Woodworking in America Conference ……….my look

Click to Play Woodworking in America was focused for a weekend in Berea, Kentucky, but the world was a part.You'll find my coverage of the conference was more about the stories and thoughts outside the classroom and tried more to get a look into who are today's woodworker's.You'll also find short Skype video reports from the conference posted over at the Folding Rule Blog. A daily rehash of going' on at the conference.The... 

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Silas Kopf ……..a day in marquetry

Click to Play So Gigi and I took a road trip to East Hampton, MA to visit the famed marquetuer Silas Kopf. The time went to fast.Silas took us through the making of a tulip that I've weaved in and out of our discussions on what form follows,  materials, creativity,  to what gets you excited, and even touch on searching for what's next.Silas takes us on a shop tour and introduces us to his right hand and cabinetmaker Tom Coughlin. He... 

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Justin DiPalma at the Wheaton Arts Craft Fair

Click to Play So I met Justin DiPalma for the first time face to face in May 2008 in my kitchen. Our first introduction was through the internet and we decided to drive up to T-Chisel's shop in Boston for a woodworker's weekend together. A good friendship evolved. We talked woodworking and the direction of woodworking, his personal preferences to woodworking, dream pieces to build and then he mentioned a juried show he applied to. Justin... 

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Wendell Castle Interview - Part 2

Here's the conclusion to our time with Wendell Castle. We dive in again and touch all aspects of his career. Starting where we left off at "Extreme" to how he uses the digital world in his work today. Wendell in passing even mentions the weak dollar and its effect on his building.I hope you enjoy the conclusion as much as I enjoyed preparing us for Wendell Castle.  Remember, Wendell Castle showed us how to look at furniture differently. So whether we are designing a Delaware Valley... 

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Wendell Castle Interview - Part 1

This is a very important interview for the furniture design and woodworking community as a whole with Wendell Castle.Those of you who follow the blog are prepared for this interview. You have been exposed to his web site, gone through his design process, and I have built a piece inspired by Castle in stack and bent lamination, techniques that Castle brought to the forefront in pushing furniture design. This interview is the culmination of presenting to you, a very important figure in our craft.We... 

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Charles and Ray Eames US Postal Stamps

Hi everybody...........I'm on a roll, what a past 2 weeks. And now it ends with US Postal Service Commemorative Stamps all about the Eames.Herman Miller, DJ DuPree, George Nelson, Noguchi.....we've been exposed to Eames and should surely appreciate this stamp.I always buy a sheet to tuck in one of my woodworking text. Kinda fun finding it a few years down the road.Pick up a sheet, if you're a follower of the blog you know the "Eames Team".NeilPS......editing now, look for a very special interview... 

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My Design Process inspired by: a Wendell Castle Build

This is my entry into the Fine Woodworking Maple Build-off Challenge. Come along for a trip down my design process on this multi-functional piece of furniture.Gigi calls it: "Morning Coffee and a Crossword" the piece is her crossword puzzle work station. Is the unit a lighting fixture? an end table? a magazine rack?, it's all three.Learn more of Wendell Castle and investigate the genius of Achille Castiglioni. And let me know what you think of this Wendell Castle inspired, functional sculpture.ENJOY!!!!!!Here's... 

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Build - Build - Build and inside the shop of a craftsman

This post intro's with a sound clip from the Chris Schwarz interview by Matt of Matts Basement Workshop. If you are a listener of the Basement Workshop, many of you will agree, that few just plan love the craft more than Matt.I address and rededicate my passion for the Build and lead into a video produced for the Furniture Society Blog blogmaster David Richardson.The video goes into the shop of David Ebner, where he graciously shares his craft in demonstartion. Mr Ebner will be a presenter at this... 

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Design - in the Balance

The Element of Design.........Balance usually starts and ends in discussion with a piece having visual balance and structural balance.Lets take the element of balance one step further in the Design process. A place where its never thought of. Formats available: Quicktime (.mov) Read More →

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Mollino, Wendell Castle and the Rough Cut Forum

So the motto over at the “Rough Cut Forum” is “less type-type, more chop-chop” and that’s meaningful to me. I’ve cleared some time, because I’ve been “chop-chop’in”.When you are a builder, in our case in wood, each endeavor, demands laser beam focus. A bit of self evaluation has me noticing that I post more when my work is completed and I’m transitioning, a very good trait for a building woodworker. I get notes from the guys over in T-Mac’s Forum telling me to get “chop,... 

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Ep15 Carlo Mollino 06 Part 2

Here is part 2 of furniture designer, architect, Carlo Mollino and our interpretation of his bent plywood coffee table.It's machining and shaping and thinking that keeps this Mollino piece a fun challenge to go after.Between parts 1 and 2, we take Carlo's Plum Pudding and catch it up to Carlo's Birds-eye and the next step.Enjoy........ I'm sure Carlo would be pleased.Formats available: Quicktime (.mov) Read More →

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Ep15 Carlo Mollino 06 Part 1

Here is part one of laying out and shaping Carlo’s Plum Pudding. So many design elements to consider specific to the structural integrity of the Carlo Mollino coffee table and its ability to withstand the manufacturing process. In this episode we take the furniture design through the paces of machining and with minor safeguards and careful craftsmanship, the table, structurally takes the stress. The episode is loaded with design analysis of the piece and options to its final look. Enjoy Part1... 

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Fine Woodworking Book Review - Andy Rae

Here's a new twist to the offerings. We'll be reviewing a book published by the Taunton Press called Building Doors and Drawers: A Complete Guide to Design and Construction by Andy Rae.Enjoy!!! One more loose end to pick up, Carlo is just around the corner.Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv) Read More →

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ICFF Hans Wegner and Knud Erik Hansen

Click to Play January 26th 2007...... the Furniture Industry lost one of its Furniture Design Masters, Hans Wegner.I had the opportunity to talk of Hans Wegner with Erik Hansen of Carl Hansen & Son a manufacturer of Hans Wegner's Designs.Enjoy this interview and look further in thoughts of "Danish Modern", investigate the ethos of the Scandinavian woodworker.  There is do much to draw from.Formats available: Quicktime (.mov) Read More →

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Ep14 Carlo Mollino 05

Well Carlo has us in amongst his work and it is wonderful. This episode the 5th in the building of a Carlo Mollino Coffe Table is loaded with different approachs to woodworking. It will open and fill-up your furniture designer's tool box.I am hoping that as you watch you will see new options that you can use in your own work. An approach to clamping, using a router on curves more efficiently, and understanding that you must look for curviture.It's been a while so enjoy and savor some new woodworking... 

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Curves have to be Square

Well I've recieved some e-mails and a heads-up on a post over at Wood.net, so I thought it best to fill us in on where we are with Carlo's table.We're moving along quite well. Of course video will surely follow. Although I wish I could, I cannot work exclusively on our Mollino and it's a piece that has an exceptional story. When Gigi and I have completed this next step, you will find that like Carlo, this piece takes you out of your woodworkers comfort zone and demands you be a "mechanic". This... 

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Ep13 Carlo Mollino 03

Furniture design can take the form of many different shapes. In episode four of our Carlo Mollino inspired coffee table, we find....our...shape.From a picture to full scale drawering, to the construction of our bending form, you'll see our bending ply take a shape Carlo Mollino would be proud of. One of Birds-eye maple the other of Plum Pudding Mahogany.Enjoy and let me know what you think!!!!Carlo would.Formats available: Quicktime (.mov) Read More →

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Ep 12 Carlo Mollino Design 03

In this the third installment on a furniture design inspired by Carlo Mollino, we prep our bending ply, build our bending form, and construct a fixture for a machine operation, specific to the router.This woodworking podcast presents alot of woodworking material, you'll witness how traditional woodworking meets contemporary materials. The episode expressed an opinion on how a furniture design is mentally pushed forward by always having a prepared solution.This Carlo Mollino video continues to encourage... 

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Ep 11 a Carlo Mollino Design 02

Here's our second episode on the Carlo Mollino inspired coffee table. Our homage to the charismatic Italian Architect and Designer from Turin Italy.We start with a snap of furniture history and begin to develope the atmosphere that Carlo was trained in and worked arounded.Construction engineering is dealt with in this Mollino furniture design and a present day solution is found. Our bending form template is completed and we press our 2-ply, the answer to our construction issue.This Carlo Mollino... 

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Ep 10 Carlo Mollino 01

So welcome to the world of Carlo. Carlo Mollino that is. This is the first Episode of interpretting a glass top coffee table, inspired by Italian Designer Carlo Mollino. It's a bent plywood piece that we'll produce with a finished surface of Bird-eye Maple and maple trim. Furniture design moves forward and stalls then forward again only to stall, Carlo Mollino was a Furniture Designer always in forward position. Come along for the ride as we investigate the life and interprret one of... 

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Ep 9 - Lingerie Finale

Well we've come to the end of the Contemporary Lingerie Cabinet. In this Episode we evaluate the entire finished case, we revisit some of the important design elements, discuss how important they are in the final appearance of the Quarter Sawn Ash Lingerie Cabinet, and answer some e-mail questions. This is a Modern piece of furniture done with a minimalist approach so there is nowhere to hide poor craftsmanship. The cabinet is a very, very good build. Enjoy and look forward to our next project as... 

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John Niero - ICFF

Here's an excellent interview with a young furniture designer showing at the 2007 International Contemporary Furniture Fair.The interview presents a very creative designer who plans on using the process of Rotational molding, which exposes us to a second manufacturing process available to furniture designers.Our Contemporary Lingerie Cabinet is complete and you'll get your first look at here. The build had an excellent end result and needs its own post.I'm back from vacation, a nice bareboat cruise... 

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WOOD Magazine Featured Project

The cradle you see on the cover of the September 2007 issue of WOOD Magazine is my winning design from WOOD Magazine's  Build-a-Gift Contest. Kevin Boyle and the editors at WOOD did a fabulous job. The magazine write-up is excellent, complete with full scale templates. A slide show produced by the editors is also availble for viewing, at the WOOD web-site.The video we've produced here, goes through the design progression that lead to being the featurer project. As you continue to... 

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Lingerie Cabinet Ep08 - Final Finishing

Back to our Contemporary Lingerie Cabinet and Webisode08. Here we've disassembled the case, labeled parts, final sanded and final finished to match our Finish Sample from Episode07.It's a well executed episode that turns sample finiahing into reality.Enjoy........ Formats available: Quicktime (.mov) Read More →

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Karn, Me and D.J. DePree

As most follow and look to Sam Maloof, James Krenov, or Nakashima for their readings and inspiration, I look to the ground breaking furniture manufacturer, DJ DePree who lives on through the firm he created; Herman Miller.I'm very excited to present this interview with Karn Adams a Retail Development Specialist at Herman Miller and hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.D.J. DePree is our greatest furniture manufacturer.Enjoy the history and answers that Karn so wonderfully... 

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ICFF - Aimee Less Interview02

Aimee less is a designer living in California. Her interview provides nuggets of information on design thought specific to her shell chair...The Derby.Enjoy this interview on seating from the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv) Read More →

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LumberJocks - Thorsen Challenge Entry

Here's our entry in LumberJocks Thorsen Side table Challenge.I know we were going to build it together but my time and the challenge deadline forced me to just go for it.The objective of selecting this challenge at the Lumberjocks forum however, still remains the same..... to see other woodworkers work!!! You will witness that as I expected, excellent CREATIVITY occurred.So now is the time to wonder over to Lumberjocks and have a look at the craftsmanship of fellow on-line woodworkers.GO TO: LumberJocks Read More →

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ICFF - L. Mackler Interview01

This is the first interview from the 2007 International Contemporary Furniture Fair held in NYC.The interview begins with a short introduction and feel for the ICFF, how and why I selected Laurence Mackler, the interview, followed by a short encapsulation.Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!  Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv) Read More →

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