sai.ko - aspiring woodworker

beginner woodturner from Poland, trying to sort things out

[saiko-pl]

Staram się czytać japońską książkę z pomocą nowych technologii. Efekt taki se😂😂 #ychair #hanswegner #danishcord #googletranslate

[saiko-pl]

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Z tej lipy będę robił siedzenie do #fotelbujany. W planach miałem pomalowanie jej na czarny mat, ale zaskoczyła mnie pozytywnie i może zostawię niemalowaną.#windsor #lipa #boxwood

[saiko-pl]

W końcu ogarnąłem w piwnicy miejsce, gdzie mam zamiar zrobić parę krzeseł 🐢 #piwnica #windsor #powoli #slow ty this is place where I hope to make some #Windsor #chairs starting with @petergalbert rocker form @finewoodworkingmagazine article

[saiko-pl]

That's what happens when you don't have dedicated place for drying bowls...bowls, bowls everywere #toczenie #drewno #miska #woodturning #galanteria

[saiko-pl]

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I think I am addicted to green wood turning. I got some dried out bowls waiting to be finish turned and sanded, but instead I am rough turning more bowls. #woodturning #toczenie #drewno #miska

[saiko-pl]

A “little” wobbly, my little lathe (bowl has a different moisture content in different places)

[saiko-pl]

#woodturning #toczenie #drewno #miska #rekodzielo (w: Poznan, Poland)

[saiko-pl]

This one pushed limits of my small lathe. Also I have learned how to not hold a gauge when turning offbalanced piece. My thumb took a beating.

[saiko-pl]

 old birch

[saiko-pl]

#woodturning #toczenie #drewno

[saiko-pl]

I find Kylle Sebree works very appealing. Simple, very warm. I just want to touch them, no sharp edges, following the grain with curves etc. I really like those small adjustment he makes. He also have a blog, where he documents process of creating his pieces, worth a read.

If you could do only 3 joints, what joints would you choose?

Open mortise and tenon (bridal joint) they are simple and incredibly Dovetails…of course , Edge joint. What are top 5 most used power tools/machines in your shop?

 I would say the most used is a well-tuned bandsaw. Then, after that would be be about the same from jointer/planer/table saw/festool domino   What is in your opinion most common mistake, made by beginners?

Trying to overuse power tools in the beginning and not hone on your hand tool skills, sharping is also very important. What in your opinion is not taught to beginners but is essential to beginners

Explore and do not put design over craftsmanship. Learn to build well, while incorporating good design.

If you could recommend only 1 book to aspiring woodworker, what would it be?

Books, I’m not biggest reader but the one that really got me into the kind of work I enjoy was Fine Art of Cabinetmaking by James Krenov 

http://www.kyllesebree.com/

[saiko-pl]

My passion for designing and creating began over forty years ago.Other kids were playing Little League baseball, and I was busy in my basement workshop, using whatever tools and materials were available, learning how to take ideas and make them real.

(...)

My furniture has been described as poetic, graceful and exquisitely detailed. For me, it is an opportunity for constant exploration and engagement, and a reflection of the beauty I see in the material and natural world every day.

What I realy like about Timothy Coleman aproach to creative works, it’s that he is influenced by many things, and he is using variety of different techniques, constantly exploring.

I gather ideas from a broad spectrum, which includes sculpture, architecture, textiles, nature, and contemporary and historical furniture. I pay attention to proportion and structure, texture, pattern and color, and record things in photographs, sketches and memory. Ideas emerge from this mix and come into form as unique pieces that straddle the line between furniture and sculpture.

Quotes are from his website: http://www.timothycoleman.com/

Here are his answers to my questions:

If you could do only 3 joints, what joints would you choose?

Mortise and tenon

Splined miter

Dovetail

What are top 5 most used power tools/machines in your shop?

Band saw

Jointer

Planer

Table saw

Router

What is in your opinion most common mistake, made by beginners?

Underestimating the time it takes to do something correctly

What in your opinion is not taught to beginners but is essential to beginners?

Basic sharpening techniques for hand tools

What would be your advice to your younger self starting adventure with woodworking?

Visit and talk to many people in the profession

If you could recommend only 1 book to aspiring woodworker, what would it be? (here are three)

The Encyclopedia of Furniture Making by Ernest Joyce

Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking from Taunton Books

The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking by James Krenov (my teacher)

Also on his site, there is his article about cuting own veneer on bandsaw:

http://www.timothycoleman.com/#!publications/cyaq

check it out.

[settlementpostbeam]

Here’s how it done guys, a hand chopped timber mortise.

[saiko-pl]

I have been slacking latly about updating my blog.  Another of series of micro-interviews, this time with Laszlo Beckett.

Laszlo Beckett elegantly combines the aesthetics of fine furniture making with contemporary digital design. Working in solid hardwoods, his designs embrace traditional skills with their emphasis on strength, beauty and lasting purpose whilst exploring the new landscape of digital craft. From this comes unique work, which is balanced in both context and form. Laszlo’s background includes photography, graphic design, art education and music production. This diverse creative language informs the composition, proportion and digital aspect of his designs. After completing a fine furniture course with Christopher Faulkner, Laszlo set up his studio in London. He is currently designing the 'Sarasa' collection and taking commissions.

If you could do only 3 joints, what joints would you choose?

Double lap hidden dovetail, butt joint, mortice and tenon

What are top 5 most used power tools/machines in your shop?

Planer/ thicknesser, dimension saw, drum sander, radial sander, Domino jointer

What is in your opinion most common mistake, made by beginners?

Cutting corners before you are knowledgable enough to do so.

What in your opinion is not taught to beginners but is essential to beginners?

Understanding design is more important than understanding woodwork.

What would be your advice to your younger self starting adventure with woodworking?

You should have started earlier.

If you could recommend only 1 book to aspiring woodworker, what would it be? 

George Nakashima - The Soul of a Tree You can find more works of Laszlo here: http://www.laszlobeckett.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LaszloBeckettFurniture

But I think most “active” site is about his colaboration with  Rafe Mullarkey: http://www.larkbeck.com/

[saiko-pl]

[saiko-pl]

Since 2011 she has been the Program Director of the Fine Woodworking program at the College of the Redwoods in northern California. She is the founding President of The Krenov Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the craft of fine woodworking in northern California, by conducting educational programs and providing material and financial support to individuals and institutions in that field.

Photos above are from www.yaffemays.com, as Yaffemays is collaboration of Laura Mays and Rebecca Yaffe. I'm very fond of Laura Mays boxes series facades. As a former origamist I appreciate how subtle change in facets can change look of piece, thanks to play with light. She wrote article about how to make boxes in Fine Woodworking 240.

She also made several lectures about woodworking, which I find worth listing to.

If you could do only 3 joints, what joints would you choose?

a) Edge joint. In a way hardly a joint because there is no mechanical interlock, but vital to be able to do well so that you can make wider panels. And if you join on an angle you can make a curved panel. b) Mortise and tenons. A huge family of joints that allow you to make almost anything. c) Dovetails. Mechanically strong and great looking.

What are top 5 most used power tools/machines in your shop?

a) Bandsaw.A good one, probably old (second hand), with a cast table, nice and heavy to reduce vibration. b) Planer and thicknesser. c) Router. d) Cordless drill. e) Table saw. 

What is in your opinion most common mistake,made by beginners? 

Not knowing how to sharpen hand tools and attempting to abrade and powertool themselves out of problems. And not accommodating for wood movement in the construction of the piece.

What in your opinion is not taught to beginners but is essential to beginners?

Keeping edges crisp but also friendly to the touch. And sharpening (as above).

What would be your advice to your younger self starting adventure with woodworking?

Read as much as you can, magazines, books..... Study the construction of old pieces of furniture. You don't have to like the look of something to learn a lot from it. Experience as many types of styles of wood working you can, then decide what you love best combine skills or go towards a single type.

If you could recommend only 1 book to aspiring woodworker, what would it be? 

 I can't reduce to just one, so I say for techniques and construction of almost everything, Joyce, Encyclopedia of Furniture Making, and then either The Impractical Cabinet Maker or The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking by James Krenov. 

As mentioned earlier her website is:

http://www.yaffemays.com/

https://www.facebook.com/YaffeMays?fref=ts

[saiko-pl]

Next micro interview is with Paul Lemiski, who is running canadianwoodworks. Half of google search image results for "Maloof joint" are his works. Really like his sculptured style furniture, and fact, that his sharing his method of works on social media. 

I am an inspired woodworker who specializes in hand sculpted custom wooden rocking chairs, dining chairs, stools, and tables built to standards seldom seen these days. My shop nestles in Acton Ontario Canada just west of Toronto. I design & build custom furniture and look forward to hearing from you.  

- Paul Lemiski

If you could do only 3 joints, what joints would you choose?

I love the Maloof joint I use in my chairs, the floating tenon is the next then, then the screw joint, I use 4'' screws in most end grain to long grain joints.

What are top 5 most used power tools/machines in your shop?

Jointer, Planer, Table saw, Edge sander, shaper/router

What is in your opinion most common mistake,made by beginners?

Speed, especially when your starting out, take your time! 

What, in your opinion, is not taught to beginners but is essential to beginners?

Understanding that every hour of wood working, you need an hour to spend to build your business behind the scenes.

What would be your advice to your younger self starting adventure withwoodworking?

Experience as many types of styles of wood working you can, then decide what you love best combine skills or go towards a single type.

If you could recommend only 1 book to aspiring woodworker, what would it be?

Tage Frid or Sam Maloof

You can follow him: http://www.canadianwoodworks.com/

http://canadianwoodworks.tumblr.com/

https://instagram.com/canadianwoodworks/

https://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianWoodworks