After a day of work at Lee Valley Tools, I came home and found myself in my shop with a bit of time. I had a simple project already started and only a little more work remained before assembly. I finished cutting the 6mm mortises with my Festool Domino Joiner and began the glue-up, which … Continue reading Unforeseen Challenges
Last week's Picture Inspiration proved to be a real challenge. We, at #Woodchat, were looking at a picture of an SR71 stealth plane. Most of us started by looking at the actual shape of the plane and trying to relate what we saw to lines suitable for a furniture design. When I found that didn't … Continue reading A Topless Table
There's no part in [a motorcycle], no shape in [a motorcycle], that is not out of someone's mind... a person who does machining or foundry work or forge work or welding sees "steel" as having no shape at all. Steel can be any shape you want if you are skilled enough, and any shape but the one … Continue reading What Defines Form?
There are a number of woodworking blogs that I follow and I found this tidbit of wisdom on This Business About Woodworking: If there is something you really want to do, do it now. Don’t wait thinking that you will find time one of these days because time cannot be found. And don’t think you will make … Continue reading Time
Start with a sketch, but make it quick. There’s real work to be done. - Stefan Hartwing (This quote has been added to my page Quotables, where you'll find many more interesting quotes.) For the past five weeks at #Woodchat on Air, we have been playing our new design game called #Woodchat's Picture Inspiration. We looked … Continue reading Week Six of #Woodchat’s Picture Inspiration!
#Woodchat on Air is a weekly online woodworking program hosted by Matt Gradwohl of Uppercut Woodworks, Scott Meek of Scott Meek Woodworks, and me. Watch it Wednesday nights at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern (duration: approximately 1 hour). Last year, we at #Woodchat on Air ran the #Woodchat Telephone Game Design Experiment. We started with one design … Continue reading #Woodchat’s Picture Inspiration! Design Game
When I had the chance to make a living as a furniture maker, it was a dream come true. However, I soon realized that my chosen path was a very difficult one and found that I needed to adapt my designs to appeal to consumers. In this video, I share some of my best tips for making … Continue reading How to Make Furniture that Sells
Many artist submissions require some sort of artist statement. Rather than reuse the same one every time, I prefer to write one for every submission. Here is my latest. Experimentation is the best teacher and I am constantly pushing myself to create failures. Only through a combination of failures and successes can I truly understand … Continue reading I Push Myself to Create Failures
Last Sunday, I was at the Opening Reception of Discovery: Air at the Seymour Art Gallery. Wireframe Cabinet was on display in the middle of the room. The gallery was extremely busy to the extent that it was quite difficult to move. I took this photo at the end of the day. Although the cabinet … Continue reading Crash! And then there was Silence
I spent the holidays with my family and friends, completely away from the shop. It was a really nice break and quite refreshing from the busy pace that two businesses and too-many-side-projects-to-count guarantees. Being around others reminded me that there are lots of ways to make a living, many of which require much less effort … Continue reading This is For Love
