Spiral Stair

Sometimes the lure of regular hours and steady paychecks finds me working in someone else's shop. Such was the case during this job eleven years ago.

It was early December and our boss came into the shop to ask us if we'd like to tackle a large job before the end of the year. With the promise of a large bonus, we all said sure.

A general contractor was in a panic over making a deadline. The cabinet shop they'd hired to wrap a 30' concrete column in fine cherry paneling had arrived at the jobsite with a pile of veneers and a bucket of contact cement. The GC wasn't a woodworker, but he knew enough to halt the installation and look for someone else. He found us.

By the time materials started rolling in, we had nineteen days to complete the job. We built two curved forms to laminate sixty curved cherry panels, assembling one per hour. The installation was particularly tricky in that every panel had to be fitted carefully to the concrete treads.

In order to finish on time we worked every day 'til the last panel was set in place New Year's Eve. Christmas was late that year, but the bonus made it very worthwhile.

 

My two helpers Jim and Dan. Jim has his own shop now and I'm sure Dan is building furniture somewhere.

 

I'm finished here.