Low Tech?

There has been a trend in woodworking of going back to hand powered equipment and hand tools. Me personally I am all for hand tools (tools that are not powered by electricity) like hand planes, chisels, and hand saws.  (The idea of having to call something a hand saw vs just a saw always brings me back to Alexander Calder's Mobiles and Stables.) But some people go a bit crazy into this way of working including using hand powered table saws as seen at right. With the hand powered mini-lathe in the back of the photo.

Space savers and watches

   There has been a real trend in recent years for space saving furniture.  Not just furniture that is smaller however, it has to be able to transform into multiple forms. This used to be the role of people that needed space such as a murphy bed that could go into a wall since your bedroom and living space were the same thing.  There has been less of a need for space rather a trend (as towards all things) to find a balance of economics and efficiency.  The following videos after the jump are just a few of the crazy fun things that are going on inside this trend.  Ironic as is it these items do not come cheap.
   There is another note I would like to hit here and that is the currents generations obsession with multi-functionalism.  There is a great TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson (see it HERE) (and if you enjoy it watch his other ones which are great as well) where he talked about the use of a watch, not as much for fashion but as a tool.  He makes an observation that people under the age of 25 do not wear watches since they have the time on their phones and other mobile devices. His daughter makes fun of him for having a single function device.  I wonder if this drift in technology can also be seen in multi functional objects such as furniture.  I know a number of people will remember last generations first reinvention of this idea (pictured above).  At least those were cheap and did what they said.  But I often wonder if the space savers of today are more for novelty and status vs actual space.
 All the videos that are amazing and worth watching after the jump.

Bringing something new to the table

Live at Design Miami: Wouter Scheublin’s Walking Table from Designer Pages on Vimeo.

"Innovative," "fascinating," and "creepy" are just some of the terms that I've read used to describe this table, which was exhibited at last year's Design Miami. It's beautifully executed and yet, at the same time, there's something almost rudimentary about the monster-like animation of the table. It's functional but also seems overly-designed. I kind of love it.

Check out the artist's other walking designs in his portfolio here.

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