….. to make a funky ass portfolio. Someone needed a wooden port case. I can do that. Wanted catches for the lid/flap. Wanted a handle. 

Here’s what he got.

The handle is some stainless steel rod and tubing.  The hinge in some old denim jeans material. 

The wood is just some scrap pine and luan door skin. 

I put a masonite tray inside to help slide out the book that is going to be stored inside.  

The catches are just  two pairs of magnets. 

 I hated to see it go. 

Cheers for now,

Paul 

This is a base for a chair I’m trying to have finished by the end of the week

Been one of the few times lately that I’ve really felt that an internal part of the piece has a lot of potential on it’s own. 

That’s all.

Cheers,

Paul 

In February I got a call from my friend Oscar asking if I would go to Puerto Rico (PR) to help him pour a top for his cooking island. I was a little hesitant since I hadn’t done anything that big myself. I ended up going and here are some pictures from the trip.

Oscar and I have an uncanny shared interest in concrete surfaces.  Several years ago we realized we both had the same book, Conrete Countertops, by Fu-Tung Cheng. Not long after, we were experimenting with some concrete at the studio and made this.

I flew to San Juan where Oscar picked me up. It was about a 50 minute ride to Humacao.

One of many coves close to our destination. Most just down the road and around the corner. 

The countertop we were going to be doing was of course, organically shaped, not nice straight edges as shown in Cheng’s book.

O cutting the mica that will be the bottom of our mold.

One of the problems for us was going to be making the curved sides of the mold. We opted for cold molded plywood. We used 1/4 inch luan ply for the long radii and an 1/8 inch scrap plywood spacer this cool guy at Home Depot gave us for the tight radii. What a stroke of luck it was to find that thin ply. Bent with the grain the thin ply formed perfectly. We used contact cement for the glue as it would set quickly allowing for fast mold completion. For more rigid type cold molding, contact cement isn’t good since it will spring back and allow the ply to delaminate. 

First of four layers including the mica. We used blocks for support and to anchor the mold to the two 3/4 ply table top that O had made for this job. 

The long radii were made using the 1/4 inch plywood so we were able to space the blocks further apart. 

Molds almost ready for caulking. The countertop was over 8 feet long and at 520 pounds we opted for a two piece mold. Nested together, the two molds fit perfectly on O’s 4 x 8 work table.

O removing the masking tape after caulking. Cheng’s video was also very helpful in reminding us of the steps we needed to follow. 

After waiting for the caulk to set over night, we installed the rebar and inlays. 

It was decided that we would pour after lunch. It would give us time to relax. For me, the pouring was going to be the biggest question mark. For my terrazzo tops I use white portland and play sand. The play sand has a very uniform grain size. For this job we would be using PR Quickrete and Cheng add mixture. We were a little short on the add mixture and  the PR concrete is a different consistency than the stuff in the US. We learned after the fact the importance of pouring a test mold if in doubt. But all was not lost.

Mixing the concrete and Cheng add mixtures. O had opted for a blue color. Note O’s horrendous working environment. 

O and I were very worried about the water content. We had already gone over the specified amount of water called for on the bag and the stuff was still too dry. Cheng called for less water then the bag specified because the add mixture contained a water reducer. We went ahead and poured.  We figured voids could be dealt with, weak concrete though, might be a problem. The mixture was way to dry and did not flow.

Using a hand vibrator to vibrate the mix.  

Relatively dry concrete. 

On the morning of my departure to return to Miami, we popped the mold off the counter top. O still has a bunch of work as the dry concrete had a few voids that he’ll need to fill with slurry. 

Oscar grinding the top with his wet grinder and 40 grit diamond disc. 

Close up showing  porosity in the top. You can also see the large sea shell sand that is used in the PR Quickrete concrete. The sand is almost the size of terrazzo aggregate. It made for a very unusual consistency. 

Hopefully Oscar will send pictures of the top installed with the contrasting slurry he’s going to use to fill the voids.

Thanks for stopping by. I’m hoping your April is going by in a great way too. 

Cheers,

Paul

More pics from O:

Bar top mold. I noticed here that the little blocks seem pretty normal…… 

Here though, O has MARKED them all….. hmmmmmmm. Mold looks nice.  

Both Bar top and Island top done and in place. O did all the cabinets himself. Great job for his first project. 

Close up showing the aggressive aggregate that the PR concrete contains. O used standard concrete for the Bar top instead of the high strength mix that we used on the Island top. Still needed a lot more water but the finish was really smooth and void free. Having the vibrator clamped to the table was a big difference according to O. I like this shot cause you can just make out the PM Custom stainless bar legs.

Mold for the main counter showing sink insert and other inserts for cutting board and dish drain.

The finished Kitchen: 

More pics to follow.

Cheers,

Paul 

and the open house was postponed so  Bee, who is having her second show (first in a gallery) on the 9th of April at  Rex could concentrate on that.. 

It took me a while to remember what has been happening at the studio this month. The beginning of the month in some respects seems like so long ago. The main thing that happened was the installation of my dust collection system.  Oneida hooked me up with a cyclone system and even designed the ductwork for me. That system, coupled with a Jet air filter, has the shop practically dust free.

The Exactor saw arm helps considerably. My studio is kinda messy here in the picture because the system came in about 10 boxes. 

The rest of the month was taken up with starting about 5 new projects, three of which are new chairs.

A new thing for PM Custom was the building of skateboard decks.  Both decks that we built were plywood/fiberglass combinations. They came out pretty good considering they were the first. They were project decks that my kids designed and I helped build. We used West System  Epoxy to do the lamination. 

My oldest daughter did most of the manual labor on her board. 

Her friend helped and he did the paintwork and graphic on the bottom. 

My younger daughter did a lot of helping on her board and also did the graphics. 

Attaching the 8 inch  Independents

We wanted to mount 10 inch trucks on the Flying Beaver, but they didn’t arrive on time and so we ended up using 8’s on it too. 

Anyway, it was a fun month and I look forward to seeing what April has in store.

Cheers,

Paul 

Been working away in the shop. Got some marketing out of the way. Still not finished though with that and have been working a several pieces simultaneously.

The back part of the “Back Back” chair. Solid mahogany. My first carved piece.

The tops of the wood Pedz side table set. 

Mahogany stump stool. 

I also did several new terrazzo Pedz tops. Tried to be less “Random” in the glass placement.  Still have to grind them.

That be it for now.

Cheers, have a great weekend,

Paul 

This doesn’t have much to do with the making of studio furniture, but without boots, I can’t do to much in the studio.

Earlier in my life I had the pleasure of being in the US Army. This was the culmination of my upbringing so to speak. My father was a pretty strict guy and I guess I owe it to him that my experience in the Army and basic training(BT) in particular wasn’t very traumatic. That and the fact that it was well, peace time. My time in the Army was actually kind of fun. The time I spent there was kind of like a spinning wheel; like spinning raw wool, it kind of brought all the things I had learned up to that point, which were kind of just flying about uncontrolled, into one tight directed fiber. I did learn a lot of things in BT that I still use today. One of those things is breaking in boots.

Sergeant Ball was a reserve Drill Sergeant. I sometimes think he did things the easy way instead of the normal Army way. He taught us how to clean an M-16 receiver with boiling hot water. He also taught us how to break in boots by soaking them. The whole platoon was marched through  buckets of water.

My wife figured that for 35 bucks, I could use a new pair of boots. She saw these Doc Martens on sale and scooped them up. I’ve never liked Doc Martens because they really aren’t work boots. The soles are some kind of soft jelly rubber. I work with hot stuff so I know these things won’t last. Also, inside there’s like almost no padding. I wear my boots all the time. They are part of my “Uniform.” But now I have a pair of these things and they too will get the proper breaking in treatment

These had to be the stiffest boots I’ve ever put my feet into. Most boots I get, including my Army issue boots could have been worn straight away. Not these things. The stiff leather cut into the tops of my feet and they didn’t bend at all. Now even though all my boots before had fit properly, I wanted them to mold to my feet. So, ALL my boots have gotten the water treatment, even a pair of $200.00 Herman Survivors that I wore throughout my military career. These Doc Martens would be no different.

Lacing up the lightweight Frankenstein boots.

Using the garden hose to fill the boots. They sure didn’t hold the water in like some boots I’ve done this to. Water even squirted out between the sole and the upper shank!

Now one thing I’ve learned from experience is; make sure you’re going to be doing something outside for a while in order to give the boots a chance to be at least a little drier before going inside. Remember you’re going to be wearing them the whole day. They will slosh around for a little while and your feet might be cold in the beginning, but soon enough you can get on to other things.

My wife has a different way of breaking in her boots, but it’s not quite as successful as the old water trick.

Thanks for stopping in. Maybe you learned something you can use.

Cheers

5 May 09……………………. Thought I’d update this thing since not to many people believed it was so! So………… today my new Thorogood Boots arrived. These are REAL boots too, not 35 dollar Doc Martens!!

And yes, they did get the “Water Treatment.” I’m sitting here at the computer with soggy boots on.

I’ll let you know if there are any ill effects.

Cheers,

Paul

 I’ve gotten several questions about the Thorogood boots.

This is them as of today the 5th of July. They even have the same laces. I know the boots look like hell, but I really did mink oil them about a month ago and did polish them once or twice I think. Oiling them is the most important thing in my book. Dry leather falls part pretty quick. I mentioned the lace thing because having the same laces means that the eyelets and hooks are a very good quality and aren’t wearing out the lace. I weld, so I’m really surprised I haven’t burned up the laces.

Well these ones are about to get a break and get put on part time duty as I’m considering getting a new pair. Those ought to last twice as long as these things.

 Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

Paul

Today the Bee Bar was finished:

So that’s it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers 

Well yesterday was the do or die day.

The set up was ready and I had to get the stump bored out. I spent most of yesterday finishing the drill bit. I used Ti coated carbide inserts for the bit and I should have used no coated or at least removed more of the coating before brazing. Next time! The set up was pretty simple and I was ready to go.

I used a Milwaukee 1/2 Drill to turn the bit. I secured the stump on the bed of my mill. The vacuum was connected to the rotary port on the bit.

The stump had a curve in it and I was really worried about drilling out of the side of the stump. 

The drilling took about 30 minutes. The center plug will be used for something else in the future.

Thanks for checking in.

Cheers 

I’ve started working on a new project along side the Bee Bar. It’s going to be a boom lamp. The base is kind of dictating the direction as it’s a Mahogany stump from North Key Largo. I have wanted to use this piece for a while and have finally figured out how I’m going to bore the center.

Getting ready to level the bottom with a router. 

Routing the bottom of the Boom Lamp base. 

The center needs to be removed for several reasons. One is weight. Two other reasons are that I need a place to run the electrical and I need a place for the boom counter balance. This wood has made me realize the finite supply that I have, so the idea of turning the core that I will be removing into sawdust is kind of repulsive.  I’m going to core drill this thing.

I’ve started fabricating this core drill. It’s 3-1/2 inches OD and 3-1/4 ID. The stump is about 39 inches long. I’ll be adding carbide teeth to the drill in the next couple of days. I hope to start drilling this weekend. 

Cheers till the next post. 

The Bee Bar started out just being a project to make a bar sized platform for the Beehive. It, like other projects that I’ve started, is taking on a life of it’s own. I’m going to make a page for the evolution of this piece, but in the meantime. I’ll post some of the stuff here.

The top has it’s first coat of sealer. I’ve been using Minwax Sanding Sealer as the primary coat. The second coat is of Grain Filler. It’s shown here. Kinda messy stuff but fills the grain nicely with a natural colored filler so the final coats of polyurethane will be nice and slick. I’m going to be trying Penetrol in the poly this go round. We’ll see how it goes.

Getting ready to glue Zipper Spline. The tapered pins are Lignum Vitae turned to match the #2 morse tapered holes in the Zipper Spline. The spline itself, 3/8 x 4 inch aluminum flat bar, also has matching tapered holes.

Zipper Spline glued. Holes were out of alinement by 10 thousandth of an inch in the spline causing interference when the tapered pins were driven into position. This created a very tight sturdy joint. I didn’t even need the clamps but went ahead and tightened them up.

Plugs cut and sanded flush with top. 

Top on painted base. Ready for finishing. This thing is going to look kick ass with a flock of Wonky Stools parked around it and some Sapphire G&T’s perched on top……………..

Leg Detail

Leg and feet Detail 

In this pic, I’m straightening the edge of the Mahogany plank that will be the table top. I had to add a stiffener because this jig flexed a little. 

Built new fence extension to allow for edge dado.

Beginning of Zipper Spline. Still not sure if  I’m going to use this aluminum flat bar or go with a multi-directional plywood. I think I’d feel better with the plywood. 

The zipper spline is going to be held in place using Lignum Vitae plugs. Here I’m straightening a Lignum Vitae root.

Cheers for now.

Paul