Maple Sculpted Rocker


SeventyFix

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In an effort to keep myself on track with this build, I am doing something that I've never done before: blog it.  

It's already starting off poorly:

  • I'm not a social media person
  • I'm not a photographer
  • I'm not a professional woodworker
  • This project journal is probably not going to be as good as the excellent one done by ShaneyMack

On the upside:

  • I successfully completed the Roubo build and made 2 Guild Morris chairs.  It was an amazing experience and to say that I learned a lot is an understatement.  
  • I do have a fairly reasonable garage shop that I built out over several years.
  • I might have a lot in common with ShaneyMack: I love McGill University, les bleu, blanc et rouge (I miss P.K. Subban) and les restaurants La Belle Province (though I never developed a taste for poutine).

 

images.jpg

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In an effort to keep myself on track with this build, I am doing something that I've never done before: blog it.  

It's already starting off poorly:

  • I'm not a social media person
  • I'm not a photographer
  • I'm not a professional woodworker
  • This project journal is probably not going to be as good as the excellent one done by ShaneyMack
On the upside:

  • I successfully completed the Roubo build and made 2 Guild Morris chairs.  It was an amazing experience and to say that I learned a lot is an understatement.  
  • I do have a fairly reasonable garage shop that I built out over several years.
  • I might have a lot in common with ShaneyMack: I love McGill University, les bleu, blanc et rouge (I miss P.K. Subban) and les restaurants La Belle Province (though I never developed a taste for poutine).
 

images.jpg.310d2d8b75729e7323397488e307a1fa.jpg

 

Hahah !! Amazing. Dude, are you in Montreal?

 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

 

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To begin, this is an expensive project.  

Tool Price Store
King Arthur Holey Galahad See Through Disc Round Coarse $69.85 Amazon
King Arthur Holey Galahad See Through Disc Round Fine $58.99 Amazon
Makita GD0601 1/4-Inch Die Grinder $106.95 Amazon
Kutzall Original Ball Nose Burr - Fine $14.50 Amazon
Kutzall Original Sphere Burr - Fine $21.50 Amazon
Kutzall Original Ball Nose Burr - Fine $18.75 Amazon
Lie-Nielsen Large Router Plane $140.00 Lie-Nielsen
FastCap Accuscribe Scribing Tool $15.99 Amazon
Veritas® Dowel and Tenon Cutters - Dowel Cutter, 3/8" $44.50 Lee Valley
Veritas® Dowel and Tenon Cutters - Dowel Cutter, 1/2" $44.50 Lee Valley
Miller Dowel 1X Drill Bit $18.99 Highland Woodworking
SPAX #10 x 3in. Flat Head Unidrive Yellow Zinc Coated Screw - 1 LB Box $7.98 Amazon
Best Way Tools 25860 Dowel Center Set $7.15 Amazon
Whiteside Chairmaking Router Bit Set of 3 - Brock Chair Plan $159.99 Highland Woodworking
Veritas Snug Plug Tapered Plug Cutters $17.99 Highland Woodworking
Auriou Modeller's Rasp - 6 inch, 15 grain, right handed $100.00 Lie-Nielsen
Horizon - 70 board feet 8/4 Fiddleback Maple $600.00 Horizon
Tool Total $847.63  
Project Total $1,447.63  
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11 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:
  • I might have a lot in common with ShaneyMack: I love McGill University, les bleu, blanc et rouge (I miss P.K. Subban) and les restaurants La Belle Province (though I never developed a taste for poutine).

 

images.jpg

a whole lot of stuff I didn't expect to see from someone else than Shane on here...wonder how many folks are now google mapping the path to the nearest Belle Province?

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The Wood

I bought about 70 board feet from Horizon Wood. It was $8.50 per board foot.  Shipping the whole deal from Pennsylvania to Texas was about $35.  The plans call for 40-50 board feet.  I opted for more material because I'm using figured wood.  I want to have some leeway to reject boards or match figure/grain, etc. 

In order to see the grain more clearly, I roughly hand-planed a piece and splashed it with some mineral spirits.

 

Horizon 183 - 2 of 2 (2).jpg

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8 minutes ago, SimonR said:

a whole lot of stuff I didn't expect to see from someone else than Shane on here...wonder how many folks are now google mapping the path to the nearest Belle Province?

I once walked for a few hours down St. Catherine Street and passed 4 La Belle Province restaurants.  They're NOT hard to find in Montreal.  We didn't have much growing up - this place was a treat.

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5 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:

I once walked for a few hours down St. Catherine Street and passed 4 La Belle Province restaurants.  They're NOT hard to find in Montreal.  We didn't have much growing up - this place was a treat.

yeah there are a ton of them all over, even now that they seem to have split in a couple banners BellePro/Qberts/Belle Province

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Not in some years, but I was here, I walked with the banners from the forum to the Molson Center (now Bell) and it will always be a special place to me. 

 

Nice ! I voted NO to that crap !! Why were you there? You Canadian?

 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

 

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4 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:

The picture below is the desired outcome.  I took this picture from the Internet - I believe that it's a Sam Maloof chair.  The grain pattern is amazing.  I'm not sure if my wood is that good and I'm certainly no Maloof so we'll see how it turns out over the coming months.

9154204364_1d5e92f779_z.jpg

That would be an acceptable finish piece I'm sure!

typing with a slippery keyboard full of drool isn't as easy as it seems!

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7 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

 

Nice ! I voted NO to that crap !! Why were you there? You Canadian?

 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

 

I didn't! well I would have but I wasn't allowed to vote yet :rolleyes:

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2 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:

The grain pattern is amazing.

Pay special attention to how your boards are oriented. The way the light hits figured boards can make it look funny... 

Looking forward to seeing how this comes together. 

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All of my boards are 8/4 - I couldn't find any figured 10/4.  And while we're talking about maple - what is this called anyways?  

  • Figured maple
  • Fiddleback maple
  • Tiger maple
  • Flame maple

Is this all the same thing?  Horizon had some incredible 10/4 quilted maple for around $80 per board feet.  Someone of my experience level shouldn't be messing with that!

Here's my real question about this picture: It seems very common to use ebony/wenge/dark wood for the plugs and the runners/rockers (almost like stripes).  Do you think that this adds to the look of the chair?  I haven't bought any such wood yet.  I'm going back and forth in my mind about how I feel about that detail.

9154204244_bd9f06fdba_b.jpg

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2 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:
  • Figured maple
  • Fiddleback maple
  • Tiger maple
  • Flame maple

I'll let someone else split hairs. @Eric.

But, I usually call the same thing different names depending on how tight the flame is. Tightest to least - Fiddleback, Tiger, Flame and last but not least... figured.

3 minutes ago, SeventyFix said:

I'm going back and forth in my mind about how I feel about that detail.

I like it...  it's the right thing to do unless you are looking for a different look. 

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1 hour ago, SeventyFix said:

All of my boards are 8/4 - I couldn't find any figured 10/4.  And while we're talking about maple - what is this called anyways?  

  • Figured maple
  • Fiddleback maple
  • Tiger maple
  • Flame maple

 

Yes they're all the same, the last three anyway.  I kind of separate out flame maple because IMO it describes a "bigger" curl that you more often see in birch.  Not quite as "tight," if that makes any sense.  But generally the last three of the four descriptions are interchangeable.

"Figured maple" is a more general term which can be used to describe curly maple, birdseye maple or quilted maple...they're all types of figure.

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It's going to be very expensive to buy a figured maple 10/4 board and use it only for the headrest and the arms.  The alternative is to laminate two pieces of 8/4 together.  What is that going to look like, considering the figure?  The quilted maple was going to cost about $220 for the headrest and another $220 for a piece that would yield both arms.  I didn't opt for this because (1) the price (holy cow) and (2) I wasn't sure what it was going to look like mixing fiddleback maple and quilted maple. 

All prices quoted in USD.

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1 hour ago, SeventyFix said:

The alternative is to laminate two pieces of 8/4 together.  What is that going to look like, considering the figure?

Not as good.

 

How many hours is it gonna take you to build this thing?

And how many extra dollars would it cost to buy that small amount of 10/4?

And how much would you regret it for the rest of your life?

Compare the importance.

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2 minutes ago, Eric. said:

Not as good.

How many hours is it gonna take you to build this thing?

And how many extra dollars would it cost to buy that small amount of 10/4?

And how much would you regret it for the rest of your life?

Compare the importance.

Eric, I completely agree with everything that you're saying.  I'm already in this project for over $1,000.  I asked Horizon and they don't have a 10/4 figured board.  Perhaps I need to look further afield.
 

Another note about figured maple: The lumber store nearest to my home (Brazos Forest Products, Grand Prairie, TX) allows me to pick through the pile for my wood.  It appears like most contractors looking to build cabinets or high end homes in Dallas reject the figured boards.  I'm not saying that these boards are the best figure in the world but I can often pick up lightly figured boards for $3.50 per board foot.  That's here in Texas, where there are zero maple trees.  That's not bad.

I think that I'll write to the Bell Forest people and explain my plight.

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