woodworking

• Michael J. Kronau Fine Custom Woodwork

  Michael Kronau is  a cabinetmaker and finish carpenter in Poestenkill NY, a small town just east of Albany. His experience is primarily in cabinetry and architectural woodwork, but he also builds commercial and residential furniture on a custom basis. His website is unfortunately light on photos of his architectural work, but some of the furniture featured there – including a beautiful and massive sideboard / storage unit, an organic-looking rocking chair that fuses the Shaker and Art Nouveau styles (see the What’s New section) and the maple armoire in the gallery are just spectacular.

  Apparently craftsmanship runs in the family, as Michael’s son, Michael Jr., is a stonecutter.

• Four Sisters Woodworking

  
  The three principals at Four Sisters Woodworking – Harry Van Ornum, Scotty Lyons and Les Cizek – share a beautiful, state of the art woodworking and textiles studio in the mountains above Fort Bragg, California. Four sisters, you ask? Well, sisters in spirit; the fourth being long-gone Dixie Whipple. All three accept students for short-term intensive courses of individual instruction.

  Van Ornum’s, a master cabinetmaker, is influenced by Shaker simplicity, Craftsman detail and Japanese style; his most succesful work (like this amazing desk / storage tansu (pictured), this Craftsman / Japanese cabinet, and the various small tables and boxes he’s built over the years) combine elements of all these aesthetics. Cizek’s work complements Van Ornum, in its deceptive simplicity; some of his less orthodox designs are particularly striking and much more modern.

  Lyons is both business manager and head textile designer & weaver at Four Sisters. She produces custom textiles for upholstery, as well as rugs and many other types of textile products, and is particularly interested in experimenting with pleated cloth.

• stuff I like: BoWrench

  
  It’s not often that I get excited about a new tool – after all, while new and useful gadgets do appear on the market from time to time, the old standbys of saw, hammer, screwdriver, pliers and wrench seem to be working just fine for awhile now. Advertised as a decking wrench, this untique $40 tool would be good in many other applications as well, including subfloor & fencing installation.

  The Cepco BW-2 "BoWrench Decking Tool" is basically a clamping lever (that fits onto a joist) that allows you to straighten long boards and holds them so that they can be nailed into place. It’ll join tongue & groove pieces, can push and pull, and will close gaps as much as 2 inches.

• Berkeley Mills kitchens

  
  In addition to their beautiful furniture, Berkeley Mills also brings their blended Japanese / Arts & Crafts aesthetic to kitchen design. The Wabisabi kitchen (pictured) is both minimalist Japanese and Craftsman; the Madera is a deceptively simple design with plenty of light and horizontal lines; the Sereno blends a variety of different natural surfaces into smooth modern lines, and their custom Arts & Crafts kitchen installations [one / two] bring the Berkeley Mills maple-based aesthetic into the most important room in the house – well, in my house at least.

  Of course, this latest foray into interior architecture is not really that much of a departure for this group of master cabinetmakers; they’ve been making built-ins, doors, shoji and other finish carpentry for many years. If anything, this addition to their catalog is more a formalization of something they’ve been doing quite awhile than anything really new.

• Stu’s Woodworks, Washington DC

  

  Stu Crick is President of the Washington (DC) Woodworkers’ Guild and, from his fathers’ woodshop through the restoration and remodeling of several homes, has been a woodworker for most of his life. Today, he builds furniture strongly influenced by the Arts & Crafts Movement, with Stickley-esque legs – "four highly-figured solid quarter-sawn pieces," interlocked with a locking-mitre joint. Squared-off spindles on Stu’s tables are reminiscent of Prairie school work, and inlaid pegs and splines suggest Greene & Greene’s best furniture. Stew describes his own influences:

  While there are many influences that effect the creation of my
  furniture, the principle influence is the wood itself. George
  Nakashima, in his book The Soul of a Tree, describes how each
  piece of wood has a specific purpose that it reveals to the woodworker.
  This is the philosophy that guides me as I build furniture. I search
  for wood with a unique character and figure that harmonizes with each
  part of my furniture. I rarely stain or color the wood, instead
  preferring to hand-rub an oil finish that allows the woods figure to
  dominate the design.

  take a look at a gallery of Stu’s work

• great moments in remodeling: a very pretty cutout

  
  Chris Henry, aka Flickr user somefoolonline, recently finished a bit of remodeling that included a cutout between his kitchen and dining room. Not a big deal, you say. I’ve seen plenty of cutouts, you say. But have you ever seen one as nice as this? I don’t think so. The combination of paint color, vintage stove, the beautifully-finished wood and the rooms themselves are absolutely sublime. I’d certainly like to see more of their home if it looks anything like this!

• ask an expert: caring for hardwood floors

  The Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s always-useful Ask an Expert column dealt this past week with something we all need to be concerned about but often overlook: caring for our hardwood floors.

  Q: I have a beautiful 1925 Craftsman bungalow. The house is blessed with wood floors. I have noticed a black spot near the doorway to the kitchen (a heavy-traffic area) and also in the corner of the family room (a not-so-heavy-traffic area). What are my options in dealing with theses spots? And, more importantly, where do they come from so I can stop them from coming back? There are no leaks anywhere near the spots, and the floor is always dry (except when I mop). Do you have any suggestions on types of cleaners I can use to keep the floors looking shiny and new? I’ve been using Murphy’s Oil Soap. – D.W., Bedford

  A: From Roger Somogyi of Lamb Floor Fashion Center (30840 Lake Shore Blvd., Willowick, 440-943-6722):

  As you know, hardwood floors are natural, beautiful and timeless. Caring and consistent proper cleaning and maintenance will ensure that they remain that way.

  As for the black spots, I would have to assume that it is some type of moisture-related problem, possibly pet urine or mold. With your home being a 1925 vintage, it is likely that whatever has caused the black spots has penetrated the surface, and a plank replacement is the best way to permanently solve the problem. The wood planks that show the spots can be removed, new, unfinished planks can be installed, and the new planks can be custom stained to match the color and finish of your existing floor. A reputable wood repair and refinishing company should be able to help.

  Cleaning techniques vary depending on the type of finish that is on the uppermost layer of the floor, which is called the wear layer. Knowing the type of finish is important to properly clean a wood floor.

  read the entire column with information on caring for a variety of finishes

• wanted: dining room table

  wanted: Attractive & sturdy Craftsman-style rectangular dining room table with 2 leaves – capable of seating 8 or 10 with the leaves in, 4-6 without – for under $500. Something that will stay sturdy and last at least two generations. Any suggestions?

• DIY Networks’ Wood Works: a mission-style ottoman

  
  From the episode abstract:

  Based on the design motifs of the Arts and Crafts style of the 1920s, the Mission-style ottoman in this Wood Works
  project features strong lines, mortise-and-tenon joinery and a natural
  wood finish. Precisely milled wood and subtle details such as the
  beveled through-tenons suggest strength and fine craftsmanship.

  • Mission-Style Ottoman – Cutting and Milling Wood Stock
  • Mission-Style Ottoman – Batch Techniques for Making Joinery
  • Mission-Style Ottoman – Spindles and Final Assembly
  • Mission-Style Ottoman – Traditional Wood Finish
    

• book review: Craftsman Furniture Projects

  

  Craftsman Furniture Projects: Timeless Designs & Trusted Techniques From Woodworking’s Top Experts

  My colleague Derek Martin, an experienced and very talented woodworker, recently offered to review a book I received from the kind folks at Woodworkers’ Journal:

  Thank you for the opportunity to read and give my brief review of Craftsman Furniture Projects.

  I will start out by saying that I not only enjoyed the easy reading, but I also found myself distracted by the illustrations as I thumbed my way through the book. The book is loaded with diagrams, templates and pictures. Many more visual displays are also included to show exactly what is being done which can be especially useful if it’s your first time trying a particular procedure. Finished products are also displayed to show you what you are working towards at all times. So the use of illustration in this book along with descriptive detail made it an A+ for me.

  One of my favorite items was the use of old woodworking tools and the brief explanation of what their purpose was on the project. Some were tools that can still be very useful today such as the wood marking gauge used to drawl more precise lines while performing the layout of a rabbet joint on a piece of stock. Simple tools like this can be found, usually when you’re not looking for them, at garage sales and flea markets and I have developed a habit of collecting and using such items rather than their newer and cheaper counterparts.

  Throughout the book you will find sections called Quick-Tips and Technical Drawings. These brief paragraphs are hints and tips that outline safety, accuracy and workarounds for each project.

  This issue includes nearly twenty beautiful furniture pieces that can be constructed in any decently outfitted woodshop. I would recommend this book to any beginner who wants to try their hand at building sturdy and eye-catching furniture or any master craftsman who thinks he’s seen it all.