One Last Shot

There is one opening left for the class that I am teaching at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking beginning this Friday. I am excited because we are trying a new format. The class is being broken into two sessions of three days a piece. This will allow the students to finish some of the parts at home which will take some pressure off of the class and give us a chance to rest. If most of my teaching didn't involve long distance travel, I would probably do all of my classes this way. As I said, there is still one opening, I hope to see you there.

Here is a prototype for a Birdcage rocker that I am developing. I has always loved this style and am having a ball making it with all of the techniques and design ideas that I've been playing with for the past few years.

I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston a week or so ago and saw an amazing Samuria exhibit. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a couple of distinct quirks. I wake up every night for a couple of hours in the middle of the night and I generally use the time to memorize every moment of Akira Kurasawa films, especially the Samurai genre.
I have always admired the Black lacquer of the Japanese, but felt the application would be a pain on my chairs. I decided to paint this chair a solid black, which strangely enough, I don't think that I've ever done before. Coupled with the shellac that I have been using these days, the black milk paint finish gives a nice nod to the Japanese lacquer finish and goes well with the Asian influence of the style.

I used a goldenrod undercoat and cream in the v notches.

I've got another decorative addition, but I'm not quite ready to share!

A Letter of Note

I just returned from a trip to New Jersey to celebrate the engagement of my little sister Sloane. 
I have a very mixed up family tree and there are plenty of people in it with whom I don't share any biology but I do share a great deal of history. One of those people is my grandfather Ken Glemby.

Ken Glemby

I credit Ken with sparking my interest in woodworking and I benefited greatly from the hours of caring and sharing that he gave to me. He used to build model airplanes, not the kind that go on a shelf, but the kind that have 4-6 foot wingspans and actually fly. It's appropriate because he was a WW2 fighter pilot who flew over the Battle of the Bulge. He never spoke much about his service, but in recent years, as he approached and passed 90 years old, he has opened up and told more stories. It's really astounding what this man did in his early 20's.

Ken Today

After the 3 hour drive home, I sat down to unwind with one of my favorite websites called Letters of Note. The latest entry struck me because it instantly reminded me of the care, humor and humility that I've been so impressed by in my lifetime privilege of knowing Ken, I hope you read and enjoy it.