It's Been Awhile!

It's been some time since I've posted to my blog but I have a good excuse -- knee surgery on the 29th. of April.  I'm much improved but didn't go up the stairs to my bedroom or the gilding area so the frame is all gilded and ready for toning.  Since that requires longer periods of time I'm putting that project on hold until my knee tells me it can stand on its' own for a number of hours.
In the meantime, I've started a new project and am currently working on some prototypes for it.  When we went to Pasadena I noticed a lumber yard called Arroyo Hardwoods.  Decided to check it out and ended up with a nice piece of 8/4 Zebrawood just begging to be re-sawn and book matched!  We have the need for some small tables to use as side tables for company or ourselves -- think TV trays.  I rarely take the easy way in my designs and this will be no exception.  I've seen lots of rectangular or square tables so decided to try a triangular or a truncated rectangle.  You knew that would lead to prototypes so here's what's going on.  The first thought was to make them stackable but that didn't work out too well so I went for the rectangular theme.  They will be made of Walnut with the Zebrawood as an inset.  Since I want them to appear quite light I decided to not use an apron but rather mortise the legs into the sides with an overlap type of joint, here's that prototype:

Traditional Leg with Inlay

The top was made first out of Poplar.  The first leg design included an inlay which I initially thought could be attractive.  Now that I see it I disagree, the top is sleek and contemporary while the leg looks somewhat traditional.  It just didn't have the flow I was looking for.

Triangular Shaped Leg

The intent of the next leg design was to micmic the triangular shape of the top, this too was attached with a lap joint.  What I do when I work on designs is to make the mock-up and just place it in the room for a while to see how it would work.  The decision is that it wouldn't!, looks too bulky and heavy.  I want these tables to have a very light appearance.  

Where I am now is to place the legs under the table to maintain a clean edge all the way around the top.  One concern I've had was with the stability of using three legs.  From the mock-ups I've constructed so far it doesn't seem to be an issue.  Since they will be used to place a drink or snack on they won't be knocked around much.  Here is the final prototype:

Final Prototype

The legs are mortised into the top.  The largest mortising chisel I have is 5/8" so I made the legs 1" square to allow for a 3/16" shoulder all around.  The mortise is completely through the top and will be secured with glue and a wedge.  Things look a little awkward in this photo because there are gaping holes where the initial legs were attached.  The cardboard top is a poor substitute for the Zebrawood I plan on using and you really have to stretch your imagination to have the Poplar become Walnut.  Next step will be to see how the Walnut works for this design.

Ready for Gilding

After countless hours of preparatory work the frame is ready for it's 22 karat, gold leaf coat.  This is what it looks like now:

   It's doesn't really appear that way but there are about 6 coats of French Yellow clay that will be the base color.  I then added two coats of French Red clay on the carving and sight edge.  It appears to be more green and purple than yellow and red but that's what it is!  I must admit to some apprehension about this next phase of the frame.  There are a couple of videos on YouTube showing the process.  One in particular by CJ Frames is just amazing!  Their gilder handles that gold like it's nothing but if you've ever tried it you know it's quite a process.  I've become proficient at laying Dutch gold which is an oil based process.  The gold is considerably  thicker and I have very little problems even laying a full sheet at a time.  This you can touch with your fingers and it won't disintegrate.  Twenty-two karat gold, on the other hand, will fall to pieces should you look at it cross-eyed or dare to breathe on it.  I did some test pieces and feel like my technique is coming along but the next 5 hours or so will tell.  I do the gilding in what used to be the kids bathroom.  I have a humidifier going and try to achieve at least 50% humidity but it's hard when it's only 7-8% outside.  The air conditioner vent is closed off with a magnetized piece of vinyl and I wear anti-static gloves to fight that problem too.  The process is to wet a section of the frame with what's referred to as "gilders liquor" (water and denatured alcohol), then use your gilders brush to pick up a piece of gold and, simply drop it in place onto the frame without moving, sneezing, breathing, or even the slightest flinch!!!  Since this molding is about 4" wide and measures 16" x 20" at the sight edge I can look forward to a long, hopefully successful day of gilding.  Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Latest Project

It's been a while since I've updated the blog so here's what's been happening in the shop.  I decided to carve and gild a frame that is inspired  by the Art Nouveau style.  It's a style I really enjoy, things just seem to flow from one element to the next.  Of course, admiring it and being able to replicate it are two different things!

Here's the design I came up with.  My technique is to use double back tape and apply it to a thin piece of copper sheet that I have left over from another project.  This is cut out on the scroll saw.  The advantage I see here is that by cutting it out of the thin copper you merely have to flip it over to give you a right and left view.  This way the design can be drawn the same in all corners of the frame.

Carving is one of the skills that I keep working on.  Just like anything else, if you watch someone that has been doing it for years it looks effortless.  Not complaining but I have a ways to go to reach that point but know that with every frame and every stroke of the chisel my work is getting closer to what I want.  Here's the work in progress.

In this last picture I have the frame completely carved and sanded.  It also has a sealing coat of rabbit skin glue on it in preparation for the multiple coats of gesso followed by the bole (clay) which is the groundwork before the actual gilding process can begin.

Frame's Done

Here is the latest project, finished and ready to be delivered to my client.  I like how it came out and didn't realize how the finish on the quarter sawn White Oak meshed so nicely with the amber colored glass. This was constructed with traditional mortise and tenon joinery.  After gluing and clamping the frame, holes were drilled in each corner that went through the tenons, but not all the way through the frame.  These were then pegged with Ebony dowels that I had made for the stool project.
 As is customary, there had to be a little issue at the end -- this time it had to do with the brass screws I needed to attach the retaining strips on the back.  Even though these will rarely be seen I wanted them to match the era of the glass.  That means they just had to have a slotted head not a phillips.  I know, picky, picky, picky but hey, if it's worth doing it has to be right.  The big box stores didn't have the 4 x 1/2" brass that I needed so got the 5/8" long ones, you know the Chinese ones that don't have the threads cut into them but are just stamped so they will twist into a piece of styrofoam if you're very careful!  There's a hardware store here in Las Vegas called McFadden-Dale that I just love.  It's reminiscent of the lumber yard/hardware store I worked in as a kid and young adult.  Rows and rows of bins full of all kinds of stuff -- wonderful!  They had the right size and right quality so I bought a hundred of the little suckers.  Pre-drilled holes, bees wax, and a steady hand so the screwdriver didn't slip out of the slot and scratch the wood and we're done!

Hand Tools vs. Power Tools Etc.

As I'm advancing on my current project I wonder sometimes why I do the things I do -- not in a negative way but just in a way that I enjoy.  I'd really like to be able to present nothing but cleanly planed surfaces but admit that there are times when a scraper or a piece of sandpaper needs to be employed.  The same goes for edges.  Let me show an example, here is one of the corners of the frame and its radius:

Cut on the Bandsaw

Smoothed with a Spokeshave

When the wood is simply cut with a bandsaw the appearance is somewhat rough and ragged.  I would have had the same results though had I used a hand coping saw.  Once it was cut there are basically two options to smooth things out, a spokeshave or sandpaper (either hand or power).  I chose to use the spokeshave you can see laying on the bench.  Take a look at the grain on the radius now -- see how clear it looks?  That's the effect a sharp blade has on wood.  Sandpaper, on the other hand, tends to abrade the wood to shape and you can achieve what the spokeshave does but you have to work your way through several grits and run the risk of rounding the edges.

Once all corners were done, I did use a router to begin a slight radius all around the frame as well as the sight edge.  My method is to take an extremely light cut with a block plane on this radius to remove the machine marks left by the router.

Since the frame and the stained glass are destined to hang in a window, both sides will be visible.  That meant making a stop to hold it in place that will be good enough to be seen unlike a picture frame that is against a wall.  I cut two steps in that side, here's a picture to help you see it:

The piece at the top of the glass with the miter is the stop.  You can barely see the countersunk hole for a small, brass screw.  From the outside all that will be different is that there are 10 screws visible holding the stop to the frame.  This way too the glass will be easy to remove should the need arise.

All that remains is to finish planing the surfaces and edges, stain, and finish with a hand rubbed linseed oil, turpentine, urethane mixture and deliver it to my client. 

Biscuits vs. Mortise & Tenon

It's always interesting to get into a discussion with other woodworkers when it comes to joinery.  Some (like me) stay with the traditional methods even though they are much more time consuming.  Others will employ the quickest way possible to get the job done.  Don't get me wrong, I'll use biscuits on built in furniture too, especially if there's no chance the unit will be moved but that mortise and tenon just can't be beat when building chairs and tables -- it's a time proven joint.
I use a combination of power tools and hand tools.  I prefer to cut the mortise with my hollow chisel mortiser.  The resulting cut still requires a bit of chisel work in the bottom to square up the sides.  Although I had my students doing the tenons completely by hand, something I've done lots and lots of, my choice these days is to cut the shoulders on the table saw with a sled and then use a tenoning jig.  To cut the tenon I use the outside blades from a dado set with spacers between them.  This way I can cut the entire tenon with one pass.  They are ever so slightly oversize which allows me to use a rabbet block plane to get the fit I'm after.

Tenoning Jig with Two Blades to cut Tenon

Hand Tools used to fit Tenon 

I won't deny that using biscuits to accomplish this would probably have taken less than a fourth of the time but being a traditionalist and also knowing that this frame will never separate makes it well worth the extra effort for me.  I assembled the frame this evening, tomorrow I'll drill the holes for the Ebony pegs, glue them in and begin the process of cutting out the stepped recess house the stained glass.

End of the Day, See the Quarter Sawn Rays?

Ready for their Marriage!

Time to take a break from the experimentations for new picture frames and try to make some money!  In this economy the paying commissions haven't been as steady as I'd like but I'm set to start on a new project.  This is to make a Mission inspired frame for an heirloom piece of stained glass.  The stained glass panel is one that came from my clients childhood home in Chicago, here's what it looks like:

Mission style, which is also known as Arts & Crafts, was made famous by Gustav Stickley and other furniture makers in the early 1900's.  One of the features of the style was to use quarter sawn, White Oak.  Traditionally this was fumed with ammonia to a dark finish and the flecks that distinguish it would stay lighter.  Fuming requires chemicals, plastic tent, and a respirator!, more effort than needed for this project.  Instead I'll use a dye to enhance the quarter sawn characteristics of the oak, it'll take some experimentation but I'm confident the wood, shown below, will frame the heirloom stained glass properly.  Here is a picture of the wood I'll be using, notice the flecks?, that's the distinguishing characteristic of quarter sawn wood.

My plan for this frame it to utilize mortise and tenon joinery, pegged with Ebony dowels to stay true to the Mission style.  The marriage of the clients piece of stained glass and the frame I make should be a lasting one!