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27K views 63 replies 31 participants last post by  toddc 
#1 ·
Neck Deep in Woodworking...

Shop Update-

Fellow LJ member Brian Havens flew out from his home in California Tuesday night to help me build a Shaker Bench for Charity. I think he may have questioned this decision as he arrived here in Billings at 11pm and the temperature was -3°. SNAP!

Immediately upon arriving to my place we went straight into the shop. The next couple of hours were spent talking about our shops and the differences. It was only after our voices were getting hoarse and eyes blurry from fatigue did we decide to go in the house and bag it for the night.

A Great Exchange of Ideas

The first day went well. I have a stockpile of black walnut in the shop that I had brought back from working in Ohio. The wood is acclimated and needs to be used up so I think it will be great for use in this Shaker Bench for Charity.



During the whole construction process we have been discussing everything from choosing the material, material interpretation, parts layout, and woodworking technique. Brian has not built a Shaker Bench before but he is an accomplished woodworker in his own right as you can see in his projects. I would say that the exchange was definitely a two way street.



In the afternoon I got a call from Andy, a metal sculptor and friend of mine. He wanted some input on a table base design he was working on. This was a perfect opportunity for Brian to meet another artist that influences me and exercise some design thought in another medium. His shop is conveniently located down a couple of blocks from mine so we took a break from our project and went to visit.



By the end of the day Brian and I had all the panels that required gluing up assembled and cut out. Most all of the other parts are milled and ready for final sanding. The only parts we have not milled yet are the drawers but that will happen today as the bench starts coming together.



It has been a great time sharing our passion for woodworking and collaborating on a project that will benefit local people with developmental disabilities. Many of the kids are people Rita & I know personally and that she has worked with through a program that she used to run.

We need to head back out to the shop and get crackin', the auction is Friday night. If you would like to see more photos from yesterday check out the Flickr Album. It is open for public viewing.

Share the Love~Share the Knowledge
 
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#4 ·
its great to see you guys working together and also sharing your passion's..what fun and all for a wonderful cause, i hope your bench will auction for a nice amount and give the program the boost it needs…enjoy the rest of this build and get a crackin….....grizzman
 
#13 ·
The Deadline Draws Near...

Yikes!

We are cutting this one close. The Shaker Bench for Charity is being constructed out of black walnut and it is gorgeous. But the drawback is that black walnut simply takes a bit longer to process than the cherry which all previous benches have been made of. When you multiply the extended processing time by several pieces it all starts adding up.

Newspaper Coverage

The Billings Gazette stopped out and took some photos and gave the story of our woodworking marathon for charity some coverage. Getting the story covered publicly tends to raise awareness and bring more money out of the piece at auction time. This means more operating funds for the charity we support. I also make my pieces a full contribution while many artists take a percentage or flat fee for their donated piece. Here is the story in the local paper.



A Little More Help Arrives

Another local woodworker and LumberJock member, MTBrian, arrived last night and gave us a good 3 hours of scraping and finish sanding some parts. It was much needed help. (That's ended with PERIOD!)

It was just awesome having 3 LJ members working away in my shop together on a project for a charity. A big thanks goes to MTBrian for giving a little extra push to the project as we are working right down to the wire on this one.



Where It Stands

We started pre-finishing some of the parts at the end of the night and the overall structure will start coming together this morning. We need to get a jump on dovetailing the drawer sides which were also cut out at the end of the night. All these things just take time and at the end of the project are always the details that take the extra time so we are going to be busy!

All the action photos are at my Flickr Album if you want to see more.

Gotta get out to the shop and get something done!



Left: Todd Clippinger Middle: Brian Havens Right: MTBrian

Woodworking for Charity
 
#28 ·
Shaker Bench Completed In Time (Just Barely!)

Whew!

That was a close one! Brian Havens and I worked on the Shaker Bench for Charity right up to the last minute.

The social mixer and appetizers started at 6:00p.m. This was when the items went on view for both the silent and live auction.



I was spraying the final coat of lacquer on the drawers at 5:50p.m. while Brian showered and changed. Then I showered and changed while Brian and my wife Rita loaded the bench in the vehicle.



By the time I got dressed, the bench was already loaded and then Brian and I did the final buff on the drawers. Fortunately we did not have far to drive and we arrived at the fundraising event at 6:20. I think this falls in the category of "fashionably late."

Since there had been an article in the Billings Gazette that morning, there was a lot of interest and anticipation for this piece to be in the auction. When we arrived there were several comments on the bench and some greetings to Brian for visiting Montana to help me out.

We visited with several people and talked about the bench as there were a lot of people interested in hearing what it was made of and the features of the construction.

The director of COR Enterprises made a point to bring the mayor over and introduce Brian and I as "the craftsmen who made the bench." He pointed out that Brian was the one who flew out and it was obvious he was already familiar with the story and was happy to meet us.

P1000821

We were quite hungry and ready for dinner since we did not stop to eat lunch with running so tight on the deadline. Since we donated the bench and my wife made a donation from her restaurant we did not have to pay for the tickets. Joy!

When the bench came up on the live auction I got up and gave a few words on how Brian flew out from California to be greeted with -3° and long hours of work. I talked a little about our personal commitment (Rita & I) to supporting COR Enterprises and why we do it.

P1000736

Then the bidding started and it was exciting to see the numbers go higher and higher. In the end, the bench brought in $1,000 and that turned out to be the most money that any item brought in for the night. Rita also brought in $160 with the certificate from her restaurant.

I could not have completed the bench without the help of Brian Havens and the time that local LJ member MTBrian gave on Thursday evening. I truly appreciate the help that I had from these 2 guys and it was an incredible feeling to have 2 other woodworkers sharing space and work in my shop.



Before MTBrian left we all signed the bench. We all had a hand in it and it was only right that all the names be sealed under the finish. We signed it as a "Collaborative Effort By American Craftsmen."

Signatures of Craftsmen

I also am grateful to the support that Rita gave us by keeping us fed and in coffee.

I also have to give a public thanks to Brian Havens' family (both the wife and kids) for giving him up for a few days. They are a solid family and I began to feel a bit selfish for calling him away from his family to pull my butt out of the fire.

I did reward Brian with long hours of work, bad espresso (when I made it,) a lumpy couch for resting his tired body, and extremely cold weather (well, I could not help that last one.)

Before Brian left for home we gave him a whirlwind tour of the Billings area. It was foggy out the day he left so we could not see the several mountain ranges visible from Billings. But there was a beautiful thick frost on everything. We took several pictures at one of the city parks on top of the sandstone cliffs locally known as the "rims."

A frosty morning at Zimmerman Park

My biggest regret, but an unavoidable circumstance, was that we did not have more down time to just visit outside the shop. For 3 days the only part of Montana that Brian saw was the inside of my shop. But now I am already trying to figure out when I might be able to head his direction.

It certainly was a great experience. I always had faith in Brian on every task that I set him on. I have worked with enough other guys in the trades that I know how valuable it is to have someone that needs little oversight or hand-holding. Brian quickly adapted to my shop layout and all I had to do was point him in the direction we needed to go and he more than carried his own weight. It was awesome…just AWESOME to work along side of him on this project:)

Thanks Brian and thanks to everyone that followed along on Twitter and FB cheering us on as we reached the finish line. It is encouraging to know that there are people all over the country and the world pulling for you on a project like this. It is one of the things that I love about the internet, it can bring people together for a greater good.

Peace, Love, & Woodworking
 
#29 ·
Nice work guys, with the best part going toward charity everyone a winner in my book. The Shaker bench is a timeless beauty and you guys did this one proud. Sister Ann a Shaker founder coin the phrase "Hearts to God and Hands to Work" exemplify the spirit of your project thanks for sharing your work and inspiration…Wilson
 
#49 ·
Video Wrap-up of the Shaker Bench for Charity with Brian Havens

Well Guys, I finally had an opportunity to sit down and edit a video that Brian Havens and I shot before he jetted back to his home in California.

We had a great time working together on this project and it did well to support a local Billings organization that serves the developmentally disabled community.

I also want to mention that a local LumberJock MTBrian also helped out and it was a good thing he helped what he did because we barely, just BARELY made it in time to the auction as it was.

I could type up a whole longer back-story but I need to head back out to the shop so I present to you my conversation with Brian Havens.

http://blip.tv/play/AYKstQgA

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love~Share the Knowledge~Support A Local Charity
 
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