Apologies to my woodworking readers, but with 2 four-year-olds, five days til Christmas, and nearly 20″ of snow, there’s no time for woodworking today.
I always like the snow, the more the better for my purposes. It seems that it’s something for folks to complain about when shovelling it, but I like the way it quiets things down…today I got to work for a good while out front, and took regular breaks to watch the birds in the back yard and on the river. Give me winter & snow anyday over summer with its motorcycles and lawn mowers around here. So I was quite happy with today’s total. Even got a new yard bird, a ring-necked duck in the river, # 93 or so.
The robin flocks have descended on the holly trees here, and they are working their way through the whole crop of berries…a winter tradition. We think of these birds as spring birds, but they winter here in large flocks.
It took some preparation; but we managed to get the kids outside in it for a while.
First off, though, was the tree. Went perfectly.
But I still do have a little woodworking before the big day. Ysterday I carved the kids’ names in the slats, and finished a hickory-bark seat on one of the chairs, and will do the other tomorrow. A few pins, a little oil here & there & they will be done. I got no photos yesterday, so this is the previous day’s output…I’ll shoot ’em tomorrow.
PETER FOLLANSBEE: JOINER’S NOTES 
Loved the photos! High point of my week-end! Of course given how it started on Friday, I guess that is not saying much. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the photos of the kids!
It’s amazing how much and how long kids can have fun in the snow.
Enjoyed the picture of the chair, too. How do you deal with the slats for the back? Spring them in? Fasten/Glue?
Three rungs per side looks unnecessary at first but you probably want the chairs to last for more than one generation.
Alfred
Alfred
The chair is essentially the one designed many years ago, in John Alexander’s book Make a Chair from a Tree. Now available from Jennie Alexander’s website http://www.greenwoodworking.com as a DVD. Most turned chairs I have studied use 3 rungs on each side & front, but only two on the rear frame…some Dutch ones we see in 17th century paintings use all 12.
Slats I just spring in place, and secure with wooden pins, 2 per slat.
Yay! Love it when the kids make the blog. Thanks for sharing.
The kids look like their enjoying it all. I agree, love the silence of the winter, it doe’s make a wonderful backdrop for wildlife photos…
thanks for the post!
Merry Christmas to the Follansbee’s!!
Joel
Wait YOU CARVED something in the slat ????
Interesting evolution.
Love the snowpeople on the heads…and the concentration on the tree trimming faces…bet there was some outstanding narration going on.
Peace…quiet and your little sugarplums…that’s all I need right now.
Love to all,
H
Peter: The stool looks great! However it raises an interesting question about reproduction. When I enlarge your excellent picture of the inside of the of rear stretcher joint, I see the stretchers lie at the bottom of their oversized mortises. An unsightly gap appears above the stretchers. I have no problem with mortises that are too tall for their tenons. Incredibly enough there need not be a tight fit between mortise and tenon in the vertical direction. Period practice indicates and our work substantiates that only the outside leading shoulder of the tenon and the pin or pins align and secure the tenoned stock. I recognize you have to get the job done so there will be time for your just as important bird watching! So in best period practice blam away at your mortises. You have seen many more actual period stools than I. However, I do not recall such tenon droop. I do one of two things. When boring pinholes, rough assemble the stool upside down and knock the stretcher tenons up (”down”) against the top of their mortises. Or, wedge the tenons up against the top of their mortises. Oh I know that only crawling Baby Jerome and fastidious Aunt Jennie will notice but what say you?
Jennie