The new category is for people like myself whose specialty is creating the original vessel. I look forward to seeing the work of the other artists.

Planters On and Off The Ground / Open Bowls

Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton NY

Opening reception on Saturday June 26 5:30PM

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Douglas Thayer and his “Baseball” bench

Terence Dubreuil and Vivian Beer were not able to make the opening so Joyce Nereaux, the curator of the show, stood in for them. Jack Larimore had car trouble on the way to the opening so Peter Harrison  helped to explain his work. Lisa Fedon was in attendance and spoke about her work. I am glad I had a chance to tell Lisa how much fun our boys had with he OM-Cair (with gong).

Peter Harrison examining the work of Vivian Beer

I have included the video of my talk with the opening night crowd. Due to the logistics of moving through the gardens we moved from bench 1 to 4 to 3. I have taken the liberty of putting the videos in chronological order. I think it makes for a slightly more coherent presentation of my development.

We are looking forward to coming back to see the show again as the gardens go through there annual transformation!

Berkshire Botanical Garden June 5-through the season

Opening Reception Saturday June 5 from 5-7pm

Hours are 10am-5pm daily
May 1 – Columbus Day
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The Berkshire Botanical Garden is presenting the outdoor benches of six artists in a show curated by Joyce Nereaux. I will be exhibiting three benches and a pair of my planters. This is the first time that I have exhibited three of the four benches in my outdoor series in the same show (Outdoor Bench #2 is on view at the Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton NY). Outdoor Bench #4 was recently completed and makes its debut in the show. The bench features cast concrete, Sapele and Stainless Steel in its 10′ footprint.

Outdoor Bench #4
Sapele, Cast Concrete and Stainless Steel 117″ L x 25″W x 30″ H

Outdoor Bench #3
Mahogany, Cast Concrete 84″L x 22″W x 17″H

Outdoor Bench #1
Sapele 81″L x 21″W x 17″H

May 1 – October 9, 2010

Rites of Spring season opening reception: 2-5pm May 1 2010 (open to the public and a great introduction to the LongHouse)

The longhouse is open to the public on Wednesday and Saturday through the end of June. July and August see the days extended to Wednesday through Saturday. In both cases the hours are 2pm-5pm

The LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton NY is about to open for the 2010 season. I am delighted to have Outdoor Bench #2 in the magnificent gardens for another year. Below is the last picture I took of the installation last year. I got the impression that the bench will be in a new location this year. I cant wait to see where they want it!

The first consideration is how will the bench contact the ground? Wood and dirt is not a great combination. Dirt offers a direct path for insects to attack and the dirt holds moisture like a sponge. Snow and wood contact is also a problem so the farther the wooden components are from the ground the better. My solution was to introduce cast concrete into my work. Cast concrete legs have some real advantages over wood legs in outdoor work. The main advantage is that it is far easier to make concrete last for years in a harsh outdoor environment. This advantage stems from the fact that properly cast concrete is dense and not very porous. The pathways that do exist can be sealed with any number of products that work amazingly well. The freeze thaw cycle and extremes of heat, rain and snow will have almost no effect of the castings years down the line. I do not feel that I have to make a case for the material since it is one of the most used products that man has ever come up with. The challenge for me was developing a vocabulary with the castings that fit with my work. I introduced complex shapes and added facets into the forms to allow each one the potential to be to be different. Another advantage to cast concrete as a material for outdoor furniture is its weight. The bench pictured below is at the Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton NY so it is well protected but at 600 pounds it is not going to walk away regardless of where it is installed.

Now to discuss the wood components in my outdoor furniture. The discussion must begin with the actual choice of wood. There are a number of species that come to mind as suitable for outdoor furniture. They all have one thing in common. They have natural defenses that seal the fibers in their structure. Each species accomplishes this task differently but a brief overview of how White Oak does it may be helpful. White Oak and Red Oak have a similar structure. They are comprised of open fibers, think drinking straws. This means that water will get pulled into the wood via capillary action. Not great characteristics for an outdoor wood. White Oak has a trick- the open fibers are plugged with a growth called Tyloses. This anomaly allows White Oak to be water proof making it a suitable wood for outdoor furniture, wine barrels ect. There is one other consideration when choosing a wood- insects. I like to work with Mahogany, Sapele or Ipe because they all are excellent outdoor woods and have the bonus of naturally repelling insects.

Now for the tough part… the finish. Most outdoor furniture ends up the same color regardless of the species used. That color is gray. I have tested a number of different finishes over the years that offer the best protection and the longest maintenance cycle. Here is a shot of my torture test. The sample on the left has failed and the wood had gone gray. The sample on the right is the same age (this is its second winter) and the finish is still intact! There are other samples buried under the snow but they are not worth mentioning. The winning combination is a first coat of Sikkens Cetol 1 with two top coats of Last n Last Marine and Door varnish.

I suggest a touch up coat of the Last n Last each 1 to 2 years depending on the environment that the bench is in. The reapplication process is quite simple and will ensure that the wood remains in its full glory. I hope that this helps explain my approach to the challenging aspects of outdoor furniture. These pieces have added a new dimension to my work and opened up a number of new opportunities that would not have been available to me.

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.

Booth M81 Mar 18-21

The Architectural Digest Home Show will be taking place in New York City on Pier 94, March 18-21, 2010. Nico Yektai will be exhibiting his modern furniture in the Made section. The Made section was introduced a few years ago to showcase designer/Artist made objects for the home. Booth M81 will feature half a dozen pieces of furniture that will showcase the artists unique perspective on furniture. These pieces will be ready to move straight into your home or project or serve as a starting point for further discussions about a commission.

Thursday March 18 10am-6pm (Preview + Industry)
Friday March 19 10am-6pm
Saturday Mach 20 10am-6pm
Sunday March 21 10am-6pm  

More Information on tickets, pricing, location and parking

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.

Nico Yektai Furniture Booth 1207

The American Craft Council’s flagship show in Baltimore MD is rapidly approaching. Hundreds of artists like myself will be gathering to display their latest work. The craft councils website is hard to navigate so I have included the important information below for your convenience. If you would like to browse through the hundreds of exhibitors I would suggest using the following link which offers the ability to browse by category. Modern furniture makers like myself can be found in the Furniture & Lighting section.

Baltimore Convention Center One West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Link

Hours

Thursday, February 25 (10 am – 6 pm) Friday, February 26 (10 am – 9 pm) Saturday, February 27 (10 am – 6 pm) Sunday, February 28 (10 am – 5 pm)

There are a number of different ticket plans buy online

Or call the ACC at 800-836-3470 for more information

Sign up for the Newsletter (4-6 per year) Or visit www.nicoyektai.com for more information

Next Show: Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC