Current project 24 chairs

[Brian Harnett]

Making chairs and dining tables for Franciscan convent dining hall, the wood is milled from trees that came down where the new dining hall is built. A total of 24 chairs and 4 tables will come out of the wood.

After the wood was dried it was delivered to my shop it is random lengths and the edges are not ripped a bit of a sorting challenge just getting started.

The material is primarily Soft and hard maple hickory and American elm with some red oak.

The chairs I designed for them are simple, nothing flashy for the nuns. I hope to be finished in the next few weeks.

[Brian Harnett]

Some more pics

[scottp55]

WOW!
I hope taking on Large projects isn't communicable!
My lazy bone is CRINGING
I'd need a barn floor and a LOT of time just measuring and sorting
Looking good Brian!!!

[Brian Harnett]

Thanks, its coming along definitely a lot more though to make with the random sizes and species, the nuns are fine with mixed woods I am trying to keep all the legs and backs corresponding. The hickory is really hard on tools.

[Brady Watson]

Wow Brian - that IS a lot of work just getting going!

Pretty cool that the lumber has a heritage/story behind it. I would exploit that should you want to advertise this work because it's more than 'just wood'.

Is this a 'Brian proven and tested' design or a completely new design just for them? (If no...how many before you got a 'good one'?)

Keep up the always great work - thanks for sharing pics!

-B

PS - For the uninitiated, the wood chips on the floor are for moisture control & if a shop isn't messy, no actual work is getting done.

[Brian Harnett]

Brady the chair design is custom for them, based loosely on shaker design but its standard chair geometry that I use for dining chairs. still ironing out the table design for them.

[dlcw]

You're right Brian, rustic hickory is really tough on tools. I did a 11' long by 48" wide by 2" thick solid rustic hickory dining table and 16 matching chairs for a customer a few years back. I cut many of my chair parts on the CNC machine. I also flattened the table top on the CNC. I used double the number of bits and blades as I would use on a similar project using a less hostile wood. I did my dining room table and chairs from gummy cherry and bubinga and it was a lot easier on the bits and blades.

Beautiful job!!!!

[Tim Lucas]

Looks great!

Tim

[chiloquinruss]

I am so glad I don't do production work but I am also so glad there are craftsman like you that do production jobs. I get nice little jobs that I can plagiarize from your folks big jobs. My very few customers see what's possible by CNC and then order a chair or some other small item. Not 24 chairs! The closest I've come to a 'big' job was I made a few deacons benches for a local church. I look forward to seeing your progress on the chairs and then the table. Well done! Russ

[Brian Harnett]

Russ I do mostly smaller custom work, occasionally a large batch, when I was working for another company we were a production shop putting out runs of a few hundred at a time they were teak outdoor furniture, mainly kits shipped all over the country. It was interesting, my job was designing the products and building jigs and equipment for production. Best job I had working for someone else.