Paulb6
23rd June 2009, 07:52 PM
I like the idea of working with green timber, I had got a copy of George Buchanon's "Country Furniture" from the net......
I have a 3 yr old grand-daughter so thought the Child's chair was a suitable challenge. So headed into our garden to eye up tree limbs. Some pohutukawa branches were in reach, (and in need of pruning) somewhat bent, but many hours later.. of draw knife, spokeshave and a bit of use of the electric hand plane, I had a pair of "matching" back legs. Lots of small bits for rails and stretchers. Out came the swiss army knife and 15mm drill and then :- A crooked bodger had a crooked chair.
Since the photos I have covered the chair with linseed oil as the back legs were showing some strakes appearing from the mortises I cut. One front leg was from older dryer wood which had a lovely soft purple colour. The stretcher and rail joints had some gaps due to the natural curves of the grown timber needing to be rotated to match the holes, so I glued up with gorrilla glue to help with the gap filling. Feells nice and solid, Will fit a canvas seat.
Lot harder to do than I was expecting, straight coppiced timber would have been easier. The green wood was easy to work. Lining everything up was the hardest.
I have a 3 yr old grand-daughter so thought the Child's chair was a suitable challenge. So headed into our garden to eye up tree limbs. Some pohutukawa branches were in reach, (and in need of pruning) somewhat bent, but many hours later.. of draw knife, spokeshave and a bit of use of the electric hand plane, I had a pair of "matching" back legs. Lots of small bits for rails and stretchers. Out came the swiss army knife and 15mm drill and then :- A crooked bodger had a crooked chair.
Since the photos I have covered the chair with linseed oil as the back legs were showing some strakes appearing from the mortises I cut. One front leg was from older dryer wood which had a lovely soft purple colour. The stretcher and rail joints had some gaps due to the natural curves of the grown timber needing to be rotated to match the holes, so I glued up with gorrilla glue to help with the gap filling. Feells nice and solid, Will fit a canvas seat.
Lot harder to do than I was expecting, straight coppiced timber would have been easier. The green wood was easy to work. Lining everything up was the hardest.