Portable Sawmill & Tree Service – Abingdon, VA
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Portable Sawmill & Tree Service – Abingdon, VA

opinions wanted *LINK*

Posts

opinions wanted *LINK*

#1

opinions wanted *LINK*

Clay C in Miami

>Hi,

I posted this on the main board last night, but since this is more my 'home' here, I particularly want opinions from you guys - I can hardly believe how long this chair took me. Largely done with hand tools - one tailed aspect was scooping out the seat with a chain bit on an angle grinder. This was an awful tool - tense, a false move loses fingers and a quarter-second too long in one spot ruins the piece - I hated it. If I do a set, I'll hunt up a nice scorp for them!

The real Conoids by George Nakashima are generally several inches shorter, and have blond spindles. I'm happy with the height. I found an original uncomfortably low, even for me at 5'8", so I raised the seat about two inches and raked it up another few degrees. Then, I had to raise the back even more than I did the seat, to make it look right.

But, the walnut spindles were just a whim, and I'm still very much undecided about them. If I were to completely lose my mind and undertake to make a set of these, do y'all like the walnut spindles, or should I do the original blond ones (I think they're hickory)? I'll include below a link to a 'real' Conoid, for comparison's sake. And, the spindles are lighter in this picture than they look in real life (the figure in the walnut picked up the flash, I'm thinking.)

Thanks in advance,

Clay


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LINK TO 'GENUINE' CONOID

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#2

Steve Kubien

$0.02 CDN

Steve Kubien

>Hi Clay,

That chair is a beauty! I see NO reason to change a thing.

I've seen those chain disc thingy's for angle grinders and I got scared just looking at them. They look to have 'death-wish' written all over the place. I want to try making a chair(s) some day but I'll wait until I've got the necessary hand tools.

Again, I love the chair!

Steve Kubien

Ajax, Ontario

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#3

opinion on color...

Ryan Stagg -- Cincinnati

>I personally like the walnut spindles just the way they are - beautiful work.

If you decide to go with holly for the spindles on another chair, pick your primary wood carefully. The primary wood on the Nakashima looks like it has some lighter flecks in it that the light colored spindles bring out. If it was a very dark, homogenous primary wood, I think hickory would be too contrasting.

'Just my thoughts -- YMMV.

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#4

Re: opinions wanted

John, NY

>I like it just as much on this side as I did over there on the dark side... one day... I have looked at the pictures I have of the conoids construction and contemplated my readiness many times and I think my wife is sure she'll have a dining set with 1/2 a dozen of them one day soon! I'm sure i'll have them out again this weekend after seeing this... you may have inspired me to have a go at my own version, although I am supposed to be starting Adams Challenge this weekend!

Thanks for sharing and inspiring...

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#5

Re: opinion on color...

bill tindall

>I'm not fond of the two toned wood look (jewlery boxes being a posible exception) so the walnut back looks best to me, I think more elegant.

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#6

'pictures of construction'?

Clay C in Miami

>John,

Tickled as I am that you like it (and apologies for the cross-post, I just want to get as many opinions as I can dredge up), I am intrigued by your reference to 'pictures of construction.'

I looked everywhere I could think of, and found VERY little on the construction of these, and virtually nothing on that critical seat joint. Do you have anything that shows how the originals are done? I understand the originals actually have metal fasteners (heresy!) coming through the back of the seat. Tomorrow, I'll post a pic of my mockup of this joint so you can see what I did (someone called it a '4-tongued housed bridle joint' - ?).

Clay

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#8

Re: 'pictures of construction'?

Matti Kuikka

>In "The soul of the tree" on page 106 I think the joint is shown in the making so you can probably deduce it. At least I made it like that when I tried the two legged chair with slight differences elsewhere and the joint has stood for 1,5 years. Mine is from black alder and very light cloured with only two spindles in the back after I took three off. I had made the spindles too thick lacking a lathe and the back looked crowded. In my opinion your dark version without great contrast is way out better, especially in suitable surroundings.

BTW what's your finish and is the shine due to flash?

I know it's heresy, but I don't find it very comfortable either and don't think I'll make another better made version mainly because of that.

Nice and interesting project thanks for sharing.

Matti Kuikka

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#9

Re: 'pictures of construction'?

John, NY

>Nakashima's Book - The Soul of a Tree has some pictures of components and construction [not from the best angles usually]. It makes no reference to metal fasteners! But that doesn't mean they aren't there.

I wasn't trying to give you a hard time for posting on both sides. I genuinely enjoyed your post! Almost suggested you posted on this side too...

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#10

Re: Very Nice...

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Clay,

I agree with Scott and the others, that I like yours better for some reason. I think it is the darker wood that really appeals to me in this application as it seems to give the chair a stronger presense.

Excellent execution on your verson of the chair. sounds like these are more complicated to make than they look eh?

Todd O.

Re: opinions wanted *LINK*

#11

joint detail

Clay C in Miami

>Scott, the physics are so-far-so-good ... it survived a 260-pound rider yesterday, and the model for mine also has no metal, and its builder says it has survived big guys too. 'Course, I haven't seen your neighbor! I believe there ARE folks that it won't hold, fer sure.

Todd, so far it all still seems complicated to me. This was my first chair, and I was looking to stretch my limits.

And, a strong concensus in favor of the walnut spindles - I'm surprised!

Below is a picture of the mockup of the joint, the leg is the redwood piece.

Clay


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