Upcycled Gifts

So in this tough economy it is always great to have an eye to re purpose or upcycle items that most would consider to be garbage or no longer have life left in it.  This year for Christmas gifts, that is just what I did.  I was driving along and saw these pretty neat chairs setting on the sidewalk on their way to the landfill.  They had some good qualities and some bad qualities....but I saw past the bad and had a vision of what they could potentially be.... 



So this is what the before looks like.  They are a nice wrought iron looking heavy duty chair.  But had really bad vinyl seats.






This is the after result.  The center of the seat is Walnut that is put together in a quilted pattern with the grain alternating.  The outside of the seat is Rustic Cherry.  It takes a long time to get the center of the seat glued up.  I would sit next to the fire for hours and hours and glue the blocks together....it is my version of "knitting" by the fire!


After I got everything all glued together, mitered, and sanded flat...it was time to dish out the material for the, uh, ummm, for the behind- or the sitters "seat".  This takes some imagination, a dust mask, some time, and a very large grinder to get a good dish.  But I had fun transforming these into functional chairs and saving them from taking up space in the landfill.  I didn't quite beat the deadline of Christmas Eve....I was out in my shop late into the night applying the sixth coat of a 3-part oil finish.  They are very smooth to the touch.

The only downside to these chairs now.......There are only 3!

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