My work
Glue up - a critical juncture
My pieces straddle the elusive border between "art" and "furniture"; many people refer to it as "studio furniture". A few points worth knowing:
The wood
Wood: one of our most beautiful natural materials. It is so essential to my work that it deserves mention on its own. Having grown up helping to manage my family's hardwood bush has given me both a unique relationship with trees, and a deeper understanding of the nature of wood. In particular, the experience of felling, sawing and drying my own lumber has been invaluable, teaching me how even the season in which a tree is harvested affects the wood. Drying wood is an art unto itself, and stable wood is critical to the success of any piece.
- I generally complete all the work on a piece myself, from designing through finishing.
- Often pieces are unique, or "one of a kind".
- Pieces are usually commissioned, I don't maintain an inventory of product.
- My work is expensive as compared to factory produced furniture due to the extremely high labour input and the high overhead costs of maintaining my studio.
- My pieces are built with integrity and should last for generations.
The wood
Wood: one of our most beautiful natural materials. It is so essential to my work that it deserves mention on its own. Having grown up helping to manage my family's hardwood bush has given me both a unique relationship with trees, and a deeper understanding of the nature of wood. In particular, the experience of felling, sawing and drying my own lumber has been invaluable, teaching me how even the season in which a tree is harvested affects the wood. Drying wood is an art unto itself, and stable wood is critical to the success of any piece.
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Usually I expend considerable time and energy seeking out wood that is suitable for a piece. I may be looking for wood cut from the same log, so that the colour and grain matches perfectly. Or I might be looking for some exciting figured wood. Or I may seek out boards that due to the way they were cut from a tree, will have more subtle grain that better flow with the lines of my piece.
Back in the shop, I carefully consider each rough piece of lumber before beginning to mill it, laying out all the parts. As the parts are rough milled, they are checked and re-checked. Overall, very different from the industrial process of subduing wood with ripsaws, optimizing scanners and the like, and the end result is tangible. |
The joinery
Two considerations result in my pieces being able to stand the test of time.
First, I use a lot of complex traditional joinery, such as the dovetail, and mortise and tenon joints. This is not to pay homage to the past, rather it is my understanding that certain joints have persisted simply because they are the best way to join wood. Sometimes this joinery adds to the beauty of the piece, and in other cases, it is buried out of sight, deep within the piece.
Second, I use joints which allow for the seasonal movement of wood. Our homes are much drier in the winter than summer, so the wood gains and loses moisture, which results in dimensional change. if this is not respected, a piece can self-destruct.
One may ask, why all this trouble for a piece of furniture? My belief is that my work is not solely about the furniture in and of itself,but about the entire process. How often is it that clients can work together with the maker to have an object of beauty created especially for them? Moreover, an object that will be useful and aesthetically pleasing for generations to come, developing more character with age? The human element is the truth of my work: it allows people to connect and feel joy on a society which has become somewhat cold, sterile and impersonal.
Testimonials
Two considerations result in my pieces being able to stand the test of time.
First, I use a lot of complex traditional joinery, such as the dovetail, and mortise and tenon joints. This is not to pay homage to the past, rather it is my understanding that certain joints have persisted simply because they are the best way to join wood. Sometimes this joinery adds to the beauty of the piece, and in other cases, it is buried out of sight, deep within the piece.
Second, I use joints which allow for the seasonal movement of wood. Our homes are much drier in the winter than summer, so the wood gains and loses moisture, which results in dimensional change. if this is not respected, a piece can self-destruct.
One may ask, why all this trouble for a piece of furniture? My belief is that my work is not solely about the furniture in and of itself,but about the entire process. How often is it that clients can work together with the maker to have an object of beauty created especially for them? Moreover, an object that will be useful and aesthetically pleasing for generations to come, developing more character with age? The human element is the truth of my work: it allows people to connect and feel joy on a society which has become somewhat cold, sterile and impersonal.
Testimonials