The will of a 3-legged stool
The stool declared loudly by snapping every black walnut rung I made- that it must be white oak throughout. OK, says I, you win.
Still much work to be done, however, as of yet the most complete sense of a stool that has pretty much dictated itself, and made me sweat in the process, and I still have to build his hopefully less mercurial brother.
Below: shaping the underside of the seat.
Post-Oak Stool Legs
Below are some photographs from the process of the rough-shaping and bending (green) of post-oak, which is a variety of white oak, for use as legs in a pair of 3-legged stools -hopefully.
First the log was cut and split. This one has quite a of twist, which I am hoping to integrate into the design of the stools.
Next the halves are split into quarters and then into eighths with froe at the brake (no photos), then the eighths were trimmed with the hatchet.
After trimming the pieces are shaped down with drawknife at the horse.
After this rough shaping each piece was place in a form and bent using clamps, the clamps were removed after a few days and were replaced with wire. The legs will remain in the forms until they are dry and I am ready to shape them to final size.
For deep information on working with green wood please see Peter Follansbee’s blog.
Hope Chest Drawer Case
Below is a group of photos of some details of the construction of the black walnut drawer carcass and the drawer fronts for the cherry and walnut hope chest. Please click on any of the pictures to view larger.
The lower web/ frame for the bottom of the drawer unit, it is constructed of white oak with the front (visible) rail being walnut.
The drawer case with the web installed with tongue and groove
The main chest rests upon the drawer case
Flattening walnut drawer fronts with a jointer
A forged bench hook (I learned from Peter Follansbee)
The flattened and drawer fronts ready to be marked and cut to length
The drawer fronts wedged in their spots to see how they look. Also the dividers have been installed with stopped dovetails.
Chair Repair
Repairing a hickory and oak chair that was brought to me with a broken front leg.
Riven white oak leg, turned on the lathe then bent green in the form.
Marking the tenon on the top of the leg.
Splitting the waste from the tenon with a chisel.
Cleaning up the tenon with a rasp.
Workbench top with the leg and tools.
Drilling the holes for the stretchers with a brace.
The chair with its new leg.
Making New Scratch Stock Cutter
In order to make a bead detail for some frame molding I could either buy a router bit or make a new cutter for my scratch stock (a traditional shop-made molding cutter or scraper). I believe that it is good to make your own tools when you can.
Below is the new cutter in the body of the scratch stock (similar to a marking guage), a piece of scrap walnut that has recieved the molding and an old triple flute cutter I made last winter.
The profile is marked on the blank before cutting. The blank is roughly cut from an old handsaw blade with a cold chisel then filed smooth.
The profile is then cut out with a dremel cut-off wheel…
then cleaned up with files.
The finished profile cutter in the scratch stock body and the resulting bead cut into the walnut.
Two More Bowls In Ash
Two new bowls in green ash. The one on the left was turned by my wife.
Turning a Black Walnut Bowl
Below are a series of pictures of turning a black walnut bowl on the pole lathe.
Shaping the sides with a roughing gouge.
Starting to hollow it out.
Shaping and Turning a Billet of Walnut
Using a hatchet to chop away the sap wood on a billet of walnut.
Shaping the billet on the shaving horse with drawknife to make it ready for the lathe.
Using the roughing gouge to shape the cylinder. This will become one leg on a little stool.
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