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With spare parts this chair was constructed with the sole purpose to investigate various finishing techniques. After bleaching and grain-filling the ash, I decided to try blasting it with a propane torch. A shop mate and I stood in the parking lot and toasted the surface. While some of the glue joints loosened and the end grain checked slightly, the overall effect is beautiful: amber undertones covered by a glossy black.
I built this sample as a means of developing the variety of skills and techniques required to execute both the construction of stacked and curved moldings and the detailed ornamentation used throughout. The scrollwork, the dentils, the concentric moldings of the S-Curve, the compound miters, the carving all demanded a surprising amount of planning and these techniques have translated into a wide range of furniture pieces that look nothing like this A-symmetrical pediment.
This unique display of beautiful wood serves as an artful room divider. Each of the book-matched panels reveal the gradual progression of cross-sections through a single board.
Tineo, Ebonized Beech
These are some samples of a variety of different styles of legs. Whether or not the traditional aesthetic of these is to your liking, the techniques required to form these can be extended to a wide range of tastes and applications.
This sample was approached with the intention of exploring shaping complex curves (curves that undulate in both the X and Y axis) and then veneering overtop of these curves. The substrate is first shaped by hand to create this constantly undulating surface and then the surface is veneered and inlaid with satinwood stringing and walnut banding. The veneering presents a challenge due to this complex curvature: imagine taking a sheet of paper and forming a gentle arc along the long side and then forming another arc on the short side, in the same way veneer can only bend so far in this manner before it breaks, for the reason many smaller pieces, diamonds in this case, were used to cover the surface. Furthermore, by alternating the orientation of the grain with each panel, a dramatic checker board effect is created.
I was struck by the beauty of these veneers and wanted to simply highlight their abstract, almost geographic beauty. Using dim-able, warm-white LED's, I built low-profile, cherry frames around the panels which allow the lights wash over the faces when turned on. These natural pieces of art provide unique interest and warm, ambient lighting in any setting - and though it is difficult to see out of context, the LED's provide more than enough light to not only highlight the entire panel, but illuminate a room.
Royal White Ebony (Top)
Zircote (Bottom)
These panels are demonstrations of basic details used on some Federal Furniture. The ellipse (Bird's Eye Maple) wrapped in a holly banding inset into a mitered field and a simple line of holly stringing with four different corner motifs are only the very beginning of the variety details that can be used to dress up table tops, drawer fronts, aprons and legs. And while these formal examples may not fall into one's identified aesthetic sensibilities, the techniques used do translate into any number of options in a wide range of design languages.
These are some basic adornments used to accentuate moldings in both cabinets and furniture. While this ornamentation provides a specific look and feel that may or may not be desired in a piece, the skills required can be used in a wide range applications for both traditional and modern furniture.
A traditional Comb-Back Windsor Arm Chair with original Hand and Ear carvings.
Red Oak, Maple, Eastern White Pine, Milk Paint.