Friends,
Yesterday, a friend on Knots sent me a website which blew my mind. We all have different ideas on what constitutes art, beauty, great design, and great furniture. To me, and I am certainly not an arbiter of what is beautiful or good in the woodworking world, this is the most beautiful furniture that I have ever seen, regardless of style. This furniture is not in “my style”. Too bad, I wish I had more talent and skill. The two tables are not only phenomenally beautiful, but highly complex and extremely well crafted.
((By the way, there is another thread going on now, about the process of design. I believe that the tables in the attached photo are both copies of earlier pieces. To me that does not detract from them in the least. I would vote for these two tables as the best pieces of furniture made in contemporary times.))
So why haven’t I come across this guy in my reading? It must be that I do not read widely enough. He is a contemporary furniture maker, here in the United States. Anyone with this degree of skill must be well known.
I am thinking of having the following photo printed, framed and put on a wall in my living room, with candles in front of it. It would be a shrine, where I could go to contemplate my weaknesses as a woodworker, and to pray that I will become worthy later in life. That better come soon, because I am already 63.
My guess is that lots of you will know who the maker is. What do you think of his work?
If no one posts the maker’s name and website by tomorrow, I will. I highly recommend stopping there.
I hope this provides some of you with as much inspiration (or is it frustration) as it has provided me.
Enjoy.
Mel
PS – If you know of any pieces of furniture made in contemporary times that you think are better than these two tables, post a photo. Stick your neck out. Nominate something.
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Replies
Stunning.
It would be fun to see closeups of the details of construction.
J
Joe,
You are right. I would love to see how the thing was designed from the start and how it was constructed. Maybe FWW would do an article. Patrick does have a lot of information on his website. You should go through it.Patrick teaches his technique, and each of his students has use of a "chevalet di marquetrie" which I doubt many of us will ever build. He also uses a "Machine a pique". His technique call for the use of very specialized tools such as these. Patrick also went to Paris to learn the techniques, and has done immense research before making it all become a reality. He must be quite a guy.Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Indeed. For someone with basic skills like mine, work like that elicits conflicting emotions. The main ones are admiration and inspiration. Following along is a sense of personal inadequacy.
Joe
Mel,
His name is Patrick Edwards and he works and lives in San Diego. He is very well known in the world of fine custom furniture. He practices and teaches the french methods of marquetry, offering one week short courses in the techniques. I believe that pair of tables are for sale for the modest fee of $120,000. Even at that price, his hourly wage is not great.
You can visit his website at: http://www.wpatrickedwards.com/home.htm
There is another furniture maker in Santa Barbara named Paul Schurch who also makes remarkable furniture utilizing marquetry. His techniques are slightly different but effective. His web site is:
http://www.schurchwoodwork.com/
Best regards, Tom.
Tom,
While out of my price range, I would agree that $120,000 is peanuts for craftsmanship of that quality.
Lee
Tom,
That was quick. Congratulations. You are the winner. And, of course, you are right. Thank you for listing Patrick Edwards name and website. And thanks for the name of Paul Schurch and his website. I will go to his site immediately. This is the way I learn. I just wonder why it took me so long to ascertain the existence of Patrick Edwards. I am glad to see that mapleman and Joe Sullivan agree that this is VERY good stuff.I heartily recommend that FWW do an article on Patrick and these tables. Thanks,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
For who might like to learn some of this, Schurch usually does a class at Marc Adams school. I was taking another class at the same time he was there. He makes it look so easy. I realized I could probably learn the technique, butit is the artistic talent I lack to see a design before I start. Some of the stuff that Schurch showed at the Tuesday night pizza party was incredible. He can make the 2 dimesions visually pop into three.
I was just at Patrick's web site. The price listed on his site for the tables was $150,000.Ron
Mel,
Please feel free to mention me as the person who sent Patricks WEBsite to you. It might make me famous............
When we were researching the Schultemesser I got his name from Roy Underhill. We have since exchanged several emails. Very interesting person, not to mention extremely talented. I further suggested that he might want to visit here when he has the time.
Don't be surprised if he pops in somewhere. I for one would welcome his wisdom.
Best Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
OK, I'll shout it to the world.IT WAS BOB OF KIDDERVILLE ACRES WHO TOLD ME ABOUT PATRICK EDWARDS!!!!And I thank him for it. Thanks,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
The dogs started barking I was laughing so hard.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Mel,
I must admit that if it wasn't for Roy, I would have no clue who Patrick was/is.
What I'm quisitive about is how many others out there exist that we all don't know about? That bothers me as I think we could all benefit from more knowledge.
Isn't that what it's all about? Sharing. To me, that's Knots.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 3/28/2007 9:26 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Edited 3/28/2007 9:29 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Bob,
Ain't nuthin' like sharing.
I'll share my knowledge for free, anytime.
I'll share food, drink and laughter.
BUT STAY AWAY FROM MY TOOLS!!! :-)Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
In the June '96 issue of American Woodworker Patrick had an article on building a simplified Chevalet which clamps to your workbench. BTW the original top after which those tables were based was about 5' in diameter.
Dick
Edited 3/30/2007 6:29 pm ET by rwdare
Dick,
Amazing. You remembered an article from a decade ago about a chevolet! Wish I could do that. I drool over Patrick's furniture. Unfortunately, I have a lot of things I want to do before I ever get to that point, so a chevolet is not in my immediate future. However, I will keep a copy of your message, so that if I ever get the urge to build one, I'll know where to go to get the plans.
Thank you very much.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
I feel compelled to stop you before it's too late.
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON A CHEVOLET!
Ford's are much easier to make, and they last longer.
Lee
Lee,
As long as you change the oil and filter and do a lube every 5 thousand cycled, the chevolet should last quite a while. I hear the Japanese are turning out a model that really holds up.
Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Wow!......and here I am building a birdhouse for my Mom.
Stoneaxe,
You could always put some marquetry on your birdhouse. :-)
Mel
PS - and I just finished two bathroom wall cabinets.Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
The Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show was this last weekend. There were several wonderful craftsmen presenting. Every booth was worth stopping at. However, there was one that was worth 30 minutes of my time vs. the standard 3-7. Not only did I get to see the mirror and table in the link below in person(!), but I also got to meet the artists. His creations with her finishes are jaw-dropping, these pictures do not do them justice. Mr. Zakurdayevs was very pleasant to talk to. This combination is my vote for most fantastic, but I may be partial.
I'm sure that even the picutres of those two tables do not quite do them justice. They are clearly even more remarkable while standing 2 feet away.
http://www.zakurdayevfinewoodcarving.com/frameset_furn.html
Matt,
I am jealous. I wish I could have gone to the Philadelphia show. I looked at the website you posted. The furniture is certainly world class. I was hoping that some folks would put up some other fantastic pieces of furniture. Thank you for doing that, and for sharing your findings at the Philly show.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
very nice
Thanks for putting up the post for Zakurdayev. It is incredibly inspiring! After looking through his website, I am hoping to make it one of his classes! Thanks again!
He sells Old Brown Glue too.
I like the heavy duty marquetry up to a point. But there is no question he is one of the best in the world at his craft.
Charlie,
It is great to hear from you again. I have missed your posts on Knots. Glad to see you are back in the saddle again. You mentioned the Old Brown Glue. I read that in Patrick's website. What do you think of it? How does it differ from the brown glue that you can buy at woodworking shops?Enjoy,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Seems stronger to me. I use about fifteen bottles a year. Plus I like supporting a great artist like Patrick.
Charles,
You ought to ask Patrick to start selling Old Brown Glue in Gallons.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
I'm not well versed in art or design but they look Elizabethan to me - from that period of history, art, culture. Very nice. If I had that kind of money to spend, I'd buy them. It'll probably be a while, though. Have a good day, Ed
Ed,
You say that you are not well versed in culture.
Most of the cultures in my house are yogurt. (yuk yuk)
I don't know much about art.
I do know what I like when I see it.
That's a good enuf definition of art for me.
Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
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