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Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!
Now for the Chairs
- Thread starter PAC1
- Start date
I would appreciate your views before I commit to the next step. Look at the top edge of the crest rail on these photos. The first is curved. The second is a square 90 degree angle face to top edge. I am minded to go with the 90 degree angle. Tactile wise I think it does not matter as you will pull the chair by the legs or bottom edge of the crest rail. So which is best and why
I looked back to page 1 of this thread and saw that the picture showing the whole chair is the same picture you included then, to show your overall design plan.
I do think that in that photo, the square top edge visually "rhymes" with the squareish edges of the rest of the back, so it looks like an integrated whole.
On the other hand, I was naturally drawn to the softer, welcoming curves shown just in detail, so I guess you are too. But if you did go with the softly curved rail, would that mean that you need to make more curves elsewhere? Is there enough wood in the right places to do that, without making it look weak?
Also, I suspect that getting nice symmetrical, flowing curves like that is especially challenging, even in such accommodating timber.
So I'm not sure that it's time to change the plan now. If it was me making them, I'd probably use the overall design as a reason to avoid an extra challenge, but then again, you've proved that you can rise to all these challenges... It's tricky, isn't it?
I do think that in that photo, the square top edge visually "rhymes" with the squareish edges of the rest of the back, so it looks like an integrated whole.
On the other hand, I was naturally drawn to the softer, welcoming curves shown just in detail, so I guess you are too. But if you did go with the softly curved rail, would that mean that you need to make more curves elsewhere? Is there enough wood in the right places to do that, without making it look weak?
Also, I suspect that getting nice symmetrical, flowing curves like that is especially challenging, even in such accommodating timber.
So I'm not sure that it's time to change the plan now. If it was me making them, I'd probably use the overall design as a reason to avoid an extra challenge, but then again, you've proved that you can rise to all these challenges... It's tricky, isn't it?
Steve Maskery
Old Oak
Personally I prefer the softer rounded edge.
S
S
rounded edge for me to which also has a practical purpose, I think, of reducing the possibility of edge getting damaged.
Cabinetman
Sequoia
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2020
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- 994
- Location
- Lincolnshire Wolds + Massachusetts
- Name
- Ian
I looked at this yesterday and couldn’t decide but now with these photos I much prefer the way it is now rounded on the reverse - back side and square cut on the front.
What persuaded me was the square edge where it meets the scroll, looks very good and if you were to round it I think you would have to transition back to square just where it meets the scroll.
And the same is true of the crest.
What persuaded me was the square edge where it meets the scroll, looks very good and if you were to round it I think you would have to transition back to square just where it meets the scroll.
And the same is true of the crest.
I have the utmost respect for anyone prepared to take on this level of repetition and I am in awe of the results.
Dr.Al
Old Oak
Today was the day to decide about talons. Long and pointy or short and stubby. I chose the latter. Purely for practical reasons. The talons hold the balls about 1 inch from the floor and are a prime location for damage from feet.
Two down ten to go.
Two down ten to go.
Cabinetman
Sequoia
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2020
- Messages
- 5,229
- Reaction score
- 994
- Location
- Lincolnshire Wolds + Massachusetts
- Name
- Ian
Yes, look like they’re just getting ready to throw a rock at you!
Here is the full process of carving the leg from the cut out blank to a finished leg (well except sanding).
Take one leg:
Then shape the base of the leg as it is not a square:
Trace pattern of the ball and claws onto the base:
Extend the lines up the claw and ball and then carve the outline of the claws and a cylinder for the ball:
Take one leg:
Then shape the base of the leg as it is not a square:
Trace pattern of the ball and claws onto the base:
Extend the lines up the claw and ball and then carve the outline of the claws and a cylinder for the ball:
Dr.Al
Old Oak
You make it all sound and look so easy!
fiveeyes
Sapling
Hat off!!
You have the patience, of Job.
It is quite obvious, that your skills are, well and truly, great!
You have the patience, of Job.
It is quite obvious, that your skills are, well and truly, great!
Thanks for documenting the whole process in such comprehensive, real-life detail. You've just given us (and the rest of the world) the clearest account I've ever seen of how these lovely feet are carved. Excellent photos too.
What I like about photographs is it highlights all the bits that need tweaking and refining. I am looking forward to finishing carving and getting the legs sanded (even though I hate sanding). I hope to get back to them and finish carving by the end of the weekend.
It has been a while since I posted on this and it will be a bit longer before I do. The reason being the day job and installing a new heating system in my office. The day job tends to get busy from September to Christmas and this year was no exception. I have been abroad a lot so no opportunity to nip into the workshop. The biggest factor was installing a new heating system in my office above the workshop. I have had installed an air source heat pump with fan coil units in the office. This is a big improvement on a woodburner. However I needed somewhere to place all the control gear and pipework and that ended up being my workshop. In turn I had to dismantle several areas and lift floors. It was totally disruptive to the workshop. I have only just this weekend returned to the point of being able to function. It is not all gloom, as a side effect is all the spare heat from the air source heat pump needed somewhere to dissipate. Apparently my workshop was a suitable place. I now have a workshop that is warm all the time. I can now just pop in for a few hours in the evening without being frozen in half an hour. That should result in more workshop time. It still might be 2 weeks before I lift a chair leg to sand and Christmas before I think about glue. If I glue up the front legs by the New Year I will be happy.
Good to hear all that. I’ve avoided going into my workshop these past couple of days for precisely the reason you’ve just overcome.
duke
Old Oak
I love in floor heating, built two homes with a concrete slab on frost walls and it is so confortable and your feet are always warm.
NickM
Old Oak
A warm workshop will help with winter glue ups. I'm having to carry glued bits into the house at the moment to help the glue go off (especially the UF)!
I have often found that when I have taken close-up photos to post on here, then look at them on a decent sized monitor, I notice "flaws" that I hadn't seen in the workshop.
Somewhere there's a sweet spot where things that will never be seen on the furniture in use intersect with my aging eyesight and my desire to do a decent job. But it can be hard to find!
We are probably our own worst critic but it is still hard to balance this.
Pete Maddex
Old Oak
I have two LED panels above my bench that flatten any imperfections, I have to turn them off to check.
Pete
Pete
I also have two LED panels above the bench! I'll try to remember to turn them off and use the obliquely positioned anglepoise when checking for final defects.
After what feels like eternity, I have finished sanding ball and clawfoot feet. All 12 of them. There is still a lot of sanding to do but the worst is done. No doubt there will be some further work on the feet but they are sufficiently advanced for me to move on to gluing the front legs together and carving the two sets of arm rests. This feels like a major milestone as the finish is in sight.