Monthly Blog

HOME AGAIN As an exercise in self discipline I have decided to write a monthly BLOG on what I propose to do, what I found challenging and how many mistakes I made.   Yes I make mistakes but some of the mistakes are taking an approach that does not fit in with miniaturisation.   And so a work around has to be found to bring back the quality I desire.   For some, they will ask the question as to why I tried that method at all, for other they will make the statement that they also have been there.   Hopefully the BLOG will help me keep on course with the planned development of my work.   Maybe just maybe these words will help others in their quest to make quality miniature marvels of dolls house furniture.
As I will be mainly making miniature of known designers I will refer to them by their initials Charles Rennie Mackintosh CRM, Charles Limbert CL, Gustav Stickley  GS
JAN 2018 This month I propose to make a CL Pedestal.  It is a fairly simple design.  I am going to use steamed pear wood and spirit stain it Golden Oak and Dark Oak.   The drawings have already been prepared but I need to prepare the stock wood.   This will give me a chance to use my new drum sander thicknesser that I imported from America.  Normally I would use my planer thicknesser on pear wood but with a new toy for the new year I need to try it out.  I will also prepared the stock wood, this time Castillo box wood, for a GS round table.  Again I will stain the wood prior to gluing up but I am undecided what wood colour to use.   I will try some colours on the scraps before I decide on the final two.  Note that I say I will make a piece but end up with two pieces.   This is because I always make more component pieces than I need as wood imperfections and mistakes can occur, so it is best to have extra pieces ready 
FEB 2018 Well January seen success and failure.  Success was in using the new drum sander, an excellent machine.   Failure was that I had intended to make two CL models, a pedestal and a plant stand and neither is completely finished.  I have 5 pedestals stained golden oak but not varnished as yet and another 5 to be stained to represent fumed oak and then to be glued.  Various excuses for not getting them finished.   However I am on my way to having the plant stand completely cut out.   This month will see a GS round table and a touberet built.   I aim to get these all finished so that I can return to CRM for March.
MAR 2018 February was a disaster.  The snow and intense cold weather meant it was not possible to work for long if at all in the workshop.   Also my plans for the CL plant stand made some assumptions which were not good.   The tenons were to short, for some reason which I cannot fathom the legs were not in alignment for machining the side leg mortises and I discovered that the cutting list sizes in the book were in error.    So I had to recut lots of pieces.  Not a good month and now way off program.  I now have the plant stand fitted and part glued and I can see the design come out and why I liked it from its picture in the book.  The GS round table is ready for cutting but I have ditched the touberet.  I have managed to do a trial of tongue and grooving for making wider stock and am pleased to say that it looks good and make gluing the planks together much easier.
APR 2018  
MAY 2018  
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AUG 2018  
SEP 2018  
OCT 2018  
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DEC 2018