This week I have begun actual construction on my chair! I have chosen cedar as my wood of choice for the chair. I have chosen cedar because it is soft, making it easier to shape. It is also waterproof and weatherproof, making it good for outdoor use, which is where I intend putting my chair. Over the weekend I began on the back legs. I made a template, and traced out the two legs. Unfortunately because I was sick Friday and Saturday, I was unable to make as much progress as I would have liked, although I did learn some things from what I was able to finish.
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| Picture of leg template |
To make the template I had to measure out the points, and trace lines between them, which was very simple. Cutting out the template was the harder part, but still rather easy. While doing that I learned the proper technique for cutting, which includes alignment of the body, angle of the cut, placement of the feet, and using enough force while not using too much, all of which are important to making clean efficient cuts. The cut I made was rather rough, and was not close enough to the line to be exact. To Improve the quality and precision of my template I used a block plane to plane back the edges. I made the template out of a thin, cork-like piece of scrap wood. I used the template to trace out two legs onto a piece of cedar. This was as much as I was able to do, but progress should pick up once I get going. My next step is to cut out the legs, then repeat the process for the front legs. All the other pieces are squares or rectangles, so they will be much simpler.
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| Example of a Block Plane |
As a follow up to last week's post, my dad bought a pocket screw jig and pocket screws, which were rather inexpensive. This was the only thing that I still needed, and now that I have it production can carry on, full steam ahead. As I build my skills should increase, and hopefully I can get to a point where I am working completely by myself, with minimal assistance from my dad. This would allow my work time to greatly increase. Until then, I will try to get in an hour of work every other day, or more if I can.
This week I checked out:
Learning to Execute a 360 by Nick
I Got the Magic by Noah
and
Perspective Drawing by John
From what it sounds like, starting the construction of your chair is a big step. It is apparent that you have consulted a bunch of different resources, and it seems like your dad has been very helpful. Although it is unfortunate that you were sick, this did put a constraint on how much time you could devote to your project, and I think that this was a good thing. Before you just dove right into the construction process, you had some time to experiment with the wood and the best ways to shape it. It seems like the legs of the chair will be a lot more complicated than the other parts, and because of the limited timeframe that you have to work on it, do you know if there are any ways to make the design a little simpler?
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're on the right track! Do you have a design for the entire chair yet? It looks like you've thought out the application and materials by choosing the proper wood for its properties. What tools beyond the saw and block plane are you using? It may be interesting to show us all that you have to learn about and work with. I think that there is a whole new skill set that comes with physically building something, and it seems that you are at a nice pace to finish. For your TED Talk, what have you learned overall about the importance of this discipline?
ReplyDeleteYou are starting your journey. Good luck, stay focused make sure you be safe man. Are you using a mask to keep the fumes away? Maybe take your stuff to home depot for some assistance. Sounds like your having a lot fun with your wood. Wood you consider painting your wood?
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