Japanese stool. Finished with final work in progress shots

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Adam

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Well, the beekeeping season is over - so made a start on my next project!

I started with a lump of ash that's been hanging around for ages. Its slighly bowed, but had one straightish edge - here I am squaring off the two ends. I never used to bother with all the safety stuff, but find it much more comfortable wearing the glasses, dust mask and ear protectors. I always found I get itchy eyes from the dust - and glasses seeem to help.

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Next up, ripping it to size. You can clearly see a few splits here.

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Next up, I decided on a profile. Somewhat arbitarily, I choose 18mm as the curveture at each end. I then bent a steel rule between these points, and drew a line. Next, every 10mm, I noted the distance.

49144835.jpg


With the crown guard removed, I took trenching cuts every 10mm. I know, you could just as easily do this with a router. I did it on the tablesaw. Its easy to set up the fence on the sliding table, and take a cut, rotate the wood, and cut the other side so you get a balanced profile.

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Chiselling out the main profile. Heebeejeebs my hair is dissappearing.

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I subsequently found it was much better doing it this way round...

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Voila. A very approximately profiled seat.

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Out with the spokeshaves next. You can just see a couple of screws lashed into the workbench - holding it secure.

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A few blisters later, its complete - its quite satisfying using a spokeshave. You can still see the splits on the RHS.

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I've decided to rout out the splits. Here I am wishing I'd done it before I profiled the curve. I've even tidied the workbench :eek:

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I'm going to fill those cracks with walnut. Although each crack is full width -I'm just going to worry about the top.

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I trimmed up the walnut using a japanese saw, and a LA plane, then glued and clamped in position.


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I left this for about 3 hours, removed the clamps, used to spokeshaves to get the walnut smooth to the rest of it, then scraped, then sanded, then got the first coat of oil on. Sadly, those pictures are still on the camera!

Adam
 
Hi Adam,

Looks like its going to be nice, can't wait to see the finished article. 3 or 4 legs. liked the method for cutting the seat, may have a go at that when I get a bit more adventuress

All the best

Neil
 
tim":21iatuz9 said:
Well, the beekeeping season is over -
Why? What have you done them? Let them go?

Winter for bees starts in August/Sep - the nectar on flowers has finished. Their is no (little) work for beekeepers to do now. They won't swarm, their is no honey to collect, its best ot leave them. It restarts in March/April.

tim":21iatuz9 said:
Re legs - I'm assuming it could be also be two legs ie slabs.
Cheers Tim

Exactly. See my 'first time ever using Sketchup attempt. I've honestly never used it before. I don't know what all the buttons do, but it's at least partially intuitive.
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I have some ambition to have a series of bracing inbetween the legs, forming a sort of helix - but it'll require a series of compound angles for each rail. I think it'd look quite cool through!

Adam
 
Adam
Have a look at the little meditation stool in DC's book (sorry-can't remember which one!) It looks similar to that and has an interesting method of attaching the legs.
Hope this helps
Philly :D
 
Good stuff, Adam. I never would have thought of that way of profiling the seat.
 
Great stuff Adam, like to see pics of work in progress, shows me what i should be doing :lol:

Matt.
 
OK, a bit more progress.

As mentioned, I've used a spokeshave and a scraper to get the smooth curves. A quick runover with the sander.

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Next up, time to get a bit of oil on it. I'm using Danish Oil. (as always :roll: ).

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1st coat dry.

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Time to start on the legs. Like the top, I'm using offcuts, so no guarentee of being knot/split free either. My little battery powered chop saw sailed through - I did have to spin the wood over half way and cut from the other side.

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Due to the thickness of the planks, the saw couldn't cut full width - so I finished it off with a saw.

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I'm using the planer to give me a face edge for gluing. Although no pictures, I also thicknessed all this timber, and the rails, ready for later in the project.

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All ready to go! Glue up time!

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I've sandwiched a piece of walnut between each plank.

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Hi Adam

I'm curious - why did you choose walnut dutchmen instead of ash? Is this something to do with Japanese design and matching the walnut on the legs?

Gill
 
Gill":1yoyxpdf said:
Hi Adam
I'm curious - why did you choose walnut dutchmen instead of ash? Is this something to do with Japanese design and matching the walnut on the legs?
Gill

Hmm, I don't know what a 'dutchmen' is, but presume you mean the stripes of walnut in the top to cover the splits? No particular reason, mostly though if I did them in ash, it'll look like it was replacing a blemish, wheras in walnut it provides some contrast. It was only due to the walnut in top, that made me include a stripe in the legs.

I know nothing about Japanese design - it just looked a little like that due to the curved top and the angles legs. So I honestly don't know if contrasting timber is the norm there or not.

Sorry I'm not much help. As always, I'm making this design up as I go along, so it's morphed several times already.

Adam

Edit: I've been and looked this up so for anyone who also hasn't heard that term before - I gleaned this off the net...."Dutchman Repair

When rot consumes so much wood that an epoxy repair is impractical, but replacing the entire piece would be too costly and laborious, try replacing just the decayed area with a wood patch, or dutchman. Although the only tools required are a chisel and a handsaw, this method takes the most skill and demands the best materials: wood that's knot-free and rot-resistant, and glues that are strong and waterproof."

You learn something every day here. :p
 
Adam":21rw4sur said:
...the stripes of walnut in the top to cover the splits...? ...if I did them in ash, it'll look like it was replacing a blemish, wheras in walnut it provides some contrast...

I like it so far, but I think I might have put similar walnut strips in the other side to make the top symmetrical, but that's just me...
 
Adam":1y5sbltr said:
... if I did them in ash, it'll look like it was replacing a blemish, wheras in walnut it provides some contrast.

I understand :) . I would have chosen ash dutchmen myself but I can see why you've gone for walnut. Like Pete, I think a bit of walnut detail on the other side of the seat would give it more balance. Nevertheless, it's going to be an unusual and striking piece of furniture. In time, I think I could come to love it.

Gill
 
Nice one Adam.

I actually like the contrast and I think the design of just having the contrast on one side of the seat is going to work well.

I look forward to seeing the finished project.

Jeff
 
cambournepete":3iv25m7f said:
I might have put similar walnut strips in the other side to make the top symmetrical, but that's just me...

Not just you at all, Pete. The human urge to design with symmetry is almost overwhelming, I think. Which is why a bit of asymmetry looks great sometimes. I think this is one of those times :).

Adam: just curious, but are you leaving all those sharp edges and corners on the seat? :shock: :lol:
 
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