Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design – DVD Review
When it comes to woodworking, I often feel like I am working my way backwards. I was proficient with a tablesaw before I picked up my first handsaw. I knew my way around a drum sander before learning how to use a smoothing plane. And perhaps most disturbingly, I was creating and building my own furniture before I knew anything about design. Heck, who am I kidding? I still know nothing about design! I know what I think looks good and I follow a few basic rules, but more often than not I simply go with my gut. And given the number of new hobbyists entering the craft every day, I know I am not the only one in this position. So its with great pleasure that I can whole-heartedly recommend “Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design”, featuring George Walker and presented by Lie-Nielsen.
Now I’ll be honest, I haven’t delved too deeply into the world of traditional design simply because it bores the hell out of me. If you are not a Guild member, you missed a silly little skit of me falling asleep while my Design School teacher (Nicole) recited the Golden Ratio out to 10 decimal places. It was all in good fun, but that satire was rooted in truth. Most design conversations I have observed or been a part of usually don’t go much further than basic proportions and the Golden Ratio. And that, my friends, is why this DVD stands apart as a bright and shining beacon in a sea of sleep-inducing design talk. It simply gives me a basic set of tools that I can immediately put to use in my own work.
I have to admit though, the DVD didn’t have me at hello. Here was the interaction between George’s words and my brain:
George (walking out of old colonial meeting house): “What a great old building!”
My Brain: “Hey look at that nondescript boring white building.”
George: “I’d love to meet the people who built this.”
My Brain: “Here we go….. another guy talking about architecture, pilasters, buttresses and corbels………”
George: “The same principles that helped create this colonial meeting house can be applied to a table or a sideboard or a dresser.”
My Brain: “OK, you’ve captured my interest. Well played Walker…..well played! Now teach me something useful man!
And teach me he did! George did a tremendous job of outlining what he considers to be the fundamentals of good design, and how we can apply those to our furniture using simple whole number ratios. He even designs a piece of furniture right at his drafting table, in two different styles, all while justifying and explaining each and every choice. At some points, it gets a little deep and that just means I’ll be watching it again. But that may be one of the most amazing things about this DVD: I actually DO want to watch it again! I know I missed a few things so I am about to rev up my laptop for another go ’round.
Walker’s explanations and advice are incredibly useful and easy to understand. And as if that weren’t enough, the visuals, graphics and videography are second to none! This is a DVD that sets the bar very high in both quality and content. Kudos to the Lie-Nielsen crew who did all the behind the scenes work.
“Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design” doesn’t just throw terminology in my face and make me run away wondering why I wasted my time studying biology for 4 years when I should have been in design school. It breaks a few simple concepts down into usable chunks that I can actually apply to my woodworking. Such a simple concept, yet something I have yet to experience in my limited exposure to the world of design. And THAT, is worth way more than the price of the DVD. This is a must-have for woodworkers looking to design their own furniture. And if you are working your way “backwards” in your woodworking education, like me, I highly suggest checking out this title.
FYI:
George Walker is now writing a regular column for Popular Woodworking and is featured on the cover of the Feb. 2010 issue. You will also want to check out his blog, Design Matters. For a more detailed description of this DVD, check out Chris Schwarz’s Review. And if you are interested in buying this DVD, you can do so here.
Designing Myself Into A Corner
I figured I would talk a little about designing projects for a moment, since that happens to be on my mind right now. By no means do I have it all figured out and I sometimes feel like an outside observer as I watch myself go through different phases of my woodworking growth. This week, I spent three days chasing a design that never panned out. Hand sketches, Sketchup, blood sweat and tears! I was struggling so hard to come up with something unique and something that would really challenge my skill-set, that I began to lose site of the ultimate purpose of the piece. I forgot about function. And if you don’t satisfy the intended function…..GAME OVER. So one might say I wasted three days. I choose to see it a bit differently. This was a good learning experience for me. Ultimately I learned a lesson in the dangers of over-designing and if there is such a thing, micromanaging my project. I put too much stress on my imagination, and not enough on my common sense. Once I remembered to focus on the purpose and the function, things started to fall into place again. Although the piece still isn’t ready for a first build, its in a much better position than it was. Designing is as much about creativity as it is about restraint. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. And not every piece needs to drop jaws. Sometimes its enough that the piece just works, and looks good doing it.
Gun Case Design – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Tom, who writes:
I am planning a display case for a shotgun (grandfather’s) and a putter (dad’s), and perhaps a smaller case for two pocket watches (grandfathers’). I was thinking simple boxes at first, then I started considering adding some detail that could represent my contribution when I give them to my son (he’s 28).
I’ve been playing with G&G type joints you are using on your gadget station but I seem to be hitting a stumbling block (sketches attached). I think I need a face frame to add some thickness to hold glass, but the top/side/front intersections get a little clumsy and busy. They need to be a little light, since the pieces are fairly small. The face frames are typically wider and fit inside the case on bigger cabinets, and I haven’t been successful at finding examples of more delicate 3-way jointing. I was wondering If you could offer any suggestions.
One way to solve the problem is to “change the question” and build a single cabinet for all four pieces, but I would really prefer a “set” of smaller wall mounts. But I’m open to any reaction or ideas you may offer. Thank you in advance.
And here was my reply:
Hey Tom. Sometimes we can over think things to the point that we make them more complicated then they need to be. And communicating this via email is going to be tricky. So I will do the best I can to explain. Worse case scenario, I can always get on the live cam and show you examples of what i mean.
First off, I would start designing the piece as a basic box. That will serve as your empty canvas and you can simply add things or take things away as needed in order to arrive at the final design. So in your mind, start with 4 sides and simple butt joints. Then add in the back panel, which is set about 3/4″ in from the back in order to allow for the french cleat. The panel has to be at least 1/2″ ply and will sit in grooves that are cut all around the inside edges of the box. The front has a simple face frame with a rabbet for the glass. The face frame can be glued directly to the body since its a long-grain to long-grain joint. Use biscuits or dowels for alignment purposes if you need to. OK so now you have the template for the basic box. Let’s start making it fancy. Start with the corner joints. Instead of butt joints, we upgrade them to Greene & Greene style joints. Although these are a lot cooler looking, they don’t really change much in terms of our basic box design. How about the face frame? Lets have the face frame joined with mortise and tenon joints and lets have them pegged, just as you do in your sketch. The face-frame is then glued to the front of the box, and trimmed flush on all four sides. No need to inset the frame itself into the box. Hopefully you see where I am going with this. This is how I start all of my box designs. I just find it much easier to adorn a simple box than to reverse engineer a complicated design. Hopefully that will help you get rolling. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
Variations on a Theme
When I built my end table, I took a lot of inspiration from a picture I saw in Fine Woodworking’s Design Book II. Just a single black and white photo was all it took get my synapses firing! And if you remember, the responses to those episodes were incredible. Everyone seemed to have their own ideas for the shape and orientation of the legs as well as the shape and attachment method of the top. I struggled with these decisions and made what I felt were the best decisions at the time.
Recently, a couple of folks decided to take that same seed of inspiration, and let it blossom into their own beautiful creations. I thought it might be interesting and fun to examine how from one perspective, these five designs are very similar. But upon closer inspection, you can see that they are quite different (especially from the point of view of their makers).
This table was the original inspiration for my design. It was created by John T. Heinrich and the photo is directly from Taunton’s Design Book Two. I was really taken by the spider-like legs and the potential for some fun joinery. I also loved the concept of blending the vertical and horizontal components so that they look like they were carved from a single piece of wood. Think Maloof Rocker. The table it topped off with an interesting piece of glass. All in all, this table is an amazing piece of craftsmanship.
This is my table. As you can see, it was heavily influenced by Heinrich’s design above, but clearly takes it in a different direction. The table is smaller with a tighter stance. And the top is obviously figured maple, instead of glass. And rather than resting on top of the legs, the top floats between them via steel dowels.
Now this is a table submitted by Spike Sofranko. You can see Spike made some significant changes. His features a thick bowtie/dog bone-shaped top with multiple woods laminated together. The legs are a little more squared off at the edges and the top is secured with two dowels in the skinny ends of the top (not visible in this pic. What I find to be the most compelling part of Spike’s design is the fact that he flipped the leg assembly upside down. This was by far the most popular feedback I received from viewers. MANY folks felt the table looked better upside down. So finally, we have a real world example of what the table would look like in that orientation. Thanks Spike!
This next table was designed by John Bratton. The most notable change here is the top. Its a perfect circle and rests on top of the legs. John secured the top with screws in elongated holes to allow for movement, and capped the screws off with an accent wood. The legs are similar to Spike’s in that they are a little more squared off than the other designs. I also had numerous suggestions to put a round top on the piece, and thanks to John, we can now see how that looks.
And finally, we have this table from Todd Ouwehand. This table has all the delicate grace of Heinrich’s piece, but actually takes it a step further by keeping the stretchers thin as well. This design really has fun with varying thicknesses and the builder did a tremendous job of blending the joints so they simply appear as a single piece of wood. Also notice the wooden top, which happens to be attached in a similar manner as the Heinrich piece.
Now I am not looking for anyone to pick favorites here. My goal is to simply show you how the same starting concept can result in numerous end products, simply by altering the most important and influential variable: the craftsman.
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