by Elia Bizzarri | Nov 9, 2016 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, Finishing | 0 Comments
We've painted the red coats on our rocker in a few previous posts, so it's time for the black: Make sure you spoon the foam off the top of the paint. I do this every time I mix up paint. Some brands of paint have more foam than others. I'm trying to keep...
by Elia Bizzarri | Oct 15, 2016 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, How-To, Kiln | 0 Comments
Part two of my three part kiln series. Kilns can be heated in two different ways. The heat source can run all the time, so that the temperature of the kiln is relative to the temperature of the air in your shop. Or the heat source can be controlled by a thermostat -...
by Elia Bizzarri | Sep 18, 2016 | Antique Chairs, How-To | 0 Comments
The last time I saw Jennie Alexander was 15 years and two months ago. She was John then and I was a 17 year old kid. I spend three weeks living in Baltimore learning to build a 17th century joint stool and learning to think like a lawyer. I visited Jennie on my way to...
by Elia Bizzarri | Aug 21, 2016 | Chairmaking Tools and Supplies, Classes, How-To, Kiln | 0 Comments
A kiln dried tenon, an air-dried mortise, no glue and a sloppy fit: wait overnight and the tenon will swell so tight that you can't budge it. At least that is true where I live - I don't know what happens in the desert. Temperature How hot does your kiln need to be to...
by Elia Bizzarri | May 29, 2016 | Finishing, How-To | 0 Comments
Those following my series of posts on milk paint may remember that back in January we painted the first coat of paint on the Continuous Arm Rocker. Paint makes surface defects much more apparent, so let's look and see what we can find: A couple drops of paint on the...
by Elia Bizzarri | Mar 24, 2016 | Chair Stories, How-To | 0 Comments
Today I turned 103 baby rattles. This may seem a long day, but it's less than a day's work at two and a half minutes each. I've been turning rattles since I was 16. Tom Donahey was the straw-boss at Drew Langsner's volunteer week. At 16 I was the youngest volunteer by...
by Elia Bizzarri | Jan 31, 2016 | Finishing, How-To | 0 Comments
I've spent the last two weeks traveling. First, I spent a week up in Jonesborough, TN with my mentor Curtis Buchanan, working on a birdcage barstool and refining our techniques for reaming bent posts. Or more importantly, eating Marilyn's good food and getting a...
by Elia Bizzarri | Nov 21, 2015 | Finishing, How-To | 0 Comments
This is the second installment on finishing the Continuous Arm Rocker from my DVD: Mix 2 parts water to 1 part paint. This is a good starting place for black and red, but some colors require less water. You can always add more water later. 8 Tbs of red paint will...
by Elia Bizzarri | Aug 29, 2015 | Finishing, How-To | 0 Comments
Joshua Farnsworth recently filmed a video of me building a Continuous Arm Rocker. It should be published by Popular Woodworking in the next month or so. Today I started cleaning up the chair in preparation for painting and plenty of minor things needed fixing. I...
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