Mar 23, 2015
seen from United States
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seen from United States
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seen from United States
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seen from United States
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seen from Malaysia
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
Facet Boxes
While up in Ft. Bragg I visited a local gallery that was featuring a set of boxes designed and built by the current director of the fine woodworking program, Laura Mays. Entitled Facet Boxes, this series features 5 madrone boxes resting on a redwood shelf. The faceted surfaces of each box have been planed by hand and are precisely joined using dove tails. You should take the time to check out more of Laura Mays and Rebecca Yaffe's work at Yaffe Mays.
