The Wood Ninja

Another great woodworker that I interviewed in my series on Design is Chris Wong. Chris is a very interesting guy and he is also very active in the online woodworking community. He is a woodworker, tool builder, and writer, just to name a few. Chris’ blog is Flair Woodworks. Here are the questions that I asked him and his answers. I hope you enjoy!

1. What are some of your favorite design resources? Do you have any reference books or maybe websites that you go back to over and over in the course of a design?

The only one that I use as a resource (something I turn to when I’m stuck) is The 500 Series by Lark Books. There are lots of ideas on the web but it is too difficult and time consuming to browse.

2. Do you feel like you have a specific style as far as your designs go? Could you maybe site a favorite designer or maybe style and/or period of furniture that you tend to gravitate towards in your designs?

I don’t think that you can pin my work as being a specific style, but there are certain characteristics evident in my work. Most of my work is sculptural and the lines of a piece are very important to me. It has to look right. Though the lines of a piece may be complex, ornamentation (relief carving, inlay, etc) is usually sparse.

3. I would love to know how you got your start in woodworking.

When I was young, uncles (who were handy people) helped me make some boring projects like Shaker and Arts and Crafts furniture. Just kidding. They helped me with basic projects like bird houses, plywood models, and other things. I remember getting a lot of use from my jigsaw (the handheld power type). I took all the woodworking classes offered in high school and used the shop time to build some larger projects on my own such as a Morris Chair and Mission-style bed which I had designed. Once I left high school, I left the Arts and Crafts stuff behind and set up my own shop and began experimenting on my own.

4. What are some of the pieces of other woodworkers (or maybe just entire works of a specific woodworker) that you have found to be most inspirational?

I’ve profiled some Notable Inspirations on my blog, the most well known being Wendell Castle’s Ghost Clock. Most of these pieces expand my way of thinking.

Here’s a link: http://flairwoodworks.com/category/notable-inspirations/

Some elements of other woodworkers’ work that inspire me are:

Sam Maloof’s hard and soft edges

Wharton Esherick’s prismatic forms

Conrad Sarzynick’s perfection of lines and surface finish

5. Your pieces always seem to me to be designed first with form in mind. Actually I would personally classify your work as art using wood as the medium more than I would classify it as woodworking. How often do you design a piece without ever caring wether or not it will be able to provide a function?

When building functional furniture, I pare down function to the most basic form. For example, a table must have a flat surface. When I am not bound by form or function at all, I have one simple question which I have to answer before every move: do I want to include or not include this? If I think that I can carve out a crack and not violate the form, I may try that. If I find a section with colours or grain pattern that I like, I may leave it alone. If I start with a square block of wood, the more corners, edges and square surfaces I remove, the less it looks like it came from a square block and it takes on a life of its own.

6. What inspires you most? Is it going into the shop, going out and buying wood, reading books, etc.?

That’s a tough question. Usually it’s something specific I want to accomplish, like using a dial indicator to poke fun at woodworkers who insist on absolute precision (http://flairwoodworks.com/a-box-called-necessessity/), or utilize a really unique piece of wood (http://flairwoodworks.com/ash-table/ and http://flairwoodworks.com/relationship-study/).

Thanks for reading!

Kenny

I decided to post the questions that I’ve been using for the “interview” that came about as the result of my recent post “Function Over Form“. Because I can’t possibly “interview” all of the awesome designers out there, I would invite any of you to send me your feedback on any and all of the questions if you feel you have some insights to offer.

The only “order” to these question is the order in which I thought them up. Please feel free to answer them however you see fit. My only intention here is to find the gaps where I can do more to become a better designer. If you feel you’ve answered multiple questions in one, just leave the others blank.

1. What are some of your favorite design resources? Do you have any reference books or maybe websites that you go back to over and over in the course of a design?

2. Do you feel like you have a specific style as far as your designs go? Could you maybe site a favorite designer or maybe style and/or period of furniture that you tend to gravitate towards in your designs?

3.  I would love to know how you got your start in woodworking. What type of things did you start out building. Also, how did your progression of tools go? Did you start out buying the usual DIY sort of tools (circular saw, drill, hammer, etc.) or did you go straight towards the sort of tools used to build finer furniture? Also, how many of your tools did you have to “upgrade” because you bought cheaper and/or low end tools first?

4. What are some of the pieces of other woodworkers/designers (or maybe just entire works of a specific woodworker/designer) that you have found to be most inspirational?

5. Do you ever design a piece without ever caring wether or not it will be able to provide a function?

6. What inspires you most? Is it maybe a need for a specific piece? Is it maybe going into the shop or maybe going to the hardwood dealer and picking up wood? Just curious if you have that one thing that really gets you inspired for a new design.

7. This entire process for me is all about expanding myself as a designer. If you can think of anything else that I may have failed to ask that you think would be valuable, please feel free to elaborate on it.

Thanks again in advance for your help!

Kenny

thewoodninja.com

I recently wrote a post titled Function Over Form. The post was basically about my shortcomings as a designer as it pertains to my woodworking. As a result of the post, I’ve been trying to “interview” woodworkers who’s designs I have been impressed with.  I’ve been fortunate to hear from quite a few woodworkers that were more than eager to provide their input. Ultimately I was blown away by the overwhelming responses. This post was a result of my interview with Rob Bois of The Bois Shop.

Rob is a blogger and a podcaster. I’ve been following him on Twitter for a couple of years now but only started closely following his blog about 6 months ago. The pieces that Rob designed and built really impressed me and he was the first woodworker that I decided to “interview”. If you haven’t watched Rob’s podcast, believe me you owe it to yourself to check out his videos.

Rob’s crescent front writing desk in walnut.

1. What are some of your favorite design resources? Do you have any reference books or maybe websites that you go back to over and over in the course of a design?

Aside from the woodworking mags, I got a lot of value out of a few key books. I’ll list them in the order I read them, as they follow a general progression of skills:

Woodworkers Visual Handbook by Jon Arno - really a woodworking 101 book, but I still refer back to it even now on occasion

Setting up Shop – Sandor Nagyszalanczy - my shop rebuild would be half as functional had I not read this book first

The Handplane Book by Garret Hack - a must own if you use hand planes at all

Furniture & Cabinet Construction by Andy Rae - a how-to guide for every joint and common type of furniture

Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture - even if you don’t build shaker style, this will give you an appreciation for construction

American Furniture of the 18th Century - like the Shaker book, even if you don’t have any interest in building period furniture, this will help with design and construction of any type

The New Wood Finishing Book – Michael Dresdner - I reached a period where I realized I needed to improve my entire approach to finishing, and this is the book that got me there

Artistry in Wood by Thomas Moser - a great inspiration to finding your own “voice” in design

Furniture Design – Jim Postell - almost a text book, but great to help you think beyond period design and think more like an industrial designer when it comes to furniture

Chairmaking & Design by Jeff Miller - this is where I’m headed next

2. Do you feel like you have a specific style as far as your designs go? Could you maybe site a favorite designer or maybe style and/or period of furniture that you tend to gravitate towards in your designs?

As the book list probably indicates, I’ve gotten influence from Shaker to Queen Anne to Art Deco. I think the Moser book inspired me the most, in that he described how he uses a lot of Shaker bones to his pieces, but has incorporated design elements from Asian influences and others. I think of my design style as a combination of lots of things. If I see a curve or a detail I really like, I put it in my sketch book for later retrieval. Often times, I’ll draw and redraw a leg shape or curve a dozen times before I get something I like. I can’t say I took the shape from somewhere, but I’m sure all my experience with different styles influenced my eye in settling on the final shape and design.

In general, I do use Shaker joinery for my casework and drawers. I also subscribe to the “more is less” theory in that I’ll use stringing or other light detail to accent a shape or a curve or a shadow line, but I don’t overdo it. I like to let the wood stand on its own whenever possible. I’ve been known to use a single 6′ long, 8″ wide board to source a single pair of drawer fronts, aligning the grain and figure to get the best result. When I buy my stock, I pick individual sticks of lumber to source specific components of my furniture, I don’t treat the wood like a commodity or just pull “x” board feet to match a cut list. I believe my choice of stock and grain is inseparable from my design, which is why I mention it.

3.  I would love to know how you got your start in woodworking. What type of things did you start out building. Also, how did your progression of tools go? Did you start out buying the usual DIY sort of tools (circular saw, drill, hammer, etc.) or did you go straight towards the sort of tools used to build finer furniture? Also, how many of your tools did you have to “upgrade” because you bought cheaper and/or low end tools first?

Ah the good old days. My first shop space was a corner in my basement surrounded by the gas-fired boiler and hot water heater (sawdust is flammable?). I had a bench top Craftsman table saw, a Delta Shopmaster miter saw, and a Craftsman router. I built small Shaker-style end tables and some boxes. Soon I upgraded the table saw to a Jet contractor-style saw that cut like a dream, but lacked cast iron extension wings. I also upgraded the miter saw to a Makita SCMS. I also bought a bench top Craftsman router table and a Ryobi bench top drill press. But I still had no proper bench or any dimensioning tools.

At this point I built my first bookcase and hall table, and was reading like crazy. I realized my shop and tooling was just not sufficient to build what I wanted to. So I then upgraded the table saw to a Steel city with big extension wings and a standard miter slot (the Incra miter gauge followed shortly). I also added a Rikon 14″ band saw and 6″ Rikon jointer, as well as a Delta 22-580 planer. I completely enclosed a much larger section of the basement, adding dedicated circuits for a JDC Dustforce DC, the big power tools, and all the handheld tools. I also built out a closet for the DC and a wine cellar (while I was at it).

Next I build my 21st Century Workbench now that I had the jointer and planer in the shop. Once that was done, I also started adding both reconditioned vintage hand tools as well as those from Lee Valley and Lie-Nielsen. I also built a proper router table (Jessem) and added a Triton plunge router as well as a few trim routers to the arsenal.

This setup worked well for the next two years or so, but I still had some limitations. I was finding that most of my stock was between 6″ and 8″ wide, and the 6″ jointer just wasn’t sufficient. I also had no assembly area or wood storage. So, with permission from the wife, I rented out a 10×10 storage unit near by, and moved everything else out of my basement and doubled the shop space. I considered renting shop space, but at closer to $900/month it was cost prohibitive relative to the $200/month storage unit.

This new space become the dimensioning and finishing room. It allowed me to upgrade to the Powermatic 8″ spiral-head jointer, add lumber storage above it, and also add an assembly/finish cabinet as well as my full clamp rack. I also added a Jet 16/32 drum sander to the equation. I then moved the band saw and planer into the new room and also extended the dust collection and compressed air to this space. Since it is separate, I can now be doing assembly & finish work in that room while I’m working on the joinery for the next project in the next, and not have to worry about dust contamination. I also added an HVLP spray gun at this point.

More recently I’ve added a lot more Festool, usually as commissions dictate. I have the TS55, two sanders, the Domino XL, and CT Mini. I also bought some new hand saws recently as I’ve gotten into some more complex joinery situations that made power tools a more challenging option. Next I plan to buy some steam bending equipment, and someday I’d also like to add an 18″ band saw to the mix so I can have that dedicated to resawing while the 14″ can be used for curve cutting. But beyond that, I’m largely done adding any major new tooling to the space. I have little interest in turning, so I have no plans to add a lathe.

A few lessons learned:

-Never buy Craftsman. Ever.

-A 6″ jointer won’t cut it for serious furniture making

-A good band saw is more important than a table saw

-Don’t invest in an expensive drill press.

-Buy new hand planes if you can possibly afford it. Life is too short to spend hours flattening a plane sole when you could be working with wood.

-Don’t get too sucked into the online forums or woodworking mags. They tend to breathe their own exhaust, start ridiculous fads (Moxon vise or Roubo bench anyone) and stifle creativity and imagination.

-Don’t follow woodworking plans unless you have no interest in expanding your design or woodworking skills.

-Tools and woodworking skills are a commodity. Design is your brand and your distinctive competence.

Thanks for reading!

Kenny

Let me start off here with a little disclaimer. I often tell people that I am not a very good woodworker. I am extremely hard on myself when it comes to my woodworking. I am definately my own worst critic. Please don’t read anything into this post as I am directing this all at myself. Here goes.

Where exactly is the skill in woodworking? I feel like the mechanics of woodworking can be done by practically anyone. Believe me if I can do it anyone can! I like to say that if you can learn to type then you can learn to cut a dovetail. I have often said the same thing about playing the guitar. I remember telling my wife 4 years ago that I wanted to buy a guitar and learn to play. When she asked me if I thought I was “musically inclined enough to play”, my response was, “I learned to type, this is just a different kind of keyboard”. And it really was just that. Learn where to place your fingers and hands in order to produce the character (note) on the page. Isn’t it all the same thing with woodworking. Once you’ve learned to cut a tenon or a dovetail, it’s not like you have to relearn it every time. All that is required is to keep practicing to stay sharp. What I guess I’m saying is, once you’ve learned the mechanics, what else is there except for design? Knowing how to use a guitar to turn notes on a page into music doesn’t make me a musician any more than knowing how to type makes me a writer (which I REALLY don’t claim to be either/or).

That’s why I feel like the real skill in woodworking is in design. That’s the reason I always say that I’m not a very good woodworker. I can replicate practically any piece of furniture or cabinet that you can show me. However when it comes to designing a piece myself, I’m as lost as a frog in the fog. I’m not saying that I’ve never designed anything myself. Actually, I’ve designed a few pieces that were quite unique. Don’t get excited though because unique in this case isn’t meant to be taken as bragging. My limitation in design is that my brain stops after the function part of the equation is completed. Form is what always tends to elude me. Tell me what function the piece is meant to serve and I will build it for you, but unless you show me some pictures of what you want it to look like, I promise it will be pretty darn basic! An artist I am not.

One of the great things that we woodworkers have today that we didn’t have 15 years ago when I got started is the internet. When I first got interested all I had was 30 minutes of Norm every Saturday and whatever woodworking magazines that I could get my hands on. With the internet, blogs, podcasts, and social media, it is so unbelievably easy to connect with woodworkers these days. Here in Louisiana we don’t even have Woodcraft or Rockler store anywhere in the state. However, because of the magic of the web, I can order whatever specialty tool or piece of wood that I want right from cyberspace. I also have access to lots of woodworkers that are always more than willing to share tips, tricks, ideas, encouragement, and if I’m willing to receive it, critique.

Because of my limitations as a designer, the woodworking content that appeals to me most involves an artist/woodworker that designs and executes his or her’s own designs. One of the guys that comes to mind when I start thinking along these lines is Chris Wong of Flairwoodworks.com . Now before I go farther, just to be clear, I think Chris is just an artist that chose wood as his medium. Chris’ seems to design by form and then builds in some function if possible. His work really is art. Do yourself a favor if you haven’t already and check out his work. He also posts some pretty entertaining stuff on Twitter if you want to give him a follow. In addition to Flairwoodworks.com, Chris can also be found making tools at Timewarptoolworks.com

Another woodworker that I have taken an  interest in lately is Rob Bois. Rob has a podcast that can be subscribed to in iTunes. He can also be found at his blog site which is theboisshop.blogspot.com. Rob also has a site where some of his pieces can be viewed and purchased. That site is newtonwoodworking.com. Rob is what I would consider a great woodworker as well because he designs and executes his own pieces. I recently started watching Robs podcast about 2 months ago and I was hooked right away.

I was inspired by both Chris and Rob (as well as quite a few other woodworkers) to really start focusing more on the design aspect of my work. I have started the process of “interviewing” Chris and Rob (and hopefully others to come) and I will hopefully be sharing some of what I learn from them in future posts.

Kenny