The Woodworker Sessions Series is about South African woodworkers sharing our craft and learning from each other. Our techniques, shortcuts, mistakes and triumphs all combine to grow our common passion - working with wood. I am always looking for interesting, intriguing and dedicated woodworkers to interview. If you are, or you know of a woodworker who fits the above bill, I would love to hear from you at tobias@toolcraft.co.za
You are also most welcome to call me at 082-532-9661 All Hours or 021-705-1247 ext 313 during Office Hours.
Please feel free to offer your comments on The Woodworker Sessions in the comments section below each interview.
Andrew in his workshop with one of his wonderful puzzle boxes!
I have known Andrew for many years and have watched him grow as a woodworker in leaps and bounds. His enthusiasm is entirely infectious! I firmly believe that his newfound passion in building fascinating puzzle furniture will be well worth following and will hopefully stir other woodworkers, young and old, to widen their horizons and to engage in more of the diverse disciplines of our craft.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Andrew: I think I became interested in woodworking at the age of about 20. Growing up, I was always fiddling with things and pottering around in my dad’s garage, but unfortunately tools like chisels and hand planes were as blunt as screwdrivers, so there was not much fun to be had with them!
I love the concept that something beautiful, creative, artistic and functional can be made from a tree and I love the challenge of designing and creating useable and sometimes whimsical things.
Bird feeder made for my aunt.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Andrew: I love being challenged by new projects and I thrive on working out ways around the technical and artistic issues that arise with every project.
Wooden Handscrews that I built using Dubuque Miro-Moose Hardware Kits
The immense satisfaction of achieving something that you didn’t believe was within your capabilities is an indescribable pleasure!
I don’t think there is any aspect of my craft that I don’t enjoy, other than repetitious work and the thankless regular task of cleaning my workshop!
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Andrew: Here I must be very honest, I am not as fond of hand tools as I probably should be. I have about 10 different hand planes and a handful of chisels. These are all mostly hand-me-downs and flea market finds.
Tobias: Which are your favorite power tools and stationary machines?
Andrew: I have a good collection of power tools. It is difficult to define which would be my favourite tools as each one has a specific range of capabilities within my workflow.
As far as stationary machines go, it has to be hands down my CNC machine. It is a home build with a bed size of 700mm x 1200mm. Next would be my Jet lathe. Both of these machines are wonderful from a creative standpoint.
Tobias: Which machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Andrew: Most definitely the following:
My (almost finished) Roubo inspired Split Top Workbench. (I still need to do the dog hole & front apron sections, construct the tail vise and fit the lower guide system for the leg vise).
Martlet 10" Table Saw with Router Table Extension
Jet Tools Benchtop Thicknesser
Mitre Saw Station
Martlet 200mm Long-Bed Jointer
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Andrew: I have a workshop with a floor area of 60 square metres. Time spent in the workshop is difficult to quantify as it depends on what projects I have on the go.
I’m always on the lookout for new, challenging and stimulating projects, but never make something just for the sake of just making something. I need to be excited about a project and of course, have the available spare funds to purchase the timber.
At a guess, I would say that I spend around 10 hours on average each week in my workshop.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Andrew: The first piece I made was at the age of around 10. It was a table for my mom to put a video machine on. It was made of plain chipboard and rough-sawn battens and coated with a horrible brown varnish.
My favorite piece is probably my wooden functional surfboard (probably cause I surf).
I built it from 3mm Japanese Cedar and featured Purpleheart stringing accents in it. The surfboard is hollow inside with ribs much like an aeroplane wing, this was an immensely challenging, but extremely rewarding project.
I have recently become fascinated by puzzle boxes and furniture that features mechanical actions and hidden compartments.
This genre of furniture was made popular in past centuries by the Roentgen brothers and Thomas Sheraton amongst a number of other luminaries. Today, the world leading cabinetmaker in this fascinating field is without doubt, Craig Thibodeau.
Having watched a number of videos of Craig Thibodeau's remarkable work, I became completely hooked and am now in the process of building a copy of his "Wisteria Puzzle Cabinet" This project is incredibly exciting and challenging for me, as one needs to do marquetry, joinery and create one's own hardware from scratch as well, so it really ticks all my boxes!
Craig Thibodeau's incredible Wisteria Puzzle Cabinet
Starting the base leg structure for my Puzzle Cabinet
My Puzzle cabinet taking shape!
Tobias: Which are your favourite timbers to work with and which timbers do you avoid?
Andrew: I work pretty much only in hardwoods. Wild Olive, Maple, Purpleheart, Padauk, Black Walnut, Beech and White Oak come to mind. I dislike working with softwoods, unless the specific project requires them, such as in my Japanese cedar surfboard.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Andrew: Depending on my requirements for the use of the piece, I tend to use either Rustin's Danish Oil or Woodoc 10.
I will definitely be expanding my range of finishes soon and will be trying my hand at using shellac as a sealer as well as for brushed and rubbed top coats in the near future.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Andrew: With my burgeoning fascination with Craig Thibodeau's cabinetry, I have been learning as much as I can about marquetry as well. I am not a total newbie to this aspect of woodcraft and have done a little bit over the years.
I would love to become really proficient at marquetry, as inlaid embellishment such as stringing, parquetry and marquetry can definitely take a furniture piece to an entirely new level, once you become really good at it.
My Wishlist:
]]>
The Woodworker Sessions Series is all about South African woodworkers sharing our craft and learning from each other. Our techniques, shortcuts, mistakes and triumphs all combine to grow our common passion - working with wood. I am always looking for interesting, intriguing and dedicated woodworkers to interview. If you are, or you know of a woodworker who fits the above bill, I would love to hear from you at tobias@toolcraft.co.za
You are also most welcome to call me at 082-532-9661 or 021-705-1247 ext 313
Please offer your comments on The Woodworker Sessions in the comments section below each interview.
Pierre Hansen
I have known Pierre for a good number of years. He truly epitomises the passion of the hand tool woodworker in every facet of his craft. Pierre pays immense attention to sharpening, honing and setting up his tools to perfection, allowing him to practise his craft with ease and fluidity.
Pierre Hansen is a true gentleman, humble, talented and immensely creative. Thankfully, he is also always willing to share his extensive knowledge and talent with anyone who is interested. If you ever get the opportunity to run his Lie-Nielsen No. 7-1/2 Jointer Plane (affectionately called the "Aircraft Carrier"), you will immediately understand his relationship with his tools!
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Pierre: I became interested in building things at a fairly young age. I remember starting with a subject called “handwerk” in standard two at primary school (now grade four - for the younger generation). In these classes, we were taught to make thing with our hands, mostly from wood. We got to use small back saws, coping saws, rasps and files. These were used to cut out forms and to shape wood to make all sorts of things like knives, guns, breadboards etc. Through this, we learned basic skills and how to form wood into functional items.
From the first time I picked up a tool in these classes, I felt like I belonged and it felt natural using the tools. I went through my school years taking woodwork up to matric.
In high school I made a round top Imbuia coffee table with turning work and shaped legs. In matric, I built an Imbuia “riempies” bench with ball and claw cabriole legs. Unfortunately, this was also practically the end of me using mostly the hand tools that I enjoyed so much.
For the next 26 years, I did everything to earn an income working with my hands. It started with being a roof carpenter for a short time to building and fitting kitchens for many years, making cheap line pine furniture, building kids furniture, shopfitting and now building sets for lives events, corporate shows and conferences.
Definitely not the fairytale woodworking life we all aspire to have, but still an extremely informative journey, where I accumulated a wide range of knowledge and know how of industrial machines, semi-industrial machines, power tools and a ton of skills.
Back to my fairytale woodworking life that is a work in progress, I’m afraid.
About three years back, at the age of 40 and suddenly becoming a wise old grey man, I decided I needed to go right back to where it all started for me at age 10. The things that made me fall in love with working in wood all those years ago, were hand tools.
I started buying up old hand planes and saws online and at pawn shops and doing plenty of research online to find suppliers in South Africa that sell high quality traditional woodworking hand tools, especially those that are hard to find second hand or that are beyond repair, if found.
My modified Snap-Off Blade Marking Knife
That was when I came across BPM Toolcraft. Brian Thomas had just started looking into bringing my now loved Lie-Nielsen tools to South Africa. From this point I started accumulating a fair set of quality hand tools. My focus for the last couple of years, when I had the time (very demanding job with very long hours) was to pick up where I left off twenty-three years ago and grow by teaching myself new and better hand tool techniques and skills, that I could use in the fairytale woodworking life that I am trying to create.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Pierre: From here on, I will try and focus more on my hand tools in answering the questions. Please keep in mind that I do have access to a full workshop with all stationary machines and power tools at my place of work, if needed.
For the most enjoyable part, I love taking just a vague ,spur of a moment idea and over-engineering the hell out of it, conceptualising of all the different ways of building the idea, to drawing a scale model of it in full detail using SketchUp. If the idea survives these steps and I actually get to the building part, it is then when the real fun starts.
I do really enjoy the whole process of the craft from hand selecting a piece of raw timber, knocking it down to smaller parts, dimensioning, cutting joinery, assembly, prepping for finishing and finishing. The most enjoyable part being doing it all, using mostly hand tools. I try to do at least fifty percent of the sawing, resawing and dimensioning by hand to practice the necessary skills and become more efficient. All of my joinery, pre-finishing and finishing is done by hand.
Now for the dislike. NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO PLAY WITH MY HAND TOOLS. With retirement on it way, in 22 years, I will have the time!
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Pierre: Only two of them: LIE-NIELSEN and VERITAS
My absolute favourite workhorses: No. 62 Lie-Nielsen Low Angle Jack Plane. This plane does it all, from dimensioning rough timber to finishing. Open up the mouth, set it for heavy cuts and go to town, all the way to jointing shorter edges to smoothing for a finish!
Then there is my "Aircraft Carrier"! The famous Lie-Nielsen Toolworks No. 7 ½ Low Angle Jointer. When sharp and set up properly, it glides through hard maple like a hot knife through butter and is totally addictive to use!
My other favourites are:
All my joinery saws:
Then, a very important set of tools… my sharpening equipment that make the above-mentioned tools a joy to use:
Wenge & Leather Billfold Wallet
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Pierre: My old Disston Panel Saw does a great job of knocking down timber to more manageable pieces. Then my Lie-Nielsen Scrub Plane will get the bulk of the twist and cup out quickly. From there the No.62 Lie Nielsen Low Angle Jack Plane steals the show.
Followed by tenon saws, carcass saws and dovetail saws. My Lie-Nielsen Low Angle Smoothing Plane comes with a built-in orbital sander, while a Cabinet Scraper deals with difficult grain. None of them are affected by load shedding and all of them run on man-power!
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Pierre: Off the top of my head, the following come to mind:
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Pierre: This is where my fairytale woodworking life in progress comes in. I do and I don’t...
I own an apartment “flat”, where I also rent an almost one-car garage. It is shorter than standard: 4.9m by 2.7m. I share the garage with myself (space for home stuff that usually get stashed in the garage). There I can work, when it is not intrusive to other tenants that live above the garage! So, no loud work like chopping out mortises.
At other times, I take some tools to work to get bench time in when we have our quiet season. Now and then, I take some tools to my better half's place to get things done.
My trusty self-made Winding Stick Set
I have even gone so far as to go and play with my tools at BPM Toolcraft on event days!
Starting them young!
This year, my focus is to find a more suitable place where I can practice my craft and build on my woodworking life.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Pierre: My first piece that I was very proud of was probably an imbuia coffee table made at age 14. Although not perfect, it was not bad considering using blunt hand tools (unfortunately the norm in schools then). It was good enough to showcase in the school main entrance at the end of that year.
I think my favourite would be the Moxon Vise that I built a few years back. Although not the most challenging project, it was done 95% by hand.
My next is actually something I’m currently working on. It is a white oak tool box for some of my most used hand tools.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with & which timbers do you avoid?
Pierre: I like most timbers. As long as they are not Pines, plywood`s or MDF then I am happy.
A few favourites that comes to mind: Wenge, Padauk, Hard Maple, White Beech, White Oak and American Black Walnut.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Pierre: It depends entirely on what the piece gets used for, so the finish can be anything from Danish Oil, Linseed Oil, lacquers and a combination of sanding sealer and Wax.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Pierre: I think that becoming a competent woodcarver would take top spot, followed by woodturning.
My Wishlist:
I am not picky. All I want is every Lie-Nielsen tool that I do not already own!
I would also like to add the five basic stationary machines at some point:
The Woodworker Sessions Series is all about South African woodworkers sharing our craft and learning from each other. Our techniques, shortcuts, mistakes and triumphs all combine to grow our common passion - working with wood. I am always looking for interesting, intriguing and dedicated woodworkers to interview. If you are, or you know of a woodworker who fits the above bill, I would love to hear from you at tobias@toolcraft.co.za. You are also most welcome to call me at 082-532-9661.
Please offer your comments on The Woodworker Sessions in the comments section below each interview.
www.pierrecraft.co.za
I came to woodworking rather slowly years ago, grabbing a few hours over weekends between a growing family & running a time demanding company. My family (wife, daughter & son) appreciated my need to work things out in wood and this made the trial & error learning process easier.
From the outset I had a fascination for boxes. I have never had an inclination to build chairs, tables or bookcases -just boxes. My interest in things mechanical led to the building of a marble run in wood, that over the years grew into a 1.5 metre high 6 track piece. I realised when it was built, that wood was not the material for marble runs, it took too much of the visual area. So I began a very steep learning process in the working & welding of stainless steel rod.
Having sold my business interests, I now live with my wife Audrey, a portrait artist, in an indigenous forest in the Natal Midlands, South Africa & have now the time to devote to my two passions, crafting wooden boxes and mechanical devices, as well as building Rolling Ball Sculptures.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Pierre: My first contact with wood was at about the age of 12 when I was the "Chief Finder & Fetcher" on my father's woodworking projects. His primary interest was hydroponics and woodwork was simply a means to an end for him, with his building of hydroponic growing tanks, rough workbenches and various trusses for his growing shed, all accomplished with a limited collection of tools.
As I recall, he had a Black & Decker steel body electrical drill, a Surform tool, saw, claw hammer and a few blunt chisels, most of which could be found lurking in a dark corner of the shed or under a pile of wood. So my introduction to woodworking was not exactly auspicious!
Fast forward to "Just Married" and I had a crack at making a few rough pieces of furniture with the above set of tools, so I suppose that this was when the flame was first kindled and then lay dormant until my late thirties.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Pierre: Design is to me the most important and enjoyable part of every project. Proportion, aesthetics, ergonomics and fitness-for-purpose are all considerations that are necessary to make a successful and pleasing end product.
Less enjoyable is finishing! I accept that scraping and planing give a superior finish compared to sanding, but only on larger flat surfaces.
I have found that on small intricate boxes, sanding is the only way.
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Pierre: Here I must nail my colours to the mast. I use power tools almost exclusively. Watching my father and his friends bludgeon a groove into a piece of wood with a blunt chisel or cross cutting a plank way off square, looked like hard and futile work to me.
Being totally self taught, I am inclined towards power tools and I have learned how to get reasonably good and repeatable results from them.
The few hand tools that I do occasionally use are:
Tobias: Which are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Pierre: Each and every one of my power tools is my favourite when I am using it! I enjoy the feel and process of whichever tool I am using at the time.
In no particular order, below is a list of most of my kit:
Tobias: Which machines, power tools or hand tools could you not go without?
Pierre: Every single machine, power tool and hand tools in my workshop is necessary to accomplish specific tasks when required. My minimum tool list would be the tools listed in Question #4, as they are all needed at some stage.
That said, I do think hard about adding a few "necessities" to my workshop, whenever I visit Toolcraft!...Who doesn't?
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you have in spending on working per week?
Pierre: My workshop is a three car garage measuring 50 Square Metres, with two tilt up garage doors. In addition, there is an adjoining storeroom of about 10 Square Metres and an open sided carport.
The compressor, incoming wood storage and wheeled assembly table take up this adjoining area. Also in the main workshop are a toilet (essential) a small coffee station (very essential) and drawing board space.
Although I have tinkered with SketchUp, I still feel more comfortable using the drawing board and drafting machine when designing. I find that I need to sketch easily and freely with a pencil during my design phases and you can't do that on a CAD program.
Two of the garages are dedicated to woodwork. I prefer the word "Woodcraft" and I think that people producing finely created items in wood should be called "Woodcrafters".
The third garage is for the construction of my Rolling Ball Sculptures and house my metalworking equipment.
Regarding time spent in the workshop, I usually open up at about 07h00 and switch off the lights at around 18h30, 5-6 days a week.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is your next piece you would like to build?
Pierre: Other than the already mentioned furniture, the very first acceptable piece was a two chambered tea caddy in African Mahogany and Red Ivory. We still use it daily in our kitchen.
My favourite pieces change from time to time as I tend to go through different phases. I was at one stage, influenced by Japanese shrines and wanted to incorporate elements of their design into my work. The reliquary in Rosewood veneer, Ebony, Wild Olive and slumped glass was for a time, my favourite.
The universal Joint in my Wooden Mechanical Series was also a favourite for a time.
My next piece: A newly designed Fly-Tying Station and a classic Rolling Ball sculpture using Cherry or African Mahogany and Brass Rods.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with & what timbers do you avoid ?
Pierre: I use Maple, Cherry, European Beech, African Mahogany, Purpleheart and Black Walnut from the timber merchants.
I really enjoy using indigenous woods whenever I can, although they are often difficult to get hold of. Favourites include Vepris (Ironwood), Coastal Red Milkwood (as a veneer), Boekenhout, Wit Hout, Lemonwood Snake Bean, (gorgeous, but very hard to find), Hard Pear and Yellow Wood only if I have to. Ochna Arborea (Cape Plane) and Marula are two timbers that I really love.
Not indigenous, but good to work with and usually readily available, I use Japanese Cedar, Cypress, Jacaranda and a recent very pleasurable discovery: Hillaria (Tree Fuschia, also known as White Olive).
Tobias: What is the standard finishing process for your furniture pieces ?
Pierre: My standard finishing process is to seal either with Shellac or a two pack catalysed lacquer, apply multiple coats and rubbing them down well in between.
I then apply a good quality paste wax or my own beeswax based concoction. I feel that a wax finish is the only one that gives small objects the right tactile feel and a sift lustre without the piece looking "plastic". I am sure that there are many other finishes that have merit, but the above suits my kind of work.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Pierre: I don't think that I could add another woodworking discipline to my current bag, there is just too much happening!
I do enjoy a bit of turning on my Rockwell lathe purely for relaxation, it is a great stress reliever.
A number of years back, I assembled a comprehensive set of carving chisels with big plans in mind...
Maybe one day...
]]>
Leon Nolte found his woodworking niche quite late in life and I am extremely glad he did! His love and intense passion for the rich and sensuous forms of the late Sam Maloof's exquisite chairs has led him down an artistic path of dedication and perseverance in reproducing these wonderful art forms.
Leon Nolte of Mokopane, Limpopo
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Leon: Although woodworking has held a fascination for me since my early twenties, I did not get around to actually doing any real woodwork until I was almost half a century oId!
At the time, I was in the crop protection business. Woodworking and design however, always tended to play with my day to day thoughts. I am one of those people whose brain is always busy with concepts and designs of some form or another. Simply put, my brain never stands still...
At first, I built a few kitchen cabinets, but that kind of woodwork did not stimulate me at all. Kitchen cabinet construction is terribly repetitive and I become bored very quickly, however it did give me a income and paid the bills at the time.
I then took a job working for a rice drying company in Texas. I must say that America has always intrigued me, ever since I was very young and I jumped at the opportunity to work in the USA.
What first amazed me was that they build houses entirely from wood and build them incredibly fast indeed! This really took hold in my mind.
Whilst in the USA, I purchased my first copy of Fine Woodworking magazine. This publication really fired up my creative side with their vast range of in depth and fascinating articles.
Greene & Greene Side table with Traditional Inlay
In this magazine, I came upon a beautiful Greene & Greene furniture piece, was instantly hooked and started to make reproduction pieces in my spare time. They were pieces from the Blacker House, of which I found the measurements in a museum. I excelled at this style, bringing me to the realisation that I can actually do really competent woodwork!
Leon's Greene & Greene Sideboard with Ebony Accents
On returning to South Africa, I started to build Greene & Greene style furniture pieces and also did kitchen cabinetry to keep the income flowing. In 2011, I returned to the company in Texas to earn enough to help my mother with the costs of her cancer treatment. It was at this stage that I came across the the amazing world of legendary woodworker, Sam Maloof. His style immediately and completely resonated with me and I fell in love with his graceful designs and exacting joinery.
After two and a half years in the USA, I again returned to South Africa and began in earnest to build Maloof style chairs.
Ebonised Maloof High Back Dining Chairs
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Leon: The most enjoyable stage is right at the beginning of the process, when selecting the wood for a specific Maloof style chair. I try to source planks that are the same colour. The wood for the seat is very important. The grain must match on both sides of the middle of the seat. The boards for the arm rests must also be a very close match to each other.
Cutting the five pieces that make up the seat section and making the joints for the legs in the two outer pieces is great fun and requires critically accurate layout, marking and cutting.
Cutting the angles on two of the five pieces next to the middle section (left and right) so that the middle of the seat is lower than the two outside pieces when glued up, is a real challenge and must be done with infinite care and accuracy.
I derive great pleasure from laying out the legs in the rough, cutting them out and cutting the 3mm thick sub-sections for the rocker laminations (ten for each rocker)! This laminated structure for the rockers results in them being incredibly strong and having the perfect amount of "spring". I also get a kick cutting the 3mm thick pieces for the back splats, four each for the seven back splats (28 in total per chair) and glueing them up in my customised template jig. This process makes the back splats slightly flexible and adds to the amazing comfort experienced in a Maloof style chair.
When starting the final hand shaping of the parts, my adrenalin kicks into high gear! The most exciting and satisfying phase of a chair build is when applying the first coats of oil onto the finished piece and suddenly the entire chair comes to life. This is an "instant gratification" that I have difficulty in putting into words that can adequately describe the feeling.
Least enjoyable is the sanding, of which there is plenty in this furniture style. I sand to 800 grit to get a very smooth surface for the oiling.
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Leon: I have a variety of hand tools that I bought in Texas whilst working there.
Tobias: Which are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Leon: I have a large 20” band saw, which is critical for working in the style of Sam Maloof. There are endless curves that require accurate cutting. I also believe a table saw is a must in every woodworking workshop, mine is a Martlet 10".
I make extensive use of custom jigs for cutting joints on the table saw. I use a custom table saw sled for crosscutting, as it is fast, safe and very accurate. Also critical to the workshop are a Metabo Compound Mitre Saw and a Martlet 200mm long bed jointer . I firmly believe that no workshop can function without a decent freestanding jointer.
The Martlet 300mm Benchtop Thicknesser is a fantastic little machine and copes admirably with all my work and I also make extensive use of the workshop built router table.
In the workshop arsenal are also several routers and cordless drills.
The floor standing Jet Drill Press is wonderful, as it has a radial headstock. The head can move forwards and backwards and can also tilt to both sides, as well as the table being able to tilt.
I make heavy use of small 4" handheld angle grinders, as they are perfect for much of my curving, fairing and shaping tasks. The seats of the Maloof chairs are predominantly shaped using angle grinders.
Tobias: Which machines, power tools or hand tools could you not go without?
Leon: It's really difficult to choose which tools I could do without. All of the tools are employed at one or another stage in the manufacturing process. I use angle grinders with Holey Galahad discs for the primary shaping of the seats of the Maloof chairs, and with them the initial shaping a seat is accomplished in about a hour.
The table saw is predominantly used for ripping, cross cutting and cutting joints. The band saw is the mainstay of the workshop for cutting all the intricate curves and is also used for initial rip cutting of rough stock. Every single one of my machines comes into play in the chair building process.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you have in spending on working per week?
Leon: I am a full time woodworker and the workshop is my home for 6 days a week.
My total indoor space is about 20m x 20m and there is a similar size space under roof outside. I have plenty of cabinets inside with worktops for tool storage and to work on.
The dedicated workbench was built from 38mm thick MDF and it suits my style of working very well. There are also two other tables in the workshop that are used for sanding, shaping and gluing. One of the tables also doubles up as the outfeed table for the table saw.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is your next piece you would like to build?
Leon: My first piece was a side table that I built at school.
My favourite piece is the Maloof rocker and maybe the Blacker side board.
The Maloof rocker is a incredibly challenging piece of furniture to create. So many things need to come together for it be pleasure to finally sit on. The back splats contribute a large part of comfort of the chair, however all of the other factors such as the angle of the back legs and seat height are critical for the superior comfort of the design. Chairs are extremely difficult pieces of furniture to build, because of all the angles involved.
I would really like to build a Maloof style dining table. It would be a big challenge. The Maloof style is always a challenge ……and that's why I enjoy it so much!
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with & what timbers do you avoid ?
Leon: I have become very fond of the North American timbers. Favourites are definitely Black Walnut and Black Cherry. These are not difficult timbers to work with, when it comes to shaping the wood as in the Maloof style. They also sand easily to an exceptionally fine finish.
Other woods that I enjoy working with are Hard Maple, Ash and red & White Oak, although these timbers are a bit more difficult to work.
I have tried to build a Maloof chair from Kiaat, but the timber quality available of late is really not good at all. The same goes for Zambezi Redwood (Rhodesian Teak) and African Rosewood.
Tobias: What is the standard finishing process for your furniture pieces ?
Leon: On my Maloof style pieces I use exactly the same mixture that Sam Maloof used. This is basically 1 part Tung Oil , 1 part Boiled Linseed Oil, and 1 part Polyurethane Varnish( the oil based version that dissolves in turpentine). Sometimes I add a bit more Urethane and reduce the amount of Linseed. It all depends how I feel!
The method is as follows: Apply the mixture liberally with a cloth and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Then wipe all the finish off until the piece feels totally dry. Let it stand for 12 hours and repeat. Repeat this process until there is total saturation. If you see spots that absorb the oil fast, go back and put more oil on that specific area. This finish will not form a layer on top of the wood, but will rather fill the pores of the wood with finish. The result is a wonderful and tactile surface, where the grain is still visible and it is waterproof.
One can also apply a paste wax maintenance coat every 6 months.
All of my other furniture pieces are finished with good old tried and tested Woodoc 10.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Leon: I have no wish to work in other furniture styles and am happy building my Greene & Greene and Maloof furniture, as this is where my passion lies.
The Woodworker Sessions Series is about South Africans sharing our craft and learning from each other. Our techniques, shortcuts, mistakes and triumphs all combine to grow our common passion - working with wood. I am always looking for interesting, intriguing and dedicated workers of wood to interview. If you are, or you know of a woodworker who fits the above bill, I would love to hear from you. Contact me on tobias@toolcraft.co.za. You are also more than welcome to comment on The Woodworker Sessions in the comments section.
Peter Ritchie at the Workbench
In the calming surrounds of the Mbona Private Nature Reserve in the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands, Peter Ritchie is one of a rare breed of woodworkers who has truly found his niche, building exquisite violins.
What a Wonderful Setting for a Workshop!
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Peter: I developed the interest from my father– (he bought a Nestor combination machine – what a dog, as each function required a belt change!). Nevertheless it was on that basis that at the age of 12, I became interested in woodworking.
On flunking out of varsity, I joined a construction company. The founder (and my mentor) of this company, insisted that I should spend time on each trade and study concurrently; this allowed me to achieve an NTC 7 qualification. Working with wood and building concrete boxing furthered my interest in working wood.
Once I qualified and started earning some money, I was able to begin buying tools –and I still have most of them today. They are all hand tools, and they are now over 50 years old.
A good experience for me was my stint in the company’s joinery shop where I was exposed to making solid wood doors, frames, moulded skirtings, picture and bump rails, and wooden laboratory work benches, amongst many other things.
Once married, with children on the way, domesticity required that I should start doing some home joinery, a practice that I continued to this day; for example, my son’s wedding present of a “Shaker” dining room table, a music stool for one of my daughters, and a jewellery chest of drawers for my wife’s passion of collecting jewellery. There are many other pieces, far too many to mention!
Sometime in my early thirties, a chance encounter with classical music pointed me down a very different path. I became interested in violin music, and the beautiful female form of the instrument. I resolved then, that one day I would build a violin.
A long interval ensued with little or no woodworking of a serious nature, during which I read widely on the subject of lutherie and realised that a violin made badly, is really not worth the effort. I did however, discover that building a classical guitar could be rewarding, as they are a little more forgiving.
So, armed with Campiano and Natelson’s excellent book on guitar making, I launched into a branch of lutherie. A long while later, an exceptionally pleasing classical guitar emerged. (My guitar teacher is anxious to buy it!)
For years I have been subscribed to the British magazine – “The Strad” – a monthly magazine to do with bow stringed instruments, - Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass.
About 4 years ago I was paging through the “Strad” , and came across an advert for a Violin Making Summer School in Cambridge (UK) (Cambridge Violin Makers). An email to them confirmed that I possessed sufficient skills to start, and “bingo”, I was finally able to set about what I really wanted to do. I have since been to Cambridge for 3 consecutive years, - two weeks at a time. As I sit here now, some 4 years later, I am able to make a reasonable amateur violin.
Full time Luthiers undergo a 4 year Degree Course, before they are able to call themselves Luthiers.
It is a fascinating pastime that requires total concentration. A book that I have just finished reading has a very apt comment on the subject – “As a Luthier progresses, he cares more and more about less and less”. By the way, if you are a “Hand Tool Junkie”, this book is for you!
Tobias: Which aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable, and which the least enjoyable.
Peter: Being an insatiable tool junkie, I really enjoy searching junk shops for old British made edge tools, revamping them (making new handles) and bringing them up to sharp and useable tools. A natural consequence of this is carving violin parts with gouges – a violin is pretty much totally carved – shaped belly and and back, finger boards and scroll, all to minute levels of precision.
Peter's Selection of Specialist Hand Planes
An added joy, for me, is design, and “reading around the subject”. The violin, as we know it today, was finalised around 1550 AD, so there is an immense amount of historical information to take in .
My least enjoyable discipline is probably the varnishing of the instrument. However it is all enjoyable – only varnishing a little less so!
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools.?
Peter: My favourite hand tools are “hand tools”! Any good quality hand tool, sharpened to perfection is a joy to use and the right tool for a particular job is very important to me.
Probably my most favourites are Lie-Nielsen and Veritas Planes and of course my miniature Thumb Planes and Finger Planes, Pfeil Gouges, re-born Marples Chisels and my Violin Knives that I have made from Festool jigsaw blades with Kiaat handles.
Various Vises are of course very important, together with custom made jigs for all sorts of tools and my home made special purpose knives. None of these would be of any use without two workbenches, both I have made from 9" x 3" Oregon Pine beams and they both weigh a ton!
Tobias: Which are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Peter: At “Cambridge Violin Makers” you learn quickly that to make a bowed string instrument, you do not need a single power tool!
However, my favourite power tools are:
Also as a matter of interest, I have collected the following over the years:
Also possibly of interest to fellow woodworkers, I use a Veritas Jointer Plane mounted in the inverted position, to joint belly and back centre joints of the violins, these joints have to be 100% accurate!
Tobias: Which machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Peter: If push came to shove, my current thinking would allow me to dump all my power tools! I would however, be hard pressed to go without my drill press, Laguna SUV Bandsaw, UV Light Box for varnish curing, Tormek sharpening system, diamond plates, Japanese whetstones, and my electric bending iron.
Tobias: Do you have a dedicated space for your woodwork, what size is the floor area, and how much time do you spend working wood per week?
Peter: I do have a beautiful dedicated space, half of which is given over to instrument building, known as an “Atelier” - 16 square metres in extent.
The other half , but contiguous with the Atelier, is my studio where I keep my books, magazines, and a roll top desk made for me by my father. I also use it for playing the Classical Guitar. In total, I have 40 square metres. I keep my power tools, except for bandsaws and drill press, in a big double garage.
(Note the Emmert Patternmaker's Vise on the right)
When I retired, my wife and I built our dream house, and I was able to build my workshop spaces from scratch, so I have big south facing windows behind my workbenches, and high north lights behind me.
I spend a fair amount of my time in my workshop, but there is no definite pattern.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you would like to build?
Peter: The first piece I ever made?... I really can’t remember! My favourite pieces are definitely my wife’s jewellery chest of drawers, Shaker dining room table, my classical guitar, and my first violin.
The next piece that I will make will be a three quarter size violin for my grand daughter, who is now nearly 2 years old, so I had better get on with it!!
Tobias: Which are your favourite timbers to work with & which timbers do you tend to avoid?
Peter: Most definitely Maple and Spruce for instrument making. I also use Pin Oak and Australian Blackwood, felled on the estate, Indian Rosewood, Swamp Cedar, Kiaat and Jatoba.
The timbers that I avoid:
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process?
Peter: German oil and spirit varnish for violins and home made oil varnish (50% boiled linseed oil, 50% genuine artist’s turpentine, plus 2 – 3 mm pure lavender oil. I also use a few Woodoc products as well as Rustin's Danish Oil.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Peter: I would like to hone my violin making skills, as well as add skills in musical instrument repair and bowed instrument setup.
]]>In issue #22 of The Woodworker Sessions, we are extremely grateful to Neville for welcoming us into his workshop and his woodworking world!
]]>Neville Comins in his Favourite Place!
A lifelong woodworker and extremely active member of the Woodworkers Association of Pretoria since 1992, Neville recently retired from the position of Director of Material Sciences at the CSIR & founding CEO of The Innovation Hub
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodwork?
Neville: As a young boy, I was aware of certain pieces of furniture, including two Morris chairs, made by my great-grandfather. The tradition had not been carried on, but still it created a fascination for me. My real interest was triggered when a neighbour started to build a home-made lathe and I volunteered to be his assistant. With remarkable tolerance for a 6-year old, I was encouraged throughout.
Later in Primary School, the joy of making a toy car was memorable and the enthusiasm to build things moved first to model aircraft and later to furniture.
High School presented a challenge, as woodwork was reserved for boarding pupils, but when two day-scholars persuaded the powers-that-be to allow us after school access to the workshop, the opportunity was created under the tutelage of a real craftsman stimulated by our enthusiasm. We were introduced to many techniques of good joinery, including making concealed dovetails and Ball & Claw and even wood turning.
Imbuia Cabinet made at High School
African Mahogany Side Table
The bug had bitten and the items that I made are still in use today. Through my later university days in the UK, I had no facilities for woodwork, but started marquetry as a new challenge.
Marquetry Box
Also, being in Cambridge I was fortunate to see many wonderful period furniture pieces with their elegant design and proportions and a desire grew to one day emulate such styles.
Custom Display Cabinet from Sapele
On my return to South Africa, the years that followed saw the building of a significant amount of household furniture. I joined the Woodwork Association of Pretoria in 1992, and over time benefited extensively from the experience of others and have grown my skills through more challenging projects.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Neville: In developing my projects, most of them have not relied on published designs, but rather the challenge of designing for both functionality and appearance, but also including new techniques to broaden my skills. When existing designs were used, the features of some new complexity were important, e.g. serpentine mouldings and coves on a Grandfather Clock or the detail in the reproduction Queen Anne Lowboy.
Grandfather Clock in progress for the family - One in Imbuia and one in Walnut
Reproduction Queen Anne Lowboy in American Walnut
Perhaps due to the way I started out, I enjoy the use of hand tools and the satisfaction of completing a task using my own skill. This is particularly true of hand-cut marquetry. Probably the finishing stages are likely the least enjoyable as one is at that stage so keen to complete the project. Also, much is written about the subject internationally, but the information about using the locally available finishing products is more limited. Over the years, however, and learning from others, the quality of my finishing has improved and has become much more satisfying. My absolute worst aspect is making unnecessary mistakes that could easily be avoided. This, as always, is often related to haste or diversion.
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Neville: Most probably due to my early exposure only to hand-tools, I have steadily built up my selection of quality tools. However, before listing my favourites, I realised that an essential ‘tool’ for handwork (and of course for many other techniques) is a well-constructed workbench.
New Workbench under Construction in the Workshop
I made my first workbench 45 years ago based on a Readers Digest DIY book, and for years understood its limitations, but suffered along. Eventually (something that should be most serious woodworker’s early project) I was to build “The Essential Workbench’ published in Fine Woodworking magazine (2004) and I fitted it with a Veritas quick-release Front Vice and a Veritas Twin–Screw Vice, as well as a copious quantity of well-positioned ‘dog-holes’. A further step was to fit under-bench storage for convenient access to the key hand-tools. These steps allowed me to radically up my game.
My new European Beech "Essential Workbench" with Veritas Vices
Despite obvious temptation every time one opens the latest news on new products, I have been conservative in expanding my range of hand tools, as most good tools, if well maintained and kept sharp, have a good and long work life.
The Tool Storage Unit fitted into the Workbench
Nevertheless, additions have been made to fill important gaps and I always go for excellent quality where possible.
Thus, my list is:
One item, not so regularly used since the advent of routers, is my 53 year old Record #050 Combination Plane with its 17 cutter configuration, bought at the time for R14, 00!
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Neville: My choice of stationary machines has been limited by the size of my workshop (20 square metres). The primary machine is my well-used Kity Bestcombi 2000 combination machine, which I dominantly use as a table saw (200mm blade) and a 200mm jointer, plus occasional use of the mortising attachment. For thicknessing, I have a De Walt 733 machine mounted on a mobile platform, which can be moved outside to allow for processing long planks. My Kity 613 band saw has an adequate capacity for most work, with some limits for re-sawing.
New Workbench (left), Kity Combination machine (centre),
Record Coronet 3 Lathe & Tormek Sharpening Station (right)
Fortunately, our Association (Pretoria Woodworkers Association) members are happy to share their bigger machines when required. I also have a Record (Coronet) No.3 lathe with a 48” bed used mostly for spindle turning.
Folding Router Table
To maximise space, I have a folding Router Table with a home-built precision fence which has all the required flexibility, and a Delta drill press. Important is dust collection and I use a Jet DC 1100A collector, piped to the various machines with blast gates, and a ceiling mounted Jet AFS1000 Air filter unit.
My favourite power tools are my two vintage Elu routers, with a small and very useful Accessory Table, my set of Festool tools, viz. a TS55 FEQ plunge saw and tracks, a Rotex RX150 FEQ orbital sander, a PS300 EQ jigsaw and in conjunction with the Festool units, I use a CT22E SG portable vacuum.
As a strong protagonist of dovetail joinery in cabinetry and drawer construction, I have a Leigh D4R jig when repetitious work is required.
The Oak Workshop Cabinet has 52 Drawers, providing custom storage for a wide array of items
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Neville: Some thoughts:
Kiaat Sideboard with Top Panels that slide open to access the Hot Trays beneath
Tobias: Do you have a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodwork per week?
Neville: The dedicated space for my complete workshop is a very snug 20 square metres. While I can have a ‘wishlist’ for tools and machines, expansion is not possible, so I must adapt and use what I have. A serious challenge is always storage for timber and off-cuts, so other spaces need to be found to alleviate this, particularly for larger projects.
Depending on the project, my time in the workshop ranges form 1-2 days per week to almost full time when required.
Never forget to make toys for your grand children!
Over time, careful attention has been paid to the storage of tools, with the most used hand tools under the bench, small power tools in a wall cabinet and others on wall racks for convenient access, e.g. clamps, screwdrivers, files and some power tool accessories.. There is a small sharpening station for the Tormek and whetstones.
Lighting is always important and the shop has 4 double LED strip lights for general lighting, as well as two 30W LED floodlights over the bench and lathe area.
A workshop, however, is always a continuous project, where one makes adjustments to try and improve the efficiency and productivity.
Music Centre & Tv Cabinet
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Neville: I guess the first piece was the ‘pull-car’ at primary school and accessories for model train layouts. When it comes to furniture, I made a mahogany bookcase and an Imbuia cabinet mentioned earlier, a turned lamp stand, and a carved spiral lamp, all at High School.
My favourite pieces have to be my first Grandfather clock in Imbuia and a walnut reproduction Queen Anne lowboy.
My recent projects included a Kiaat sideboard, two further grandfather clocks, , one in Imbuia and the other in walnut, and two display cabinets, for the family.
Recently, I have become interested in box making, and my interest in marquetry has been revived. I recently completed my first jewellery box with a marquetry lid, which was most satisfying. I expect this interest will grow, as I really enjoy the precision that is required.
In terms of future furniture, I want to improve my skills with inlay and banding work, with the potential to build a Federal Style table, which I find most appealing.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with and what timbers do you avoid?
Neville: My favourite timber, up until availability was stopped , was always Imbuia for the rich colour, stability and workability. In later projects, the use of Kiaat, Sapele Mahogany, African Mahogany, Pink Beech and White Oak as primary woods has dominated, while for authenticity the Queen Anne lowboy was made with American Walnut.
Imbuia Coffee Table
For secondary woods, I mostly use imported Poplar, which is easy to work and stable for drawer sides and bases, etc.
For boxes, I have used Imbuia, Kiaat and for contrast European Beech and Maple. For my workbench, I followed the tradition by using European Beech. In future, I will be looking to source more figured woods for box lids, and woods for making bandings and inlays, but this is still to come.
A wood that I did not enjoy using was Iroko, as it affected my lungs, but otherwise I do not have real dislikes of particular species. My chief dislike is timber that is stressed and develops a life of its own once you start to work.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Neville: My finishing is a subject of continuous improvement to achieve the results I desire. I have never ventured into spraying of lacquers, etc. and focus on hand applied finishes. Dominant has been the use of Woodoc 10, but more recently, I have been using Danish Oli and wax. I am finding my way into using shellac alone, more as a sealer, and it's combination with other finishes, but not yet French Polishing with it.
For my bench, I used Boiled Linseed Oil, and for other workshop cabinets, etc. polyurethane varnish, providing a robust finish. There are still many skills to perfect.
Imbuia Display Cabinet
Tobias: If you were to add another discipline of wood working to your arsenal, what would it be?
Neville: My recently rediscovered enthusiasm for marquetry done using the window method will stimulate me in the selection of veneers, shading and using grain effects. This offers new ways of augmenting both box and cabinet making.
Having done limited woodturning, I am surrounded in our Association by some of the best turners in South Africa, so this is an area where I can learn much, and this must be on the list. In addition, my limited woodcarving on the Lowboy project, also showed the extent to which this can add so much to a furniture piece. I suppose that I would like to aspire to be a ‘complete woodworker’ but life may just be too short, but still worth the challenge!
A non-furniture project in Sapele
My Wishlist:
The title "Brian Coetzee - Box Maker" says it all. In White River in Mpumulanga, Brian creates exquisite boxcraft for his ever increasing & discerning clientele. Playing card boxes, jewellery boxes, knife boxes, memory boxes, watch boxes, presentation boxes, chess boards & backgammon boards, each piece is crafted to perfection.
]]>The Woodworker Sessions is about sharing our craft and learning from each other. Our techniques, shortcuts, mistakes and triumphs all combine to grow our common passion - working with wood. I am always looking for interesting, intriguing and dedicated workers of wood to interview. If you are, or you know of a woodworker who fits the above bill, we would love to hear from you.
In White River in Mpumulanga, Brian creates exquisite & detailed boxcraft for his ever increasing & discerning clientele. Playing card boxes, jewellery boxes, knife boxes, memory boxes, watch boxes, presentation boxes, chess boards & backgammon boards, each piece is crafted to perfection.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Brian: I have always loved to fix things and dabble in DIY. Up until my late twenties, neither wood nor woodworking featured in my life. The little bit of exposure to school woodwork was stressful. In retrospect, I realised that the chief causes of this stress were dull blades. We were never taught how to sharpen blades and tune tools!
Whilst living in Durban and working 9 to 5 as a clerk, very unhappily I must add, a work colleague wanted some built-in cupboards installed, and I said “I can do it, part time though”, much to my own surprise and not really believing what I had just said!
Here I was, a thirty year old clerk, wondering how the hell I was going to pull this off. I worked out a quote for chipboard cupboards to be hand painted, which was accepted. I bought a Bosch jigsaw to accompany my Metabo electric drill which I had acquired only a few years earlier. It was a rather terrifying project, which upon completion, turned out be very satisfying. Within the next year I had completed four such cupboards, with very happy clients.
This sense of achievement was, and still is, very fulfilling.
After seeing a newspaper classifieds ad for recycled Oregon Pine and Burmese Teak, I borrowed some money to purchase this lot. I still only owned the all-encompassing electric drill and jigsaw. The seller showed me some really beautiful furniture he had made. This awoke a sleeping giant within and I was hooked. Woodworking was soon to become a passionate hobby.
A critical instrument in my workshop - The Humidity Stick!
Just before my 35 birthday, in 1997 I became a full time woodworker. By 1998, after having made a few custom furniture pieces and boxes, I developed an affinity with box making and have been building and making boxes for the past 21 years.
Marking Knives in Left and Right Bevel Format
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Brian: First off, I will never tire of the wonderful woody aroma that greets me every morning in the workshop. Fresh eyes assist in seeing what you did and didn’t do the day before.
As with many hands-on folks, I think that designing and building are hugely enjoyable and challenging, especially when planning to use woods for their specific properties, which may or may not assist in overall design and stability.
Wood selection can be either therapeutic when making your own creation, or mildly stressful, especially when the client does not give any direction. Repetitive hand sanding in between lacquer coats is probably my least enjoyable physical chore. Mentally though, it allows those latent thoughts on the brain’s backburner to surface and many a solution and creation has arisen out of the ‘hand sanding trance’. If I’m really busy, my wonderful wife, Gail, helps out with sanding.
Essential Box Making Clamps, Vernier Caliper
and the all-important "Splinter Removal Kit"
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Brian: I don’t have many hand tools, but use them all. I thought of listing these tools in order of ‘favouritism’, but that is impossible for me.
A day's worth of sharp Plane Irons at the ready!
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Brian: I seem to have found my ideal balance using hand and machine tools.
I do believe that my Makita Router, mounted on a self made router table and fence is my most used set-up. It’s versatile and accurate. It is the centre of my box making universe…
My shop-made Featherboard system for the Router Table
The Router Table Fence with various custom inserts
Wood preparation is of paramount importance.
I have a Martlet Table Saw for breaking down larger planks. The 150mm Jointer and 300mm Jet Thicknesser contribute massively to this cause. In the workshop are two 14" bandsaws.
A Metabo Bandsaw which is my go-to for resawing and veneer cutting from solids, and a wonderful Rockwell Bandsaw, way older than me, which I use for cutting the very thin strips for inlaying and stringing. I also have a Stayer Compound Mitre saw. Apparently this has been discontinued. Not surprisingly!
In my workshop are also:
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Brian: I have hardly any superfluous tools, so everything is used quite regularly:
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Brian: Yes, as a full-time woodworker / box maker, I have a dedicated workshop, approximately 9 x 6 metres, somewhat dishevelled most of the time. (Ok, all of the time.) It’s probably the least glamorous workshop of any serious woodworker but it does work for me.
A storage room is attached, in which most of the really precious woods, veneers, inlay stock and prepped pieces are stored.
Workshop Setup:
Store Room Setup
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Brian: My first piece was a glass topped Oregon Pine coffee table.
I have a few favourite pieces: Two Charles Mackintosh chairs - a Willow Chair and a Radiused Chair, both made entirely from one photograph each.
Macintosh Raduised Chair Component Layout
Macintosh Radiused Chair
Macintosh Willow Chair
A Backgammon set made from Tamboti, Sneezewood and Red Ivory.
Chess board made with Macassar Ebony and lightly Quilted Maple, with edging of Partridgewood, Sapele Mahogany and Curly Maple with Macassar Ebony feet.
A box made from Curly Tamboti, Sneezewood and African Blackwood.
There are a number of different boxes I would love to build, but topping the list right now would be another humidor.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with & what timbers do you avoid?
Brian: I have become really fond of our indigenous woods. They’re very charismatic, mostly hard or very hard, extremely versatile and largely frustrating and tricky to work and thus, very rewarding. They are quite scarce and I go to great lengths to ensure sustainable use.
My favourites are Tamboti, Partridgewood, most Mahoganies, the Dalbergias (Rosewoods), Mitzeeri, Bubinga, Kiaat, Boekenhout, Stinkwood, Imbuia (which I now upcycle from old furniture), Hard Maple, Bird’s Eye Maple and very possibly some others that do not come to mind right now.
Highly figured woods will be processed into veneers on my bandsaw, with thickness ranging from 1 to 3mm. I do this mainly because it goes further and tames wild and unstable woods like Wild Olive, Matumi and False Mopani.
I do not like to work with woods that are inherently unstable. This is a huge no-no in box making.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Brian: I mostly use lacquer on my boxes, simply because it’s more efficient. In some instances, I may use Woodoc 10. It all depends on the application of the box. I would love to use shellac but require more practice.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Brian: Possibly marquetry. I say possibly, because the market for high end boxes in South Africa is very small. But I still think it would be remarkably rewarding to do.
In The Woodworker Sessions #20, we have the privilege to find out a little more about David Duncan and his wonderful approach to his woodcraft.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
David: I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t surrounded by tools. My father was a qualified shop-fitter and a person who did most things himself. As the only boy in a family of four children, I was the “clamp and screw passer.” One of my favourite things to do was to tidy my dad’s tool shelves, cleaning and sorting the tools.
A great step came the day that my grandmother took me to the toy shop on my birthday to pick out a tool set. Toy tool sets in those days weren’t plastic noise-makers, but real tools scaled down. I loved my egg-beater drill from the set I chose. My first plane was a Stanley block plane, which I never got to make a shaving, I had no idea how to get it right and never used it again. Although I yearned to make things, all too often my efforts ended in frustration.
For many years I was your average DIY person. I slapped things together with nails, screws and glue. It wasn’t until a few years ago that my interest in wood craft peaked. I feel privileged to be part of the internet age, because it was on the web that I stumbled across Paul Sellers’ teaching.
His philosophy intrigued me: with ten hand-tools and three joints you can make just about anything. I watched and read and learned and practised – my life was changed. I learned to sharpen, cut and chisel. Screws and nails were replaced by tenons, bridle joins and dovetails. From there, my love for the craft grew exponentially and with every small step of proficiency came more enjoyment.
Once I learned how to sharpen a chisel, the enjoyment of working wood grew exponentially. I can’t begin to describe how incredibly enjoyable simple tasks like chamfering an edge can be.
Some basic knowledge and skill make these bread-board ends so rewarding to make with a few simple hand tools.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
David: I love the planning process that usually includes sketching and 3D modelling. As an open-source software freak, I enjoy a computer, but interestingly, my planning is done with paper and pencil nowadays.
Woodworking is a multi-sensory experience and I love how the textures, sounds, smells and bouncing light come together as one interacts with the wood. I love hand-planing, never getting enough of wisp-like ribbons floating from the plane throat.
Sometimes I will take my plane to some pine, simply for the mere pleasure of it. I smile every time wispy shavings float to the ground.
I am a compulsive problem solver. I love finding simple solutions to everyday workshop problems. Long before hand-tool woodworking came into fashion, my dad gave me a Stanley router plane. This intrigued and frustrated me no end. It was missing the blade clamp and height adjuster – useless, so I thought.
I remember visiting Hardware Centre as a young man to find out if they could get me the parts. My enquiry was met with some disdain from the well-known shopkeeper. “Just buy an electric router,” he said. He just didn’t understand my passion for hand-tool woodworking. Many years later, watching Paul Sellers frequently use his router plane got me all fired up again. I found a strong old hose clamp and voilà, my router plane was put to use. That hose clamp is still doing service almost on a daily basis.
Going strong after many years use, the hose clamp on my router plane has done great service at a great price.
I am consistently amazed at how wonderfully sensitive human fingers are, able to pinch-adjust to incredibly tiny amounts (probably microns) . This method helps me to be completely in tune with what's going on on the wood surface being planed.
I have had a bit of a mental block when it comes to stock preparation... For many years, until very recently, I prepared all my stock by hand – from rough boards to four-squared stock. I enjoy planing by hand, but that kind of stock preparation loses it's romantic edge very quickly. It was made somewhat easier by an article by Christopher Schwarz entitled, “Coarse, medium and fine,” but was still a bit of an exhausting business. I’m glad to say that I was blessed recently to be able to purchase a bench-top planer/thicknesser.
A planer/thicknesser removes much of the chore of my stock preparation. This workhorse is attached to my dust collector by means of a series of pool hoses.
I also love making simple tools that do amazing things.
In chair-making, tapered mortises are often called for. A reamer is essential to taper the holes. My reamer is a home-made version with a removable blade (made from an old saw) and sharpened on both edges as you would a cabinet scraper. It works incredibly well.
For beading, you will have to do a lot to beat this simple tool – a scratch stock. Made from a scrap of wood and a piece of bandsaw or other blade, you can file any shape on the blade and transfer it to the wood edge with ease.
What I like least in the woodwork process is my own stupidity. Far too often, I make silly mistakes by becoming engrossed in the immediate task and gluing something upside down or cutting the wrong end of a component. I’m learning to concentrate throughout the process and diligently mark components.
Woodworking has forced me to grow in focus and patience.
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
David: I have always loved hand tools and for a time, I was what could be described as a hand-tool purist … somewhat naive and misguided I now admit. But I still love all my hand tools. I also tend to be a minimalist though – I love the challenge of being able to do a lot with a little.
Some time back, a phrase used by a photographer I follow stuck with me: “Embrace the constraints.” Having less gear tends to stretch your thinking and ability. Anything I don’t use, gets given away or sold. So it wouldn’t be untrue to say that all the tools in my possession are my favourites. All of my favourites live in my Dutch tool chest next to my bench and are constantly used.
My assortment of familiar & much loved friends.
My Dutch Tool Chest
In the lid and down the back: Crosscut and Rip Saws
Dutch Tool Chest Bottom Section
Various home-made jigs and aids, such as my indispensable bench hook and shooting board.
A simple shooting board with a sharp plane makes squaring stock a breeze – with end-grain shavings the joy-provoking result.
I love logical solutions, like this simple planing stop
used for planing slightly wider stock.
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
David: I dislike dust and noise and despise the thought of woodworking with a mask and muffled ears. Some years back I sold nearly all of my power tools to buy more hand-tools. All that’s left from those days are a small old circular saw, which I use for cutting large sheets to size, and an electric drilling machine.
My regularly used machines are a bench-top drill press, 12” band-saw and bench-top planer/thicknesser (my servants). I also recently acquired a 1m electric lathe after many years of using a foot-powered pole lathe. My bench grinder isn’t used much, but when I do drop a chisel or plane blade, it’s called into action.
My second-hand bandsaw didn't come with a fence. I wanted a simple fence that is easy to keep parallel with the blade. I saw something like this concept in a photo of a Shaker table-saw. It works on the parallelogram principle. The back is clamped in place and then the fence will always move parallel thanks to the stabilising bars. The advantage is being able to make small adjustments whilst easily keeping the fence parallel to the blade and table.
Dust collection in my shop is a simple affair. My old Electrolux vacuum cleaner sucks amazingly well and coupled to a cyclone, drum and a couple of pool hoses accommodates my few machines with ease.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
David: To be honest, all the tools I have mentioned in answer #3 and #4 are used regularly and are essential components in my arsenal. I couldn’t see myself doing without any of them, as they each perform a vital function.
Turning is a great joy because when you step away from the lathe, you usually walk away with a completed project.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
David: I currently work in an outside room of approximately 12 square metres. My bandsaw and planer are on small wheeled cabinets, so that I can reconfigure the small space when needed. I have a dedicated work-surface for grinding and drilling.
My main workbench is an old factory workbench with two drawers an old quick-release vise is my constant assistant.
My workbench is an ugly, but sturdy old beast, rescued from a dirty factory somewhere.
For dovetailing and such work, I use a poor-man’s Moxon vice, all credit to the late Jennie Alexander for the idea. Mine is made of some pallet wood and whatever clamps come to hand.
Poor Man's Moxon Vise
I have an additional Moravian workbench outside the “workshop” under a carport. If I do any sanding, it will be outside.
As my wife would tell you, I will steal any amount of time to work wood. Until recently, that was limited to a few hours a week. Very recently though, my life situation changed dramatically and with one thing leading to another, I have had to turn to woodworking in an attempt to feed my family. It’s early days, but I love going into the workshop every day now.
It is a privilege to begin the day amidst the shavings in the beautiful morning light.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
David: I couldn’t really tell you what the first piece I made was. The first proper piece of furniture that I remember making, was a small occasional table as a school woodworking project. That was more like a well supervised production line, but I was proud of the table nonetheless.
My first solo project of decent wood with real joinery was a pulpit for the church where I was the assistant pastor. The pulpit was made of solid white oak with a floating panel front made to resemble the church’s logo. The reason this was one of my favourites is that it brings together the beauty of wood and pure function. I also like the pulpit because I have no idea how I did it with the very limited skills I had at the time. About 10 years later, it’s still in weekly use.
As for pieces that I wish to build, the list is long!
I have always been drawn to the simple aesthetics and functionality of Shaker furniture, even before I knew anything about the Shakers. I admire the work of Chris Becksvoort, a renowned maker and restorer of Shaker furniture. A meeting-house bench is high on the to-do list with several of their well-known cupboards and desks following close behind.
I’m still chasing the perfect set of dovetail joints. I’ve come close, but have yet to arrive.
Chairmaking is something that I long to become immersed in. I have Peter Galbert, Bern Chadley and Christopher Schwarz to thank, with their commitment to traditional methods and exciting new forms, they create simple but beautiful chairs.
This child’s pine bench was my entry into the world of chairmaking. Made with wedged & tapered mortise and tenon joints, straight grain throughout for maximum strength and octagonal legs and back posts. Hand-turned spindles were turned on my pole-lathe. It is a prototype of sorts, made of clear pine and finished with solvent-free varnish. Seat: 74cm wide, 36cm deep and 33cm high at front. Back: 42cm high.
But before all that, a less romantic project awaits completion.
A lot of joinery lies ahead. Not pretty at this point, but I’m thankful to be able to pay some bills this month.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with and what timbers do you avoid?
David: It may sound weird, but my favourite wood to work with is good clear pine. Maybe it’s because we’ve become good friends over the years of struggles, but I love the smell and its forgiving way with beginners like me.
Not only is pine cheap and versatile, I think it’s beautiful too.
I don’t feel bad at all about grabbing a few pine scraps and making something in a few minutes just for fun.
My use of hardwoods has been limited, basically because I have felt that my skill level is undeserving of such decadence. I would hate to waste a beautiful piece of rare wood through my inability. That said, I have been doing quite a bit in oak of late, a classic timber.
This little stool is made of oak that was destined to end up in the landfill. Ghastly thought.
Kiaat is also becoming a firm favourite with its delectable smell and rich patterns and contrasts.
This Shaker inspired lap desk I made recently, shows why I have come to like Kiaat so much.
The sight and smell of Kiaat is a joy to experience.
I guess you can take the environmentalist out of the nature reserve, but you can never take the environmental thinking out of the environmentalist. Re-using and recycling are so much part of me that to not use reclaimed timber every now and then would be utterly unthinkable.
Dare I say it? Yes, I will on occasion even use pallets. This is a gate-leg table in the making.
I look forward to developing to the point where I am comfortable in the use of other beautiful and rare woods.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
David: For many years, bad old varnish was the only thing I knew. My environmentalist training called solvent based finishes into question for me and I moved to water-based finishes. As I progressed in my knowledge and appreciation of wood, I began turning to more natural finishes. The end result seems obvious from this vantage point, with shellac, oils and waxes becoming the go-to choices of finish, depending on the article and its application.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
David: For me, one of the intriguing things about woodworking is its diversity. At the moment I enjoy chair-making (Traditional chairs such as Irish stick chairs and some green woodworking), spindle turning and all forms of joinery. I would like to get much better at each of these disciplines.
I thought I would practise my chair-making with some miniature versions. It would be easier I thought. What I didn’t know was that this Welsh stick chair for a one-year old poses great challenges, as the angles are more acute and you have less wiggle room. Lesson learned. This little chair was made of clear pine and finished with blonde shellac.
In addition, the bowl and letter carving work of David Fisher leaves me speechless and hungry for that skill.
Classical music is another passion of mine and it is my dream to one day build a violin that my adult daughter would be proud to play on.
My Wishlist:
Thanks so much to Tania for being part of The Woodworker Sessions and for sharing her passion & exemplary talent with woodworking enthusiasts all over Southern Africa.
On a personal note, I can't wait to see and hear Tania's Electric Cello in action!
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Anton: Interesting question, I must have been 7 or 8 years old and wanted to build a speaker enclosure out of wood.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Anton: The most enjoyable aspect is definitely when a project is really coming together coupled with the first stages of the finishing process. My least enjoyable is the inevitable waiting between coats, which in many cases ends up being overnight or longer... nobody likes watching paint (or anything else) dry!
Question #3
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Anton: I am new to the hand tool arena, and have yet to really delve properly into this side of woodworking, although I have in the past year or so collected some of the nicest tools I could get my hands on.
These include a large range of exceptional condition vintage Marples chisels of various formats, a number of Lie-Nielsen and Veritas Tools hand planes & some vintage Stanley hand planes. I have also been able to invest carefully in various Woodpeckers tools & Incra marking and measuring tools as well, so my tool compliment is growing nicely.
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Anton: My favourite power tool would have to be my Festool TS55 plunge tracksaw, It is truly a tool of absolute precision and capable of so much! The very first project on which I used my TS55 were stair stringers running from my new workshop up to my office and I was astounded by the precision that I was able to achieve with the machine, and in combination with the Festool vacuum, it makes a truly remarkable combo.
In fact, it was the purchase of these two Festools that started my journey of acquiring the absolute best tools I could buy, because I learnt the value of buying once and buying right there and then!
I also adore my Festool Rotex 90. Many would be familiar with the Rotex 150, as this is the more common machine and typically used for bigger projects. When it comes to smaller projects, drawer faces, shelves, more refined work, the Festool Rotex 90 is an amazing tool. The sanding ability that is achieved versus the size of the machine is what makes it so unique and it has near dustless sanding is with the Festool vacuum attached.
Next up would be the first real table saw that I have owned, namely a Martlet TSC-10 Contractors Saw. I was fortunate to buy it in amazing used condition with a wonderful set of Forrest Woodworker blades that in my inexperienced opinion are utterly incredible. I do want to try some Freud blades soon to see how they compare to the Forrest blades. I do have some modifications planned for the table saw: I have a Shark Guard blade guard with vacuum attachment which will be fitted and I will also be building a custom cabinet with some handy storage drawers (for table saw accessories) which will be mounted with the table saw on top.
The next step is going to be very exciting! I am fitting Incra's phenomenal TS-LS fence system to the table, which will truly revolutionise the entire saw.
Last but not least is my Festool OF1400 router with its Festool track attachment. I simply dial it in, attach it to the track, place the track on workpiece and route away. I love the logic and precision of Festool systems and tools.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Anton: An honourable mention has to go to my trusty Hitachi 18v cordless drill. This machine has for the last 5+ years taken a beating in all sorts of environments. It was the very first brushless cordless drill available on the South African market and has not left me wanting drill wise, besides deep drilling into the most demanding concrete. This drill has replaced all of the drills I have owned. The Festool TS55 is definitely a must have, I cannot be without it, as well as the track and associated accessories.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Anton: Yes, I have a dedicated workshop that is an out-building extension of our house. This is great from a noise point of view. It is 4.3m wide x 9.3m in length and leads to an upstairs "loft" area which is my office + hifi room. The workshop design is still busy unfolding. It is not strictly a woodwork-only workshop, as the space will get used for electronics, some necessary auto mechanical and some IT/computer related work as well. One of the big factors is dust, so dust management and extraction is critically important for me in the workshop.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Anton: I have not started making "furniture" yet as such, but have rather used woodworking as I have needed it. When we renovated our house, I removed the old kitchen cupboards, cut them to size and re-used them in the workshop. I had the need for many drawers, I quite like the "Snapon Red" drawers as used in many automotive workshops,but I just do not like the associated price tags! I then set out to make an 18 drawer unit with adjoining cupboards out of cheap shutter ply and simply painted it red.
Question #8
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with and what timbers do you avoid?
Anton: Unfortunately, most of my woodworking to date being speaker enclosures etc, have been with man-made Supawood/mdf, plywood and chipboard.
Im very interested to start digging into the astounding array of woods that we have available in South Africa and have already amassed a number of books on the subject. As the workshop nears completion, I will embark of the first of hopefully many trips to Rare Woods in Epping.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Anton: My current finishing process borrows a lot from some of my background experience in automotive spraypainting and also automotive sound enclosures made out of fibreglass/wood. Here we typically use body filler, fibreglass and wood, and eventually sand down to a glass like finish before spray painting or covering with vinyl. I have found that generally if you take the same principles to wood, and eventually finish off with a product like Woodoc 10, you get a wonderful finish. The non convoluted version would be that I start rough and work to a super smooth finish, using many different grits of sandpapers, and then apply my finish.
Anton: In the bigger scheme of things, I am very new to fine woodwork, so would like to learn correctly and master the following:
1) Hand Tools - Creating entirely by hand to a fine finish.
2) Maintaining / Sharpening my tools properly.
3) Woodturning
4) Competent and efficient hand tool joinery methods.
5) Metalwork to enable me to complement my woodwork
My Wishlist:
]]>
I am constantly fascinated by the historical methods of furniture construction, the unsurpassed beautiful lines of pre-industrial furniture and the tools that were used.
I love designing, building and teaching. I believe that I am a good student of the craft and the more I learn, the more I realise just how little I know! For me, it is a constant process of challenging myself. I always use traditional joinery methods, proportioning methods and hand tools wherever I can.
]]>
Q: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Tobias: I became fascinated with woodwork at a very young age. My father was an extremely technically orientated person. He was qualified in a number of trades and at one time all apprentices in SA did their final trade test under him. An extremely hard taskmaster and a very stern critic!
Although his specialities revolved around working with metal, I was always drawn to wood. I remember making a simple wooden box at the age of about five and showed it to him, I was told it wasn't square, he broke it into pieces and told me to do it again properly. Looking back, that lesson still remains in my mind, if one is going to make the effort to build something, it makes sense to do it right!
Growing up around antique furniture (my grandfather was an avid collector) also gave me the opportunity to learn upholstery and restoration from my father and this allowed me to really go inside period furniture pieces and see how they were built.
I am constantly fascinated by the historical methods of furniture construction, the unsurpassed beautiful lines of pre-industrial furniture and the tools that were used.
Q: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Tobias: I love designing, building and teaching. I believe that I am a good student of the craft and the more I learn, the more I realise just how little I know! For me, it is a constant process of challenging myself. I always use traditional joinery methods, proportioning methods and hand tools wherever I can.
I derive immense pleasure from the tactility of my hand tools and tend to use machines only as a means to an end for basic preparation of stock. I dislike sanding intensely. Sanding tears the wood fibres, as opposed to cleanly cutting or shaving them. I don't see the point in sanding a piece of wood, when hand planing will yield an infinitely better result. A piece of wood that has been finish-planed exhibits an inherent lustre that is impossible to achieve with sandpaper, no matter how fine the grit. Finish-planed wood also takes a finish more easily, more evenly and with far better final results. Sanding also tends to blur any crisp lines and features of a piece.
Veritas #62-1/2 low angle Jack Plane
Q: What are your favourite hand tools?
Tobias: I enjoy all of my hand tools immensely.
The following would be my Top 30:
Luban #102 Bronze Apron Plane on Maple
A scale version of a Jonkmanskas in reclaimed Stinkwood & Yellow Wood.
(Holds a 5 litre Bottle of Red Wine, created for a Charity Auction)
Q: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Tobias: With regard to stationary machines, my requirements are fairly standard. I have an 8” wide long bed jointer and a 16” wide thicknesser. I don't like combination machines at all, so these two satisfy my needs very well.
My 16” bandsaw is more use to me than my table saw, which is a basic cast iron contractor style 10” machine on which I use various Freud blades. In my machine room, are also my old Record lathe, large Woodpeckers based router table, drill press, compound mitre saw, air compressor and a fully ducted cyclone dust extraction system that I designed and built about 25 years ago.
Woodpeckers Router Table with Woodpeckers Coping Sled, large Triton Router and JessEm Featherboards
I also enjoy the ease of using basic cordless tools. Drills and impact drivers really help a lot, as does a random orbital sander with Mirka Abranet sanding mesh when absolutely necessary.
Although not powered by Eskom, my favourite stationary machine is my shopbuilt Chevalet de Marqueterie. It is apparently the only one in Africa. The Chevalet is a French Marquetry cutting easel. You sit astride it, your heels operate it's clamping system, one hand moves the workpiece to allow the saw blade to follow a line and the other hand operates the saw which is held in a cradle at 90º to the work. One of the major advantages of this style of marquetry is that it allows you to cut multiple veneers simultaneously.
One of my students working on the Chevalet de Marqueterie
Q: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Tobias: The following would be my minimum list:
From Left to Right:
(Please excuse the finger in the top left of the image!)
Back Row:
Veritas #80 Cabinet Scraper, Veritas Small Shoulder Plane, Veritas Medium Shoulder Plane, Veritas Large Shoulder Plane, Lie-Nielsen Large Chisel Plane, Luban Cabinetmaker's Scraping Plane, Veritas Scrub Plane, Veritas #164 low angle Smoothing Plane, Veritas #4-12 Smoothing Plane, Veritas #62-1/2 low angle Jack Plane, Veritas #7-1/2 low angle Jointer Plane, Veritas Router Plane.
Front Row:
Luban #102 Bronze Apron Plane, #98 & #99 Lie-Nielsen Side rebate Plane pair, Veritas Miniature Router Plane, 3 x Miniature Bronze Spokeshaves.
Q: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Tobias: Yes I do. We own a 223 year old house in Swellendam and the single garage is my dedicated bench room. Alongside it, but about 1.5 metres longer and a little wider is my machine room. There is a double door between the two rooms and each room has access to the outside. The bench room does not have sawdust flying around, so it doubles up perfectly as my office and design area as well.
The Bench is a laminated Boekenhout (Cape Beech) centre block with African Padauk dog strips and Hard Maple dovetailed apron casing.All three vises are entirely built from wood with 1-1/2" Hard Maple threads. Leg frame is Dahoma.
Bench Room Layout:
Machine Room Setup:
I spend at least 1-2 hours after work every evening and most weekends doing woodwork.
William Harris Cabinet Scraper Holder, Veritas Chairmaker's Spokeshave, Veritas Flat Spokeshave, Veritas Round Bottom Spokeshave, Luban Flat Bronze Spokeshave, Shopmade Quilted Maple Low Angle Spokeshave, Veritas Beading Tool,
Q: What was the first piece you ever made, what are your favourite pieces and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Tobias: I was probably about 4 or 5 years old when I started building things from wood. My first turned piece was a laminated biscuit barrel at the age of about 10 and I still have it.
My favourite pieces... probably my child's Windsor chair in Imbuia, twelve Brown Bess replica matchlock muskets for a commercial film shoot, twelve AK47 replicas for the feature film "Lord of War" with Nicholas Cage, a Black Walnut & Aformosia Pembroke table, Black Cherry Vienna Regulator wall clock with bookmatched myrtle interior backboard, a period country style maple coffee/display table, a Yellow wood & Red River Gum Period Dutch workbench with wooden thread vises & a Dutch Tool Chest, both for a working museum exhibit , a custom 17 drawer cabinet for a Johannesburg client in Beech (All drawers were hand cut London style Dovetails & each drawer had it's own lock and individual key!) and a marquetry ashes casket.
My current pieces are three grandfather clocks, (each in a different style), a pair of Federal style night stands (Black Cherry) and a Shaker style double bed headboard (also in Black Cherry).
After these, I would like my next pieces to incorporate more period style inlay work and I am going to build an inlaid Gentleman's Valet in Honduras Mahogany with Box Wood stringing, East Indian Satinwood & Ebony crossbanding, and sand-shaded Holly quadrants.
Q: What are your favourite timbers to work with & what timbers do you avoid?
Tobias: My favourite woods tend toward the truly classic cabinetry woods, Black Walnut, Honduras Mahogany, Maples, Rosewoods and Black Cherry for primary wood, and for secondary wood I love Aromatic Cedar, Himalayan Cedar, Spanish Cedar and Japanese Cedar. I use these woods for drawer sides, backs and drawer base panels. For internal casework construction, I like the stability of European Beech, but tend to use Tulip Poplar and whatever stable straight grained timber I have on hand.
Regarding inlay work, the variety is extreme, from East Indian Satinwood, Jackalberry, Bubinga, Holly, Purpleheart and Maple, to Fiddlewood, Kiaat, Boekenhout, Tambotie, Assegai, African Blackwood, Tulip Poplar, Kamassi, Kingwood, Boxwood, Mother of Pearl and vegetable ivory.... basically anything that I can lay my hands on. I am cutting my own veneer more and more, because of the short supply of flitch cut decent range and quality veneer available in SA. I cut the veneers on the bandsaw and they are at 3mm thick which is close to the historical thickness of veneer from the pre-industrial era which all tended to be hand sawn at about 1/8” (3.2mm),
I absolutely detest working with Dahoma as it attacks my sinuses relentlessly. I try not to have to work with timbers that don't cut cleanly or splinter easily.
Marking/Scribing Knives
Q: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Tobias: This depends entirely on the style of the piece. As I said before, I tend to finish-plane and not rely on sanding, where I can. Finishes can be anything from Shellac as a sealer and Danish Oil, just multiple coats of Danish Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil, Woodoc 10, spray & hand-applied lacquers or full French Polishing.
Beginning the hood on a Black Walnut Grandfather Clock
Q: If you could add another woodworking discipline to your arsenal, what would it be?
Tobias: I would love to improve my carving (including letter carving) and marquetry skills. I would also happily trade a few body parts to study marquetry under Paul Miller of the Canadian School of French Marquetry and Pat Edwards/Patrice Lejeune of the American School of French Marquetry. I would also love to do at least a six month course under Phillip Lowe of the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, Matthew Wolfe of Doucette & Wolf Furniture Makers or Ronnie Young all from the USA.
I have been a member of the SAPFM for a few years: Society of American Period Furniture Makers. The members work is quite incredible and I am learning an immense amount about our craft from them and would love to start something similar in South Africa.
My Wishlist:
Shaun Futter in his Workshop
Shaun Futter is one of a rare breed of woodworkers. He carefully crafts unique products by hand for fly fishing enthusiasts. His attention to detail and quest for the highest of standards is self-evident in each and every piece that he creates.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Shaun: I think I’ve always had an appreciation for wood, particularly the visual, scent and other tactile aspects of being around it. Although woodworking interested me, experienced woodworkers were not people that I found myself exposed to, and when I did, it was typically at arm’s length.
My own early woodworking experiences were as a 10 year old kid, where woodworking was a once a week activity at the primary school I attended.
Looking back on it now, lack of proper instruction and exceptionally blunt tools, made any real progress or affinity for the craft impossible. I probably subconsciously decided at this point that woodworking was something that other people were capable of, but was simply too difficult for me, and moved on to other things. The necessity of establishing and maintaining a series of creative outlets in order to maintain some semblance of balance became particularly important to me as I moved into a demanding corporate career in IT.
My real interest in woodworking was piqued a few years ago, largely thanks to the online woodworker community on platforms like YouTube. I think at some point, I stumbled onto some of videos being created by these content creators and got hooked on watching them.
As I watched more and more, I began to understand some of the basic fundamental concepts and also revelled in amazement at what I was witnessing being achieved with properly sharp, well tuned tools. Having gained a bit of confidence and having recently moved into a property that afforded me some space to work in, I began to accumulate a few woodworking tools and haven’t looked back since.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Shaun: All of the enjoyment that I derive from my craft comes from the process of creating, rather than the end result.
Often, long before starting to physically start make something, I’ll plan things out and run through the steps required to build it in my head, over and over. When encountering a challenge on how to achieve a particular outcome I am looking for, I tend to allow things to percolate mentally, sometimes for extended periods of time, until I’ve come up with a suitable plan or solution.
I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment of having puzzled things out and come up with a solution. I also enjoy learning and becoming proficient in new skills and techniques.
Certain tasks and techniques are certainly more enjoyable than others, but I appreciate their relative importance and contribution to my processes. Where I have discovered or learned more enjoyable methods or techniques that can be substituted for less enjoyable ones, I’ve tended to adjust my processes to incorporate more of these and less of the not so enjoyable ones. Typically, I tend to favour techniques involving more manual, physical activity, making use of tools that produce shavings rather than dust.
Something from which I also derive great pleasure from is striving for and achieving close tolerances and precision using tools or techniques not necessarily associated with these objectives. A lot of what I do could probably be done better or certainly a lot more efficiently with precision tools or machinery, but then I wouldn’t have the enjoyment of making them by hand.
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Shaun: My favourite hand tools would be those that I have spent some time and effort in some cases restoring and, in all cases, understanding and tuning them to get the best possible performance from them for my particular purposes.
To list a few off the top of my head:
Tobias: Which are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Shaun: I’d have to say, that having spent a fair bit of time setting it up and tuning it as I’ve gained more knowledge and experience, as well as experimenting with different blade specifications, I have fallen deeply in love with my Makita LB1200F bandsaw.
Yes, she’s a baby as far as bandsaws go. Yes, I do sometimes (ok often!) have resaw capacity envy that will likely drive me to upgrade to a bigger saw at some point. Aside from her capacity limitations though, she never fails to make me smile as she slices through another piece of Wild Olive or even Red Ivory at her maximum depth capacity without breaking a sweat, all while achieving a cleanness of cut that requires nothing more than 2-3 fine passes of a hand plane to remove any kerf marks.
The woodworking and any metalworking purists reading this will likely raise a few eyebrows at this one, but hey, I turn some wood on it occasionally so I’m counting it! My Myford Super 7 lathe.
I recently bought a Bosch GCM12-GDL mitre saw on last year’s Toolcraft Black Friday sale. We’re still getting to know each other, but I have a feeling she’s going to end up being a favourite.
I don’t know if they could be considered power tools, or stationary machines, but I have a Triton Work Centre 2000, equipped with the Triton precision power circular saw, as well as the Triton Router table fitted with the Triton MOF001 router. I purchased these, along with a bunch of other Triton tools and accessories second-hand for an absolute song when I first started out and all are still doing duty in my workshop.
Given my lack of knowledge and experience, their portability is something I have valued as I have moved things around in my workshop in an attempt to figure out an appropriate workflow that suits me. While I don’t know that I could say that they are favourites, one thing is certain is that they continue to surprise me with the accuracy that can be achieved with a bit of fettling, for what seem to be pretty rudimentary tools, compared to some out there.
As far as power tools go, my firm favourites would have to be my pair of Elu MOF 96 routers aka “The Twins”, and my Dremel 3000 when paired with my Veritas precision router base.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Shaun: These would be my current essentials:
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week.
Shaun: I have three garages on my property, yet all vehicles park outside! I somehow managed to commandeer the double garage adjacent to our main house as my workshop space, and the remaining single garage is used to store my accumulation of wood that I just couldn’t help buying, as well as general garage junk that I didn’t want in the workshop.
While I consider myself very fortunate to have a dedicated space in which to work, it’s certainly not something that I feel comfortable showing off to other woodworkers, particularly having seen some of the workshops that other woodworkers featured on this site have created for themselves.
While it’s significantly better than it was a few months ago, it is still a disaster area and generally in complete disarray, and something of an embarrassment to me. I haven’t spent nearly enough time and effort setting up the space properly, creating proper storage which is woefully inadequate and is probably my biggest challenge at the moment, and is a constant source of frustration. Let’s just say it’s a work in progress and leave it at that…
Current Workshop Setup:
Time wise, I probably spend on average 1 day a week in the workshop, split over the duration of the week, sometimes more, sometimes less.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Shaun: Apart from my workbench, the first thing I ever made was a chalkboard for the kitchen. It has a frame that has a nice ornamental routed profile and has lapped mitre joints at the corners which I somehow managed to pull off.
I don’t know that I have a favourite piece. My favourite piece is usually that which I happen to be working on at a particular point in time.
At the moment I am working on a Walnut and Wild Olive book box to house some rare and collectable books for a friend of mine and some fly boxes and landing nets for customers. I’m looking forward to getting started on my next builds, where I get back to the audio side or my interests, with some table top Bluetooth speakers and possibly a couple of valve amps.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with & what timbers do you avoid?
Shaun: My favourite woods are the ones that typically have me revelling in their beauty or aroma. I’m a big fan of Walnut, Wild Olive, Bubinga, Maples, Red Ivory and Gaujuvira.
On my “avoid list”, at the moment I only have Silky Oak. The one and only time I worked with it, I had a bad reaction to the stuff that saw me violently scratching parts of me that it’s apparently not acceptable to scratch in public on an ongoing basis. A trip to the doctor and a course of cortisone cream eventually sorted it out, but I live in terror of the stuff.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Shaun: I try to avoid or at least minimise sanding where possible, so I make liberal use of cabinet scrapers in different shapes and profiles. I’ve taken to using dewaxed Shellac as a sealer and then typically favour oil finishes like Tru-Oil as well as quick drying Tung Oil and building up the finish with anything from 10-15 coats, depending on the look I am going for.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Shaun: I hate the word discipline! I’ve never been one for rules and regulations. I’m very much at the beginning of my journey into woodworking, and really, I consider myself a sponge, willing to soak up knowledge and skills from any and all “disciplines”.
My Wishlist:
· A powerful dust collection system, piping and attachments
· Set of Narex Hand Stitched CabinetMakers Rasps
· York Moxon Vise Spindle Kit
· A relatively small but decent jointer
· A relatively small but decent thickness planer
]]>
Leaving school, studying graphic design and moving into my own home, I didn’t have money for decent furniture and became despondent at what was available quality wise.
Further down the road, this led to me making a Wenge dining room table which rekindled my interest in working with my hands and my love for design. The rest is history!
]]>Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Graeme: I grew up in a home with a father that was good with his hands – his hobby was restoring classic cars – Buicks, Jaguars, Mercedes Benz’ etc.
From an early age we learned to use our hands (and our dad's tools) to make whatever we wanted to play with or fix. My brother raced cars and I raced superbikes, so we had to work on our vehicles ourselves to make it to race day. To a large degree, we became self-sufficient in this regard.
Fast forward to high school – I took metalwork and woodwork (I eventually concentrated on metalwork) and learned the basics of brazing, arc welding and lathe work. I ended up making a crossbow for my matric final project. Leaving school, studying graphic design and moving into my own home, I didn’t have money for decent furniture and became despondent at what was available quality wise.
Further down the road, this led to me making a Wenge dining room table which rekindled my interest in working with my hands and my love for design. The rest is history!
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Graeme: I absolutely love designing and then creating the piece that I have seen in my mind’s eye. I will often wake up with something in mind and draw it out – often times I will be watching TV and be thinking about something I want to make – it drives my wife insane. Seeing what I designed come to life is amazing to me.
Sanding and sealing mutes the clean lines that I use in all my pieces and sealing alters the tone of the wood – sometimes a good thing, but I love the raw look of Oak and Walnut in particular.
Finishing a piece is probably the hardest and least liked aspect for me - It means the project is over – its bitter sweet for me.
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Graeme:
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Graeme: I absolutely love my Sawstop TableSaw – I have the 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with a full Incra Fence and Incra Mitre Gauge – it’s quiet, accurate and has an incredible dust collection system.
My other favourite Eskom dependant tools are:
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Graeme: My hands, Sawstop Table Saw, Festool TS 75 Track Saw with my 2.4 metre and 3 metre tracks, Festool OF1100 Router, Betterly Festool Straight Line Track Connectors, Bosch Professional Cordless Drills, Bosch Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, Veritas Block Plane & Veritas Router Plane.
This of course excludes my metalwork tools – TIG welder, grinders and stainless polishers.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Graeme: Yes – I have 80 square metres at the moment and will be building another 20 square metres on shortly. Due to the amount of welding and spraying I do (both 2K and water based paints and finishes), I need separation between my work areas. Currently I have a steelwork section, preparation section and a woodwork section. My woodworking section takes the lion' share of the space.
It is really difficult to ascertain my actual time spent, as I work a considerable amount of time during weekdays in the evenings. Weekends are spent in the workshop.
I have another business which fills my days during the week, as well as doing my martial arts training. So, where I can I will get stuck into whatever I am busy with in the workshop.
I tend to run multiple pieces in parallel – often four at a time. It's seven days a week for me, work wise.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Graeme: The first decent piece that I ever made was a crossbow – steel and wood. It was for my Matric final exam. How they allowed me to make this is beyond me, as it was a fully functioning crossbow made from a car leaf spring and White Oak for the stock. It was eventually confiscated when I shot a friend's Parker pen from the 2nd floor classroom at Wynberg Boys High – the pen disintegrated when the trigger was pulled and caused mayhem. Looking back, I am grateful that it didn’t hit the intended target. I eventually got it back in time for marking. (It may or may not have been involved in nefarious activities post this incident)!
My favourite piece – would have to be my Animus Lamp. It is made from American Walnut, stainless steel and aluminium. It is comprised of 33 individual parts. It is a labour of love and a relatively good seller for the price.
I am currently busy with a number of pieces, but the next one that I am frothing to make is for an old friend of mine – an American Walnut drinks cabinet. It will be very special.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with and what timbers do you tend to avoid?
Graeme: My favourite timbers are American Black Walnut and White Oak. I love the luxurious feel and look of Walnut – as well as the scent of the raw wood. I try to avoid Obeche, as I find the dust irritating and the wood too soft. I made plantation shutters for my house using Obeche, but would definitely use something else if I did it again. I never work in Pine. Call me a snob.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Graeme: This all depends on the piece and of course, the client's brief. I lean very much towards the “raw” look.
Water-based finish that keep the natural colour tone of the wood is critical to me – it ties into my overall design and style of furniture making.
I cannot stand "yellow" looking woods resulting from being varnished. I appreciate the techniques used and reasons for using these sealers, but I prefer neutral and muted tones, as this allows for compatibility in numerous décor situations.
When working with Oak, I generally “pop” the wood with a spray to raise the wood fibres. I then sand it down with 80g, 100g, 120g, 150g, 180g & 220g. I then spray my first coat of sealer using an HVLP system. Once dry, I sand it back using 320g and repeat this for three coats. It gives me a robust and smooth finish.
Tobias: If you could add another woodworking discipline to your arsenal, what would it be?
Graeme: I really would like to create a balance between technology and old school carpentry. There are hand tools and techniques that accomplish what machines cannot and I love the idea of combining the two, which I currently do. I would like to do this more though. I would also like to become proficient in Kumiko.
My Wishlist:
You can see more of Graeme Goode's bespoke furniture creations and connect with him at www.graemegoode.com
]]>
Rudolf Zuidema of R.A. Woodcraft in Cape Town is a passionate and acutely talented cabinetmaker. His drive for quality and accuracy in his craft is is wonderfully evident throughout his workshop.
From his carefully chosen layout and measuring tools, table saw system and ultimately his finished furniture, Rudolf's work ethic and pursuit for quality stands tall, proud and admired by his ever expanding clientele and fellow woodworkers alike.
Whether Rudolf is creating a gracefully curved high-end set of chairs, a pair of mid-century modern nightstands, a pergola swing seat with classic period influence written into every rail and stile, or a large order for an African Safari Lodge, his passion, determination and attention to the finest detail is wonderfully abundant in every piece he creates!
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Rudolf: That’s a really difficult moment to pinpoint. With years of hindsight and a foray into the world of sales & marketing, I’d have to say that it has always been a part of who I am and how I’ve been put together.
I find few things more satisfying than the process of creating something from nothing. Seeing something unfold from some rough notes/sketches/ideas to that last finishing touch, just makes me tick.
Looking further back though, I think I grew into woodworking thanks to the encouragement from my parents, High School Woodwork teacher, my Journeyman during my tenure as an Apprentice Joiner/Wood Machinist at Wynberg Joinery Works and my mentor Bert Parker, who helped me prepare for the 34th World Skills Competition in St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1997.
They all helped foster what my parents always said was my strongest talent, into the skills that I now have that help provide for my family.
This is something that I am infinitely grateful for and try to give back in the sharing of knowledge with other woodworkers whenever I have the chance.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Rudolf: As I mentioned before, I love the process of creation and everything that comes with it. I try not to think too much about what I like and don’t like in what I do every day as, having to earn a living from my trade I have to do everything to the best of my abilities, and I try hard not to develop a bias against anything.
That said, I do particularly enjoy selecting and machining solid timber for a workpiece. There’s something about taking rough timber and watching it come to life as I’m planning and sawing it into the pieces that I need and imagining how the individual characters of the pieces will add to whatever I’m creating.
I dislike working with Chipboard & MDF the most, however much they serve their purpose in my work I just don’t like working with the stuff; it simply has no soul or character.
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Rudolf: To say I love tools is an understatement, I love what they allow me to do and I absolutely love tools.
My favourites would definitely be:Tobias: Which are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Rudolf: In powertools, without a doubt my Festool DF500 Domino by a massive margin! It just makes making precise joints a breeze and is so versatile.
Then there’d be my 12V Bosch Cordless Drills, compact, lightweight and powerful, my Bosch GOF 1600 router with the interchangeable bases and track adapter and my Kreg Router Table.
On the stationary machine side, definitely my Record CL3x36 Swivel Head Lathe that I was given for my 21st birthday, although I really wish I had more time and opportunity to use it.
And of course, my Powermatic PM1000 Cabinet Saw with it's Sawstop Sliding Crosscut table is the heart of the workshop.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Rudolf: Toolwise I can’t imagine being without these, however even saying that, there’s not a tool in my workshop that hasn’t earned its place over the years.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Rudolf: Yes, I share a 140m2 workshop with Hennie Goddard (Urban Woodsman). We set it up together to share resources and minimise expenses.
We’ve divided the space into a communal machine shop and then two separate workspaces.
The Machine shop houses a a Surfacer, Thicknesser, 2 x Table Saws, Bandsaw, Router Table, Drill Press, Mitre Saw and Belt/Disc Sander.
My dedicated work area has two traditional workbenches with built in tool cabinets that I built as well as a Paulk Workbench that I use for assembly and a finishing table for sanding and final finishing.
I have a 2400mm x 1200mm Outfeed Table on the Powermatic Table Saw that also serves as an extra assembly/finishing table when required.
We also have a communal kitchenette/office with mandatory kettle and beer fridge, as well as storerooms for our individual power tools, consumables and sundries.
Making my living doing woodwork, I get to spend the whole week in the workshop making things for other people which is great!
I do however, wish that I could manage some more time in the workshop making what I want to make!
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Rudolf: My first piece would have to be the solid Oak coffee table I made for my parents in Std 7. It’s a real beast of a table at 1800mm x 1000mm. I made a miscalculation on my rail lengths so the top and frame don’t line up as intended!
Fortunately, the joinery work was good, so my parents were happy with it nonetheless. My mom still has the table and despite offers of fixing it, she insists on keeping it as is! Now it’s a permanent reminder of how important planning and setting out of projects is and that beauty is entirely in the eye of the beholder.
From an emotional perspective the Pallet Wood Kennel that I built with my two daughters for Mandela Day and the Spruce Kitchenette with working tap that I built for my youngest daughter’s birthday brought me immense joy. Sharing my trade with the girls, seeing their enthusiasm for building something and watching the joy the little one gets from her kitchenette is priceless!
As a woodworker my favourite projects at the moment are; A solid Oak Shaker style pantry cupboard I made last year. It just came together beautifully, and the client was ecstatic with the end result! and a Victorian style swing bench and pergola which was such a fun project and wonderful change from my normal projects.
The next pieces that I would like to build are a jewellery box for my wife from some reclaimed Burmese Teak with hand cut dovetails and concealed compartments.
Building some new furniture for our house to replace the Ikea stuff that we have from our time in the UK ,is also on the cards!
Question #8
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with & what timbers do you avoid?
Rudolf: My all time favourite timber is Burmese Teak, I only wish it was more available and budget friendly.
From an everyday perspective,I enjoy working with Oak. It’s a classic timber that lends itself to any style of furniture and is quite affordable in terms of hardwoods.
I also enjoy working with Thermo Poplar, Maple, Kiaat and Ash.
Other materials that I use extensively are Birch Ply and Spruce wood panels when I need to use boards for veneering.
I’m not a huge fan of Iroko, Afromosia & SA Pine, I have had bad experiences working with them.
Tobias: What is the standard finishing process for your pieces?
Rudolf: This would generally depend on the client and the final look that they wish to achieve.
I use a lot of Jaxoleum Oil Based Stain, it’s a similar product to Rubio Monocoat, but manufactured locally.
Pieces that we oil, are sanded down to 150 Grit for soft wood and 120 Grit for hardwood as the lower grit finish allows for better absorption of the oil.
I also use a lot of Woodoc Polywax Sealer and Plascon Aquasafe Waterbased Furniture Lacquer. They are both great local products which produce a wonderful finish and are extremely durable. I’ve used both on my workshop furniture and am constantly amazed at the amount of abuse they tolerate.
When using traditional sealants like these, we sand the wood down to a 220 Grit finish prior to applying the sealant, as lower grit finishes tend to leave scratches that are highlighted when the sealants are applied.
Tobias: If you could add another woodworking discipline to your arsenal, what would it be?
Rudolf: I’d love to improve my turning skills. I love woodturning and find it quite therapeutic, so would love to do more of it.
I’d also like to learn carving, I’ve never had the time to try it, much but am definitely now a lot more interested in the skill, following a holiday to Zanzibar and a visit there to a local joinery that makes the traditional Zanzibar doors that are very intricately carved.
My Wishlist:
]]>
Allen Petrie in his "Happy Place"!
Baynesfield Woodcrafter's Workshop
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Allen: I became interested in woodworking about 15 years ago, when I moved from the Western Cape to KZN. My rented garden cottage was on the property of a certain Chris Parr, an SAA pilot and keen woodworker. Watching Chris inspired me to try and make a bookshelf with a friend and before I knew it, the bug had bitten.
Allen & Liza's GreenHaus Storefront in Salt Rock, KZN
When my wife, Liza and I bought our own home, I earmarked the garage as “my workshop”. Tool collecting and learning started in earnest. A new home is a great excuse to make your own furniture and so that’s exactly what we did. Liza and I made our kitchen table (still in use today) and many more items followed.
Tobias: What aspect of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Allen: The part I enjoy the most is “the handover” when we deliver items of furniture to clients. It’s so rewarding to see the reaction to our hard work and the time we’ve put in to make each item as well as we can.
Our Factory's Finishing Department
All the hours of sanding and finishing become worth it.
The part I enjoy the least is sanding. While it’s the most critical part of any job and I appreciate that, it’s still boring (if you’re doing it right)
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Allen: I’m a hand tool NUT! I collect and restore hand tools, mostly planes and chisels.
I don’t go a single day without using my Lie Nielsen Block Plane or my Stanley Sweetheart Low Angle Jack. I’ve also come to appreciate Japanese tools more and more.
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Allen: My favourite (and most versatile) power tool would either be my cordless Makita circular saw or my Makita trim router. The quality of these tools are unmatched and the router has so many more applications than people often realise.
As far as stationary machines go, we have a 900mm drum sander in the factory. I couldn’t ever live without it.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Allen: From a machine point of view, the table saw has to be the one that I can't live without. It’s a Martlet Contractor's Saw. While I have a panel saw, it’s the Martlet that’s been the workhorse for the last 12 years.
My Stanley 18V Lithium Ion Cordless Drill is, without doubt, the best value-for-money drill on the market. I use mine all day, every day. I have 18 cordless drills, every make in SA and I can say, hand-on-heart, that the Stanley is in a league of it’s own.
Hand tools are my passion, so it’s hard to choose. It’s a toss up between the Stanley Low Angle Jack and my Card Scraper – the most underrated tool in the shop.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Allen: I’m fortunate in that I have three workshops. One at home, where my lathe and bandsaw live, my handtool workshop in our Greenhaus store and our production facility in KwaMashu at Furntech.
The production facility is about 2000 square meters and we are fortunate enough to have access to every kind of machine.
My home workshop is in a double garage and I’ve taken up half of it.
The Hand Tool Workshop in the Greenhaus store is about 50sqm and this is where I teach classes and courses at the four dedicated workbenches.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Allen: The first significant piece of furniture I ever made was our kitchen table. It was a weekend project for my wife Liza (also a qualified cabinet maker and upholsterer) and I. We still use it every day.
My favourite piece is a walnut and ash dining table with waterfall legs. It has a metal frame embedded in the top to give it support.
I have a chair design in my head that I really want to make. I just need time.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Allen: I love working with Kiaat, Marupa, Ash and Walnut. Oak is incredibly powerful and I always warn customers of its ability to move. I love the smell and look of oak but here at the KZN coast, I look for more stable woods. Thermally treated woods are brilliant and stable, although very dry.
The woods that I tend to avoid are Cottonwood (too much reversing grain), Cedar (smelly) and reclaimed Baltic Pine (not worth the effort).
Tobias: What is the standard finishing process for your pieces?
Allen: I’ve learnt that in retail, the finish is everything. An average piece finished well, will sell. A beautiful piece, finished badly, will not. We take a lot of care when sanding. There are no shortcuts worth taking.
We use a sanding sealer, sometimes a wood conditioner, and then 3 – 4 coats of topcoat. Customers seem to like matt finishes, so we use a lot of water based, matt polyurethanes.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Allen: Definitely carving. I’d love to be better at it and make carving a feature on some pieces. It’s a whole new discipline that I’ve yet to become proficient in.
This is my nice "to have" list.
]]>
Mike is more than a friend, he is a fountain of woodworking tool knowledge and he is our go-to encyclopaedic authority on all things Stanley. Mike has an infectious enthusiasm for hand tools and shares his knowledge freely and graciously.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Mike: As far back as I can remember, I have always had an interest in creating tangible works. My grandfather was a coachbuilder for the railways and my dad always had a keen interest in woodworking.
Many of my fondest memories go hand in hand with the smell of sawdust.
My high school career was characterised by the support of our headmaster, who at the time also happened to be the chair of the Witwatersrand Woodworkers Association. This provided access to fantastic workshop facilities that continued even after I had matriculated.
As an engineer, I still enjoy a fair bit of tinkering and something to drag me away from “digital” design and back into the workshop for some tangible hands on time, making shavings.
Over the years, more and more of my time has been spent collecting and restoring vintage woodworking tools, as this history slowly fades away and the opportunity for a new generation of woodworkers to emerge is lost.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Mike: I find the quiet peacefulness of hand tools extremely soothing, the sound of a finely sharpened blade as it cuts, while wisps of timber fall away.
I also derive a great sense of reward bringing vintage tools back from the dead,
Taking a collectible vintage Stanley from garden ornament back to fully functional fresh metal is my little contribution to saving a piece of history and I often wonder about the stories behind some of the tools that pass through my workshop.
On the least enjoyable side has to be dust control, I seem to spend an awful lot of time sweeping and vacuuming which is my Sunday afternoon ritual.
Question #3
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Mike: Planes, planes and more planes. Without a doubt, the hand plane and block plane are the quintessential woodworking tools. I am also a big fan of the router plane such as the Stanley #71 and #71-1/2.
A close look at some of the leading modern plane makers shows how they still follow very much the same design and original patents of the likes of Stanley and Norris. Not many products these days can boast a 140-year design life with only minor improvements.
In fact, most bladed tools hold some appeal for me.
I probably border on the obsessive when it comes to sharpening. I can’t imagine too many woodworkers have subjected their sharpening skills to an electron microscope assessment of their cutting edges, just out of interest...
Question #4
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Mike: Mmmm, where do I start ? On the big side, my Sawstop Table Saw with Incra TS/LS Fence System does most of the heavy-duty work with an incredibly solid setup, very much a case of "it does what the box says it does" – no nonsense. My Jet Drill Press fitted with it's Woodpeckers Table and my Woodpecker Router Table are also essential tools that excel at delivering that last bit of accuracy.
On the mobile side, most of my Festool again delivers the goods when it comes to getting things done right. The Domino gets a fair bit of mileage over weekends and my Sunday afternoon chore is readily accomplished with my Festool shop vacuum.
Question #5
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Mike: You can never have enough tools, invariably there is always something that just works better with the right tool. Given the limited time I get to spend in the workshop, every tool has its place and the tools that see a lot of use are the Festool vac and sander, Woodpecker router table and the drill press.
Another no nonsense tool is my trusty “robust” series Bosch Blue 18v drill, also known as “the beast” – this drill just never gives up – from reinforced concrete to railway sleepers, if it needs a hole this is my go-to!
Of course, all of my hand tools are necessities!
Question #6
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Mike: Over the years, I have been on a slow acquisition process and finally liberated a single garage that now contains my entire tool collection. At 20 square metres, it’s a tight fit between woodwork and tool restoration.
Everything is on wheels, so it does make things a bit easier. On weekends, I spill out into the other two garages for handling bigger sheet goods.
As far as time goes, a great deal of time is spent away from home for my work, so woodworking tends to be fitted in as the time allows. One of the major benefits of hand tools is that I can keep the peace with my neighbours when working at 2am! My workshop is my man cave, where I go for some peace and quiet.
Question #7
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Mike: I have turned out various bits of furniture over the years and the family seems to have no shortage of good ideas to add to my to-do list. I have just finished off some new mobile tool drawers for the workshop and started working on a new credenza and wooden feature wall paneling for the tv room.
Question #8
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Mike: I am a big fan of some of the more reasonably priced African hardwoods, especially Kiaat. I love the grain of Panga Panga, but it's definitely not the easiest wood to work with. Beech and Maple are also great to work with depending on the colour palette you are looking for. I am also an enthusiastic user of Scandinavian Birch plywood, the quality of the top grade boards is fantastic, once you have used these, you will struggle to go back to SA pine plywood.
I love working with American Black Walnut, but the price has become a serious barrier for all but the most exotic projects.
Question #9
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Mike: On the finishing side there are so many variables to take into account that determine the finish selection. I use a lot of Danish Oil as well as Woodoc 10 for interior use, I also use shellac and some of the newer water based products which can deliver great results.
I always encourage people to try the helplines offered by many of the local finish suppliers, as you can often get some really good insight that is not necessarily printed on the tin, the same applies to adhesives, I have had some great interactions with the team at Alcolin.
I always remind people that you don’t have to know everything, you just have to know where to find it. Finishes are an area of personal preference and a constant learning experience with new products, new techniques and new problems – woodworking is a lifelong learning curve.
Question #10
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Mike: I am definitely keen to improve my marquetry skills and also get a hell of a lot better on the lathe, even just for small turning projects.
I am also trying to incorporate some of my day to day digital engineering tools into the workshop, to come up with more efficient design workflows that can blend some of the cutting-edge tech like generative design and digital fabrication alongside the traditional arts.
Should a substantial pile of cash ever come my way, I would certainly look at a year or two at one of the top international woodworking schools in Europe to really nail down the core skills, I think everyone would like a Paul Sellers in their workshop to up their game!
This is my nice to have list:
Anyone have a Norris #50 Smoothing Plane needing a loving home?
]]>
The next craftsman in The Woodworker Sessions Series of Q & A Interviews is Anthony Berry of Cape Town. He has become a good friend, an up and coming luthier and he is starting to create some truly beautiful musical instruments.
Anthony has a wonderfully lateral and sensible approach to his craft and is slowly kitting his workshop out with very high quality, very specific hand tools and machines.
]]>The next craftsman in The Woodworker Sessions Series of Q & A Interviews is Anthony Berry of Cape Town. He has become a good friend, an up and coming luthier and he is starting to create some truly beautiful musical instruments.
Anthony has a wonderfully lateral and sensible approach to his craft and is slowly kitting his workshop out with very high quality, very specific hand tools and machines.
Seeing what Anthony and the other wonderful craftsmen that I have interviewed so far are creating, is truly humbling. It is fantastic and exceptionally heartening to see the diversity of woodworkers that we have, from builders of post modern furniture, to marqueters, highly creative woodturners, period furniture reproduction enthusiasts, carvers and luthiers. This clearly demonstrates that we have an astounding pool of talent right here in South Africa.
Whether we are dedicated specialist hand tool woodworkers, power tool enthusiasts or hybrid users of both disciplines, more and more people from all backgrounds and walks of life in South Africa are discovering their creative side and are enjoying woodwork in its many forms.
We are also seeing an exponential growth in young people getting started in woodwork. Long may this trend continue.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Anthony: It all started in high school at Oude Molen, when I built a simple bench in woodworking class.
I then began building musical instruments with my best friend. We built an electric guitar and bass guitar for himself and his nephew. It was at this early stage that my interest in making instruments began.
Tobias: What aspect of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Anthony: My most enjoyable aspects are definitely the four main areas of guitar building. From the initial design, sourcing the perfect timbers, the actual instrument build, and then the sanding and finishing, to finally see the finished product and hear the instrument come to life is incredibly rewarding.
My absolute worst is the glue-up stage of the project as it gets quite messy!
MDF Guitar Mould
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Anthony: I love my set of Japanese chisels and my small planes, for fine work they are truly amazing. Luthiers need very special tiny planes, some with convex soles to shape the guitar ribs and the soundboards. I still need all of the normal sized hand planes and spokeshaves as well.
In guitar making, we spend much more time on hand tool work than working with machines. I believe that creating a beautiful guitar is a very personal, introspective and contemplative process.
Laying out the Ribs on the Sound Board
Tobias: Which are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Anthony: In my workshop, my Laguna 18” band saw and Jet Tools cantilevered drum sander definitely top the list.
In lutherie, one needs an extremely accurate band saw that has a really big table and a large distance between the blade and the frame to allow the space for easily cutting out the curved sound box panels for the instruments. In addition, having a really good resaw height on the band saw allows me to slice my own sound box panels with ease and also allows me to bookmatch panels for the fronts and backs of the instruments from thicker boards.
The Jet cantilevered drum sander let's me creep up on my final thickness. I will shortly be adding digital measuring capability to my Jet drum sander. I am going to use the Wixey WR-550 Remote Digital Readout.
The Laguna band saw and Jet drum sander are two machines that simply make my work processes so much easier to accomplish accurately and they are both an absolute joy to work with.
I also rely heavily on my Makita laminate trimming router fitted with a Foredom plunge base that I imported myself. This is a totally awesome combination for doing inlays and cutting the binding of the guitars. Basically it is a Dremel tool on steroids!
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Anthony: Everything in my workshop has its place and purpose. It took me a really long time to get what I believe to be the right tools together for my applications and processes.
I am still adding and refining my machines and tools as I go forward.
If I had to choose, my Jet drum sander and Japanese chisels are a must. However in saying that, all my tools and machines are needed and have a special place in my heart.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Anthony: I have a double garage at home divided into two sections, one section holds all the stationary machines.
Time in the workshop... It depends, I work in the early morning and in the evenings during the week, and the pretty much whole day and night on weekends, so I am kept very busy!
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Anthony: I do lots of guitar repairs and stringed instrument restoration for clients. I love helping people to bring their sentimental instruments back to their former glory, It is fantastic to see the joy it brings.
I am still building my acoustic guitar with Casimi Guitars, these guys are totally amazing and I want to build more instruments under their tuition and guidance.
There are many I still want to build... an acoustic bass, electric guitar, jazz guitar and an electric bass guitar are on my “to do” list. I also have a few friends that want custom instruments made.
So, there is lots to do moving forward...
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Anthony: As an instrument builder, my favourite woods are African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) , Koa (Acacia koa), Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra), Wenge (Millettia laurentii) and a few of the sub species of Maple for my instrument back and side panels.
My linings are African Mahogany, for the necks I use American Black Walnut and Mahogany. I use Spruce and Cedar for my top sound boards.
I don’t work with any nasty woods in my workshop, as I am very specific about the woods that I use and the tonality that they offer to the instruments….
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for you pieces?
Anthony: I have a spray booth. I first use nitrocellulose sanding sealer and then I spray 2k finishes.
I had a custom buff made for the final polish and the result looks like glass!
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Anthony: I am in the process of learning wood turning, carving, and CAD drawing.
I also want to go on a jewellery making course next year to improve my inlay skills and fine detail design & execution.
Below is my Wishlist:
]]>
This week in The Woodworker Sessions, it is my privilege to chat to Ennis Venter of Durbanville near Cape Town. Ennis is a wonderful gentleman, quietly spoken, extremely humble and a remarkably talented woodworker with an exceptionally keen design eye...
This week in The Woodworker Sessions, it is my privilege to chat to Ennis Venter of Durbanville near Cape Town. Ennis is a wonderful gentleman, quietly spoken, extremely humble and a remarkably talented woodworker with an exceptionally keen design eye.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Ennis: I first became interested out of necessity in 2003 when I had to build a staircase leading up to a mezzanine floor for an extension that we did for our house.
I got someone to deliver a piece of Yellow Bluegum, four metres long and 250mm x 250mm. It was rough sawn with a chainsaw. I was 15 years younger and I hand planed the entire piece with a #7 Stanley Jointer. The stair treads were then cantilevered from the solid beam.
No one told me how hard Bluegum was and that it would take ten years to dry! Hence, we now have a beautiful staircase with a “slight” bow in it.
Tobias: What aspect of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Ennis: I love researching a project, planning and doing the drawings (I’m busy teaching myself Sketch-Up). Then, having a good reason to buy some more tools! The part of woodworking that I really don’t enjoy is sanding.
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Ennis: Any old hand planes - I have a small collection of Norris & Spiers smoothing and cabinet planes and of course, anything made by Veritas or Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Ennis: I have a Felder combination machine. I really enjoy the long sliding bed for safety and accuracy. I also have an oscillating drum sander, Felder band saw, a Japanese drill press from the 70’s. I admit to having the "Green Fever" and own almost everything that Festool has made.
If I had to choose one tool, it would most probably be my band saw.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Ennis: I use our double garage and I have a tool room inside the house where I lock up my smaller hand and power tools. I had to build a car-port from re-claimed Bluegum trees. I completely underestimated the task at hand, otherwise I would never have started!
I try and spend at least an hour a day after work and I am in my workshop on most weekends.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Ennis: My first real piece of furniture that I made was a large coffee table that was a mix of Maple and Wenge.
My favourite pieces are chairs, which I built from the design available on the Felder website, where they advertise their band saw.
My next piece is a Roubo work bench.
I have ordered the Bench Crafted Front and Tail Vise and cannot wait for the parcel to arrive.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Ennis: My favourite timbers are American Black Walnut, American White Oak, American Black Cherry and Ash. I love the colour and density of Wenge, but it is probably the easiest way to lose a digit if you come close to a router table with it. Wenge is also very splintery.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for you pieces?
Ennis: I prefer using Danish Oil for the ease of applying it and I also use Tung Oil, although it takes quite some time to dry.
For outdoor projects, I create a mixture of linseed oil and turpentine.
I have just finished 2 keep-sake boxes that I made from Wild Olive. On these pieces, I just used a small square of the same wild olive (after sanding to 220 grit) to burnish the wood. This gives a super gloss finish without any finishing products.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Ennis: To have enough space for a decent size CNC machine. There is a Russian woodworker on YouTube who has two five axis routers – now that will be the ultimate!
This is my nice to have list:
In this week's Woodworker Sessions, I chat to Felix Unite, well known businessman, lover of the outdoors and passionate boat builder.
]]>
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Felix: I’ve been involved in yachting and canoeing since 10 or 12 years old. I built a Dabchick at school, with my buddy, John Robertson - in his garage. He has gone on to be one of the largest ocean going catamaran manufacturers in the world – a billion rand business! I still struggle to make a wooden canoe!
Tobias: What aspect of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Felix: I like working out the strategy of solving canoe-building challenges – often in a somewhat unconventional manner. I like seeing the grain of my laminations coming to life as I start the finishing processes of fairing and sanding – the feeling of satisfaction of good jointing is very gratifying.
It's not so pleasant when one has a mix of epoxy gelling halfway through a lamination and one lands up with a laborious remedial job. I must confess to “contracting out” this type of thing.
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Felix: My small Veritas and Lie-Nielsen Block Planes and my Japanese Pull Saw.
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Felix: Definitely my Bosch folding table saw for ripping 6m beams into 4mm x 20mm x 6m strips.
Also my Festool Table, Festool Circular Saw, Festool Cordless Drill and Festool Rotex Sander.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Felix: Without doubt the De-Humidifier, as I live close to the sea in Kalk Bay – this saves my tools from rusting in winter and my nifty micro plane bevelling frame that I imported from the USA. This allows me to bevel the edges of my strips when building a strip-planked boat, where the joint angle is constantly changing. Also, those tools mentioned in Question #4.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Felix: I have a substantial garage – but it also houses 2 cars. So 40 or so m2 permanently available. Woodworking is very much a part-time exercise and I have done 2 boats recently – which took a year or so each. Probably 200 hours for each one.
Things like mosaics, playing guitar, running businesses, being on holiday, cycling and canoeing, amongst others, also take up a lot of time!
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Felix: I made a couple of stools & things in Std 5 & 6 at school woodwork classes. Built a sailing boat to race when I was 16. There were always rudders and so-on to shape, surf boards to shape, glass, and use. That was all in my youth.
But I think I get the most joy out of designing and building my own strip planked boats – when there is no time pressure and one can have access to a project anytime one is feeling that way inclined.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Felix: I predominantly use Western Red Cedar, Obeche, Ash and Spruce. I look forward to experimenting with various other species – but these are the ones I have come to know fairly well and understand.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your projects?
Felix: Generally the boats I’ve done are glassed, faired and polished. They sometimes get a coat of Polyurethane for UV resistance. On laminated paddles I use a clear Glatex 8.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Felix: Firstly, I have no arsenal! But there’s a relationship between my love of handling beautiful timber, a few self-taught capabilities, and the satisfaction of producing things that I use in my everyday life.
My next discipline will be to make a guitar.
I’m happy living with the basics that I have – and that which I’ve accumulated over the past 20 or so years. I don’t like too much stuff, and enjoy “making do” where possible. If I’m not going to use it fairly frequently, I’d rather not have it. My woodworking will remain un-technical.
]]>
In the Woodworker Sessions #8, I talk to Joel Harris, a remarkable and exceptionally talented, young South African furniture designer/maker from KZN.
Joel Harris has been woodworking from the age of seven. Born into a family, who for two generations had embraced the craft as either a hobby or occupation, meant Joel had been exposed to many aspects of the trade by the time he matriculated.
Joel worked for a year at a large-scale factory in the board upgrading industry. During this time he gained insight into the world of veneers, profiled mouldings, wrapping, CNC routers and mass production. He then moved on to work as the Senior Carpenter at one of Durban’s most prestigious furniture and kitchen manufacturers. Here he quickly learned the ropes and made every effort to draw knowledge from his extremely experienced co-workers.
In August 2017, Joel made the move to pursue his own business - Harris Creations, on a full time basis.
He then moved to California to spend three months working & living with the highly prolific and successful designer/builder, Jory Brigham in April 2018. His stint there could be described as an adventure of a lifetime. (www.jorybrigham.com)
Joel's eyes opened to a totally different woodwork culture and working in mediums such as steel, concrete and brass brought new learning curves to the fore. He was able to tour the Greene and Greene suburb, visit The Gamble House and experience first-hand the mastery that is held within their walls.
Furthermore, two comprehensive tours of the Maloof Foundation gave him full insight into the life of arguably one of the greatest woodworkers to have ever lived. His tour here included a special private visit to Sam’s personal residence guided by Mrs Maloof.
Joel is definitely one of my top young South African creators to watch.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Joel: From about the age of 5, so 17 years ago. My uncle had inherited my grandfather’s setup and we would occasionally visit him for Sunday afternoon tea.
I remember having free reign of the disc sander, scroll saw and a decent pile of scraps to tinker with. My childhood consisted largely of Lego, Meccano and dismantling any home appliance that happened to decease. If it had moving parts, I was fascinated and woodworking was a medium I found where I could create whatever idea I had in my head.
For Christmas at age 7 I received a workbench, power drill and some other bits and bobs, it was all downhill from there.
Stool in Pink Beech
Tobias: What aspect of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Joel: Most enjoyable – Definitely two fold. The first would be applying finish to a piece which I have spent a good while in making. When the oil hits the grain it’s like giving the wood a heartbeat, the whole piece just comes to life and it is rather exciting!
The second part would be delivering a piece to a client, who jubilantly receives it and is genuinely appreciative of the hours spent crafting.
Least enjoyable – That’s easy…… Sanding!
Particularly hand sanding, I don’t mind being hooked up to a vacuum with a random orbit sander and some country music going, it is quite therapeutic. But tight corners and interior angles… These drive me crazy.
Building a Vanity in French Oak
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Joel: Ah, the hand tool department. In all fairness, I don’t spend enough time here to have any favourites. Each of my hand tools I make use of out of necessity.
Here I use the typical joinery gear (some decent sharp chisels, a dovetail saw, a square that is actually square). This is not to say that I don’t have a huge appreciation and respect for these tools, I just don’t yet have the privilege of a quality arsenal.
If we are talking sentimental attachment, then my Stewart Spiers Infill Coffin Plane tops everything, it’s a gem and well over 120 years old and it is rather good looking!
My Stewart Spiers Coffin Smoothing Plane
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Joel: Power Tools – Festool DF500, Makita RP2301FCX Router and Makita Track Saw.
The Festool Domino machine has been a massive asset to my workshop and has changed my entire approach to furniture construction.
The router is often thought of as a tool that just puts an edge profile on a panel, they really can do so much more. My Makita router is literally a hand held spindle moulder, love it!
The Makita Track Saw has blown my mind! As a one-man workshop, it has drastically improved safety and cut quality. Breaking down an 8x4 with a 10” table saw is not a pretty site.
I’ve starting turning to this tool more and more for odd angle cuts, where making a table saw jig is too much of a mission.
The Three Musketeers!
Stationary Machines: Table Saw, this tool can be used for so much more than just ripping and cross cuts. Diving into coving, raised panel work, joinery… The list is endless, an absolute powerhouse of a machine!
Bandsaw – AKA electric pencil. Enough said.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Joel: My Festool DF500 Domino! A square that is square, tape measure and sharp tooling all round.
Angled Dovetailed Box in Bocote
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Joel: I work in a dedicated +/- 33 square metre space. However, I do tend to spill over into the parent’s double garage, my flat, the lounge, dining room…
I never have enough space!
Vanities in French Oak
I’d like to say 50-60hrs, but it varies from week to week. Some weeks are more admin inclined, others may be on the road with clients or collecting stock.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Joel: From what I remember ,I think it was a box for my drum sticks made from Camphor. Due to a shortage of scraps, it was later dismantled into something else, another box as I recall.
Taking inspiration from Sam Maloof, my favourite piece is the one I am presently working on. It’s difficult to separate yourself from something you spend so much time on.
My next build on the list is a Walnut & Zebrano whiskey cabinet with brass inlay and a Maloof knuckle latch on the centre doors. I am super excited about this build, as the plan is to incorporate Bluetooth controlled internal lighting, with motion switching and some other gizmos that will all be Arduino powered.
Whiskey Cabinet in Black Walnut & Zebrano
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Joel: Ha, Black Walnut all day long! It’s a friendly, warm and inviting wood. It is almost as if it wants to help you along the way, readily conforming to the odd dodgy bit of joinery, where a timber like oak would split or show an unsightly gap.
Whiskey Cabinet in Black Walnut & Zebrano
My first dovetails were cut in Wenge, it was a painful process, trying again in Walnut, the difference was like comparing chalk and cheese. Any other joints I have attempted have been seamless in this glorious American lumber. The pleasant chocolate, nutty, smokey aroma just adds to the romance of the timber.
Black Walnut & Wild Olive
Iroko is the elephant in the room for me. I value its brilliant outdoor properties, but at the cost of coughing my lungs out, teary eyes and general discomfort, I use it as little as possible. (Can’t wear safety gear all day long, some exposure is always guaranteed)
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Joel: Typically, my furniture items are sanded to 220 Grit, then oiled with Gobelin's Danish Oil or Tung Oil Blend. I apply 3 coats upping the grit each time (220, 320, 400) and burnishing in between with an emery pad.
Imbuia & Maple Keyed Dovetail Box
I have used Woodoc, Monocoat, Watco and Pronature, they all have their place, but Gobelin's had proved most practical for me.
On my Watch Boxes, I go right up to 600 Grit and then jump to a 3000 Grit pad to give them a sweet sheen and buttery feel.
Walnut & Wild Olive
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Joel: Hmm ...perhaps the ability to not make a mess whilst working, though this could be counted as a superpower?
Vintage Car Steering Wheel in Black Walnut & Maple
On an academic level though, I’d love to spend time at a well kitted out sawmill, gaining further insight into the process that a plank goes through before it reaches the shelves of Eco Timbers.
Here is my wish list:
Link to Joel's website: Harris Creations
Credits
I would love to specialise more and more in hand tool work. I do not have space for machines. They are necessary and great for a furniture factory, but for hobby-work; machines are noisy, chew electricity, require babysitting, adjustments, service, parts, and worst of all create dust.
Handtools require sharpening, oiling…and that’s about it. No noise, no dust…what a life!
]]>Heero recently spent a day at the bench in my workshop, enthusiastically learning how to hand cut dovetail joints and sharpen hand tool blades. He is a retired management consultant and spent some 20 years living and working in the USA, before returning to retire in South Africa. My sincere thanks to Heero for sharing his newfound and wonderfully focused woodworking passion with us.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Heero: My wife and I bought a house in Great Brak River and needed to renovate the main bathroom and it’s cupboards. After many failed attempts in obtaining reliable quotes, having to deal with questioning and unreliable carpenters, and hearing enough of grand plans that involved MDF, chipboard, plywood, screws and nails, and dreading a possible result of rubbish, I suggested to my wife that I do the job. That was 2 years ago. She did not think that it was such a good idea, because I have a reputation of not being able to do anything constructive with my hands.
I promised my wife that before she could identify anyone reasonably priced, reliable and good, I will have a workshop ready. I was sick and tired of hearing promises that resulted in “hot air”.
When she saw my workshop bench and mitre saw stand, she quickly had some projects in line, including bathroom cabinets from solid Yellow Wood, and a Murphy bed from African Rosewood. Ever since I built these two projects, I enjoy striving for continual improvement in my woodworking.
Tobias: What aspect of your craft do you find most enjoyable and least enjoyable?
Heero: The least enjoyable aspect for me is using a random orbital sander and generating dust for the vacuum cleaner. I always thought that this was the way to prepare wood for assembly and finishing, as I would receive my planks from the joinery works who would pre-plane and square my planks for me. I hated the tear-out I received, but was told that without a drum sander ,there is nothing one can do about it. So I went back to the random orbital sander, which I hate.
I have subsequently read and learned that professional finishing should include planing. So I purchased an electric hand plane... bad idea. It is up for sale. Hardly ever used. I now do and enjoy hand planing. Still learning, but getting better every day.
What I mostly enjoy is using my shooting board to hand plane and create final square edge and straight planks. The smoothness created with my hand plane outscores the random orbital sander with 200G and higher grit sand paper. I am no longer frustrated with tear-out . My solution is a low angle Lie Nielsen #62 jack plane with five different angle blades, including a 90º scraper blade. It is most enjoyable to be able to successfully smooth and square planks, followed by assembly.
Tobias: What are your favourite hand tools?
Heero: My favourite hand tools are my Lie Nielsen #62 Jack Plane, Lie Nielsen #164 Smoothing Plane, small Lie-Nielsen Block Plane and Low Angle Spokeshave. I also love my Lie-Nielsen Shoulder Plane. I need to learn to use my Lie-Nielsen Router Plane, Knew Concepts Coping Saw and Narex Dovetail Chisels with more precision, so practicing is paramount. I love all my hand tools.
With hand tools, I can see when and why I damaged the work. With power tools there is always set-up time frustration, and when something goes wrong it happens too fast and too furious. Power tools are also safety hazards. Table saws are potential accidents waiting to happen. I try to be extra careful when using my table saw, which increases set-up time, and slows down total time to complete the job. But that’s OK.
Tobias: What are your favourite power tools and stationary machines?
Heero: I favour my thickness planer. It works well and does a great job that requires very little work with my Lie-Nielsen Smoother. I also like my mitre saw. It is efficient fast and pretty safe. My Rockler router table and fence work well and can do a good job, when I am patient. Although I do not have a micro-adjustable fence, I have managed to make small fence adjustments resulting in 1/2mm changes to final groove slots. My real favourite is my portable dust collector. It keeps my shop clean and free from wood dust.
Tobias: What machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Heero: I can not do without my table saw, thickness planer, router table, Lie-Nielsen hand planes, shooting board, electric hand drill and mitre saw. It would be possible to do projects without the table saw, and even router table, but productivity and quality would suffer badly. I would have to use my hand router and portable circular saw instead.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Heero: I have a small singled off workshop, attached and leading from within the garage. It is only 7.5 by 2.5 metres. My wife and I designed the space utilisation to maximise working space. I have a work bench and granite table where I do handwork and assembly. My granite table is great for checking wood flatness and sharpening operations.
All my machines are on wheels, except the router table and mitre saw. My table saw is a contractors saw on a stand with wheels, so I place it against the wall when not in use. Because I cannot move from one machine to the next with planks in my hand, I have developed a fixed routine:
I could spend almost every day in my workshop, if I had nothing else to do, but life does not present itself to me in that way. However, when I am pressed for time to complete a project, I am in my workshop virtually every day. Because I am continually learning and trying to create/apply new techniques, time often tends to go by rapidly with not much work completed. I enjoy the challenges and derive great pleasure in overcoming them.
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Heero: My first piece was a Murphy Bed built from plans and hardware I bought from Rockler in the USA. I used African Rosewood for the project. I also designed and built a bedside cabinet for this bed. From this project, I learned how to hide and cover up errors, mistakes and out of squareness. My favourite pieces are the bathroom cabinets and the mirror frames for our main bathroom. My wife has a number of projects for me to replace or fill in existing furniture. One of which is to build a entertainment cabinet/centre to house the TV and spruce up our living room. However this project will have to wait a while, until I improve my skill level!
As they say, "The more you practice, the luckier you get"!
The Murphy Bed
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid, and why?
Heero: I do not have much experience with different timbers. I dislike Black Wood. It has terrible grain and is completely prone to tear-out.
I like to work with Yellow Wood. It is easy to work with, but being a Soft Wood, it dings very easily, splits, cracks and breaks. It is definitely not a stable, strong wood. I love African Rosewood, it's great to work with. Lovely grain structures, but can tear out if not careful, especially if you use wrong tools.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for you pieces?
Heero: I hate painting and paint brushes. So I use oil. Preferable Tung oil. I try to plane the final product smooth, then I burnish with shavings. After that, I apply oil liberally, and wipe off excess.
After the project is completely dry, about one or two weeks, I use 600 Grit or so sand paper to de-nib the surfaces, and apply one more coat. If I do not like the finish after a week or two, I will repeat the sand and oil process.
What I have found with Tung oil is that it preserves the wood and also brings out the natural grain pattern. If I can not preserve the natural grain structure of the wood, why not just use pine and paint it?
Tobias: If you could add another discipline of woodworking to your arsenal, what would it be?
Heero: I want to learn to create plans, designs and drawings. This is my weakness. It is all in my head, so I mess up and do rework and repair, and waste time and wood, and also create garbage joints!
I want to learn to work with and use the program SketchUp, and learn to draw with pencil and paper. I would also like to spend more time reading the good stuff on woodworking and wish I could learn the fundamentals of woodworking from a master. That is what I am lacking…the basics.
I would love to specialise more and more in hand tool work. I do not have space for machines. They are necessary and great for a furniture factory, but for hobby-work; machines are noisy, chew electricity, require babysitting, adjustments, service, parts, and worst of all create dust.
Handtools require sharpening, oiling…and that’s about it. No noise, no dust…what a life!
]]>
This week in the Woodworkers Sessions, I chat to Dr. Gert du Toit, Specialist Bariatric Surgeon and passionate worker of wood. Due to his extreme time constraints, Gert answered my questions via audio recordings, which I then transcribed. I wish to profusely thank Gert for taking the time to share his workshop, his knowledge and his infectious enthusiasm with us.
]]>Gert in his well appointed Woodworking Shop!
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Gert: I think that woodworking must definitely be in my genes. I love working with my hands. My dad was an engineer and an all round handyman and he taught me the basics including precision, patience and technique.
I was blown away when my dad bought a De Walt radial arm saw in 1977, I was thirteen years old at the time.
I have always built basic furniture as needed, for example, a baby cot!
I neglected my woodworking somewhat, due to my surgical career. From when I started in private practice in Durban in 1996, I was stimulated to use my hand skills in my surgical career.
Eventually in 2011, I decided to begin with an extensive renovation and upgrade of a dedicated workshop. Thanks in part to the excellence of Fine Woodworking magazine, I have constantly developed and honed my craft to where it is today. This is always an ongoing evolution.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find the most and the least enjoyable?
Gert: Somewhat tongue in cheek, I refer to my hobby and workshop as "Vent Craft - A craft where I can vent from my daily career"!
You can follow me on Instagram at gert_du_toit
Absolutely every aspect of fine woodworking is an adventure, even the final finishing where one sees the wonders of the wood come to life!
Most of what I have been creating since 2013 are prototypes, exploring different techniques.
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have available and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Gert: My first piece of furniture was a Tomato Box table that I built at the tender age of five.
Because of my journey exploring different techniques, there are many favourites that I have built, especially since 2014. I will definitely build a Maloof Rocking Chair soon.
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid and why?
Gert: Once again, almost every timber is an adventure to work with. The last timbers that I have used for projects were Ash and American Black Walnut. Due to the scarcity of South African Blackwood, I have had to resort to Australian Blackwood as a backup. I have discovered that this timber has an extremely unfriendly grain to work with.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Gert: I almost always finish by creating a gradual surface build with Danish Oil.
Sheraton style Table in Imbuia and Tiger Maple
Tobias: If you could add another discipline to your woodworking arsenal, what would it be?
Gert: I would love to be able to mill my own lumber and air dry it. I would also really like to learn to do steam bending as Michael Fortune does.
Tobias: Once again, many thanks to Gert for sharing his woodworking journey with us.
You can also view a variety of Gert's build videos on YouTube:
]]>
This week in The Woodworker Sessions , I chat to seasoned furniture maker Duncan Nel of Cape Town about his passion for woodworking.
Duncan in his Workshop
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Duncan: I started woodworking along with other trades like plumbing and electrical work at my father's knee, literally. My childhood toys were tools and legend has it that my comforter as a baby was a carpenter’s brace and I still have it, rather than a teddy bear.
My dad worked for a company that imported goods from Germany and he had access to the packing cases after unboxing. Rough sawn, but great quality timber of all descriptions that he used for everything from furniture to built-in cupboards.
We did not have a single power tool, so everything was done by hand. Rip sawing, crosscutting, planing, smoothing, sanding & jointing of every description. We even drilled holes in concrete and brick with a star drill and hammer. I still have a Yankee screwdriver and I will take on most cordless screwdrivers any day!
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find the most and the least enjoyable?
Duncan: Over the years, I developed a love of creating useful “things” from scratch and a passion for perfection. I was taught that when you used traditional wood screws, the slots had to line up. I have a huge respect for the tools that made it all possible and I have a “can do" attitude.
I also learned very early on that there is limited opportunity, within the boundaries of one’s own existence, to practice a craft which is essentially a hobby. There are only so many pieces of furniture that can fit into one small house.
If you don’t embrace the chance to share your talent and skill with other people, there are just not enough projects to allow you to develop and learn new techniques or perfect old ones.
A word on the "why": Creating beautiful and functional things is good for the soul.
Spending time in the workshop pottering with loved tools is great for stress, but in reality, I am so disillusioned with the quality of work produced by the very average tradesmen who are such an essential part of modern life, that I would rather do it myself!
Tobias: Which are your favourite hand tools?
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have available and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Duncan: The first real piece of furniture I made on my own was a hall table in Yellowwood and Imbuia. I was given a 9" x 9" Yellowwood beam from a demolition project in Long Street. I cut it into eight, 1" thick planks with a hand saw. It took a day per plank. I turned the legs on a home made lathe which vibrated so badly that my wife used to stand at the door while I worked, so that she could be close by if the piece came loose and did me a damage! We still have it 45 years later and my wife now uses it as a dressing table.
My favourite piece is a massive Outeniqua Yellowwood dining room table built in 1985 with the help of a great friend, Chris Thompkins of Craft Equipment Company. It is battered and scarred, but will never be refinished while I own it.
It is my favourite because it epitomises the reason why I build. Strong and practical, designed to be used and enjoyed, it has a patina of years and holds the memories of friends and family, some long departed, of birthday parties, Christmas dinners, debates, discussions over good food and wine, even the odd argument.
At the end of the day it is a reflection of lives well lived. Isn’t that why we all build?
Future project... I hope… Towards the end of the year I am going to build my son a traditional Roll Top Desk in Red Oak. Plans and tools are well advanced and I have been practicing some of the rail and style techniques that will be required. The large panels have to float, otherwise they will crack, etc. It will have to be easy to dismantle to move, otherwise it will have to stay in the workshop…
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid and why?
Duncan: I tend to select the right wood for the right product. I don’t have a favourite timber and I try not to be patronising about wood. The stuff is really expensive and I would hate to have a woodworker, young or old feel less than adequate because he can only afford to work with Pine, Plywood or Melamine for that matter.
In fact, it is pretty easy to cut a great mortice and tenon joint in Oak or a great dovetail in Beech or turn an elegant tapered leg in Imbuia. It takes a real craftsman with sharp tools to do the same in Pine. I work with what my clients can afford and give them the best product that I can produce.
That being said, I try to avoid woods like Tambotie and Iroko which are toxic, Pink Ivory because the colour leaches out long after the project is completed and exotic hardwoods that are not commercially grown and contribute to deforestation in third world countries and Pau Marfim which just seems to hate me!
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Duncan: I like wood to remain wood, so I avoid anything that changes the character of the piece or changes the colour. I use Sanding Sealer on Sheet Goods, Plywood and Pine, any Nitro Cellulose Lacquer will do the job and I use Woodoc Oil based products on hardwoods. I generally let the oil cure well and finish with wax. There are some very good waterproof wax products like GWax and Nic Wax that are designed for leather that produce really good water resistant finishes for table tops and other surfaces that will take a beating. They do need to be mixed with a good measure of elbow grease though.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline to your woodworking arsenal, what would it be?
Duncan: Another discipline. That’s a good thought. Probably patience. Plan it, practice it, take the time to do it right the first time.
Jokes aside, I would like to be a better woodcarver. I have spent my life making things that are straight and square. Three dimensional carving would be a nice change.
]]>In the Toolcraft Woodworker's Sessions blog series, I chat with woodworking enthusiasts from all over South Africa. They might be hand tool aficionados, power tools specialists, tool collectors, new to the craft, acknowledged experts or anyone in between.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Mattewis: I was raised on a farm in the Swellendam district. As a child, I spent many happy hours making toys with hammer and nails. As with most children, we weren't allowed to touch my father's tools, so hammer and nails were what I used (and other tools now and then when I knew my dad wouldn't find out).
I built a few pieces of furniture in High School and that was when my passion for working with wood really began.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find the most and the least enjoyable?
Mattewis: Finishing is tedious work for me, but in saying that, it has it's own amazing rewards if you persevere. I love hand tool work. I derive great pleasure in doing hand cut joints and planing parts to a fine fit and finish.
Tobias: Do you use a dedicated space for your craft, what floor area do you have available and how much time do you manage to spend on woodworking per week?
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Mattewis: Around age 10, I built a small bookcase in Maranti. My favourite pieces are a Stinkwood and Yellow Wood TV cabinet I made years ago and my workbench which I completed earlier this year. My next projects are numerous. In the pipeline are two Yellow Wood and Stinkwood Chess Tables, a Brazilian Mahogany Grandfather Clock (my first steps into the world of veneering), a dedicated sharpening station, ducting and blast gate system throughout the workshop for the cyclone extractor and (I am very sure) plenty of pieces that my wife is going to dream up keep me out of mischief!
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid and why?
Mattewis: I avoid Pine where I can. Generally I try not to work in Softwoods. I really love working with Stinkwood, Oak, Hard Maple, and Mahogany.
Question #9
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Mattewis: I normally seal with Shellac or sanding sealer. I like the finish that Woodoc 10 gives, when I build up and cut back multiple coats. I also use shellac, either spraying, brushing or ragging it on. I cut coats back with 0000 steel wool. A couple of coats of paste wax are usually my final process.
Campaign Bookcase Style Wine Box in Mahogany
Dovetailed wiith Brass Corners and "L" Straps.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline to your woodworking arsenal, what would it be?
Mattewis: I would really like to learn to do veneering well. Bookmatching, vacuum pressing and working with curves and cauls. I have succeeded in band sawing my own veneer stock and I want to get into using hide glue for veneering, because of it's high initial tack it is perfect for veneer work.
]]>
On the Woodworker Sessions this week, I chat to Johann Pieterse of Cape Town.
Johann Pieterse of Cape Town
Johann is a wonderfully gentle person and an extremely accomplished artist in his own right. A talented painter, carver, boatbuilder, sculptor, cabinetmaker and woodturner, he has a quiet, but infectious demeanor and has a wealth of woodworking knowledge. I regard him as a true friend and mentor. Johann shares his passion and knowledge freely and he is a superb teacher.
Johann's Hand Built Lapstrake Rowing Boat
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Johann: I have been inspired to do handcraft all my life, I did technical drawing, metalwork, woodwork and ceramic work at school, but I have always been drawn to wood as my artistic medium of choice.
Wood is a warm material, the natural graphics and beauty of wood is endless. During the past 30 years, I have made numerous pieces of furniture and cabinetry and have even built some wooden boats, all on commission. In recent years, I have become more inspired towards Sculpture and Artistic Wood Turning.
Turning on the Nova 1624 Mk.II Lathe
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find the most and the least enjoyable?
Johann: For me, the most enjoyable aspect is the wonderful intimacy of forming and shaping wood by hand, using finely tuned and sharpened hand tools.
Mindless hours of sanding is my worst nightmare!
Tobias: Which machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Johann: The first pieces were at school, coffee and bedside tables, I also turned a bedside lamp. The most enjoyable project was building a fine lined lapstrake rowing boat based on the American Whitehall pulling boats. The boat was built using 95% hand tools. I am currently working on developing my Artistic Woodturning to include more decorative aspects and Marquetry.
Johann's Fine Lapstrake Rowing Boat
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid and why?
Johann: For Furniture and Cabinetry, I really enjoy working in Hard Maple and Bubinga.
For my woodturning, I love Wild Olive and any fruitwoods like apple and pear when I can get my hands it. For carving, my favourite wood is Lime. Generally, I don’t like working with most African woods, as I find that the dust is at best irritating and at worst toxic!
Sculpture: Landscape of the Mind
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Johann: I generally work through the sand paper grits 120, 240, 400, 800, 1000, depending on the wood and function of the piece.
I use Shellac based sanding sealer, and then either wax polish or 3-4 coats of Danish oil resulting in a satin finish. I really detest the plastic look that some finishes give.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline to your woodworking arsenal, what would it be?
Johann: Tobias, with you doing French Marquetry, you have recently inspired me, and this is a discipline that I would like to incorporate into my Wood Turning and Sculptures in the future.
]]>
On the Woodworker Sessions this week, I chat to Paul Roberts of Pretoria.
I first met Paul at the Knysna Timber Festival last year and spent a fascinating time chatting to him about his woodworking and the very productive activities of the Woodworking Association of Pretoria. Paul is a true gentlemen and is wonderfully passionate about all things woodworking. He is especially enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with others and growing woodcraft in South Africa.
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Paul: Both of my Grandfathers as well as my Father were involved in woodwork. In fact it must be in my genes, as my maternal Great Grandfather came out to the Cape as a ship’s carpenter, migrated to the Kimberley diamond fields and eventually became Mayor of Kimberley. We still have all of his diaries, which are of great historic interest. I still have a chest of drawers he made for his tools.
Great Grandfather's 120 year old Tool Chest
Woodwork has been an interest of mine since my school days in Worcester and Cape Town (Rondebosch Boy’s High School), when I gave up Latin to rather take woodwork! I took woodwork up to Standard 8 (Grade 10) and found that the drawing skills that I learnt, stood me in good stead for my civil engineering studies and career. I have a particular interest in cabinet making and turning.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find the most and the least enjoyable?
Paul: I really enjoy planning, drawing and construction in particular. As an old-time civil engineer, my preference is to draw the plans by hand. I find that I have to relearn SketchUp each time and it does not come naturally. I enjoy “taming” the wood during preparation, particularly my Matumi (Mingerhout) which is rough sawn. Only upon planing does the grain emerge. As with most cabinet maker’s, finishing is the most tedious and least pleasurable!
Hand drawn by Paul Roberts
I find routers (either hand held or table mounted) to be essential to my woodcraft. I have also completed a number of courses with Denis Lock on router applications.
Follow this link to go to Denis Lock's website: Routing with Denis
Paul's shopmade router table setup.
Tobias: Which machines, power tools or hand tools could you not do without?
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
School project in Std. 8 in 1954: All work done by hand- no routing!
The wood is Philippine Mahogany and it has a varnish finish
School project in Std. 8 in 1954: Combined bedside cabinet and bookcase.
Construction included secret lapped dovetails.
The timber is Burmese Teak with a wax finish.
Paul: I am currently busy with several projects:
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid and why?
Paul: I like to work with indigenous woods when feasible, but often have to resort to imported timber such as oak, walnut, poplar. During the 1970’s I was on construction on the Blyderivierspoort Dam and managed to obtain some Matumi (Mingerhout). I am still using it today. It is pleasant to work with and has an oily feel.
Byderivierspoort Dam
The tree is now a protected species. I was also presented with some ironwood from Knysna when I retired from the former Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. My son and I made a coffee table (heavy!) from it. The ironwood needs really sharp blades for machining!
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Paul: I use a variety of finishes depending on the item.
Examples are:
Balustrading at our holiday home in Knysna made from White Oak. I turned the newel posts, routed the top and bottom rails and had the balusters copy turned.
Staircase and handrail in Knysna. I turned and made all components
Tobias: If you could add another discipline to your woodworking arsenal, what would it be?
Paul: I am taking up wood carving for the embellishment of cabinets such as the Lowboy Group Project.
]]>
In this new blog series, I chat with woodworking enthusiasts from all over South Africa. They might be hand tool aficionados, power tools specialists, tool collectors or anything in between.
]]>
We have an astoundingly diverse spectrum of woodworkers throughout our country; box makers, turners, marqueters, plane makers, Honey-Do Specialists, shabby chic builders, period reproduction enthusiasts, Danish post modern style, carvers, mixed media makers, puppet makers, boatbuilders, restorers, scroll sawyers, home renovators, hand plane makers, art furniture creators, the list is entirely endless and never ceases to amaze me.
Our greater South African woodworking family includes accountants, doctors, surgeons, chiropractors, housewives, farmers, steel fabricators, girlfriends, IT specialists, bankers, land surveyors, stockbrokers, pharmacists, plumbers, surfers, home renovators, academics, CEO's, foresters, luthiers, scientists, earthmovers, ship captains, youngsters, retirees, disabled people, businessmen and women, cinematographers, photographers, teachers and mentors.
I firmly believe that it is our love of creating things, useful or otherwise with our hands, that brings us together. Whether we practise our craft in solitude, as a meditative and relaxing process, or love the noise of our power tools and machines, create things with our children, collaborate with others, we are all creators at heart, it is a human condition, a positive act and an immensely rewarding one.
To get the series going, I contacted ten of my woodworking friends to answer the same ten questions.
My first interviewee is Don MacIver, a good friend with a wonderfully wry Scottish sense of humour and a workshop building that turns me green with envy. He tells me that it was originally the old jail cell building in Stanford. Now it is in his front garden! Don's coffee is great, he is highly inventive, is always willing to share and his energetic enthusiasm is highly infectious!
Don's Barn
Tobias: How, why and when did you become interested in woodworking?
Don: I first became interested in woodwork after a visit to Australia in 1995. The rage at the time was to take an ancient, weathered fence post, Jarrah or similar wood, and turn (lathe) part of it into some smooth highly polished shape making an amazing contrast between the old rough weathered parts and the rich colours enhanced by the artist’s skill and imagination. I ended up buying a lathe and unsuccessfully trying my hand at it, until work pressures and other forms of woodwork intervened.
Tobias: What aspects of your craft do you find the most and the least enjoyable?
Don: For the least enjoyable, I have to say that I hate trying to work on something without proper support, or having to work in an uncomfortable position due to stuff lying around the workshop.
Don MacIver with his new Sjobergs Elite Workbench
Tobias: What was the first piece you ever made, what is your favourite piece and what is the next piece you wish to build?
Don: My first and favourite piece is an oak side table/drinks cabinet I made for SWMBO.
The next project, apart from workshop drawers etc, will be a copy of an old SA post office sloping desk which SWMBO’s group of art enthusiasts has requested, as well as a new artist's tote, especially designed to hold 50 or so tubes of artists oil paint.
Sample of the Post Office Desk for Don's latest project
Tobias: What are your favourite timbers to work with, what timbers do you avoid and why?
Don: SA pine is good for practicing on and "cheap 'n nasty" furniture. Not worth the effort! I try to avoid Douglas fir (Oregon pine) as it is pretty unpleasant to work with, although attractive results can be had if you avoid detailed work. There are many lovely woods, but perhaps selecting the right piece of the right timber for the job, is what it is all about. You will not want to make braai wood out of African Blackwood at R700,000.00 per cube.
Tobias: What is your standard finishing process for your pieces?
Don: I usually use Woodoc followed by a coat of wax polish applied with a buffing machine, but oiling is also an option. It depends on the end product.
Tobias: If you could add another discipline to your woodworking arsenal, what would it be?
Don: I would really like to get into sawmilling and drying wood properly. I remember seeing a container converted into use as a drying oven(?). Maybe one day I will follow up on this.
]]>