A Master Woodworker or How I Spent My Summer, part 2

Project number two for the summer—a rare commissioned piece. I say rare because my dad doesn't usually take on large projects for pay. Typically he's donating his time and skills to church projects or making/building/repairing things for friends and family. However, after some consideration (and me committing to help out as much as possible) he agreed.

This all started with my good friend Ben. Had admired some of the furniture in our home and asked if my dad might consider building a piece for him and his wife. They had been looking for a bed, but anything that was worth while was quite expensive, and affordable beds just didn't seem to have the quality and durability needed to last.

The original idea for the design came from a bed that Ben and his wife had seen at Pottery Barn. In the end, it was a good starting point for the type of designs that my dad typically creates: somewhat modernist, somewhat minimal, straight lines and right angles.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the project were the initial first steps of choosing and surfacing the wood (unfortunately, I don't have pictures). A great deal of the raw lumber came from my dad's own stockpile. The quality of the walnut boards was truly fantastic. It's amazing to see the detail and richness that emerged from what began as rough planks.

So here you can see the final installation of the queen-size, walnut bed.

Two great projects this summer with excellent results, not to mention spending wonderful hours with a master woodworker.

Prof. Darrell Kincer