Eventually, most projects get completed

People often ask me what I do with my "free time". Their question assumes that I have times in which I am not in my workshop working. In truth, there are such times; for example, right now when composing this (very short) blog. I also have to go to the store to buy things once in a while, as well as seeing to other matters not related to my job, but are necessary in order to live...but these are few in number, and I spend most of my time working. I actually happen to like it this way.

My "baker's cabinet" made of elm

The question is usually intended as an inquiry into what I do for self entertainment; the answer. More work. The only real distinction about my "pleasure time" and "work time" is that what I do for "work" I  (usually) get paid for. What I create for pleasure, I almost never wind up selling, and so in essence, am making something for myself. One good thing about this sort of work, is that I get to make what I want, without worrying about someone liking it or not; because I was not making it for anyone in the first place. (This is not to say, however, that I do not like making the things my clients order, because I do. I am one of the few lucky ones who actually happens to like doing what he does for a living.)

Crest carving and marquetry detail

The downside to making things for myself is that since I am almost always busy trying to make a living, I have very little time to make anything else, so when I begin a project, it might be months or even years later before it gets completed. I am happy this week, because I managed to get one such project ticked off of the "to be completed list" (it is a rather long list, actually) Sometimes I get a boost, because I need to show someone the project, so must set myself to finishing it up. 

Lid and box-front detail

Such was the case of this hanging shelf/cabinet/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, thing which I began almost one year ago. (11 months to be exact) I am calling it a baker's cabinet, because as I see it, the box compartment is for flour and sugar, and the shelves are for oil, spice, and other things useful for baking. I hope to find someone to make some ceramic jars to use with it. I will offer it for sale at the Waterford Craft Festival in October, but I do not really anticipate anyone wanting to buy it. It is a whimsical piece which I conceived after seeing this photograph on the internet.

Original Inspiration

Comparing this original piece to what I created also speaks a bit about my sense of taste and design; namely that for me, the original was a bit too primitive and rustic looking. I decided to dress it up a bit with some veneer and edge banding. I like the hand made look, to show in the work, but at the same time, like it to be obviously well made. I also really have a hard time with simple, plain, and ordinary. Of course, the more ornamentation, and care one puts into a piece, the longer it takes to get it finished, and thus this one took nearly a year.

Several weeks ago I mentioned a 9th century box I Intend to make, that one should get its debut on this blog next week, In fact I mention it here to give myself a bit of motivation to make some more progress on it, No matter how busy one is, we always seem to make time for what we want to do, I want to make time to get this box going, and so far all I have done has been to turn the four legs and carve three of them. Posting this here will make me make the time to do what I want to do anyway. This week, anyone who wants to know what I will be doing in my "spare time" can know that I will be working some more; making something that is even more of my own soul, because I have to answer to no one for it.

This picture not available until next week

Welcome to my new blog

Since this is my first posting, I thought it might be appropriate to have a little introduction to the intents and purpose of this blog. 

My first goal is to use it as a platform to share my research and interests in medieval art as it applies to furniture and the decorative arts. The second is a way to showcase new projects as I create them in my shop. 

I am a full time professional cabinet maker who does custom work for clients. Not all projects I do will be posted here, but ones which I feel pertain to the theme of historical recreations and inspired pieces will be posted here, as they progress. I generally (in fact so far, have never) copied a piece outright, but rather, as an artist and designer myself, I look at pictures which give me inspiration, and add my own creativity to it, trying to put my mind set into the appropriate historical context. One example, to show what I mean, is this picture which I found on the web this summer.

This little shelf was the germ of inspiration for my hanging shelf below

I liked the general shape of the sides, and though i was looking at candle boxes, i decided to make a hanging shelf based on this overall form. The following pictures give an idea of the whole process i go through in building something. I will explain the process a little as the pictures progress.
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A plank of Carpathian Elm is chosen for size, fit, and grain.

Planing follows...

planing the side pieces

Most people do not know that originally a "table saw" was a saw like this, one for cutting out 'tables' as in round circles. I was not concerned about planing all the saw marks away on this, as it will be carved anyway.

The pieces were cut out with this saw, in German we call it a Fuchsschwans, which literally means a fox'es tail.

After the sides were cut out, the edges were smoothed up with a spoke shave and files, then the carving began.

Carving the bead around the edge of the sides. The entire side was sunk 5 mm to achieve the bead.

In the same way the other parts were selected, cut out and planed.

Cutting and planing parts, there is that table saw again. I use it to cut almost everything which is curved

The lower shelf then wanted a nice finished edge...

The caveto edge was carved with a gouge

Both shelves were joined with stopped sliding dovetails.

I was lucky to have found a dovetail plane which would work for this shelf, most of the time i have to cut them with a chisel. I score the shoulder with a cutting gauge first though.

Then the tricky part begins, If the slot is too loose, using the joint will be pointless, too tight, and one will never get the thing together. To allow for movement of the timber, i do not glue these.

A rebate is cut out with a back saw, (Steffen; your Xmas gift would have done well here!) then the waste is removed and the angle is cut back with a chisel. 

I was a bit over eager to see how this would look finished, as this was my first time i had worked with this elm. (i had been wanting to use some for years, but never could find a sawmill which had some. Five years ago a tree blew down near my house, so i had it cut up, then i finally had some material, i just had to wait for it to cure.)

The wood takes a rich reddish brown colour with some linseed oil. 

I fit the basic unit together before i got around to carving the top and bottom rails. Sometimes i get too eager to see some progress.

Sides and shelves fit together, again, these are unglued sliding dovetails so dis-assembly is easy.

I made a template out of rosin paper to lay out the shape of each piece. The design for the carving, though, was done free-hand.

Lots of curves to cut here, but the saw worked like a champion.

Nice afternoon light really shows off carving well...

I started carving this around four in the afternoon and worked until 6, the following day i worked on it most of the day, and this was where i was about 5 in the afternoon. This elm carves nicely but tends to be a bit gritty and dulls the tools faster than i would like.

Eventually everything came together...

This whole project took about one week to finish (for me that equals 80+ hours)

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