Added Class and Spoon Video!

As I mentioned in the recent post, I have been batting the idea of teaching a perch class back and forth with my friends at Lie-Nielsen this summer and we finally pulled the trigger. It's a two day class and spaces are limited to 10 students. Check out their site for the details.

This is one of my favorite chair projects. I did all the writing for my book sitting on one, so I assure you, it's a comfortable seat!



 Jon Binzen is somewhat of an unsung hero in the world of woodworking. He has been creating the back cover for Fine Woodworking for many years as well as some of it's best features. I've been lucky enough to work with Jon a few times and recently, with his help and advocacy, I wrote an article for Fine Woodworking on spoon carving. It's been a long time since the magazine featured spoon carving and I'm proud to be in it. That said, there are lots of great spoon carvers out there and I can name a few that I think deserve to be heard more than me. Jon also shot a video about my spoons that you can see here.

The Drawsharp is Here!

I am happy to announce that the Galbert Drawsharp will be available for sale here on Chairnotes next Friday at 9 am and in person at Woodworking in America!
I've been working with Jameel Abraham at Benchcrafted this year with the goal of getting the tool ready for sale in time for Woodworking in America and through no small effort, we did it. I sought out Jameel because of his sterling reputation for making solid tools, and he certainly lived up to it.

The Drawsharp makes the task of sharpening your drawknives simple, fast and repeatable while giving precise control over the geometry of the bevel angles. It works with drawknives of all shapes and sizes regardless of whether the drawknife will be used with the bevel up or down. Unlike other methods of sharpening which follow a similar process to sharpening a chisel, the Drawsharp doesn't require a flat back or a ground bevel to give excellent results.

The Drawsharp uses diamond impregnated plates to shape and refine the edge and self adhesive silica carbide paper to polish the edge to a razor sharp result.

Here is a video explaining the function of the tool.

The price is $84.00 plus $7.00 shipping and handling (Shipping rate calculated for the continental U.S., Massachusetts residents add local sales tax)
International shipping and handling $15.00

You can order yours by returning to Chairnotes on Friday morning or coming to my booth at the Marketplace at Woodworking in America. I will also be posting a page to my website, www.petergalbertchairmaker.com and Chairnotes Tools when I return from WIA.
Thanks for your business!

Nice to Meet You

Since I moved to Sterling, Massachusetts, I've been swamped with projects and traveling and had little time to get to know my community or let them know me. That changed when I talked to Dave Gibbs at the Sterling Historical Society about combining our efforts and interests. The Society has a lovely collection of Windsors that were made here in town as well as a barn full of the old tools from its workshops. The first floor of the barn is relatively empty, and I thought it would be a great location to host some 6 person classes. So, next summer, I hope to schedule three classes there, but I'll post more on that once we work out the details.
To help introduce me to the community, the Sterling Historical Society hosted a demonstration at the local American Legion post and Ross Jones of Harvard Video Productions filmed it for us. Here is the video of the demonstration.
If it doesn't appear on your screen, click here to go to the original site.



As you can see, I am elated to be starting this project. I think 6 is a great number of students for a class. Plenty enough for a group energy and atmosphere but few enough for lots of personal attention.

And if I got you interested in my talk with Dudley Hershbach, here is a great interview with him that I found every bit as engaging as sitting next to him on the plane.



and once again, the link if you don't see the video here.

Oh Snap!

My pal Ray Duffy sent me this link to a blog posting.

For some reason he thinks it has something to do with me!?

 In case you missed it, I am on the back and inside cover of Fine Woodworkings Shops and Tools issues. Jon Binzen also made this video slideshow of my work that my mother simply adores!

Here is the link to the video.


 Thanks Jon, sorry to have led you so terribly astray with the shavehorse!

Cool Links

Here are a couple of cool links that you might enjoy.
First, a video showing the results of tests concerning the effects of chipbreakers on planing. This is the kind of nerdy stuff that I love, not only is the information fascinating, but the visuals are hypnotic. If you are stuck in front of your computer, it will definitely give you a woodworking fix. Thanks to Pat Tipton for sending me this link!

Next, you might like to check out the blog that Caleb James is writing. He was a student of mine and during our time together, I was inspired by his talent and attitude. He is definitely one to watch.
His blog is http://kapeldesigns.blogspot.com

I have loads happening around here, especially getting prepared to teach next week at Marc Adams School in Indiana, I hope Greg remembers the Scotch this time.

Travishers Part 3, Sharpening

One of the most rewarding parts of making travishers is taking them out for a test run and seeing what they can do. Here is a shaving off of some angled endgrain.

It's especially rewarding, having processed the steel from a soft, malleable blank to a razor sharp edge. Here is a video that shows the process that I use to get that edge. I hope that it helps. If there is any part of it that needs more info, please let me know.

The Travisher Part 2

There is plenty about the travisher that is counter intuitive. In this video, I show some of the techniques that I've found helpful in getting the most from my travisher.

I am starting to look forward to fall, especially now that I have a new slate floor and woodstove in the shop.

 

It was strange not having wood heat in the shop last winter, but now I'm all set, except for the firewood of course.

Travishers in the works

Here is the propane powered fueled forge that I am using to heat treat the steel for the travishers. It took some figuring, but I finally settled on this method, using a pipe as a sort of double boiler, to keep the steel isolated from the gas and oxygen. Too much oxygen causes the steel to lose carbon on the surface as the oxygen bonds with carbon and steal it away, plus it can cause scaling. This process, suggested to me by a knife maker, only darkens the surface of the steel a bit, which buffs right off.
Once the pipe gets cherry hot, it only takes a minute or two to get the steel to temp and then it's ready to quench.

I'm very pleased with the results that I'm getting, ok, I'm being coy, I LOVE this thing. After tempering, the O-1 steel takes a razor edge very quickly.
I've enlisted my friend Claire Minihan to help me produce these tools (Andy is busy getting married!). She graduated from the North Bennet Street School and can build furniture that I could only dream of attempting. Here she is grinding the brass sole to shape.

And trimming the throat opening. Having such skilled folks working on my projects is a point of great pride for me.

We are making these tools one at a time, the way that I like to make everything. It keeps the focus on quality and makes a pleasant arc to the day. 

Here is a run ready to go out. If you have your name on the list and haven't heard from me, I should be contacting you soon. We have a solid process for making these and I am looking forward to catching up with all the orders.

Here is the first in a series of videos on the travisher. While I will be specifically addressing some of the attributes of my tools, I will also be talking about the travisher in general. Hopefully it will be of use to you regardless of whose tool you are using

Finishing the Shavehorse!

Here is the final video of building the adjustable shavehorse. I will be posting the plans for it next week. All in all, the project went smoothly. As I built it, I was reminded of the importance of accurate drilling and tight tolerances between the parts within the adjustable arm, as well as between the arm and the shavehorse body. If I've left any details out, or glossed over them, feel free to ask me to clarify, it might help someone else out as well!

Soup to Nuts

Before I show the next installment for the "Smarthead" shavehorse process, I want to mention that I will be teaching a two week intensive chairmaking class at the North Bennet Street school in Boston starting July 9th. This class does it all. The students will turn their own legs and split and shave their way to a Comb back rocking chair, one of my favorites. There are openings, so tell come on down and tell your friends, it promises to be a great time.

Here is the video on cutting the toothy parts of the arm. Hopefully you'll see that it's rather simple.

Sightline Rule Refined

I've been all over the map lately, but I am home now for a few months and am excited for all of the new stuff that I have to show. First, I'd like to share the sightline square that Steve First made for me (us) at Kelly Mehlers. It's a beautifully accurate way of creating the sightlines and discovering the drilling angles for laying out legs mortises etc...
He made to versions, a large legal version and one that fits on normal sized paper that requires a bit of cut and pasting but works just the same.
Here are the PDFs (actually JPEGS)

I've also made this video to explain the use of this tool and a bit about rake and splay.



You'll also notice, in the upper right column, that you can subscribe now via email to the blog so that you'll be notified when I post new content! Doesn't life just keep getting easier :)

Drawknife Grinding (Video)

Here is the video demonstration of the jig that I showed a couple of days ago. If you are going to attempt this, please take great care and follow all safety procedures. Grinders seem relatively benign, but they are moving fast and can do damage before you know it!!!

Josh, I hope this helps and thanks for writing in,

Promises Kept, finally

As promised, here is a short video that demonstrates the factors in play when splitting green wood for chair parts. Please be kind if I butcher the physics a bit and remember, we're chairmakers, not aerospace engineers (even though you might be!)
It may not be my slickest editing job, but hopefully it will help clear up a bit about using the froe and getting more parts from less wood.



And here is the next spoon for sale in the Spoons for Hunger Project! I keep learning so much while making these things that I just can't resist.

It's a great size for everyday use in the pan and on the table. Once again, it's applewood (I am blessed with apple trees!) and I am asking $45 and $5 shipping.

If you are interested, please put spoon in the subject bar and email me at peter@petergalbertchairmaker.com.


 


I may not get back to you (last time I answered 15 emails!), but rest assured, I got your name and will announce the winner in about 4 days. Thanks

Turning Practice

I recently wrote guest blog entry and made a video for Highland Woodworkings blog and I wanted to make sure that I posted the link. You can click here to view the post and video.
I've finally figure out my new editing software and should have more videos coming soon!


And for all our old friends, here is the Chairnotes covergirl last week on our brief vacation to the Fingerlakes in upstate New York. We were visiting a local goat farm when we came across this pooch who happened to be the spitting image of our beloved Daisy dog. Someone once described heaven as seeing all the dogs you've ever loved running up to greet you. I think the look on her face says it all.

And the Lathe Turns On

Well, it doesn't turn on for long in this video about the skew, but now that the basics are covered, we'll get to the action next!

On the teaching front, it looks like I only have a couple of more slots for teaching at the shop this year, so anyone interested should get in touch with me to secure a slot. Thanks

Movement and the Skew

I'm very pleased to say that Fine Woodworking Magazine has a review of the Galbert Caliper in the May/ June issue. Check it out!

Here is a short video about more steps that can be taken to make your skew work better. As I've said before, there is much to know before starting cutting to avoid that moment where the skew seems like it just won't work for you. Patience and prep are all that's needed.

Flattening and Drilling the Perch Seat

Here is the next installment in the perch making process. This video covers the hand flattening of the seat and the drilling for the legs. Of course you could use a planer and jointer to get this seat flat, but I use my handplanes, which only takes me a few minutes and teaches me a lot about the nature of the specific piece of wood that I'm using. I'm sure that there will be a few questions, so let me know if there something that I can clarify.

There are a few reasons that I drill the holes by eye. One is that the reaming process gives the opportunity to refine the angle of the hole, but most important to me is the speed and portability of the process. I could set up a drill press or some other semi-permanent rig, but then each time that I wished to change an angle I would have to adjust the jigging. Getting comfortable drilling by eye only takes a couple of practice holes and then you'll have a skill that you can take anywhere, at any angle, to any piece.

Roughing Out

A quick announcement. I have been invited to speak and demonstrate at a woodturning club meeting at the Peter's Valley Woodshop this Wednesday at 7 pm. It is a new club combining members from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Roughing out a turning is obviously a vital stage in the process. It is easy to look to the fancy skew work or cutting graceful coves as the stars in the show, but it is really the lowly parting tool and roughing gouge that set the stage for a successful turning. If the different elements are not correctly spaced and sized, nothing will save the piece.

My turnings always progress the same way. Establishing a pattern is vital to gaining consistent skills. Think of it as an obstacle course. You'll quickly recognize which elements give you trouble, practice them, and move beyond. By roughing out the whole piece until I can easily visualize the final shapes, I avoid getting confused or misaligning the elements.

I also try to employ an economy of movement, cutting as much as I can with the tool in my hand. This saves time, creates clarity and builds dexterity with the tool.
I highly recommend practicing making the various shapes involved, but if you are at all like me, of course you are going to try to turn the whole thing first! I recall it as a lesson in humility.

Here is a narrated video of me roughing out a leg. I will turn it to completion in subsequent videos.



As I mentioned in the video, I begin each sizing cut by taking a light cut with the parting tool to establish a groove and a clean vibration free cut. Once the tool is riding in the groove, I proceed to cut to the desired diameter. You'll also notice that I "choke up" on the parting tool and hold it just behind the tool rest. I find that this increases my sensitivity and coordination by reducing the leverage. It is vital to feel the tool in proper relation to the cut, but I'll go more into that later.

Burning Up

Obviously I enjoy making lasting objects in wood. There are no other materials that draw me so strongly. Maybe it's being able to walk through the woods, standing in the shadows of the trees or the logic of the growth that allows for splitting, bending and carving, whatever it is I am hooked.

But there is another way that I use wood in my life, and that's to burn. I heat my house and shop with catalytic woodstoves. Every shaving and chunk of wood that won't make it into a chair goes towards keeping my home comfortable. Somewhere along the way, I came across an explanation of burning wood that connected the heat released during burning to the years of exposure to the sun. The tree takes the energy of the rays and transform it into energy for growth, and when burnt, gives back that same energy.
So whenever I look into a fire, I feel like I am seeing all the sunny days that the tree lived, a pleasant thought in the dead of winter.

My favorite fire is definitely the one in my syrup boiler. There is something close to perfection in the cycle of tree sap transforming into syrup by the heat of burning wood. As my wife can tell you, once the snow on the ground turns to the pebbly "corn snow", I spend way too much time out in the yard trying to improve my boiling rig. I take it as a challenge to create and channel as much heat, from as little wood as possible, to boil off as much water, in as short an amount of time, to get the most syrup, with the least energy expended.




This is my boiling rig. It consists of a 55 gallon drum with a hole cut in the top that houses three stainless chafing pans (like the ones in steamer tables). A hole in the end allows me to feed the fire inside and the sand at the rear helps to force the heat up to the pan in the rear on its way to the chimney. The sides of the drum are lined with corrugated roofing and backfilled with sand for insulation.
The pride that I take in my rig seems to be directly proportional to how ridiculous and half baked it looks.

This year I have also added a pipe and blower to help combust the wood fully and keep the fire high when adding fresh chunks. The key to a boiler is to keep the heat constantly high, no smoldering low fires. The chimney usually shows no sign of smoking, just waves of heat. This is vital when the goal is to turn 5 gallons of water into steam every hour.






Here is the forge blower that my friend Neil loaned me, a perfect addition. You can see the cooler in the back. It is one of about 6 that I use to store the sap as I collect it. This one has a tube that automatically feeds fresh sap into the one of the boiling pans. Below is a short video of the pans at a full boil. I cycle the sap through the pans so that the first pan gets the fresh sap and the last one has near finished syrup.




When I became interested in making syrup, I read a book called "Backyard Sugaring" by Rink Mann. It has been a great resource. Don't get the impression that a complex rig is necessary. All you need to do is boil water, period. When the sap reaches 7 degrees above the boiling temperature of water at your elevation, you have syrup. Filter it through a piece of felt and enjoy. But be forewarned, I started with 6 taps and a single pan over a fire pit, the challenge of increasing efficiency proved to much to resist!

Jointing for Seats

In an earlier post, I describe the technique that I use for aligning the grain when jointing for a seat blank. Of course, it's nice to avoid having to use anything but a single plank, but in this day of increasing scarcity, making invisible, solid joints is a good skill to have. Here is the way that I orient the grain so that the grain looks fluid on the carved surface.

Most of the difficulty in getting a perfect joint is going to be eliminated at the sharpening station (you're not suprised, are you?!). After much trial and error, I learned that the key to easy and true jointing is a dead flat plane iron. I carefully flatten my stones, which is the key to getting a flat edge, on drywall sanding screen and plate glass. Then I grind the edge carefully until I can hold a flat tool against it and see no light pass through, as show below (there is a window directly behind the blade).



Then I carefully hone the edge. As you can see below, the mirror finish should give an undistorted reflection right up to the edge. We haven't gone anywhere near the wood, and already the important part is over!


I've made a video of the technique that I use. The problem with most jointing, like honing, is the tendency to create a convex shape. With a plane iron, we use a hollow grind to give stability and to fight this natural tendency. I use the same principle for jointing the edge of a board. By creating a very slight hollow in the middle of the board, the plane will ride on the high spots and only cut on either end. When the plane takes a full length shaving of even thickness, I know to stop, and the board is truly flat.






It is of course vital that the pressure on the plane is always over the board. If you put pressure on the part that overhangs in the beginning or end of the stroke, you can round the edge.
If the process doesn't work the first time, simply take a couple of shavings from the middle of the board and try again. Honestly, without a properly flattened plane iron, I cannot do this, so if you have trouble, look to the blade. Below is the unclamped joint. It should sit snugly with nothing but gravity. Good luck!