Cool furniture, design objects and desiderata

[brokencycle]

When I think of someone in desperate need of white knighting, I think foo. I'm glad GE can take on such a noble yet thankless job.

 

[venessian]

When I think of someone in desperate need of white knighting, I think foo. I'm glad GE can take on such a noble yet thankless job.

 

[teddieriley]

I was reminiscing about the good ol days of Styfo and found many of you fools are posting in this thread. My head hurt reading the last 20 pages (not all at once - I had to space it out). Subscribed!

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Maybe somebody on here who is good with wood can help me out. I have this old Stickly desk and whenever anything wet gets on it, this white crust appears. I can scrape it off with my nail, or if I use alcohol it will come off. It is rather annoying. The desk is from the 20s and the finish isn’t consistent across it. Does this have something to do with the finish or is it something else?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Also, it is odd how blue my wall looks in this photo. IRL it has way more green in it.

 

[GeneralEmployer]

Maybe somebody on here who is good with wood can help me out. I have this old Stickly desk and whenever anything wet gets on it, this white crust appears. I can scrape it off with my nail, or if I use alcohol it will come off. It is rather annoying. The desk is from the 20s and the finish isn’t consistent across it. Does this have something to do with the finish or is it something else?

View attachment 1396737

This happens when moisture or heat gets under the finish of the wood. It's more commonly seen with heat in my experience, but it's possible with both.

If you're just placing a glass of liquid down on the desk (as it appears from the nature of the ring), then part of the desk's finish has been striped away. By using alcohol to clean the wood, you are further damaging the finish. You stuck are in a vicious cycle. The more you clean, the worse it will get in the future.

I'd invest in some coasters.

GE Rule #4: Never use alcohol as a cleaner for wood.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Yeah, alcohol was the last resort as nothing else removed it. I surmised this was the issue. Thanks for your help.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Using a coaster fixes it.

The finish might be shellac, much nicer (imo) than modern finished but it’s not exceptionally durable.

 

[TheFoo]

It's here! Always amazing to see an idea come to life. SkinnyGoomba really delivered on this one. I think the photos speak for themselves.

Fit and finish are top-notch. Originally, I didn't want any bevels. I was wrong. The bevels are really, really nice.

The lid is a thing of beauty. Built to last.

I was not prepared for the thickness of the box itself--about two inches at the inner wall. Truly no durability concerns here. SG is not kidding when he says he likes to overbuild.

I particularly like the tapering of the braces on the underside. This is similar to what luthiers do with the structural braces in an acoustic guitar. Very nice and unexpected touch.

Did I say this lid was a monster??? Think it's just under an inch thick.

Quality of the yellow cedar is really great. Tightness and uniformity of grain are way better than what I've seen come from even very high-end manufacturers.

Action shot!

Plenty of real estate. These teacups are quite a bit larger than the bespoke Ru Yao ones I've ordered. So, ultimately, the tray will easily work for serving four people. Six with some more careful management. However, it will just be my wife and me most of the time.

Yet, it fits just right on my standard depth Vitsoe shelves!

Debating on whether to soak the whole thing in tea overnight . . .

 

[imatlas]

That’s really beautiful Foo. Great work, SG! The tapered supports are a thing of beauty - were those done with a finger plane?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I can't wait to see it stained with use.

 

[GeneralEmployer]

It's here! Always amazing to see an idea come to life. SkinnyGoomba really delivered on this one. I think the photos speak for themselves.

View attachment 1396833

Fit and finish are top-notch. Originally, I didn't want any bevels. I was wrong. The bevels are really, really nice.

View attachment 1396837

The lid is a thing of beauty. Built to last.

I was not prepared for the thickness of the box itself--about two inches at the inner wall. Truly no durability concerns here. SG is not kidding when he says he likes to overbuild.

View attachment 1396834

I particularly like the tapering of the braces on the underside. This is similar to what luthiers do with the structural braces in an acoustic guitar. Very nice and unexpected touch.

View attachment 1396835

Did I say this lid was a monster??? Think it's just under an inch thick.

View attachment 1396836

Quality of the yellow cedar is really great. Tightness and uniformity of grain are way better than what I've seen come from even very high-end manufacturers.

View attachment 1396838

Action shot!

View attachment 1396839

Plenty of real estate. These teacups are quite a bit larger than the bespoke Ru Yao ones I've ordered. So, ultimately, the tray will easily work for serving four people. Six with some more careful management. However, it will just be my wife and me most of the time.

Yet, it fits just right on my standard depth Vitsoe shelves!

View attachment 1396840

Debating on whether to soak the whole thing in tea overnight . . .

Definitely don't soak that beauty overnight. #1) You never want to soak wood overnight #2) Even if you did soak it for aesthetic purposes, it would not stain evenly or take a stain well.

It's possible to keep the tray pristine if you diligently clean it after use. Now, some people say "tea stains," ONE ACCUMULATED OVER TIME, are a matter of preference. But if you wanted to be cavalier about staining, I would have suggested a rosewood tray (hides stains and patinas much better). You have ordered the ultimate OCD-man's tray. Unleash your OCD on this beauty, and after you enjoy a cup of tea, be sure to clean that beauty. DO NOT LET YOUR WIFE TOUCH IT. 99% OF NATIVE BORN WOMEN DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CLEAN PROPERLY.

 

[TheFoo]

Definitely don't soak that beauty overnight. #1) You never want to soak wood overnight #2) Even if you did soak it for aesthetic purposes, it would not stain evenly or take a stain well.

It's possible to keep the tray pristine if you diligently clean it after use. Now, some people say "tea stains," ONE ACCUMULATED OVER TIME, are a matter of preference. But if you wanted to be cavalier about staining, I would have suggested a rosewood tray (hides stains and patinas much better). You have ordered the ultimate OCD-man's tray. Unleash your OCD on this beauty, and after you enjoy a cup of tea, be sure to clean that beauty. DO NOT LET YOUR WIFE TOUCH IT. 99% OF NATIVE BORN WOMEN DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CLEAN PROPERLY.

This is the same kind of cedar used for Japanese bathtubs. Should be okay being soaked in water for a while. Maybe I’ll do it for a few hours rather than overnight.

I expect the tray to patina with tea stains over time. Remember, there is no finish on this wood.

You are sort of right about women though. Persnickety, obsessive types like ourselves seem to almost always be male. Without that particular psychosis, it’s impossible to be as careful or detail-oriented.

 

[GeneralEmployer]

This is the same kind of cedar used for Japanese bathtubs. Should be okay being soaked in water for a while. Maybe I’ll do it for a few hours rather than overnight.

I expect the tray to patina with tea stains over time. Remember, there is no finish on this wood.

You are sort of right about women though. Persnickety, obsessive types like ourselves seem to almost always be male. Without that particular psychosis, it’s impossible to be as careful or detail-oriented.

The Japanese are wood-magicians, so however they're able to work their hinoki miracles has as much to do with the properties of the wood as their people's ingenuity. What you have is not so much miracle-wood, but wood used by miracle-wood-workers. If you let your tea tray soak for more than a couple of hours, hinoki or not, the wood will be damaged (think mold-growth and other unpleasantness). Certainly the tray will stain, but I'd fight this process with such a light colored wood. I'd baby even more than a traditional rosewood or ebony tray.

I'm very interested to see how this hinoki experiment turns out. On paper, hinoki seems ideal, but it leaves me scratching my head why I've never seen it used for a tray. Stains? Some other unthought of reason? My curiosity is piqued.

I'll leave you with this article:

"In conclusion, our study showed that touching hinoki wood with the palm calms prefrontal cortex activity and increases parasympathetic nervous activity, thereby inducing physiological relaxation..."

Physiological effects of touching hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) - Journal of Wood Science

This study aimed to clarify the physiological effects of touching hinoki cypress (hereinafter called “hinoki”) (Chamaecyparis obtusa) wood with the palm of the right hand on brain activity and autonomic nervous activity. Twenty-two female university students (mean age 21.1 ± 0.2 years)...

link.springer.com

 

[GeneralEmployer]

N.B. I know many people leave their tea trays in the sink overnight and it's all fine and dandy. When I speak I'm assuming golden age SF standards by default.