Teak sofa progress...I hate teak!

[Gail O'Rourke]

Mark,
Gorgeous, I love the design and your execution is perfect. Good work.

Sorry to hear of your troubles with the teak. I haven't worked with it but will keep your comments in mind if I do.

[Roy Wall]

Wow!!!........those joints are tight! The oil will definately highlight the excellent craftsmanship.........

This why another client wants YOU to build ALL the furniture in her house...

[Mark Singer]

Mark,
Before you get to far with the watco, at least check these out. The inside of my boat is teak finished with this stuff which I think is teak oil with a bit of varnish mixed in. looks great and lasts along time. http://www.dalyspaint.com/catalog_conditioners.html

Bill,
I love Daly's products and have used them for years! Most of my homes furniture is finished with Daly's Ben matte....I will try a sample. The Watco teak oil sample looks really good. I have the SeaFin also

[Mark Singer]

I really appreciate the comments . To me modern furniture without hand crafted joinery is a bit flat... It may have great simplicity and proportion, but it speaks of the earlier Danish veneered panel stuff that was popular in the 50's , 60's and even now. It is wonderful practicle furniture , but does not celebrate the crafstman or the tree... When we look at Nakashima we see the celebration of the tree! It is still living in a piece of furniture....a natural edge which feels solid as solid wood should and joinery that celebrates the art of the crafstman. In Krenov, we see the continuation of the Scandanavian roots of design, and added is the celebration of the detail and the skill of the crafstman. This is the embodiment of truly great design and the expression of a single craftsman making, fitting and crafting each piece in a special and careful way....it speaks the language of hand built and this takes a well designed piece to another level.
The mitered dovetails on the arms are a very natural expression....like the fingers grasping the corner...metophorically...Like the statue of Lincoln seated in the seat...his fingers bent over the arm... The miter adds continuity and allows the piece to flow. A simple through dovetail will not look nearly as correct.
This is the language of the crafstman....the fluency to chose the best joint for both structural and esthetic reasons and to not be intimidated to execute it. This fluency allows a woodworker to express the detail and the feeling of solid wood which acknowleges ..."the tree"
Yes, I had a headstart on sawing starting with my Father as a child ...we only had handtools and an electric drill... Everyone starts somewhere and I have gotten better over the years by practicing...Mitered dovetails in thick boards are among the most difficult joints...yet with practice it is manageable and worth learning... It is the same skills as for all joinery...layout, marking, baseline scribe, cutting on the waste side...etc...This practice allows you to speak the language and chose the detail and make the piece really special...

[Matt Guyrd]

Mark,

I do a lot more reading and learning on SMC than I do posting, and for good reason. Please forgive my lack of knowledge in questioning.

The design is intriguing and I have always enjoyed the creative work of artists of all kinds, and your work is no exception. I really enjoy reading/viewing your posts.

Aside from the intricate joinery and it's execution, what really jumps out at me is the seemingly floating arm and back-rest upper and lower rails (not sure if this is the correct terminology). I am curious as to how strong these elements are, particularly at the back corners. Do the corners flex if weight was applied? We all know the proper position on a sofa for our derriere, but what if some galoot with one too many glasses of wine at a cocktail party decided he needed to rest his legs and sat on this arm/back piece? Regardless, it's a cool piece that makes me think.

Did you use the wedge through tenons at the corners, or another joint?

Thanks for sharing...please do post more shots after you decide on, and apply, a finish.

Matt

[Mark Singer]

Mark,

I do a lot more reading and learning on SMC than I do posting, and for good reason. Please forgive my lack of knowledge in questioning.

The design is intriguing and I have always enjoyed the creative work of artists of all kinds, and your work is no exception. I really enjoy reading/viewing your posts.

Aside from the intricate joinery and it's execution, what really jumps out at me is the seemingly floating arm and back-rest upper and lower rails (not sure if this is the correct terminology). I am curious as to how strong these elements are, particularly at the back corners. Do the corners flex if weight was applied? We all know the proper position on a sofa for our derriere, but what if some galoot with one too many glasses of wine at a cocktail party decided he needed to rest his legs and sat on this arm/back piece? Regardless, it's a cool piece that makes me think.

Did you use the wedge through tenons at the corners, or another joint?

Thanks for sharing...please do post more shots after you decide on, and apply, a finish.

Matt

Matt, this is an excellent question and something that plaqued me through the construction. Matt the large cantilvevered corners are surprisingly strong. I sat on the lower one on the corner...no problem! The upper one is very solid also. I think even the upper would support a person...although I am afraid to try it. The original Schindler design was quite fragile and the pieces have been repaired and are only from redwood whick is not a strong wood.
The approach to the problem was to stack the rear elements so the full stretcher would be supported and the weight transfered to the bottom rail. I used 3 tenons and epoxy ....I also had long grain to long grain working for strength. That made the back long members into moment resisting beams... The arms were very dificult! First imade the mitered dovetails with the arms and returns left long. The rear joint was a blind loose tenon and it made assembly of the upper arm very difficult. I needed to start the tenon...hook over the bisquits I used in the front leg (top and front ) and slowly tap into place without breaking the mortice out! One important thing to remember is tenons can be shorter in the dirrection of the grain....so 1 1/4" is penetration is enough.....crossing the grain it penetrates about 2 1//2"... I dry fitting I split the side of a mortise with a tiny crack.! On final glue up I did one arm side and then clamped to the long stretcher.....did the second side ...unclamped and clamped all together....it was tough! I added a small clamp to repair the tiny split at the same time...with the epoxy it is fine and very strong.
There was no other way in my mind to assemble the arm/ strecher piece and the dovetails really needed to be made first! The wide lower arms have 3 - 3" screws and a tiny rabbet to seat them at the verticle interface wit the front leg... This with the epoxy developed the full strength of the wood the transfers throgh the dovetail. The doves are just glued with TightBond..2 ...the joint itself does a lot of the work. The same is true of the wedged through tenons which do not really show in the pics. These carry the front beam stretcher.... i used ebony wedges...and that is a strong joint and easy to make.

[Jim Hinze]

Mark,

I've watched in wonder how this piece as evolved and now sits in it's current state. What a marvelous piece of work.

I get the slight impression your not fond of teak .. However, it looks wonderful. I can't imagine that piece in any other wood.. it seems to have been designed for the materials and the materials for the design... I guess that should be the goal of any piece...

[Chris Padilla]

Good stuff as always, Singer! When ya holdin' an SMC gathering?

[Mark Singer]

Good stuff as always, Singer! When ya holdin' an SMC gathering?

Chris come down lets gather I will fire up the BBQ and we can sip on a Red...or Pilsner...and make a dovetail or a chickentail

[Chris Padilla]

Chris come down lets gather I will fire up the BBQ and we can sip on a Red...or Pilsner...and make a dovetail or a chickentail

Ah, the infamous Singer chickentail joint! I can't wait...the kid needs to visit Legoland one of these days so we may just pop in!

Oh, got any stout on hand?! I may be close to the Napa Valley but I don't indulge in any of their product....