Is Thos. Moser the next Gustav Stickley? I was reading an article in the current issue of Woodwork magazine about Gustav Stickley and it mentioned how he had production run pieces and it made me think of Moser and the way he runs his business. Yet, I never read anyone comment on Moser’s style or the work he does. I hear a lot about Maloof, Krenov and Frid but nothing about Moser. Is he simply not respected in the woodworking community? If not, why not?
Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I’ll remember, but let me try and I will understand.
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Good question I think the difference is that at the time Stickley was doing what was then a current style of work especially the pieces designed by Harvey Ellis. He was also active in social commentary through the magazine he published and other publications. Moser on the other hand building his interpatations of shaker and some craftsmans style pieces along with some other designs. As far as respect I have a lot of respect for Moser's work yes it is factory made but it is "real" furniture fairly well made and constructed of solid wood using traditional joinery.
Tom
Not sure I would put Moser in the same category as Stickley. But that being said, I have the highest regard for Moser. He does some very creative variations on Shaker and Arts & Crafts styles - he is heavily involved in the design and one of his sons seems to be following his father's path - another son is on his own and a third works in the business.
Moser does use technology - cnc, pull systems, etc. to make components, but everything is hand assembled and final hand sanded/finished. You can tour his operation on Fridays by reservation - well worth the time.
Stickley did not create the Craftsman style, but I think he is the one most responsible for defining and (with the help of Harvey Ellis) refining it. But he was a lot more than a furniture maker, and I think that is one of the reasons his name has persisted in the public mind.
Moser does beautiful stuff, but he is not the creative force in the culture that Stickley was. His main contribution, I think, was to find a way to produce good stuff that is somewhere between a one-horse shop and a big factory operation.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Agree with you. One other thing...Moser always points out in his literature how carefully they match up their wood. Was in Williamsburg and saw 20 or so tables in a hotel with terribly matched tops....the wood matching guy musta been off that day...that being said, I do think his stuff is pretty d*mn good for "factory" goods....
You know, my father and I both noticed the same thing when we went to a local library with Moser stuff. The tops of the tables appeared to have absolutely zero thought put into matching the grain or color. Glue squeeze out was left on the underside of the top, with long lines of dried yellow glue at each joint. I still drool over the Moser catalog. Perhaps they put less effort into the commercial furniture.<!----><!----><!---->
you know, i drool over that catalog too and have read that large book of his as well. i have to admit that i haven't seen any of his pieces in person. it's a bit disheartening to learn that the matching isn't what it's proclaimed to be.
gmoney,
The non-color matching may be a policy thing. I noticed that at the Stickley factory quite a bit of matching was done as part of the finishing process...not built in. So maybe Moser had made a different decision?
I think Moser mostly uses oil/wax, stickley goes by stain/lacquer finish...
Chris
yes, i believe it is oil and wax. t moser has written that he hates to change the natural color of any wood.
Given the lower quality and quantity of cherry these days, that may be as good as they can do. Their furniture is far better than most factory stuff, at least they don't stain it to death to get even color. It is still a fairly small operation with a good bit of hand work and the prices reflect that. Norm visited them for This Old House last season, it was pretty interesting.
I think that Moser probably won't match Stickley because his furniture does not get sold in the volume of Stickley and there are not as many imitators. I do not know the relative prices of the two when inflation is factored in but that might be a factor. Plus if I remember correctly there were other Stickley brothers which I would think helped with the Stickley name. One thing I think most people can agree on is that Moser sure has the marketing down, his catalog is above and beyond anybody in the business.
Troy
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