Replies

1. 
   Ricks503 | May 26, 2005 04:25pm | #1

   Please Define "Hand Made" to you.

   Your making  something yourself with all moden power equipment is hand made

   Your making something with modern hand tools is handmade

   Your making something with 19th Century tools and equipment is hand made

   Your making something with Colonial Willamsburg style  tools is hand made

   Your making something with tools the Egyptians used 1000 years ago is hand made

    

   It is all a matter of how you look at things as to how you interpret things.  That said, if you can give us an idea of what/how you want to do someone on this forum or over in tool talk will be sure to chime in with some answers.

   1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
1. 
   pqken | May 27, 2005 01:11am | #4

   "Hand made" can mean different things, I agree. For example, I just finished a stand alone kitchen cabinet/hutch, (w/o top shelves) 2000mm wide, 4 drawers and 4 doors from red pine. I bought the log and had my local lumber mill cut it too my specifications. Rough cutting and squaring was done with power tools. Door panels were fielded by hand, the sticking on the door frame was by hand, as was planning/flattening and final thickening of the wide panels for the sides, door, and drawers. The customer is happy with the term "handmade" (I told the customer all of the above of course.) I would call the piece hand made but add the part about the rough cuttinig. I will add that it has the tool marks indictitive of a hand tooled piece. But...only a few due to a great working Japanese plane called a "Shiage kanna" (finishing plane).This would make a good discussion (it may have been beat to death in the past though, I don't know). What is hand made? I will clarify my question in a new post so that it can be clearly seen. Thanks for your input.
   pk

   Edited 5/26/2005 6:51 pm ET by pqken

2. 
   scott345 | May 26, 2005 08:19pm | #2

   I look on the internet and magazines, catalogs, furniture stores etc. Usually what I do is find the common measurments, ya know a coffee table is suposed to be so high, a bookshelf this deep then I find something I like or ideas that I like and make whatever changes I need or want to make to the design. For example, I wanted something for my T.V to sit on, I'm not a big fan of entertainment centers or tv stands so I found a table design that I liked (Frank Loyd Wright taliessen table)  changed the demensions and the type of wood and finnish used and there you go a tv table is born.

   most furniture design is an adaptation of what has come before so find things that you like make changes or combine elements of different styles so you can call it your own. Also tauton sellls a book on furniture design thats worth a look. 

3. 
   Lilshaver | May 26, 2005 08:36pm | #3

   I get my ideas from the world around me. I design contempory items but I'm always asking myself "just what does that mean?" So I look at period work and consider how that look affects me. And I look at all sorts of designs that are currently popular. This may be reflected in items as diverse as automobiles, jewelry, and the way food is packaged. Most of all I think of how the particular piece of furniture will be used, where it will be seen, and who will use it. Furniture is made for people so I think it ought to be somewhat supportive and considerate of the human form.

   I look at a lot of periodicals, not all of them are publications such as FWW. I like to look at architecture and architectural magazines. I think Dwell is a fine publication that not only shows some great current trends in home design but furniture as well.

   My ideas boil down to an amalgam of all that I see. I may notice the way the cap iron locks down onto my plane and be given the seed of an idea for an amoire. Its hard to explain, unless you are aware that you've been there. And I think we all have been to this place of awareness.....it's just that some don't realize it.

   There is no magic book of recipes. Just be aware of the world and answer its questions the best way that you know how.

   Jeff

   PS The best advice I can give anyone is to keep a design journal. Get a hardbound sketch book that is used for your ideas only. Don't ever tear out a page. Write down all your thoughts and sketch anything that comes to mind. Once this is done, you've taken the first step to make an "idea" a real object. If you don't take this first step (in some manner), then you will never take a second.

1. 
   pqken | May 27, 2005 09:46am | #7

   I do agree, my style works in much the same way. In my life I have seen a variety of pieces from different sources and use these ideas to build. It will always evolve into something different than what I originally looked at for a number of reasons, which all work together. One is my personal style of woodworking. This is partly dependent on my tools, and partly my skill level, and partly on the medium (wood) I choose to work. There are other considerations of course like how much time I have. And then memory plays a role in that how it is remembered when it is time to build.Thanks for your reply,
   pk

4. 
   curvedroof | May 27, 2005 05:09am | #5

   Now you are talking about the art of creation.  It's not a science, it's an art.  And the beauty of art is that it is born fully formed but the parentage is often unknown.

   A local restraunt owner has been talking to me about building some planter boxes for him that he could set outside his front door, that would set off the "smoking area" from the parking lot.  (You can't smoke inside, which is a good thing in my book)  And so I got to thinking: what if the planter boxes were not just boxes, but holders of plants that self watered themselves?  What if the holders of these plants also had attached to them a source of water that was part mechanical and part natural (rainwater)?  So I've been fooling with drawings that include both concepts, where one thing morphs into another.  Don't ask me to explain more just now, but maybe you might see something in the Gallery section in a month or two.

   Where in a magazine would you look for something like that?  You wouldn't. 

   -Bob

1. 
   pqken | May 27, 2005 10:06am | #8

   I would say yes, I am talking in terms of the "art" of creation. But remember this is dependent on my experience. As I wrote earlier, my ideas come from a variety of sources, remembered and forgotten. I would say more times than not the idea materilizes as something different than what I originally saw. I don't like to "copy", and I don't have anything against someone who does (restoration work etc.). Even though the end product looks different I am in a way copying because the original idea gave fruit to the end product. Humans are all dependent on each other in this way. Thus we should think good of the people before us.And lastly, no, you couldn't find something like that in a magazine, but you could find the parent. Thanks for your comments,
   pkp.s. I'm having my own water project problem here. I need to lift water from a stream and drain it into a small pond. Both of my original water sources were cut off. I'm considering a waterwheel of sorts attached to a pump. As they don't have anything here like that in Japan I'm completely on my own.

   Edited 5/27/2005 3:18 am ET by pqken

5. 
   ron4 | May 27, 2005 05:35am | #6

   If you can get your hands on some of the better Antiques Magazines the dealer advertisements have some very good photography. The items are generally 17th 18th century with some occasional Arts and Crafts and Art Deco pieces. If you are looking for something more modern I could only suggest looking at some contemporary furniture makers catalogs.

1. 
   pqken | May 27, 2005 10:10am | #9

   Thanks for the suggestion, I have seen a magazine called something like "Country Living". I saw this here in Japan and don't know if it is printed anywhere else. I remember it had a lot of nice photography of rooms with furniture. I was wondering if there was anything like this out there.pk

6. 
   WillGeorge | May 27, 2005 07:42pm | #10

   I get catalogues from the 'fancy expensive furniture folks'..

   Hardly ever do what I see but gets me 'thinkin'!