Blue Angels Chair

[HMR]

For those of you outside North America, the Blue Angels are the flight demonstration team for the U.S. Navy.  I got a request from the Blue Angels Foundation to build them one of my "airport diagram chairs" for their annual charity auction being held this weekend in San Diego.  The Blue Angels are performing and it's a big event for the local community.  All proceeds from the auction go to support wounded veterans.  This is the second year in a row I've had the privilege of being asked to participate.

Started with a stack of alder:

This year marks the 70th anniversary for the Blue Angels so I incorporated the milestone into the artwork.  The airport diagram in the background is for the Blue Angels' home base in Pensacola, FL and was carved with my CNC:

Template routing for the curves was accomplished with the OF1400:

Seat bottom slats are made from walnut.  Everything is held together with 10x50 dominoes and 45-minute epoxy:

This was a fun project for a good cause.

 

[Wooden Skye]

Really great project and for a really great cause. 

 

[jdm5]

Awesome woodworking!  And as an aviation enthusiast working with the Blue Angels organization must be such an honor!

My photo galleries of airshies are here if anyone is interested (another expensive hobby):http://www.freezetheaction.com/Freeze-the-Action-Photography

 

[Vondawg]

Very nice ! Thanks for letting us see it.

 

[RJNeal]

Great job and project.

 

[RKA]

Very nice!  I love the artwork and the finishing on the chair!

 

[dltflt]

Nice chair.  Great cause.

 

[Brent Taylor]

Nice work and a great honor. Maybe I will be able to tell you in person if we are at Black Water at the same time.

 

[HMR]

Thanks everyone.  I delivered the chair today.  The former Blue Angel who ordered the chair for the auction held up his arm to show me the goosebumps he got when he saw the finished product.  I think that was the first time I've ever seen a customer have that response. Lol!

 

[Holmz]

Thanks everyone.  I delivered the chair today.  The former Blue Angel who ordered the chair for the auction held up his arm to show me the goosebumps he got when he saw the finished product.  I think that was the first time I've ever seen a customer have that response. Lol!

He must have been Goose and not Maverick  [big grin]

(His response was a seriously good response)

 

[HMR]

Thanks, again, everyone for the kind words. 
The chair sold for $6,000.00 today at the auction.  [thumbs up]

 

[HMR]

Here's a pic of the chair at auction:

It ended up being the most active and highest bid item at the event.  It also ended up being great for business.  [smile]

 

[jtwood]

Congratulations.  A terrific chair, and both you and the purchaser walked away happy.  That is the definition of success.

Steve

 

[HMR]

Update: I didn't find out until a day or two after the auction that a total of 5 of my chairs were sold during the event.  As I wrote before, the first chair sold for $6000.  However, the next 4 sold for $6500 each!  I'm getting paid my regular retail price for the remaining 4 chairs but we ended up raising a LOT of money for the charity.  It's been a busy/fun couple of weeks in the shop getting the order completed.

Here's my Sprinter loaded up for delivery:

 

[Kev]

This is awesome. Love it!

[wink] [wink]

 

[mike_aa]

[member=45553]HMR[/member]

Wow! Congrats!

Nice of you to do this, and nice that you got some business, too.  A real win-win!

Mike A.

 

[hawkeyestoob]

Awesome woodworking!  And as an aviation enthusiast working with the Blue Angels organization must be such an honor!

My photo galleries of airshies are here if anyone is interested (another expensive hobby):http://www.freezetheaction.com/Freeze-the-Action-Photography

Those are some incredible images you have there. Thanks for sharing!

 

[bdiemer]

Wow !!!! You must be so proud...Keep up the great work...The Blue Angels are so lucky to have you and your magic as supporters.