Sunday, March 6, 2011

Board Feet to Bed Feet

Not all travels require planes, boats, or trains, and a recent call from my brother Rich set me on a short walking journey to my wood shop. He asked if I would be interested in turning some replacement legs for a bed that his son Zachary had used in his youth. "I'd be delighted." was my response.

Enjoying the process as much as the fulfillment, I decided to document the steps from board feet to bed feet. I hope Naia (Zach and Maria's beautiful new baby) will someday enjoy her "new" bed.


The Bed and ...




The Problem












The Turner's Template








The Prototype







20 Board Feet of 1 x 4 inch Poplar








Cut Up and ...








Glued up








Centered








Notched








Ready for turning









There's nothing like the smell of woodchips in the morning








A little design change








Measure to duplicate








Transfer the measurement








Set the dimensions and start turning the curves








Mark and Cut the Spindle








Duplicate 3 times








Make a jig and ship them off








Left coast installation










Looking pretty darned good









All stained and waiting.
















So that's it. A nice fun way to spend a week doing what we enjoy. I learned that duplicating a design is harder than it looks, but a great challenge. Looking forward to the day Naia is big enough to enjoy her "new" bed.

Ain't retirement grand?

2 comments:

SFOSILVER said...

Thank you for the beautiful craftsmanship! The photos tell the story well. I'm tickled you and Rick are enjoying this joint bicoastal project. -Naia's mom, Maria

Unknown said...

Thanks Ed for your fabulous woodworking resulting in new life for Zach's old bed. I fondly remember buying the English pine bed in an antique shop for Zach in Seattle, WA after Beth was born in 1976.