Mike's Competition Thread (WIP.....First photos)

[MikeG.]

Right.......take a deep breath......









Here is my initial sketch for my conservatory furniture entry for the competition.

The theme is bleached bones.......(I hope that was obvious!), and it will be made of sand-blasted ash.

The only certain thing is that this is not how it will end up!

Mike

 

[wizer]

Can't wait to see this one unfold. Looking forward to it Mike!

 

[lurker]

OOO nice!

Did I see something similar in Brit Wood a few issues ago??

You are going to need to buy some nice spokeshaves ( slope :tool: slope) to add to your plane collection.

 

[MikeG.]

OOO nice!
Did I see something similar in Brit Wood a few issues ago??

Well, even if you did I certainly didn't, as I don't read any of the magazines. However........if there was something similar, that was some sick, twisted mind at work!!!

If mine isn't original, I'll do something else!

Mike

 

[tulsk]

Wow Mike that looks grand. You sure have pushed the boat out with the design- looks Gaudi-esque to my eye, which can only be a good thing IMO. I too am looking forward to seeing how this progresses, especially how you tackle the jointing.
Cheers John

 

[MikeG.]

looks Gaudi-esque to my eye

I too am looking forward to seeing how ...........you tackle the jointing.

So am I John, so am I!!!

Gaudi is right up there with Lutyens amongst my favourite architects.......split personality? Me?

Mike

PS Anybody got a decent draw-knife for sale?

 

[ByronBlack]

It's an interesting idea - not sure how comfortable it'll be. I can't tell if it's just the perspective of the sketch, but does that top frame part that comes down from right to left (as you look at the sketch) sit in front of the back slats - or a part of the back?

How are you going to join the 'bones' ? M&T's?

 

[MikeG.]

BB,

as for comfort........the only way this design will ever get past my wife is if she makes cushions for the seat and the back, so it should be OK to sit on. In fact, as the back won't be slats so much as "tendons" of rope, and the back end of the seat slats will also be on a rope (see the two sketches below the perspective), this whole thing should move slightly as you sit on it to mould around your bum & back.

That part you refer to seems to be part of the back, with the rope tendons dangling off it.........

........at the moment!!!

Goodness knows what the final thing will look like.......and don't hold your breath for a Sketchup drawing!

Mike

 

[tulsk]

Gaudi is right up there for me too Mike; I love the organic feel of much of his work and I can see this in your design. I love using a nice sharp Drawknife and a Shavehorse is high on my to-do list. For shaping I was recommended by some of the lads at our village Stickdressing club (don't laugh :wink: ) a B&D powerfile. I was a bit sceptical but ended up getting one for about 30 odd quid. Must say it's been a revelation : rapidly removes wood to get initial shaping in a controlled fashion, as long as you keep it moving. I can thoroughly recommend it.
Good luck with the build mate, I like to see someone trying something a little different. John

 

[ByronBlack]

BB,

as for comfort........the only way this design will ever get past my wife is if she makes cushions for the seat and the back, so it should be OK to sit on. In fact, as the back won't be slats so much as "tendons" of rope, and the back end of the seat slats will also be on a rope (see the two sketches below the perspective), this whole thing should move slightly as you sit on it to mould around your bum & back.

That part you refer to seems to be part of the back, with the rope tendons dangling off it.........

........at the moment!!!

Goodness knows what the final thing will look like.......and don't hold your breath for a Sketchup drawing!

Mike

That sounds cool with the rope - I can invisage that much better now. I don't envy the joinery though, I look forward to the WIP photo's

 

[TobyB]

VERY interesting design idea. As a thought, I have a fabulous bone-inspired "Skeletal Chair" from Tim Steads workshop (http://www.timsteadfurniture.co.uk/seating.htm) and it's made of sycamore which has the right colour and lack of grain that I see regularly in bone. It used to be very white and has now yellowed slightly, just like bone ... and I have sat on Tims original which is now quite yellowed like older bone. I have seen the same chair in ash and elm and (for my eyes) it doesn't work as well. I very much like ash, and structurally/workability it might be the right material for your project - but give sycamore a thought?

 

[MikeG.]

Thanks Toby........

the only sycamore I've got is spalted (& therefore not strong enough), whereas I have quite a bit of ash. I'm hoping the sandblasting will help it appear bleached and weathered, and stop it looking "grainy". If it doesn't, I suppose I could try bleaching.

Mike

 

[Ironballs]

Ah excellent, been looking forward to seeing this one come up and I'm not disappointed.

Glad to see I won't be the only person not using Sketch Up, I've been beavering away on Scribble It with the "scrap of hotel note paper" plug in.

When are you putting the order in for the concave spokeshave then Mike :twisted:

 

[MikeG.]

When are you putting the order in for the concave spokeshave then Mike :twisted:

Nice attempt to get my excessive plane count even higher!!

I am after a draw knife, though......

Mike

 

[Digit]

Blimey Mike! Rather you than me, now I know that I wouldn't be in the 'expert' category!

Roy.

 

[billw]

It's very interesting but at the same time somewhat macabre :shock:

 

[MikeG.]

Blimey Mike! Rather you than me, now I know that I wouldn't be in the 'expert' category!

Well, Roy, I reckon that the level of entry isn't about how easy or difficult a project is, but rather a reflection of your own skill level and experience. As a guy doing this stuff for 30 years, if I had made a simple plywood cube it would surely have to have been entered into the expert category. And as such, it would have been quite difficult to do it justice!

I was planning to make this (and the chair that goes with it) simply by cutting and shaping, but the more I think about it the more I can see myself doing a bit of steaming. And my experience there?.......Nil

Still, I reckon it would be a bit dull to do the same old stuff.....

Mike

PS My wife will bury me under the patio when she sees this design.......she is expecting something a bit more Laura Ashley!!!

 

[Karl]

Hi Mike

Well what can I say?

I've looked at your design several times today, and still can't get my head round it. I know that taste is very much a personal thing, but it looks truly hideous to me.

There's no doubting that to make such an item would involve intricate joinery, but would the end result be worth it? The sharks mouth detail across the top freaks me out; but then again, I do have a phobia about sharks.... :lol:

And to top it all, you're planning on giving it some soft cushions - how can they work with the skeletal design?

Confused.

Karl

 

[Digit]

Well, Roy, I reckon that the level of entry isn't about how easy or difficult a project is, but rather a reflection of your own skill level and experience.

Sorry Mike I can't agree there mate. If your skill is greater than mine I would suggest that you would find the task easier than I would, so hopefully your seat would be better than mine and I would then go for 'intermediate'.
My problem with an entry at the moment is whether I could complete in time with all the other jobs I've got to try and get through during the summer.
The two little carriage clocks I made took me nearly four months!
But I look forward to seeing everybody else's entries.

Roy.

 

[MikeG.]

.... but it looks truly hideous to me.

The sharks mouth detail across the top freaks me out.......

And to top it all, you're planning on giving it some soft cushions - how can they work with the skeletal design?

I genuinely like strong views on design.......so believe me when I say I am really pleased to read this! If people are so-so about this design then I have failed.

There are a couple of valid points there, too.......by the sharks mouth I guess you mean the downward teeth-like protuberances where the ropes (tendons) meet the support timbers? If so, I couldn't agree more. As I drew them I realised that this was a glaringly unresolved detail, and that the chances of me letting it through to the final piece was just about nil. But I was late for work by then...

I am considering having the ropes appear out of organic holes in the way that blood vessels loop in and out of bones.

The main point of submitting a drawing wasn't to attract comment so much as to commit myself to a direction of travel. I have faffed about with 5 or 6 different free-form designs, and this is the most coherent. By posting, I feel that I am forcing myself to run with this idea............but what I am not doing is committing myself to stick to the drawing!!!

The cushions.........

........you are bang on. An obvious point. Once I present my wife with these bits of furniture she'll be angling to make a throw to cover the whole thing, so I better have a good plan for the cushions by then. Maybe just an animal hide thrown over....??

Anyway, thanks for your posting......as I say, design should be subject to strong views.

Mike