Tuesday, January 26, 2010

So Much Pillowing


Took a quick break to saw up a couple plane blanks I had. The top is Vera (given to me by Robert to cheer me up after a disappointing glue-up, which I ended up coming back from. Thanks Robert!) which will be a new smoother. The one I'm using now has treated me well and has seen a good amount of use but was one of the earlier planes I made. I bet I can make one that's even more comfortable to use. The old one may become a compass plane.
The bottom was sold as Burmese Rosewood. That will be a 1-3/4" coopering plane. I already have 1", 1-1/4", and 1-1/2" but it seems my taste in forms is getting less... "exaggerating". I plan to use it on some up-coming cabinet doors :).
I don't know when I'll get to these but there is no rush. I cut the pieces extra thick to allow the wood to do what it wants as I don't think they are at the 10% humidity mark.


Back to the project(s) at hand. Pillowing! A lot of it. These legs are pretty long compared to the last tables and I'm doing a little more extensive pillowing. It took me about an hour to complete each leg. The outside faces of the legs are a little more heavily pillowed towards the top and the inside faces of the legs have a tapering pillow heavier at the bottom.


After about 12 hours I got a sizable pile on the floor. This will help thin down those legs!

During all that spokeshaving was a good time to enjoy another one of my interests... coffee! I don't drink much but I enjoy a nice cup. On the way to Vancouver I had spent a couple days around Seattle where I found one of my favorite coffee shops I've been to. Thing are different in the Northwest. It is a region that, on average, has more passion maybe even obsession than others... especially that of the Midwest.
As I may have mentioned before the Midwest is not a place of overflowing enthusiasm let alone passion, where the majority haven't even thought to rethink one's "definition" of "happiness" and what one may or may not require to obtain that illusive state other than simply keeping a paycheck for the least amount of work possible.
OK, I may be over stating it but still. I have found only a few who take real pride, care, passion, and maybe a little reverence in what they do.
The people at a place called Coffee and Tea Ltd are a couple of those.



This is Jim, the man behind the shop and the well practiced roaster at this roastery (photo taken from their website). There are no tables to sit at and no porcelain to sip from. It's a small kind of cluttered space with lots of jars of beans on the walls and a small old but loved roaster in the window. He roasts the largest selection of fine coffee around not for riches or fame but because he wants to, he enjoys what he does, and believes in his mission and process to "create affordable luxury" as their statement goes. I like it and I respect it.
Thank you for doing what you're doing.

5 comments:

Nick Brygidyr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nick Brygidyr said...

i miss the west coast dearly.

wow, you've been doing nothign but tables for the past like..year hah!

Have you got any buyers for the ones you've made so far?

Barb Shelton said...

What a great place to be, pillowing legs. I should be doing some leg shaping myself soon (for the first time since our gumby exercise), very much looking forward to it. We have also been enjoying that coffee, the Guatemalan beans you sent are gorgeous! Thanks again!

Nicholas Nelson said...

I think about the Northwest every day.
HA it does seem I make a "lot" of tables. The 2 years I was in MCTC I made 2 coffee tables, a night stand, a hall table, and a kitchen table... (beyond the other projects I had).
I have yet to introduce the side tables. I will be doing one more pair of tables after these pedestal, after pillowing things will move quicker... I'll probably be getting to some pre-finishing within a week I hope!
The tables are all in the same theme of course and due to some of my "showmanship" background I suppose, I want to have a tightly put together "presentation" for galleries and such. Aaaaaand I want to do the photography in one round... so anyway the tables are just hanging out for now. So, I need tables, photos, online portfolio/website, and I want a "leaflet/flier" to show and advertise the the tables (probably a stack near the tables in a gallery) THEN hit the galleries... I'm working on it.

Nicholas Nelson said...

Ha Weird Barb you comment as I was writing mine!
Yes to leg shaping! Although I find it more exciting was only doing one set HA.
What are your legs like? heh
I'm glad you guys are digging into those treats heh. Yes the Hue Hue Tenango is great! I'm grinding through a bag of my own :) that and a "Java Blue Estate"... I'd say not as complex as a Sumatra but dark, smooth, and silky.