Box Joint Project

In June 2024 I took the "Fixins Tray" course offered by the  Philadelphia Furniture Workshop and had a great time learning from Craig and Greg.

• They gave us four pre-cut cherry pieces, and we used the table saw to cut box joints.

• We used a drill press to cut out the handle openings and a sander to smooth out the bumps.

• We used a router to cut the dado that holds the bottom panel in place.

• Lots of hand sanding.

• I chose to finish my tray with boiled linseed oil.

• Finally, I applied a coat of carnauba wax.

 

She's not a Lazy Susan...She's a Puzzle Susan!

So named by my niece, this Puzzle Susan sits atop a card table and swivels when you need to sort pieces that are out of reach. If you want to make one, here are the directions and some photos.

Supplies:

 

1. Order a Lazy Susan, 18 Inch Plastic Rotating Turntable (Icasa brand with Steel Ball Bearings, ABS+PC Material, 66 lbs Capacity) from Amazon.

2. Lowes will cut a 4x4x 1/2 sheet of plywood down to 36 x 36 inches. Pick up two 8ft by 3/4 inch pieces of pine trim for the edges. You will also need a small can of Minwax Wood Finish, color of your choice. 

3. Amazon also sells 36x36 pieces of green felt, wood glue, and spray glue.

Steps:

First, paint the underside of the plywood.

Second, cut the first piece of trim to size by holding it in place and marking where to cut with a pencil--you're making a beveled miter joint. Remember to adjust your cut for the kerf--carefully sized trim will make great looking corners.

Third, glue and clamp the first piece of trim onto the plywood. Gluing tip: Put strips of clear packing tape under the edges when gluing. This enables easy separation once the glue has dried. Here's a photo of how I clamped the trim to the plywood.

Fourth, rotate the plywood and repeat steps two and three above (three more times). It's important to cut and glue the pieces individually so you can measure against the previously glued piece of trim for accuracy

Fifth, stain the trim with Minwax Wood Finish. If you prefer, you can paint the trim (I recommend a gloss finish).

Sixth, glue the felt to the board. Use spray glue for this step. Fold half over, spray glue on board and the back of the felt; fold other half and repeat.

Sixth, attach Lazy Susan hardware to the bottom -- and it's done!

Next -- add puzzle.

Making Gerrit Rietveld's Steltman Chair

Inspired by a photo, I set out to build a Gerrit Rietveld Steltman Chair. Apparently, it was Rietveld's last chair design. (See links at the end for more information about both the designer and the chair.) Most of my dimensions are close to the original chair. However, I chose to add about 2 inches to the height, and I raised the seat by the same amount. 

This first photo shows the planned dimensions and sequence of construction (A through I) as well as what really happened along the way. 

I chose cedar 2  x  4's -- which were really 1 1/2  x  3 3/4.  After a kind friend with access to a table saw took 1/8 off of both sides, my boards ended up to be 1 9/16  x  3 5/16. Construction began with cutting 5 segments to build the 16 x 16 seat.

Next came the opportunity to use my new biscuit joiner! 

 

Construction continued with a combination of biscuit joints, pocket screws and glue.

                      

   

Boiled linseed oil brings out the natural color and designs in the cedar.

Here's the finished project, polished with carnauba wax. It's fun to view the chair with the "floating seat" from different angles.

Brief, engaging article about Rietveld's life and work

Click here to learn more about the origin and history of the Steltman Chair.

Click here to learn more details about Rietveld.

Three minute video on Rietveld with photos & movie clips from the designer's life.

Brief video about Rietveld's chair designs ("floating elements")

Caning a Small Chair

This is my third caning experience. I'm getting better at seeing mistakes--hope that means my skills are improving.

Pandemic passtime...

My Second Caning Adventure

I finished the corner chair two years ago and recently turned my attention to this bent-wood rocking chair. You can view photos of the deconstruction and the finished corner chair in my 2019 post, Can I Cane a Chair?

Honey, an elderly Norwich Terrier, is my caning companion.

A rolled up piece of cane is soaking in the purple tub for about 10 minutes before I can use it. I found clothes pins helpful in keeping the the roll under water.

It was so exciting to get to this final stage of adding the edge over the holes in the seat. At this point I was seeing the cane pattern on the backs of my eyelids whenever I closed my eyes!

Completed project--not perfect, but it'll do.

Small Chair Restored

This chair was wobbly and uncomfortable. So the project required glue, foam, and new fabric.

Deconstructed...

Re-glued and a coat of walnut Restor-a-Finish...

New foam and a layer of Dacron...

Finally, the fabric...