Tolsen Workshop Catalog 026

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

030

Three drawer cabinet

Jatoba, tiger maple, lacewood

Watco oil, wax

December, 2003

Notes

This cabinet is one of three similar cabinets that I made simultaneously (see catalog numbers 031 and 032) as Christmas presents. I
rarely do production runs of the stuff I make, but I got a good deal on the maple and Jatoba, and I had the lacewood lying around
from a previous project, so I figured I'd give a modified production run a shot. The cabinets and drawers are all the same basic size,
but the stands for all three cabinets are different. If you haven't noticed, most of the stuff I make is completed in the month of
December because I've been making Christmas presents for a few years. I usually start these projects a few weeks earlier than the
year before because I always end up rushed as December 25th approaches.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

029

Large mirror

Cherry

Polyurethane, wax

June, 2003

Notes

This mirror was inspired by two mirrors hanging in the Nordstrom's cafe in downtown Seattle. Yes, it is a strange place to find
inspiration, but the mirrors are pretty cool, and the food is surprisingly good.

No photo. Sorry.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

028

Small cabinet with stand

Quartersawn oak, walnut,
steel

Polyurethane, wax

May, 2003

Notes

This is the first piece featuring my new TIG welding skills. The proportions were way off. I lived with it for a couple of months, but
couldn't stand it, so I recycled the metal base and kept the wood cabinet.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

027

Coffee table

Curly and quilted maple,
cherry

Polyurethane, wax

December, 2002

Notes

The top is bookmatched, and it has a partial "live edge" on the two long sides. Unfortunately, the photographs don't do the figure in
the maple justice. These boards have a striking amount of variety in the figure, including bird's-eye, quilted, spalted, and tiger maple.
The wood for the top came from a very long board, and I have yet to find a use for the other half.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

026

Hanging display cabinet

Curly maple

Shellac, wax

December, 2002

Notes

Pictured is my Mom's shoe collection. There are glass panels on the case sides to let more light in.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

035

"Sway-back" chair

Walnut

Watco oil, wax

June, 2004

Notes

This chair was designed to fit a tall person. I made it as a present for a friend who is 6' 5", so the seat is both higher than a standard
chair seat and deeper. The chair turned out OK, but the apex of the curve in the back slats is a little too low, and the radius of the
curve a little too great. Unfortunately, these design oversights resulted in a decrease of usable seat depth (meaning less thigh support
than originally intended).

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

034

Conoid chair

Lacewood, tiger maple

Watco oil, wax

May, 2004

Notes

This chair was an attempt to reproduce George Nakashima's famous "Conoid" chair design. I goofed by making the back too short.
The chair is not comfortable for tall people, but the joinery was fun to reproduce. The seat is hand-carved and left rough.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

033

Queen-sized bed

Mahogany

Watco oil, wax, gun-blueing

April, 2004

Notes

The metal pieces were hand-hammered and welded together. The inspiration for this bed came from the three pieces of wood in the
center of the headboard and footboard. These pieces are bookmatched ribbon mahogany, with a distinctive knot at the edge of the
boards. It is rare to find two pieces of lumber that are obviously from the same tree, even at most specialty lumber shops, and it is
even more rare to find three pieces of highly figured mahogany that have been stuck in the "standard" figure pile (at standard figure
prices). In short, I scored. After having the boards a few months and wondering what to do with them, I decided to emphasize the
knots and center the design around them. The metal pieces were inspired by the metal strapping used in some old timber frame
homes. I hand-hammered and welded them out of cold rolled steel.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

032

Three drawer cabinet

Jatoba, tiger maple, lacewood,
bloodwood

Polyurethane, shellac,
wax

December, 2003

Notes

A design theme I keep reusing is giving table tops--or, in this case, a small cabinet--the appearance of floating obove the legs or
stand that supports it. The first time I tried to create this effect was with a kitchen table (catalog 008). This cabinet is suspended
approximately 1 3/4" above the cross rails (and approximately 3/4" above the legs) on four 3/8" cherry dowels. When you stand
close to the cabinet, you can't tell how the cabinet is connected to the legs, and for some reason that makes me happy.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

031

Three drawer cabinet

Jatoba, quilted maple,
lacewood

Polyurethane, shellac,
wax

December, 2003

Notes

The drawers are lined with black velour. So luxurious.
The sides of the cabinet are made from a single board. I cut the boards so that the grain was continuous from one side to the next.
When viewed from the front, the bottom right-hand side of the cabinet (pictured) was the bottom of the board, and the right-hand
side of the bottom of the cabinet was the top of the original board. If the cabinet could be "unfolded" and laid flat, then you'd be able
to see the board as it looked prior to being cut. The 032 and 030 catalog entries were built the same way. Why is this important?
It's not. But I get a kick out of the reactions of the people I make things for when they discover this kind of stuff.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

039 A and B

Bedside tables

Mahogany, figured maple

Shellac, watco oil, wax,
gun-blueing, laquer

November, 2004

Notes

These tables represent my third effort at making metal furniture. From an engineering and proportion perspective, they turned out
better than catalog item 028, of which there will never be a photo to compare, so just take my word for it.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

038

Copper-back chair

Walnut

Watco oil, wax

August, 2004

Notes

The fabric is dark purple with a diamond-shape pattern. The copper back pieces are 1/4" by 1" and were bent.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

037

"Hoop-back" chair

Walnut

Watco oil, wax

August, 2004

Notes

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

036

Trundle bed

Walnut

Watco oil, wax

June, 2004

Notes

I can take only partial credit for this. Natalie helped with the design and construction. The lower bed is not shown in the photograph.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

042a

Trestle table

Quilted maple, mahogany

Watco oil, polyurethane,
wax

February, 2005

Notes

This table is based on a design that was made by Charles Durfee and featured in Fine Woodworking magazine (April, 2000). I made two
nearly identical tables at the same time (photos of 042b will be added to the site eventually). I modified the original design slightly by making
the breadboard ends proud about 1/4" to account for movement of the table top. Doing this is something I picked up from the furniture
designs of Greene and Greene. I also modified the original by including leveling feet. I've never lived in a house with a dead-flat floor and
find leveling feet useful on any large pieces.

Catalog Number

Description

Metal

Finish

Completion Date

041

"Nut" chair

Mild Steel

Laquer

December, 2004

Notes

This chair is mostly made of 3/4", coarse thread nuts. The nuts used in the legs are welded together in a spiral pattern. When I first
imagined this chair, I thought the spiral pattern might resemble a DNA strand. Now that the chair is built, the legs look like camshafts
from car engines. The seat is hexagonal (matching the shape of the nuts), and the hexagonal pattern is roughly repeated in the back
support. I intended to make the back in the shape of a hexagon, as well, but I wanted the back to be tallish rather than roundish;
however, when two opposing sides of a hexagon are extended and tapered, you get the traditional shape of a coffin, and that wasn't
the look I was going for. The upholstery is furry and very bright red. I've never used faux fur before, and it is messy and a little
difficult to work with. The dramatic lighting in the photos is courtesy of some halogen spotlights above my workbench.

Catalog Number

Description

Wood

Finish

Completion Date

040

Small bench

Walnut, quilted maple

Watco oil, wax

December, 2004

Notes

This bench didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Partly, this was the result of working with some wood with serious defects. I got the
piece of maple at a significant discount because it was improperly dried and had severe twist (and cupping, and just about every
other problem that can happen to wood when dried incorrectly). To get a flat piece, I have to rip the board down the center and
then joint and plane the two boards until flat. I started out with one piece that was 1 1/2" thick and ended up with two pieces that
are 3/4" thick. Rather than glue the two pieces back together, I left a gap between then and "attached" them with walnut dovetail
keys (the keys do not serve an important structural purpose in this bench). The seat is suspended on two rails so that it appears to
be floating. Those two rails are connected to the sides of the bench with through mortise and tenon joints.

Catalog Number

Description

Materials

Finish

Completion Date

045

Side chairs

Walnut, maple

Polyurethane, wax

May, 2006

Notes

These chairs emphasize function over form. The backs have a slight curve and are angled at about 7 degrees.

Catalog Number

Description

Materials

Finish

Completion Date

044

Side table with woven
copper top

Steel, copper, tiger
maple, plywood

Lacquer, polyurethane
oil, wax

June, 2005

Notes

I got the idea for weaving together copper strips from an episode of the Modern Masters show on HGTV that featured David Paul
Bacharach. I sent him an email with a technical question and he was very helpful in his reply. It helped me quite a bit. That said, I consider
my first effort at weaving very much a prototype: the sides are bent in awkward locations and the corners should have been welded together.
I used a grinder on the copper to get rid of the burr caused by cutting the copper into strips. The bottom shelf is made from scrap from the
043b table project. The dark splotch is a knot (and that's a ceramic frog in the silver dish).

Catalog Number

Description

Metal

Finish

Completion Date

043

"Bolt" chair

Steel

Lacquer

June, 2005

Notes

I made this chair to accompany the chair I made out of nuts (041). Unfortunately, I did not angle the seat back as far as I should have, so it
is not as comfortable to sit in as I'd hoped. However, it took a lot less time to fabricate this chair than the nut chair because I was able to
make a jig for welding the bolts together in a reasonably straight line. The upholstery is the same faux fur used in the nut chair.