Shaker Transitional Rocker Part 4 (Curly Maple)

[John Morris]

Related Topics

• Shaker Transitional Rocker Part 1 (Curly Maple)
• Shaker Transitional Rocker Part 2 (Curly Maple)
• Shaker Transitional Rocker Part 3 (Curly Maple)

 

The Finish

Well folks, as were the others this subject was getting a little long in the tooth so I split this topic off from the 3rd entry. We'll show the finish and the seat weave in this topic.

 

Today I was able to get out in the shop and get some finish on our rocker. I don't have really any images of the finish prep, there wasn't much to it, unless you like viewing a man holding sand paper.

But mainly what occurred today was much hand sanding. I was able to leave the back slats and rockers alone, since I scraped them before installation, the figure really popped after the scraping and I was satisfied with that.

And, the spindles came off the lathe sanded to 600 and then burnished with wood shavings, so the level of prep on those items were satisfactory enough to just go over once again with some 600 grit.

 

Really I could have left all the spindle work as was, accept there was some grain raising around the joints as I cleaned up the glue with water during assembly. Also, over the course of time that I started this project, two years ago, the spindles all had a darker patina from just sitting around, than the flat work pieces of this chair. So in order to even out the patina I knocked it down by hand with 600 grit.

 

A thing about hand sanding, this is just my opinion, when you are doing solid work like this, furnishings with parts that are many shapes, sizes, and point in various directions, I feel you must hand sand.

You could hit the work with a detail sander, sure, but you are missing one very important item, the details. When you work a piece like this with power sanding, you are visually (or at least for me) kind of viewing the overall project as a whole surface, whereas if you hand sand, as you are sanding in any specific area, your eyes are drawn to that narrowed view, and you are focused, and you are going to catch many more unsightly surface features than if you powered through it all with an electric sander.

 

Also by hand sanding, for me anyway, it's very peaceful. I had my chair out in my back patio area, it's late Spring, the trees are rustling in the wind, and the birds were chirping, and all you could hear from me was the shhhshhhhshhhhshhhh of my sand paper with the natural sounds in the background, it was really nice.

 

I have learned to slow down my work considerably, and just to enjoy each process of the work, and not to rush anything through. This type of work lends well to that philosophy, because I really can't rush this anyway, because of the various components of a chair, my body mechanics must slow down, along with my mind, and consequently, my thoughts, and a peace builds up and the project is just fun, and relaxing. Sure you could do everything I have done on this chair with power, but why? Just so you can say you got it done faster? And with a bunch of noise? And therefore missing much of the happiness that surrounds these projects.

 

So, I set my chair on the bench and shaped some tin foil into a bowl and poured about half a cup of Boiled Linseed Oil in the tin. I like using my home made tins, I can just use up the oil, and throw it away, there is no need to clean the bowl or container. With a white cotton rag nearby to apply the oil with we are ready.

My dog Woody is nearby as usual now, as you may know by now by my other topics, he is deaf now, and he loves the shop!

 

 

I love this part of the chair-making process, especially when using curly figured wood, all the efforts that were made to ensure the joints are tight and clean, the hand planing and scraping, the carefully placed wedged tenons, and chair leg pins, the pillow rail, the curly figured arm rests, it all comes alive in a crescendo of color and natural figure when the first swoop of the towel soaked in oil hits the chair, it's like Christmas all over again. I love this part. With my Appalachia music on in the background, and my dogs nearby, and my warm bench I am working off of, the chair comes alive.

 

Something we have not discussed in prior chair topics, is the use of Ash for the top rungs that the seat is weaved around. You'll notice the Ash rungs, Ash is used because of its incredible strength, the Ash will hold a lot of weight without breaking or cracking.

 

 

After I wipe on the first and only coat of oil, I'll revisit the chair several times today to wipe down the leaching areas as the oil resurfaces and beads. Typically I find about three to four times I have to revisit the chair, and wipe off the access leaching.

 

This was a perfect day to start finishing my chair.

I learned a trick a few years ago that I use often still, I can't remember where I saw it, or where I heard it from. With my chair projects, and virtually any project that you may want a darker patina built into the project before the finish goes on, you can set the project (chair) out in the sun, and let the sun do it's job for half a day or all day if you can work it out that way.

 

I set my chair out in the sunlight for a tan, that's right, I let nature have her way with the chair in the sunlight, the sun will darken the chair a couple shades, and even bring out the curly figure a little more.

Back in the day, I used to do this trick with with the project in its bare wood phase, pre-finish. But then one day I got the idea to use this technique after the first coat of oil is applied, I figured if it works on humans at the beach who want to oil up and get that sun tan, that it will probably work on my chairs, and other projects. So since then, I oil up my project, set it out in the sun for a few hours, and wipe it down as the oil will leach even more significantly when heated. A darker patina is created, and it's beautiful.

 

Image below is the chair set in the sun immediately after the oil has been applied.

 

 

A couple hours later, I don't know if you can see but the curl is actually darkening a shade.

 

 

This is 5 hours later, in real life I can visually see the difference, the picture does it no justice, but perhaps you can see a change in color?

 

 

So folks, the chair now has it's first and only coat of oil, and the wood has darkened a bit and the curly figure is popping, and I have wiped the chair down a few more times, and now it is back in my shop, awaiting for me to have a little more time for the final finish.

I will apply one coat of General Finishes Gel Topcoat, then I'll wax the chair. Then, the seat will be placed.

 

 

Thank you again for following along!

[Gene Howe]

A really nice essay.  Never thought of tanning a project but, you're right. It does make that curly pop. Thanks for the tip.

As to the slower pace....nature has a way of insuring that as we age. Today, I spent an hour chopping and paring a few hinge mortises that could have been made in a quarter of the time with a router. It was enjoyable. But, now the chisels need sharpening. 

 

[John Morris]

2 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

But, now the chisels need sharpening.

Aw yes! There is that pesky thing sharpening. But hey, it's cheaper than a router bit, and your chisel last a lifetime!

[Cal]

That BLO sure brought out the grain, the tanning process took it to the next level! I have never heard of doing this.  Are there areas that were shaded out, or did you have to turn the chair occasionally to get an even tan?

[John Morris]

5 minutes ago, Cal said:

That BLO sure brought out the grain, the tanning process took it to the next level! I have never heard of doing this.  Are there areas that were shaded out, or did you have to turn the chair occasionally to get an even tan?

Cal, nothing notable or even noticeable for that matter, but I never thought of shadows! Great point! Yet I did not see anything that caught my eye.

 

[Gerald]

Heard the tanning long time ago but just never did it and forgot about it. Oh do not try on walnut as sunlight lightens it. Sun also does wonder on purple heart and cherry. Great tutorial you have going on all of this chair project . On sanding even on turnings a hand sanding for last two grits with the grain does wonders to improve the look and remove visible scratches.

[John Morris]

Well folks, I am circling back to my chair, finally. I have been feeling ok these days, and if I keep busy, my spirits stay up, and my mind doesn't wander into dark territory, so this last week, I made it back to my day job, and boy did if feel great! And today, I made it back to my fun job, and boy did it feel great!

 

There isn't much to say about the finishing process, I already had a coat of Watco Danish on the chair, and today I lightly hand sanded at 600 grit. I just sat on my ol stool, had my mountain music playing in the back ground, and I scrat scrat scrat scratted the chair with a folded up piece of 600 grit. There were a couple rough spots left from the first coat of Watco that I had not wiped up properly and there was a little roughness left behind, I used my card scraper to shave down those rough areas and hit it with sand paper.

 

My wife walked in and was very happy to see me working, my uplifted spirits are lifting her up as well and she snapped this image of me working and just having fun this afternoon.

After I sanded, I applied another coat of Watco, I'll post that image later tonight, but the grain is really popping, and the tiger has darkened nicely.

Thank you for following me along with my chair.

 

P.S. @Jim from Easy Wood Tools, I am wearing my EWT cap, symbolically, because I turned this chair using Easy Wood Tools, and it was EASY! I turned this chair with the Mid Sized Rougher, and Mid Sized Finisher. I can't say enough about Easy Wood Tools, Made in the USA, with USA Labor.

 

[Gene Howe]

Chair looks good. So do you. A might skinnier, I think. 

[John Morris]

22 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Chair looks good. So do you. A might skinnier, I think. 

I lost a lot of weight Gene, you can see it in my face, it's sagging, got a chicken neck now, and my pants are 3 sizes too big, I went from 218 to 206 in the first two weeks of my health issues, but you know what Gene, I needed to lose it, I just didn't need to lose it like this, I'd rather of lost it a different way, but hey, my wife says she can feel my sexy abs now, so ok!

[Gunny]

Good to see you back in the shop.  Helps clear the mind, for me at least...

[John Morris]

4 minutes ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

Good to see you back in the shop.  Helps clear the mind, for me at least...

Thanks Gunny, today is probably the best day I have had since this all started. I feel danged close to normal, for me anyway.

[hatuffej]

Hey, John glad to see you up and kicking again. The chair looks really good! I think I'll give the suntanning trick a try the next time I make a j-box using curly maple. 

 

However, I have to ask, do you have that wolf under control? Is he dangerous? 

Edited July 13, 2019 by hatuffej

[John Morris]

1 minute ago, hatuffej said:

However, I have to ask, do you have that wolf under control? Is he dangerous?

Hat, man I have to say, are you talking about my little doggy not in the picture? He's sleeping off in a corner. 

[hatuffej]

3 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Hat, man I have to say, are you talking about my little doggy not in the picture? He's sleeping off in a corner. 

Yeah, I saw him pretending to be asleep in the upper pictures with the linseed oil bowl. Sneaky things, they are. Sometimes one of my daughter's "cougars" would sneak in and lay down on my work. 

Edited July 13, 2019 by hatuffej

[Gunny]

12 minutes ago, John Morris said:

I feel danged close to normal, for me anyway.

Normal is overrated!!

[John Morris]

1 minute ago, hatuffej said:

Yeah, I saw him pretending to be asleep in the upper pictures. Sneaky things, they are. Sometimes one of my daughter's "cougars" would sneak in and lay down on my work. 

 it's funny how they do that. Those little cougars are very infamous for just plopping down on things aren't they? We used to have a cat that would love to climb up on your chest when you are trying to reading a book, and she'd just lay right across the danged book you were reading, no shame!

[John Morris]

1 minute ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

Normal is overrated!!

Ya buudy!

[John Morris]

8 minutes ago, hatuffej said:

I think I'll give the suntanning trick a try the next time I make a j-box using curly maple.

Glad my tip may be of some use!

[hatuffej]

1 minute ago, John Morris said:

 it's funny how they do that. Those little cougars are very infamous for just plopping down on things aren't they? We used to have a cat that would love to climb up on your chest when you are trying to reading a book, and she'd just lay right across the danged book you were reading, no shame!

I didn't mind that much until they started using the claws for increased traction up my chest and shoulders.  

[John Morris]

1 minute ago, hatuffej said:

I didn't mind that much until they started using the claws for increased traction up my chest and shoulders.  

YES! That always bugged the heck out of me. We had a tabby that did that, she was a sweat heart but man her claws, she'd like to lay on you and expand and contract her claws while resting, she would purrrr the whole time too.