On the topic of tuning-in to the blog... I'd like to thank the kind reader who sent in the following email and who gave me his okay to share it on the web site...

With the chosen plank in hand, it's time to head down to a nearby shop for some assistance. The goal here is to flatten the slab prior to resawing it into a pair of book matched planks for the desktop. At a hefty 3 1/4" thick, 2' wide and 7 1/2' long it's tough to imagine doing a large job like this by hand. So... keeping my own safety and durability in mind (!), I decided it's time to hand the plank over to the good folks at Forest Products Supply and their trusty CNC router...

Next project. A desk. Natural edged. Nakashima style. So... here I stand, many phone calls and short road trips into the search for just the right plank of wood. Sifting through piles of black walnut. Some air dried, some kiln dried, some a little of both...

The Jeffersonian Book Stand has now found its proper home with the Minnesota collector who came to me with the idea for this piece. It's really been a fun project!

I spent the last several days getting used to a new camera as I photographed the piece, and have just today uploaded the images to share with you via the website. You can find them in the Woodworking Gallery along with a more complete description of the piece. Also, if you've missed out on my blog posts chronicling its making, you can check them out here.

Please let me know your thoughts on my interpretation of a very unique historic piece! I look forward to hearing from you.

Hej då... and happy shavings!

Craig

What do you get when you cross a library with an arboretum? Well, in Minnesota you get George Nakashima. Or, at least you get his furniture. Thanks to our late Governor Elmer Andersen and his wife Eleanor, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's Andersen Horticultural Library is fully stocked with some outstanding pieces of furniture...]]>http://studiotupla.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-13491937.xmlJeffersonian Book StandWoodworkingCraigSun, 13 Nov 2011 22:35:05 +0000http://studiotupla.com/blog/final-stage.html722342:8830628:13705312

Here I am again, eking out the last little bit of wood from the original yellow birch plank for the Jeffersonian Book Stand. This is precious stuff, so I've planned the waste for the bevel under the book ledges to include this serious check in the wood. It worked out fine (I had almost a sixteenth of an inch to spare!) and the side panels were glued up and shaped without a hitch...

I've been anticipating the moment of truth; that time when the most critical parts are fitted together. That time is now...

A short section of railroad track is just the trick to hold the post in position while the glue sets. Just don't bump into it! Checking, double checking and triple checking the squareness of the post and base during glue-up paid off, as the post is now square and the carousel is good to go...

Today, all the members of XYLOS, a cooperative gallery of fine woodwork, got together to set up for our annual New Work exhibition. The above image is of the ad that just appeared in the current issue of Twin Cities METRO magazine. The exhibition will start tomorrow and run through the end of the month. Be sure to check the website for gallery hours.

The highlight will be the Artist Reception on Friday, October 14, from 7 - 10 pm. I hope you can join us in celebrating local handmade furniture.

See you there!

Craig

Before we get to the actual test drive, let's recap what's been happening this week on the Jeffersonian Book Stand. I've been working through the details of all the carousel parts. Above is a thrust bearing that will sit in the shallow hole on the underside of the carousel top...