Thursday, December 11, 2008

Arbutus Box Complete


I finished the box on Monday. It was a frustrating day followed by relief and sense of satisfaction. The project was presented at the school on Wednesday along with a little catering.
Presentations are something done at the school. It's a nice opportunity bring the class together, talk about the project, why you did what you did, trails, tragedies, triumphs and the like. I displayed some "artifacts" of the project such as the chopping block pieces, dovetail calls, curved templates, and so forth.
I shared a quote from Jim Krenov's A Cabinetmaker's Notebook that I crossed flipping through Jim's writings.
"Good cabinetmaking is usually a complex task. It is a lot of concentrated thinking and exact moving. Think wrong, and you've probably ruined something, maybe a week or a month's work. Move wrong and you can lose a finger or hand. Especially if you get impatient.
There's a lot involved - not just money, either - and you've got to be realistic about it all, and make the big choice before it is too late. You can do woodworking for a living, as just another job, probably in a production setup someplace. Then there are reproduction, carving, and woodturning: these are valid and almost painless ways to make a living. Or you may be an oddball who wants to do your own things, your own way. Then you re looking for trouble!" (Notebook p.52)





10 comments:

Greg Silsby said...

A great blog... beautiful work. As a guy who was also born in Mpls, has a background in music and loves woodworking, I enjoyed the blog, and am very impressed by your work.

Cody said...

Hi Nicholas. I just noticed your name on Ian's blog and thought I'd check out your blog. Nice work on the box, it looks great, and good luck with the second piece.

Nick Brygidyr said...

hey nick. i also found your blog through Ian's, awesome looking box dude. those dovetails and just too nuts!

jbreau said...

you have made this man jealous.

Nicholas Nelson said...

Thank you all for your kind words! I'm glad to see connections of talented workers out there.

Cody said...

I'm not so much a 'worker' as a theorizer. My 'talent' is questionable as well.

jbreau said...

i almost missed your comment about my saw... good thing i obsesively check to see if i have new comments.
yup, i'll be out there in may, for two weeks, and i'm really looking forward to it.
just a word of caution: you gotta watch out for that klager fellow. he might be out there at some point and 'be given' all the nice wood in the damned place. hide things well.

Nick Brygidyr said...

Happy holidays! Can't wait to see what you have going on for your second project!

LORD GODFREY said...

Yes Nick, awesome work on the box. You have pushed dovetailing to a new level. Next time, try heart shaped ones. On a curve.

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