When does summer start?

This summer is filled with lots-o-work and very minimal play.  Its ok, sometimes you just gotta nuckle down.  Anyways I have been mentaly preping for next semesters projects.  I am thinking of doing a chest or some drawers or maybe a chest of drawers with some tricky mechanical deceptions or building a small piece with nice craftsmanship and fancy woody things and then building a vacuum chamber and placing under vacuum.  At least one negative atmosphere.  I contacted NASA via internet and they said its cool. 

Oh... this old thing? I have had it for years!

Like a toaster that takes too long or a turtle in a hurry, I finished the semester strong.   Lecture classes were cake, delicious green cake with purple icing and an egg on top, studio classes were buttery.  Some final thoughts of the semester, in academic terms, would be that to all the great friends and students who are graduating I wish the best of luck to you, especially to the KatyLack and Adam Manley and I guess Jonzer and Andy, and to the future wood students, I cant wait to get into the studio and make some stuff!  

Anyways here's some photos of the table after it was finished.  Ill get some better ones up after the weekend.   

Itty bitty crank and handle

The inside track was naturally
 painted bright orange

Under belly with rainbow chain

It was 7' long so it wouldn't fit in one photo

Its called Typically Unnecessary

Because I dont post for a few days then decided to just spring to life with a fish bucket full of pictures. <pause>  

and commence.. 

Inside wave track

One of Three sprockets with chain gaurds

Crank arm, made from old bicycle crank

Everything's better when SeaFoam green is in fashion

Chicken-head chain tensioner.
If you could tell me how it works
I would appreciate it.

Ash boards, pre-slat era

Ash boards, late slat era.
After 1 3/4 hrs of Table Routing

Theres no hiding in there!  It works.  

This ones for you Pat Boone

Tables legs aprons
Stress with sharp points
It better work

I have been researching about healthy living and my studies have uncovered that people believe that small Haikus (poems consisting of 5,7,5 sylable structure) and green tea helps promote healthy bowels.  I dont have any problems in that area but I sure dont want any!  Thats all besides the fact of the matter, the matter being what kind of cake batter am I going to chose from my line up?  Funfeti is always fun and feta-y but I think the talking Gorilla would preffer something a bit more natural so I am choosing to go with Hydrogen infused chocolate for a explosive taste that is number one on the element chart!  Making cents is over rated, I make checks!  

In the studio today I made some magic happen.  The table frame is complete, sanded and dry fitted.  I made the template for the inside track and tried to finish the crank and handle but gave up due to frustration and have decided to go a different route with it.   

 



Also, I recieved some images of my table from last semseter.  Thanks Betsy.  I wanted it to try to reveal the shape without being whole.  The finishing was done poorly as well as the jointery holding the pieces together.  I am going to take it appart and make it better one day.  Maybe next semester?

Apron Bolts

Bolts and Circle Nuts

Circle Nut inside apron

Bolt between split tenon

Screw head is flush to leg

That what happens when two atoms collide.

Its been two weeks.  Two very short weeks.  I have been making small bits of progress on the table ya know little things like, axles w/ wooden chain holders, small cranks, nylon bushings, custom bolt and nut devices to make the table able to break into smaller pieces and designing a chain tensioner.  The design is becoming more and more complex as the table 'rolls' into further stages.  But, in order to keep myself from getting too frustrated with that work I have been managing to ride my bike and make other small things for the beasts (chain tensionser and nylon BB spacers). 

Bicycle Chain Tensioner

Besides that everything has been going swimmingly.  Thesis and advancement shows have been going on every night it seems.  Kyleens was very billowy and fun.  Her thoughts about the meanings associated with objects that we see when were young and then when were adults was interesting.  There was also Adam Manleys show.  It was very nice, I don't really understand what was happening but I like it a lot.  The rocking house is my sanctuary.  I am a little bummed I had to leave the after party early but its ok.

This next week is going to have some leaps and bounds in work.  (I hope)

Spectrums of Sparatic Energy

Pre-Note: The energy levels within my body are fluctuating at an alarming rate.  Almost as if my body is making its own amphetamines.

I have plenty of time to be stressed lately.  Most of it due to the worlds most inconvenient job.  A little is also attributed to the massive traffic ticket I must pay, although I hear Mr. Hebert is also in this boat.  I am trying to relieve some stress through kicking and punching the air, handstands, creative writing, unnecessary loud noises, sleepishing, and of course makin' stuff.  I dont have picture yet but I have almost completed the two stationary axels on the table.  I just need to get some plywood.  Anyways here is a tapestry.  My professor announced to the class that it looks very phallic.  I don't see it.  Its a bunny.       duh.

 

I also acquired a new bicycle.  If you have ever met me this happens like once a month, but I think this one will stay for a little while longer than the others.  Its grey.  I think I'll name it .....Egor.

Steep Loins

Finally!!  I get back to the studio.  YES YES YES!  I came in with a mission to pillow or billow my table legs and BAM did it!  It was pretty simple and I really enjoyed the tiny vibrations and loud tearing sounds the hand plane makes when you preform a clean stroke.  I also am grateful for the help/ advice Reuben Foat gives me on a daily basis.  Here's a picture. 



I also decided that I don't really care so much about creating myself a financially secure path, just as long as I do happy productive things I'll be fine. But I do want to do this one day. 

Barefoot Mopedtessa. 

No need for Erection.

Oh boy!  This spring break has been completely filled with no productive activities at all.  Work, work, workity, work. 
I did, however, replace the kick down cable in the Fiat with a 5$ bicycle cable and finally got it to shift out of first gear.  I also spent some quality time with my only love Bruce and went to see Sonny and The Sunsets as well as, whom Molly guesses to be, the Sandwiches but is not exactly sure.  The show was terrific and most definitely a high light of the break.
 I am extremely excited to get back into the studio and start pounding out parts for the wave table.  I think this waiting around to do work has started to make me reconsider the actuality of my dreams coming true.  Lately I have been thinking about life after school, as well as noticing how many opportunities I have been passing up to help aid my wood working career.  The lack of theme continuity in my studio work also worries me that the paths I choose after school will be short and sporadic.  Its common in my life to never fully commit my self to one thing.  Short lived and easy exit strategies are my thing, for I have a fear of commitment.  The idea of repetition and extreme indulgence in a specific subject or activity gives me feelings of being caged.  But, maybe my ways of sporadic interests is just a way of allowing myself to accumulate a maximum amount of knowledge.  Understanding intricate systems for specific machines or knowing how to tell the difference between ponderosas from Jeffery's just by their scent seems useful to me.  It doesn't hurt to learn, but I think I might hinder my financial well being if I don't knuckle down; just at least for a little while. 
Here's some boxes and work place humor!.

Make a Right turn on to Serious St. in 3.5 Kilometers

This weekend I was kidnapped and taken to the San JuanClementeMonicaNewPort area to meet some new people.  Needless to say I had an absolute amazing time!  Swallows Day brought back almost forgotten feelings of going to parades with my parents as a young child.  As I said before though, I met some very interesting new people.  Among these was my friends sisters man-friend, a  very well educated and well versed human being in all that is science and philosophy.  Its a shame that I ended up in his presence in a half inebriated half sick state.  Regardless of that, I still sat down and chatted with him, and my friends sister, about simple things like the possibilities for power transfer via microwaves from satellites following the sun being a practical solution to our growing energy problems.  A topic I was not very well educated in, but had heard learned enough about similar things to understand what he was talking about.  He also asked me about my work, but not why I choose to study wood working, he asked very specifically "Do you find yourself more attracted to the engineering aspect of furniture or the design aspect?".  I was stumped.  Never had I even questioned what attracted me the most; I guess deep down I knew there was something specific so I went with my first instinct.  I said that engineering has always been more like a hobby to me, I can never be straight faced enough to sit down and feel passionate about it, where as with art and specifically wood working I feel a drive to become finely educated as well as extend my boundaries with explorations in experimental designs.  I also talked about how viewing others work is more enjoyable when their personality is transparent in their design.  Mind you I was inebriated and didn't actually think deeply about this conversation until the ride home in the morning but, it surprised me that I actually think of things beyond the physical object.  I am making a mental note of this and referencing it frequently.  Anyways here's a photo from the beach house where we stayed on Friday night.

Tapered Eggs

Oh, you said "Can I have a dozen eggs?" not "Where are the tapered legs?"  Well I guess I can just use these on the table.



In other news, fatigue and delusion's of reality have began to set in.  I have become tired of being so unsure of the realness factor of things.  Maybe I just haven't acclimated to being a Night Bonzer yet, but I definitely can see this being problematic in the future.  I would like to apologize to Kathryn Harris for sleeping in her class.  Also I have in my possession a small bicycle with large tires.  It seems very promising for injuries.  

Big Table or Small Bed and New Love

I have started on my last project of the semester, a table.  I decided to make mine of mass proportions, despite all the creditable advice I received from RF.  Its basically a dining table that harnesses the power or a kinetic wave.  Its funny that I choose to make such an item because two other grads are/have also make similar wave like sculptures.  I am not saying that I am recreating anyone's objects or ideas, I am just saying they are similar and its interesting to note how others personalities can infiltrate your subconscious.  Like a group of females forced to be together for long periods of time our cycles eventually overlap and BANG similar ideas are produced. 

Some of the basic influences for this table are math and liquid.  Not that I am particular about integrating math into the work I just get influenced by the idea that you can think about something for so long that it eventually breaks down into numbers and can be recreated over and over again.  The table is going create a simple inculcated wave.  I want it to seem fluid have flawless control of its direction.  The frame is made of poplar and there is an inside frame/track made of plywood.  The cranking system is still a little uncertain but I want to incorporate some of these bicycle gears I have accumulated.  I am fairly certain about the inner-workings of the wave I just haven't decided on a crank.  Hand crank vs. floor peddles.  Here's a picture of the frame so far. 

In other non-art news.  I just got the FIAT (Berri) shifting through all the gears!!  I just needed to replace the kick down cable.  It's listed as a 90$ replacement part but I figured out a way to fix it using a 5$ gear cable for a bicycle.  It makes me feel so smart when I can actually fix stuff.

Mmm.. A beginning

Lately everyone has been making these "blogs".  Like a cow in a heard I must follow. (I should be more like a honey badger)   Here are some of the previous projects I have made up until now.