Tony Frentrop | carpenter | artist
Day 14 post –
A table I made a while back. Its ok though, I never ended up posting it on my website. The table was pretty fun working on.
The legs for the table was by far the most challenging part as I don’t have a lathe any more. Ended up making the legs with a big Craftsmen drill and some sheet metal.
…side note – Had a lathe but it was super scary. Ended up getting rid of it!
Blog post 10 –
This is a bronze head I made when I was 19 working at a bronze foundry. It was pretty cool job.
…with perks. As in I met some really cool people and still have a handful of some pieces I made while working there.
I made the pieces here by first making a wax mold – not your typical candle wax. Then it goes through a slurry build up dressed with a liquid eggshell substance in which you roll it in different sand to build up the casting shell. Its starts about the graininess as sugar and ends with gravel. Its about 10 different steps.
Then the hot liquid bronze is poured, then the breakaway, followed by sandblasting. Then done.
The head was designed to look like its emerging from a table or something. It now resides on our fireplace.
For Day 7 I’m using a furniture repair I just got done with for a customer. Its an Ethan Allen table.
Not so much creativity going on in this piece, more duplicating to match. Its not my favorite kinda shop time although every repair done I learn a new trick or two. (Side note: this table originally came to my shop eight months ago for a repair. Click here to see those repairs.)
The table owner’s dog ate one corner off.
Now the table was back due to the same dog chewing a different corner up.
The trick I learned on this project was because of the problem with the natural ambering (turning orangeish) that happens over time.
Trying to instantly amber a fresh piece to match took some creative problem solving.
To amber wood is to condition the wood after assembly before staining with red and yellow food coloring. Instantly the wood turns orange.
Next apply the stain that best matches the pieces in question. Once the stain is applied the shocking orange is gone and the perfect amber shows up with the stain color blended in on top to match.
On these kinds of repairs, the staining and finishing is often harder than the woodwork aspect.
And that’s Tony’s tips!
I’ve added my first gallery to the “Misc” page.
A wooden table set — plate, fork, spoon, knife, mug, and chopsticks.
going to pieces 