This was a tree

In Progress: Benjie has a Lathe (and a chainsaw...and fire)

2010-11-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Back when Benjie was a potter, platters were his favorite things to make. He has always admired Rick Hensley's work and suspects that is why he has had his eye on a lathe for years now.

These are all in progess right now in the studio, but by Friday's open house they will all be ready to check out.

These current experiments have been with the lathe, a chainsaw, a wire brush and a torch.
This has a rosewood stain and since this photo has endured some torching.

Next Post: Delightful kitcheny things that Becky uses every single day (and a couple she uses just weekly).

Am I obsessed with Dogtown?

2010-10-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

I (Becky), too, have reviewed my recent posts and realize that an argument could be made for this. For some reason, my phone just wants to take pictures of this project. It can't be controlled. I think it's hungry.

Next time you are hungry and you see this sign, I recommend you immediately duck into coolest little pizza place I know, have a beer, listen to some music and have some crazy all local organic seasonal pie.

And by pie, I mean pizza. This is the way the hip people who toss dough in the air speak. I've heard it for myself.

Recognize this pose? Benjie is measuring the oven at Dogtown...why you ask? Well, to make this swell door that will help Jon and Scott and crew bake bread. Fantastic, no?

Kendrick Anderson, musican/woodworker that finds himself working the wood on occasion at This Was a Tree, made this in a joint effort with Benjie.

One would think that based on shear number of these pizza peels (there are 3 rows of these things hanging in the studio), one of the pretty little numbers would have made it to my kitchen.

Not so.

We did have a recent and all together traumatic pizza charring recently in the Osborne household. It is possible this was an indication that we are unworthy of a pizza peel. In our defense, all of the numbers have been cleaned off of the oven's temperature knob. So it's really a crap shoot of whether we char a dish or it takes a couple of extra hours.

Shelby Davis and a Good Ol' Fashioned Brander

50 or so of these pizza peels are not done yet. Shelby Davis (our sculptor friend out in Portland, OR) is fashioning a branding iron with the Dogtown logo to mark each of these.

Final Step:
Branding at Dogtown

Dogtown will heat up the brand in the brick oven and brand the pizza peels.

Oh, how I hope it is done to order just like the pizzas.

~ Shipping happens tomorrow morning. So we bid you adieu, Dogtown. Let us meet again in Floyd.

Dogtown - again

2010-09-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is Becky...and I FINALLY actually stepped inside Dogtown.

It is beautiful and reading the menu made me salivate.

Sadly, we had to hightail is back to Atlanta before they officially opened....
but I have day dreamed about the harvest pie since we hit the road.

Here is what I saw while I was there.

Benjie made this beer tap as a gift. It matches the countertops that he made.

I believe Benjie will occassionally be making these chainsaw edged cutting boards for sale as well.

Dogtown is going to bake bread! Benjie is measuring the oven to build a door.

The Osbornes Redo the Kitchen

2010-06-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Just to get a better feel of the before….

Benjie added a breakfast bar on the far side and cabinets and concrete counter tops to what once was a bizarre gaping hole. Also, you can't see it here, but down to the left, the cabinets all have sets of deep drawers.

This is our new sink, complete with an inlaid brass drainer for drying dishes. Isn't he clever?

For the sake of the Osborne funds, we just spruced up the old cabinets with new cherry doors (of course, made by aforementioned clever husband) and paint.
Benjie made his signature solid walnut handles.
We have three sets of these deep drawers, which are sooooo much more useful than regular cabinets.
The new counter has the this great semi-subtle curve. Also, and this was a big debate in the house, it has a double layer counter. Let me say (this is Becky), Benjie was right. The two layers are great. One side (normal height) is definitely all kitchen business and chopping and production. The other side(bar height) is guests and hors'dourves (or on normal nights, mail and everyday clutter). The combo is striking and open and welcoming and useful. Benjie = right (in this one case and I retain the right to be right again at a later date).

Dogtown Pizza

2010-05-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

I have been out for a bit starting a little business called Red Rooster Coffee Rooster. I'll have to do a post or two about the wood work there at some point. But now, I am back and there is another new business in Floyd that needs a shout out and has a Benjie bar.

Dogtown Pizza is taking over the ol' Cafe Del Sol space in the Winter Sun building. The new place will have music and local beer from Shooting Creek Brewery and, of course, wood fire pizzas.

I was lucky enough to make their bar (and some more things on the way). Watch it happen below.

It looks happenstance...but I spent a lot of time making sure the sapwood was well placed...and the clamps too.

About to rough up the edges and make the curve on the front of the bar

Oiled up

In place with the chainsawed, burned edge on display

In place

Step Stool

2010-01-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Too busy for words right now....but how about this little stool that I made?

Repetition

2009-12-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

So in September, the collaboration piece with Ellen Kochansky, mentioned in earlier posts, took up the majority of my time. Yet, for some reason, I neglected to post anything on it. On Monday and Tuesday, we drove out to Columbia, SC and installed it. I'll post those pics in a couple of days...but in the mean time here is how it came to be (or at least the structure stuff that I did).

The piece has 20 panels (the construction of which is shown in an earlier post) which need some way to stand erect. So, here you see 20 concrete bases in the works.

20 forms

20 metal armatures

20 concrete bases (with those armatures inside)

Benjie Goes Etsy

2009-11-29T17:11:00.001-08:00

If you haven't heard of it, Etsy is "the place to buy and sell all things handmade". It is an addictive online marketplace of handmade stuff from all over the world. Now, I am not just a buyer, I am a seller. The cutting boards are up there. Check them out on my Etsy page or by stopping by Fitch & Company in Atlanta.

Benjie Goes Etsy - Cherry Cutting Boards

2009-11-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

Charity Auction for the High

2009-11-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

the High Museum of Art that is...

High Arts Day Monday, November 16

The event itself is a day of shopping, home tours, and lunch for the Art Partners that all benefits the High Museum of Art. At the lunch a silent auction will be held featuring sculptures by 33 different artists (including myself). The sculptures will serve as the centerpieces on each table. Check out my turned wooden platter (the erroneously titled piece that I call Turned & Burned) on page 14 of their pamphlet.

Also, while your checking it out, notice my fellow Artisan Resource Center comrades, Nick Cook and Stan King.

This is the piece that is up for auction. Wish it luck.

benches

2009-10-29T15:06:00.001-07:00

I have been making a bunch of benches lately. There are several varieties. This one is quarter sawn white oak with a concrete top. I also have a mahogany and concrete version, a toasted ash (toasted means it has been lovingly torched to black), and a walnut version.

Cutting Boards

2009-10-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Benjie also brought some cutting boards to the opening. I am hoping to have them available on Etsy.com soon enough. This one is made of hard maple.

Cherry cutting board -

Below is another slightly smaller cherry cutting board (on the concrete counter tops that Benjie made for us). One day (many many moons from now) we will finish our kitchen and I will devote many posts, many words, many pictures, many toasts over big tasty meals to the event.

Handy Little Boxes

2009-10-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

The opening of (the wine and beer at) Fitch + Company brought all sorts of people to the gallery. The gallery is great and we are all rooting for it. Alas, while I (Becky) brought my camera, I completely neglected to take photos. So please let your imagination run wild with fantastic furniture mingled with eclectic well dressed folk and lots of happy yattering. Benjie, in addition to having a table (that fancy one that is published in 500 Tables by Lark Books) and a bench in the gallery, brought along some small items to help round out the show with some impulse items. These sat on the back porch for a bit when I did have a mind to take a snap shot or two.....

These are made out of cherry (the darker ones) and cypress (the blonde ones).

This guy seemed to like them.

Some have extra character. We call them peak-holes.

flyer for gallery opening

2009-10-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

'nuf said.

New Woodworking Furniture Gallery in Inman Park

2009-09-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Just look at this place, could it be quainter? Don't you just want to go inside and look around? What is it?

It is Fitch + Company, a new woodworking furniture gallery in Inman Park (a section of Atlanta that reeks of personality and is well shrouded in ivy).

We have just heard that the gallery opening will be October 3rd. We will put up more details of the event when we know them.

And this fellow that Benjie is talking to is Ryan Fitch himself. I (this is Becky as usual) have only met Ryan once, but here is what I know about the fellow:

he is a woodworker (too obvious? did i need to say that?)
he has been scavenging the metro Atlanta area snagging furtniture for the gallery and making friends
he has one snazzy gallery that he should be proud of
he rides a snazzy motorcycle

snazzy.

Benjie has a buddy

2009-09-23T17:49:00.001-07:00

This is Kendrick and his very first hand cut dovetails. Kendrick started coming by the studio a year or more ago. We think this photo is from about a year ago when Benjie set him to the task of making the dovetails. Then Kendrick took off to the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine to learn from some of the top woodworkers in the country.

Now he is back....and this is him last week in the studio again. It is hard to tell that this is a different day as I think he is wearing the same shirt. But, I swear, months passed.

Anywho, Kendrick will be in the studio on Wednesdays. I (Becky) like this. While I haven't actually met Kendrick, Kendrick stories are nice. He seems like a good guy. I give him a thumbs up.

The Finished Table Tray

2009-09-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

This was finished almost 2 weeks ago now. I haven't quite gotten my blog rhythm.

Collaboration Project with Ellen Kochansky

2009-09-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

How could this collaboration not yet have been blogged? It is, in fact, blog-a-rific. It is for a large company here in the Southeast. They have built a new building and had the great idea to have a piece made about their employees, for their employees to place in the new entrance way.

They chose the fabulous Ellen Kochansky to take on this project. I'd like to go on about all the fun meaningful beautiful community projects that Ellen has done. But that will have to be an entry unto itself at another point.

Ellen has graciously come to me to partner up on this one. This will be a set of panels that you see being made below. They will be supported by concrete bases. The panels will hold the arrangements that Ellen composes made from the contributions of the company's employees.

This is the last one

2009-09-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Becky here again. My blogging this evening is delinquent. My pictures are not inserting where I want...so I have done this over and over and blah - they are very mediocre posts. Anywho, this is my last picture….not because the table/tray is not farther along….but because Benjie was so busy making it he forgot to take a snap shot. What’s he doing? Building stuff or something?

Planning to conserve

2009-09-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Matching up the lines

Humble Beginnings

2009-09-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is Becky again. This time my woodworker husband has an actual woodworking project. It is usually the norm...but in the last month or so...the woodworker has been metalworking. So here are the beginnings of the project started earlier this month. It is a coffee table/tray for a potter named Jill. Anyone who has been in our home knows that we have a special place in our hearts for potters. Everyday things should be art. Art should be used and loved everyday. Woodworkers and potters have a lot in common.

Copper Sink Continued....

2009-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Patinaed this with water and vinegar.

Shiny and with its removable divider....

Copper Sink

2009-08-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Does it seem off that the very first blog in This Was A Tree was never a tree at all?

Regardless, this is a piece of copper that Benjie will turn into a sink via sheer force of will. Watch.

Kapow.

And that is the first ever blog for This Was A Tree.

One of us will be back soon ~ Becky