Friday, October 19, 2012

Industrial Entry: McKendry Manor



Step 1: build the pipe frame
Step 2: Pick out wood and attach




















A whole new world has been awakened.  My boss wrote me about 3 months ago and prompted an opportunity to build a new entry table for them.  He sent a few ideas from Restoration Hardware.  You can imagine the lust I possess over some of their pieces of furniture.  I think I laughed and verbally commented "I only wish I had the tools and space to build pieces like that."  I paused for a moment and thought, ' BUT MAYBE.'  And what if our boundaries were expanded and supported in such a manner that we could respond with motivation in the challenge.  This wasn't your common challenge, this lit a fire within me, ideas swimming, face fit with giddy grin.  I could barely focus on all the to-do's already on my plate, but this, THIS I wanted to think upon, I wanted to dream, I wanted to create, to build, to form.
I found a few ideas and we sketched out a plan together to better fit what he was wanting.  Then started the research.  I made a few trips to ol' Home Depot to 'play with pipes.' Measuring, adjusting, resketching.  Then, I found myself a new piping friend.  I got some old pluming pipes, a box full of components and took them home to fit the puzzle together.  I considered myself a strong "Jane of all trades," but these pipes dominated me.  My perfectionistic side wanted to screw them together in such a way that the threads would be hidden, which is nearly impossible especially without some serious wrenches and clamps.
Then, I headed out to a dear friend's family 'lumberyard' which is just simply a cozy haven of heaven.  Smell of fresh lumber, and piles upon piles of possibility.  You'd think I was a cooped up kid on a playground.  I picked out my slabs, was assisted using some Capital S, Serious tools to plane and join.  Loaded up and shipped back home.  Went through a handful of options for the coloring, wanting it to be perfect; test strip upon test strip.  Finally came up with a combo of steeped black tea, and a vinegar/steel wool combination.
Many measurements and clamping later, I attached the wood and began to work on rusting the legs and attaching the caster wheels.  I waited around for a new clear wax to seal it off and was squealing over the change in really smoothing out the confines of the wood.  I inevitably always find favorite little pockets of unique quirks abnormalities in every piece.  This one had a particular knot that I am sincerely fond of.  In cutting this piece of wood, my original measurements would have cut it either down the middle (trouble) or off completely.  I saw no other choice than to just extend my measurements to include that little seedling of a branch.  The coloring on it is such an array of warmth and intricate detail. I'm in love with the imperfections.

What a sweet labor of love. What a joy to create. To make something from nothing. I'm so accustomed to fixing the already broken and discarded.  This was a whole new testimony to designing with care and vision.  So many lessons seemed to awaited discovery for me in this and what a delight to see fruit from mine own simple two hands and feeble eager mind.