Custom Windsor Benches- contemporary and traditional

I have found a nice niche in the furniture making world with my contemporary Windsor benches or settees.  While both lines that I build are rooted in tradition, my New Waltham line features natural finishes that show off the warm wood of the pieces and has a more modern look.  These work well for someone who loves wood everywhere or just wants a warm accent to contrast furniture or surroundings that are not rich in natural wood.   My Waltham line features, pieces with milk paint finishes and hand carved details that give a more traditional look while not screaming "fife and drum".  These pieces also have a warmth that is a nice contrast to an ultra modern decor while blending with a more rustic or period surrounding.  More of my benches and settees can be found at my website. TimothyClark.com 

5' Waltham Bench with thin crest rail

cherry highlights are seen at edges of the rail with a
rubbed out finish

the carved "gutter" detail is part of my
painted  Waltham line.

When I paint a piece, I ask the customer if they want more or less "wear through" of the paint.  As the paint is rubbed out there is sometimes a small bit of rub through.  My favorite look is to rub through a bit more at high contact edges. This adds highlights that define the lines of the piece. You can ask for more or less of this.The bench below is a 3' version of my Waltham bench with the traditional crest rail.    This rail  results in the most traditional look of my designs. 

This last year, I added a bench with an arm rail to my Waltham line.  This design is based on my Waltham Arm chair.  If a bench is to be used at a table, I suggest a bench without an arm rail but this design works well in a hall or a spot where the sitter does not need to slide in from the side.  

The arm rail passes behind the back spindles as in all of my arm chair designs.  This is my "Floating Back" design.

Enjoy the snow,

Tim

Cherry Pencil Post Beds

Cherry Pencil Post Bed

Over my 30 years of making furniture professionally, I have a few designs that have been mainstays of my business.   My Pencil Post Beds are one of those.  I seem to consistently make at least 2 and maybe 4 of these each year.  The bed is a lot of cherry. 2 1/2' square posts at the base with a  transition to an eight sided taper.  This transition is made by way of a carved "lamb's tongue".   The facets of the eight sided taper are scribed with a spar makers scribe and then power planed to rough out stock to get close to the scribe lines.  The final sizing is done with a hand plane.  

Bolted joints make for a solid, quiet bed.

Every bed is made custom to fit the customer's mattress dimensions and to finish off at the height desired by the customer.   At present, I offer three options for finishing off the posts.  They can be left bare, they can have cross bars (known as testers), or they can have finials.  I turn the finials by hand. The finials incorporate a 1/4" diameter steel post that sticks out of the bottom. This is simply dropped into the hole at the top of the post. No wooden peg to break off.

The rails are joined to the posts with an exposed bolt that makes a very solid joint that will not wear out. If the bed were to "loosen up" over the winter due to wood movement, they can simply be tightened.  I discovered this design on an original Shaker meeting house trestle table that was made to break down for storage. I loved the practical honesty of the bolt. There was no attempt to hide it behind a brass decorative plate or to sink it deep into the wood.  It was celebrated for what it was. The right material for the job.  I do offer a completely hidden bolt design but there would be an extra cost as I have custom nuts made for the bolts and the woodwork required is time consuming.   I prefer  to see the blackened bolt as a detail that contrasts nicely to the warm wood.  Check out this and other designs at www.TimothyClark.com.

Queen size bed with finials.

Posts after final shaping ready for finish sanding.

Detail of the post and finial.  

Enjoy the crazy weather we are having.  Rain and 50 degrees yesterday.  Today, 15 degrees and a snow storm. 

Lucy says, "Just enjoy the weather!"

Tim
                                         

One of a Kind - Live Edge Bench -

By its very nature, Live Edge furniture results in one of a kind pieces.   This one leans a bit farther in the one of a kind direction.  After months and months of building my usual designs, I made this piece as a fun "no rules" exercise.  When I began, I was not even sure that I would make a bench and had planned to make a small table out of one end or the other of this live edge slab.   As I was ready to cut the plank, I started to appreciate the center part of the plank with all of the "character".   So, on a whim, I cut off the ends and left a 57" length with the "character" right in the middle, deciding that it would be a bench.  Realizing that the center would not be strong enough to sit on, unsupported, I decided to give it a center leg.   The stretchers that support that center leg come into it at an angle to echo the curve of the seat.   As I turned the legs,  I designed as I went having nothing in particular in mind.  I turned the straight collar section at the joints, stepped it down for a tapering run to the bottom and top.  I really like the graceful curve of the seat. This would be strange normally but works beautifully as it is the natural curve of the tree.  This bench is available and is priced at $1800.  Let me know if you are interested.  

The knotty section in the center was stabilized with epoxy and while textured at the edge, it is smooth to the touch.

I think of it as a bench for a mudroom or hall but here it works as a coffee table.

Ziggy says- Happy Fall!

Evolving Windsor Chair Designs at TimothyClark.com

My latest adaptation to the more modern of my Windsor chair designs is the addition of stretchers as a means of supporting the legs.  I will still offer the laminated leg supports but I was ready for a change.  All of my chair designs can be seen on my website here.  The legs and stretchers are rough turned on the lathe and then hand planed to the final shape on the shaving horse.

                     





Enjoy the cool weather.  We have had a chilly week but temps should be more reasonable later this week.
Tim

New Windsor Bench and Rocking Chair at TimothyClark.com

The last few years have been very busy in my shop.  I am starting to realize that I need some help. In the meantime, I have been plugging along and doing some of my best work. Here are two new designs that are adaptations of previous designs.

The New Waltham Side Chair Rocker which I also call the Musician's Rocker,  replaces my previous side chair rocker. The New Waltham seat is larger and more comfortable and the look works for me. You can see it here on my website. http://www.timothyclark.com/r_newwalrock.html

Next up is my latest 3' Waltham Bench which this time has the thin crest rail which has been very popular over the last few years.  I originally thought that this design was impractical since it was so small but this one was for a mudroom and is a great place to get in and out of shoes as you place your bags or other stuff on the bench next to you.

Ziggy continues to entertain me in the shop.

Have a great holiday season.
Tim

Curly Maple Trestle Table with Painted Base and a New Cod Rib Rocker

Last week I finally delivered this table to a very nice couple in Vermont.  Many think that I would do a lot of work for people in Vermont but usually my local work amounts to one order per year.

I was very happy to receive this note a few days after the delivery.

"A note to let you know how much we appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship and finished result of the tiger maple trestle table.  The words used by our guests were’ stunning’ and they reflect our own sentiments.  You surprised our expectations!"

A tiger maple key to match the top.

Below is a new Cod Rib Rocker with the added detail of the carved gutter around the base of the spindles.  A while back, the same client in California requested the gutter detail on some New Waltham Side chairs.  I usually only put the gutter on my painted chairs but I think it looks nice.

Don't be afraid to suggest detail additions or modifications.  Many times the results are great.

The garden is doing great after all of the rain that we had.

Enjoy the rest of July.

Tim

Trestle Table w/ Round Ends All Finished

I finally finished this table, photographed it, and it is now in it's new home.  I received a call from the client when the table arrived and they were very happy with how it came out. I love those calls.  I am looking forward to seeing pictures of it in place.

On to the next projects.

I have made a lot of progress on a pencil post bed, but am waiting for some custom hardware that I need before I can finish it.

In the meantime, I have started the next Trestle Table that will have a rectangle top and a painted base, a Cod Rib Rocker, a 5 1/2' Waltham Bench, and a set of Waltham Chairs.

size- 40" wide, 74" long, 30" tallTrestle Table w/ Round Ends

Evan's Table

the table looks more orange here than in reality but cherry is very light when it is new. It will darken with age.

This is the Boat Top Table that I just made for a friend of mine from college.  The time consuming part of this table is due to the curved aprons that follow the same curve at the sides of the top.   First the aprons must be laminated into a curve and then the tenons that join them to the legs must be cut.  I suppose if I made this table all the time, I would have set up a jig to do this joint on a machine but since the last time I made this table was in 1999,  I did the joints by hand.  Planning is critical because I needed a large flat area in which to lay out the joint and to cut the joint.  The table top was perfect for this.   It allowed both ends of the curved apron to lay on the same plane so that they could be marked square to each other.

a solid plank is sawn into thin flitches which are laid out here for glueing.

the flitches are clamped over a form that I made in 1999 and have not used again until now. I was lucky to still have it.

the glued apron coming off of the form.

the rough lumber for the table top

final glue up of the table top

Two glued up aprons

set up to cut the shoulders of the tenons for the joint to the legs

the saw runs along the clamped scrap piece to make a nice straight cut. The tenon shape can be seen  marked on the side of the curved apron.

after the saw cut is made, the tenon is sized with a rabbet plane.

the curved apron joined to the legs

the rough table top glue up is made even with a hand plane, planing across the joints until they are all even

after rough sawing the shape, the top is propped in place so that the edges can be made true with a hand plane.

the ends are also planed smooth with a hand plane

sometimes other small jobs need doing.  my guitar was dropped on the input plug and a hole was punched through the side.  I glued on a cherry patch to reinforce the area.

a string of large rubber bands make great clamps

reinforcing corner braces and a center cross piece are added for strength

the table top os held in place with wooden buttons that allow for seasonal movement

and there we are

And,  in case you were wondering, the guitar is all fixed and working nicely.