“TEMPLE” dining table
three quarter view
This was such a lovely piece of wood. Olive ash from a private school in Devon, England. The school was sold to a family who didn’t want the tree and ordered its cutting I went there and bought the whole trunk. I brought it back home, put it in stick and dried it for several years before I had the chance to make something of it. The planks were more that a yard wide and 7′ long.. I think it should have been cut for veneer, but thats just between you and me, okay? Anyway. as it came from woodland, I thought I would echo that in the design, so that gave rise to the forest of legs, ten in total, arranged so that no diner would complain of having a leg in the way. The temple idea was from seeing those majestic buildings which imitate forests too, in their own way.
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three quarter view
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Comments
Sorry, but that is just down right ugly!!! What ever made you think that this qualifies as Fine Woodworking?> Please, try again.
My aesthetic sensibilities must be lacking; I don't find this ugly at all. You are a highly versatile designer; some of your work doesn't appear to be of wood at all. But this one, as you say, is an homage to a special tree, and the great trick of the art, it seems to me, is to appear to keep the art subordinate to the tree.
I greatly enjoy seeing your work; it's always fresh, often stretches the imagination, and there's always something, usually much, to admire.
Personally, I think it is lovely. And you obviously know your woods very well!
Nick,
You received some harsh criticism as well as nice compliments on this project. Please allow me to add my own 2 cents. In the proper setting this table will look very nice....it is definately unique. However as an admirer of your work, you have posted projects that appear so difficult that I wouldn't know how to even start building them. This one however, I think I could do......so I guess I could call call it average at best since I am only capable of average woodworking projects and could never complete something worthy to be called Fine Woodworking.
Thank you for all the comments, good and bad, and I hadn't intended to reply as everyone is free to express their view, whether their view is justified or not is for a more personal debate which isn't the point of these posts. What DOES interest me is the view of one's definition of Fine Woodworking: what criteria are you using to judge that piece? Of course - design, selection of materials appropriate to the design, meticulous craftsmanship. They should all be there and I thought they are in this piece. The DEGREE to which they appear will vary according to the complexity of the design. This is a design that some have perceived to be uncomplicated or easy to make, so does that make it less worthy of the title "Fine Woodworking"? It could be the poor quality photo that enhances that view as inevitably a studio shot with lighting will produce an impressive view, but then it changes the perception and in the end it just boils down to a photographic competition - does a mediocre piece shot in a studio make it any better? A fine example of this is the front cover of a book "400 WOOD BOXES"
How about some "fine commenting" to go with the fine woodworking? I like the simple as well as the complex. I'd hate to think that the simple designs...with their clean looks and humble natures...are to be banished from this gallery.
I can live without the snobbish approach to fine woodworking. I enjoyed this table.
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