The Perfect Chair or Why I Am Content to Be A Bum by Chrissie


It's easy to be a bum when you have the right accessories. These include lots of good Peet's coffee, a Robert Crais paperback and last but most importantly, a good lounging chair. Kevin and my dad were kind enough to help me acheive ultimate bumhood by building me a double seater, rocking, adarondac chair, Interested in the process? Then check out the pictures below. (Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image.)


First, you have to get some really nice wood. Cedar is best since it ages outside beautifully. I'd also recommend you fly Elmo in for the weekend as well. Here are the bubbas bright eyed and bushy tailed on day one. They had the wood, they have a plan. It's time for power tools!
The first step was to lay out the plans and mark each piece. As this required a detail oriented person, I decided to step in. Also, since it only involved a pencil, Kevin wasn't too interested. (Unless, of course, it was a power pencil....)
A good plan is a good beginning. My dad watched over me to make sure I wasn't missing any marks. Once the marking was finished, Kevin took over with glee.
Notice the eager smile and the possessive hand placement. Kevin wasn't going to let anyone mooch in on his cutting rights. "The power tools are coming! The power tools are coming!" he cried gleeful and broke into a spontaneous happy dance.
Here's Kev, down in the basement making the first cut. Don't worry, JT was standing by with the cell phone & 911 on speed dial and my dad had the first aid kit ready at a moments notice.
Here's Elmo watching over Kevin. Notice the concerned look on his face. And can you blame him?
It's a well know fact that every new project nessitates the purchase of a brand new power tool. In this case, Kevin got a power orbital sander. Look at that grin. He's in tool hog heaven!
After much cutting and sanding, the boys are ready to begin construction. You can just begin to see the skeleton of the seat and back of the rocker taking shape.
Kevin displays, with great joy, the perfectly cut rocker he has just finished. What a happy boy!
The boys take a break from the work to pose for a picture. I, however, am much too busy to take time to smile. Someone has to be the slave driver with those two!
Here I am giving my old man a hand. After the glueing was done, we left everything to set up over night.
It's day two of the chair project and Kevin is once again grinning away while using his new sander to smooth down the backslats for the chair.
Once smooth, Elmo began putting them into place. Looking good dad!
As my dad learned, you can't turn your back on Kevin for a second or he gets into the power tools. Don't worry, Elmo quickly realized his mistake and confiscated the dangerous instruments.
Artie was visibly distressed when he saw Kevin holding the tools so Kev took a moment to calm his dog down. "It's ok boy, poppa was just kidding around.".
He still looks a little feaked out to me.
By this time, Elmo and Kev were really working like a team. This photo proves that sometimes, four hands are better than two.
Artie, however, was unimpressed by this daring display to skill and promptly fell asleep.
Every now and then, JT would poke her head out and check on the progress. When she saw that there was no excessive bleeding and all safety precautions were being followed (namely, Kevin wasn't anywhere near a powertool), she ducked back inside and got started on lunch.
With most of the slats in place, the boys headed back inside to put the finishing touches on the rocker. Here, Kevin cuts a piece of protective pine to guard the cedar rocker slat while Elmo lends a critical eye.
Kevin and Elmo celebrate the fact that Kevin cut the piece correctly and still has all ten fingers. Go Kev!
Now the chair is really taking shape. All that's missing are the rockers and a bit of last minute touch ups.
This was suppose to be a picture of the chair but my dog, the camera hog, decided to butt in front of the shot.
In this picture, we see my dad trying to make a straight piece of wood bend. He uses considerable pressure to do this. Kevin, not wanting to be left out, appears to be using his thumb to help out. You go Kev!
Elmo lets Kevin take a turn at bending the wood too.
While they were busy with the wood, I snuck over to my dad's truck and took a picture of the pilfered rocks. Notice the still living moss on many of them. If you listened very closely you could hear them weeping for their natural creek bed from which they were so rudely taken.
One of the last touches was to shape the top of the bench into a gentle arc. A technically difficult task but Elmo mastered it no problem.
Once cut, Elmo sanded the back to a smooth finish while Kevin proceeded to get a nasty splinter.
Finally, the rockers are clamped in place. We were heading for the home streach!
As the final screws are run in, Kevin begins to dream about lazing in his new chair and I managed to catch this goofy grin on his face.
With their cordless drills still in their hands, the master builders test out their creation. Elmo seems to approve!
JT also approves and falls into a deep sleep after only a few minutes. Is this chair comfy or what?
Here's Kev streaching out on his pride and joy. Looks like Artie wants to give the new chair a try too!
But wait, there's more! Day 3 finds our master crafts men applying a protectice coating over the cedar to keep rain out and bring out that gorgeous color.
And here, my friends, is the final project. Complete and sealed and ready for some serious use.
So next time I blog about lounging in my cedar rocking chair, you'll have a nice mental image to help you imagine my bliss. This is the life!
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