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 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.