The Skeletal Chair at my desk is my favourite seat in the house. I designed and built this chair three years ago and it has been in regular use ever since. It is comfortable and ergonomic, allowing me to lean side to side or forward, or pivot and turn on the front leg. It is … Continue reading Responsibility of the End User: Reflections on Skeletal Ash Chair
If you had access to all the greatest woods in infinite supply, what would you make? Questions like this are difficult because there really are no boundaries - anything is possible, so you must consider everything. It is much easier to be productive with limitations that restrict what is possible. Instead of looking at the … Continue reading Limitations: Are they Restrictions that Block or Focus?
Well, for starters, I’m not sure what failure really is. I’m always experimenting and learning and, to me, what others may perceive as failure is really just an indication that something can be improved. I am always looking for ways to improve things, and constantly analyzing things for weaknesses. Developing a solid design on paper (or … Continue reading What is there to be Afraid of About Failure?
A textured top might at first seem the wrong choice for a writing desk, but with computers leading the writing world nowadays we think it’s a great idea. - Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement Magazine I completed the base for the 21st Century Writing Desk, to go with the top that I carved in November. … Continue reading 21st Century Writing Desk, Complete
Progress on the 21st Century Writing Desk was put on hold while I built a customized wooden box to protect an expensive piece of equipment for a friend in the tree business. (This kind of friend is good to have if you're a woodworker!) He had recently acquired a portable winch which, while seemingly well-made, … Continue reading Custom Box to Protect a Portable Winch
So, with the top done, my next step was to design a suitable base for it. I went to my computer and started playing with designs. I had an idea for a base that consisted of a pair of rectangular frames and cross members. However, none of the variations that looked good to me. Slim, tapered … Continue reading 21st Century Writing Desk – Designing the Base
Earlier this week, I began work on a new cribbage board. The section of Pacific yew didn't look like much at first. I wanted to include this protrusion. And wanted to exclude this chainsaw cut. I screwed a straight piece of wood on to one end of the material and used a scrap of wood … Continue reading End Grain Yew Cribbage Boards, Part 1
In 2007, I was into turning in a big way. I got into turning pens using exotic woods carefully paired with a package of pen hardware. My preference was chrome-plated hardware for its durability and affordable price. The result, when paired with African Blackwood, was an undeniably classy pen. One special piece of wood was … Continue reading Roots of Flair: Pushing the Limits
After routing the jigsaw puzzle design, I made a base out of four mitred lengths of black walnut to raise the table up off the ground. That way, it didn't just look like a cube sitting on the ground. Then came finishing. Let's just say that it required some patience to get an even coat … Continue reading Finishing Puzzle Table
In Part I of this project, I cut mitred returns in the cherry crotch slab and joined the three legs to the table top with Domino floating tenons. I then cut and fit five maple dovetail keys. Due to the way that the wood dried, neither the top nor the legs were particularly flat, so … Continue reading Single-Slab Cherry Coffee Table, Part II
