Alicante, Spain!

It is true I have been quiet here and on other social media lately. Also, sadly I have been doing very little woodwork.

My chair is still in the same state as last posted: waiting to really be started.

There is a good reason, though, and that is the Frau got a new job in Alicante, Spain, and we will soon be moving there. We will keep our place in Munich, as she will come back to her old job in two to six years.

Photo courtesy ND Strupler.

Neither of us are currently completely satisfied with our professional situations, and we decided to make this change together.

For the past few weeks we have been organizing the move. I will end my career with the US Army after 19 years either active duty or Army civilian. I will miss it.

It is worth it, though.  One gets to travel through this life only once.

We have an apartment there already. Unfortunately, the Frau got to pick it out without me, so it doesn't sound like I will have all of the luxurious space for a woodshop that I currently enjoy. It will be interesting to see what kind of woodworking I will be able to do. It might just wind up to be spoon carving on a park bench.

But, that is OK. I will still have my shop in Munich that I will come back to. I will get to practice minimalist woodworking, and learn to be thankful for the space that I have. And, I bet I'll learn something.

Keep an eye out on this blog and on Instagram for news of our exciting adventure, and to see what kind of woodworking I'll get up to (although I predict it will be a bit slow for a couple months).

My apologies for abandoning my June Chair Build. Well, it's not so much abandoning, but postponing. Or, perhaps I could look at it as having started next year's June chair early!

If you are still working on your June chair, or by some miracle have finished it already, make sure to send me a note and a photo and I'll put it up! God knows, I'll need some material!

2nd Annual June Chair Build Progress - Day Seven

It appears the first week of the internationally renowned June Chair Build is done. Here is the progress that I know of so far.

First, mine:

Nice zebrano chair blanks. I must be crazy.

To get ready for this build, I had to glue up a couple of chair blanks. So far I haven't done anything else, other than bring up a nice 8/4 walnut board I forgot I had for the rest of the chair parts.

There are a couple issues that might actually prevent me from finishing these chairs this month, though. One is a personal issue that I'll be ready to share soon. Nothing bad, in fact, something very, very good! The other reason is The Frau thinks about the last piece of furniture we need right now is another weird chair or two. She is insistent that I build a little console table out of the remainder of the zebrano before I do anything else. Maybe I can slap together that table at the same time as building these chairs.

All part of the fun and the challenge of the June Chair Build!

I plan to make a couple of side chairs, one of which actually might become an arm chair. I really don't want to do too much planning, I'll let the wood guide me similar to how last year's build went. Only, I have a better idea of what to do with leg splay this time.

Jeremy seems to be going at this build with gusto! Here is a still shot from a video he had on Instagram.

Jeremy's model.

He was looking for some feedback on his design. Instagram is great for requests like this, there are some real thoughtful opinions that were posted. We'll have to see if he listens. :o)

Next up, Aymeric is building his version of this Erich Dieckmann chair:

Aymeric learned Sketchup just for this project!

It will be fun to watch him build this chair! He has some nice 8/4 walnut he is processing by hand. I bet that will be the most work of the whole project!

And last, I got a note from Ray yesterday along with a photo:

Brian,
I have made the trek to my favorite lumber mill in Indiana in search of the perfect material for my build. I found it!  It's half way back and 3/4 of the way from the top of the stack in the photo.

A fine piece of rift sawn 6/4 hard maple 12' long. My chair is going to be a huge departure from what I normally do. It is a chair I have been wanting to make for quite awhile.

I will send more when I have it. Hope all is well with you and your family.

Cheers,
Ray

Ray's stick is in there somewhere.

Keep up the good work, guys! June 31st will be here before you know it!

Send me a photo of your June Chair, or post it on Instagram with the hashtag, #junechairbuild and I will share it on this blog.

2nd Annual June Chair Build - How I Glue Up a Panel

For my chair in the upcoming June Chair Build, I have this crazy idea to do a pair of chairs with zebrano (Microberlinia brazzavillensis) chair blanks. You can read about it in the previous post.

I am collecting materials and prepping wood in order to hopefully get these chairs done by the last day of June. Last year June lasted until the middle of August for me.

The board is 12 inches wide, and I would rather the chair blanks be around 18 inches or more. That means in order to use this board, I will have to glue two pieces or more together.

My first step was to cut the seven foot board down and see if I could get three nice lengths, again around 18 inches long or so.

My three boards.

Unfortunately, the end of the board had two really nasty cracks that made me worry a bit that this piece would actually be appropriate.

Two big cracks in this end board.

I decided to just go for it. The big crack was nearly in the middle, anyway, and the smaller crack was pretty much straight up and down.

If this doesn't work, my chair will be a bit narrower than planned.

The big crack turned out to be no big deal. Runout on the board was my friend, this time. the broken piece peeled off, and I suspect will make no difference in the final look of the chair.

Less work for me later!

The other half turned out to be more of a problem. The good news is while it runs down about 1/3 of the length, it only shows on one side.

This crack is a bit more serious.

I think it will be OK, though. My plan is to inject it with epoxy, then stabilize it with some butterfly keys. Depending on what it looks like, this side can go on the bottom and not be seen.

Moving on to the "how-to" part. The first step in gluing a lamination is to plane the mating surfaces as surgically perfect as possible. I then dry-fit the joint and test for any wobble, gaps, or other signs of a less-than-surgically perfect joint. Also, I hold a straight edge up to one face to make sure we are mostly straight. If not, adjust the angle on one of the joints to match. Straightening here is much easier than flattening a warped glue up later.

Enjoy this photo-essay of my process:

Squirt some glue on one or both of the surfaces.

FYI, I happen to be using fish glue here. I like it's hide glue like properties, plus it has a longer shelf life and a faster set up time.

Spread the glue over the whole surface with a piece of scrap.

Wiggle the top board on the bottom until it sticks. This is a "rub joint."

Now you can breath. Us a wet cloth to clean up the squeeze out.

For extra strength I will clamp the joint tight.

Since this will be a chair seat, I use clamps here. It isn't always needed. I usually clamp my rub joints if I have to move them. I would leave it as is in the vise if not. Here I lightly apply one clamp, then lightly apply the other. Make sure the joint is still flush, then tighten it down.

Two clamps is plenty for this size of panel.

That's it!

Done. If you need to, remove the clamped assembly for storage while the glue dries. I'll leave this over night just to be on the safe side.

I think these panels turned out very nice, and the glue line isn't obvious. We'll see if it stays that way after I carve the seat, but I am hopeful. Normally, I wouldn't recommend a panel with an off-set glue line for a chair seat, but in this case it economizes material, and looks good (so far).

2nd Annual June Chair Build - My Seat Blanks

Don't forget about the upcoming 2nd Annual June Chair Build! It is my little challenge and motivation for as many people who want to build a chair in the month of June.

June is quickly approaching, and I wanted to show a glimpse of what I am planning for my chair build this year.

I briefly entertained an idea to use for a seat blank a piece of 8/4 walnut I have had flying about for some time. Then, I decided to make a couple of staked and painted outdoor patio chairs.

Those ideas all went out the window when I had the opportunity to buy this board from a friend:

A chair or two.

A local cabinetmaker that I met on Instagram has a stunning collection of lumber for tables - his real passion. I mentioned to him I was on the lookout for a nice piece of wood for a chair, and he said he probably could help me out.

We looked at some really cool, really wide oak, ash and maple, but my heart stopped when he said he had some appropriately sized zebrano, or zebra wood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis).

He had three pieces like this, and I'm pretty sure he didn't want to let any of them go, despite the fact that they have been waiting in his shop for three years or so (no judgements here - I have wood in my shop that has been there much longer than that).

I am certain that this wood is going to be a royal pain in the neck to turn into chairs, but if I am successful, there will be nothing out there like them.

It is a pretty big board. 45mm (8/4) x 30 cm (12 in) x 215 cm (7 ft).

As soon as I showed this board to The Frau, she decided I need to use it to build a console table for her. I agreed, but told her she had until I broke this board down to come up with a design.

Time's up!

Does anyone else pause before crosscutting a long, beautiful board? I always feel a little guilty, like someone who knows what they are doing might want that whole piece for something proper.

I cut three 45 cm (18") blocks from one end of the board. This left a hunk about 30" long for a table top.

Amusing aside - I decided to list the measurements of this board in metric, as it came from a German cabinetmaker's shop. It's how he measured it. But, now that I have made some cuts on it, I can discuss it purely in proper inches.

Moving on.

12 inches in width isn't quite wide enough to get a seat blank without a glue up. I also noted that I have three blocks, and if I rip one in half I can get two seat blanks from these three pieces. I am pretty sure I will be able to come up with a glue line that is hardly visible.

It turns out there was a big challenge with this, as the end of the board checked, and there is a massive crack straight down the middle of one of the boards. This one will have to be ripped and used to widen the other two.

I think I have come up with a pleasing layout.

The center will be ripped and the glue up will yield two chair blanks.

I have heard from one guy on Instagram regarding his plans for his #junechairbuild . What are you going to build?

Woodworking Weekend - June Chair Build, Henning Norgaard Couch Table Part V, Visit from Pedder

My weekends lately have been on Mondays and Tuesdays. While this is a bit of a bummer, it makes for some good woodworking days. This weekend a bit more eventful than most:

I'll start in reverse order and walk you through what a great weekend this was for me.

First (or last, depending on how you look at it), I have been a very bad boy on eBay lately. If you have been trying to buy an Ohio bench plane, I apologize for your lack of luck, as I now own them all.

Most of them have been sitting sadly rusting in a plastic crate, but I have had some luck with an O4. Tonight, I got to try out an O7 with a blade that I did my best to rehab today. I think I really like these planes.

A curly full length shaving with my Ohio O7.
Ahem.
Full disclosure - One of my Ohio O7s.

Big news in the way of my 2nd Annual June Chair Build - I have an amazing piece of wood to make chairs with!

14 board-feet of not exactly traditional Windsor chair material.

That's right, it is zebrano, or zebra wood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis). A good friend in Munich that I met on InstaGram has a lot of great lumber in his shop. I had to twist his arm a bit, as he had plans for this piece, but I convinced him to part with it. It is 8/4, about seven feet long and a foot wide. I'll have to laminate two pieces together to get a seat blank, but if I'm careful I should be able to get two stunning seat blanks from this board. I can't wait.

The only problem is the Frau decided this board would make a perfect console table. I told her she had until I started to break this board down into seat-blank sizes to come up with a design.

Whatever she comes up with, I'll try to tell her it would be more appropriate to build in ash.

I was kind of steering toward making some painted staked patio chairs, but now that I have this board, I think something spectacular is in order.

Not something I am particularly proud of.

As far as the couch table goes, you'll remember from the last post that I have the base assembled and a coat of finish on it. I have been doing a lot of thinking about this, and I have decided I am not content with the gappy joints resulting from re-arranging where they all go. I had fit every single joint, then after that it became clear the sticks had to be assembled a different way. This resulted in some of the joints looking like the one above - not good enough.

Today I ran out to the Dick shop and milled up enough ash to re-do it. This batch is just as straight and perfect as the last. I did all of the milling on machines this time, and finished in about an hour and a half. It took that long as I fiddled with the angle of the saw blade for every rip in order to get perfectly rift-sawn stuff resulting in the grain looking the same on every face of every stick.

Now that I know how to build it, it should go much faster. I can gang cut some of the parts. The long ones are all exactly the same, and there is a left version and a right version of the short ones.

A freshly milled do-over. I'm glad I had some extra wood.

And finally, the first thing I got to do this weekend - meet Pedder!

Me and Pedder.

Pedder is half of the extremely talented duo of saw-wrights at Two Lawyers Tools. If you haven't been to either Pedder's blog or the TL website, go there now for some major drool-ocity.

Pedder and I spent some time in my tiny shop talking saws. He is a cheerful guy and passionate about saws. I love talking to guys like him because you can learn so much.

He brought a couple of saws with him to show off.

The butter knife.

This cute little saw had perhaps the smallest teeth I have seen, and a very thin blade. It even works!

That is a narrow kerf. Alex should post the photo of me making this cut.

He also brought along his modern saw in pear. Not only is it beautiful, but it fits the hand like a glove.

For some reason the only photo I have of this saw is this artsy one.

We met a couple of local woodworkers and had a nice time at the local guesthouse. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate for the Biergarten plan.

Alex showing off a Bavarian half-beer.

It's always fun meeting up with a group of like minded crazies craftsmen.

Peter showing off with the pear saw.

Pedder also brought along his personal ebony dovetail saw. I also didn't get a proper photo of this, but it is a stunner.

Perhaps the empty beer glasses had something to do with the lack of proper photography.

Also there was Martin. Enjoy this portrait of him:

Martin is a photogenic chap.

Great fun was had by all. Except, perhaps, the poor waiter.

Peter, me, Pedder, Alex and Martin.

2nd Annual June Chair Build

Last year's June Chair Build was a world-wide, resounding success. I finished my chair sometime in August, and the other two guys who built June chairs barely beat me to it.

With such an overwhelming outpouring of artistic effort, I think it is time to start thinking about the 2nd Annual June Chair Build!

For motivation, I have collected some photos of my chairs for you.

This is Stoolerable. Not all my chairs have names, but this one does. It might look funny, but it is perfect as a shop stool in my tiny shop.

The idea is simple, really. Use this as an excuse to build a chair.

Any chair.

This is the first Roorkee chair I did. Pear and black leather.

My suggestion is to quit waiting until you have the perfect piece of wood, all the right tools, a six month sabbatical, or whatever excuse has been preventing you from building a chair and just do it.

This amazing chair I helped my dad build. The material of choice for his hobby is diamond willow.

I feared building a chairs for the longest time. I always thought I didn't know enough about woodworking for the crazy angles, green wood, or who knows what. It turns out there is probably some kind of chair out there you can build with the tools and skills you already have.

Coffee 'n Cream. Hair-on cowhide and wenge, which was intended for an abandoned project.

If you have always wanted to build a chair, my suggestion is don't wait. Just go ahead and start with whatever you happen to have. You'll figure it out as you go along. There are some great resources online, as well as some fantastic books which you'll surely come across.

The Viking Throne. Elm and ash. I made this at the Danish Chair Building Extravaganza at Jonas' (Mulesaw) two years ago.

If you are a little unsure of yourself, cooperate with someone nearby. Even if they aren't an expert, you'll have fun and learn something.

Modern Welsh Side Chair. Elm and fumed oak. This was the chair I built last June. Except it wasn't finished until August. Ahem.

Don't worry too much if your spouse isn't crazy about what it is you plan to build. If she doesn't like it, you can always give it away as a gift. Someone will get an amazing present, and you'll learn a lot about chairs that you can use on your next chair!

SatanSantaPope Chair. Leather and ash with a charred finish. This chair was made without a lathe.

I love to see chairs by experienced chair builders, but I would REALLY love to see someone's first chair.

Who's with me?

Just let me know in the comments, by InstaGram, or by email that you would like to participate, and send an occasional photo or two. I would love to see them, and I'll most likely post them here.