Mirror With Two Drawers – Veneer
I always like to present a broad range of work when I have an opportunity to show my furniture. I have two shows coming up. ACC Baltimore and the Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC. Both shows would benefit from a slender wall mounted mirror. I got out the hot melt glue gun and started to design the piece. It quickly evolved to the point where I had enough designed to know that the Mirror and drawer combination was going to make for a compelling composition.
This is the 3-D sketch of the new Mirror with two drawers. This sketch represents the bare minimum that is needed to get started. Lots of choices remain to be made during the construction of the piece. The implication of this type of construction is that I have to build the piece. This immediately establishes that my work is about more than just the functional result. It is about the exploration of one person. I digress – this is a glimpse of the ongoing conversation in my head about “Art Furniture” Perhaps someday I will dedicate a post to trying to further sort out these ideas.
I am going to focus on the fabrication of the two drawers and their carcasses (the box that a drawer goes into). I wen to my veneer shelf and pulled out this ‘Unknown B’ veneer. I purchased it years ago at an auction that benefited WARP. The veneer was 30+ years old when I purchased it and the species of wood had long been forgotten.
I quickly make two plywood boxes that i intend on wrapping with this veneer.
Cutting the veneer is facilitated by the use of a specialized saw. It a hybrid device part saw and part knife. It allows me to cut the delicate veneer without destroying it.
The edges of the veneer are cleaned up via the jointer. I clamp a number of these sheets together and treat them like a single piece of solid wood. The jointer makes them all perfectly flat at the same time.
The next step is to pull the joint together with masking tape. It stretches just enough to provide just a bit of clamping pressure tot he joint to bring it home. Next the sheet gets flipped over and a special veneer tape seals and reinforces the joints. The tape is water activated. It shrinks just a bit as it dries. The veneer tape is now holding the joints closed. I flip the sheet and remove the masking tape.
The veneer is glued to the carcass one pair of sides at a time.
The excess is trimmed off with the help of a router bit with a top bearing.
The boxes are now wrapped in veneer!
Once the glue is fully cured (about 24 hours for yellow glue) I use water to re moisten the veneer tape. A scraper blade helps to remove it. Now they are ready to be sanded.
I break out my sample box of veneer as I clean up for the day. The satin wood samples jump out at me as a possibility.
Not a perfect match but possible. I think I will continue to refer to it with the name it had when I purchased it… “Unknown B”
Here is what I love about veneer.
Corner Piece #3 – Part 2
Often reality sets in when it is least welcome. I had to move the newly cast base and it proved to be just a bit too heavy. It has to have a certain weight to provide a stable foundation but no question it was too heavy.
The solution is a bunch of foam
A bit of steel
These parts were carefully positioned and will cut the weight by a fair amount. It is the difference between being able to easily move the casting vs. struggling. (I should note that i have superhuman strength so it is still quite heavy to the average person)
Note: The silvery Stainless Steel parts are threaded inserts that get locked into the concrete and will be used to fasten the wood.
THe piece is beginning to take shape!
The holes correspond tot he threaded inserts that i buried in the casting.
The ash components are designed to hide the screws that hold the cherry to the concrete. Even if there were no holes to cover I would still want the ash pieces. They increase the footprint and provide the visual “glue” to tie the concrete and the Cherry components together.
The Ash is providing too much of a contrast so it will need some help. I sneak across the street to steal some Oil paint from my father. (One of the many advantages of having an Artist for a father)
A few samples later I decide on a mix of Indigo and Ivory black to mellow the Ash and help it tie into the concrete.
Finished!
Detail.
Corner Piece #3
Part 1
Part 2
Corner Piece #3 – Part 1
I have always wanted to build a corner piece with a concrete core. Here are the two that I have previously made.
I had to be careful to provide a large enough footprint so that they would be stable. While I was building them I was thinking about concrete and the fact that the weight would help the stability of the piece. I now have the concrete skills to pull it off so I decided to jump in with a model.
There is no client involved so the model is a bit rough, almost like a 3D sketch.
This piece centers around the concrete so that I where I will begin. The concrete elements in my work are cast. This means that I will have to think inside out. The form material is a special plywood that is waterproof and has a smooth coating. I refer to it as “Red Board”
Here is the finished form.
Note: this component is cast upside down.
Now I will show the individual pieces that make it up. I need to stay one step ahead as the cast concrete can lock itself into a poorly designed form and require the destruction of the form to get it out. Yes I have made that mistake!
The back of the form
The front of the form
There is also a separate piece for the top (not pictured). All of the parts are caulked in place so that they will be water tight. I should mention that I use UHMW plastic to make the facets for the corners. I use the facts to relate the concrete to the rest of my work. Plus I can change them to give the casting a different look.
The concrete mix and the extra materials to give it a bit more strength go into the mixer.
The form gets loaded and agitated to encourage the bubbles to work their way out.
Three days later I free it from the form.
It was a successful pour!
To be continued…
Corner Piece #3
Part 1
Part 2