Texas Furniture Makers Show

[deepcreek]

This was our first time entering the Texas Furniture Makers Show which is a statewide competition featuring handcrafted pieces from the best custom furniture makers in Texas.  It is held in a gallery setting at the Kerrville arts & cultural center and co-sponsored by the Texas Woodcraft stores.  http://kacckerrville.com/texas-furniture-makers-show/

Every year the jury selects 50 to 60 pieces to exhibit from tons of entries.  We had two pieces chosen of the 51 total for this year.  Both won ribbons in the judging process and were praised for their design.

Our Festool sanders, routers, track saw, and domino were all used in the building process.  Thank you Festool!

 

[deepcreek]

"Mystic Mesquite"

This enchanting table features a highly figured slab of live edge Texas Mesquite that has been split and bookmatched so that the two halves reflect each other.

The natural cracks are reinforced with American Black Walnut bow-tie keys that descend in size to form whimsical kite tails.

Worm holes are highlighted with the tranquil hue of genuine Turquoise - a gemstone seemingly cut from the sky and prized by various cultures over the millennia for its mystical powers.

The base utilizes adjustable cast iron school desk legs patented in the 1890's that are connected with modern stainless steel hardware and accented with the tantalizing allure of a perfect sphere.

Hand carved Walnut feet add to the stature and are reminiscent of cloven hooves.

The finish is a European hardwax oil that has been hand rubbed to a satin sheen.

"Deconstructed"

This intriguing table employs a deconstructed style by separating the various components into distinct parts that redefine the whole.  Marine grade sailboat rigging forms a chevron truss that visually anchors the exploding elements into a coherent form.

The top is a beautiful slab of live edge Pecan from the Brazos River bottom.  The natural texture and worm tracks underneath the bark have been carefully preserved to provide visual interest in contrast to the smooth plane of the top. 

Surface voids are inlaid in the terrazzo style with jewelry grade Turquoise from the world famous Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona.

The shelf and sub-top are figured American Black Walnut with cloud lift detailing to artfully lighten their visual weight.

The base incorporates a reclaimed cast aluminum stand from the 1940’s that was originally part of a modular system from an innovative but now defunct tool company.

The finish is a European hardwax oil that has been hand rubbed to a satin sheen.

 

[nclemmons]

That is really beautiful work, Joe -  I don't know how I missed it earlier.

Congrats on winning the awards - both pieces are really unique and well done.

Would love to see more detailed photos of the two pieces.  The metal bases are wonderful compliments to the live edge tops.

I remember the adjustable desks as a kid and you put those legs to great new use.

I'm not clear on what the second base was - a tool stand of some kind?  What's the brand on the end?

The stainless cable providing stability is a really great idea. 

You have some excellent design and certainly woodworking talent.

Thanks for sharing!

neil

 

[deepcreek]

Thanks for the positive feedback. 

The aluminum legs were from Shopmaster Tools which should not be confused with Delta Machinery's series of budget tools that came about much later.

We usually try to preserve the original patina if at all possible but the paint on these was in such bad shape that they had to be sandblasted.

From Vintage Machinery -http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=746

Starting in 1949 or earlier, this firm made home-shop woodworking machines. They survived until at least the mid-1970s. Don't confuse this company with others of the same name, including one that makes a home-shop milling machine.

The president of Shopmaster was Dorr D. Beale, who is listed as co-inventor on the one patent assigned to Shopmaster. According to Beale's 2005 obituary, Beale "became the President and ran the company until its merger and later sale in the 1950s." A 1974 trademark filing is to Shopmaster, Inc., of Minneapolis.

Beale's obituary also claimed that at one time, Shopmaster was "the 5th biggest seller of power tools in the nation".

 

[deepcreek]

A few more photos of the first table.

 

[deepcreek]

And of the other table...

 

[Rollin22Petes]

I really love those little wooden feet on the first table that is to cool great job

 

[deepcreek]

I really love those little wooden feet on the first table that is to cool great job

Those were a last minute addition a few days before we delivered the piece for the show.  I kept thinking it needed feet but had never done anything like that.  I started messing around in the shop and had the first foot carved a few hours later.  When I showed it to my brother he said, "Good job.  Now make me three more just like it."

 

[KRKWW]

Congratulations Joe on such a fine showing! I sincerely appreciate the way you repurposed those otherwise scrap leg sets. The live edges are beautiful and each element compliments the whole. Nicely done and keep up the great work!

 

[nclemmons]

Thanks for the additional detailed photos.  I had not noticed the continuity of the floating top and spaced shelf using what looks like aluminum spacers.  Very nice!

Curious how sturdy the first table is with the tall extended legs and threaded rod?  I did a sewing machine table with the old cast legs with a granite top and ended up making a steel cross connect from angle iron to provide stability.

 

[ear3]

Congratulations and thanks for sharing.  I love the wooden foot detail -- really ties the whole piece together.

 

[deepcreek]

Curious how sturdy the first table is with the tall extended legs and threaded rod?  I did a sewing machine table with the old cast legs with a granite top and ended up making a steel cross connect from angle iron to provide stability.

It's quite sturdy with no wobble or sway.  The 1890's legs have extended tabs at the top so there are six screws per end.  The stainless all-thread has acorn nuts on the ends and hex nuts on the inside to snug everything up.  If I had it to do over again, I would probably sleeve the remainder of the rod (between the ball) to give a more finished look.

The ball was actually turned on a lathe from a Maple block.  A judge asked me afterwards how I had achieved the copper patina and I confided in a conspiratorial tone that my secret was Rustoleum metal finish spray paint from Home Depot.

This table design was a bit of a risk because it is fairly minimalist.  I have always admired the work of the great Danish furniture maker Tage Frid and he said, "the only trouble with designing and working in wood is that it has the advantage or disadvantage, however you look at it, of being beautiful in itself.”  He went on to explain that “Working with a material of such natural beauty, I feel that we have to design very quietly and use a simple form."

 

[Billedis]

Very beautiful tables.  Thanks for sharing.  Bill

 

[mike_aa]

Joe,
I think you've managed to take woodworking to another level.  Your work is well crafted and both tables are real works of art.  You successfully merged "found" industrial objects with wood to create something very unique. 

Congratulations on winning in the show!  I like both tables, but I have to say that my favorite is the one with the sphere and carved feet. 

I'm probably in the minority on this, but IMHO, instead of turquoise accents a simple filler might have been better to let the natural grain in the wood shine through.  There are already quite a few different elements and materials being used. 

Thanks for sharing your work.

Mike A.

 

[deepcreek]

[member=30413]mike_aa[/member] [member=27901]Billedis[/member] [member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member] [member=14322]Krkww[/member] [member=167]neilc[/member] [member=41893]Rollin22Petes[/member]

I really do appreciate all of your comments and support.  It means a lot.

The judging is based on 40% design and 60% execution.  They scrutinize each entry from every angle (including flipping them over) and even the smallest flaw can knock a piece out of contention.  Luckily, we were mentored beforehand by some past participants so we understood that every detail had to be Concours d'Elegance perfect.

 

[Holmz]

It is refreshing to see nice work.

Where did the leg hardware come from?

 

[deepcreek]

I picked up the cast iron legs (1890's school desk) at a huge antiques market in Round Top, Texas.

The aluminum legs (1940's machine stand) came from a cross country road trip to Pennsylvania.  I bought so much there I had to get a cargo trailer but that's another story involving a bunch of Australian burl slices (see photo below).

I'm always on the lookout for interesting old bases that can be incorporated into something new.