Water on the Brain

As of late I have been missing being on the water. Boating to be exact. I remember the crisp fall days spent in Lake Tahoe eking out the last few warm days of the year on a flat and tranquil lake. Surrounded by evergreens and Aspens lighting up random stream beds in the surrounding mountain's, I would ponder the year before and the winter to come.  This weekend will bring a significant step in that direction.

I will be picking up a 1956 Chris Craft Sportsman. That is- a boat. Over the winter months it will be restored in the new shop here in Gig Harbor. If anyone is in the area feel free to stop in and check on the progress. Till then enjoy Fall colors and festivities!

FilliQvist is Born!!

To whom it may concern,

In this inglorious post I would like to announce the official birth of a company. You may say, "But wait Skip, I have already seen this Filliqvist thing, even in a competition! What is this birth you speak of?" As of October 12th 2010, Filliqvist officially has an address! You can now find me at:

915 26th Ave. NW Suite C-6

Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Stop by anytime we will be glad to meet you! Check back soon for more contact info!

Flow Grows

So the Flow bed has been on Apartment Therapy for a while now and while it looks as though I won't be placing in the finals it was a fun run. One side note-I didn't realize that I'd be up against people that had already quit their day jobs, sheez!

The one, the only, the original, Flow Coffee Table Study

Well as it stands the Flow is becoming more of a series and I thought I'd post up a link of one of the lesser known siblings, check that more like ancestors, this was the study for the bed.

Better Than Restoration Hardware

When I was young my mother had me playing all kinds of instruments-the violin @ 4 years old, then the cello @ 8 or so, then the piano in the early teens. If there is one thing I HATE to hear it's, "why don't you go practice now..." UHG!

Well here I am a grown man and I am happily, and unknowingly, practicing all on my own. OK, it isn't an instrument per se but I am using instuments. Welders, saws, drills, grinders and so on. I guess the definition of making music has just changed. What is this leading up to? Well have a look:

Does it look familier? It should....

see page here

So if practice makes perfect I hope that this shows I am getting better. It was nice to have this coffee table as a little bit of inspiration and to be able to show that things can be made locally for much, MUCH LESS. This may become a frequent saying -GO LOCAL!

The instigator for this table came when I first asked myself, "WHY does this table cost so much??" Huh why? RH's table is approx. 4.5 feet by 3.5 feet and costs $1360. The one I did sold for $650. OK ok, mine's not an antique, it also weighs in at around 60 lbs. instead of RH's approximate of 200 lbs. I'm going to guess that theirs is solid steel frame then; whereas, mine is square tubing 1/8" wall. Never mind after closer inspection you can actually see the joints on the leg for flatpack-ability, there is no way that table weighs 200 lbs. Other than age, a steel end cap, some patina paint job, and -of course- price what's the diff? Would you go local?

Belle Reading Light

The theme between most, if not all, of these products that I make it is that I couldn't find what I wanted (or thought that what I did want was outragously priced).

So I formally present the Belle Reading Light.

For a larger image just click on the picture. This here is the first one and has a 3/4" thick steel base, copper stem and hand painted glass shade all wired with UL Listed parts, thus being clear wire showing one silver one copper and an inline switch and a candellabra socket and a maximum 40W 2" bulb. The production ones will be the same except they will have a 1/2" thick base and a slightly different shade (unless someone out there knows where to get more of the one shown here! uhg! I'm searching -I'm searching.....). It is 14" high overall- the base is 7" long by 4" wide and the shade here is 4" long 3.5" D. Price will be between $90 to $120 per unit. Depending on cost and work that has to go into the shade. Oh, and you might recognise the nightstand...

Rancho Davis Coffee Table

   This wonderful "little" table was commissioned for a local community center. Oddly there was some concern over theft(?!) so I was asked what might be done with that condition. The solution came in the construction. The steel is 1/4" thick 2"x2" square tubing of which there is almost 30 feet (10 m) in the frame. On the top is 2" thick old growth Redwood that came from the foundation of a razed building in the community. When completed the table ended up weighing about 300 lbs. (150 kg)! Theft of this table is not such a concern anymore!
   The steel is welded at all junctions and the top is attached with hidden fastenings. The wood is clear coated and waxed. The steel finish consists of bluing and then waxed.

 Detail

The tables' natural enviroment.

Some rough pictures of the construction process.

Building a Better Entry Light

Saw someone else hated their entry low-profile light and thought now might be a good time to show this easy fix. To do it to one of those square entry lights with the nub in the center :

1. Get rig of revolting shade

2. Find a bowl of similer size and depth. Depth being most important so the bulbs fit.

3. Get a 3/8 inch glass drill bit. Spade ones work OK but you can end up with a broken bowl a diamond bit works best and can be had for cheap(& good!) here. They also last a long time and are good for many other projects.

4. Finish off the glass. Make it opaque. Put in some twigs. Ribbons? I don't know....!?!?!?!

5. Install new shade and enjoy!

Heres mine>

Bye for now!

Zen

What is Zen?

Well....it Is.

While you ponder that here are some more Japanese modern pieces fresh off the lathe.

These are done out of American Walnut that has been collected and gathered locally.

Who likes Sake?

Again, Walnut but this time sleaved and anointed with some chome.

Fall of 2009

There comes a time when one has to finish ripping one's roots out of a place and finally commit to NOT calling a place home. And while I am happier than ever to be where I am now there are times when looking back I remember the best of times. One of those very special times is (was) the Fall in North Lake Tahoe. Here are some photos that when put together will make an overlapping 360 degree view just click on the picture to get the full size and cut/paste/copy/save or whatever; but mostly just enjoy!

  

Getting what you want

I have seached for years for a certain beach chair, all to no avail. This is how it started-


    One day at a flea market/highschool benefit my parents bought a beach chair for me. For $15 I got a sling back chair that had navy blue cotton fabric. It was made of beech and stood around 4 1/2 feet tall when folded. I loved that chair, camped in that chair, slept in that chair, got sunburned in that chair, etc, you get the picture. Finally the sunbleached fabric gave out and ripped.  The chair frame became buried in snow and never recovered and tossed out in a moment of apathy or confusion. I have looked high and low for close to 10 years for a replacment and for what- NOTHING! I found a few companys bringing them in from France and other points European but finding them instock was hit or miss and the prices were anywhere from $125 to $300! Uh no thanks for a days work and some spare materials I'll make my own. So here it is!

       Made out of Poplar (I did two and the other is Red Oak), strung with natural untreated cotton, sealed with raw linseed oil, painted with four black stripes- it's DONE! Some spare wood and a bit o' canvas laying around and POOF! two new slingback chairs. Now if I can only get my price point under a hundred bucks I'll start selling these things state side!