Concrete Bench: Part 2
I have cleared some other work from my studio and I am back on the new concrete bench full time. In the last post I had filled the forms with concrete. The next step is to remove the casting from the form. This should give a better idea of how the whole casting process works.
First I turn the form over so that i can remove all of the screws and bolts.
The pieces start to come off. The small blue circles are plastic inserts buried in the concrete to allow a soft foot to be screwed to the casting. This will protect the floor of the bench is to be used indoors. This bench is going outdoors on a concrete patio so the foot will serve as a shock absorbing transition. Without it the leg would surely chip. The brown and white and blue mess in the center is apiece of foam that formed the relief in the foot detail.
With the side piece removed the white PVC edge is revealed. This insert forms a very important detail in the leg. Lets take off more!
You can clearly see the recess formed by the foam block. Remember that the leg is upside down.
The last piece off will be the PVC board that formed the step detail in the face of the leg
Here it is removed and the leg is now in the proper position.
The rest of the shaping on the leg will be done with this wet grinder. Before I tackle the final detailing I need to focus on the seat.
Here we go! I begin by cutting and gluing together foam. The foam will help make the seat lighter. The next installment will focus on the stainless steel that will reinforce the seat.
Concrete Bench Part 1
Concrete Bench Part 2
Concrete Bench: Part 1
I have started construction on a piece that is pushing new ground for me. It is the first piece that I have designed without any wood. This is relevant only because I approach furniture design from the perspective of being intimate with my main material, wood. The concrete elements in my pieces have steadily evolved since I first used the material in 2005. The all concrete bench will be known as outdoor bench #7 and is currently in production with its predecessor, outdoor bench #6.
Here are some shots of the model
The detail on the legs are an evolution of the detail that was first developed for Outdoor Bench #6. That detail was first used in the big planter that I made for the Open Bowls show at the Longhouse Reserve. I mentioned before that Outdoor Bench 6 and 7 are being built at the same time. They both rely on that detail so I am glad that I had an opportunity to incorporate it into the planter. That experience gave me the confidence to move forward with both benches.
The detail is made by cutting a piece of PVC board into the negative shape of the desired step. I can foresee a day when I make the whole form out of the PVC board. I have a feeling it is going to cast very well. For now I am content to mix the new PVC board with my standard technique of using AC plywood.
Another new development in my concrete procedure is the addition of a wet grinder with diamond polishing pads. I bought the grinder to help make the facets that I use to give each casting its unique presence. The ability to make all of the surfaces look the same regardless of the material that was used to cast them is quite liberating. In the case of these legs I can cast them with the top surface up. In the past I could only have the bottom of the feet up becasue the finish would stink. All is different now that I can grind that surface to perfection.
The final part that needs to be fabricated presents a number of new technical challenges. The seat is going to be fun. First of all it is made up of two separate castings that will be bolted together. This will allow me to give the seat an angle towards the center with a small gap for water to escape. The final. consideration at this stage has to do with designing some flexibility into the forms so I can vary the length. This is not a factor in my other benches because the seats have all been made of wood. My solution was to pick a maximum size for the seat and build the form to that size. I then built a sliding stop so that I could cast into a smaller portion of the form.
There are plenty of other issues that i will need to address before I can cast the seat. To be continued…
Concrete Bench Part 1
Concrete Bench Part 2
Mirror With Two Drawers – Dovetails
This new piece offers one more technical woodworking process that has not yet made an appearance in these ramblings. The dovetail is one of the classic woodworking joints that speaks of craftsmanship and individuality. I will be using the joint to make the drawers.
The drawer stock has been cut to side and the layout process can now begin. I set a marking gauge to the exact thickness of the drawer side
I use the tool to scribe a knife line on the edge of the board. The slight depth of the knife line will allow my chisel to lock in. This is the only way to chisel a straight line.
I place the board in my bench vise and use a different layout tool to draw the angles of the pins on the end of the board. A dovetail joint is made up of a matched set of pins and tails. I always cut the pins first. Some woodworkers cut the tails first- not me.
I always put an X in the part that needs to come out. I have made the mistake of cutting tot he wrong side of the line which results in sloppy dovetails. The X helps me remember to saw on the waste side of the line for a perfect fit.
The best way to do the cutting is with a hand saw. I saw on the X side of the line and I go right up to the knife line. If I saw past the knife line the joint will be ruined. Sawing is one of those activities that benefits from practice. If you are doing this for the first time practice cutting some straight lines. It will pay off when you cut the dovetails.
The next step involves chiseling the waste out. This is best described via video.
I got into my work and I did not document the rest of the process. I will continue with the drawer from a different project. Below you can see the half chiseled waste. I will flip the board and clean up the rest from the other side.
I place the pin board on the matching side and use a sharp pencil to accurately lay out the other side of the joint.
Back tot he hand saw and chisel to form the tales. It is the same process that I used to make the pins.
Ready to go together
The end results!
I often use the dovetail for more than it was intended. I push the pins and the tales past each other and then cut and facet them into the composition. The result is a tectonic landscape of movement. The dovetail become the structural decoration in the piece. Here is an example of large dovetails in this piece that leans against the wall.
