First Steps…
I have never made a piece of furniture from a bought set of plans. From the beginning, my teachers would have us study different periods and styles. Learning and studying from those who came before us is just a fact of all design creation. From there we would start to work on a set of plans based on our vision for a piece of furniture. There may even be a special piece of wood that is the focus of the piece. The first step is to get that vision on paper no matter how crude the sketch might be. Then refinement after refinement until proportions and scale came together to formulate a well designed piece of furniture. Next we would move on to the technical side of design incorporating different styles of joinery not only for structural strength but also as design elements. Often these subtle nods to craftsmanship made the piece stand out from something similar. Then the truly technical work of dimensions, wood types, a cut list, a procedure list, and a raw materials and hardware list were formulated. Now you are ready to go to the woodyard and make the selection of proper materials. At times it has taken just a few days to get to this point, other pieces may have taken several months. Here I get very selective. I start in my own, ever growing, woodyard looking for the main accent pieces first. Whether it be a live edge and rustic piece or more refined there are always those pieces that set the furniture apart and make it special. Then on to the dimensional and structural lumber selection. I find myself becoming increasingly more selective in this area as well. I used to go to one lumber yard that discouraged buyers from selecting pieces from the stack by doubling the price if you didn’t select from the top layer. I’ve all but stopped buying from him because if I am going to build a piece I want the best wood I can find. Fortunately, I have several other great sawmills and lumber yards within just a few hours’ drive that I shop regularly. Many of these sawyers have gotten to know what I am looking for in my choices and will call when that special log is about to get milled. More often than not I leave with more wood than is required as I tend to buy beautiful wood when I see it and some pieces are screaming to be that special table, chair seat, case front, or whatever is rolling around in the back of my mind.
So here we are with my next consignment piece. This beautiful walnut slab will be supported by two arched legs with a complimenting reverse arched center support. These legs and support will be made from select black walnut. The support will taper from under the table to join the legs seamlessly into a cross piece. Steam bending may be required but right now I feel the arch is gentle enough that with the proper thickness of the pieces, I can bend and glue them without the introduction of steam. We will see!
Join me here as well as follow me on Facebook and Instagram as this table works its way through the shop with bending molds, glue-ups, joinery, and of course the ever exciting steps of sanding/scraping!
