The editor of Bearings Magazine (http://southeast.bearingsguide.com/) decided to do a story about our little company! It went live today and I think the author did a fantastic job of capturing what we’re about.
Here’s the link to the article: http://southeast.bearingsguide.com/2012/11/02/restoring-american-craftsmanship/
BTW, Bearings Guide is a seriously cool magazine, their plug of me notwithstanding. Subscription is free. You should check them out.
There were a number of trade publications that excitedly announced the following yesterday:
This is good news for hardwood sellers, I guess. And it might indicate that the global economy is improving. Hardwood is used to make stuff, after all. And if factories are making stuff, then it’s likely that people are buying stuff. But I’ve got to admit, this headline makes me sad. Here are a few of the reasons:
I don’t have enough tools, or clamps, or hours in the day. My shop isn’t big enough. I wish I had some helpers. Insurance is really expensive. Seven years, and I STILL don’t have air conditioning in the shop. My life is really, really hard.
I have FINALLY completed this project, which was the source of much ‘analysis paralysis’ for me. The client approached me months ago, wanting to surprise his wife with a custom-made jewelry box. He gave three pieces of guidance:
Be gentle, friends. This is my first-ever video. It was challenging to summarize 15 hours of labor in 7 minutes of video.
Without further ado:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRDwmZG1SXY[/youtube]
I love watching the work of marketers. What they do is as lurid and engrossing as sharks attacking chum. The art of manipulation, of tapping into our frail psyches and implanting new wants and needs, is a never-ending source of fascination for me. I can (and do) stare at infomercials with rapt attention, listening for the features and the benefits (OH the sweet, sweet benefits!) of using their product. I listen for brand positioning, for pricing, for purchase triggers. How are they creating urgency? What needs are they claiming to meet?
I’m trained in marketing. I understand why marketers do what they do (because it works). If I can create an emotional bond between you and the product or service I have to offer, you are FAR more likely to buy it.
I just finished a fun project and thought I’d give a brief narrative of the construction process. The client wanted a new desk-top that would sit atop an iron base (client provided the base). He wanted the desk-top made from a single, natural-edged slab, with highly figured wood. If I couldn’t find that, then he wanted the 3 foot X 5 foot desktop made of no more than two, book-matched boards.
Well, the desk is finished. Delivered last week, photographed (thanks, Christy!), shop purged and cleaned. Definitely bitter-sweet, as I am now done with something that occupied hundreds of hours of my life. So, are you going to jump to the bottom to see the final pictures? Or are you going to dutifully stick with the narrative and not read ahead? Choose your own adventure, my friends.
Back to the narrative… Boxes are now out of the clamps, so it’s time to make drawer dividers.
My wife will *surely* disagree with me on this, but I make mistakes. And in this, Part 2 of our desk build, I will reveal some of them. One of my mentors is fond of saying, “The measure of a woodworker is how good he (she) is at fixing what they screwed up.” There’s a lot of truth to that. I like to think that my mistakes are getting smaller as I get better. I like to think that, but I still make some whoppers. Fear not, client, we’ve still got a good thing going here!
My current commission is a large executive desk made of black walnut and honey mesquite. The only guidance given by the client were rough dimensions. Other than that, he said, “Make me the desk you’d want to own if you were making it for yourself.” That caused me a month of existential anguish, as I searched my soul for what I’d want in a desk. I wish I was kidding about that, but this really turned into analysis paralysis. South Texas mesquite (aka Honey Mesquite) is an extremely cool-looking wood with a sort-of rustic feel, so that was my starting point.
