With events and business all said and done in Toronto and Milwaukee (not to mention a couple 12 hour drives alone) it's time to get back to work. - pictured above, somewhere around 100 miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul.
I would have liked to stay longer and further enjoy the company and food of Milwaukee but I get a bit irritable when not being "productive" for a period of time. After getting used to the work, flow, and experience of the shop I find it difficult to be without. It's times like these that I am glad the branching of my path lead me to working this way though it will never be an easy road ahead.
Which leads me to the work ahead.
Before participating in any more exhibitions/shows I think I should have another "show-piece". I witnessed my fears and assumptions in front of me in Toronto. People skimming over my quite work to the next dazzling piece. I don't mean this in a demeaning way. All the work was impeccable and a joy to experience. But even in a room of "Krenovians" the work I brought was quiet. It's the show atmosphere. I think if the pieces were put into context of an owner's home I may stand a better chance. Perhaps the "right" person(s) just weren't there but it wouldn't hurt to have something of more "presence".
A while ago I drew a sketch of a showcase cabinet on a stand that I think I will work on. It will still be within my relatively quiet aesthetic but a larger floor standing piece utilizing glass and some chatoyant wood should help me out :)
It's a kind of piece I have been wanting to do/try. Looks like now is the time!
While I let that stew, I had wanted to work on something simple when I returned. I had wanted to work on some saw-horses and other shop things but I can't even afford the Ash for the horses!Turns out a friend and old band-mate of mine is getting married soon. Good timing for him!
I have decided on a little Key-Cabinet. One door, one partition, no drawer. I have about 8 b/f of some nice Air-Dried Walnut to work with. I even have an extra pair of wall hangers I made.
With no offense I would like to see if I can get this done in a timely manner as I have no one pitching in on this project :/. I thought about making the cabinet flat and square but I am just not terribly interested in that ha, so curves it is again.
Re-sawing a selection for the door first. It will be a solid surface door with a convex curve. I was a bit over generous with the thickness I cut. I still haven't completely gotten to know this little band saw. This cut is about 1/8" under it's total capacity with a blade that is not newly fresh and a wood I have not cut into. There could be tension, varying moisture, blade bowing/wandering... any number of things. From experience I found it better to be generous than go through twice the lumber if something should happen.
There's the first rough pieces. Door at the bottom, sides, then the top/bottom on top.Happy to be working again :)
6 comments:
You're nuts. your pieces were not over looked at all. everyone loved your ferrari piston action drawers!
if anything i feel my work was totally over looked.*whimper*
walnut aye? me too, my place FINALLY got a huge shipment of walnut, im gonna snag a few and see what i can do with them.
Im also gonna try out my new woodmaster CT bandsaw blade for veneer cutting....1 TPI dude, it looks like a snarling dog
Hey Nick,
Glad to see you are tackling a key cabinet next. I've been wanting to try one of these as my first JK-like project. I'll enjoy following along. First question, what type of blade do you re-saw with? Hook or skip, and what TPI?
Hope the drive back was uneventful.
Scott
PS - I was really diggin' your "quiet" pear cabinet at the show, definitely among my favorite pieces there.
Ha thanks guys. So many awesome pieces there! I mean I'm a picky guy but I would have a hard time picking favorites :)
Good lord ha 1 tpi, what size saw again?
I'm just using a standard hook 3 or 4 tpi on my little saw. The local supplier does not have infinite choices heh. I have used a skip from Timber Wolf that worked pretty well. I just don't want to be changing between blades all the time.
Yeah a Key-cabinet is a great project for getting in touch with your "krenovian" side :P
It's small and manageable, but all the ingredients of a larger piece are there.
Do you Have Jim's books Scott?
I do have a couple of them, Fine Art and Worker in Wood. I've read Notebook, but I'm thinking technique-wise I should buy The Impractical CM too.
I've got a good 3 TPI hook on my saw right now (Tufftooth), it cuts well, but I got the impression the set seems pretty aggressive and it leaves a wider kerf and rougher surface then I expected. Then Micheal Fortune's article in FWW stating that he only uses skip blades got me thinking I should switch. Anyway, I'll try using it some more before I change. Do you also use that blade for cutting veneer?
nick- it's an 18" bandsaw, a lot of people has said the woodmaster blade is the shit for veneer and re-sawing. i dont think i can re-sharpen it though, not enough carbide on there, but it should still last me a good year or two...instead of a week like my bi-metal blades. it's actually 1.3 TPI and 1 inch wide =)
scott- i'd use a 4 TPI skip tooth bi-metal blade for veneer...unless you want a carbide blade like i just got, but they are spendy. if i were to cut veneer with a bi-metal blade, i'd get about a week's worth of life out of it before it isnt sharp enough for veneer.
cutting veneer=tight blade and SHARP
You have Worker in Wood? That's a tough one to find. I have it too though not the first edition heh. Yeah Impractical CM is the one for "how to's"
Yeah the less teeth the rougher surface. The blades made for resawing tend to be a little rough. Another reason I use the 3-4 tpi, Then again my capacity is only 8". Though I haven't had a project with this saw that involved enough veneer to warrant a new blade. The carbides are the way to go if your saw can handle them. The saw and blade at IP were magical! you do get a little wider kerf but there is generally less clean-up so it kind of equals out.
I don't think my little saw would cope well with one though. I think I might go back to ordering Timber Wolf though.
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