Creating a new piece is, by necessity, a labor of love: it’s guaranteed to take 2 to 3 times as long as planned. That’s not good or bad, just the way development is. In this case, an opportunity to show my newest offering at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC was the final impetus. Sometimes I’m grateful for deadlines.
Among the gnarly surprises I encountered, the crest rail could not be sawn from a solid piece of stock as planned. This would have put short grain where it is least welcome: at the joint. Rather I opted for a bent ply lamination using yellow glue. This yielded a part which is like Gary Cooper: tough and handsome. Another task which was more persnickety than I’d anticipated was boring the spindle holes at precisely the correct angles (each one different!) ...I love complex geometry, but can sometimes paint myself into a corner. The answer lied in the correct auger (by WoodOwl), which I found at http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/, coupled with a steady guide system.
The rest of the chair is rather straightforward, consisting largely of turnings and wedged, through-tenon joints. The result is quite robust in spite of it’s delicate appearance. Aesthetically, while any two contrasting woods will work, I’m particularly taken with the Walnut & Figured Maple seen here.
I’ve got a settee in mind, based on this chair and will be posting about that soon.
Till then ...Rich
