January: Quality, Custom, Green

Visitors to my shop & showroom sometimes ask why my prices are so “dear.”  There are several responses, and the list keeps growing: 1) When you invest in my furniture, you are buying 2-6 weeks of my life.  2) You are availing yourself of five decades of experience in joinery, wood technology,  restoration, and design.  3) You are investing in a green product, made of sustainably harvested wood from Kane Hardwoods (in operation since 1858); a product that will outlast the next generation. 4) Buying quality once is always cheaper than buying cheap, and having to replace it 4 or 5 times.  Most of what you see at big box stores will be in the land-fill within 5 years. You are supporting the local economy, handmade in the U.S. A. 5) Each of my works are built by me, from raw stock, one at a time, to suit your specific requirements.  No two pieces I have ever made are exactly the same.  The hand of the maker is always in evidence.  Most folks think that “custom” means getting the body color, engine size and audio system you desire, not realizing that your “custom” vehicle is one of at least 3,000 just like it on the road.

From years of restoring furniture for the last Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, ME, my motto has always been, “Not how cheap can I make it, rather, how good can I make it.” C. H. Becksvoort © 2012

December & January Shop News

December always fills up with last minute small projects.  Most years I don’t schedule anything for the last month of the year.  This time, the last November project ran into December.  It was a walnut chest.  Since I ordinarily inventory just cherry, I had to scramble to find decent walnut.  Most of it is steamed today, and the widths are nothing to brag about.  However, I remembered that I had three 12″ boards squirreled away from years ago.  Prime stock, with that nice dark purple-chocolate color.

The project was a lidded chest with two drawers.  Walnut is a bit of a challenge, since it’s hard to see pencil marks.  the chest was fully dovetailed,  maple interior, soft-close lid support and a beautiful quarter-sawn top.  The client wanted bun feet, which I’m not too fond off.  Nonetheless, I turned all four feet out of a real nice short piece of 16/4 stock that I managed to find.  The piece turned out rather nice, with black hardware.

January is always a slow time, a let down after the holidays.  I worked on two FWW articles and revived a long dormant coffee table design.  An updated boat-shaped, floating top with a granite inlay.  The table, of which I’m justly proud, is waiting for a a real photo shoot.     C. H. Becksvoort © 2011/2012

November Bits & Pieces

I recently had the honor of leading a private tour at the Portland Museum of Art for the exhibit “Gather Up The Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection.” If you happen to be in Maine, the exhibit is well worth the trip.  It runs through February 5, 2012.

We had a white Thanksgiving this year.  About 11″ here in New Gloucester.  Made for some messy driving, especially since my snow tires were still in the shed.  Deer season ended on Saturday, so we can stop wearing our florescent orange hats, vests and jackets.  The Sunday after the end of deer season I spend about 4 hours in the woods clipping balsam fir branches to be made into wreaths by our long time friend, Willow.  Most years it takes 70 to 90 pounds of fir tips.  Clients who purchased one or more of my pieces during the preceding year get a decorated wreath for Christmas. I think this is the 21st or 22nd year I’ve carried on this tradition.

Music Stand VI was accepted into the “Maine Wood 2012” exhibit at the Messler Gallery in Rockport, ME.  It features lyrics from “Small, Swift Birds” by Michael Timmins of the Canadian band the Cowboy Junkies, one of my favorite groups.  My music stands are engraved with a song or poem of your choice.  The top is adjustable by about 14″, by way of a sliding dovetail through the upper portion of the center post.  It is held in place by an ebony violin peg.  The base consists of a laminated parabola, curved inward 15° to meet the legs.

The exhibit runs through April 2012.  C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

November in the Shop

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I have too many chores yet to complete: projects to finish before the holidays, two prototypes to build (which I’ve been planning for several years), articles to write, fir tips to cut to be made into wreaths for this year’s clients, and the van to unpack from a show I just attended.  It was a wonderful exhibit in Northport, ME, an idyllic location at a conference center on a wooded hillside overlooking the Atlantic.  It’s always a treat to meet new as well as familiar friends, clients and woodworkers.

Of special interest this past month in the shop was a  commission I’ve been hoping for for a long time: a reader’s bed.  For years I’ve had a two big slabs of cherry sitting around, waiting for the right project.  A librarian wanted a reader’s bed, one that you can comfortable sit and read in.  I made a 26″ high, 72″ wide headboard from one of the slabs.  The best part was that the headboard was tilted back 20°.  It turned out very well.  I got to inset a small beach stone and carve two initials into the center.  The head posts have 18″ long bridle joints at the bend, while the foot posts have carved facets at the top, to match the live-edge carved surface at the top of the head board.                                                   C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

October Shop Notes

It’s been a most interesting month.  The highpoint in October was teaching at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME, during their annual Open Door program.   The last program of the season, Open Door is for Maine residents.  This year there were workshops in blacksmithing, clay, drawing, fiber, metals, wood and writing.  My workshop was entitled Wood Waste, Wonderful Wood.

We made works of art out of scrap wood, driftwood, found wood, left overs, and exotic woods too precious to throw out.  Students ranged from very experienced wood workers to those for whom wood was an entirely new medium.

I was amazed at the diversity and creativity of the various projects.  We had driftwood sculptures, free-form containers with drawers, rolling pins, art objects, whimsical creations,  shelves, carvings and turnings.  One of the most challenging projects was a simple dovetailed white pine box with the most amazing paneled lid.  An irregular chain sawed, weathered slab, with nary a straight edge or flat surface was let into the top frame of the box.  The contrast between the light, carefully dovetailed box and the rough, weathered panel was a delight to behold.

Haystack is one of the most magical places in Maine. A place where creativity thrives and prospers.  It was an amazing 3 days.  The weather was perfect, for once, the food great, as usual, and the art produced in the other workshops was beyond description.  An October to remember.    C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

September Shop Notes

September has been a diverse month in the shop. I’ve made a four panel pine closet door, a book case, a small Shaker wall cabinet and two lecterns.  The door doesn’t require a lot of description, and was a rather straightforward project.  The other three pieces were more interesting.

The book case was a custom order, with three fixed shelves, at specific intervals for specific books.  The sides and back are frames with flush panels.  It would go well next to a bed, near a favorite chair or next to a desk .  At 36″ in height, the case would also make nice base for a piece of sculpture.

The small Shaker wall cabinet is something I’ve had various classes build throughout the years.  Not a strict copy, rather it is a melding of several Shaker designs.  Most of the smaller cabinets  (it’s only 18″ tall) had single board doors, but this one has a frame and panel door, with a small spinner inside the door.  The original, as well as the ones we usually build in classes are pine.  This one is cherry. The interior has two removable shelves.

Finally, the newest design: a book stand or lectern.  As usual, the most current project is always my favorite.  This one took a bit of brainstorming and a few pages of sketches.  I finally narrowed it down to 8 possibilities, and decided to build two: one for a client (same legs, but with a paraboloid base) and my favorite, the “Z” shape, with two straight feet.  Both were made of cherry, ebonized with dye and given a spray coat of satin lacquer.  Very graceful, lightweight yet sturdy.  I can even picture it in front of an orchestra.                                          C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

Blogs, Privacy and Peace of Mind

I’ve been asked a few times why there is no way of responding to my blog.  The answer is simple, in the forty some years I’ve been in business, I’ve had less than 200 clients; but writing for Fine Woodworking magazine, I have close to 1/4 million readers.  This blog is for the benefit of my clients, to inform, amuse and educate.  All my clients and friends have my address, phone number and e-mail address, and can reach me almost anytime.

After putting about 60 hours into my business each week, I don’t want to come home and be faced with countless comments and e-mails from a few woodworkers who have nothing better to do than to start arguments.  Those with serious questions can reach me through the FWW web site.  I answer every single one.

I’ve also been asked why I don’t have a Facebook page or Twitter account.  Here in Maine, birds twitter.  Serious conversation requires more than 144 characters.  As to Facebook, A) I don’t want to re-connect with folks I hardly knew in high school, and B) I don’t have the time to squander.  I enjoy the  privacy and inspiration I get from working alone, and being with friends and family.

Does that make me a Luddite?  I don’t think so.  To me all the electronic gadgets are but tools to use as needed.  I have a life to live and have better things to do than become a slave to a computer.  Like a fine tuned plane, I use it when required, but I don’t let it take over my life.                                                                                               C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

August Shop Notes

It’s been almost 38 years since I last made contact with a spinning blade.  Nonetheless, I bought a Sawstop table saw several years ago,  thinking that no one is perfect.  Even professionals make mistakes.  Lack of concentration can happen to anyone, anytime.  Monday morning I had my second encounter with a spinning blade.  There was a bang, and the saw stopped.  I didn’t know what happened until I noticed blood on the saw table: a small nick on the end of my middle finger, left hand.  Nothing major, the Sawstop safety system worked perfectly.  The nick was so small that now, four days later, I’m typing (gently) with this finger.

Here is how it works:  Dry wood is an insulator, while water is a conductor. A micro-current runs through the blade, and when the computer detects a current drop, the safety system engages: a heavy spring drives an aluminum pawl into the spinning blade, the current to the motor is cut and the entire saw blade drops below the table, all in a millisecond.  The technology has been available for several years, yet the other saw manufacturers refused it.  In my opinion that is criminal, considering the 3,000 to 4,000 amputated fingers and hands (estimated to cost about $2 billion in lost time and medical bills) as a result of table saw accidents. A new brake cartridge  costs $70., and the blade may have to have a few teeth replaced. Most schools and many wood shops now have Sawstops.  It is only a matter of time before the insurance companies will mandate this technology, even if OSHA won’t.  And, yes, I still have all my digits.                                        C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

July Shop Notes

July was an interesting month: teaching and an Open House at the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren, ME, Saturday workshops at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker community, and a furniture and art exhibit in Bar Harbor ME.  In the shop there were a few small projects, and two large large pieces: a six panel low bookcase and the last Herbie project.

It was a phone panel for the Yarmouth, ME,  Town Hall.  The public phone is located in a hallway, under an emergency light, and near a wall post.  Overall dimensions of the unit is 36″ x 76″.  I decided on a frame and panel unit, with four panels, and a writing shelf with an under-hung box for phone books.  The major problem was that this being about the last Herbie project, the only wood left was not of the best quality.  For the frame, I had only one board long enough for the stile, and had to use a “board stretcher” to turn a wide 60″ board into  one 76″ long.  I re-sawed two mismatched 6/4 planks to make two pairs of book-matched panels.  The lower panels are mostly sapwood, while the upper two had some very nice figured grain.  Considering what I had to start with, the piece turned out surprisingly well.                                       C. H. Becksvoort © 2011

Sander Wanted!

I’ve owned three belt sanders in my life: Derek Sanderson and Col. Sanders, both Skill 449s, and Sandy (she has a much higher pitch, a Porter-Cable 503). These heavy-duty models were affectionately know as “freight trains”.   Skill stopped making the 449s in the ’90’s, and Porter-Cable ceased production of the 503 in the early part of this century.  Derek Sanderson  is now a parts machine, while both Sandy and Col. Sanders are on their last legs.  The only sanders available today are plastic weenie toys, most of which cannot be repaired.

So I need help.  I’m looking for either a Skill 449 or a Porter-Cable 503, in very good working condition.  I’ve bought two on e-bay, and sent them back.  Both were overpriced parts machines.  If anyone knows of one (or both!) on good condition, please let me know.  Just get in touch through the web-site: http://www.chbecksvoort.com/contact.html         C. H. Becksvoort © 2011