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
Blog
The Lights are Still On at Flair Woodworks
Not often does an entire week pass (let alone two!) without a new article here on my blog, but this month that happened. Let me assure that I am still here, and the lights are still on in my shop. In fact, I'm as busy as ever with a wide variety of projects. Cribbage Boards! There … Continue reading The Lights are Still On at Flair Woodworks
More Multi-Layer Jigsaw Puzzles
Big or small - I make them all! Last year I made two large, complex and challenging jigsaw puzzles with 90 and 140 pieces, respectively. Making a puzzle involves cutting out sections of pieces, turning them on edge, cutting them again, turning each section another time and making more cuts. The result is a pile … Continue reading More Multi-Layer Jigsaw Puzzles
Push to Open
This cabinet is called Push to Open. It was started with the idea to make a fine cabinet - something I haven't done since 2010. I had a few pieces of figured cherry left over from another project and I let their sizes provide an indication of the size of the cabinet. The front panel was … Continue reading Push to Open
Sneak Peek of New Work: Push to Open
Enjoy. (Video duration: 18 seconds.)
A Day of Infinite Frustration, but Success in the End
My primary task on Monday was to build a sample project for a seminar I'm teaching later this month called Make an Infinity Mirror Clock. Despite a number of unexpected complications, one miscalculation, a few mistakes, and a spring clamp launching itself right past my ear (wear eye protection when using clamps!), I got the clock … Continue reading A Day of Infinite Frustration, but Success in the End
The Start of Black Walnut Cribbage Boards
It's been a wild few days on the west coast. Saturday it began snowing, and two days earlier I spent the day in warm, sunny weather. It was a beautiful Thursday morning when Dave Kilpatrick and I set up to cut some small, live-edge walnut pieces, destined to become cribbage boards. I positioned the chunks … Continue reading The Start of Black Walnut Cribbage Boards
Experience Twisted Art
Join me from 6-8pm tonight (Wednesday, February 19th) at the Port Moody Art Centre for the Opening Reception of their newest exhibit, Twisted. The exhibition runs until March 13. See twisted art from across Canada, including three of my pieces. One of my newest pieces was created just for this show. It's called Chair with … Continue reading Experience Twisted Art
Results from the Shop Stool Build-Off
This is a long post because there are lots of prize winners for the Shop Stool Build-Off! If you are listed as a winner, but have not received an e-mail from me, please contact me to organize the delivery of your prize! Thank you to all the participants, sponsors, judges, and everyone who voted. Nearly … Continue reading Results from the Shop Stool Build-Off
Design Blogs Provide Inspiration
Reminder: tomorrow is the last day to vote for your favourite shop stools! If you follow my Twitter or Pinterest account, you've seen some of the designs by other makers that intrigue or inspire me. Most of these come from the following design blogs. Among these sites, there is a considerable volume of pictures and … Continue reading Design Blogs Provide Inspiration
