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Methods (business or construction or design methods) :
These will be added here, as they become apparent.
Business
I do not take commissions. I create, and build, and hope that a piece will 'talk' to someone who will want to reply by purchasing it. If not, it will remain in my possession, being loved and appreciated by myself and those who are near.
I will price my pieces by considering many factors including the feeling the end product gives me. I also place myself in the buyers position as well. Money is of no interest to me, and I fully realize that this sentiment is both obnoxious to many, and wrong to admit to, in the business world. So be it. (If people would place the same value on their work as they do on the money they trade for it, we would have better product and less dishonesty.)
I want to create the feeling that every square inch of surface has been given my full attention and care. I want it known, that even an enclosed structure, which cannot be examined, is as well built, and has been given a finish which equals the best on the piece. I want this to be a feeling which accompanies every complete unit.
Construction
-----HUNTBOARD-----
In my huntboard, I used Maple plywood for the back panel, the sides and the partitions inside. It was a 'good-both-sides' 1/2" Maple ply 4x8 sheet. I made sure the veneer had a mirror-image grain so I could select and encorporate sections of the mirror-image for the ends and partitions. The plywood eliminates the worry of wood movement through expansion and contraction. The rest of the Maple pieces are solid 3/4".
The legs are Purpleheart, one of my favourite woods. It machines well and usually has a straight grain. Fresh-cut, it is as purple as a crayon. Exposure to air turns it brown. An oil, sealing finish keeps it purple.
I attached the top to the body using industrial strength Velcro. (Yes, this is a rather strange method but I will endure the snickers for its advantages.) This allows wood movement and since the top just sits there, without any real stresses, it doesn't move. The Velcro is strong enough to resist any horizontal pushes, and I can remove the top easily for moving or transporting, or repair.
Designing
In the design phase, I am trying to stay away from everything that has already been done. Obviously, to make a sideboard you would have to incorporate the general appearence of a sideboard, otherwise it couldn't be categorized as such, but my every effort is to bring something new to the piece. I don't want to just turn out dust collectors either, with overly fancy trim and extraneous members. I want the design to draw attention through uniqueness, humour, curiosity, ....desire to handle, use or sit on. Even the use of colours, textures and materials can be used as a fulcrum to get reaction. I believe it only takes ONE special (unique, bizarre) piece of furniture in a whole room of furniture, to pull that room onto a new level.
