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.

Weighing In

There are mysteries in the world, and then there are mysteries to me. I admit that I still have to think twice and speak slowly when I correlate temperature and humidity. I recall looking at the charts that show the relationship between the two and feeling a slight dizzying effect and vision blurring. Maybe I just didn't want to put in the effort. For general green woodworking I get it, wood loses or takes on moisture as it reaches equilibrium with it's environment. If you want wood to dry, put it in a drier environment.

The best way that I came to understand the concept was that when the wood stops losing or gaining weight, it is "air dry", or equal to the moisture in the environment. This got the concept through my skull, and I've even rigged a scale that didn't give me numbers, but let me know when the weight was stable.
But all that has changed thanks to my friend Nick Clayton, who has graciously loaned me a scientific scale. Now I can accurately track the way that my parts lose weight. Of course, my usual rules of thumb still work fine, but it is fun and fascinating to watch the wood adjust. I also plan to do some test with my steamer to see if the wood picks up more weight or loses it through the steaming process and whether my auxiliary water tank affects it. This will tell me if passing the steam through water is adding moisture to the process and aiding in softening the fibers and conducting the heat.

So with my nerd hat firmly in place, I will be looking at the same old processes through a more accurate lens.

I have an exciting announcement! Tim Manney, the fantastic chair and tool maker, has started a blog. Tim is one of the brightest and most talented woodworkers that I know. He has a remarkably broad experience with different types of woodworking and makers and I am very excited that he has started sharing his thoughts. Check him out and leave a message welcoming him, I know you will enjoy it.