“We were somewhere around Lagunitas, on the edge of the redwoods, when the screws began to take hold…”
(with props to Dennis Mitchell who suggested that my previous rocking horse entry was headed into “Fear and Loathing” territory…)
After evaluating and deciding to postpone assorted good suggestions involving dump valves and such, I finally got around to glue-up on the rocking horse, and slapped a first layer of finish on it yesterday. After all of my struggles with this one, I’m now starting to think about building another one, but next time I’m going to make some jigs and templates to get it right, and seriously consider doing it out of some nicer wood.
I’m not sure what I can afford in 2×12, and maybe part of what needs to happen is some glue-up from smaller stock, but “kiln dried” fir took way too much sanding and still had an awful lot wrong with it as I tried to get all the finish blemishes sanded away.
Whence that dark color, which normally I’d run screaming from.
I’m also thinking about laminating curved strips for the runners, although I need to do a little more investigation in the rocking chair literature to find more on optimal shapes for the rocking horse, or investigate hanging swing rocking mechanisms, because these might not be the kindest thing to floor finishes.
And… well… there’s some blotchyness on those spreaders on the runners, a clear indication that I didn ‘t give ‘em enough sanding, so I have to fix that.
-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke
3 comments so far
oscorner
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4572 posts in 1210 days
posted 992 days ago
I’m usually a fan of letting the wood grain show, but on the horse I think the darker stain looks better. It gives it a more realistic horse look. Putting the type of felt strips (like those sold for furniture) may help alleviate the fear or possibility of damaging floor finishes with the rockers. I like it!
P.S. I don’t know about you, but if you could stain it the same color that you would want your deck stained, you could almost accomplish both at the same time. LOL.
-- Jesus is Lord!
Dan Lyke
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607 posts in 1024 days
posted 992 days ago
Good idea on the felt strips, I’ll look around for something heavy duty that’ll work there.
Yeah, the house isn’t mine, but the deck really does need a new layer of waterproofing, and I’m seriously considering just doing the next refinishing job without paper. I’d have to use exterior grade polyurethane then, but that might be worth it…
-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke
dennis mitchell
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3791 posts in 1213 days
posted 992 days ago
Get a spray rig on a windy day you could do the whole neigborhood!
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com