Your 'Going Green' Interests..............

Not that he ever runs out of ideas, but Kevin suggested I find out what ‘Going Green’ followers and enthusiasts have interests in.  Is there a specific project or handmade item you have imagined but not located?

Kevin is always up for a challenge.  He loves playing with new ideas and then giving them 3 dimensional life.

As you can see, he’s got a good supply of wood to play with…..

Send us your thoughts and ideas........

Email us or visit us on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Going-Green/154093554604155

 ~Cheryl

p.s. His latest brainstorm is an eagle made from retired saw blades!

Man Chair Moved In !

The Man Chair has moved in and is seldom vacant.  Who ever gets there first calls it the ‘Me” chair. So comfortable!

Okay, forget that the black cushion doesn’t show up well against the background of the blue sun wall hanging, and forget that the lathe turned table with the basket on top and the lovely rustic Heart Pine side table to the left don’t match in any world.  What they do have in common though is the fact that Kevin built them all. Along with the 5’x3’ tablecloth covered coffee table in front.

Hey, it’s our living room, dining room and TV room.  Once the house is completed, I expect none of these four pieces of furniture will be wind up the same room.

In the history of Kevin and I and our furniture, with the exception of the bed and soon to be replaced couch, Kevin has built it all.  This includes my kitchen cabinets, bedroom armoire, breakfast bar and countertop, the 8-foot console our TV and Arthur’s Lego workspace rest on AND the desk I am currently working on. 

Granted much of it will be upgraded and or refinished for the new house, but I can always say my décor is one of a kind.  Along with that, all the wood etc that goes into the furniture has been salvaged either from old paid projects, or felled Trees from our land.

Of course, this in no way accounts for all the pieces he’s build for customers. Including the elegant 15-piece chair and dining room set (complete with upholstered back and seat cushions) for an upscale mansion in Eatonton, Georgia.  I have my designs set upon something similar for my new house, more rustic of course.  Or the country kitchen table for one of the weekend houses here on the lake.  If I can locate those pictures, I’ll be sharing those as well.

And!!!! I am very excited; I’ve learned that the boards have been cut for my matching love seat sofa!

~Cheryl

Wood Strip Canoe

Hi All,

The Man Chair is comlete and moved in, however the pictures I took did not come through with enough lighing, so we have a treat today........Canoes!!

When I met Kevin back in 1993 he was building Cedar Strip canoes in Columbia Falls, Montana. 

Back then Colombia Falls is a small logging town of 3000. They also had several yards that catered to woodworkers.  From the speciality wood fall off Kevin planed own many a board into strips his canoes much like the one you see above. 'NO' nails are used on the hull, each board is bead and cove cut cut for a perfect fit. Epoxy and Fibreglass add to the strong build.

Since we moved to Georgia in 1995, he's built and sold over a dozen of these white water rapid sturdy canoes. 

And I must admit, I was so impressed at his creation, I decided to stick around for the next 17 or so years to see what came next. And I'm still fascinated...

~Cheryl

Kevin’s Kiln R2D2

Part One – “The Frame”

I received a catalogue from “Delphi Glass’ two days ago. I vaguely remember ordering it, but we’ve always had an interest in glass works. I work with glass beads in my jewellery projects and would love to create my own. Kevin and Arthur both have played with ‘slump’ glass using beer bottles in the forge in the past.

Thursday when I returned home from picking Arthur up from school Kevin called me over to the shop. Lo and behold, there in the yard stood “The Kiln”, just a baby awaiting its castable refractory insulation and a strip of steel to complete the seal.

The base is a steal barrel, the swinging lid hinge is a trailer stand, the bottom rung is a spent saw blade from the “Green Mill” and the burner is simply a piece of 2 1/2 inch pipe.

Via the burner, the Kiln can reach 2000 degrees depending upon the fuel and air pressure. Propane will be the fuel.

After thumbing again through the Delphi Catalog, I am inspired and await the maiden burn test of the Kiln.

I am also awaiting the completion of the “Man Chair’ from the last post. Today, when I visited the shop, I found that it has been revamped, with a taller back.

Side Note: Both Kevin and Arthur are huge StarWars fans (me too kind of), hence my visual connection to R2D2 ;)

~ Cheryl

The Man Chair

The Man Chair - A Work In Progress

Sawmill fall off wood(bottom right insert) +plus+ well worn living room furniture =equals= New Man Chair!

And I do expect that there is a matching Love Seat next in line!

Kevin does upholstery work, hence the source for coils where the matching black seat cushion will rest. The black canvas came from a boat seat refinish project of summers past.

The stain wash is a secret mix of colors only of Kevin knows. The tones are layered then wiped clean to achieve this look.

At first sight I fell I love with the chair. The wood and black is extremely striking. Sleek, and I would have to say elegant.

We usually go for a more rustic look, but Kevin calls this the cowboy appeal. After a hard day riding the range, you want something to lean into and let go.

Growing up in the Mountains of Colorado on a ranch, he’s had many a day of tired muscles. Come to think of it, even though we have no animals, Kevin always puts in a full day. Dawn to Dusk. Some would say, myself at times, that he is a workaholic, but the way I see it, and I can relate to this as well, creativity must be expressed ~ continuously.

So here’s to creativity in motion on a daily basis!

Have a great Labor Day weekend! And you can bet where I’ll find Kevin: ~ AT THE SHOP!

~ Cheryl