Sandal Woods - Fine Woodworking & Cabinetry

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This is the first audio podcast from Sandal Woods. Neil Lamens of Furnitology Productions is my guest; we discuss Form in design. The following are a few of the things we discussed:

1. Form vs. function - the old adage
2. The benzene ring form
3. Kaleo Kala - an analogy
4. Period furniture, with emphasis on the 60s, when form was just about anything you wanted it to be!
5. What has transpired since the bean bag chair, “a living form”?
6. Are we as woodworkers in a period of discovery, so that we can move forward with design?
7. If you will attend the Woodworking in America Conference, would you be interested in having some additional conversation about Form in design?

We would love to hear from our readers what you thought about this first podcast, and especially about the theme, Design: Form. We will address a new topic on design in the near future.

NOTE: You can download the MP3 file. Simply right-click on the download link above, and select Save Link As…

Acknowledgement: Music used with permission of D&D music label, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Portions of one track used: Various Artists - D&D, Historia Del Tango - La Decada Gloriosa - Vol. 2-15,Quejas De Bandoneón.

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It is happening, folks. And it all started on July 20, 2008.

The Rough Cut Show, featuring T-Chisel, a.k.a Tommy MacDonald, is getting into some interesting stuff. From defining the term Design (with Neil Lamens as the discussion and topic leader), to “Is Design Dead?”, the Furniture Design Forum will address design issues, and how best to critique the furniture we build.

In other words, “…nice piece…”, “…great cabinet…”, are not sufficient to let the craftsman know he/she is becoming a better woodworker. By understanding the parts that as whole make up Design, and by getting proper input and feedback from others about the furniture we make, should ultimately help US become better in our craft. The foundation to do all this is a good working vocabulary to do an evaluation of someone’s work properly.

I will be watching and reading carefully, and learning from the entire exercise. Who knows, I hope I have something to contribute, too, some day. But it IS a first on the Internet - and it should be very exciting to see it develop into a completed project. It will work, because Neil Lamens is working hard to make it happen, with Tommy MacDonald’s full backup and encouragement.

Kudos to the T-Chisel team, and to the leader of the critique effort, Furnitologist Neil Lamens, the man behind Furnitology Productions.

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Now, some images to put this whole thing in context:

Here is Tommy, jamming it up in Episode 117, a recent video on The Bombe Secretary - Drawer Side Shaping:	Tommy jams it up, mon!
And what kind of woodworking does Tommy MacDonald do? On the right is his Federal Breakfront - HOW would YOU evaluate this piece? In my opinion, this is one terrific piece!	His Federal Breakfront.
This is Tommy with his Salem Secretary - All I can say is WOW!	The Salem Secretary.

You see, Neil? I need some educatin’… seriously.

Click here to go to Tommy MacDonald’s Gallery.

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Relevant links:
All videos produced by The Rough Cut Show, in one page
Furnitology Productions, Neil Lamens’ personal blog

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Download Quicktime (*.mov)

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In this episode I show how overlapping rabbets provide one solution to fitting the doors to the cabinet, while minimizing the door gap. I used a small shoulder plane to clean up the rabbet surfaces, to improve the fit and allow the doors to close with a nice, tight fit.

Credit for the overlapping rabbet solution belongs to Norman Pirollo, who publishes the blog The Refined Edge. Thanks, Norman!

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The Bookcase Challenge is now official!

Lumberjocks, in partnership with Popular Woodworking, have given us this brand-new challenge: Design a bookcase we could build in our shop, win, and get published in Popular Woodworking Magazine!

From Martin’s announcement at Lumberjocks (also click on this link to learn other details about the Challenge, and Challenge Rules):

“This time it’s all about the bookcases. Everyone needs them. Are you ready to design a bookcase that catches the eyes of Popular Woodworking’s editors, establishes you as a paid and published author and presents your design to thousands of fellow woodworkers? I’ll bet you are.”

And in Glen Huey’s own words at the Popular Woodworking blog entry about this Challenge:

“The winning original design will be published in Popular Woodworking magazine. We’re talking a full-out article, not just photos of the best design shown in a gallery. You’ll become a published contributing author – a fully paid contributing author – with your own byline.”

If I can do it, YOU can do it, too. So, go to Lumberjocks and, if not yet a member, sign up, and make your entry to the Challenge as a blog entry.

You can view my entry, the first entry made in this competition, by clicking here. Let me know what you think of my simple barrister bookcase design, by leaving a Comment.

This post is a continuation of the previous post, to answer Neil’s question in its entirety. In the previous post I used new, resawn veneers, not the original panels I showed in “wing” book match that Neil requested me show in slip match arrangement.

I decided to follow up with this post, because I failed to mention, and to show, that it is possible to obtain more than one book match for every set of panels. This photo illustrates what I mean; for the alternate “wing” book match I simply swapped the position of the boards, as I tried to suggest with the arrow (this is a large image-please give it a few seconds to open):

I hope you can notice the differences in color for the two panels shown on the left-hand side of the photo above. These reflect the color/brightness differences I see in the shop. The photo on the right shows the outer surfaces of the board; these surfaces show dramatically different spalting patterns, and much of the symmetry is lost; this is the main reason that slip matching will not work very well for these two boards, as shown in the photo below:

I hope this exercise helps in the visualization of panel or veneer matching. In this instance it helped me to decide that the slip match for these resawn panels will not work very well; this was due to the differences in the spalting patterns of the front and back surfaces of the original board.

When resawing veneers, which are much thinner than these resawn panels, it should be quite easier to achieve slip matched patterns that are pleasing to the eye.

Neil wrote two days ago:

“I was wondering;…. What the 2 panels … would look like if they were slip matched?? What do you think in comparison to the match you’re showing us????”

Part of my reply read: “…This is a great suggestion, and a terrific opportunity to share with the readers the differences it *can* make to try different things…”

In the photo below I have placed side-by-side a new set of spalted maple boards I resawed today, to obtain 1/8-inch thick veneers. I photographed the pair immediately after finishing the resawing, so they still have some blade tooth marks. For resawing I selected a new board that showed strong “ink lines” demarcating the spalted areas; the original boards I showed earlier would not have produced the results you see below.

The photo shows the striking difference that results when the boards are slip matched (Option 2), vs. the more traditional book match(1). The following are immediately apparent:

1. The book matched pair has a nice balance and feel to it. This is the pattern that results when we resaw a board, keeping the resawn boards in sequence and then we open these two boards like the page of a book; growth rings, spalting pattern, etc., form symmetrical patters about the contact edge.
2. The slip matched pair results in a panel that could show tension or imbalance, in sharp contrast to the book matched pair. This pattern is created by slipping, in sequence, successive pieces of the resawn veneers; the veneers are not turned over as they are slipped over each other. In the repeating figure that results, the grain pattern does not match up at the joints.
3. The book match option may work better in the case where symmetry is paramount. On the other hand, when finished, each veneer may have different light reflection.
4. One advantage of using the slip match option is that the finish will have a uniform color, because the exposed faces have similar light reflection.

I trust this will help you in selecting a matching option when working with resawn veneers. I would like to hear your opinion on these options, any advantages or disadvantages you experience as your work with these matching options, and how you are likely to use each one.

Edit to add: Now, to answer Neil’s question.

Neil: I really like the slip match pattern I get with these particular veneers; in fact, I will use this option on some projects. But, for my Krenov-inspired cabinet, at this stage I think I might stick with the book match option. What actually happens will depend more on the actual look of the doors on the carcase, and with the whole thing assembled and on the base. Who knows? I might even make two sets of doors, and a selection process based on viewing the real thing in person. With this type of cabinet I usually stay fluid until the last moment, while always keeping the target in mind.

Thanks, Neil, for suggesting that I evaluate and share the slip match option!

JET 708115K JWBS-14CS 14-Inch 1 Horsepower Woodworking Bandsaw with Graphite Guide Blocks, 115/230-Volt 1 Phase

The boards for the Krenov-inspired cabinet and for the door frames are already milled. I have set them aside for a few days to stabilize, after milling them to 1/8-inch above the final thickness.

Now I turn my attention to the spalted maple door panels. The following examples were cut from one board, and show quite different results. Photos 1 to 3, below, show:

1. Two of the remaining 8-foot boards; I may have to resaw some more specimens cut from these two boards, to see what wonderful treasures might be hidden within.
2. Resawn board; the two halves placed side-by-side resemble a skeletal, ungainly Don Quixote, from the neck down.
3. Resawn board; this one has an ethereal quality; maybe wings?

I wanted to share these with you, to show how resawing different parts of a board can yield dramatically different results. Each of these resawn pairs has its own character, its own personality. In the end, final bookmatched pair selection might give the cabinet wider appeal, or no appeal at all. This is one reason I prefer to evaluate several resawn pairs.

Which bookmatched pair would YOU select, and why? I would be interested to hear your opinion.

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