Thread: Surprise!

I’ve still got some fiddly jobs to do on the table and chairs, another sand back and coat of WOP, fit castors and fix the table top with Z clips......

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.... but the only big job still to go is to make the cushion frames, fit the webbing and foam and sew the leather covers. I am hoping of course that NCArcher will get SO frustrated with my sewing skill (lack of!) that he will step in and do it for me
The cushion will be thicker and shorter than the mock-up in the pic and the leather will hopefully be a dark olive green leaf colour?

The tag line should read "don't vomit in the hirecar!"

Originally Posted by Pac man

The tag line should read "don't vomit in the hirecar!"

It was until an hour ago!

The machine is oiled up and sewing nicely. I've preloaded half a dozen bobbins. All systems green (dark olive green leaf) for operation cushion cover.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

The machine is oiled up and sewing nicely. I've preloaded half a dozen bobbins. All systems green (dark olive green leaf) for operation cushion cover.

Upholstery and soft furnishing are normally a fine, detailed and gentle art so the best description I can give to OPERATION CUSHION COVER is that it is a brutal reimagining of soft furnishing by a lapsed boilermaker!
So, given that introduction, here is today’s boilermaker’s reimagining.......

I cut a ply template..

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took it to Clarke Rubber to cut 2 foam blanks

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cut, domino’d and dressed the cushion frame

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checked the fit again...

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wove, stretched and stapled the webbing

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checked the fit......... again

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mounted the cushion base to the cushion with wood glue and clamps

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...... and so tomorrow is GREEN LEATHER DAY ...... and a reunion lunch at the Rowing Club

Fletty, as well as Birdsalls, there is also NSW Leather at Anderson St. Banksmeadow. Both places are real Aladdin's caves.

Originally Posted by AlexS

Fletty, as well as Birdsalls, there is also NSW Leather at Anderson St. Banksmeadow. Both places are real Aladdin's caves.

Thanks Alex.....

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..... but I might have been a bit TOO tempted........?

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Not quite the colour I wanted but.....

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I had the same problem with the clock leather - “not quite the colour I wanted - but”. However, once fitted it ”grew on me”

Unlike me, other than my dust collector failure, I haven’t reported any of my stuff-ups although, like brothers-in-law, I think that should be stuffs-up? Well, I knew the timber couldn’t be dry as the 150 x 150 beams for instance had only been air-drying for 18months or so and not cleverly stacked either! The design of the table assembly took this into account however the table top itself would always be vulnerable to movement. While I was away, the tabletop was only laying on the frame and I was disturbed on my return to see that it had cupped severely by about 40mm. I used all of the usual tricks and the one that worked best was the old hose-the-lawn-and-lay-the-tabletop-cupped-downwards-on-the-grass-and-stack-12-pavers-on-top method. This method can be varied to improve the result by varying the number of pavers but I only had 12! After the success of this (literally) agricultural method, I put the tabletop back upside down on the frame and kept the pavers on top. These 2 methods reduced the cupping to about 10mm and I could live with that. HOWEVER, yesterday while I was out buying leather and getting on the (light) turps, my unopened shed got close to 50 degrees and the cupping returned along with a rather elegant twist! I now have a date for the handover and I knew that I could make another top if I had too so today was the day for drastic action even though that could result in a split top?
I lay the tabletop on a pair of saw horses ( thanks Chambezio) and rolled, cajoled and cursed the table frame on top of it which, given the weight, is no mean feat!

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I then placed 2 beams on top and clamped them back to the saw horses which flattened the slab but was accompanied by alarming, moaning, groaning and cracking noises!

I quickly realised that at least some of this noise came from a king parrot which squawked at me from a branch just outside the shed door.

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Then, after differentiating between the noises of parrot vs complaining timber, I started to fit a myriad of Z clips from the centreline out. This forest red gum aka bastard box, is a tough mother and every screw requires a pilot hole. So, I drilled a hole, fitted the Z clip ....... and watched carefully!
I slowly removed the clamps and baulks and waited for a reaction. Nothing dramatic happened so I rolled the complete table over, ready to lower it to the floor and then came the dreaded sound of P’TING .....P’TING as 2 Z clips flew past my ears on their way towards the VERY alarmed parrot!
I couldn’t put the table back as I’d gone past the centre of gravity so I continued with it to the floor hoping that no more Z clips would attack me ....... or the parrot!
Once I’d got the table back on its own feet, I clambered under and refitted the errant clips but with longer screws ...... I did consider wearing a hard hat for this task but......
Once the tumult and the shouting had died, I started to sand the table top back to bare timber....

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...... sanding through to 800 before ending the day with the first replacement coat of WOP. I stood back and looked but continued to worry about ballistic Z clips so......

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...... now I can sleep!

Nightmare!

mick

Hmmm, if I were you me lad, I'd be a bit worried about the future of this table top. As it's already demonstrated, thick sections of hard, dense woods can generate an awesome amount of power if they decide to cup. The brute strength approachmight work, but to avoid any call-backs, I think I'd be resorting to a trick I've read about, but not tried, & that is to take a circular saw & run a series of kerfs lengthwise along the underside, to half the depth of the top or a little more, keeping them well inside the skirt area so they won't show. It's the equivalent of kerf-bending, if you like, only kerf-straightening might be a better name in this case. Then tie it down - it should pull down much more easily and have a better chance of staying put.....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Hmmm, if I were you me lad, I'd be a bit worried about the future of this table top. As it's already demonstrated, thick sections of hard, dense woods can generate an awesome amount of power if they decide to cup. The brute strength approachmight work, but to avoid any call-backs, I think I'd be resorting to a trick I've read about, but not tried, & that is to take a circular saw & run a series of kerfs lengthwise along the underside, to half the depth of the top or a little more, keeping them well inside the skirt area so they won't show. It's the equivalent of kerf-bending, if you like, only kerf-straightening might be a better name in this case. Then tie it down - it should pull down much more easily and have a better chance of staying put.....

Cheers,

EXCELLENT IDEA!
I will report back!

I am building a chair out of Sydney Blue (Bastard??) Gum and it must be closely related to the timber you have and I was advised strongly not to sand it back any finer than 120 or the finish would not soak in. Take that for what it is worth because I have no idea of the rights or wrongs of it. All I know for certain is that every time I look at the chair parts more substantial cracks have appeared and the epoxy comes out again to fill them. I shudder to think what is going to happen when the big dry turns into the big wet. We had some rain but not a lot a while ago and some of the dry fitted parts no longer fitted.