New lumber inventory!

I have been stockpiling walnut trees for a while now, most of them I cut down with or without the assistance of Shafer Tree Care. All the trees have been cut into 2" thick natural edge slabs, air dried for a year, and kiln dried to furniture grade moisture content. I find this is the best way to start with a furniture piece, instead of the restrictions of using dimensioned lumber from the mill. Another reason I cut the wood like this is because it gives a client a unique experience when they are able to look at unique boards until they find a shape or grain pattern that matches what they invisioned. see more here www.appjoinery.com

Shaping seats.

I am often asked how the seats on my stools and chairs are carved/shaped. During the production of the new Stasis II I decided to take a few pictures which illustrate the process step by step. Below are the pictures with descriptions. Keep your eyes out for the Stasis II on our facebook page "Chester Shuey Handcrafted" as I think you will like the new lines and contemporary appalachian look.

First I choose the best grain from a 15"-20" wide board, this board is walnut and came from a tree on Carpenter Mountain in Virginia. The Stasis II seat is made from one board, the original Stasis seat is mae from 3-7" wide boards glued up.

The next step is to use a pattern and mark the seat shape profile. To achieve an even depth I use a router on the deepest part of the seat, then the halfway points between the seats peaks and valley also get routed out to make shaping not so much guess work.

For the fun grinding/shaping/carving step I like to use an attatchment for an angle grinder called the "Holly Gallahad". The attatchment shapes hardwoods with ease and control and is a lot safer than the chainsaw wheel commonly used. I use this attatchment to the point that my router lines are barely showing.

The last is to switch attatchments on the grinder to a sanding disc, I like 36 grit. Use this to refine the seat and make any adjustments you feel neccesary. Most importantly, sit in the seat and make sure it is comfortable! If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at appjoinery@gmail.com