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!
When not required to make something that meets a certain set of criteria, I am free to let the design evolve on its own. Sometimes (but not often), I end up making nothing more than scrap wood and sawdust. That's how it goes sometimes. I feel that this quote embodies my philosophy on making speculative … Continue reading How I Prefer to Make Speculative Work
Knowledge is good, but sometimes it can be blinding. It can lead to incorrect assumptions and closed minds. Currently, I'm reading The New Furniture which addresses how technology is changing the woodworking industry. In the book, Ken Susnjara made this comment on how his company, Thermwood, came to invent the first CNC control. In truth, this … Continue reading You Don’t Need to Know What You Are Doing
One of my greatest inspirations is the idea of improvement. I am not content simply reproducing existing designs - I always like to try new things and new ideas. Man seems to be a problem-seeking as well as a problem-solving animal. We are programmed to change, develop, and meet new challenges until we die. Anthony … Continue reading Possibilities Inspire Me
Is Technology a Threat? As technology improves and machinery becomes more affordable, many people feel threatened - they fear that they are being replaced and will one day be unnecessary. In the world of woodworking, the machine of primary threat is the CNC router. What is a CNC Machine, Really? I do not feel threatened. … Continue reading Can We Be Replaced?
Tolerances and precision in woodworking have been two ideas that I've been contemplating for a long time (see A Box Called "Tolerences" and A Box Called "Necessessity"). That was why Magic Square captured my attention. This video outlines the benefits of Magic Square (duration - 4:24). This is the seventeenth slide from my PechaKucha presentation.
Friday, April 12th at 6:30pm is when the 14th Annual Artwalk will kick off with the opening reception at Old Mill Boathouse (#3 on the map) at Rocky Point Park. Then, Saturday and Sunday will feature the Artwalk event. Most of the venues will be along Clarke Street in Port Moody and in the middle of everything … Continue reading Artwalk 2013
Power carving is unlike working with hand tools because you can remove wood without regard for grain direction or knots. To me, this is liberating as I can focus on form. As I work, I constantly ask myself, "Do I want to save this section or obliterate it? My sculpting approach is to simply remove … Continue reading Include or Exclude?
Some of my recent designs have involved complex angled joinery, such as the base of this table inspired by a sketch by Vic Hubbard. I was having a hard time visualizing in my head how the joinery would work, so I built a prototype to help me understand. Since it's only a prototype to explore the mechanics … Continue reading The Value of Prototyping
Ten months ago, my co-host Matt Gradwohl and I retooled the weekly Twitter chat known as #Woodchat and added a video component to include more content. Last Wednesday, we talked with our guest Eli Cleveland of The Furniture Project about how to show work in a furniture show. We had a lot of questions for Eli and he … Continue reading #Woodchat Discusses Furniture Shows
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 