There was certainly a little creativity and cleverness that I put into the design of this box. Because of that, I have enjoyed the process of making them. Yesterday, I had three batches in various stages of completion and began detailing one group. Chamfering the Edges The first step was to chamfer the edges. This … Continue reading Adding Chamfers
Last week, after deciding to apply the cabinet back directly to the rear edge, I spent most of a day rehearsing and mentally preparing myself for the glue-up. In this assembly, I only glued together the cabinet sides, top and bottom. I used 3/4" x 3/4" stickers as cauls to force the finger joints together as … Continue reading Insanity 2: The Back
During the five years that I've been in business, I have made some great contacts, including local wood carver Grant McMillan. Recently, a customer bought a cribbage board (Cribbage Board #8, the last one available) from me and requested to have some letters carved in it. Since I am not particularly experienced with letter carving, … Continue reading On Team Flair: Grant McMillan
This Thursday, I am teaching a seminar called Understanding Wood Grain. In this seminar, I discuss various methods of reading the grain and demonstrate how to use this knowledge to work wood efficiently. For the hands-on component, I guide students through a variety of situations and explore a multitude of practical techniques using a bench … Continue reading Fundamentals: Understanding Wood Grain and Using a Chisel
I attribute my success to my relentless push to try to fail. Insanity 2 is about trying to design something which I cannot create. Since my last blog update on Insanity 2, I laminated two curved sides and a curved bottom. Then I was faced with the task of joining them together. Although the four … Continue reading Insanity 2: The Carcase
I have been looking for a material which can be used to develop scaled-down furniture designs. I wanted something tangible that I could handle and manipulate. I wanted something that could be used to easily create a scale model of furniture that I could hold in my hand and easily make modifications. Many options for … Continue reading Armature Wire as a Modelling Tool
When I set out to design something, I sometimes find it helpful to make a list of requirements. If designing a chair, my list might look like this: the seat must be at an appropriate height and shaped or upholstered for comfort; the chair must bear the weight of the user; it should have a … Continue reading Designing from Scratch
When working on a project as involving as Insanity 2, I find it difficult to detach myself from the project at the end of the day. As a result, I just stare into space, unable to really focus on or enjoy anything. I make for terrible company. If I want to continue doing this type … Continue reading Insanity 2: The Price of Pushing the Limits
Insanity 2 is the working name for my latest speculative project. As with most, I'm designing it as I go and using the materials as my primary inspiration. Every project starts with an inspiration This piece of ash was the inspiration. It's been sitting in my shop for years waiting for me to do something … Continue reading Insanity 2
Being able to cut a dovetail joint using only hand tools has become recognized as a level of achievement. But there are other reasons to learn how to cut joinery by hand besides proving yourself and, for me, the biggest reason is being able to deal with unique situations. The joint below on the left … Continue reading Why I Value the Ability to Cut Joints By Hand
