Krenov plane for coopering

  This is the hand plane that will be used to shape the convex inside curve of base for CUTMR 11's bar. The video demonstrates the process.

Planing curly maple with a Krenov plane

 

 

 

Part of the process of building the bar for CUTMR 11 involves constructing a set of hand planes to do the smoothing and shaping.

 

 

 

   This video shows the smoothing plane finishing curly hard maple. See if you can see the reflection of my hands in the finished surface.

Creating Come Up To My Room 11's bar: the introduction video

 

I have been entrusted with the task of creating the bar for CUTMR 11. It is my hope that THE BAR will  inspire the atmosphere that will precipitate the unique CUTMR dialogue.

 

In the eleven years that have passed since Christina Zeidler and Pamila Matharu envisioned the first edition of, CUTMR, the Toronto design community has come into its own. CUTMR has been at the forefront of this change, discovering new talent while giving established designers and artists a chance to experiment with fresh ideas and unusual collaborations in a unique heritage landmark. One of CUTMR’s distinguishing features has always been a curatorial process that embodies ideas of trust and risk, encouraging exhibitors to produce work that tests their limitations. These results have always been pleasantly surprising, not only to CUTMR’s many visitors, but to the curators and designers as well.

 

Come Up To My Room 11 (CUTMR 11) runs Thursday, Jan. 23 to Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, concurrent with Toronto, design week and the Gladstone’s annual textile show, Hard Twist curated by Chris Mitchell and Helena Frei, at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, 1214 Queen Street West.

 

 http://www.gladstonehotel.com/blog/

 

Please come up to the bar.

cheers
wayne

Nuit Blanche at the Gladstone

 

 

 Friends

Everything has a beginning. This maple and ultimately this concept had its beginning perhaps 300 years ago. A massive sugar maple stood at the entrance of my neighbour’s sugar bush. This ancient greeted four generations of Colman’s in silence for more than 100 years until a loud violent summer storm twisted her down in 2008. Age adds much grace, beauty, texture and wisdom to wood. Ironically as a woodworker I mourn the falling of these “Ents”. When I found her she was resting on the forest floor beginning the next stage –her journey home. I had no choice it seemed not to rescue but to borrow her for a while.

When I look at this particular part of Her I see a bench. I see her sitting in a place of comings and goings where the odd soul will stop, sit, rest and contemplate her purgatory. Her bench I hope will connect you to a greater whole, converse grace and beauty, and impact some unexpected wisdom. Her ancient texture will challenge my technical and creative limits. I am hoping she will be both dramatic, radical, and not at the same time.

This is my interpretation of Her, an ancient bench to sit in a busy place for an observant soul to stop and rest and listen.

Come visit Her at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto this Saturday night for the Nuit Blanche festival.

Nuit Blanche (all-nighter, literally white night in french) is an annual all-night arts festival in Toronto.

http://www.gladstonehotel.com/category/nuit-blanche/

cheers

wayne

creating a rather large bubinga table

 

I just recently finished a commission to turn this large bubinga slab into a sizable dining table.
The slab I estimated weighed over 600lbs. in the raw. The completed table I believe weighs over 700lbs. The base is solid figured Bubinga. Although the table is held together with 4 joints (two mortise and tenon, and two sliding dovetails) It is structurally strong enough to park a Toyota on top. This table will last for generations. Moving and delivering this table brought a few challenges but things went unbelievably smoothly. The video below is a rather log slide show of the construction details.

 

contemporary walnut mantle

This is another project that I recently finished for a customer. The video is a short essay of construction details.

Medium and Muse at the Guild Shop

This is a cabinet that I collaborated on with Toronto jeweler Liz Kain. The cabinet is solid white oak with ebony details and is finished in a natural oil. The pulls are silver plated copper. The drawer dovetails are hand cut. This piece can be viewed at the Guild Shop for the Medium and Muse show.

Medium and Muse: Wood
August 12 - September 8, 2013
Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, August 15, 5:00 - 7:00pm

The Guild Shop | 118 Cumberland Street | Toronto |   http://www.theguildshop.ca/

 

Liz Kain

Liz Kain Jewellery was established in 1994 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The studio is situated in the heart of Toronto’s vibrant arts community - Queen West. The creative force behind the company, Liz Kain launched her business with her now signature Shakespearean collection. Drawing from a background in graphic design, Liz Kain’s jewellery is sculptural, whimsical, and visually engaging. Liz’s ongoing fascination with metal has led to a deep exploration of surface treatments. This is reflected in all of her collections. All the work is created from sterling silver, or a combination of 14k gold and sterling silver, often with the addition of gemstones. As well as designing several lines of jewellery. Liz also makes custom eyeglasses and one-of-a-kind flatware. Collaborating with clients and identifying their desires, provides an ongoing inspiration for coming up with new and challenging designs.Liz's jewellery is adornment in the best sense of the word.

http://www.lizkain.com/

creating white oak interior doors

I created a batch of interior white oak doors for a customer recently. The video is a brief photo essay of the construction details.