Reclaimed Dining Table with Dovetailed Breadboards Part One

Yikes! It's been a couple months since I've posted a darn thing. This summer I accepted a new job in management with the railroad, which involved relocating to a different part of Iowa. So, new job, new house, new shop... it's almost set up and ready to roll. In other words, I've been a little busy.

That said, I want to jump back and blog a cool project that I collaborated on with one of my best buds back in Council Bluffs. He's a painter who specializes in faux finishes and the like. One day he got a hold of some nice reclaimed barn wood and we started kicking around ideas for a dining table.

Over a couple of Newcastle Ales we narrowed down dimensions for the table. We also goofed around on the interwebz a bit looking for ideas. Per my usual, we stole various design aspects/ideas and came up with something we liked. With this particular lumber, I had the challenge of making odd-shaped, not-so-uniform boards and timbers and working them into the design and joinery. It all worked out pretty well......and here's how I did it.

Dining Set Tutorial #3 Front Legs and Curved Back Rails

Front Legs

Finally, an easy chair part to make. The front legs are 1-5/8"x 1 -5/8' x 16"long. It's pretty easy to mill some 8/4 stock down to 1 -5/8" and rip them on the tablesaw. Ideally you'd use riftsawn stock (diagonal end grain) so that the grain looks similar on all four sides, like this:

Dining Set Tutorial #2 Rails and Angled Tenons

Angled joinery is probably the most intimidating part of chairs. Ya, these joints take a little more time and skill, but the angles are necessary for a comfortable chair. I'll explain.

Design...

If you trace the outline of how we all sit, legs forward, it's not a square - more of a trapezoid. You can try to simplify a chair with right angle joinery and a square seat. My first chair was made this way (photo below). I found that design in a magazine gave it my best shot. It was good practice, but not the most comfortable chair. 

Sorry Woodsmith, this chair design was lame. 

Dining Set Tutorial #1 - Design Process and Back Chair Legs.

A dining set is quite an undertaking for any woodworker, but I seem to enjoy the challenge. There's a few folks who requested that I blog my process so this my attempt to oblige. Now, this won't be completely comprehensive, but it will show each step and point out things I think important. That said, I try new methods and learn new things with everything I build, you'll get to see some of that too.

Design...

Here we go. After getting a good idea from my aunt and uncle (whom I call "clients" for the rest of the blog, to keep it all professional-like) of what they'd like as far as wood species and design, I set out to designing the rear chair legs. My clients fancied the chair legs in this picture:

Photo from Branchhill.com

Brass City Records and Toolworks- The Leader of the Band Has Died

I was on the road to the Handworks show in Amana, Iowa when I received word that Walt Quadrato had lost his battle with cancer. Walt was the owner of Brass City Records and Brass City Toolworks in Waterbury, Connecticut. I can't say I knew that man well, but I considered him a friend. It's interesting the grief, the sting of loss you can feel for someone you've never met in person.

Walt was one of those people who left a lasting impact on nearly everyone he came in contact with. His love for music and vintage tools was contagious. His kindness and integrity was second to none. For local musicians, vinyl record and vintage tool lovers alike, Walt wasn't just a man, he was an institution. Walt must have had the digs on every flea market within a couple hundred miles. He would dig up the bargains, all the hard to find items, and pass them onto us. Of course, he made money doing this, but his markup was always reasonable. He priced tools so that the average guy could afford them and we woodworkers were especially grateful.

Handworks 2015 and Mr. Studley

I had a great weekend attending the Handworks event at the Amana Colonies. Being a furniture maker in Iowa, a show like this is simply too good to pass up. 

This picture prior to opening speaks to the success of the event before it even started. Obviously there are a lot of woodworkers in the midwest, and we were all excited about this event.

To begin each day it was pretty crowded in the big barn. My wife said it was filled with "man stink." (snicker) I found it wise to come back later in the day if you really wanted to visit with some of the toolmakers. 

Tour of a Rural Iowa Sawmill

Recently while making a trip to one of my favorite little mom 'n pop sawmills, I decided I'd snap some pics to share with you all. Something tells me not every woodworker gets to see something like this.

The sawyer's name is Paul and we've become friends. He's in his mid 70's now. How he keeps this place in operation by himself is beyond me. Paul always enjoys when I bring him pictures of the furniture, benches, and whatever else I make with his lumber. I could see how that would be rewarding for a him.

Of course his prices are pretty good since we're cutting out the middle man. That said, some woodworkers don't like this type of lumber source because they only want select grades. There's a lot more common grade wood in a log than people realize. I have no problem working around/with defects, especially when the lumber it's priced correctly.

Here goes. Entering a "hardwood farm" that has been in the same family for over a century.