A place for me to display some of the varied projects that come out of my shop, as well as to "talk" about some of my experiences working with wood.

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Searching for retirement groove

Since I retired in June I have been working on developing a routine for my days to get stuff done. Yes I have been golfing, and yes I have been biking a lot; but I have shop commitments which need to be honored.

We are working hard to get the house organized and complete outstanding outdoor projects; lets just say the shingles on the shed still need to go on - lots of summer left though.

The major undertaking in the shop is the design and construction of a dining room set for the eldest's new home; not a trivial challenge getting concesus on a project with a myriad of options and a blank palette. We have concensus and the build is underway. The project involves a new table with a trestle base (my previous design) and a breadboard top with 4 bowback Windsor chairs and a matching bench - simple eh?

If you have read my blog before, you know where this goes...build a model - so I did.  We have a table the same style in our dining room, so the table design was easy - not the chair. After many drawings and emailed pictures and discussions, the design at right was developed.


Some of the parts will be painted black milk paint with a poly overcoat and the rest stained a walnut colour for contrast. The bowback Windsor chair is an amalgam of many traditional designs and the legs will be turned more ornately than the 1/8" dowels the model has.



The next step was to confirm the design in a full-size piece so everyone knew what they were dealing with, so I made a side table using the same design/scheme which could be used as a sideboard in a dining room. This would confirm the turned design, test out the staining and finishing process for me on a smaller piece.

What's a table without some legs, 2.5" sq. blanks and "identical" matching legs

Fitting the breadboard ends for the table top ensure a solid end product!

I do not paint a lot of pieces, and I have heard it said that paint hides a multitude of sins - BS!
To me a painted finish actually magnifies defects (black more-so), and getting this perfect took a couple of coats!!

The finished table outside today for its beauty shot, just need to deliver it!

Now onto building that dining table...