Anyone have any ideas or resources to contribute to making something like this?
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Introducing HAYRIDE
While watching the audience of friends and neighbors at our Farmily Apple Jamboree *Â last month, I decided to revive the Hayride bench I designed over four years ago.
Inspired by horse drawn coaches and nineteenth century agricultural joinery, I designed the Hayride to transform a standard straw bale into a comfortable settee for two. I made the original batch to live outside year round at the Copia Kids Garden in 2004, and have paid careful attention to how they weathered under daily public use. The new Hayride benefits from this real-world prototyping and I am proud to offer it for sale to the public under the deep brand.
The first batch of improved Hayrides was commissioned by my brother-in-law, Bill Martin, who is the mandolin player for The Wronglers, the headline act at our Apple Jamboree. Bill made a gift of Hayrides to Warren Hellman, the Wronglers’ banjo player and founder/sponsor of San Francisco’s annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. The benches will reside at Warren’s ranch in Bolinas, headquarters for the HSB festival and general locus for bluegrass and old-timey music. ??? ??? ????????? ???????
 *The ‘Farmily Apple Jamboree’ was the second annual outdoor concert on the Wowhaus compound. Celebrating the apple harvest by pressing cider and baking pies with friends and neighbors, we were entertained by the music of The Wronglers, Loretta Lynch, Oakey Rosette, Sister Exister and Bernie Jungle. ?????? ???????? Last year we celebrated the transformation of our chicken coup at The Great Chicken Coup Revival, and we are already making plans for next year’s Shindig at Pappy’s Shack! ???? ??????? ?????
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White Oak Windfall
looking toward the mouth of Tomales Bay
We’re enjoying a spectacular fall in West County with warm, dazzling days and crisp, clear nights. The apples have been harvested and my thoughts have turned to loading summer-cured firewood into the shed before the rains and organizing my piles of timber for winter production in the shop.
I have several furniture projects in development and need a good supply of cypress to round out my collection of walnut and acacia. Though a bit brash, Monterey Cypress is dimensionally stable, works well and is resistant to rot and insects, making it perfect for my new outdoor furniture ideas. The tree is unique to this stretch of coast, and is fairly available after winter storms.
Monterey Cypress along the shore
I travelled down the coast and along the Eastern shore of Tomales Bay to check in with my friend Steve Potts, who lives near Point Reyes Station and mills wood when he’s not building bicycles. Steve toured me through his piles of cypress but the wood was generally not straight-grained enough for my needs and still measured about 16 % moisture content, which would mean a few more months of air-drying time. My eye caught unexpectedly on a neatly stickered stack of white oak, about 1000 board feet, cut to about 5/4″ x 6″ x 8′, exactly the dimensions I require. The wood appeared well-seasoned, with straight, flat-sawn grain, with about 20-30 % sapwood. Because of the sapwood and some dimensional inconsistencies, Steve offered me an excellent price if I bought a unit, about a quarter of the pile.
Steve Potts by his new Woodmizer
Although it is not native to this region, white oak will be perfect for my Hayride bench, and I can mill strips of the off-cuts for my steam-bending experiments this winter. Steve milled the lumber from an old tree that lived in Ross, CA. It took a year and a half for the arborist to get a permit from the city to cut the tree, about half of which is still in log form in Steve’s woodlot. I’ll be proud to make my first batch of the Hayride bench from such a majestic source, and feel good that the first commission will be used so close to the tree’s original home.
Field Glasses
Site Specific projects require careful planning on and off site. When building a treehouse and managing a crew over a sequence of days, small comforts and simple luxuries always help to maintain a convivial atmosphere and improve productivity, especially when the weather is not cooperating. While building treehouses over the years I have developed a collection of portable expedition furniture that has become an essential component of my set of tools. ivermectin for dog ear mites I will be making select, limited productions of my expedition furniture available on the Goods page, beginning with my hand-blown Field Glasses
Everyone appreciates good food and drink outdoors; everything tastes better, especially when served with real dishes, glasses and flatware. I developed the Field Glasses for use in and under trees, where the ground is often uneven with roots and rocks. long term effects of ivermectin use The wide, low profile is nearly spill-proof, and the hollow, punted bottom grips the ground and clears debris.  A hand blown lid keeps out bugs and leaves, and doubles as a coaster for more polite settings.
The Field Glasses are made in small batches my my friend Conrad Williams in Eugene, Oregon. ivermectin ebay Conrad was one of my best students when I taught at California College of the Arts (CCA), and has been a reliable crew member on several of our site specific projects over the years. While still a student, Conrad made the initial prototypes for these glasses based on my sketch (at top). After graduation and extensive professional training, including a highly competetive apprenticeship with Dale Chihuly, Conrad has since developed his own studio, where he will be making the Field Glass in small batches exclusively for Deep Craft.
Conrad Williams making the Field Glass
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Craft Potential
Ted Boerner
Ted at our recent ‘Glazing Bee’ on the wowhaus compound
I recently spent a lively evening in San Francisco with my good friend Ted Boerner. Ted is an influential taste-maker in furniture and interior design, as well as a devoted fan of Deep Craft.
We’ve had an ongoing conversation for years about many things, including how best to collaborate on a project, and I’ve been eager to inspire Ted to make something under the Deep Craft ‘brand’. I’m always inspired by our time together, and was especially pleased to discover that Ted has been knitting voraciously as a compliment to his role as designer and creative director for Ted Boerner, Inc. Perhaps he would consider making a collector’s edition of scarves for Deep Craft, with proceeds benefiting a worthy cause.


Real-Time Relationships
letter draft to a client
Whether intended or not, making things is always about relationships. This kind of communication is as important to me as the integrity of the joinery.