Dylans Clock Stand

Last Saturday my son displayed his art in a show with his art class at the Central Park Zoo. It was a well received show and outside of heat, it was a wonderful day. My frame was actually well received, sloppy corners an all. Luckily though, I was able to make a second piece to help display his art and this one came out much nicer.

Dylans art show display

One of his three (3) dimensional projects was a clock. It’s a collage of clocks glued onto a box, with a round porthole cut out to reveal a clock face inside also.

Since the clock just sits on whatever you put it, I was asked to make a clock stand.

Initially I was going to make a low stand with ornate feet. As the deadline approached I was looking through The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction. After thumbing through the section on feet and basically deciding on making a rounded base with mitered legs, I then flipped through the cabinet on stand section. I occurred to me that I could make a tall stand for the clock rather than a stubby one.

With that idea in my head, I went out to the shop and started milling legs and aprons. I was making a tiny shaker table to hold the clock.

Should I clean my table saw blade.

I won’t go into too much detail on the table, as there are many resources online for making a shaker end table (I’d personally recommend the Shaker End Table Woodwhisperer Guild Project).

The one thing that I was rather pleased about regarding the table construction was the mitered frame is used as a top to hold the Clock. After having issues cutting miters on my table saw with my Incra jig, I chose to make these on my miter saw. When I cut a test piece and held it against a japanese miter square I have, I was pleasantly surprised to find the miter saw was perfect. I cut all eight miter cuts on the miter saw and the frame came together 100% gap free.

The finished clock stand with the clock atop.

Perfect miters right off the miter saw.

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I need to make a chair right now like I need a hole in my head.

Looks like a chair, no?

I have at least a blog post worth of unfinished, halfchoice built projects in my shop. Yet, I’m having a damn hard time working on any of them. In my head, I keep turning my chair design over and over.

As with many of my ideas, I’m thinking of building my first chair out of Timberstrand. I’m in agreement with all of you who I’m sure are yelling that real wood - Walnut even - is what real chairs should be made of. Even though I’ve a soft spot in my heart for Timberstrand, I agree that it’s not what truly fine chairs are made of.

This chair though, is more experiment than fine woodworking. I’m using it to test my design, push my skill and see if Timberstrand shapes and dyes well.

This video demonstrates the first part of the test. Will my arm and joinery be strong enough?

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This Just Might Go To My Head

I’m proud to say that I’ve just had my second full length article published in Fine Homebuilding. This article is about the proper choice to flash a chimney with copper flashings in a typical asphalt shingle roof. I also have a Building Skills section in the issue specifically about bending and fabricating the copper. As I mentioned when I posted about the accompanying video, it’s tangentially interesting to woodworkers if they like mixed media pieces and think sheet metal would make a good accent.

Have chimney, will flash.

My first article was on the proper installation of an EPDM flat roof. If you didnt know, I’m a roofing project manager by day.

These two (2) articles have been very rewarding, as have the tips I’ve had published in Popular Woodworking and Fine Woodworking.

Marking copper is much like marking wood,
but with slightly less precise tools.

I mention all this, not just because I’m excited about it, and certainly not because I think it says anything about me. What I think it does say is that the magazines, in any field, are reachable, open to ideas and looking to support those who practice the respective craft. Try submitting something. You may be surprised by the response.The photos are from finehomebuilding.com

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MWA Podcast Episode 26 Dave Campbell of Wood Magazine

MWA Podcast Episode #25 - Dave Campbell of Wood Magazine (55:44)

Download the MP3

Date: March 3, 2013

By: Chris Adkins, Dyami Plotke, Tom Iovino

Description: Join us in this episode as we talk to Dave Campbell of Wood Magazine to discuss their up coming Weekend with Wood. Visit http://modernwoodworkersassociation.com for the show notes for this episode and to find out more about the Modern Woodworkers Association.

Show Notes:

 Current/Future project description

• Tom
• DeWalt Small Trim Router
• Chris
• Chisel Rack & Air Filter
• Dyami
• More Birdhouses

Blog post that piqued our interest

• The Highland Woodworker Season 2

Goings on in the MWA

• Its Show Season
• The Woodworking Shows
• Columbus 3/1-3/3
• Dallas/Fort Worth 3/8-3/10
• Tampa 3/12-3/17
• Atlanta 3/22-3/24
• Fine Woodworking Live
• Weekend of wood
• Woodworking in America

Main topic

• Dave Campbell
• Wood Magazine

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