Southern California Custom Woodworking

The Santa Chair

3/9/2015

The Channel Islands farmers market contacted us to build a “Santa chair” for their holiday events. They wanted an ornate chair for their parade, and it needed to be sturdy enough to use for many years. Spencer is passionate about woodworking and has built many intricate and unique items; I was surprised to learn that he had never built a chair. We were both excited about the project.

We immediately started our homework and researched various Santa chair styles. After consulting with our client, they gave us general guidelines, but left us with room for our own creativity.

Our plan was to build the chair to look great and be comfortable for Santa while at the same time sturdy enough to withstand lots of transportation back and forth between events and storage. We designed the chair to be wide enough to accommodate a portly Santa and 2 children.

The frame was constructed with stout cedar fence posts and decorative wheels were added. The measurements were all based on a 6 foot tall St. Nick. Once the basic frame was built, we started prettying it up. Bead board backing was added to create a fancy style to the chair.

Comfort was also an issue as Santa would be sitting in his chair for hours at a time. We made the seat shallower than a standard chair so Santa could lean back, extra wide arms, and a cushy foam seat covered with a durable black velvet fabric. We shaped and affixed a large “SANTA” sign atop of the chair, which gave it a holiday throne appearance.

After several rounds of sanding and multiple coats of holiday color we were proud of our completed project and were sure out client would love it. Once delivered, they were very excited and could not wait to show it off in their holiday parade. One of the office staff even commented that they wanted one for their house that said "King"!

Completed Santa Chair

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Lemonade Stand

11/6/2014

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Creating uniform boards out of pallets

We were commissioned to build a lemonade stand for a 60th birthday party. We were very excited to win the bid for this project. Although we are happy to do handyman type repairs, this is where Spencer's true passion lies, in creating and building. He enjoys the challenge of figuring out the best way to build something and ultimately improving upon the design.

The customer wanted a rustic looking stand, so we purchased some pallets which were much harder to work with than we originally thought. Once the pallets were broken down, it turned out there were two standard widths which then had to be chopped into standard lengths, all while trying to minimize waste.

We started by building a frame 36" (H) X 48" (L) X 25" (D) then created the exterior sides resulting in a rough finish.

We covered the frame with the pallet wood, and painted the inside. Although the customer wanted a "bit of county", we felt leaving the inside untreated did not give the desired affect.

We chose to make the top out of cedar planks in order to maintain a rustic feel while at the same time creating a durable bar top

Everything was sanded smooth, and a shelf made from ceder planks was added.

Although we were going for country chic, we didn't want it to look unfinished so we added molding to the corners. Finally we stained the entire stand, added the hand painted sign, and it was ready for delivery. The customers were very happy and so were we!

What would you do with your own stand? Make it a children's lemonade stand, outdoor "tiki" bar, or a food stand for the farmers market? The possibilities are endless. That is the nice thing about Spencer's creations each one is better than the last!

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The Chicken Coop Creation...

10/30/2014

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The homeowners live in Huntington Beach and are permitted to have up to six chickens. They had initially built a chicken coop and run, however it quickly became apparent the chickens would not be contained.

The chickens were free ranged for a while, but eventually, they tired of the constant cleanup required. After looking for ideas on Pinterest they found a design, and decided on the space where they wished to place the coop. Since the chickens would no longer be free range, they wanted to make the new home as roomy as possible. Using ins the picture from Pinterest as inspiration, we designed and built the new coop.

We started with a 10' X 8' footprint. Since space was a factor and we wanted the chickens to have the most "free range" area as possible, we decided to create a "floating" nesting box. Here you can see the frame taking shape, along with the pergola type roof.

Since the homeowners have siding on their house, we decided to use siding for the nest box allowing for continuity. The picture above shows the siding in place and the frame painted to match the house trim color.

We chose to use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire for a variety of reasons. Although the cost of hardware cloth is higher, it is much more aesthetically appealing. It is also easier to work with, therefore we were able to pull the wire tighter, creating a much cleaner, finished look.

One of the most attractive features of this coop is that you do not need to bend over to enter. The original coop was rarely cleaned or raked out because access to the run was very limited for an adult, and getting kids to clean the inside of a chicken coop can be challenging at best.

Putting some finishing touches on the coop: trim and paint to match the main house, and decorative features to make it more visually appealing in the small back yard.

Although a lot of our touches were aimed at making the homeowner happy and creating a structure that would not look out of place in a small space, we could not forget about the main occupants: the chickens. We created this space saving ramp allowing the chickens to get to the nest box and stay warm at night, without taking away much of their foraging space.

Special Features: We figured while we were customizing the coop we should include some useful features. The homeowners have a wonderful garden so we included a clean out trap door so the chicken droppings could be hosed into the garden for fertilizer. Since the kids were very involved with the chickens, we wanted to make sure the egg collection door is child friendly.

In the past, when the hens went broody, it was very difficult to remove them from the nest box, so we created a large interior door making it easier to remove broody hens.

Finally, we put on some decorative touches and painted the coop the same color as their house. Last we heard their new chicks were adjusting well and everyone was happy.

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The Santa Chair

Lemonade Stand

The Chicken Coop Creation...

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