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Krak or traditional Norwegian rustic burl stool after one at Uppigard Sulheim, Boverdalen, Norway (near Lom). This heavy black spruce burl is more than 140-years old. My stool design borders on being a chair with its higher sides and back to make the piece more sculptural. Hand-rubbed finish of eight coats of homemade furniture crème polish. 23"H x 23"W x 27"D; black spruce; May 2010.

Large Norwegian Shrinkbox with horizontal sliding lid that doubles as a small chair or "Demi-Kubbestol". A Scotch pine (Les' # 13) was harvested, hollowed out, debarked, washed and then grooved in the base to accept a dry bottom. The green wood cylinder with sealed endgrain seasoned and shrank for a winter (hence a "shrinkbox)onto the dry base to make this traditional style of container used for food storage. But because it is so big and can be used as a seat, it suggests a small version of the traditional Norwegian hollowed-out log chair or kubbestol (hence, a "demi-kubbestol"). The lid is fixed into its dado and mortise by a sectioned black spruce burl with pin on the front. Swiss chip-carving with dates and rosette commemorate when this vibrant exotic (for Fairbanks!) tree was planted by a well-known local naturalist. Watco Danish oil finish, natural. 24"H x 17"W x 19"D; Scotch pine, black and white spruce, Alaskan birch; May 2010.

Tri-Y Pack Chair. This is an original Alaskan vernacular design of my own adapted from the Kilvington slab pack chair of Parham College, England. His design was probably inspired by two-piece African folding chairs. The prototype was created in September 2008 at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine, under Jon Brooks. I have to season the birch (and rarely willow) for a year or two before work; longer if I’ve left the bark on to promote spalting. Maintaining orientation of the interconnecting pieces in space as I crafted the chair necessitated my creating an adjustable 3-D framework with thumbscrew pinch blocks that holds the round stock. Drilling the compound angle holes for the set pins requires levels, sight sticks and an assistant. The finish is two coats of Danish oil so that the chair can be used outdoors. 32”H x 12”W x 30”D; Alaskan birch, oak; November 2009. Price: $250-300.

“H-Chair, #1” Spruce Armchair. All-wood creative design uses extremely hard-to-find, matched side pieces of naturally-grown black spruce as the basis for a uniquely-shaped chair. Joinery for the structural members are mortise & tenoned or scribed; seat and backslats are pegged. Slats are seldom-utilized larch hardwood that was hand-harvested, seasoned and milled. Y-branches are custom selected and fitted for the rear leg skids. Finish is 5 coats of hand-rubbed traditional oil & beeswax crème. Alaskan black spruce and larch; 35”Hx22”Wx23”D; 11/2008.

Echelmeyer Rustic End Table. Chip-carved borders; screw and mortise and tenon joinery for the crossed pair of “Y-pieces”. White and black spruce; 24”H x 28” L x 20” W; 7/2009.

Echelmeyer Rustic S-Chair. Scribed mortise and tenon, peg or screw joinery. Swissstyle chip carved border decoration on sculpted spruce slab; rosette carved on rear of contoured back. Matched, as-grown, fire-killed black spruce “S-curves” form the chair's side members. Alaskan black and white spruce; 43" h x 20" w x 32" d; 6/2008.

 

Carved Spruce Slabstick Bench. All wood construction of mortise and tenon joinery. Adaptation of traditional Norsk-style naturally occurring log bench. Carved raven. Alaskan white spruce, burl, larch; 30" l x 18" h x 14" w; 3/2008.

“Empire” Rustic Bench. Wedged through tenons; Swiss-style chip carved rosette. Alaskan black and white spruce, alder, walnut; 6' l x 14" h x 17" w; 6/2008.

Rustic S-Chair. All wood construction with mortise and tenon or pegs. Swiss-style chip carved border decoration on sculpted spruce slab; rosette carved on rear of contoured back. Porcupine gnawing medallion on rear stretcher. Matched, as-grown, fire-killed black spruce "S-curves" form the chair's side members. Alaskan black and white spruce; 37" h x 20" w x 32" d; 10/2007.

 

Toddler's Deltas Chair or "Cabinboy". All wood construction of mortise and tenon and pegs. Adaptation of traditional Norsk-style naturally occurring log bench. Alaskan white spruce, oak; 19" l x 15" h x 15" w; 10/2007.

Deltas Stool with Lidded Compartment. All wood construction. Adaptation of traditional Norsk-style naturally occurring log bench. Harvested from dead old-growth in the Deltas Mtns. Suitable for hallway telephone bench. Alaskan white spruce; 24" l x 16" h x 20" w; 10/2007.

Central European-style chair, often referred to as Moravian. Sliding dovetail seat cleats; wedged mortise and tenon for back through seat; cleat pegged. Alaskan birch and larch; 37" h x 19" d x 18" w; 5/2007.

 

Deltas bench with side tablet. In traditional Norwegian style from a single old-growth white spruce log utilizing the naturally growing branches as legs. A willow arm support has been added; it’s capped by a birch tablet. German floral design carved in. 39" l x 32" w x 30" h; 10/2006.

 

Ram’s head storage chest- all wood. Sides are spruce mitered and biscuited together; lid white spruce; hinges, hasp, catch and pin are birch; handles black spruce burl for suitable grain direction. Pegs are birch, maple and larch. Carved ram’s head on front, date on end. 30" l x 20" w x 15" d, 12/2006.

 

Gina’s Wisconsin chair after one from Mineral Point State Historical Park. German floral design carved in with initials and date. Spruce, 36" h x 21" w x 28" d; 8/2004.

 

Adjustable Dumbbell burl stool for harp player. Has adjustable piano stool mechanism installed. Black spruce; 14" dia x 14-20" H; 2005.

 

Rustic armchairs on Adirondack theme, child's through adult sizes. Structural pieces may be spruce, paper birch, aspen, alder or willow; the challenge is shape and size for the joinery. Some joints are wedged-through tenons; most screw holes are plugged; some chairs are pegged. Seat and back slats may be willow, paper birch or larch. 2005-2006.

 

Birch slab rustic bench. Paper birch, alder, white spruce, 48" l x 17" h x 17" w, 2003.

 

Sunning pegleg slab bench with carved corners. Black and white spruce, larch; 96"L x 16" W x 17" H; 2006.

 

Blanket chest of pine and Alaskan figured birch. Hawaiian floral (awapuhi, night cerus, proteus) and animal (turtle and whale) relief carvings decorate its sides. Pine and birch, 40 x 20 x 20 in., 2005.

 

Tree trunk clothes stand. 2-piece, all-wood construction. Top rack of debarked willow held in mortise of fire-killed black spruce root base with Alaskan birch thumb screw. 55" h x 32" dia; 2006

 

Bathroom vanity with dove-tailed birch drawers, branch handles and low-relief carving of Denali in aspen panels. Paper birch, aspen, alder, black spruce, ply; 48" w x 22" d x 32" h; 2005.

 

Acanthus Devil storage chest. Decorative relief carving in traditional Norwegian style (after P. Odden) on front. All wood construction (tamarack pegs and handcut through dovetails) with Alaskan birch lid hinges and hinged chest handles (naturally curved black spruce and alder tenoned or birch dowled to spruce trunnions). Local white spruce board construction. "Fallopian tube" chest lid stay! Maple hinge pins. 26" l x 16" w x 14" d; 2006. (Shown from the front, open, and from the back.)

 

 

 

"Porcupine" rustic armchair. Forest-fire killed black spruce double trunks with intertwined roots used for back uprights. Back and seat slats larch. Arms mirror-cut black spruce. Top rail black spruce carved with frontal and lateral porcupine images to complement the beastie's gnawings. Other pieces of willow; 41" H x 41" W x 55" D; 2006.

 

Miner's chair (Vukovich style) for Ellie. White spruce, 36"h x 24" d x 10"w, 2002.

 

Y-branch legged rustic endtable with moulding. Through-tenons with walnut wedges. Aspen, pine, walnut, willow; 22" h x 25" l x 15" w; 2005.

 

Chickadee decoration for Andrew Wappett rocking chair. Cherry, 17" l x 7" w x 1" h, 2002..

 

Iris's rustic armchair with folding tablet and carved decorations. Alder, black spruce, larch, pine, willow; 15" w x 15" d x 20" h; 2006..

 

Helen's 3-legged "horse". White spruce, 19" l x 14" w x 14" h, 2003.

 

Mapleleaf decorations for Andrew Wappett dinning chair backs. Cherry, 17" l x 6" w x 1" h, 2004.

 

Rustic armchair with double trunks of fire-killed black spruce. Arms are willow; seat slats are aspen. Birch side tablet held by black spruce branch crook. 54" h x 50" w x 49" d, 2005.

 

Hallway pegleg slab bench. Black and white spruce, walnut; 45" l x 13" w x19" h; 2005.

 

Presentation sawhorses with chip-carved rosettes and inscription; burned for decoration. White spruce, 40" l x 32" h x 29" w, 2001.

 

Forestfire-killed black spruce from Pedro Dome, Alaska, 1989, used as a stool from root and burl. 29 in. dia., 12" h., 2005

 

Wild prickly rose low-relief decoration for Andrew Wappett bed headboard. Walnut, 14" l x 7" h, 2003.