Every now and then we find a piece of wood so unique all work stops until we get a chance to play with our new treasure. This week: Purple Heart Juniper.
We received a trunk of juniper to create something and discovered a striking band of purple heart wood that ran through the entire sample.
We commissioned a local wood maestro, Designs by Tomas, to lathe samples into something that would show off the unique characteristics.The result is a stunning goblet and a matching bowl. The sample is finished in beeswax.
Here’s two more benches to add to our Woodland Collection. A client chose two cedar slabs for patio benches. Each was approximately 7′ long x 18″ wide and 3″ thick. This enabled us to lop off the ends and stack it upright for legs and a seat. A hemlock trestle was added for stability. We split the leg, notch out the join by hand, and glue the entire piece back together with hazelnut dowels for support.
Each bench was left with live edges, saw marks and unique knots. The surface was ground with 80 grit, then 120. The edges were ground to remove any slivers and the entire bench was soaked in poly. The bench is turned upside down and poly is poured into the open grain to make it last for years outdoors. Any finish will eventually wear away with use, sun, and rain, but the client can easily wipe some on whenever they want to restore that sheen.
Cedar has long strands that like to peel away from the core. It’s a good carving wood for vertical designs, however the cut edges can remain rough no matter how much sanding. That’s just a characteristic of this wood. Hardwoods, like maple and birch, can be polished to a fine finish from any angle, but cedar is great for that rugged, outdoor style.
Cedar is big, chunky, strong and light.
#137 BL 07 13
#138 BL 07 13
Approximate sizes: 42″ long 18″ deep 17″ tall.
Wood source: hawleyscape.com
This wonderful piece of English Oak came to us locally. The harvester saved it for the unique grain with a lot of character. We didn’t have enough material to do the seat and legs, so we used some sections from a dried alder round that was saved for a special purpose. The result is a very heavy boot bench for an entry way or alcove.
The live edge was left on and the entire piece is sanded to a smooth finish and coated in polyurethane in case it has stay on the patio. There are no screws or metal in the design. Each leg was notched to slide into the seat sideways with a few taps of the mallet. This final was eventually glued with PL 8x for a permanent bond. The bottoms are also sealed with a waterproof poly cement. This oak bench is big, heavy and will last a long, long time.
#135 BL 06 13
Approx: 18″ tall x 16″ deep x 48″ wide
Wood source: hawleyscape.com
A local tree harvester saved a nice round of Norwegian maple from the chipper and we had it slabbed for a future table and bench. The wain with the bark was wide enough to sand out and turn into an interesting table.
There were some band saw marks that needed to be ground and the piece included metal that someone hammered in long ago.
Next the sand with the grain to highlight the wavy quilting. The result is a surface with subtle ripples and quite smooth. We didn’t want this piece perfectly flat , only that it caught all the available light.
The legs are hazelnut, two with the bark polished to a natural bronze and one that had lost it’s bark but had an ideal curve. They’re inset and doweled, then glued into a tripod design that’s quite stable. The surface finished in poly so it’s durable and sits just shy of 28 inches (71 cm) which makes it a decent desk height.
The result is a space to compose or read–on a surface made by someone wonderful, nature. The maple grain is truly inspiring and the live edge creates a new environment anywhere you sit.
Approximately 28″ tall, 42″ long and 20″ at its widest.#137-BL-06-13
We start by tracing the grain with an orbital sander to expose the art inside.
Sometimes we leave a few band saw marks, but this piece was sanded smooth.
Using a finishing sander to
Sanding the poly finish builds up on the paper. Clean with brush or compressor before it scratches the finish.
The surface is smooth enough for finishing. We use compressed air and dust fans, then a wipe down with a tack cloth,
The second layer of poly is applied and the shimmer is really beginning to show.
A close up of the maple cell structure. Working wth maple is sort of mesmorizing, like you’re looking at stars and galaxies
Another section of the writing desk.
More interwoven grain called quilting
Beautiful tones of maple bark are polished on the underside.
The set includes four chairs and a pedestal table designed for lunch, coffee, or playing cards. The table is fir and is 27″ tall, the chair seats are 16.5″. The color is our ‘storybook’ mix and the surface is finished in polyurethane for durability. The low chair backs give just enough support and encourage people to lean in and participate. We wanted a treehouse feel and a fun place to have a bowl of soup.
