Upcoming Projects: 18 Cedar Birdhouses and More

Yesterday was a Breezy Day

 Six red cedar houses (as in background) are underway

I like a breezy day. I can set up the table and chop saws outside, cut scads of lumber and share dust with people for miles around. Yesterday was such a day.

And because my supply of small birdhouses had thinned out, I felt I'd better start a few batches. "How about three sets of six?" I said to myself. I nodded and grabbed my recipe book and a pencil.

 Six examples of a new model, chiefly using cedar slats

I can't seem to keep wee chickadee and wren (cedar) houses in stock.
Six more in a pile. I bet they'll just fly away!

Okay, this ought to keep me busy for awhile! (Plus, four chairs continue to move along well, and lumber for a squirrel house is getting closer to the start line).  Good thing I'm retired and it's summer time in the city.

Please link to Upcoming Projects: Barnboard Birdhouses and More

Photos GH

White Pine Birdhouses and More (6)

More Voilas!

Voila times three

Good-sized, sturdy, colourful pine birdhouses sit all in a row, ready for short-term storage. (My next sale is Saturday, July 9 at Art in the Barn, Dorchester Fairgrounds).

I am usually able to fit about three dozen houses inside my Honda Civic, so I think my supply is ample at this time - and ready for delivery.

PS - I've received three requests for the table upon which they sit!

Old white pine, w scruffy stain is very hard to come by!

White pine barnboard is relatively easy to work with, readily available, and when complimented by planed white pine (much easier to paint), the results are pleasing.... in my always humble opinion : )

Please link here to view White Pine Birdhouses and More (5)

Photos GH

White Pine Birdhouses and More (5)

Last Leg of the Process

One of these would look nice among the hop vines

Once the second coats of paint are dry, perches and bits of trim can be attached. Then the finished birdhouses leave one shelf (in the shop) and move to another (storage space in my basement).  Along the way I will usually stop, snap a few photos and say 'voila'!

Three more white pine houses are near completion as well, so, more 'voilas' will surely follow soon.

Please link to White Pine Birdhouses and More (4)

Photos GH

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (8)

Plug Them Holes

Sunday was an easy work day inside the relatively cool workshop, with the fan on 'high', and the pace on 'slow'. I had trim to paint for five birdhouses and 32 screws to hide on the Rietveld chairs' recently-attached arm rests.

Plastic wood will be hard to spot after a quick sanding

So, after a bit more sanding, the chairs can be assembled, a tricky balancing act for anyone with only two hands.

More to follow.

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (7)

Photos GH

White Pine Birdhouses and More (4)

Trim Trim Trim Trim

Fancy little windows and perches, I must say!

Five single-family pine homes are nearing completion but they need a bit of trim.

And they shall get it. I will apply second coats today to numerous bits and pieces and attach them tomorrow. So, stay tuned. Don't touch that dial.

Next project appears top left; six western cedar slat houses (slick)

Link to White Pine Birdhouses and More (3)

Photos GH

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (7)

Progress Made on Four Comfy Chairs

More assembly required. Stay tuned

As I attach arm rests to these Rietveld chairs, I wonder:

Are they wide enough to accommodate a mug of coffee? A sandwich? A cold beer? Tired elbows?

Yes, times four.

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (6)

Photos GH

White Pine Birdhouses and More (3)

Progress on a Colourful Batch

Bright colours rule the day!

Though a second coat is needed (not a long task when the time is right), I think this batch of four white pine birdhouses are pretty eye-catching.

Trim and perches will be added once the second coat is dry.

So, more to follow.

Please link to White Pine Birdhouses and More (2)

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (6)

Sides and Arm Rests

Sides are constructed from red cedar; arm rests are white pine

The four sets of sides, made from 1-inch thick western red cedar, have been sanded and assembled, and are now ready for the arm rests. Wait. I lied.

On the right track so far

Yesterday, the last thing I did in the shop was mix up a batch of tan-coloured hole filler to cover the heads of the many wood screws. So, a wee bit more sanding is required this PM before I attach arm rests. And, once the rests are in place I can assemble the four chairs.

'Speed' is not my middle name, but I do keep plugging along in a somewhat steady fashion.

More to follow.

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (5)

Photos GH

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (5)

I's the B'y That Builds De Boat....

....And de back and bum supports, and sturdy sides

Still, I've got a ways to go, but the assembly of four Rietveld chairs is progressing without a hitch.

1. Back and bum supports, all done, tried and true:

2. Sides are lined up and ready for the arm rest:

Final assembly is tricky, and hidden supports need to be attached, but at this point all is swell.

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (4)

Photos GH

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (4)

Sanding is a Blast 

I'm ready to go. Gentlemen, start yer sanders!!

Thank goodness there was a lovely breeze yesterday. The sanding didn't go any faster because of it, but the wind blew constantly, and I stayed relatively cool - though in the sun - and could still breathe at the end of a 3-hour session of rolling a variety of stock over whirling sandpaper.

 Every piece fits nicely into place

Half-inch spacers speed up my work

700 sanded surfaces later, and while I assembled one of the seats, I thot, "Oh yeah, I guess I'd better buy wood screws!"

There's always somethin'.

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (3)

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (3)

Let's Do The Math (Just for Fun)

Lots of surfaces require attention

Concerning today's workshop schedule:

88 pieces of lumber x 6 - 8 surfaces each = 528 - 704 surfaces to sand

Outdoor temperature feels like 39 degrees

Breeze rated at 0.0

Therefore, Gord will lose 12 pounds (which is probably not a bad thing!)

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (2)

Photos GH

White Pine Birdhouses and More (2)

Paint Job vs Heatwave

Rough-sided white pine houses are easy to assemble

I have four white pine barnboard birdhouses in progress. Two will display planed lumber, two will still be rough. Their assembly is partly finished and it is time for first coats. Once two coats are dry I will attach raw roof slats and decide on colours for those as well.

The planed surface of these two houses were easy to paint

Rough-sided houses are harder to paint, so I used a blue wash

More to follow, unless I fall asleep due to London's heatwave.

Please link to White Pine Birdhouses and More

Photos GH

White Pine Birdhouses and More

Paint and Potential

Paint and varnish might look good together

White pine stock for four birdhouses may be assembled slowly (because I have four chairs on the move) but eventually they will receive a paint job that will set them apart from any other batch I've built this spring. More will follow about these substantial homes.

As well, about one month ago - after looking at a pile of old cedar 2 by 6s - I jotted details related to a brand new style - a dark western cedar house made from 2.5 inch wide slats. I am hoping to show off the aged surface as well as the sterling, rich interior of each board. Dust will fly but the end result should be pretty cool.

I think I'm onto something (e.g., the next project)

More to follow in short order.

Link to Upcoming Projects: Barnboard Birdhouses and More

Photos GH

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design (2)

Soft Around the Edges

I'm baaaack  -  to work!

I've cut 22 pieces of lumber for each Rietveld crate chair and because the human body - mostly the hands, arms, back and butt (seldom do people sit on their heads) - will lounge in it, for hours on end, I like to soften edges where one's body will make contact. That's a lot of edges, and my neighbours usually know when I'm hard at work.

Next up - sanding 88 pieces of red cedar and white pine. Dust will fly.

More to follow.

Please link to Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design

Photos GH

Rietveld Crate Chairs: 1937 Design

The History of the Rietveld Chair (Concocted)

"So, I cleverly copied Gerrit's design.... and guessed the measurements."

Several years ago, while thumbing through a book about Adirondack chairs, I spotted a lovely photo of two chairs that didn't fit the script. The chairs were created by Gerrit Rietveld, produced in 1937 and called the 'Rietveld crate chair'.

I said to myself, "I like how they look. All straight lines. I can do this. And I like the name. I bet Gerrit was just looking around his factory at the end of a long day for a place to sit down. Poor guy was tired. Running a business is stressful. And he saw some leftover lumber usually used to make shipping crates. So, he made himself a crate chair. I tip my hat to the fella."

So, I cleverly copied Gerrit's design - as seen in the photo - and guessed the measurements. My numbers have worked out great over the years, though I modify them from time to time, depending on the lumber I use, and how tall and wide my clients are. The rest, as they say, is history.

 Stock for four Rietveld chairs is piling up (Little Library not included)

 The lumber (red cedar, white pine) will blend together nicely as it ages

Rietveld crate chairs increase dramatically in value as they age!!

Albatros Crate Chair by Gerrit Rietveld - $17, 475

Get Your Crate Chair Today - Photo Link

Call GH today for a more reasonable offer! : )

Please link to Log Cabins from Board and Batten (3)

Photos GH