Custom Chess Table

A few months ago we received a request to make a Bow Tie Pedestal Table in a custom size of 19-5/8" long x 19-5/8" deep x 20" high.




The purpose of this table was to provide an elevated playing surface for a stone chess board the client already had.




The resulting table was crafted from a bundle of quarter cut figured Walnut veneer.

Custom End Table for a Ski Lodge

A few months ago an interior designer from Utah called expressing interest in Kevin's Portage Cocktail Table design.




The designer wanted to know if the table could be resized as an End Table measuring 24" x 24" x 24" high. In addition, she said that the satin black plinth and stainless steel offsets would need to be changed to an antique bronze finish, in order to meld with other pieces in the existing decor of a mountain ski lodge.

After finalizing the details with drawings for approval we began work on the table. The timeline was short, since the table had to be delivered in time for a large party taking place just before Christmas.




The antique bronze offsets and plinth were fabricated from a heavy gauge of cold rolled steel, and sent to a nearly plating shop for finishing.




The main body of the table was crafted from a spectacular bundle of reclaimed quartered Walnut veneer, that had a slight fiddleback pattern to the grain.






Drilling the holes for the offsets had to wait until the metal components arrived, in order to ensure a tight custom fit.




This image shows a detail of the top corner of the table, highlighting one of the antique bronze insets as well as the beaded corner inlay.




The above image shows the completed table. A last minute revision was made to use extra heavy 5/8" (16 mm) glass for the top, to complement the masculine proportions of the design.




After final inspection the table was wrapped and crated for shipping. Because of its relatively small size it was possible to ship the package in an economical manner via ground courier to the final destination.

The table arrived just in time for the party, and by all accounts it was well received.

Television Interview with Howard Green of BNN

A few weeks ago a producer from Business News Network (BNN) called asking me to participate in an interview entitled "The Business of Craftmanship".

The focus of the segment was to discover how people can turn the craft of making things into an actual business, and in addition to me discussing the craft of fine furniture making there were also interviews with custom guitar maker William "Grit" Laskin, and shoemaker-to-the-stars John Fluevog.

The interview took place last Tuesday at a gallery in Toronto called Industrial Storm, and it would be an understatement to say that I was incredibly nervous going in.



Thankfully the show's host Howard Green was incredibly professional and easy going, and his friendly, relaxed demeanor worked wonders setting me at ease before the interview began.

Howard's interview with me can be seen at the following link:

http://watch.bnn.ca/headline/#clip590938

Meanwhile Howard's interview with William "Grit" Laskin is here, and the interview with John Fluevog is here.

The Dog Days of Summer

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since my last blog post. I ended up slipping into vacation mode, and haven't found reason to return until now.

At the end of July we went on vacation to a lake near Haliburton. As much as I had grand ambitions to use the downtime to either design new furniture pieces or sort through my images folders, deep down I knew I'd be using my time off to do little more than absolutely nothing. Basically I just shut down mentally, to the extent that I could barely find the motivation to even check email (which, incidentally, would have meant driving into town to find some place with Wifi). Aside from a bit of swimming and a few long walks about the only thing I accomplished was putting a daily dent into my stash of Diamond Crowns, Macanudos and Arturo Fuente Hemingways.

In my mind there is nothing that caps off a lazy day on vacation quite like an excellent cigar under a star filled sky.



About the only real accomplishment I made all week was reading a book, which happened to be "Life" by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. One thing I found fascinating was the way in which Richards describes the creative process of song writing. In his mind he doesn't really write songs, so much as act as a conduit for pulling songs out from the proverbial aether. In many ways his description parallels experiences I have had creating some of my more unusual furniture pieces and details.

Speaking of furniture I had to laugh about the near fatal experience Richards had with some built-in bookcases in his home. Apparently he was reaching for a book on an upper shelf one time, and the shelf pins fell out causing him to fall under an avalanche of tomes. The incident resulted in serious injury including broken ribs and a punctured lung. Apparently Mr. Richards has need for a good cabinet-maker, and if he's looking I know of a good one I could recommend.

Perhaps the best part of the book was Richards' explanation of how the bluesy guitar riff came together on my all time favorite Stones song: "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"

Even after all these years, this tune still rocks.



Hat tips to the late Andy Warhol for the iconic album cover.

(Yes, kids, there once was a thing called albums, and the album covers were a form of art).

Tekendoos Keepsake Boxes

The inspiration for these keepsake boxes comes from a “Tekendoos” (a Dutch word for “drawing box”) that was given to me by my Grandfather when I was a small boy.



I have cherished this gift for almost 50 years, and it still sits on my desk to this day.

The boxes shown here have been constructed from mitre folded Baltic Birch ply, with exteriors clad in various species of exotic wood that have been inlaid with purfling banding. The hinges are solid brass, and the interiors are felt lined.

The overall dimensions of each box is 10” by 5” by 2-5/8” high









The box shown above has been crafted from Karellian Birch Burl and inlaid with Mahogany, Maple and Indian Ebony.









The above box is made from Zebrawood inlaid with Mahogany, Maple and Indian Ebony.









This box is made of Kevazingo inlaid with Tulipwood, Maple and Indian Ebony.









The above box is made of Pommelle Sapele inlaid with Mahogany, Maple and Indian Ebony.









The keepsake box shown above is made of Bubinga inlaid with Tulipwood, Maple and Indian Ebony.

Several of these Tekendoos Keepsake Boxes will be on display at The Guild Shop in Toronto, as part of the "My Grain" exhibition which opens on July 16th.

Aquaria Console

The Aquaria Console measures 42-1/2" long by 10-1/2" deep by 29-1/2" high. The high gloss figured wood top appears to float over the base since it rests on concealed cross ribs that are set between the long curving aprons.

The aprons are attached to the curved solid legs by means of mortise and tenon construction. An optional drawer extends from one end by means of Blumotion linear ball bearing slides. The drawer box itself is made of dovetailed solid maple.

The console above is shown with a solid Walnut base that has been stained Dark Chocolate. The top is figured Crotch Walnut which has been center butt matched, and stained to complement the base - albeit with a high gloss finish.



The legs and aprons on the console above are made out of solid natural Bubinga. The figured wood top is rotary cut Bubinga, which is sometimes called Kevazingo.





The apron and legs on the console above have been made out of Curly Maple that has been stained a medium Chestnut colour. The figured wood top comes from a rare sampling of Curly Birds Eye Maple that has been stained Chestnut to match.

The console below has legs and apron made out of natural solid walnut, with a natural Crotch Walnut top.

The latter two consoles are currently on display at The Guild Shop in Toronto - ready for the "My Grain" exhibition which opens on July 16th.

Custom Furniture for a Ritz Carlton Hotel

The following images are of some custom furniture pieces we made for the public areas of a Ritz Carlton hotel.




This console measures 72" long x 24" deep x 33" high. Crafted from Chestnut Pommelle Sapele the top has a reverse diamond match pattern. The sides are inlaid with natural maple. The finish is semi gloss low-VOC polyurethane.





This side table is made of Chestnut Ribbon Sapele with ebonized inlay details, and finished in semi gloss low-VOC polyurethane.





Several variations of these round tables were made for a cocktail lounge located in the lobby of the hotel. The plinth has a subtle tapering cone top surface which had a challenging sunburst grain pattern applied to the face. The hexagonal tapering cone pedestal conceals hidden metal rods which provide the necessary strength to support the 38" diameter top.

A Built-In Audio/Video Wall Unit

Although we usually specialize in making free standing pieces of custom furniture it is not uncommon for us to also do cabinetry such as built-ins.



This audio/video wall unit is one example of something we've installed recently. Measuring 156" long x 96" high x 21" deep this unit has open shelving across the top, and door and drawer storage below.

The drawer boxes are made out of dovetailed solid maple, running on concealed Blumotion linear ball bearing slides. The false door with the black speaker cloth is designed to conceal a subwoofer.

The entire unit is finished in a satin opaque polyurethane that has been custom tinted to match the walls.

Honeycomb Cocktail Table

Thanks to a conversation I had in 2005 with a designer by the name of Jill Salisbury, I began looking deeper into ways of incorporating Biomimicry to some of my furniture designs.

What is Biomimicry?

Biomimicry is the examination of Nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration from in order to solve human problems. The term biomimicry and biomimetics come from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate.

The idea of imitating Nature through design was something that holds great interest for me. Before long I was sketching rudimentary table shapes that were comprised of the 6-sided hexagonal walls of a common honeycomb. Several years later this exercise resulted in a working prototype that became known as the Honeycomb Cocktail Table. The example shown here was crafted out of Chestnut Ribbon Sapele.



Measuring 45" x 45" x 16" overall height this table is comprised of 7 individual hexagonal modules, with the center unit being solid and the 6 surrounding ones each having 4 closed sides and 2 open ones, with a single adjustable shelf suspended inside each.

The theory behind this design was that each of the modules would function as individual storage pods, which could also be independently rotated towards the center in order to hide the clutter of whatever was stored inside. In this way the table would have the clean look as shown in the photo, yet conceal the fact that abundant storage capacity was available inside.

While the idea was great in theory, the practical application did not work quite as planned. The biggest problem was that any unevenness in the floor was quickly telegraphed through the pods, creating a highly uneven top surface depending on how and where these pods were placed on the floor. When all was said and done it became quite clear that this design will function best only if the pods can somehow be fastened together as a single monolith.

Another issue was price point. Given the time it took to build and finish this table it was simply not possible to make this design cost effective in a way that would justify a price point at a reasonable perceived value.

Conclusion: Although the design is cool, it`s simply not practical to produce on an ongoing basis. That said, this Honeycomb Cocktail Table is probably destined to remain as a one-off prototype.