The first shows the basic form - three pieces of curly white ash, 2-1/2" thick, connected with two large dovetail joints. The dimensions of the bench are - 40-1/2" across, 13-1/3" wide and 17-1/2" tall. Ergonomic yet comfy.
The second is a picture of one of the dovetails.
The end pieces slope out at about 8 degrees, thereby repeating the angles of the dovetails themselves.
This bench is strong enough to support my truck.
As for the surface appearance, where Kristina Madsen used chip carving to enliven her bench I selected a piece of highly figured ash for mine. Easy-peasy, no carving required.
But the real story is the philosophy of furniture construction, east coast versus west coast. Out west I was taught that only easterners use dovetails, westerners use every other type of joinery. These are the only dovetails I have ever made, and I made them here, east of the Mighty Mississip, but south of the Mason Dixon line. Maybe that is the explanation for why they exist.
One could write books about furniture design, influences, the help I have had along the way, but perhaps a song would explain it:
Where would we be without friends?
17 comments:
Sorry Sixty, I over-posted you but then retracted my story for another hour.
I saw Joe play at a 1979 "Woodstock Europe" outdoor festival in Turin, Italy. He did his stand-up retard schtick. Never really cared for him. Even after seeing that biopic made of him, "Mad Dog With A Soul."
I use Troop's "blurry photos to drive you crazy" tag whenever I have substandard photos. Saves on Lem's pet peeve of too many tags.
Question: Is the angle off 90 degrees in your dovetail equal to the angle off 90 that the legs make from 90?
If so, cool echo effect.
Plop plop fizz fizz, skipping stones in the sky...
I remembered that there was a tag for subpar photos, but I danged sure couldn't find it.
I saw Joe Cocker at Woodstock. I liked his work. Best air guitar ever!
Yep - plus or minus 8 degrees from plumb. Dovetails are the bench in miniature.
Dovetails are the bench in miniature.
Fractals!
Kinda like how the shape of SF Bay echoes the Central Valley.
I saw Joe Cocker at Woodstock. I liked his work. Best air guitar ever!
10 years is our approximate age difference, n'est ce-pas?
I'm a mere fractal of your experiences.
Kinda like how the shape of SF Bay echoes the Central Valley.
Or like how Bosporus rhymes with Gibraltar.
Are you suggesting that Mandal was a loafer?
Isn't that racist?
No, but that reminds me of a joke...
This story dovetails HA you kill me.
Now that is a heavy duty bench.
And I'll bet it's heavy, Allen. Picking it up would be a good job for your tractor firewood lifter.
Ash is good for building stuff and makes a hot fire. That handsome bench will be around for centuries. I'm not so sure about the ash trees, many of which are being destroyed by the emerald ash borer. I've got two in my yard but am far enough north that the EAB hasn't found them yet.
Both good points, DB, the EAB has even reached our local ash trees, so their days are numbered.
And moving that bench, while it is something I can still do, is not something I do often. A friend asked me why I never took it to market and try to sell it - I might, if I had a truck with a lift gate. That sumbitch will hurt ya!
Thanks, Bags - now how about posting some of what your company produces - I can always stand some more design inspiration.
Post a Comment