The six eccentric turnings which are the legs were VERY fun to carve!  I used a ridiculously sharp one inch skew chisel to accomplish the turnings — what a satisfying activity!  Because I repeatedly switched the centers of each workpiece, the knife was only in contact with the wood through part of each rotation (and it’s rotating FAST) — so with patience, a steady hand, and many pounds of paper-thin shavings removed, the completed turnings were shiny and smooth and ready for finish without sanding or anything else!  Each cut was improvised and it felt to me that the leg called out to me each time to switch centers and continue — it seems trite to say this, but…  I do SOOOoooo  enjoy the so-called dialog between mind and object with  each moment of process leading the way to the next.

One part of the project which made me very nervous whenever I thought about it was the significant hand-carving which would be required to perfect the intersections between the turnings and the rectangular solids of the leg tops.  Because these were all very eccentric turnings, the curvy parts had to terminate well before the rectangular solid parts began.  Because the location of the rectangular solid leg-top was improvised AFTER the turning was completed, it was all very touchy-feely and interactive decision making on the fly.  Once I’d completed the turnings and then completed cutting the rectangular solid leg-tops from the turnings, I could begin to find the intersections of the rectangular solids with the curves by hand carving with a sharp flat chisel.  I began on a Saturday morning and intended to take a break a few hours later.  I was really getting into the gentle carving, making very thin shavings and approaching each intersection slowly and precisely.  When it seemed I’d been at it an hour or two, I checked the time.  Ten hours had flown by and I was already late for dinner!  What a perfectly pleasant way to spend a day — very slowly, one shaving at a time, carving down to precisely the surfaces of the curves and planes.  It was SO much easier than I’d imagined and my mind was SO light and happy as I worked out these shapes.  Satisfying.  Very satisfying.

The bench and upholstery all turned out decently enough and the bench feels (and is) strong and comfortable. 

Eccentric turnings from 3 1/2 inch square mahogany blocks -- the leg tops will be cut from the unturned blocks and the bottom blocks will be removed.

The top blocks have been cut to 2x2 inch dimension prior to mortising. Then I'll hand carve the precise intersections between curves and the planes of the tops.

upside-down legs -- mortises have been cut and a first coat of shellac applied -- looking VERY good to me! Three coats of shellac were applied in all -- each rubbed in with a cloth -- very nice looking finish!

rail tenons have been glued into mortises in legs -- everything fits!

bench assembly and glueup almost complete

corner braces installed (these make the mortise and tenon construction VERY strong) and the bench is ready for upholstery.

Upholstery looks good and bench sits in its new home (our home) under my portrait of Linda. It sits well and is quite comfortable! YAY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfWE9APnTpI

view into dining room from entry hall

chandelier completed -- VERY difficult to photograph!

detail of lit chandelier (this is pretty close to the way it really looks, I guess)

Linda and I spent a pleasant couple of hours sculpting clay leaves at our kitchen table. We used knives and cookie cutters and pencils (this shot was taken after the leaves had been used to produce molds, so they are a bit damaged and cracked). OH! The modeling clay MUST be sulfur-free or the latex won't set up properly (learned the hard way -- YUCKY)!

Two-part liquid silicon rubber for mold making

closed up with surgical rubber tubing and ready to pour

030-Mold in plaster support

Silicone rubber mold with slit opening

molds in warming box -- polyester resin works best if molds are around 120 degrees F and kept warm during setting up. Polyester does not cure where exposed to air (surface stays tacky). It shrinks during cure, so castings thicker than about 1/8 inch tend to pull away from mold during cure leaving unattractive dull surfaces and, in extreme instances, surface tackiness. Warm molds help a lot! My space heater (low cost) solution worked well, but isn't recommended due to fire hazard!

polyester resin casting station

Polyester resin, catalyst, measuring syringes, etc

welding station

empty and upside down 50 gallon drum gas welding station -- I welded three wires into each of 120 8-32 hex socket head machine screws

Screws lined up and ready for welding -- nut not only holds the screw rightside up, but also makes sure threads are functional after welding

E12 chandelier sockets with wires soldered on. Heat shrink tubing and small strain relief designed to snap into 1/16 inch housing

preparing to snap bulb pigtail into housing

SNAP! Makes a nice clean interface!

Cast leaves in various autumn colors in box

one of several boxes of castings

soldering up the power circuits -- step by step: 1) cut and strip wires to length 2) with heat shrink out of the way, connect the wires 3) solder 4) insulate with heat shrink

three wire stems welded to each screw

leaves glued to wire stems welded to screws

leaves

core partly assembled with leaves screwed into sides and lights top and bottom

lights on top of core assembly

core almost complete

view of nuts which fix stem screws to sides of core -- on front side, welds are visible

soldered up wiring fits neatly in trough of core

chandelier on dining table ready for installation -- each of 360 leaves must be carefully bent and arranged around lights and core

chandelier hung in place and powered up

powered up chandelier -- installation complete

chandelier is lit

Mark Sfirri and I were roommates while we were teaching at Anderson Ranch Arts Center 18 month or so ago, and I dropped into his workshop to see what he was teaching — turned out to be ‘eccentric spindle turning’ in the lathe shop… COOL STUFF! Been meaning to give that a try, so I cut some whimsical table legs from a large cedar beam I’ve had sitting in the shop a few years and… Here are the turnings for the legs:

I’d intended to make a 40″ circular table top, but it didn’t seem to coordinate with the fancy legs, so I made a somewhat bulging square top, gessoed it, and mounted it to my lathe for painting… Painted with acrylics again, and then used marker to make some dark circle accents, then heavily spray-lacquered the marker, causing it to dissolve and run like crazy — I LOVE this effect!

Break is Over and I’m back working on the big press!  Here are a couple of photos of Leggie’s completed ‘fruit monster’ table — four legs, fruity feet, and one big eye staring up out of the top… Kinda whimsical, I guess — and fun — I think she’ll like it. But I’m gonna have to make her a set of chairs to go around it now, too…

I was looking for almost line-drawing elements in the chairs and wanted them to be delicate looking but very strong and comfortable — I think I succeeded!  I constructed several prototypes before settling on the Lincoln Log style half-lap joinery throughout.  I think they’re beautiful!

Table and ten chairs, 2002, unfinished ipe with close fit glued (later screwed) half-lap and saddle joints, glass table top 60" x 88"

some of the prototypes in studio

chair parts after shaping

chairs partially assembled

completed chair

yet another view

This is one of my “typical” curved top stools with some fancy joinery — sort of a cross between a Chinese puzzle and an old fashioned box-kite! it stands about 25 inches high and is constructed of Birch (seat and rails) and Afrormosia (African Teak – legs and stretchers). It’s a nice shape, comfortable (especially when you sit on a diagonal) and I think it’s light enough to be carried easily. The parts fit very well and are intended to be assembled and used without glue or fasteners. It ‘could’ be glued together, but I think it is much “cooler” un-glued and un-fastened). Because the top can be lifted off, it ought to be carried around by the legs, I think.

parts of the stool. The four legs are on top. The four rails are on the left, with the two stretchers underneath them. The seat is in the lower right.

four stretchers assembled

Once the legs are in place, the stretchers go in to lock it all together

Completed stool

completed stool in studio

Here’s a photo illustrating the parts of the stool. The four legs are on top. The four rails are on the left, with the two stretchers underneath them. The seat is in the lower right.

The four stretchers have to be assembled so that the symbols (a ‘dot’, a ‘square’, a ‘dash’, and an ‘X’) penciled in the notches match and so that the “sharp” or “square” top and bottom edges are on the inside… It is possible to put the rails together with the symbols all nicely matched up, but with the “sharp” edges to the outside, so be careful — the “sharp” edges MUST be on the inside in order for the legs to fit properly. The top of each rail is “flat” and the bottom of each rail is “curved.”

After you have the rails together, you should install one of the legs into the inside of each corner of the rail assembly so that the rails fit ALL THE WAY into the large notches in the legs and there is no appreciable space between the the rails and the legs. They fit pretty snugly, but you should be able to squeeze the legs into place using only the strength of your hands. Be sure the rails are exactly fitted so the top and bottom are flush.

Once the legs are in place, put the stretchers in. The stretchers are carved so they are “bowed” on one side and flat on the other. Put the first stretcher in so that the “bowed” side faces “up”. You’ll have an easy time of it if you rotate the stretcher so that it fits next to the slots on opposite sides of the legs, and then “rotate” the stretcher into position. The first stretcher is usually easier to place than the second. The second goes on top of the first, but with the “bowed” side facing down.

Now slip the seat onto the leg tenons and press it down until it fits. The stool should stay together and be reasonably stable.

• one: odd leg / top
• two: pairs of rails
• three: similar legs
• four: sides

The parts are made for two complete stools — one of maple and the other of cocobolo, but the parts are switched or shared in this odd way which makes sense to me, but at the same time is very difficult for me to hold in my mind all at once. It’s a reasonable and simple arrangement, but not an easy one to understand in one moment. A sort of stool koan.

One pair of these was commissioned by Gallery V owner, Jerry Vegder (now Ukiyo-e Prints Port Townsend, Washington) and the other pair sits in my studio waiting for a good home. Because of the cocobolo, the stools are exceptionally heavy and very solid. .

The stools have a fairly tall and somewhat muscular appearance, I think.

Stools, Aug 2001, 25 inches high, cocobolo and maple with through-tenon construction (two identical pairs - one pair collection: Jerry Vegder, Port Townsend, WA)

cocobolo over maple stool

maple over cocobolo stool

the wedged through-tenon construction -- the joinery on these turned out especially clean and accurate.

The cocobolo made an especially beautiful sculpted seat, I think. Wow!

• A pair of stools.25 inches high
• 11 inches square sculpted seats
• hand rubbed oil finish
• completed January, 2001

Stools, 2001, 25 inches high, maple and purpleheart, hand-rubbed oil finish

Stools, 2001, 25 inches high, maple and purpleheart, hand-rubbed oil finish

Stools, 2001, 25 inches high, maple and purpleheart, hand-rubbed oil finish

• Stool
• 20 inches high
• turned seat & legs
• hand rubbed oil finish

Max's Stool, 2000, 20 inches high, amphormosa wood with purple heart seat, hand rubbed oil finish (photo: Al Surratt)

The moon window installed. Six precisely dimensioned window sections fit neatly into existing steel and glass construction. The window is a shoji-like padauk framework with translucent sanded plexi lights — the view of downtown Kansas City parking garages is eliminated but light streams in.  This window was the most difficult part of the project.  The round window frame was constructed of laminated padauk, glued up on large curved plywood forms to retain the proper dimension, then the mintons were all half-lapped into the frame and one another.  Quite challenging — no — super challenging!

The pattern of the wall outside the moon window is a birch grid into which hundreds of luan triangles in two colors have been installed in one of my favorite tile patterns.

I built two ceilings. The closest one is just an inch or two above the door and is an open grid of 2 inch squares in half-lapped birch. It is supported by a four inch square column which grows out of the tiled floor and joins the main ceiling which slopes from about 10 feet high near the entry to almost 12 feet high near the moon window. I built the main ceiling from a fir grid with padauk inlay into a grid of light-weight canvas panels onto which incandescent lights shine from above. This gives the room a beautiful soft glow in the evening.

composite photo -- left to right, East wall with entry and stained glass window, South wall with four photos and large low-relief image, West wall with large "moon" window, North wall with two large relief prints mounted as hanging scrolls

preliminary plan for moon window (1999)

installing moon window (1999) -- six panels precisely fit the existing steel and glass construction

table and six chairs in workshop ready to deliver

northwest view

southwest view

detail of laminated bench seat shows offsetting of padauk inlay

interior window plan

view into the completed room with interior window at left

Southeast view

Southeast view

South view

View West from entry -- two ceilings, table and chairs, moon window

• 25″ high
• sculpted seat
• black and blue acrylic paint
• lacquer finish

"Hand Print Stool", 1999, 25" high, cherry and birch, acrylic paint and lacquer finish. (photo: Al Surratt)

• Stool.25″ high
• sculpted seat
• lacquer finish

Stool, 1999, 25" high, cherry wood, lacquer finish (photo: Al Surratt)

An artist in residence there, Ulrika Scriba from Gengenbach, Germany, was especially interested in the several booklets I had authored illustrating thousands of my ’tile patterns’. I was using one of the booklets as a source for the woodcut I was doing there. One day she kidnapped me, showed me some of her work, and demanded a copy of one of the booklets — that was so flattering, especially after having seen her beautiful platters, bowls, and boxes!    

Ulrika’s woodwork is characterized by the most beautiful intarsia in startling and impossibly complex patterns which she produces using very simple and very clever methods. She showed me how she assembles sheets of veneer (of different colors) into a taped-together stack. Then she cuts strips from the stack using a scroll saw — the line she cuts is often a repeating zig-zag or wave (or leaf or cloud motif). Although she frequently uses a pattern, she cuts very freely — the fluidity of the line being most important to her. Then she re-assembles the (wavy or zig-zagy) strips into sheets and glues them to a paper backing to hold them together. Because the strips are re-assembled in the same order they were cut, they fit perfectly — but she alternates colors as she re-assembles !! Clever, eh? Now, the even clever-er part is — she stacks these sheets, and cuts them into strips again, but cutting across the wavy lines. When she re-assembles these into sheets, switching ‘colors’ again, she has interesting and sometimes unpredictable patterns. The process can be repeated, of course, and the pattern resulting from a third re-assembly become impossibly complex and surprising.

A few month later, I was reflecting on Ulrika’s ingenious process, it occurred to me that I could easily assemble the seats for what turned out to be these six beautiful checkered stools.

• Checker-Seat Stools, 1999
• Hand rubbed oil finish on birch and padauk woods
• Wedged through-tenon construction.
• 25″ high
• set of six.

set of six checker stools, padauk and maple, 25 inches high

Checker stool, 25 inches high, padauk and maple

Checker stools, 25 inches high, padauk and maple

The  second stool has a birch seat with birch and cherry legs and spreaders. After considering the first stool, I turned the legs upside down, softened the seat, and voila! Sanded so smooth you can’t stop touching it, a nice oil finish, some wax, and voila! I donated this stool to the Kansas City Art Institute for its fancy auction fund-raiser, and was very gratified that they selected it for inclusion in the preview exhibition. Two local collectors bid hotly, and it finally went to the Gradingers for a bit over $650. Seemed fair, and I wasn’t a bit disappointed.

Blue Stool with deeply sculpted seat, 1998, 25" high, cherry wood, acrylic paint and polyurethane finish (photo: Al Surratt)

Stool, 1998, 25" high, cherry wood and birch wood, hand rubbed oil finish, collection of Pam & Gary Gradinger (photo: Al Surratt)

• Tea room table 58″ x 74″
• five matching chairs
• built in benches
• completed 1998
• Fir wood mortise and tenon construction.
• Inlaid Padauk wood accents.Polyurethane finish

one of the five chairs I made for the tea room -- different inlay for each chair (photo: Al Surratt)

Greg Oliver, Carl Johnson, John Teramoto, Tsutomu Ohshima, Jon Beltram, Joe Kappes, and Mike Lyon enjoy juice at the table after the grand opening of the KC dojo