“Antique restoration can sometimes require a little ingenuity,” writes guest blogger David Merrill of Creative Wood Work.  Especially when you need to make the right tool for the job yourself.

“When repairing the edge molding on an old dresser drawer, it became evident that the best course of action would be to fabricate a new piece. The photo to the right shows that an earlier repair attempt with a can of putty would not make the grade.

After searching for the perfect router bit or combination of bits to duplicate the molding, I soon realized I would be better off making a scraper plane.  I had saved some steel strapping for such an occasion.  Mild steel is good for making simple tools like putty knives and scrapers.

After removing the old piece of molding, I cut off one end at ninety degrees in order to trace the profile on some cardboard for a pattern.  After transferring the pattern to the strap metal, I finished the bulk removal and shaping on a bench grinder with a small die grinder with diamond coated bits.

I made the body of the plane with some scrap poplar and a bolt with a wing nut.  It took a little adjusting and a shim before the scraper plane decided to work the way I had hoped.

With a scrap of walnut clamped in the vice, shaping the profile didn’t take long.  Though it is not clear in the photo to the left, I ended up layering a smaller strip of walnut to the top edge to accomplish the profile with less scraping.

I was pleased with the result and once again reminded of the fact that it takes a few tools to make a tool.”

Browse CustomMade’s galleries to see examples of our artisans’ restoration work.

Every Thursday, interior designer Sally Henninger shares her thoughts on design, furniture and the custom made world.

Mahogany Sheraton Elliptical Breakfast Table

Am I the only one left completely in love with breakfast tables?!

Think Sunday morning, the New York Times, and a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice next to a window with sunlight streaming in.  I am loving this Sheraton style breakfast table by WM Thomas – stunning inlay and workmanship and I love the castors.  This piece is sure to be in the family for years, passed down from generation to generation.  I can imagine around it a set of skirted, upholstered Parson chairs in a neutral fabric – comfortable and a nice contrast to the wood.

French Provincial Table

Another all time favorite of mine is a French farm table.  This one by Tomlinson Fine Woodworking is stunning.  I love the cherry wood.  This table is an extremely durable classic that gets even better with wear.  Customize the size to fit into your breakfast nook!  I can imagine it with white lacquered bamboo chairs for an updated look.

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About Sally Henninger

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Sally learned to cultivate her design aesthetic at an early age.  After attending Boston University and holding numerous design internships, she ventured out on her own in 2007.  Her style is sophisticated classics with an updated sensibility.  Her taste lends itself to classic interiors that are timeless and suited to her clients’ needs.

To see more examples of breakfast tables, Sheraton tables, bamboo furniture, or French country or provincial style pieces by our artisans, browse CustomMade’s galleries.

Selecting the type of wood you want for your custom furniture or cabinets is exciting, but how do you pick the wood best suited for your needs?  Guest contributor Robert Sproll of Artisan Woodworking offers some specific questions to consider for determining your requirements.

• Do you need a wood to match particular surroundings?
• Do you have certain performance expectations?
• Do you have a preference for a special look?
• Do you need a high-density wood to take abuse?
• Do you need a long-grained wood for load-bearing purposes?
• Do you need a wood with a high resin or chemical content to resist weathering?

Once you’ve established your requirements, present them to a knowledgeable artisan woodworker who can then determine the appropriate wood for your needs.

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Remember, CustomMade.com allows you to post projects to the website and have woodworkers contact you directly: http://custommade.wufoo.com/forms/post-a-project/

Guest contributor Randy Maxey explains why finding a special piece of furniture can be difficult in a typical furniture store and how using CustomMade.com can help you find what you’re looking for.

“If you’ve spent a lot of time looking for that special piece of furniture or accessory, chances are you’ve walked away disappointed and empty-handed. Furniture stores usually stock the most popular items with a hefty markup. This means that most of these items are factory-made, often with little consideration for quality. The lack of variety and quality in a typical furniture store works against you when you’re searching for that special piece.

City Shaker Hall Table

Let’s take the example of a couple looking for a special table for their entryway or foyer.  At the stores, their choices are fairly limited. But at CustomMade.com, they can browse the galleries of fine craftsman from the comfort of their own home.  For example, at CustomMade.com, they can enter the words, “hall table,” in the search box at the top of the screen.  They’ll get a gallery of photos from dozens of craftsmen, like the Shaker table shown here from Accolade Furniture.

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? A number of craftsmen at CustomMade.com will be happy to work with you to design something special that suits your tastes and space.  Now, I’m not going to kid you: you may pay more than you would for a factory-made table, but the design will be yours and will last for generations. What more could you ask for?”

For more examples of Shaker style furniture by our artisans, or to search for a Shaker hall table, browse CustomMade’s galleries.

“When people hear the word exotic they first think expensive, but that is not always the case.  There are some that are absolutely gorgeous and reasonably priced.” Guest contributor Michael Huber of Chesapeake Cabinet and Woodworks strives to introduce customers to the variety and beauty of exotic woods.

Bubinga

“When I sit down with a potential client my first question is: have you thought of what type of wood you want to center the project around? I usually hear cherry, oak, or maybe maple.  These are the three most commonly known woods.  At that point I’ll suggest: how about some woods like bubinga, zebrano, shedua, or maybe sapele? I want to let them know we can build a very unique piece with some incredible wood.  Africa is home to these woods, some of the most beautiful in the world.

Zebrano

Deciding on the wood may take some time and effort.  At this point in my career I have pretty much every exotic sample imaginable, but if necessary I will make samples of the finished wood so the client can see what the wood truly looks like once a clear coat is applied. Once a customer decides on the wood, then the project begins to take shape.

Sapele

In dealing with exotics each wood requires a different expertise.  To make furniture from these woods you need to know how they machine and what glues and finishes are compatible.  My advice to anyone getting custom woodworking done is to make sure the woodworkers really know their wood.  You can judge their expertise by having them describe the impact different types of woods would have on both the look and construction of the project and then recommend a type of wood for the project.”

Browse CustomMade’s galleries to see works in Bubinga, Zebrano, Shedua, and Sapele

We asked subscriber Darrell Peart of Darrell Peart Furnituremaker to write about how he executes the features of Greene & Greene style.  Mr. Peart delves into the details and reveals the importance of order, hierarchy, and time in the Greene & Greene style:

Designing and working in the style of Greene & Greene is all about the details. This is something I confirmed on my first visit to the Gamble House about ten years ago.  Countless details await discovery at every turn: so much so that a single visit cannot possibly take it all in.  Greene & Greene is something that needs to be experienced over time. I have since visited the Gamble House on numerous occasions and have even had the good fortune to spend extended hours there shooting photos for my book and filming a video for Fine Woodworking Magazine.  You would think I had seen it all, but I have yet to pay a visit and not discover something new.  This has greatly affected the way I approach the design of my own furniture, which is heavily influenced by Greene & Greene among others.

Though a piece’s overall production and balance, two basic elements of design, form the basis of our first impression, for the piece to excel it must continue to reveal more subtle details long after the initial encounter.  Much thought and a good deal of artistic vision are required to employ these secondary features.  Merely placing them about the piece without reference is a sure recipe for creative anarchy.  The context in which the detail is to be placed must be given careful consideration. Also of prime importance is a detail’s position within the hierarchy of the overall design.  Each detail must serve in support of the piece as a whole and not shout for attention above its rank.

Figure 1

Let me first draw upon my version of the Gamble House dining table (Figure 1) as an example of how I endeavor to implement the details of a design.  With this piece, as I most often do, I took a few artistic liberties.  I stayed true to what I saw as the design’s overall vision but I allowed my intuition to have the final say.  On the first impression the table’s tsuba (Japanese sword guard) shaped top stands out prominently. As the design sinks in the next thing to catch our attention is the slightly raised solid edging that wraps around the top.  A wonderful little discovery awaits the eye at the point where the edging changes width at a crucial bend in the sinuous end curve (Figure 2).

Figure 2

At this juncture two of the solid edging segments are joined.  The top face of this joint is pinned with a pleasing arrangement of four proud ebony plugs.  Along the side of the joint runs a sensuously smooth proud ebony spline.  They each in their own way pay homage to the more prominent detail that came before them. They do not outshine the previous detail but may at times push the limits in that regard.

Thought must also be given to what effect a particular detail has upon the design.  That is, what is the context in which the detail must contribute, and what is it exactly that the detail is supposed to do?

Greene & Greene’s Blacker house “leg indent” feature is frequently (to my eye) misused.  I see this detail as a device to visually anchor the design to the floor (Figure 3). The idea behind this detail is nothing new.  The classic “claw and ball” feature serves a very similar purpose.

Figure 3

Figure 4

The indent detail is most effective on legs that are not heavy enough themselves to contain an abundance of mass.  Rather the legs act as a conduit in which weight is transferred from the piece’s mass to the indent detail below (Figure 4).  Looking closely at the indent it appears to push down and transfer the incoming weight of the piece to the point just below the deepest part of the cut-out. That bottom portion of the leg (below the indent) is thus receiving the entire weight of the piece.  With the visual weight directed to this bottom-most point there must be a sufficient amount of mass to receive it.  The slight round-over/taper below the supporting mass serves to visually contain the weight and not disperse it to the floor.  It is out of context to use this detail on a large massive leg, and eliminating the bulk just below the deepest part of the cut-out leaves the visual weight without a place to reside.

A good design, whether it is Greene & Greene or something altogether different, should not reveal all its subtleties upon first encounter.  Details should be placed with careful thought and an understanding of the design at hand.  Even the smallest of details must serve a purpose that enhances the overall design. In a really good design there is nothing superfluous.

What is the relationship of the artisan to nature? What is the artisan’s responsibility to nature? Guest blogger John P. Rose of Custom Furniture Creations discusses the philosophy that guides his craft:

Figured 3-D Cherry

The main philosophy of Custom Furniture Creations is to create unique furniture that blends the beauty of nature with hand-craftsmanship.  As a result, we have developed a special fondness for allowing nature to show itself in all of its grandeur.

Walnut with Sap Wood

Trees are a renewable resource that nature has given us to clean our air, anchor our soils, provide food and shelter for forest animals, and in its final stage to provide us with wood to build our homes and furniture.  However, some trees are special; something in their growth has made them uniquely pleasing to our eyes.  It becomes the responsibility of a skilled artisan to allow nature to “show us its stuff.”

Factories that produce furniture reject non-standard wood as scrap to create thousands of identical tables or dressers.  Only a skilled artisan has the love of nature and the ability to coach the grandeur and uniqueness out of wood, much like a sports coach or a mentor strives to bring out the potential within a person.

3-D Walnut and Cherry

The artisan merely becomes the facilitator for the wood, selecting special grains, colors, and textures from the wood that will complement the design of the furniture and leave a pleasing impression upon the human eye.  The result is often a work of art much more valuable than the sum of the labor and materials that went into the carefully sculpted wood creation.  Would anyone deny that the value of a Picasso is much greater than the cost of the paints and the labor that went into it?

Contrasting Woods

About Custom Furniture Creations

John P. Rose of Custom Furniture Creations in Ohio responsibly harvests, saws, and dries his own wood, which goes into the very special works of art that nature has provided for us. http://www.customfurniturecreations.com/

“Now that you’ve bought that new flat-screen TV you face the problem: where am I going to put it?”  If you’re facing this dilemma, guest blogger Tony O’Malley of Tony O’Malley Custom Woodworking has some suggestions for your consideration.

“Your old TV was a chunky cube; the new flat-screen is a sleek elongated rectangle. Your old TV cabinet or armoire is suddenly a big useless box headed for the recycling center.

You might find a credenza-type stand in a furniture store, but the larger screens and more stark designs of the flat-screen TV prompt many people to conceal it or hide it away altogether.  Often the logical location for the TV calls for a customized approach.

Built-in cabinetry is one solution some people are turning to.  A very shallow wall cabinet can house a flat-screen TV because of its flat profile—just 3 or 4 inches deep in most cases.  This is a good opportunity to integrate your TV into a larger wall unit that comprises bookshelves, drawers, closed cabinets that house the related components, and other display surfaces. Surprisingly, built-in cabinetry will often consume far less floor space than that old massive corner TV armoire.

Softening the Look

Surround a 52-inch plasma TV with warm, colorful books and suddenly the big screen is not so ominous, even in a smaller room. A painted built-in, with base and crown molding carefully matched to the existing moldings, becomes part of the room. This helps make the TV less imposing.

Hiding it Away

Sometimes you just want the TV to disappear.  That’s a lot easier with flat screens, which can be hidden behind doors that either bi-fold or slide into pockets—or both as in the project shown below.

Built-in vs. Free-Standing

Built-in cabinetry is, by definition, custom made.  You can’t buy it in a store.  Instead, you’ll want to seek out a capable cabinetmaker with demonstrated experience designing, making, and installing built-in cabinetry.  So the process is more complicated than buying a TV stand from the furniture store.

Of course you can’t take a built-in with you if you move, but a carefully designed built-in will enhance the enjoyment of the room and add value to your home.  Approach your built-in along the lines of a major investment, just as you would approach other home-improvement projects.

The built-in project shown here solved a thorny corner situation. The TV is mounted on an articulating arm so it can be pulled out and angled into the room for better viewing.

Fireplace cabinetry offers another solution to the flat-screen TV dilemma. Here the TV is mounted in the shallow wall cabinet above themantle. The doors are mounted on bi-fold hinges so they fit in the space beside the cabinet.”

What does “eco-friendly” mean when you are commissioning custom furniture?  Guest blogger Douglas Bialor, owner of The Hat Factory Furniture Co., discusses what being green meant in the past and what it means today.

Custom Vanity with Basin

“We’ve tried to be green even before it was called ‘being green.’ Back then, if we had a choice between two glues or finishes for a project and one was less toxic, well, we just went with that one.  Who wants to work all day exposed to nasty carcinogens and fumes when you don’t have to?

Recently, we’ve begun to actively educate our clients on the benefits of going green.  We’ve developed green solutions that bring together our exceptional design and craftsmanship with the benefits of eco-friendly construction materials, techniques, and finishes.  Clarifying what it means to be eco-friendly when commissioning custom furniture and cabinets is a key component of this education.  In practice, there are two separate but related issues to consider: sustainability and health.

Sustainability means selecting materials harvested and/or manufactured in an environmentally responsible way. This means using lumber from forests managed according to Forest Stewardship Council guidelines and panels made with recycled content and renewable materials such as natural grasses and bamboo.

Creating a healthy environment in our workplace and our clients’ homes and offices involves using materials that limit the release of harmful fumes and emissions.  Low VOC finishes and formaldehyde-free adhesives play a key role here.

The Hat Factory Furniture Co., located in Peekskill, NY, is one of the premiere cabinetmakers serving clients in Westchester and New York City.  We are committed to providing our clients with exceptional, eco-friendly, custom furniture and cabinetry.”

Congratulations are in order to CustomMade.com subscribers Culin & Colella, Inc., winners of the 2010 Design Portfolio Award for Residential Furniture Built-In!

Entertainment Center - Residential Furniture Built-In Winner

Winning Project: Entertainment Center

This entertainment center features butternut solids and veneers and carved elements.  The size of this entertainment center caused several challenges including pre-assembly for fitting and installation. It took horizontal scaffolding, ladders and five men to lift the top part of the piece. The entertainment center is 12 feet wide by 13 feet tall by 26 feet deep. The proportions work for the space — the ceiling is 24 feet high.

Culin & Colella, Inc. also received an Honorable Mention in three categories: Residential Furniture Built-In, Architectural Millwork and Kitchen/Bath Cabinets.

Breakfast Bar

Honorable Mention, Residential Furniture Built-In: Breakfast Bar & Billiard Room “Parlor” Piece

This project features avodire solids, white ash burl panels and figured makore pilasters. The breakfast bar doubles as a parlor hutch for billiards.

Walnut Bar

Honorable Mention, Architectural Millwork: Walnut Bar

This bar was constructed of walnut solids and veneers, with a walnut burl countertop and walnut carvings.

Kitchen

Honorable Mention, Kitchen/Bath Cabinets: Kitchen for Residence in Jupiter, FL

This L-shaped kitchen cabinetry is constructed of poplar and MDF and finished in white Italian polyurethane and glaze with antiquing. The mahogany island features a filled and stained finish with pre-catalyzed lacquer.


About Culin & Colella, Inc.

Ray Culin and Janis Colella have spent much of their life surrounded by wood, and together bring a lifetime of experience to designing and building furniture.  Both Ray and Janis were educated primarily as furniture designers and makers. Ray studied Architecture and Furniture Design at Rhode Island School of Design, and began building cabinetry and furniture early on. Janis, having spent years studying Fine Art and Sculpture, graduated with a BFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking from SUNY Purchase, in N.Y., where she discovered working in “wood”. Today they continue to design and build exquisite residential woodworking projects, like kitchens, libraries, media cabinetry, and custom furniture, while also making bamboo Gemtables.

Culin & Colella, Inc.
632 Center Avenue
Mamaroneck, New York 10543
914 698 7727 (Official)
culincolella.com