a claro walnut slab desk (with a secret compartment)

well, here they come ... first project in a group of six claro walnut slab pieces that will be finished in the next two weeks ... we have this desk, a 12' table, a 10' table, a coffee table and a small bench, all with steel bases of one form or another ... this desk is about 42 x 66 and is sporting a new dan/sam welded steel base with our natural finish ... the slab wasn't big enough to be a dining table, though now it could seat 6, even with the bases close to the ends .. the metal at the floor is actually kind of cool when you are sitting at the end. click the photos to enlarge them ...

the base is a pair of 1.5 x 3" rectangular tube trapezoids with vertical aprons. it was sam's brainstorm to weld the long aprons vertically rather than on the 10 degree angle, which allowed us to more easily construct the drawer box.
without the desk attached

top view .. this desk is one of the walnut slabs from back in february. we can't wait for customers to come along forever ... actually, this piece is for a show we're in that is opening in housatonic, massachusetts on the 24th. more on that later.

one 24" drawer centered on the 45" apron.

and, one of our favorite things, the secret compartment ... push down on one end of the pencil tray and lift it out ...

to expose the folding brass 'tool' sam made to hook onto the small drawer at the back of the case.

the tool unfolded ...

hooking onto the compartment ...

ta dahhhh ... 6.5 x 23 by 2" deep ... room for lots of stuff ...
here are some of the other projects. some of which will get their own blog post as they are finished. this is a small bench we used to get the color and finish right on the 12' 'expresso' finish slab above it.this is a 10' with a 'rainbow' finish base that will be in stowe on the 31st.
and this is another one for the upcoming show ... a coffee table 45 x 55 x 18 ..
and this 10' table is waiting for the apartment in nyc to be finished ... it's got a blackened steel base and incredible curl ... best slab ever .... all for now

the art et industries show

ok, showtime again ... i sort of gave up doing stuff like this about 10 years ago, but after i reluctantly did one at our local art center, i was reinvigorated.   that was back in february, and we sold a dining table, 6 chairs, a mirror, 2 lounge chairs, two woodburnings, and later on, the chestnut console table .... needless to say, that got my attention. click the photos below to enlarge them ...

so, when jordan schlanger, a well know jeweler contacted me about doing a show at his renovated mill building in housatonic, mass., i thought, why not. we had three pieces left from the february show and i had those small claro walnut slabs i was itching to do something with, so i agreed to participate. first up was the desk above, with a steel faced drawer and secret compartment.

and then, i couldn't resist doing a coffee table like the one we did last month. simple, straightforward, dramatic, good piece for a show.

jordan gave us a good spot, right as you come in the door, and almost the whole gallery was reflected in the bullseye mirror, which was cool.

we have 9 pieces there total: the desk, the little bench/table, the bullseye reclaimed chestnut mirror on stand, two benches, the claro coffee table, the small chestnut table, the 'dancer' sculpture, and a reclaimed oak console.

the opening was last night and it was extremely well attended with a nice 'berkshires' crowd. tanglewood, stockbridge, and the norman rockwell museum are all right nearby and the area is known for it's new york city and boston weekend residents.

sam's sculpture, welcoming people as they entered the show ..

what a space !! i'm guessing it's about 60 x 100 with 12' ceilings .. there is something here for everyone ...

the brace work you can see in this photo above the cool maple sculpture allowed the floor above to be completely clear of structural supports so they could line up the looms close together ...

big pine table ... probably almost 6 ' wide by 14' long

loved the sculpture

another shot, looking back from the other end ..

some sculptural pieces by pete from holyoke ... i have his card somewhere ...

and some very cool sculptural pieces, arranged in a large hackeysack circle ... great show; 15 or so different, yet related artists with a wide variety of work .... all for now ... check it out if you are anywhere near stockbridge or great barrington ...