Mini Log Cabins of the Frontier

I've always loved the look of those old, square log cabins you see that were built in the pioneer days, and actually earlier than that.  Some are still standing, some falling down and more importantly some being brought back to life and lived in again. 

    So with an idea for a mini sized version, I've started making these miniature sized Log Cabins. From what I've been told, German fathers would actually make these to give to a son as sort of a good luck charm and to bring peace and prosperity to him and his new bride. I don't know if that's true, but its kind of a cool story.

I started making these based just off of pictures I've seen of old ones still standing. The logs I "hand hewn" with a drawknife and each shingle is applied one at a time. I put in some chinking compound a little paint/stain and wallah, I have a fairly authentic looking mini log cabin. I've kinda got the bug from making these. It's almost a sky's the limit as what you an do, and you can go as primitive as you want. I would love to someday, either find an old one still standing and move it to my land or build one from scratch, but until then this is going to have to satisfy. Hey, maybe it could serve as a blue print for one I someday plan to build, and that alone is worth the time involved to make these. 

Shaping a Windsor Chair Spindle

 After browsing over my past videos uploaded to YouTube, I watched the one on Spindle Making. While I'm never happy with the way most of my videos come out, that video I am defiantly not happy with. It shows basically nothing but a "buffoon" hacking away at a stick of red oak. I didn't speak one word as to what I was doing or how I got to that particular point in the process. It's just a close up of me trying my best to make a video on a subject I thought I knew something about.

So with spindles to make for the chairs I'm making now, I thought this is a good time to redo a spindle video. Maybe I can give someone wanting to make a Windsor, a little more detail on how to shape them than I had when I first started.  I'm going to leave the old spindle video up and let you all comment on which one gives more info on the process and helps you make a spindle. I'm pretty sure which one it'll be but I'll let you tell me in your own words. Who knows I may have to make another with better ideas from you.

Steam Bending Windsor Chair Parts

I'm working on another chair order and need to steam bend the bows for 4 sack backs. I thought it might be helpful to show how I go about the process for those wanting to make a Windsor. In this video, I'm starting with the already shaped pieces ready to bend.

I began by riving out the bows to roughly 1" x 1" x 48". After shaping them with a draw knife and spokeshave at the shaving horse to their pre-steamed sizes, they're ready for bending. I'm self taught at this and never learned how most chair makers go about it, so I don't move the bends from a bending form to a cooling form. I tie off the bent bows and hang them on the wall to cool. I have never had any problems doing it this way and it saves not only material for more jigs, but also a ton of space in the shop. Hope this video gives someone out there a little more encouragement to dive into Windsor Chair making. Steam bending can be used for several aspects in woodworking and it's also pretty cool just to watch happen in front of you.

The Life of a Windsor Chair Spindle

When you look at a Windsor Chair in it's completed form, there are so many parts that come together to make the beauty you see. Part of that beauty are the plain and simple back spindles providing the anchor of the upper half of the chair. What you don't see is how those plain and simple little back spindles came to be. To do them the right way they need to be split or riven out of a green log. First you have to find a good straight log (in this case White Oak). You have to saw it to length, split it in half, then again into quarters, and even if you can read the bark well, the log may have some hidden defects that make it unusable. Once it's split into quarters, and any defects discovered and discarded, a grid is layed out across the section, some people split it into eight sections instead. The 1" grid gives you more even squared up spindles stock making it easier to shave with the Draw Knife in my book.

Each grid line is strategically rived using a riving brake, giving gorgeous straight grained oak providing the utmost strength and quality. Then each wide plank is rived again and again till 1" square billets are produced.

With each billet split out, it's time to shape them square with a draw knife. First you have to follow the grain on one side, flatten it out, turn it end for end, up and down, back and forth, then move onto the next side and do it all again. Once thats done four times, you have to make it octaganal and oversize the tenons, the swell, and taper. After you have all that done...  

They need to set around the shop a week or so before they go in the kiln for 2-3 days. Then they are ready to final shape with a spokeshave.

  So, those plain and simple little spindles have been through so much just to be a plain and simple spindle. Even if they seem like plain and simple parts of a Windsor, they provide the backbone of the chair allowing you to sit and rest your back. Now I'm ready to lean my tired back against those plain and simple spindles and relax.    

As the Drawknife Slices

 There is truly something magical and mesmerizing about a Draw Knife. I split out in the neighborhood of 100 billets and roughed out 93 yesterday and today. A good quality oak made the last two days so pleasant to work, on top of the fantastic weather and great scenery I have at my shop. The super sharp draw knife (thanks to Pete Galberts video on the grinder jig) made the work seem to fly by. I learn something every time I pick up the draw knife (or any tool for that matter) but I have gotten so attached to using a draw knife. What a wonderful tool, so simple in design, but so useful in so many ways. When you can make a pile of shavings and not remember what your doing (work) or what the rest of the world is doing has a wonderful effect on you.

Windsor DVD

Here is a promo to my DVD on making a Bow Back Windsor. I use a few new techniques now but this is basically how it's done. There are a few things I left out on the DVD because it was intended to be given to students taking my chair class as a warm up for what to expect and what they need to kind of familiarize themselves with before coming to the class. The DVD is about 30 minutes long and is available on my web site for purchase.

Different Shaving Horses

I thought I'd show my two shaving horses here and explain a little about what I do with them. The one closest to the camera is my main one and is based off of Brian Boggs' horse and works extremly well. I have added a chair seat and back to make it more comfy to sit at for longer periods of time. The green one in the background is my old one that I had actually thrown away after I made the new one but then realized it works better for certain steps in the process of shaping plus during classes theres two available. I use it mainly for shaving the long bends of C-Arms, Sack Backs, Bow Backs, and the like. It's just a pretty standard horse no frills or bells and whistles just a good ole work horse, it's not real comfotable to sit at for long though. The Boggs style is great for spindle work and most tasks I need for chairs.

Shaving Horse

I thought I'd show my newest shaving horse. I actually found the plans for it on the Fine Woodworking web site. It's basically a copy of Kentucky Chair Maker Brian Boggs' horse. I made a few different changes but its basically just like the one he shows how to make in the article. I have since put a new seat on it that is the top half of a Fan Back Windsor and it makes it to where you can sit at it for hours on end. The old Shaving horse I made was the German style with just a open head. I loved it but to sit at it for very long your back is hunched over and it just doesn't allow for a very comfortable position. When I made this new one, I thought I'd be in the same boat after an hour of use. It was comfortable but on those days where I need to make 50 spindles it just doesn't allow enough comfort. So with the chair seat added I am able to sit there for 4 or 5 hours without much fatigue. It went from a Pinto to a Cadillac if that makes sense.