When I begin a new commission, I like to meet with the client to discuss the project. At this meeting I am gathering the clues and inferences that will lead to ideas and possibilities. Sketches and pictures you have collected can be helpful. We can look at wood samples and pictures of other projects no matter how extraordinary or ordinary. We can discuss your hopes, dreams and necessities.
Dimensions are important. If we are designing a display cabinet for an object, I will need to get careful measurements of the object and I may take pictures for reference. For a dining set, the room size is important, as is the number of diners to be accommodated. While the finished piece is designed and fabricated by myself, I like to think of a commission as a collaboration, which reflects the unique character of the client.
At the end of this meeting, if we are to proceed, I will ask for a design fee. This fee is could be between two to five hundred dollars, depending on the complexity of the project, and is applied to the cost of the final piece.
After our meeting, I will make an initial drawing and sometimes a scale model of my proposal. I find scale models helpful when a drawing can’t get across what a small detail will look like or if the three dimensional shape of a piece is hard to translate from a simple drawing. We may refine our ideas with a few drawings. On larger or more complex pieces, I may build a full size mockup of the project. This gives me a chance to work with the proportions of a piece and how different elements relate to each other. In the case of a chair for instance, a mockup can tell us if a chair that looks good as a drawing also fulfills it’s most important function, is it comfortable? A mockup can also give us an idea of what a finished piece will look like in your home.
After we have finalized the design and picked a suitable wood and finish, I will give you a bid for the cost of the project. This may include the cost of crating, shipping/ delivery, and any special installation that may be required.
I usually request that a deposit of 50% be paid to begin construction.
As I am building a piece of furniture, my goal is to stay open to the possibilities that always present themselves as I am working. When choosing wood for a piece, the actual tone of the wood may call for a doorframe to be a little lighter in weight. The grain pattern may want a different curve. Not a radical change, just a response to the material.
I encourage clients to make an appointment to visit the shop during construction if it is possible. I enjoy showing the process and giving an opportunity to see joinery and other details that may be unseen in the finished piece.
At the time of delivery I ask to be paid for the balance of the project, unless prior arrangements have been made. I am happy to work out a payment plan on larger projects.
After the commission is complete I will provide you with a booklet documenting the process. Sometimes I am able to photograph from very early in the construction, the falling of the tree or picking the lumber from the sawyer all the way to the delivery. The pieces I build are meant to be heirlooms and the process of making and acquiring them should be a source of pride and an experience to share with others.
I serve those who desire the refinement and attention to detail not available in production furniture, but realized by the hand of an artist.
After the commission is complete I will provide you with a booklet documenting the process. Sometimes I am able to photograph from very early in the construction, the falling of the tree or picking the lumber from the sawyer all the way to the delivery. The pieces I build are meant to be heirlooms and the process of making and acquiring them should be a source of pride and an experience to share with others.
- Jason Straw, Worker In Wood
Solid Wood Vs. Veneer:
There are two main styles of furniture construction solid wood and veneer. Of course solid means solid and it’s aesthetic is comforting and knowing that your furniture is solid oak, afzelia, or walnut is a source of pride. Solid wood also acts like solid wood in that it moves with fluctuations with the humidity in the air. A solid wood dining room table top could easily move 1/2” from the summer to the winter in florida. This means that a solid wood piece should be designed properly to accommodate for the movement so the table will not literally work itself apart over the years. There are other ways to work around wood movement, the main technique that I prefer is using veneer.
Many people today rightfully cringe when they hear the word veneer as it refers to furniture. The tradition of veneering was hijacked to make cheap furniture that anyone could afford to throw away. Commercial veneer is 1/48th” to 1/64th” thick currently and keeps getting thinner, amazing right? The way it is made is they steam the logs for days until they can slice the veneer off with a razor. This takes an enormous amount of energy and it discolors the wood from other planks in the species making it very difficult to match commercial veneer with solid wood legs and so on.
I would like to introduce my clients and students to the european tradition (veneering dates back to the Egyptians) of sawing veneer from a plank of wood. Using this technique veneer can be made to an appropriate thickness of Apr. 1/16th so that it works like real wood, has the color of other related solid wood such as legs and stretchers and can be repaired and refinished many times. Sawn veneer at this thickness is not able to overpower the adhesive and so by cross bonding (how plywood is made) we can arrest it’s movement and allow for a great exploration in design wether it by marquetry or parquetry. Through the websites gallery you will see many of my custom furniture pieces where the grain is going in every which way, that is veneer in work. Working with veneer, besides liberating the design also allows a solid wood plank of sometimes extremely valuable and one of a kind wood to be stretched up to 6 times per inch it’s surface area. I’d also like to note that I am happy to build pieces completely out of solid wood, it is often faster and easier however solid wood construction does not offer the creative flexibility and the wood movement stability of shop-sawn veneer.
Substrates:
I am proud to offer FSC (Forest Stewardship Certification) formaldehyde free soy based glue Made In The USA commercial veneer core plywood and traditional custom shop made lumber-core substrates.
Custom Mill Work Services:
Wether you are a fellow woodworker, contractor, or someone just trying to build a shelf for their home if you need wood milled to any custom specification call me. There is nothing to extraordinary or too ordinary for me to talk to you about.
