I dream of HackerCraft

For some reason, I have an urge to spend a lot more time on the sea.  Along with that comes my desire to one day build my own boats.  I know that boat building begins with simple row boats.  But what I really want to build is a clone of a HackerCraft runabout.  Gorgeous!

My second table for Five Horses Tavern is finished

the second table

I have completed the second of two commissions by the owner of Five Horses Tavern in Davis Square for solid wood table tops.  The first top, completed in September, was to be reminiscent of Wine on Deck's Wine Wings, the second, a "matching" top with to complement the first table.

the first table

Both tables are now installed in the Tavern.  Attaching the solid wood tops to the iron pedestal bases required the use of plywood "interfaces" that allowed me to screw the bases to the table tops along a single center line, and then use table clips to secure the top to the plywood.  This allows the table to expand and contract freely over the seasons, and should prevent it from warping or cupping.

We shall see!  I am excited because this is my first time making something for a commercial client, which will be on view by hundreds of people every day.

The second top also represents the first project I made with my new Robland X31.  The X31's 12" jointer allowed me to use 12" wide boards in the glue-up.  I found an amazing 13" wide walnut board for this purpose, and it gives the table an excellent warm feeling.

See the table at Five Horses Tavern, 400 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA.   

glossy!

Making Bar Tables from solid oak

I recently began taking work for a finish carpenter based in Brighton.  He has a lot of experience and a complete wood shop, but when I offered to take any "overflow" work, he immediately offered up the task of gluing up six bar room table tops.


These tables were to be 2" thick, 28" square, and made from solid white oak.

Making these tables involved a few "firsts" for me:

The Steinway Project

the Steinway Square Grand

I am lucky to have recently been offered an antique Steinway Square Grand piano, to use as the basis for a one-off furniture collection.  I am now considering the options: the purpose of the collection, how to express the essence of the piano in furniture, and how to use substantially all of the piano in whatever I make.

The piano itself is unlikely to ever be playable again, since it has been sitting in a barn in New Hampshire for the past decade or so.  But otherwise it's in amazing condition.  It has all of its parts: the main case of solid mahogany, cast iron soundboard, all the keys (with ivory veneer and real ebony), a super-flat 3-piece solid mahogany top, four fat, carved mahogany legs, mahogany pedal board, and a mahogany sheet music stand - carved with Steinway's twin serpent logo.  All of the wood is in excellent shape, and so is the finish, including the Steinway decal over the keyboard. 


My initial thought as that this one piano is too big to be made into a single piece of furniture.  Also, whatever is made will be so big and bold that few private homes could accommodate it.  I wonder if this collection is destined for a bar, restaurant, or nightclub.  Using the gorgeous sound board is another challenge: should I take the easy route and put the sound board under a glass table top, or be more adventurous?  Perhaps the sound board could be made into a chandelier of some kind, to hang over a table made from the main body of the piano.  I am also thinking of making a tall, slender cabinet, and turning the keys into handles and hinges for the cabinet doors. 

Of course, the legs are an altogether different challenge.

Take a look at the pictures, and tell me what you think I should do! (click "read more" below to see the pics).