Process
Working With Clients
I don’t work for myself, I work for my clients. This is what I tell people who ask me about my work. Each piece I make is uniquely designed to meet a client’s specific tastes, and in the 33 years I’ve been building custom furniture, I’ve never built the same thing twice. This is because building a piece of custom furniture is a collaborative design process between me and the client.
Designing the Piece
The first step in working with a client begins with an initial interview. If I’m working with a local client, then it’s always best to meet on site. In this way I am able to see first hand the setting where the piece will be placed. If communicating over a long distance when a one on one meeting is not possible, then pics can be an invaluable resource in defining context in terms of space and style. Information is compiled including use and space requirements, as well as wood choices and ultimate finish. These details are combined with any historical research to be done on my part. Once a direction begins to take shape, drawings are drafted, and presented to the client for either approval or changes. If changes are necessary, then these are generated and presented back to the client for final review This phase of a custom project is involved, and is the most important. This is where we hash out all the details, and the drawings need to communicate clearly to the client what they can expect. Certainly by the time we get to this point, the piece for me has already been built. When a final design and price are agreed upon, a tentative date of completion is set, I’ll ask for a deposit for half the total price, and work can begin. If for whatever reason we do not proceed with building the piece, then I will charge a design fee for the work done up to this point. Otherwise the design fee is included in the total price.
“. . . building a piece of custom furniture is a collaborative process between me and the client.”
Building the Piece
From the beginning, my focus has been on the skillful use of hand tools to create a finished piece. Whether it be a hand plane, mallet and chisel, hand saw, or measuring tool, when it comes to making a thing, this is where I have always been the most comfortable. From the standpoint of craft, being able to make a refined thing using tools made to fit the hand, is the nature and art of workmanship.
Despite a strong belief in the use of hand tools, I couldn’t imagine a modern day shop without stationary power tools, a router or two, and a dust collection system. The power tools in my shop advance my process. They are used as roughing out tools, and are not used to achieve an end result. They are accurate in the sense that once set up to perform a task, can repeat the same task over and over again with the same reliable result. All work is meticulously refined by hand, and in some cases, only done by hand. For instance, when joining wide solid panels from narrow planks, the only way to achieve a truly invisible joint, is by using a joiner plane and shooting board. Once assembled, these panels are surfaced, and leveled using a series of hand planes, straight edge, and winding sticks. All dovetails, where ever they occur in a piece are always done by me, by hand.
The Right Fit
I know for a fact that my way of doing things exist in stark contrast to our present day point and click, add to cart, and proceed to check-out world. So, if you are looking for something right away, then custom work is probably not for you. My goal is to deliver beautiful work in a timely manner; however, from time to time, I will ask a client to be patient. This is a unique process, and it’s not for everyone. So, if the idea of having something made just for you that will last generations, is a thing you might be interested in, then reach out. Let’s get started.