Shelburne Bench Progress plus spindle shaving by the lake

I finally got the stainless steel back supports for the benches that I am making (above).  I had a local metal worker Nop Metal Works cut, bend and drill the steel to my specifications.  I then spent a day sanding and wire brushing the steel to make it presentable for display.  It is grimy work, so I set up outside for this part.




 Below is a shot of the 5' bench set up with a piece of scrap used as the back rest.  I have not made the back rest yet.

This shot shows the steel clamped to the seat.

In the shop below, the steel is now bolted with a stainless steel flat head cap screw.  It was very scary to drill through that seat.

Last weekend , my wife was away so, realizing that I was not going to get any work done, I tookmy kids to my parents camp in the Adirondacks and managed to get some work done on spindles for a 5' Waltham Bench.  It also was a needed rest.

This video is about the time is takes to do the hand work part of making these spindles. This bench has 32 spindles.

By the way, the camp is for sale and is a great place.

Enjoy the rain. What else can we do?
Tim

Shelburne Museum Center for Art and Education Outdoor Benches

I am just getting started on three benches for the Center for Art and Education building at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.
The benches are 5', 7', and 9' long.  The seats will be made from 3" cherry stock and is very heavy to work with. Each board is around 100 pounds when rough and the longest bench seat after trimming and cleaning up is around 130 pounds. This was by far the hardest part of the job.  I still have a way to go but I am glad to be done with the seats. Below are some shots and videos showing some of that process.

rough 12/4 plank, 12" or so wide
12/4 means 3 inches

this is showing the bottoms of the 5',7', and 9' seats, ready for finish.

It sure has been rainy.

Enjoy the glimpses of sun,

Tim

Benches, benches, benches. and the search for a lazy summer

Below is my latest 5' Waltham Bench which I made for a customer of Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont.  

This summer I will be making a bunch of benches.

-Two more of these benches but with a thin crest rail instead of the tall traditional crest rail.  

- A 6' Settee w/ arms in my Cod Rib style

-Three outdoor benches for Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. the benches will be 5',7' and 9' long and will be made of cherry and stainless steel. Below is a drawing of the benches. The vertical pieces that support the back rail are the stainless steel.

In the video below, I am working on a mock up to find the proper angles and dimensions for these outdoor benches. 

With all of this work, there goes any chance for the illusive lazy summer. It is good to have lots of work though.
Enjoy the wet weather,
Tim
We had some great irises last week.  This photo is in sideways for some reason. sorry. It was squashing it when I put it portrait orientation.

Hand Made Windsor Office Chairs, Boardroom Chairs, Conference Table Chairs

These windsor chairs on swivel / tilt bases make a very comfortable and classy look for any office or home desk.   They also work very well around a conference table or boardroom table.   The style works well with a traditional table as well as austere modern looks.  The base can be locked or allowed to tilt back with a tension control for adjusting the tilt.  The height is also adjustable with the side lever.  Hard carpet wheels or urethane wheels for floors are available.  I generally set them up with the urethane wheels at no extra cost as they seem to work with all floors in my opinion.  Please feel free to inquire if you have other ideas.  More information is available on my website at TimothyClark.com.

Below are a pair of office chairs. The right hand chair has its arm rail mounted and wedged.  These chairs are made to last.

Handmade Rocking Chair- The Waltham Rocker by Timothy Clarkrk

I have many favorites, but this rocker ranks very high.  A rocker is the top dog of chairs in my mind and this one is just so raw and refined at the same time.   Making a new one always brings be back to Williamsburg, VA where in 7th grade, I was first exposed to quality hand work when I saw wooden instrument makers, furniture makers and a man making cedar shingles on a shaving horse.  The smells of the green wood, the hissing of hand planes and the thunking of chisels and mallets.  I am a laborer at heart.  I love the making.

Below, I am in the middle of trimming the wedged spindle ends on the underside of the rocker seat.  This rocker is to be finished with milk paint, so I use poplar or Aspen for the seat.  A good wood for painting and strong but fairly easy to shape.

 The next few shots show the back going on.

Spindles are inserted and wedged 2 at a time.

awaiting arms

 Below, a roughed out arm rail lamination is drilled and the hand is marked for sawing.  As can be seen, extra wood is added to accommodate the hand.  The hand looks more like a paw but it is called a hand. I borrowed the idea for this hand from a 1700's chair that I saw when I used to spend a lot of time at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.  

Below is the rail ready for assembly.  You are looking at the bottom of the rail.

These two chairs have their second coats of milk paint.  They appear a bit gray as they have not yet received their coat of oil and varnish which will saturate the dry looking paint.

Happy Spring

Tim

Office Windsor Chair and Windsor Bar Chairs

Below is my latest office chair using the upper portion of my painted Waltham Arm chair.  These are really great chairs. The swivel and tilting action of the mechanism as well as a bit of cushion due to the air shock that the chair sits on, makes this a very comfortable chair.  They definitely class up a home office and would look great around a conference table.  Other chairs that I have made into office chairs can be seen on my website.

Below are bar chairs that are still under construction.  They will have backs like this previous design

but they use the same seat as my Waltham Side Chair.   I think they will be comfortable and very nice looking.  The seat is actually a thinner version of the Waltham side chair seat, making them a bit lighter than they would be otherwise.

Enjoy the sun.

Tim

Painted Sideboard #2

I have finally finished this sideboard that I have had underway for some time.  This piece ended up with a finish that looks a lot like another recent sideboard of a different design. The difference is that this piece is made of poplar with two coats of barn red milk paint followed by 2 coats of black milk paint and then worn a bit so that highlights of the red come through.  The previous sideboard, or Huntboard as I call it, was made of cherry with black milk paint.  You can see that here on my website.

The red paint and the red of the cherry achieve a very similar look under the black paint.

As with the Huntboard, I am very happy with how this piece looks.  I wish that I could have them both in my house.  I'd need a bigger house though.

Each cabinet has one adjustable shelf.  The interior is the same barn red milk paint that is underneath the black.
The finish of the interior is shellac over the milk paint to leave the interior smelling fresh.

The drawer sides and bottoms are pine and are sealed with shellac for a fresh interior smell.

This Cod Rib side chair is the first of a bunch of various chairs that I need to get cranking on now that the sideboard is done.

37 degrees and snowing today.  Feels like spring.