When canoe tripping, the hard-edged pieces of your kitchen gear are often the hardest to pack comfortably. Also, you want to be able to find the exact items of food when you need them, not rummage around the bottom of a backpack. There is a tradition of using a hard-sided box for this, but they are typically heavy themselves and their rectangular shape doesn't fit the rounded bottom of a canoe very well. Also, if the box is deep, you have the same problem that you have with a packsack. My design is made from aircraft plywood for lightness and it has a curved form, for strength. This also allows it to nestle into the bottom of the canoe. Multiple boxes can be used, stacked up for portaging and side-by-side in the canoe. Because these modules are not so deep, it’s easy to find what you are looking for. As well, the box doesn’t extend above the gunwales, thereby not creating a windage problem. They also make handy seats or tables at the campsite, and are light enough to sling up a tree if you want to keep your food out of the reach of bears.

When I was producing a line of concrete furniture, my sales reps needed a sample case to let their customers know what colour and texture options were available to them. Concrete is heavy and this created a number of problems. My largest concern was the potential damage to the tables that the case would be placed upon. By giving the bottom of the case a sinuous edge, the hinge is concealed both when the case is up right as well as when it is unfolded for presentation, by the wave pattern nesting into itself. Double handles ensure that the case was given a good grip and there is no chance that a catch might fail.

This is just a detail of a table that I was commissioned to make, by someone what had a strong interest in traditional Chinese furniture. Unlike the traditional tables, the one I made was designed to support a circular piece of glass, but it also retained a strong reference to the traditional rectangular designs.

This project had its start in a commission to produce a cigar box as a retirement gift. I wanted to make something that seemed to fit the cigars, rather than it just being a box into which the cigars were placed. The core of the box is milled in a linear way, much like an extrusion. A length of it is then stopped, or capped by an inset simple plane, both top and bottom. Another simple plane lies between these, forming a lid. I wanted to make something that fit the purpose as well as possible with a minimum number of pieces, components and even shapes. The one I kept for myself holds pencils which also works very well.

This is my first ‘production’ design, dating back to my student years. By beveling a rectangular board in opposite ways on opposite edges, the board is always easy to pick up, even with wet hands, and to carry. As well, what is cut is easy to sweep off, into your hand, for instance, even when the board remains flat on a counter. I find it works well and use one every day.

After getting a whiteboard to facilitate my shop's scheduling, I thought that I would make a desktop micro version, for those things that I especially wanted to be reminded or which were special and which could be easily changed, without the hassle of putting things into frames. It seems like it was a timely idea, or at least popular, as there have been many subsequent versions of the same thing.

When I was doing a lot of custom furniture in the seventies, I had a lot of off-cuts of exotic woods that seemed too precious to throw away. I designed this series of small boxes to utilize my scraps. They were designed to easily fill ones hand – to fit comfortably into ones palm. The shapes were very rounded to make them tactile. I used contrasting woods for the bottoms and tops. The tops pivoted out of the way, making a pleasing swishing sound. The insides did not have an applied finish, so that the pleasant natural scent of the wood would waft out.

I designed and made these tables early in the first decade of this century. They are based on a cast aluminum hub that accepts legs or struts in many configurations, wedging them securely in place via a concealed fastener. There are supplemental castings that secure the top to the base and separate the legs from the floor. Because the design is a system based on a hub, there are innumerable sizes, shapes, profiles and configurations, which are possible.

I designed and made these tables for Ambiant, in the early eighties. They use similar rounded profiles and contrasting woods and other materials.

A client asked me, sometime in the mid 90's, for a portfolio case. I made a number of them. What I wanted to accomplish was that the portfolio case itself would announce the contents, in some way. That it would reflect a certain set of values. This commodious case can be easily carried and its soft leather surface will allow it to be placed on any table without risk to either the case or the table. Opening the case will mimic the act of unwrapping a gift and the individual portfolio pages can then be removed and discussed at the presenter’s own pace, under their direct control. There will be an element of ritual at the beginning and throughout the presentation, which I felt could be useful and effective.

Here are two versions of a puzzle box that I designed and made. There is a larger version with drawers and a simpler version with open spaces. In both cases, the method of opening them is not obvious and must be discovered before the contents can be revealed. There are other versions of puzzles in the drawers.

In the late seventies, I made a number of limited production pieces with the theme of ‘Rounded Over’. They were simple, interlocking planes of contrasting woods that had been profiled with large radii and rounded over.

After having made a number of benches which were more complex, I set myself the challenge of making a bench which was reduced to as few elements as possible. A single length of wood, selected for its dimensions and its visual interest, is mitered and folded together. In order to make the most of this simple construction, the joining edges are rounded over in such a way as to draw attention to the joint as well as to create both visual and tactile interest. The outer edges of the planes of the bench are also rounded over to provide greater comfort. Some of these were made with a flat top and some had their tops dished. I made versions which were incrementally smaller and nested under each other, as well as ones on castors.

This custom table was designed and mid a few years ago, for a cottage in Georgian Bay. The old growth Fir wood that was used was reclaimed from the bottom of the Fraser River, in BC, an earlier logging casualty now given a second chance. There is an aluminum channel that serves as a bracing rail, connecting a pair of legs and allowing the legs to be attached to the top.

When my daughter Tova was quite young, I received a commission for a bed from someone else with a young daughter. So I made two beds. The horizontal frame and legs are of White Ash. The headboard and drawer are Black walnut.

This table was designed and made for Ambiant Woodworks. I had produced a small version in Bird's Eye Maple, with exposed dovetails and walnut veneer separating the wedges. I made a number of others including the conference table pictured here, in Wenge and Sycamore woods.

I designed this seating system in 1973 shortly after returning to Canada, from studying in Sweden. That Nordic influence is obvious. I was working for Muller + Stewart at that time, as a junior designer. Michael Stewart contributed the clever serrated connector as well as critical overall guidance. The objective was to make a comprehensive system without requiring too many parts. The leg and arm are identical in everything except length, minimizing tooling and inventory. Parts can be connected in various ways to yield diverse configurations. The intended market was student common area furnishing for the community collages being built at that time.

This is a chair that I designed in the early nineties. What I had in mind was a simple wood frame into which various legs styles could be exchanged. The frame itself would have an inset plywood seat which could then be upholstered, or not, as the occasion warranted. The back would be a simple piece of moulded plywood, which could be profiled in an infinite number of ways. The legs were simply profiled pieces as well, identical for both left and right legs. This would give me a very light chair, strong and very adaptable to producing in different guises. It could also be very inexpensive to manufacture.

I designed this outdoor ashtray for Aggregation Contract Furniture in the late eighties. At that time, more buildings were going smoke-free and the smokers clustered around the exit doors were leaving a mess on the pavement. This was a remedy. Pulling a pin allowed the collecting head to pivot, emptying the container for the disposal of the butts. Three versions were offered, for movability, immovability (concrete base) of wall mounting. This design won a design award, although I no longer recall which one.

I made this chair when my son was very young. I wanted a chair that was wide enough so that we could sit side-by-side when I read to him. I made a preliminary sample and he liked to sit there by himself, as well. Like a little emperor. With children, accidents happen, so the chair was designed so that the upholstery could be easily removed for cleaning. There are large elements: arms, back, cushions that sit on a wheeled platform.

I made this chair when my son was very young. I wanted a chair that was wide enough so that we could sit side-by-side when I read to him. I made a preliminary sample and he liked to sit there by himself, as well. Like a little emperor. With children, accidents happen, so the chair was designed so that the upholstery could be easily removed for cleaning. There are large elements: arms, back, cushions that sit on a wheeled platform.

This chair was designed for Nienkamper, the executive office furniture company. The back has a gently molded insert of plywood. The back of a chair, especially a visitors chair in an office, is often the first thing that is seen, and this chairs back is designed to be attractive, with a wide variety of fine woods available.

I designed this chair in the late eighties, for the recent furniture start-up, Ottoman Empire.

In the late eighties I designed a number of lights, for a number of clients. I've always felt that designing for light was special, because light is so essential and critical to how we experience the world. We are, literally, drawn to it.

I approached the Toronto housewares firm Umbra with this design in the early nineties. They had never produced furniture but I thought that this scale would be manageable for them. I designed it in two versions: with a painted MDF top and one with a top made in injection moulded plastic. The first would let them test the market with low products runs and then if the design looked successful, the material could be switched to plastic for higher volumes.

By the late eighties, I had been canoeing for quite a few years. I was eager to combine my love for this sport with my capabilities as a designer. I formed this company with some partners principally to sell the canoes that we made. We also designed and made a number of other small watercraft: rowing shells, skiffs and kayaks. I designed a simple canoe stand for our showroom, utilizing the materials and techniques of the canoe shop.

I designed the Nexus chair for Ambiant Systems Limited. I had previously designed some tables and suitable chairs were required. I was careful to both keep my tooling costs down and to create as much product flexibility as possible. There are two versions: armed and armless. Both of these could be produced with a wood seat, a caned seat and an upholstered seat. The backs could be either wood or upholstered. All of the chair frame parts could be cut from the same blank of moulded plywood. And the seat and back shared the same radius and so also the same mould. One of my objectives was to consider how the chairs looked side by side, from the back, which is how we typically see chairs when they are around a table.

The Pillar table system is based hub/connector into which a leg is forced, much the way that an axe handle is forced into its head. This connector has lugs, which allow it to be fastened to the underside of a table. A second casting provides a foot. Because these tables do not require rails for structure, they are very free to take many shapes and sizes and even different materials.

This version of the Pillar tables does not have a lug for under-table fastening. Instead, it relies on a top through which fasteners can be threaded. These fasteners are then capped with a third casting. Once again, a great number of sizes and shapes and materials are potentially applicable.

This seating system is composed of identical square, when seen from above, not unlike the quarter sections of land that the Prairies are divided into. In addition to the square seat, there is leg in each corner, identical to the others. When seats are adjacent, the legs slide into each other, thereby interlocking themselves into a fixed relationship, and sharing a foot. If the leg extends above the seat, an arm or a back may be secured to it. The arms and backs are identical, with the difference being their orientation, which is fixed through its assembly. They can be linked endlessly, much like the way that dominos are laid out.

This public area seating system was designed for Softcare Innovations, a healthcare company. The design is based on a gable-arm to which are affixed both a seat element and a back component. When multiples are desired, supplemental seats (and backs) will share the gable arm with its neighbor. The seats have a hidden steel frame and the backs have a molded plywood frame beneath the padding and upholstery. To increase the flexibility of an already very flexible seating system, versions of the gable-arm were produced in steel as well as versions that were fully upholstered.

This public area seating design was produced for Aggregation Contract Furniture. Since the fabrication would be sub contracted, I designed around the constraints of no metal over ¼ inch in thickness, so that many different types of brake presses could be use. This material would also be easier to punch. By using only these two common machines, a wide variety of seating versions could be achieved.

If this seating system were to be used in public areas in California, then a certain number of seats must be accessible to people in wheelchairs. They would need to slide into the seat latterly. This necessitates an arm that swings out of the way. As well, all pivoting must be accomplished without any possible pinch-points. And to prevent rust, the arm must be painted before assembly, and then assembled in such a way that it cannot be easily unassembled. Designing this arm involved almost as much work as designing the rest of the system.

This modular system, for Aggregation Contract Furniture, is based on a 24 inch square module, in plan. There are also narrower gable elements, curved benches, planters, waste collection units etc. Versions were available in Fiberglas, wood and concrete.

I was commissioned to produce something for the lobby of this clinic, which would be both furniture and sculpture as well as creating a sense of nature and growth. Of course, it would also need to be achieved at a low cost. What I have used is two intersecting vertical planes - the sculptural representation of plants, which are themselves intersected by a horizontal plane which forms the table surface.

In 1981, the Canada Games were held in Thunder Bay. The city built a new Sportsplex and held a competition for a piece of sculpture to be placed at the entrance. I won this competition. Vertere is from a Latin word, meaning to twist or turn. The material is White Pine 8 x 8s, lag-bolted together at the halved-joint intersections. It’s 10 feet tall and 40 feet long.

This was the final Mennonite monument that I designed. It is located in a park in the section of Zaporozhe known as Chortiza. This was the central location for the cultural lives of the Mennonites who lived in South Russia (now Ukraine) during the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth. During the nineteen thirties, the Mennonites who remained in this part of the world were purged. The men, typically, were shot, and the women and children dispersed to far eastern parts of the Soviet Union. This monument has as its guiding image that of a mantle piece, with family pictures on it. In this case though, only the profiles remain. The people have been ‘disappeared’. This was the case for those unfortunate people who did not have a chance to be properly remembered.

This Mennonite memorial also commemorates the site of a mass grave and the massacre of an entire village. The symbolism is that of a mill wheel. The view will have to walk around the stone to read the inscription, with a bowed head. This seemed appropriately respectful.

This is the first monument that I designed for Ukraine. It is situated at a mass grave site where all of the inhabitants of the village of Eichenfeld were buried, after they had be killed during a one night massacre, in the period of anarchy that followed the Russian revolution. Because of the suddenness and unexpectedness of their death, and the absence of survivors, they were denied the dignity of a proper burial. My guiding image for this monument is that of a coffin set out for viewing, resting on short supports, tilted upwards at the head-end. It becomes the ‘viewing’ that these people should have had. One of the images includes the local stone workers who actually made the monument.

Most of the Mennonites who left the Molotschna region of South Russia left from this train station in Lichtenau. They left either voluntarily, ahead of the trouble that was to come, or involuntarily, for dispersal to the gulags. My father passed through here, as a young boy with his parents, on his way to Canada. I felt that a memorial bench would work well here, firstly because there was no outdoor seating and secondly, because travel inevitably involves waiting. It's a place to sit and remember the past.

The town of Molochansk was the administrative centre of the area known as the Molotschna, where most of the Dutch Mennonites lived while in Russia (Ukraine). These Mennonites accomplished many things, both administratively and culturally. This monument recognizes their achievements. The symbolism is that of a threshing stone (acknowledging their agrarian focus), here placed upright on a plinth.

I made this table in the late seventies, as a commission. The legs and perimeter frame are maple, with an inset bird's eye veneer top. Defining all the joints and bisecting the legs is a thin slice of Imbuya wood. Companion casework was made as well, as the bedside table illustrates.

This is a small chest of drawers that is meant to sit on its own separate stand. The wood is Bubinga, with Wenge drawer fronts, inlay and table top. The drawer handles are carved out of the pieces of wood that are the drawer fronts, thus eliminating the need for separate handles or pulls. The drawers are lined in felt and subdivided to organize the small pieces of jewelry that will be stored in them. I built this in 1973, shortly after my period of study with Jim Krenov.

I have made a lot of cabinets over the years. The first was a tool box, to house my chiesels and the hand planes that I had made under the watchful eye of Jim Krenov. There is an old tradition of an apprentice making a tool chest as a final piece of work: both to sum up his skill and to demonstrate it to prospective employers as he begins his years as a ‘journeyman’. Fitting drawers is also a traditional test of a woodworkers skill.

I built this dressing room in the late seventies. The vanity is of Cherry wood, with tambour tops. The closet doors are framed in Cherry, with Yew panels.

This chair was a student project in the early seventies. I carved a block of Styrofoam and covered it in plaster to make to make a plug mold. And then did the fiberglass work. That’s a picture of me proudly sitting in my new creation.

I designed and built this library for the home of the principles of the graphic design firm, Burns and Cooper, in the mid seventies. The casework is of Brazilian Imbuya wood and the inset panels are a figured Japanese Tamo Ash veneer.

This desk was commissioned by the Ontario Crafts Council for their new gallery, in the early nineties.

I made this rocking horse for my son when he was quite young. Something that had bothered me with other rocking horses was that the gait that the horses posture represented did not correspond to a rocking motion. In my version, the horse is cantering, which is in fact a gentle rocking motion. To achieve this, I had to 'float' the horse above the rockers, leaving the feet free.

I made these handles for the sauna of a friend, who has an island in Georgian Bay. He requested that I use wood from the island. I used a section of dead and naturally dried Cedar, which is quite close grained and tough due to the harsh weather up there. The size of the limb is seen in the barb, still visible around the base of the handle.

This commission, from the late seventies, is a small chest of drawers. The drawers pivot open only when unlocked by a special key. The wood used is Pau Ferro for the drawers, Olivewood for the top and bottom and the spring catch is actually wood as well, from the Pernambuco tree which is better known as the source for good violin bows.

I designed and made this stool while I was a private student of Jim Krenov, when he was living in Sweden. The wood is Elm and is unfinished, allowing it to take on the patina of use, over time. Almost all of the work was done with handtools, as was considered appropriate to my education.

This design was a student project. I based it on the structures on ships that funnel air to below the deck. It was designed to stack, or slip inside one to the other. As well, its orientation allows for easier across-the-room shots on basket.