too small or it would split and drop the lenz. It took me several weeks to fathom out how to do it. I wanted a central pillar, but the lenz was too heavy, about 1 inch thick. Apart from the lenz it is all wood.

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Navallens2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Navallens.jpg[/IMG]

So I opted for the pillar on each side. It was a real challenge for me. People commisioned me to do a fair number of jobs that I had never done before and that is what I love about doing what I do. Just as you. I love working with wood, iroko excluded, and I love the challenge of each new job. I am also very lucky in that I don't have to make a living at it, but it doesn't make me love it any more, or less.

I hope that you go on sharing your work with us. It's lovely to see.

[powerdesal]

Great piece of turning John. It suits side pillars rather than a central pillar IMHO. I can see that I've got a long way to go to match the skills that you and Chris are showing.

I agree with your sentiments about Chris's comments but each of us feels differently about our skills and everyone has their own level of aspiration.

Perhaps we ought to have a separate thread for wood working chat.

[Chris Head]

My comments are just meant to provoke thought and imagination John, most certainly not insult.

That is just friggin lovely John, and what a dream to be working with Elm! The 'photos don't do justice to the ethereal qualities of Elm. I'm desperate for a new mallet for my chisels, the one I'm using is from Lignum Vitae (an old bowl) and is split and not too far away from dying! I think I might have some Box of appropriate size...I'd like it turned from one piece, how's your workload???

I would hate to be doing what I do just for myself, I think I might lose my thirst. When you're working for somebody, you've got to look them in the eye and take payment at the end of the day, for me, if I haven't given my all to the work I couldn't take money, clear conscience and all that...

Chris

[Jonzjob]

I don't know if you would be interested in a brass mallet, but there is a lovely one in the Axminster Powertools catalog 

 http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/1/product-Kirschen-Brass-Headed-Mallet-22507.htm

But if not then if you can get a peice of box down to me that's big enough for a mallet head then you may never see it again [6]??? Lignum Vitae is about as good as you can get for a mallet. Nice weight a very strong. Box might just be a bit light weight. I was always taught as an aircraft electrician in the R.A.F. to "Don't force it sonny, use a bigger 'ammer". And always to hold it at the end of the shaft "'cause if god 'ad meant the 'andle to be that long then 'e would 'ave made it that long!". Always worked for me!

Turning elm is wonderful and I have some lovely knottie (not quite burred) bowl blamks that came over from the U.K. I'm looking forward to doing those.

Seriously about the box. If you can trust me then I could turn you a mallet with a nice straight grained ash handle, par de problem... I have some box, quite small, that we collected whilst on holliday in the Lot, near Figeac, about 8 years ago. Just about ready to use now. It will make some lovely Elezabethan design babies rattles.

[Jonzjob]

Steve all it really takes is practice and an eye for what you are doing and want to finish up with. I also did a weekend course when I first started turning and that taught me a boat load of the basics. I have had bits of wood flying off the lathe, one was a log about 8 inche diameter doing nearly 2000 rpm. I had taken a liberty and had not balanced it correctly. I don't do that any more 'cause you can't catch about 2 lbs of wood doing nearly 2000 rpm. Don't 'arf sparpen your reactions though! I was called an artist a load of times in England, but nothing to do with wood. Glasses came into it somewhere. But since we have been here 2 French people have used the term and it was to do with what I make. It make the mishaps worth it. When you are putting the very final touch to a lovely goblet, just touch it and there is a band and bits go everywhere. I have been known to say 'goodness gracious' several times?

I love the play I do. You can't call it work can you?

[Jonzjob]

Sorry to steal the thread, but 666, I can't leave it at that number of posts [6].

[Chris Head]

Steve, I want to provoke and help, not insult. I'm passionate. If you saw my workshop you'd laugh at the lack of equipment I have. It's not about about machines, it's about intepretation. Ask Twinkle if she needs a microphone and full sound system to express herself. What I do is easy, anyone of you can do it. that's what I want to try and get across over time.

Chris

[Jonzjob]

Steve, reference hedghogs. When I worked for IBM one of the other engineers had a saying about hedgehogs. It went along the lines of "I hope that your next c r a p is a hedghog". This was directed against any of the numerous drivers who regularly tried to kill him and all of us! Now my favorite call is just "hedgehogs", you don't 'arf get some funny looks, but it makes me feel better knowing what is in store for them!

OK Chris, back on course again. Challenges?

A receint challenge for me was that we were trying to get a set of walk-in steps for our pool. Above ground pool steps are no good, not tall enough. So I decided to make them in fibre glass. First the mould

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Poolsteps2.jpg[/IMG]

and then several weeks of laying up layer upon layer of glass with the perfume of the week, polyester resin! Then breaking the mould to get the glass out. Followed by reinforcing the floppy glass steps with 2 inch thick plastic waste pipe and finaly having the pleasure of putting them into the pool and watching as they floated [8-)][+o(]! So I had to drill holes in the pipe work to let them fill with water and now they sit on the bottom of the pool

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Poolsteps1.jpg[/IMG]

They will have to have some more weight on them as they do wander a bit when there is a lot of activity in the pool. I had a fair amount of info from a very helpful fibre glass company in the U.K., but they were not totally sure if it would be strong enough. I am 13 1/2 stone and they take my weight so they should be OK. I've never tackled anything like this before and I would have to be bruddy well drunk before I did it again too. But the result is good and easy to use and to my surprise is not in the least bit slippery?

I did love the challenge though.