Andy Munson’s Weblog

A 43"er!!!

Very nice, clean meat

Soaking in buttermilk makes it less fishy

Templates for the leg holes to be drilled

Holes drilled so each leg is 1/2" from the front and the side. Must measure each leg so they are all a uniform 1/2" from the side

Whack these little cleats in so the legs have something to screw into

She's got legs - and she knows how to use them!

This is griping and stapling the side fabric - must grip with whole hand. And please, try not to put a staple through your hand

Fabric wrapped around and meeting in the back corner

Cut tack stip to width - note round goes towards the top

Line with cardboard + dacron to prevent the metal from cutting through your fabric when it's pulled tight

Pulled all the fabric and stapled....then I tacked the welt cord around the bottom (fancy pants stuff) and but the cardboard strip pushed up behind it to keep it straight and tight.

I used long staples to everything would stay in place for my grandkids grandkids.

Folded in the black base cover and stapled to make the bottom look good. Also cut holes for where the legs screwed in, and stapled the black fabric around the holes to prevent any tears.

Almost done - had to do a mock up and see how it will look. Still needs more welt cord, the top attached and the inside lined

Using the punch to make 1 1/2" fabric disks for buttons

Button making - round piece fo cloth goes in there, then a metal cap that gets pushed in with the cloth.

Now press the cap into the "button" side that has a loop

Walla! Custom button made!

Drilling through the wood for buttons - this is after we designed a good pattern for the buttons to layout. Mom's putting on the final touches for the ottoman

Success! Way to go mom!

After the pattern is laid out on the fabric, holes are cut in roughly the same spot on back. Then you use a giant needle to thread the string attached to the button through the seat. Then you pull them to desire look and staple.

Note the Z pattern and ton's of staples - you don't want the button coming loose

Buttons finished - almost there!

Today started by measuring the top

Once measured, it was time to cut the top pad with this funky saw

We used a Bosch foam cutter to get the job done right. It turns out this funny little tool is over $300 bucks. I'll be watching craigslist...

Now added glue - Dee told me to wait 200 seconds but I can't count that high. So I waited "a bit" and glued the pad to the wood.

Meanwhile Mom's frogs are being tacked into place

Now Dacron on my bench top

Next the piece gets flipped over, tacked once on each side and then pulled tight. Then you tack each respective side pulling the dacron tight. The effect should be a nice, tight, clean edge on the foam pad where the dacron wraps over the bottom and is stapled. The top should have a gentle corner that is even all the way down the side.

Once stapled, it's time to cut the corners and then glue them. The glue quite fun to try and get off your fingers. Silicon spray does the trick

Now measure the top for the fabric cut. The fabric has to wrap over the top, down the sides, and have an extra 2" to pull around the bottom and staple

A small notch is cut on the left and right sides. This notch will match up with a center line on the underside of the board with the pad on it. It is critical that the notch lines up and the fabric is strait to look good in the end.

Just laying the fabric out on the top I got excited...

Meanwhile Dee shows my mom how to make your own welt cord. In this application they make and sew the welt cord onto the fabric at the same time.

Pull tight in corners. Also note the fabric pattern needs to stay straight.

Extra fabric cut off 1/2" from staples

A nice tight corner. A good amount of material has to be cut out in a "V" shape to make the corner smooth.

Ta da! I was very happy with the outcome. Next: buttons throughout the top and then complete the bottom portion.

The froggy ottoman will be done soon...very cool

And it will look great with these chairs - our next project

The making of my pine box. Why pine? Because it's pretty cheap and it will be completely covered in fabric. A special thanks to Tate "The Tyvek Master" Morgan for his framing help.

Some will mistake this as a midget coffin. I like to call it Andy's new bench.

Lining the sides with foam for the initial padding. I think it was about 1/4"

Trim the top and bottom to be flush once stapled

Part way done with foam padding. Mom's got a strip of round stuff to make the edge soft on her ottoman.

Stappling away - I used a TON of staples. 1/4 little guys to hold the foam in place

Mom's ottoman with round trim + initial base pad

Cutting foam for Mom's ottoman. The foam fits precisely inside the white padded edge.

The next layer - dacron. Must be pulled tight and stapled often to give you a clean edge (note the million + staples)

Trim bottom flush.

Top pulled over and staple inside box. One side left exposed for hinge.

Note edge on left - must be tight to get a sharp edge

Pulling dacron over Mom's Ottoman

All ready for fabric!

Back side of my fabric. note the arrows to show you which way the knapp goes. I had no idea fabric goes a certain way. Also note chalk. Use chalk or pencil but not pen. If you spill something on your furniture pen will leach through the fabric.

Mom getting instruction on which way the fabric needs to go, how much to use and how to center it.

Sewing up the sides of mine. Always allow 1/2 allowance. We sewed only one side. Eventually we will make a band that slips over the bench. Measurements need to be precise to ensure it fits tight.

And this post would be sooooo boring without pictures. So, here is my cold bath that I took after. I went naked, but next time will wear layers of shorts to protect my manhood from freezing off (bad).

Sock Model: Erin Larson Photo/ Edit: Andy Munson

This is what happens when Andy has 200 pairs of socks laying around Christmas time....

Built for Shiggy!