Projects from the workshop of Sander Viegers
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Here is a unique chance to get your hands on two 2×4 chairs. They will be part of the silent auction for the Kirkland Arc Center. Solid pine and stainless steel square drive screws. More information at their website:
http://www.kirklandartscenter.org/happenings/REDUXKirklandArtsCenter.php
The 2×4 chair was purposefully designed very solid and heavy. At the same time this became a downside for places that ask for a little more elegance. Enter: The skinny version of the 2×4 chair all made out of 1×4′s. It is light weight and strong!
One extra board at the bottom prevents it from flexing and keeps it light. I also played around with the angle of the back which is now simply 30 degrees and easier to cut on the miter saw. This chair only has 4 boards on the back spaced out 1/8″ which makes the chair feel lighter.
This small chair lends itself perfectly for small spaces such as a balcony.
Plan will follow later this year.
And BTW, Yes these are also for sale. Contact me for details.
“Restools” is a series of five different stools made out of recycled cedar and recycled pine. The cedar has a natural silvery green color and is sealed in so it brings out the contrast better and does not stain your pants when you sit on it. The stools are selected for the 2011 Re-Store Recycled Art Show.
The Art Show will be at The Blowing Sands Glass Studio from April 9th – May 8th.
Gallery Opening: April 9 – 6-9 PM
Hours: Open Tue-Fri 11-5, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5
update: stools at the art show:
Another project this winter was to refine the design of the chair and stools. The back of the chair always bother me a bit. I let go of the idea to be able to create these with simple tools and ripped the boards on the table saw under an angle. As a result it looks more like puzzle pieces coming together and the back of the chair as a board less.
Zac Cannon, high school teacher from Memphis TN, uses the 2×4 chair plans for the his class.
Zac teaches Precalculus and he is currently working on PBL (Project Based Learning) scenario for his class. This is part of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) initiative. The students need to be able to give all the missing measurements on the angular cut pieces from your 2X4 chair. They will use their trig skills and law of sines.
Zac found me via the Facebook page. I was excited to see this use of the plans. Maybe one day, when the school has the possibilities, the students can build the chairs and sell them as a fundraiser for the school.
Finished a Junior Desk for my oldest son over the winter. Wanted to do something simple with a lid and lots of compartments. It was a nice collaborative project in which he picked the wood and did the sanding and staining.
The Slide Luck Pot Show is an organization dedicated to building and strengthening community through food and art. I attended some of the earlier events back in 2001 here in Seattle. Now they happen worldwide from Austin to Venezuela. What I personally liked a lot about how Casey organized the events, was that everyone participated, you either brought food or photos. This was the first fundraiser. It was an honor to have a 2×4 Chair as one of the auction items. More info about the SlideLuckPotShow on the website: http://www.slideluckpotshow.com/
One of the best things this project has brought me is to read how proud people are when they make a chair.
Brian wrote: “I’ve made two chairs and the small table, really enjoyed it. First time I attempted something like this.“ Later I learned that Brian build the chairs using a jig saw (!) from one of his neighbors. The cuts are of course not so clean and Brian mentioned that “the uneven look adds “character”!”. For the table, Brian asked the lubber store to cut the pieces at the right length as indicated in the instructions. This, I though was a great tip for other makers. Picture soon to follow.
Jim from Illinois posed the picture shown below on the 2×4 Chair Facebook page and Brian from Canada posted some awesome pictures of his chair and his family on Flickr. Also see linked copies below in this post.
And of course, I‘m always flattered to read the comments from people like Jamie, Executive Design Director from Detroit: “As a designer, I appreciate the design of both your designs and the design of your plans.”
A couple of weeks ago, my father in law was visiting us from the Netherlands. As he admired a 2×4 chair in our living room, he suggested that it would be nice to have a footstool with the chair. I thought this was a brilliant idea and went to the garage to create one. Inspiration comes from all corners of the world. We’re waiting for his next visit to suggest more pieces in the growing collection of 2×4 modern furniture. The building plan for the footstool is now included in the building plan for the chair.
