Bubinga in Arts & Crafts/Mission style?

[Roger Bull]

Hi all,
I have been lurking here for a while and have been very impressed with the tremendous volume and quality of information here. You have all been very helpful already. Thank you.

I have decided to get back into woodworking after a very long time (15 - 20 years) away from it.

I needed to replace almost everything because it was lost, walked off, (or just got too darn dusty to work properly ;) ). Now I have a fully (almost) equipped shop again I am anxious to get started.

The LOML does not fully understand the beauty of real furniture and real wood (yet). I needed to get the feel of everything again so I decided to jump in with both feet - I told her I would replace all of the bedroom furniture with arts & crafts style QSWO to show her how much better quality (IMHO) work is.

I had my rough cut list and was getting ready to start wood shopping when I was told about some giant 4/4, 8/4, and 12/4 curly Bubinga slabs being available (pic below). Woohoo! Gotta have some of that!!! I can imagine beautiful tops and panels with that wood. Then I realized that this means I need to switch from QSWO to Bubinga for all (650 bd/ft) of the pieces... :eek:

I would like some opinions as to whether or not this is 'too far' away from classic arts and crafts style to use some of the figured wood for tops and select panels and the straight grained Bubinga for the rest. Does going with a non-traditional wood in otherwise classic styled furniture reduces it's appeal to others? I do understand that it is also a matter of our personal taste so I have to figure out that part here.

Thanks,
-Roger

[Kelly C. Hanna]

That is a gorgeous piece of wood! I know I'd love to see more grain and curl in any furniture style. I'd do it in a heartbeat. I want to see the build thread on this one!

[Paul Girouard]

I think you can do it , these pieces are Bubinga in a "loose" Mission style ,

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Aug25WIWG7.jpg



http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Aug25WIWG11.jpg

Or where you thinking the whole piece would be Bubinga?

[John Thompson]

I love bubinga, but generally cannot afford it. As far as using it on art's & crafts? ... I personally wouldn't worry about if others think of it as not being tradional for A & C. If you like A & C and yoiu like buginga... do what pleases you and yours as it's your home it's going to end up in. ;)

Sarge..

[Gary Keedwell]

I think you can do it , these pieces are Bubinga in a "loose" Mission style ,

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Aug25WIWG7.jpg



http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Aug25WIWG11.jpg

Or where you thinking the whole piece would be Bubinga?
Nice pieces, Paul.;)

Gary

[Paul Girouard]

Nice pieces, Paul.;)

Gary

Not mine , but I'll let the builder know you liked them. :cool:

He's a member of my / the Whidbey Island Woodworkers guild. He had those pieces in the guild's annual show two years ago.

Guild link :

http://www.whidbeywoodworkers.com/

If that's not cool to post that I'm sure a administrator / hall moniter will remove it. :D

[Roger Bull]

Thanks for the replies.

Kelly - It is indeed gorgeous from the photos I have seen. I can't wait to see it in person. The whole log was bought and slabbed so there should be some great pieces in there. I hope to pick up more than one when they get to the US so will post a few build threads as each gets used...

Paul - Nice pieces! Seeing those makes me want to use it even more. I was thinking the whole piece would be bubinga but just use the figured wood judiciously. I will be getting the figured bubinga anyway - it now depends on how to use it in what I committed to before starting other projects.

Now, I am thinking about multiple woods again after seeing your work. Is that maple with the bubinga?

John - Good advice, it really must appeal to us first. That reminds me of the other reason I am asking opinions. When I (casually) mentioned the material cost for the project in bubinga, LOML told me that she does not like to keep the same furniture for a very long time :o. If it has to go to a new home when she is looking for a change then broader appeal could be helpful.

-Roger

[Paul Girouard]

Paul - Nice pieces! Seeing those makes me want to use it even more. I was thinking the whole piece would be bubinga but just use the figured wood judiciously. I will be getting the figured bubinga anyway - it now depends on how to use it in what I committed to before starting other projects.

Now, I am thinking about multiple woods again after seeing your work. Is that maple with the bubinga?



Roger see post #6 , IIRC Robert used Cherry on those.

These tables are mine , R.Oak legs and rails , Walnut lower shelf / stretchers, and some salvaged Bubinga from a old entertainment center a friend had made in the PI when he was in the navy.


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Aug25WIWG5.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/Aug25WIWG9.jpg

The last two tables are my work .

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's a bubinga settle I built, patterned after one designed by Leopold Stickley. It is about eight feet long. I think it is quite successful -- even if bubinga isn't quite period.:)

[Randal Stevenson]

John - Good advice, it really must appeal to us first. That reminds me of the other reason I am asking opinions. When I (casually) mentioned the material cost for the project in bubinga, LOML told me that she does not like to keep the same furniture for a very long time :o. If it has to go to a new home when she is looking for a change then broader appeal could be helpful.

-Roger


Since I seem to be the first one to catch that comment...........


DIBBS

:D

[Mike Cutler]

Roger

The use of QSWO was as much about economics as style. The intent of the mission style was to provide good servicable furniture to the masses at an affordable price. QSWO was very readily available at that time and met the stability characteristics that Morris, Stickley and the like were after. Personally I don't like the look of QSWO myself, but that's an indiviual taste thing.

Arts & Crafts design furniture is a little "softer than strict mission. The edges are rounded, there are subtle curves and the use of wood different from QSWO was part of it. It wasn't just heavy timbers like Morris espoused.
Limbert,Greene and Greene, he other Stickley brothers and of course the Halls, are used different materials that they believed met the design asthetic. So I wouldn't worry about not using QSWO.
Bubinga is absolutely stunning when finished. Much, much nicer that QSWO IMHO.

[Guy Germaine]

First of all, Roger, Welcome. You're right, there's a tremendous amount of knowledge and talent around here.

Now, for the most important part:
That piece of wood is disgusting! In order to save you a whole lot of embarrassment, I suggest that you box it up and send it to me IMMEDIATELY! I will see to it that it's properly disposed of! :eek:

Hey, that's what friends are for!:D

[Larry Fox]

It is tough to judge size / width of the piece from the picture but it sure is pretty - I love Bubinga. As to your stylistic question, I can't help you other than to agree with the other poster who said that it is your house and your project.

If the slab is big enough for a slab table-top you might want to reconsider cutting it up for smaller tops and panels. I was considering a slab table in bubinga and the quote I got on just the piece for the top was $~4,500. Plain old straight-grained bubinga goes for about $10 / bd-ft around here. At the 650 bd ft you say you need, that is about $6,500. By incorporating veneer might be able to substanatially reduce the cost of your projects.

[Adam Boyer]

I saw the same picture of that log at woodworkers source the other day. Very nice indeed. The guy there mentioned it would likely cost around $25 a board foot - like the other figured bubinga he had (though was not nearly as nice as in the picture). I wouldn't be surprised if it goes for more. :eek:

[Adam Boyer]

And by the way - make things out of whatever wood inspires you - forget about "style rules".

[Marcus Ward]

When I (casually) mentioned the material cost for the project in bubinga, LOML told me that she does not like to keep the same furniture for a very long time

Sounds like she's a victim of the madison avenue marketing machine like most 'consumers' in this country. You're going to have to reeducate her. This idea that we change interior decorations like we change underwear is a new concept in the last 50 years that has been foisted on us, shoved down our throats, by the people who sell furniture and interior decorations. I reject it.

[Adam Boyer]

Well made furniture is timeless really. There is a great false construct upon which this economy is built - consumerism. The premise that we must buy more and more so companies can make ever more profit (just making profit is not good enough) is part of the reason the markets are off by almost 20% since October (consumerism = consumer debt, credit crunches and collapsed housing markets)- among other reasons of course, but I stray from that beautiful bubinga.... Really is a fine log that I would not mind consuming. Not sure I would want to make a whole lot of furniture out of it though - it is so nice that I would want that figured bubinga to be a centerpiece.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Make what you want in any style you want with whatever material you see fit. Big world, little you.... If the results are stunning and you're happy......

[Al Willits]

Roger, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if you want to make it out of bubinga, go for it.

fwiw my wife does not like quarter sawn oak, and that evidently is also a major no no...:)

Al

[Roger Bull]

Adam, you are correct, it is the same log. They are hedging a bit until they see the quality of the wood. But then again so am I.
In any event it will be pricey but I intend to use it only for tops and select panels.

-Roger

[Roger Bull]

This really is a great forum, you guys are great. Thank you!

I have decided to use bubinga instead of QSWO. I will post pics but it will be a while since I have a day job also.

The curly stuff will only be for the tops.

Once the LOML sees it I suspect she will want to keep it.

-Roger

[Bill Wyko]

Is any of that Bubinga available to the rest of the world(particularly my world?):D

[Roger Bull]

Hmmm. That was a concern when I posted that pic. I think there will be enough to go around.

Call Dick at Woodworkers Source here in Tucson.

-Roger