parlor tricks parlor tricks

wrapped

that’s a wrap on the Danish cord project – wove the second frame Monday evening and handing them off tomorrow

i’m pretty happy of myself with this one

taking process photos and notes has been an invaluable part of my process, and i’m all the more encouraged to keep experimenting and developing my practice

taking my time through each step was important, too

the pace and planning of the first round helped ensure a smoother trip through the second

and at this point, i’ve decided pulling the cord from the center of the spool was not the way to go… d’oh!

frame one

frame two

nice nice…

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wefts

job boxserendipitous curbside find now holding cording supplies

job box

serendipitous curbside find now holding cording supplies

wove the first Danish cord frame last Tuesday – feeling accomplished having that step under my belt now

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PARLOR-TRICKS_WRAPPED-02.png

several tacks secure the start and end of the weaving cord

used most nails twice, and a few just once

45 rows of weaving, in all

45 rows of weaving, in all

PARLOR-TRICKS_WRAPPED-04.png

onto the second frame – got the tacks in last Thursday, and just got through warping and wrapping the rails Saturday

hot tips and observations from the first go were helpful for the second round of drilling pilot holes, hammering tacks, warping, and wrapping cord

picked up a few more since

HOT TIPS:

  • pack rows of weaving as you go (like Jim said), otherwise you may run out of nails…

  • don’t pull weft cord too tightly – there should be a little slack in the cord while weaving

  • don’t work frustrated – take mental and physical breaks whenever necessary

that last bit is somewhat of a universal revelation: don’t work angry – that’s when mistakes happen

spotted this flower while looking through process photosdifferent from how i saw things through the viewfinderreminder to keep my eyes peeled, for something new… !

spotted this flower while looking through process photos

different from how i saw things through the viewfinder

reminder to keep my eyes peeled, for something new… !

learning scheduling and time management on this project

practicing setting reasonable goals and expectations, and making time for rest

remember:

practice makes progress

ok, bye bye… !

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warps

10 pound spool of unlaced Danish cord from The Caning Shopstarted uncoiling from the center – may not have been best

10 pound spool of unlaced Danish cord from The Caning Shop

started uncoiling from the center – may not have been best

diagonal and end cutting pliersend cutters have worked well to get in close and cut flush to tightly packed cord

diagonal and end cutting pliers

end cutters have worked well to get in close and cut flush to tightly packed cord

light on tools for this portion

aside from the cord and cutters, spring clamps were used frequently to hold the warp/wrap cord in place and in tension while taking breaks – essential

also used a bone folder to gently position the cord evenly across the rails when necessary

warped and wrapped separately – felt that approach allowed a little more flexibility (in the event of any mistakes…)

warped and wrapped separately – felt that approach allowed a little more flexibility (in the event of any mistakes…)

serpentined the warp cord over/under weft nails to start and finish – those ends will get concealed and held down by the weft cord to comesecured ends of wrap cord with a couple actual tacks: 7/16 inch and 3/8 inch blued steel cut tacks

serpentined the warp cord over/under weft nails to start and finish – those ends will get concealed and held down by the weft cord to come

secured ends of wrap cord with a couple actual tacks: 7/16 inch and 3/8 inch blued steel cut tacks

may not’ve made it to weaving, but i’m pretty happy of myself and how this is turning out

may not’ve made it to weaving, but i’m pretty happy of myself and how this is turning out

got a solid cording workday in yesterday – about 8 hours or so

majority of that time was spent on the floor warping and wrapping

going to bring the frame to table-height for weaving, next

and please,

REMEMBER TO STRETCH

thank you!

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tacky

kept on cording this past Wednesday – got things pretty well set up for weaving.

the Danish “L” nails for warps and wefts – technically not tacksthese are round-about 7/8 inch long with a 1/6 inch shank and 3/8 inch flanged head for holding strands of Danish cord

the Danish “L” nails for warps and wefts – technically not tacks

these are round-about 7/8 inch long with a 1/6 inch shank and 3/8 inch flanged head for holding strands of Danish cord

cordless drill and 1/16 inch drill bitusing tape on the bit to help prevent drilling too far

cordless drill and 1/16 inch drill bit

using tape on the bit to help prevent drilling too far

8oz claw hammergood general purpose banger – got most of the nails in with this

8oz claw hammer

good general purpose banger – got most of the nails in with this

7oz tack hammerreal handy for the corners

7oz tack hammer

real handy for the corners

needle nose pliersessential for holding corner nails in place to hammer without smashing fingers

needle nose pliers

essential for holding corner nails in place to hammer without smashing fingers

went through 100 on a single frame – dang

went through 100 on a single frame – dang

used templates as guide for punching nail locations, drilled pilot holes, then hammered them home.kept the weft nails staggered and aligned the warp nails down the center of the rail – less fussy, i think.

used templates as guide for punching nail locations, drilled pilot holes, then hammered them home.

kept the weft nails staggered and aligned the warp nails down the center of the rail – less fussy, i think.

HOT TIPS:

  • drill ALL pilot holes before beginning nailing

  • set nails closest to the inner corner FIRST (in this case the corner weft nails)

  • set outer corner nails second (corner warp nails, here)

RIP to the first drill bit… oops.

RIP to the first drill bit… oops.

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baby steps

notes from a visit to The Caning Shop – several of which may no longer apply… !

notes from a visit to The Caning Shop – several of which may no longer apply… !

weaving Danish cord on a project for a furniture designer and carpenter friend.

learned a good deal so far about weaving Danish cord, communication, time management, and developing a process.

bookmarking a few reference videos to come back to as i get going on the weaving:

steadily working through this. weaving is in my wheelhouse, woodwork isn’t.

taking baby steps – starting with weaving diagrams and nailing templates.

1 inch warp spacing with typical 1/2 inch weft spacing. most conventional approach resulting in ~ 4 wraps between each warp pair.

1 inch warp spacing with typical 1/2 inch weft spacing. most conventional approach resulting in ~ 4 wraps between each warp pair.

1-1/4 inch warp spacingi like the proportions of this – a bit more frame wrapping between warps (~ 6) and less weaving, seems alright.

1-1/4 inch warp spacing

i like the proportions of this – a bit more frame wrapping between warps (~ 6) and less weaving, seems alright.

1-1/4 inch warp spacing along the frame stiles – kinda neat. may not be the pattern for this, tho.

1-1/4 inch warp spacing along the frame stiles – kinda neat. may not be the pattern for this, tho.

need to locate and drill pilot holes for the “L” shaped Danish nails to get tacked into.

that’s a measure twice drill once type deal. so imma measure a few times more…

made nail templates indicating 1/2” weft (top/cyan) and 1-1/4” warp (bottom/magenta) spacing. first and last warps are a double pair – hence the 1/2” spaced pair at either end.staggering the nails to help prevent the wood from splitting – a tip first picked up from The Caning Shop.

made nail templates indicating 1/2” weft (top/cyan) and 1-1/4” warp (bottom/magenta) spacing. first and last warps are a double pair – hence the 1/2” spaced pair at either end.

staggering the nails to help prevent the wood from splitting – a tip first picked up from The Caning Shop.

nail template taped to the inside face of the rails (warp) and stiles (weft).seeing the template on the frame i’m thinking the orientation of the weft nails should flip. or – could eliminate the farthest weft and warp nails at the inside corners and tack down to start and finish.

nail template taped to the inside face of the rails (warp) and stiles (weft).

seeing the template on the frame i’m thinking the orientation of the weft nails should flip. or – could eliminate the farthest weft and warp nails at the inside corners and tack down to start and finish.

goal for this week is to drill pilots, tack “L” nails, and weave at least one frame.

remember: take time to brainstorm, ask for help*, mock things up, take care of your body, document, and enjoy… !

(*thank you, Sam, for your help and support along the way)


sidenote: reminded of Broken Social Scene’s OG version of “Lover’s Spit” via “… (Redux)” off ‘Bee Hives’ played by Rare Earth on KALX last week.

sparked a trip through ‘Spirit If…’ yesterday, from rooter to tooter – *chef’s kiss*

ok, bye bye… !

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