tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23376634945879006962024-03-28T22:43:02.931-07:00Redwood JournalRamblings from a student at The College of the Redwoods' Fine Woodworking program in Fort Bragg, California.andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-33658581902869866072014-05-12T21:41:00.000-07:002014-05-12T21:52:55.385-07:00'You Only Think You're Close' No Longer Applies -- Looking back on the last few weeksSo much has happened in the last few weeks around the shop and with my projects.
It's hard to know where to start, since there was just no time to write about
any of it as it was happening.
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So
I think I'll just touch on a few of the highlights and share some pictures
since people seem to like that.
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In
a recent post I wrote about the challenge of joining the chair arms to the back
legs, which come up to form the back of the chair. That was tricky, and I
thought of it as what we would call the ‘crux’ in climbing – essentially the
hardest part of the route.</div>
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Turns
out I was wrong. After the arms were landed, it was time to move on to the
backsplats a crest rail. I’ll post a pic to show what that looks like, but
essentially there are six joints that all have to land at once. And they’re
tricky joints, with angles and curves. And when you adjust one with a file or
plane or chisel, it inevitably throws the others out of whack – even if they
were perfect a moment ago.</div>
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That,
it turns out, was the crux. But I got through it. I laughed a couple times,
thinking back to two months ago when I was gluing up major components and
feeling pretty proud of myself and David, one of our instructors, walked by. He
must have detected a bit of a swagger as I stood back eyeballing my chairs. He
said: “You only think you’re close.” And he was right, of course.</div>
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Anyhow.
I landed the backsplats and the crest rails, and I moved on to the seemingly
endless list of next steps. Finishing the shaping, steaming out dings and dents,
applying finish.</div>
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And
finally, when that was all done, and I could stand back and be satisfied, it
was time to move onto something new – weaving the seats!</div>
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After
debating back and forth for a while, I decided to stick with the tried and true
standard, Danish cord. I figured out the weave pattern I wanted, researched the
technique, and even mocked up a practice seat to work on before I started with
the real thing.</div>
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Once
I figured it out, it was a meditative, mellow process. And they tied the chairs
together, Literally, haha. Really though, the before and after was amazing.</div>
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Since
then it’s been a whirlwind of preparing for the open house, having half the
town attend the event, then preparing for the Highlight Gallery show, launching
that show with a formal reception on Saturday, and finally seeing all our work
in one place being enjoyed by many. So cool.</div>
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<br />
There was one cool moment for me at the Highlight show, when Tina and Britta Krenov (James Krenov's widow), got excited when they saw my chairs, which as I've mentioned before were designed by Vidar Malmsten, a close friend of JK's. They've had a set in their house for years, and still do, just as strong and pretty as when they were build 40 or 50 years ago.</div>
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Ok,
more later, but here are some pictures of all the stuff I just talked about!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O3y97H5Hgsg/U3Gfy0cDX6I/AAAAAAAAAf0/dYntUpt4Hmk/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O3y97H5Hgsg/U3Gfy0cDX6I/AAAAAAAAAf0/dYntUpt4Hmk/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluing up the backsplats, which lock into the lumbar rail and crest rail, which is dowelled into the top of the legs. Lots of things need to line up just right for this to work. But when you get it... so sweet.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HoTM3VhtHiQ/U3Gf52x7ijI/AAAAAAAAAf8/r3fOa3RT9VA/s1600/IMG_1527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HoTM3VhtHiQ/U3Gf52x7ijI/AAAAAAAAAf8/r3fOa3RT9VA/s1600/IMG_1527.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made a mock-up seat to practice weaving the Danish cord. Here it is.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNJSNpB_21Q/U3GgD25T52I/AAAAAAAAAgE/9xTlQ2GtNzc/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNJSNpB_21Q/U3GgD25T52I/AAAAAAAAAgE/9xTlQ2GtNzc/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the biggest challenges with the Danish cord was just figuring out how to start. Where to place the L-shaped nails, etc. I figured it out eventually but it took a while.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWEUgQpmLnk/U3GgFa9WduI/AAAAAAAAAgM/gHI6xyYvic0/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWEUgQpmLnk/U3GgFa9WduI/AAAAAAAAAgM/gHI6xyYvic0/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real thing. These are the front-to-back 'warp' strands. Next, the side-to-side, over under, 'weavers' are installed. One thing I learned: Don't draw ever strand completely tight. Leave slack. It will tighten on it's own as you move along. Otherwise the tension builds and builds and the chair can actually implode. It's been known to happen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CrnTymjcRDU/U3GgIrqhZyI/AAAAAAAAAgc/0OIA7NrwE28/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CrnTymjcRDU/U3GgIrqhZyI/AAAAAAAAAgc/0OIA7NrwE28/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boom! Finished. And I think they look pretty darn good. I've been told the arm chair looks like an 'old man chair.' Does anyone else think that? I think it's crazy talk, personally.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx2B-e7ZfLo/U3Gk2GZEHRI/AAAAAAAAAgk/8LMz7cU6fDY/s1600/IMG_1560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx2B-e7ZfLo/U3Gk2GZEHRI/AAAAAAAAAgk/8LMz7cU6fDY/s1600/IMG_1560.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Highlight Gallery, next to Jess Osserman's caned chair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey! Vidar next to Al Martini's distinguished looking desk. Nice combination.</td></tr>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-55896200820738100382014-04-30T21:30:00.001-07:002014-04-30T21:32:09.133-07:00Why You Should Never Wear Loose Clothes Around a Big Jointer: A Cautionary TaleA CR alumnus came by the shop the other day. He's now a professional woodworker who lives in the area.<br />
<br />
He was carrying a paper bag. He rang the bell in the centre of the benchroom (that's what we do when we need to get everyone's attention for an announcement) and said he wanted to tell us a story about what can happen when you aren't careful in the shop.<br />
<br />
He had been working, wearing a baggy "crappy $1 t-shirt from the second-hand store," running planks over the jointer.<br />
<br />
He said he thought about putting on his shop apron, but didn't want to stop and just kept working, contrary to his instincts.<br />
<br />
The next thing he knew, he was being pulled into the exposed jointer blade (a vortex of spinning razor sharp blades made to chew through wood) and it was all he could do to do a push-up on the machine's table to stay away from the danger.<br />
<br />
The entire shirt was ripped from his body, save for the cuff of one sleeve.<br />
<br />
"And....I will admit I was listening to music," he told us a little sheepishly. As a result he couldn't hear his machine when it first grabbed the fabric.<br />
<br />
In the end, he was fine. The shirt wasn't. As pictured below, it was a shredded mess. Scary to think what could have happened if he was wearing a more durable T-shirt.<br />
<br />
Lesson learned.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BW30pTz5eHA/U2HNws_QZbI/AAAAAAAAAfg/0yKEo-G_rR0/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BW30pTz5eHA/U2HNws_QZbI/AAAAAAAAAfg/0yKEo-G_rR0/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-89531399987559910292014-04-07T22:12:00.000-07:002014-04-07T22:14:01.476-07:00Just a Quick Update on Vidar's ProgressThings have been coming along with my chairs and I'm on schedule to finish by my May 5 deadline.<br />
<br />
You might remember that one chair has arms, the other does not. I wanted to mix it up a little.<br />
<br />
I had been warned that the arms are one of the most difficult aspects of the chair, and I found that to be true last week and this week. Shaping the arms wasn't hard. Mortising the arms wasn't hard. Doweling the arms wasn't hard.<br />
<br />
Fitting the arms to the back of the chair, however, was somewhat nightmarish.<br />
<br />
Ok it wasn't that bad, but it was a challenge. The back legs of the chair, which come up to form the back rest, are pillowed on the front -- right where the arms connect. That means the arms themselves have to be concave, and curved, and angled, and tapered, to perfectly fit the mating surface.<br />
<br />
Achieving this fit requires a round bottom rasp, gouges, double stick tape and sandpaper, and a lot of trial and error. But I finally nailed it and glued up today.<br />
<br />
It was one of those glue ups where you walk away with a completely clear conscience knowing you didn't have to cheat at all to get the joint to close up just right. No crazy clamp pressure, no twisting or filling gaps with glue. It just worked. Beautiful.<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wkxWGTlz7LM/U0OEu0sB3FI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/mAXKGZO01mI/s1600/IMG_1460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wkxWGTlz7LM/U0OEu0sB3FI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/mAXKGZO01mI/s1600/IMG_1460.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the chair dry-fit and ready to go.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xm7B3zbNXpo/U0OEs6teVoI/AAAAAAAAAfE/SFSOTjyNsU0/s1600/IMG_1458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xm7B3zbNXpo/U0OEs6teVoI/AAAAAAAAAfE/SFSOTjyNsU0/s1600/IMG_1458.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close of up the nightmarish joint. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tyCRXlv3hbE/U0OEt_OaSlI/AAAAAAAAAfM/Gt0ukwZZT9Y/s1600/IMG_1462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tyCRXlv3hbE/U0OEt_OaSlI/AAAAAAAAAfM/Gt0ukwZZT9Y/s1600/IMG_1462.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here is the chair all clamped up!</td></tr>
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<br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-68510441303453499082014-03-30T15:52:00.002-07:002014-03-30T23:17:36.307-07:00'Shiny Shit Sells' and Other Pearls of Wisdom From The Workshop<style>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh Smith presents a bench to classmates at the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking program</td></tr>
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You hear these little nuggets around the shop from time to
time, whether in a lecture, a ‘walk-around’ or just in conversation. </div>
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And some of them are just begging to be written down and
shared. </div>
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I guess the journalist in me is still alive and well because
I always have to record them. </div>
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And now I think I’ll share them with you all.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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“I have a friend who is a contractor. He makes money. I have
a friend who is a cabinetmaker. He makes money. I am an artisan.” – Ejler Hjorth-Westh</div>
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“I used to make money, then I came to this school.” – Ejler</div>
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“When you walk into a room that is full of loudness, it is
the quiet piece that gives you refuge. A loud piece essentially says ‘stay
away.’” – Ejler</div>
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“Learn to love the 1%. People are lovable everywhere.” –
Ejler</div>
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“I see the beauty of the wood, but I still want it to be
what I want it to be.” – Ejler during a lecture on applying finishes</div>
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‘Seek the inner beauty of the wood, and be wary of overly
vulgar glassiness, which is a real temptation.” – Ejler</div>
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“Shiny shit sells.” - Ejler</div>
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“It’s easy to measure a gap. You can’t put a measurement on
taking a risk and a successful project,” – David Welter quoting Krenov</div>
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“The entire time the thought of carving out that seat scared
me the most. So that’s where I started.” – Welter</div>
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“Krenov used to always say there’s no ego in this work. But
there was never a more willful man that walked this Earth. That always puzzled
me.” – Welter</div>
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“The piece reflects the attitude in which it was created.” –
Welter</div>
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“As JK said: Hand tools give us the fingerprint on the work.
Machines give us the accuracy, the precision.” – Yeung Chan</div>
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“Overcoming what you already believe – I think that is part
of the learning process.” – Tim, while presenting his table to classmates</div>
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“A curve should be like a blade of grass in the wind. Where
it is thin it bends a little more and there is motion and movement.” – Welter
describing Krenov’s view on curved lines in a cabinet.</div>
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“There’s a tendency to confuse sharpness with exactness.” –
Welter</div>
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‘Death alone can prevent you from making mistakes.” – Krenov</div>
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“It’s fun. It’s those little touches that takes this work a
cut above the others.” – Jim Budlong on why we make handmade catches and
latches</div>
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“It became more important for the cabinet to be beautiful.
And in the end people will put into it what goes into it.” – JK on a student
debating whether to make a cabinet 5’ deep or 7’</div>
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“When does something rich, ample and voluminous become just
fat?” – Krenov</div>
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“You can’t have too much wood. It’s impossible. Unless you
don’t plan on living long.” – Krenov</div>
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“He saw it, and it wasn’t. He saw it again, and it was.” –
Krenov describing an incident where Malmsten told a student something wasn’t
quite right, then came back after lunch and thought it was perfect (though
nothing had changed).</div>
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“A chair is a negative imprint of the body. When it is
empty, there you were a little while ago. It’s a lovely thing.” – Ejler</div>
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“Sometimes it is the absence of a person in the chair that
actually makes the chair. And we must recognize that a chair sits empty most of
its life.” – Ejler</div>
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“Your chair won’t last forever but it needs to last forever
enough.” – Ejler</div>
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“It’s good to work cheap, once in a while, for the right
reasons.” - Ejler</div>
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“Sometimes almost perfect is perfect enough.” – Laura Mays</div>
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“Let’s keep this school going. It’s the last thing in the
world that means anything. It’s all going to shit.” Brian Newell</div>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-34202514509938240962014-03-16T14:34:00.000-07:002014-03-16T14:34:29.224-07:00How Ripping Something Apart Then Putting it Back Together Can Make it Stronger
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We’ve learned a number of different techniques for bending
wood, each method with its own strengths and weaknesses and contexts and purposes.</div>
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There’s coopering, which can be done one of two ways. You
can either plane a curve into a solid piece of wood, or you can cut a solid
piece into staves, bevel an angle on the edge of each one, then rejoin the
staves together to create a faceted curve which can then be planed smooth.</div>
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Then there is steam bending, which is often used in chair making.</div>
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Another method involves the veneering of thin sheets, or
plys, of wood on top of one another in alternating grain directions, over a
form to create a bent core, which is then laminated with a shop-sawn veneer to
create a beautiful outer surface.</div>
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You can also simply saw a curve out of solid wood when thick
enough stock is available.</div>
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But recently I’ve been experimenting with bent laminating –
a technique used often in chair making. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thecraftsmanspath.com/TCP_blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/laminating-rockers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thecraftsmanspath.com/TCP_blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/laminating-rockers.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had no pictures of my bent lam, so here is one courtesy of <a href="http://thecraftsmanspath.com/">thecraftsmanspath.com</a> showing a rocking-chair rocker glue-up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here’s how it works: You saw a piece of solid wood into
thin strips (we call this 're-sawing'), then run them across a jointer or through a planer to remove the
saw marks.</div>
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Then, using a form you created that mimics the curve you
want to achieve, you re-assemble those layers in their original order, apply
glue to the joining surfaces, bend the whole unit around the form and clamp up
like crazy!</div>
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Because the wood is sawn into such thin strips, it is able to form curves that the solid piece probably never would. </div>
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A few hours after the glue up you remove the clamps and presto, you
have a piece bent to the curve you need, ready to be shaped into a chair or
table leg, arm or crest rail without the waste that would have occurred if you’d
sawn it from solid wood. </div>
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To steam bend it, you would have to subject the wood to
heat, water and steam, running the risk of over stressing the wood and causing
breakage. </div>
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But with bent lamination there is very little waste,
incredible bends can be achieved, and the wood, once re-assembled, often shows
little or no evidence that is has been cut into slices and glued back together
again.</div>
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I used the technique to create the lumbar rails on my chairs
and the process has gotten me thinking about parallels in my own life.</div>
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I resonate with the concept of something that is whole,
complete, strong and integral, being dismantled into smaller, weaker pieces.
That happened to me as it happens to many of us -- the result of circumstances,
life, mistake and brokenness. It was life.</div>
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But the point is that though the dismantling, the cutting
up, was painful and unexpected and resulted in weakness, strength was able to
come out of it.</div>
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The individual pieces were shaped, smoothed, and prepared
through that process for future work.</div>
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And once they were put back together again, some
imperfections were removed, strength and integrity were added and the end
result, I hope, is a piece that is stronger than it was before that process
began.</div>
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And the process didn’t just add strength it also provided
new traits. Like the re-sawn wood, I can now bend in new directions that pride
and ego and stubbornness simply wouldn’t allow before.</div>
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In high school I worked out in the weight room almost every
day, desperately trying to not be the skinny, gangly 10<sup>th</sup> grader I
was. A teacher who worked out with us and helped with our routines and described
weight-lifting as the process of tearing, breaking and damaging your muscles a
little bit every time you lifted a dumbbell. You were forcing those muscle
fibres to grow back stronger, to knit together more closely. Strength and
muscle were the result of that process.</div>
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I think what I’m describing here is the same process but
it’s not the muscles that are growing back stronger, it’s the heart. With wood,
the dismantling, re-shaping and re-assembly results in a stronger piece in a
brand new shape. </div>
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I think, I hope, that somehow that same process has taken
place in my heart. </div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-26562333984625673932014-03-13T20:06:00.004-07:002014-03-13T20:14:59.409-07:00Hickory bark vs. Danish cord -- what do you think looks better?As you might recall, I'm building two chairs this semester (scroll down a couple of blogs to see a pic or click <a href="http://redwoodjournal.blogspot.com/2014/01/finishing-strong-and-starting-all-over.html" target="_blank">here</a> and go to the bottom.)<br />
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The process is coming along and I'm now working on connecting the glued-up fronts and backs of the chairs, with seat rails and stretchers. This is what they currently look like:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cE2nw0BOXbw/UyJvdy0hnuI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/c1Iy8enUHH0/s1600/IMG_1295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cE2nw0BOXbw/UyJvdy0hnuI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/c1Iy8enUHH0/s1600/IMG_1295.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I'm starting to think about the type of seat material I want to use, and I'm looking at two main options: Danish cord and hickory bark, and I need your input.<br />
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Danish cord is a paper based product used in many Danish or Scandinavian chair designs. It's durable and sustainable and has a low-key, subtle look that draws attention to the furniture, not the seat.<br />
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Hickory bark (also called 'splint') is also sustainable, subtle, and arguably could better compliment the wood of the chair frame, since it is also made from wood. It is typically used on 'country chairs' in the Shaker, or Windsor style but also occasionally in Danish-type designs - though not commonly.<br />
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I like them both. Ben, a second-year student who built the Vidar chairs last year, used Danish cord and it looks great. I'm considering hickory because it's a small way to put my fingerprint on the design and make it my own.<br />
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One other thing to consider: Ben's chairs are oak, which is quite brown, and he used white Danish cord. My chairs are ash, which is much lighter than oak, and the splint would be brown, which would mean the colour scheme from Ben's chairs would be reversed on mine. Which could be kind of cool.<br />
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Enough talk, here are the options. Would love your feedback!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3oH3FF-AUQc/UyJvwXPTRkI/AAAAAAAAAeY/DJy1Y95gVmw/s1600/danishcordseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3oH3FF-AUQc/UyJvwXPTRkI/AAAAAAAAAeY/DJy1Y95gVmw/s1600/danishcordseat.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is Danish cord on a chair by Caleb James (http://kapeldesigns.blogspot.com/)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpHqS3M6ZTU/UyJv6be-9GI/AAAAAAAAAeg/HcUPaqet-6Y/s1600/hickorychair2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpHqS3M6ZTU/UyJv6be-9GI/AAAAAAAAAeg/HcUPaqet-6Y/s1600/hickorychair2.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is a stool with hickory splint seat by Brian Boggs (http://www.brianboggschairmakers.com/category/chairmakers_journal/)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-74297630617896665792014-03-01T11:41:00.001-08:002014-03-01T11:41:45.190-08:00Video: How to make the Vidar's Chair crest-rail (with a surprise ending)I've been working away on my Vidar's chairs and making good progress. Yesterday was a good day, as I glued up the backs of both chairs -- the first glue-up in this build. Pretty exciting! Next I need to make the crest rails and the back splats. The crest rail construction process is pretty complicated and difficult to explain, so I put together this little video after successfully cutting one out yesterday.<br />
Check it out!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bgisJVgoj5g/UxIF4lCMtnI/AAAAAAAAAds/vDflPxDHHF8/s1600/MVI_1276.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bgisJVgoj5g/UxIF4lCMtnI/AAAAAAAAAds/vDflPxDHHF8/s1600/MVI_1276.MOV" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-16811418147438199522014-02-09T18:06:00.001-08:002014-02-09T18:06:42.341-08:00A conversation with James Krenov's daughter
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.finewoodworking.com/uploadedimages/fine_woodworking_network/image_resources/Web_Only/99932946-james-krenov_01_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.finewoodworking.com/uploadedimages/fine_woodworking_network/image_resources/Web_Only/99932946-james-krenov_01_xl.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Krenov is pictured here as a child in Alaska, floating one of the toy boats that launched his woodworking endeavors.</td></tr>
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On Friday night I was selling tickets and helping manage
the food table at the formal reception for our College of the Redwoods fine woodworking winter
exhibition.</div>
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It was packed with people and the event seemed to be a big
success. </div>
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A lady was purchasing a ticket from me, and while filling it
out, she joked “with a last name like mine, I should have a good shot at
winning, right?” Not surprisingly, her name was Krenov. It was Tina, Jim’s
daughter, making her annual visit to check up on her dad’s legacy.</div>
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‘Which piece is yours?’ she asked me.</div>
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‘It’s the mahogany pipe cabinet with the spalted live-edge
panels,’ I replied. And then I paused for a second. ‘Actually... do you want to
hear a story about it?’</div>
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‘Definitely!’</div>
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So I told her how I had inherited my grandfather’s pipes
years ago, and had always wanted to build a cabinet to display them. A couple
of years ago, when I finally got serious about doing it, I started doing some
research. One of the books I came across was James Krenov’s ‘A Cabinet-Maker’s
Notebook.’ </div>
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I’ve written about this book before and about the huge
influence it had on my decision to come to the College of the Redwoods. </div>
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Well, in that book among the examples of JK’s work, was a
pipe cabinet he had built for a client out of English brown oak.</div>
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When I eventually applied to CR, got in, and started
considering what my first project would be, it just seemed right to decide to
finally build the pipe cabinet, as inspired by Krenov himself.</div>
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I felt a little silly about blabbing so much of my story to
a stranger, but she seemed genuinely glad to have heard the story, and I was glad I got to share.</div>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-27765449106712101712014-01-24T20:24:00.000-08:002014-01-24T20:24:37.860-08:00Finishing strong and starting all over again...and again<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been an interesting few weeks for me around the
wood shop leading up to the Christmas break and since we returned earlier this
month.</div>
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In terms of my cabinet, I met my goals before the holidays:
everything completed except for a few small details – mostly related to
hardware and the fit of the doors, and cleaning up a few scuffs and scratches.</div>
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And a week into this semester I had those details taken care
of and was able to present the final product to the class! Here it is: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ORqpxglJHrk/UuM7E0PNnuI/AAAAAAAAAc8/kCdw6ve2zJI/s1600/cabinetcrop2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ORqpxglJHrk/UuM7E0PNnuI/AAAAAAAAAc8/kCdw6ve2zJI/s1600/cabinetcrop2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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After that I started thinking about my next project. We’ve
been introduced to the technique of veneering, so that was an option, another
cabinet was also possible, maybe on a stand, or I could build a chair. There
were lots of options, and some of my classmates were racing ahead, mocking-up
their ideas, choosing wood, while I was poring through books and photos, trying
to get inspired.</div>
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I went through a bunch of ideas, but nothing really grabbed
me until I saw two different settees – one a Shaker style with turned legs and
stretchers, the other inspired by Shaker craftsmanship but more of a modern
piece.</div>
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I came up with a sketch that combined elements of both into
one piece, and suddenly I was inspired and ready to get to work! Here's my drawing: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDocQaPnixI/UuM7PbnCuPI/AAAAAAAAAdE/Z_ZePuhV22s/s1600/settee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDocQaPnixI/UuM7PbnCuPI/AAAAAAAAAdE/Z_ZePuhV22s/s1600/settee.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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But then, as things often go, I was told that the wood I
wanted to use wouldn’t work, and that the piece was probably too ambitious for
me, and it would be difficult to complete it on deadline, and that I should
reconsider – my instructors thought a bench would be a workable compromise.</div>
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Back to the drawing board. Literally. I sat down and started
sketching – partly to clear my head, and partly to try and find some
inspiration. Here are some of the random drawings I did: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xbGJsaQibQE/UuM7bdQgnJI/AAAAAAAAAdM/b1V2An7NTDQ/s1600/drawingscrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xbGJsaQibQE/UuM7bdQgnJI/AAAAAAAAAdM/b1V2An7NTDQ/s1600/drawingscrop.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3wKKsMDRsfs/UuM7fLthuLI/AAAAAAAAAdU/HmIpE7Cy1f4/s1600/moredrawingscrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3wKKsMDRsfs/UuM7fLthuLI/AAAAAAAAAdU/HmIpE7Cy1f4/s1600/moredrawingscrop.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Then my instructor Laura suggested I might be interested in
building something called Vidar’s Chair. The piece was designed and built by
Vidar Malmsten (son of Carl Malmsten and a friend of James Krenov). He actually
completed the piece in Krenov’s shop after bringing it over on the back of his
bicycle. More about that later.</div>
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Laura’s reasoning was that it would allow me to still build
a ‘sitting object,’ but since we have plans for the chair, and the instructors
are very familiar with it, it would be more achievable than the settee. I
wouldn’t have to start from scratch, coming up with drawings and a design from
nothing more than a photograph, but could work from the plans and draw on other’s
knowledge.</div>
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Ben, a second year student who built a pair of Vidar’s chair’s
last year, was also encouraging and said the project gave him the skills he
needed to build the beautiful settee he did this year.</div>
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So, I pulled the trigger and am building a pair of these
chairs. One with arms, and one without. I spent the last couple of days making templates,
getting familiar with the chair and building a form to bend the back stretcher.
And I’m heading to Santa Rosa on Monday to buy the wood I need. Boom. This is
happening. Here’s what my drawings look like… </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wV5KKU8R8h0/UuM7whubKHI/AAAAAAAAAdc/v8AIPZx_U3Q/s1600/vidarcrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wV5KKU8R8h0/UuM7whubKHI/AAAAAAAAAdc/v8AIPZx_U3Q/s1600/vidarcrop.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here are Ben's chairs from last year. So sweet... </div>
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<a href="http://crfinefurniture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/coop_chr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://crfinefurniture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/coop_chr.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-74326566494643986662013-12-15T12:45:00.000-08:002013-12-15T12:49:01.504-08:00Let go, wind, and the pain (and joy) of deadlines<style>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSRETm7whjc/Uq4StpF9rmI/AAAAAAAAAcs/qE2Z2luCgxE/s1600/Cabinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSRETm7whjc/Uq4StpF9rmI/AAAAAAAAAcs/qE2Z2luCgxE/s320/Cabinet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I heard it said last night that in woodworking, when you
think you’re 90 per cent done, you have 90 per cent of the work still left to
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That proved to be true the
past couple of weeks.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Myself and other students have been putting in crazy hours
to try and finish up all the details by the holidays (which started yesterday).
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew I had a lot of work to do, so I decided my goal was
to have the doors hung on my cabinet, the back panel glued in, the drawers fit
and all the necessary repairs and clean up completed to the outside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That would leave just door handles and drawer pulls, and
making racks to hold the pipes, which will be on display in the cabinet. But I
was okay with leaving those tasks until after the holidays. The real deadline
is Feb 1, when our pieces will be on display in the mid-winter exhibition, so
there will be some time to finish up in January.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fitting a couple of drawers so they open smoothly and stop
where they’re supposed to, hanging doors so they swing open evenly and close
with a gentle click – these are things that sound simple. But they aren’t, of
course. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Drawers, built to be slightly larger than their pocket, needed
to be planed down and formed into a subtle wedge-shape, so they come to a smooth
stop just before falling out – something we call ‘let go.' That took about
three solid days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The doors, also slightly too large (they were the first part
of the cabinet I made, months ago) needed to be cut down until they fit into
the cabinet, then hinge mortises needed to be cut, and the hinges positioned
delicately and carefully until the doors work just right. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And in that process, I discovered one of the doors had
‘wind’ -- essentially, it had twisted slightly at some point and no longer made
a perfect fit with its mate. So that had to be fixed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But finally, after working until almost midnight Friday, and
scrambling Saturday morning to finish up some final details, I was able to
check off the doors, drawers, back panel, and even had time to fix some dings
and scratches in the finish of the cabinet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes there are parts that are still incomplete, but the vast
majority is done and I met my goals and can go home for the holidays at peace
with my project – which for the first time, actually looks like a real thing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It also looks beautiful – something I tend to forget in the
long days and weeks and months of toiling over one piece that eventually begins
to feel like a collection of mistakes and fixes. But last night, with the
cabinet sitting on my bench during our woodshop Christmas party, I couldn’t
help but be reminded that it is a beautiful thing, made from precious wood,
that has sentimental value and will stay with me hopefully for the rest of my
life.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxQWt9nW1jluM5XKWTODehRV6dh12sUI5qg7kmazZmmIWOTP6fDqUu2K02dsRejMJTYiwyUAmhyINbvpMP5JA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-45126789619556682372013-11-12T20:02:00.000-08:002013-11-12T20:02:05.648-08:00What James Krenov and Farley Mowat Have in Common
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last week we were shown a slideshow encompassing most of the
pieces James Krenov made while working as an instructor at our school, over a
period of 20 years or so. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cabinets ranged from his traditional display cases
mounted on stands, to some more wild and experimental pieces he made later in
his career. David Welter explained how they were made and some of the thinking
that went into the design and construction process.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But one of the photos was different, just an image of Krenov
reading to the class from a book. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NydvSU3hTSo/UoL4end-ycI/AAAAAAAAAbA/dzBEJhuAOl0/s1600/krenov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NydvSU3hTSo/UoL4end-ycI/AAAAAAAAAbA/dzBEJhuAOl0/s320/krenov.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of JamesKrenov.com (photo credit goes to David Welter)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was explained to us that the book was “Sun, Sand and
Stars,” the memoir of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French pilot and author who
wrote “The Little Prince.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each year, David said, Krenov would read a passage where
Saint-Exupery describes how he and the other pilots stationed with him in North
Africa would keep an eye on the lanterns in their tents for signs of an
approaching sand storm. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If new species of insects began to appear around the lamps
at night, they knew they were being driven by a weather system
coming towards the area, and to prepare for a storm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Krenov used the passage to illustrate how we need to be
aware of our environment, our materials and tools, and to learn to really see
the changes taking place around us in order to become skilled, sensitive
woodworkers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I liked the story, and as a big fan of “The Little Prince”
it inspired me to find Saint-Exupery’s memoir and read more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The story also reminded me of the words of advice given to
me by Farley Mowat, a legendary Canadian writer and environmentalist famous for
writing about Canada’s Arctic people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the early 2000s I interviewed Farley because he happened
to live in the small town where I worked as a newspaper reporter, and one of
his short stories had been turned into a film called “The Snow Walker.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a story about a brash young bush pilot who only cares
about himself and his machine, until he crashes in the Barrenlands in the company
of a young Inuit girl, and has to rely on her to survive the harsh environment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We talked about the movie, the book, Farley’s role, and then
sat down to have a whiskey and cranberry juice along with Ted, the paper’s
photographer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JxeD7uUOjzo/UoL39QTJyjI/AAAAAAAAAa4/Teb-Ls2mu6g/s1600/Farley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JxeD7uUOjzo/UoL39QTJyjI/AAAAAAAAAa4/Teb-Ls2mu6g/s1600/Farley.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Farley turned the tables, and asked me what was going on in
my life. I told him it just so happened that I was about to head to Morocco for
a year to volunteer with a Christian organization working in the region.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Farley, in his mid-80s at the time, almost jumped out of his
seat: “You need to learn the lessons of The Snow Walker! You can’t go over
there thinking you can teach people and change them and make their lives better
until you understand them, their environment, and live alongside them!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was great advice and sparked a conversation about the
nature of that type of work and the importance of being tuned into the things
around you, the value of paying attention, seeing and feeling and being open
to learn – things I now know James Krenov also valued, though in a slightly
different context.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, I
guess the goal for both Mowat and Krenov was the same. By being tuned into
their surroundings, by always being willing to learn new things and become a
student – they believed that their work, their lives, their interactions,
became better as a result.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fact that both of them produced incredible work right up
until old age (Farley is still going strong), is one more reason to be inspired
by their way of looking at the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>At the end of David’s slide show, he said “and I thought you
might like to see the real thing,” and casually brought out a Krenov cabinet –
the first many of us had ever seen. It’s in the photo below…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VGt8tyx3xg8/UoL262YiquI/AAAAAAAAAas/JTghJqfp3Z0/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VGt8tyx3xg8/UoL262YiquI/AAAAAAAAAas/JTghJqfp3Z0/s320/IMG_0590.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-71931194417463778932013-11-04T19:50:00.001-08:002013-11-04T20:00:04.302-08:00In Woodworking it all Hinges on the Little Things<br />It seems I’ve been spending all my time and energy dealing with little things recently -- seemingly insignificant, unimportant challenges or problems that end up taking days or even a week to solve.<br />
<br />I recently wrote about the troubles I had getting the ‘wind’ out of my cabinet doors and ensuring they fit snugly against the sides with no rattle or gaps.<br />
<br />Then I moved on to hinges, and spent another week struggling -- cutting small pieces of brass, drilling and counter-sinking, pressing steel pins into the hinge leafs and striving for a smooth swivel action on a perfect 90* axis. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
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Bet
these hinges don't look like they took 4 days to make. Or that they're garbage,
But they did, and they are.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Those hinges finally got the OK (after an embarrassing number of botched sets), and this morning I started the week with a new task – making a ‘map’ of my cabinet and the doors in order to figure out exactly where the hinges will go, to ensure the doors swing open smoothly and close tightly.<br />
<br />Such a simple-sounding task, yet so crucial and fraught with so many potential errors. To minimize the chance of mistakes, we create a full-scale paper plan of the cabinet, complete with swinging cardstock to represent the doors, to find out where the pivot points need to be.<br />
<br />Once that relationship is established, we make a spacer that ensures all four hinges are set at the same distance from the sides. And finally we mark and cut the mortises for the hinges. My classmate Henry cut 30 test mortises on scrap wood before he felt comfortable enough to cut into his cabinet – it’s that tricky.<br />
<br />I don’t want to lose you in the details (if I haven’t already) but the point is that these little details add up. The reason it takes hours, days, or sometimes a week to accomplish something so simple, is that it needs to be done just right or the cabinet won’t be right.<br />
<br />And so, if it takes a week to make four simple brass hinges (that are made properly and work the way they should), that’s ok.<br />
<br />I wrote that as if I believe it, but I’m not sure I do just yet.<br />
<br />I still have that git-er-done mentality that fools me constantly into thinking I’m a failure and woodworking isn’t for me because I’m so painfully slow, and my mistakes are so glaring (at least to me), and I can’t simply Git. ‘Er. Done as I can in other areas of my life.<br />
<br />But there’s a quote by Samuel Johnson on the wall at the front of our workshop that I find myself turning to more and more in those moments of self-doubt. It says: “What we hope ever to do with ease, we must first learn to do with diligence.”<br />
<br />I’ve been taking comfort in those words and the truth they represent. Difficult tasks eventually become easier, but only after a lot of effort, pain, and even failure.<br />
<br />
I’ve been trying to remind myself of that when I struggle through a hard
week of seemingly constant failures, what I’m actually doing is
learning “to do with diligence” the things that will hopefully,
possibly, some day come with ease.<span id="goog_1162775044"></span><span id="goog_1162775045"></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DNr2IQVz6tk/Unhs7IxEaiI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/rAXkTocPFgA/s1600/GoodHInges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DNr2IQVz6tk/Unhs7IxEaiI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/rAXkTocPFgA/s320/GoodHInges.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Finally,
hand-made hinges that will work the way they're meant to!</div>
</td></tr>
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<br /><br />
<br /><br /><br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-26713401667106809132013-10-25T20:01:00.002-07:002013-10-25T20:01:20.685-07:00Stepping Back to Move Forward<div class="MsoNormal">
I woke up at 4 am this morning out of a deep sleep, wide
awake with an idea about how I could solve the latest problem with the cabinet
I’m building.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The waking-up thing has happened a few times this week, but
usually it’s been accompanied by an anxious ‘what am I going to do’ kind of feeling
– and without the answers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The week has been stressful, as I’ve spent almost all of it
trying to chase out a gap where the doors will meet the cabinet sides. It feels
silly to write and it probably feels that way to read as well. It was just a
small gap – in a place that will have a gap anyway when the doors and hinges
are actually installed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I want everything to be as close to perfect as possible
in this piece, and a weird mystery gap just isn’t acceptable.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wYClGNF2pw/UmsvvKEP3GI/AAAAAAAAAZY/IGh22t4-OtU/s1600/IMG_0521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wYClGNF2pw/UmsvvKEP3GI/AAAAAAAAAZY/IGh22t4-OtU/s320/IMG_0521.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo shows the gap between the door and the cabinet side.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a perfect world, the sides of the cabinet would be flat
and square, and the doors would be flat and square, and everything would come
together tight and gap-free. But that wasn’t happening for me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent four straight days scraping a little here, sanding a
little there, planning over here, and by the end of day Thursday the thing
looked worse than it did on Monday morning. I was trying to sculpt two
imperfect pieces of wood together and it just wasn’t working.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My epiphany at 4 am was this: Take a step back. Flatten the
doors and the cabinet sides, essentially taking them back to where the started,
and see what happens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Funnily enough, my bench mate Jim had the same idea this
morning, and so did Laura, my instructor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I did it. Four days of work down the drain, but when I
reset all those edges, and made one additional adjustment, they came together
as tight and perfect as I could have hoped.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krFjq94T4cs/Umsv6XomuAI/AAAAAAAAAZg/8sIQD9KlLTc/s1600/IMG_0528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krFjq94T4cs/Umsv6XomuAI/AAAAAAAAAZg/8sIQD9KlLTc/s320/IMG_0528.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No more gap!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I was happy, and could go to Elephants (Friday night
beers around the woodshop bonfire) with a clear conscience and an
accomplishment to actually celebrate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s strange, this type of work. Small, seemingly
insignificant challenges can occupy days of work and can cause all kinds of stress.
But when you get there, when you finally figure it out and are able to move on,
it’s incredibly rewarding – and you learn so much in the process. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I may have only got one thing done this week, but I know I
learned lessons that will stay with me for years to come. And I’m one step
closer to a finished cabinet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-69518156208114228362013-10-10T20:49:00.000-07:002013-10-10T20:49:49.547-07:00How a Bad Day Resulted in Prettier and Better Cabinet Doors<div class="MsoNormal">
Last Saturday was a bad day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had spent a few days working on the panels for the two doors
that would enclose the front of the cabinet I'm building, and would therefore be the centrepiece of
the whole project. The doors would be built first, then the rest of the cabinet
built around them, so they had to be just right.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had chosen to use mahogany that was spalted – a type of fungal
disease that attacks trees, but often leaves them with beautiful and unusual patterns
and colours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the problem was that part of the spalted edge, which would comprise part of a ‘live-edge’ component of my cabinet doors,
was also slightly worm-eaten and a little rotten.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had thought I could work with it and live with the worm
holes, and that the uniqueness of it would make up for any structural issues in the
wood.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then on Friday, as I was cutting a profile into the edge
of the panels, the corner of one ripped off, its lack of structural integrity
causing weakness in the wood.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the original panels, with one broken corner visible in the top left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was able to re-attach the broken corner and salvage the piece,
and was pretty happy with the repair job -- the fixed fracture was almost invisible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then on Saturday, as I was shellacking my panels, the
second piece slipped out of my hands and landed on the floor, the weak corner
exploding into a million pieces.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bad way to end the week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went home, tried to forget about the disaster, and enjoyed
Sunday away from the workshop, though in the back of my mind the wheels were turning as to how I could resolve the conundrum.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Monday I had made up my mind. I bought a new piece of mahogany first thing in the morning -- a different board but cut from the same section of the same tree – and began
making new panels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But this time I avoided the rotten section and was able to
cut strong, solid panels that were easily as pretty as the original set, but
had no worm holes, rot, or strength issues.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And because I had just gone through the process of making the
original panels, I was able to do it quickly and without stress. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the end of the day I had beautiful new panels that were
cut to size, sanded, shaped and ready for shellac.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the new panels after treatments of shellac and wax, ready to become doors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The experience reminded me that
sometimes a mistake, or an apparent unexpected setback in a woodworking
project, can force the maker to take a step back, reconsider his plans, and
sometimes come up with a much better approach.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s what happened this time, and I’m pretty happy about how
it all turned out.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a0lh5T6-Vaw/Uldzty8GRsI/AAAAAAAAAZE/crjtuDZH93U/s1600/IMG_0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a0lh5T6-Vaw/Uldzty8GRsI/AAAAAAAAAZE/crjtuDZH93U/s320/IMG_0471.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the panels glued-up in the frames. Their positions will be reversed on the actual cabinet, with the live edges on the outside edge of each door.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-46363939806999480822013-10-02T19:56:00.000-07:002013-10-02T20:03:11.661-07:00Inspiration Comes Full Circle and How Furniture Can Capture the Heart<style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_cfS6xMa3oM/UkzeU2e6QpI/AAAAAAAAAYk/ClznVIyRRX4/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_cfS6xMa3oM/UkzeU2e6QpI/AAAAAAAAAYk/ClznVIyRRX4/s320/IMG_0131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
James Krenov used to say that when someone falls in love
with a piece of furniture, they’ll do anything to own it -- re-mortgage their
house, sell their first-born – whatever it takes. They have to have it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I guess that’s what a fine woodworker has to depend on if
they’re going to survive. When a piece takes weeks, even months to complete, it
needs to sell for a decent price if the craftsman who made it is going to be
able to survive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As it turns out, it’s not only ‘customers’ who can come
under the spell of a piece of furniture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, one of our instructors at the College of the
Redwoods, David, shared with us a mock-up for a chair he is building. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David said he hasn’t built much in recent years, and his
creative bent has been fulfilled by helping us students get started on our own
projects and careers. And he helps us immensely every day, from showing us how
certain tools work, to parting with precious pieces of lumber he has collected
over the years, to simply looking at a problem and saying “here, try this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But before he got into showing us his chair mock-up, David
told us about one of the exceptional alumni at the school, Sarah Marriage
(mentioned in an earlier post <a href="http://redwoodjournal.blogspot.com/2013/09/font-definitions-font-face-font.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and showed us photos of some of her projects. She made
some truly inspiring, beautiful pieces.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After going through the slides, David showed us a writing
desk Sarah had built, and said he had fallen in love with it as she designed
and built it in the shop at our school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So, I decided to save her the trouble of shipping it off to
a gallery, and bought it from her myself,” he told us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a compliment. Anyhow, the writing desk has sat in his
home for several years, but without a chair. Recently he was stirred, came up
with a design, and began putting the model together. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David was inspired by the work of a student, and I, and
others, were inspired by the realization that even someone who has seen
literally thousands of pieces of beautiful furniture come through the school,
could still be captivated by the simple lines contained in a writing desk
conceived and built by a student.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amazing.</div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-31725860585710460412013-09-25T19:43:00.002-07:002013-09-25T19:43:49.424-07:00Krenov on making furniture for 'Those People'
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<a href="http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/07/62/11/2040398/9/628x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/07/62/11/2040398/9/628x471.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just wanted to share something I read recently by James Krenov, about what
he calls ‘Those People’ and the notion that fine woodworkers often struggle
with making furniture for the very rich – because they are among the few who
can afford it – and how that isn’t always a pleasant circumstance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are his thoughts on that:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Traveling reminds me again that there is little or no
connection between wealth and that thing called good taste. Nor does money make
someone a better person, or a worse person either. What it probably amounts to,
for some of us at least, is that we are doing honest work, out best, with
feeling in it, and we hope to meet people who will appreciate and want it. Some
poor people with whom we get along very well will understand and say that they
are sorry, but….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Another person, of modest means perhaps, might ask to pay a
bit at a time, and something tells us to trust him or her. Wealthy people come
and ask the wrong questions and we feel so uneasy that some of us just do not
care to let them have the piece, But there are also some with money and taste
and a simple warmth that gets through our ‘those people” filter: we enjoy
telling them about our work, they listen – there is contact, a kind of
understanding.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing else matters, really. It is all about people…the
only qualification being that they are the kind of people who do not make us
unhappy at our work or about our work – this is vital.” – James krenov (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Impractical Cabinetmaker</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just liked those words and the sentiment behind them. Hope
you do too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-71417837936401243092013-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:002013-09-24T18:48:07.146-07:00How To Turn a Sow's Ear Into a Silk Purse<div class="MsoNormal">
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m3gGcrGblkw/UkJAewYeuXI/AAAAAAAAAYU/fZ4vdLCoWks/s1600/IMG_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m3gGcrGblkw/UkJAewYeuXI/AAAAAAAAAYU/fZ4vdLCoWks/s320/IMG_0308.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 'sow's ear,' right, and the frame and panel clamped together for glue-up, to the left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There’s an old saying that goes like this: ‘You can’t turn a
sow’s ear into a silk purse.’<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I always liked the expression because it’s so visual, you
can’t help but picture the process of trying to do just that, and the
grotesque, inevitable end result.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our last assignment before moving on to our first major
project was called the ‘Sow’s Ear’ exercise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were given a big chunk of poplar – an inexpensive,
generally unattractive wood most people consider to be ‘paint grade,’ and given
a list of smaller boards to mill out of the thick, heavy plank. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, we surfaced the wood, made our final cuts, and
prepared to join the pieces into a cabinet, starting with the frame – essentially
two sides and a top and bottom, joined together with dowels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once that was done, we constructed a frame-and-panel for the
back of the cabinet, and decided on design elements such as shelves and doors.
Some students even decided to make drawers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Essentially, the assignment was meant to pull together a
bunch of the skills we had learned, teach us some vital new ones, and give us
the experience of building a complete piece from start to finish, before moving
on to the real thing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a lot of fun, but also stressful. We’re lucky enough
to be enrolled at one of the more esteemed and well-known woodworking schools
in the U.S., and the pedigree here is high. A lot of incredible woodworkers
have come through here and made names and successful careers for themselves. Most
of us want to do that too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a result, there’s a general desire among people here to
do everything well. Which is where the name of the exercise comes from. Even
though this is essentially just practice, many of us stressed over our little
cabinets, lost sleep, spent days struggling with certain details. All in an
effort to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse – something we all know is
impossible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But anyway, in the end, though it’s made with cheap,
unattractive wood, there’s something about this little creation that makes me happy,
looking at it sitting beside my workbench. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe it’s because it represents another step in this
journey of becoming a woodworker, and the process of accepting that the
struggle towards perfection is sometimes enough.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jp5o55Wmhyc/UkI_QwtVmyI/AAAAAAAAAYE/1ZCc6RF6PlM/s1600/IMG_0171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jp5o55Wmhyc/UkI_QwtVmyI/AAAAAAAAAYE/1ZCc6RF6PlM/s320/IMG_0171.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final product!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-86828613478657682872013-09-17T19:18:00.001-07:002013-09-17T19:18:12.399-07:00Coopering -- Or how flat surfaces become round
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I continue to be amazed by what can be done with wood when
the proper tools and techniques are used. The latest thing to blow my mind is
coopering. </div>
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The word comes from the name for barrel-makers because it
incorporates some of their techniques for creating curves with wood.</div>
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It’s really simple. You figure out the curve you want and
sketch it on a piece of paper. Then you take a flat board and mark it out in
sections to be cut lengthwise, typically with smaller pieces (they’re called
‘staves’) near the outside, and wider ones in the middle. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then you cut the staves out of the board, rearrange the pieces
along the curve you want. Then you cut the edges of each board on an angle to
create the curve, and rejoin them together with glue.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VxFp9qufyTI/UjkL_vzDU8I/AAAAAAAAAX0/6k4NU7xHiBc/s1600/cooper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VxFp9qufyTI/UjkL_vzDU8I/AAAAAAAAAX0/6k4NU7xHiBc/s320/cooper2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benchmate Jim glues up his coopered door. The process takes time as only two or three staves can be clamped and glued at a time. The mating edge of each individual piece has been cut on an angle, or bevel, to make the curve.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And boom, you have the rough beginnings of a curve.</div>
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Of course at this stage the board is still faceted with the
flat surfaces from each of the individual staves, and needs to be planed down
with a round-bottom plane on the inside, a smoothing plane on the outside, then
scraped and sanded until a perfectly smooth curve is achieved.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCmg-3z2Z8w/UjkL_PuUzOI/AAAAAAAAAXw/JH7ImkSo0CI/s1600/cooper1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uCmg-3z2Z8w/UjkL_PuUzOI/AAAAAAAAAXw/JH7ImkSo0CI/s320/cooper1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using my round-bottom or coopering plane to turn the flats into curves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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But when it’s complete, it’s a beautiful thing. And when it’s
done properly, the boards repositioned so the grain matches up, it almost looks
as though it grew that way or was carved out of a solid piece. Amazing!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl570lmJOuM/UjkL47oew_I/AAAAAAAAAXc/OFD0mlBlLsk/s1600/cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl570lmJOuM/UjkL47oew_I/AAAAAAAAAXc/OFD0mlBlLsk/s320/cooper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished board, ready to be hung as a door on a small cabinet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-28252390929315526982013-09-16T19:26:00.002-07:002013-09-16T19:26:21.757-07:00Dovetail joints and other things that come together and become strong
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In the old days, cabinetry was actually called ‘joinery,’
because at it’s heart, that’s what it is – putting pieces of wood together in
as permanent a way as possible.</div>
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And so we have been learning the fundamentals of that
process, beginning with mortise and tenons (through-mortise, haunch-mortise and
stop-mortise) – a basic, fundamental joint that looks like this: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xPFn0wSyQh4/Uje8LOtwx_I/AAAAAAAAAWE/zLkbO0SFNzM/s1600/mortise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xPFn0wSyQh4/Uje8LOtwx_I/AAAAAAAAAWE/zLkbO0SFNzM/s320/mortise.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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A day after that, we had our first lesson on dovetails. And many
of us, including myself, slept restlessly the night before. It’s intimidating.
Dovetails are simple, yet complicated, fragile, yet incredibly strong when
mated, and though many amateur woodworkers claim to be able to make them, few
have mastered the skill.</div>
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Of course, our instructor Jim Budlong made it look easy,
marking out, sawing, then chiseling a set of near perfect dovetails in front of
the entire class, in about 20 minutes.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u9EnkCEcfCc/Uje8RQAg_sI/AAAAAAAAAWM/3coAI9MWHQU/s1600/budlong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u9EnkCEcfCc/Uje8RQAg_sI/AAAAAAAAAWM/3coAI9MWHQU/s320/budlong.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instructor Jim Budlong demonstrates proper dovetail-technique. True story: He once tried to mess up his dovetails in order to show the class how to fix them -- but accidentally made perfect ones. Amazing.</td></tr>
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It took the rest of us, and myself, much longer to get
anywhere near acceptable, let alone perfect.</div>
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A dovetail joint is considered a ‘mechanical joint.’ It’s
called that because two pieces of wood are held together not simply by glue or
dowels, but by a series of pins and tails that lock together in such a way that
the pressure exerted on them, say in a dresser drawer, actually serves to make
the joint tighter over the years, not looser.</div>
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But because of that, they are difficult to make, with
complicated angles and often dozens of surfaces required to meet perfectly in
order for the join to look good.</div>
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There’s a reason perfect dovetails are seen as a mark of
true craftsmanship, even though they are usually hidden away in the back of a
drawer in a cabinet or dresser. When done well, they are sophisticated, beautiful, and add
strength and durability to a piece of furniture for decades, even centuries to
come.
</div>
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Done poorly, they can cause fractures or cracks as the two
pieces of ill-fitting wood are forced together. If the dovetails themselves are
too small, too thin, their strength gives way to fragility. If the dovetails
are too large, too evenly spaced, or poorly laid-out, they become clunky and
awkward to the eye regardless of how perfectly they were cut.</div>
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In the examples we were shown from past years’ students,
there is one that was particularly disheartening. A set of dovetails, perfectly
cut, fitting together like a glove, were labelled by some heartless instructor
as being “too perfect, looks machined.” Unbelievable! </div>
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A dovetail, at its best, is not cut on a router jig or by a
giant machine in a factory somewhere. Rather, it’s the work of a careful
craftsman who cares about little details, such as the size of the pins and the
fact the pins on the outside of the joint should be closer together than those
on the inside, because there is greater stress.</div>
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A craftsman knows these things and takes them into account,
and the final product reveals that. A drawer cut by a machine simply doesn’t
have the same effect. Or at least that’s what we’re being taught, brainwashed
really, as our instructor joked recently.</div>
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I’ll take it. The challenge is fun, despite the frustration,
and getting it right in the end is so worth the effort. </div>
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And the hope is that all these various components of our
woodworking education, from sharpening to tool-making, planing and joinery,
will all add up and eventually come together, like the two sides of a dovetail
joint, and create a firm, long-lasting bond that will only get stronger in the
years to come.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbg4ckdjGDI/Uje8yBwuzZI/AAAAAAAAAWU/OpboyCAKAgQ/s1600/divetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gbg4ckdjGDI/Uje8yBwuzZI/AAAAAAAAAWU/OpboyCAKAgQ/s320/divetail.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my many dovetail attempts!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-20270309453912860582013-09-13T22:59:00.000-07:002013-09-13T23:01:29.964-07:00Measure Twice, Cut Twice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vV_10o_RDtM/UjP6WEEXclI/AAAAAAAAAV0/wGKbwCr4_IY/s1600/plane2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vV_10o_RDtM/UjP6WEEXclI/AAAAAAAAAV0/wGKbwCr4_IY/s320/plane2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
So there's an expression used in general construction or woodworking: Measure twice, cut once.<br />
It basically means, be extra careful before you cut, so you get it right the first time.<br />
<br />
Today I invented a new version of that time-tested cliche: Measure twice, cut twice. Basically, it means measure twice, but leave enough of a margin for error, so that if you have to cut twice, you're able to do so.<br />
<br />
Luckily, I was able to. We spent the last couple of days making round-bottom coopering planes. These are more complicated than the planes we've previously made, and are used to make curved doors, which are pretty much the coolest thing ever.<br />
<br />
Once mine was cut, laid out, glued up and ready to go, I sketched out a shape that a liked and headed into the machine shop to cut it out. I even showed it to my benchmate Jim and a friend Max, and they both liked it.<br />
<br />
I cut it out on the band saw and walked back to my bench feeling pretty awesome about it, when I suddenly realized it was backwards. I had completely reversed it, and the plane's shape suddenly made no sense at all.<br />
<br />
I quickly put it under my bench and sat down, feeling miserable. Jim took one look at me and said 'where's your plane??' thinking I had thrown it in the trash.<br />
<br />
I pulled it out and showed it to him, and he studied it for a minute before breaking out laughing. He's normally a pretty polite guy, but couldn't control it. I don't blame him, I busted out too, and pretty soon a group had gathered around, all laughing at my mistake.<br />
<br />
Then Laura, our instructor and the director of the program, came over asking to see me 'Canadian pull plane,' had a good laugh and quickly showed me how I could fix it.<br />
<br />
In the end, all was well because I had enough material to change the shape and reverse the direction -- essentially, to fix my mistake. The lesson: Measure twice, cut twice.<br />
<br />
Or better yet, learn from my mistake and get it right the first time. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlRWjRdt7ds/UjP6G7YZ9gI/AAAAAAAAAVw/mukybdIJglk/s1600/plane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlRWjRdt7ds/UjP6G7YZ9gI/AAAAAAAAAVw/mukybdIJglk/s320/plane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-52726931765506382962013-09-12T12:49:00.000-07:002013-09-12T12:53:11.664-07:00The Impossibility of The Perfect Board
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkGXOpSJyoY/UjIbK4iAhdI/AAAAAAAAAVc/2hiLW1uhNNw/s1600/IMG_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkGXOpSJyoY/UjIbK4iAhdI/AAAAAAAAAVc/2hiLW1uhNNw/s320/IMG_0128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the most difficult exercises we worked on in the
first few weeks of our time here was called The Perfect Board.</div>
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And it’s really just as it sounds. The project begins with a
small maple board, roughly cut to about 12 by 10 inches.</div>
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Our challenge was to rip it down the centre on the bandsaw,
then join it back together along the ripped edges, using our new planes to
smooth and flatten those edges until they mated perfectly – the joint nearly
invisible to the eye.</div>
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Once that was complete and the board had been glued back
together, we moved on to planing the two sides -- using our new smoothing
planes to remove any ripples, high and low spots, and machine marks -- until
those two surfaces were flat, free of ridges, and gleamed and shimmered the way
only a perfectly tuned plane can make them.</div>
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Once that was finished, and believe me, these were all
hours-long steps, the board’s edges must be flattened, made to be 90 degrees
and perfectly parallel to their opposing edges. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent four days wrestling with this project. It was
painful, frustrating, exasperating, and often seemed to be a hopeless and
useless task.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew it wasn’t, though. In my heart, I knew I was learning
valuable lessons about how to use my planes, how to adjust and tune them, how
to take an imperfect surface and make it into something beautiful. </div>
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ButI won’t say ‘perfect,’ because although that’s the name
of this exercise, it’s really not accurate. </div>
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There’s no such thing as a truly ‘perfect’ board. Our tools
may not be precise enough to measure or identify the imperfections, but they
are there. Wood, a living thing which still absorbs and emits moisture long
after it goes from being a tree to a plank of wood, continuously moves, change
and shifts. </div>
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That flattened surface, so wonderful one day, such a badge
of accomplishment and skill, may be cupped or crowned the next as a result of
nothing more than a slight change in humidity.</div>
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And that’s the real lesson we were being taught – that
perfect isn’t necessarily something to be achieved in woodworking, but rather
the goal is to get as close to it, in as beautiful, practical and as useful a
way as possible. </div>
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Sarah Marriage, a student who finished her time at the
school last year, put it this way in her own <a href="http://www.works-and-days.com/wd2/marriage/a-call/" target="_blank">blog about the exercise</a>:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“What I liked
about the idea of the perfect board exercise is that there is no pretense of
possibility. There is no romantic notion of some sort of actual attainment of
perfection, just the romance of accepting the impossibility.”</span></div>
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At the College of the Redwoods we are taught to strive for
perfection, and a craftsman always should if he or she values their work and
seeks to do it well. But true perfection may lie not in the accomplishing of
that goal, but in the striving towards it. </div>
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After all it’s in the striving that the skills are learned,
the battles are fought, challenges overcome, and where the piece is refined and
developed and pushed towards that standard. </div>
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And in the end it’s the complete piece, with all those
millions of large, small and microscopic imperfections, that adds up to
something that as a whole, could be called beautiful, and even perhaps,
perfect.</div>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-75280153756708967752013-09-09T00:07:00.000-07:002013-09-09T00:10:09.863-07:00Elephants for everyone!Every Friday we do something at College of the Redwoods called 'Elephants.' It's a simple event -- at 5:30, once the shop has been cleaned up, everyone gathers at the firepit and barbecue area beside the school, and we consume beverages and eat food and celebrate the accomplishments of the week (or try to forget the failures.)<br />
<br />
Current students, former students, staff, local woodworkers, friends of the school -- pretty much everyone and anyone is invited and usually they all show up.<br />
<br />
It's a great tradition that has been going on for years, and allegedly derives its name from the beer made by Carlsberg, a Swedish company, that was once much more common and easy to obtain around these parts. James Krenov, the legendary cabinetmaker who founded our school, studied cabinetry in Sweden, so the legend kind of makes sense.<br />
<br />
Elephant beer is a lot harder to find these days in Northern California, where so many micro-breweries are doing such good work, but nonetheless the tradition and name continue.<br />
<br />
Last Friday, while we were enjoying Elephants the event, and also coincidentally Elephants the beer, since a student's father dropped off an entire case he specially ordered as a generous gift, something awesome happened.<br />
<br />
A former student arrived at the gathering carrying a giant white cooler full of beer, which he ceremoniously set down on the picnic table.<br />
<br />
He then climbed on a bench, got everyone's attention, and said "I just got a sweet woodworking job, and it's all thanks to College of the Redwoods. So everything in that white cooler is up for grabs!"<br />
<br />
Even though most of us had never met this man, he wanted to celebrate with us and share his good fortune with those who are studying at his alma mater, and who are also hoping to follow in his footsteps and one day obtain a 'sweet job' in the field.<br />
<br />
It made me proud to be part of a woodworking program that has such a community of support built up around it. And also, we got free beer, which is always great.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OuiUGCAgQCo/Ui1yfRKQW9I/AAAAAAAAAVE/I0dlrSDLjuU/s1600/elephants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OuiUGCAgQCo/Ui1yfRKQW9I/AAAAAAAAAVE/I0dlrSDLjuU/s320/elephants.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-71488778180447545382013-09-08T23:48:00.003-07:002013-09-09T00:09:52.271-07:00Perfect 'Enough'?"Sometimes almost perfect is perfect enough."<br />
<br />
That's a quote from Friday morning, when one of the second-year students, Josh, was presenting a beautiful bench he designed and built as a quick project to start off the year. I say quick, but he still put about 50 hours of hard work into the piece, which was a commission for a friend.<br />
<br />
Josh was describing the concept, the clients' desires for the piece, and the setting where it would live -- in a busy part of a family home with young children.<br />
<br />
He also talked about the challenges he faced with the project, and some of the mistakes he made and a couple of aspects of the finished product where he felt he could have perhaps done better.<br />
<br />
That's when Laura Mays, one of our instructors and the director of the program, spoke up and said Josh was being a bit hard on himself. She suggested the piece was perhaps not perfect, but was easily <i>perfect enoug</i>h for its purpose.<br />
<br />
Woodworkers, especially those that come out of this program, can become a bit OCD about their work, with the tendency to sometimes toil endlessly in pursuit of a level of perfection that isn't always necessary, financially viable, or even possible.<br />
<br />
Part of the purpose of this whole becoming-a-woodworker thing, Laura seemed to be saying, is learning to recognize when it's time to simply stand back, be satisfied, and say 'ship it!' before moving on to the next project.<br />
<br />
More on the whole idea of 'perfection' in woodworking coming soon in a future post... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9wjT5aWewY/Ui1u2JaHlcI/AAAAAAAAAU4/z00Wfnl3hwU/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9wjT5aWewY/Ui1u2JaHlcI/AAAAAAAAAU4/z00Wfnl3hwU/s320/IMG_0303.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh presenting his bench in the shop at College of the Redwoods.</td></tr>
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<br />andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-54806868025855882492013-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:002013-08-28T19:21:10.898-07:00Some pictures from the workshop...I just wanted to post a few pictures taken over the last couple of weeks at the workshop to give an idea of what life is like there every day. As you can see, it's pretty awesome...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHHJvVy9-ZQ/Uh6fX3O-IhI/AAAAAAAAAUo/ohS7cY-7D1Y/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHHJvVy9-ZQ/Uh6fX3O-IhI/AAAAAAAAAUo/ohS7cY-7D1Y/s320/IMG_0147.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second-year student Josh is deep in thought as he contemplates his wall cabinet mock-up. The dude has skills.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ssiso2Mbao/Uh6fWmZheUI/AAAAAAAAAUc/rMFxvZ_4H3k/s1600/IMG_0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ssiso2Mbao/Uh6fWmZheUI/AAAAAAAAAUc/rMFxvZ_4H3k/s320/IMG_0130.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While waiting for a glue-up to set on the mortise (right), I made a plane iron hammer out of some scrap maple and a piece of brass. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EZ8KFLsXRuk/Uh6fSWwerlI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/kni-EnfomEM/s1600/IMG_0119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EZ8KFLsXRuk/Uh6fSWwerlI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/kni-EnfomEM/s320/IMG_0119.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classmate Jess shows off her 'perfect board.' What a champ!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yrjIYu4puus/Uh6fQMRiKtI/AAAAAAAAAUI/rqznrKzf-MA/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yrjIYu4puus/Uh6fQMRiKtI/AAAAAAAAAUI/rqznrKzf-MA/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evidence that my homemade hand planes are working well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCFWzTYYUjw/Uh6e9YRjU2I/AAAAAAAAAT4/iRkXCFAG4gU/s1600/IMG_0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCFWzTYYUjw/Uh6e9YRjU2I/AAAAAAAAAT4/iRkXCFAG4gU/s320/IMG_0111.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I named this one 'Janet.' No idea why.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_IUo9SVJst8/Uh6fP4DvfII/AAAAAAAAAUA/VgpFVs_9g4Q/s1600/IMG_0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_IUo9SVJst8/Uh6fP4DvfII/AAAAAAAAAUA/VgpFVs_9g4Q/s320/IMG_0110.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second-year student Tobyn, looking badass in his shop apron, contemplates the comfort factor of the chair he has mocked-up before beginning work on the real thing.</td></tr>
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andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2337663494587900696.post-1525554445416356532013-08-27T23:34:00.002-07:002013-08-27T23:35:53.628-07:00Lessons in Plane-Making<style>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B9EOQTDVSTw/Uh2ZfW2-jkI/AAAAAAAAATo/yPJL4DVG69E/s1600/planes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B9EOQTDVSTw/Uh2ZfW2-jkI/AAAAAAAAATo/yPJL4DVG69E/s320/planes.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br />
Once our tools were sharp, and the process of sharpening was
ingrained in our heads, we began the process of making our own planes – and we
spent most of a week doing it, building a smoothing and jointer plane. One is
designed to prepare final surfaces for the eye, the other to flatten edges of
boards for joining, or jointing. </div>
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There are rules in plane-making but there is also a freedom.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rules
revolve around the specific angle for the throat and ramp, the amount of space
between the blade and the mouth, the spindle and the blade assemble, and the
flatness of that sole, etc.</div>
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But beyond that there’s a freedom. The planes could take any
shape that suited the maker.</div>
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Some people sketched out the shape, then cut them on the
band saw, using it as a carving machine to leave big, rough cuts and stylistic
jagged edges on the final product.</div>
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Others went into great detail in their designs, with fancy
curves, handles and etchings. </div>
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And others followed the Krenovian approach, with all the
artistry contained in the relationships between the different components -- the
body of the plane little more than a block of wood with slightly rounded edges
and a rough symmetry.</div>
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All were beautiful and useful in their own way, and each
reflected the owner’s personality in some measure. </div>
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Our instructor Greg told us about a plane Krenov himself
made, one of many, but which performed well for years and became a favourite.</div>
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“He just got it right on that one – I don’t even think
Krenov himself could really tell you why,” said Greg. </div>
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There was just something about it, he said. The angles, the
geometry, the relationships between the various parts. It worked, as Krenov
would say, like a fine instrument.</div>
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Mine, just a few days old now, have already become an
extension of myself. The way they fit in my hand, the finicky way the blades
need to be tapped, backed out, tapped again, tried and tried until the perfect
shaving is produced, the way they seem to jump to the work when tuned just so. </div>
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But more importantly, it’s the effect they have on a board
that is so incredible. A piece of wood, surfaced in a planer or jointer in the
machine shop and appearing perfectly fine to the eye, comes alive when the hand
planer is used. </div>
Something happens. The board begins to glow, the facets reflecting
the light and revealing a warmth that was always there beneath the surface but
that a machine simple didn’t have the ability to unveil.
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It’s a beautiful thing and a blessing to hold the tools in
my hands and know that these things, built to do work, are successful at that
objective. I want to be that way too.</div>
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<br /></div>
andyjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272407647011658138noreply@blogger.com0