YOUNGNICK

Hi DJ - Thanks for the comment and we're glad you liked it!The body was made with a series of wedge shaped pieces all spliced together and shaped with a spoke shave. The use of hand tool there was not to be cruel, as we could have used an Arbortech or an angle grinder, but to gain fine hand skills and appreciate the feel of the woodgrain under the tool. The arms too were carefully planed and spliced, spokeshaved and sanding to perfection. The finish is an acrylic varnish to keep the ask as white as possible.

Well Done, Mouppe, just beautiful! And based on my favorite designer too.

I stand and applaud you David!

Thats obviously a beautiful box, mouppe, but you haven't done it any favors with that photo!

Oh its YOURS, Omar! - I thought so when I saw it in the gallery. Another fine foto to complement it as well. You have a fine and delicate design sense - when to add and when to leave well alone. Lovely work again!

Well done - absolutely beautiful; not overdone, its just right. Congrats!

I love it! Its like something that a film studio would make for a Harry Potter magic box. More please!

Hi Andrew, another gorgeous box. I guess a guy can never have too many cufflinks, can he? I'm up to four pairs so far...

Hi Rich - nice chair good and lightweight I reckon. Just one thing - move that back leg back another 4" please! It looks as though its going to fall backwards with a precious cargo still in it!

Cool - but what went in it?

Those Thonet chairs are absolute design icons; yours is the first I've seen apart from drawings in catalogues and although literally millions of examples were made, they were well made and still look good. You've got a bargain there for $15 + your time.

Lovely piece - give it to her, and move on. You have the photos and the experience thats all you need from this project. The next one will be better still.

Just beautiful, Omar, it made me smile at so early on a sunday morning - a rare feat! Love those handles on the base cabinets, they harmonise very nicely indeed and don't try to compete with the top tv cabinet. You exhibit sound judgement in knowing when to let one part "sing" and the the rest play supporting roles. Good photography too - always tricky to do in the clients home.

I totally agree with benchmarc - really lovely, Omar, and not overplayed at all. Well balanced and sensitive. Congratulations!

Beautiful work! It reminds of the work done set by "les ébénistes de les compagnon du Devoir" in France.

Well, it seems the effort paid off! Thanks very much for the positive comments. I got the idea for the base of the legs from looking at the furniture in the U.K. Parliament live on tv debates- the dispatch box sits on a beautiful gothic table and the base gave me the idea.

really beautiful work, Rick! Your website is really informative and shows your patience and skill in creating these fabulous guitars.

Thank you for all the comments, good and bad, and I hadn't intended to reply as everyone is free to express their view, whether their view is justified or not is for a more personal debate which isn't the point of these posts. What DOES interest me is the view of one's definition of Fine Woodworking: what criteria are you using to judge that piece? Of course - design, selection of materials appropriate to the design, meticulous craftsmanship. They should all be there and I thought they are in this piece. The DEGREE to which they appear will vary according to the complexity of the design. This is a design that some have perceived to be uncomplicated or easy to make, so does that make it less worthy of the title "Fine Woodworking"? It could be the poor quality photo that enhances that view as inevitably a studio shot with lighting will produce an impressive view, but then it changes the perception and in the end it just boils down to a photographic competition - does a mediocre piece shot in a studio make it any better? A fine example of this is the front cover of a book "400 WOOD BOXES"

Very nice work, Greg! Well done!

Your comments are always most perceptive, Mr Severin, and you maybe interested to know that one of the original drawings for this set did have the black diamonds on the table. So why didn't I put them on? I had to get them both ready for a show and didn't have another week. I thought that just maybe the inclined sides of the table was enough of a relationship, but you found me out! I will have to work longer hours to fulfill the promise of the original design next time. Humbly, Nicholas.

Really beautiful, Omar. Well balanced, lovely proportions sound choice of timbers. Keep them coming!

Lovely work! You obviously know of John Harrison who still has 3 of his wooden movement clocks still running; the first built in 1713, so if yours stands up as well as that.....but I love the simplicity of your clocks, so bring us some more!

Thanks John! The outside was put together in "one fell swoop" including the door, which altho' cut was not glued in place. The straps held it all together and kept it round. I thought I was going to have a problem with the roundness but it wasn't so. Obviously the base had to be fitted on with plates to allow shrinkage of the solid carcass.

A beautiful piece of work and technically demanding and I applaud you! Ruhlmann has long been a favourite of mine and he set many a challenge to his team of makers when they protested at not knowing how to make his designs, he said " find a way!" He also wrote that he made a 25% loss on each piece that left the workshop - I hope you didn't.

Very nice work, Austin; good of you to put in the blog address which is very interesting to follow the process from flat plank of mahogany to finished piece.I love that "before and after" sequence and the look of amazement on peoples faces saying, "but how....?" I liked the demi lune table too, nice detailing. Keep it coming!

Very many congratulations, Larry! This is a lot of work for one man to do and I couldn't let this posting disappear without someone commenting- I'd just like to know how long it took to do? I have a student here that makes very sculptural furniture and finds it difficult to assess his time for costing in advance.

Rather than use a lathe, a friend used a router she swung from a joist above her bench.Swinging it to and fro and rotating the work on a pin underneath. Worked well if a little slow.....

Very nice work and shouldn't be here without anyone saying so! Its an especially nice reason to make them too. My congratulations, Butch!

Thanks for all the comments, guys! No plans to make plans for sale but its not that difficult to figure out. You will need to make two accurate jigs though; one for drilling and the other for cleaning up the inside profile on a shaper.

Thats a lovely design, Michael. What's more, you can make it again with so many different wood combinations. Nice job!

Thanks Greg! As you've probably found, the more you struggle with the design and the longer it takes the more rewarding the finished piece is. I put the drawings away for a few days to revisit afresh later with new eyes. Surprising the benefit that has, then I turn it upside down too, there's another trick I found out by accident.

Hi there guys - thanks for the comments, they really are appreciated. The table legs weren't too much of a problem at all, it was the back leg of the chair that was seriously difficult to produce. First, I had to cut the angle for the back , plane it flat ( and wenge is extremely hard), glue on the piece I'd cut off with paper in betweenand then turn it to the conical shape. The top end I'd glued on with paper simply knocked off after leaving a crisp clean cut surface to glue onto the back. The back leg is also cut to fit on the back of the seat. That was simply jig making and then cutting on the table saw. More projects next week!

Bent lamination over a caul/mold and put in a vacuum bag press. 100% reliable everytime unlike steam bending. By the way - wenge is not a good wood to steam bend! Glad you like it all - thanks!

Thanks for your comment, Michael - the table is 28" long, 16" high and 16" high. Most of my work is tricky to size in a photo so I always add fruit to scale it.

You and I think along the same lines, I think! Most of the tables I design can have the proportions altered and so the design is more flexible that way and can be used for a variety of uses. Recycling works fine for designs too, not only materials.