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Finishing Tip
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Coasters in letterpressed paper or sterling silver add form and function by protecting countertops from the little drips and spills from wine or coffee.
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Friends, Finds & Collaborations
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The photographs by Kevin Zacher, on our website, continue to be the favored images by customers and media alike. He's the one who is always throwing people, or dogs, in the shots.
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| Dear Friend,
Welcome!
This (almost) monthly e-newsletter will answer the questions that
people always seem to ask when we tell them our business, woodworking.
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Spreading the Sawdust Around
Everyone these days, from family to casual acquaintance, is asking, with a quiver in the voice, "How's business?" But
there's also a saying: when your plumber (insert "woodworker") is
talking about the stock market, it's time to get out. So I won't
speculate, but here's what I observe:
I am happy to report, there are still piles of sawdust on the floor.
We're at the front end of some projects, in the middle on others, and
finishing the last details on a few more. Calls and emails are coming
in. Compared to a few years ago, perhaps they come in slower. And they
are smaller jobs, one piece of furniture or a section of cabinets
instead of an entire house, and lots of refinishing. But we are sending
out quotes, so it seems that despite the gloom and doom in the media,
people still want a comfortable place to live that they love. Perhaps
especially now that they are home more.
And while
woodworkers tend to be good at woodwork and not financial planning, I
wanted to reinvest our good fortune by acknowledging other woodworkers
in our local community of Los Angeles. Here's a roster of some of our
favorites:
On the Eastside, our friend Gary Ferguson, of Case and grain
designs and builds truly original pieces, with exquisite precision, in
a time when most of what you see, are knock offs of classics or middle
of the road modernism.
Greg and Dino of Real Door, Inc.
can make any door for you, built to last. They match and recreate any
architectural detail. I hear they're making a new lumber from their rip
saw off cuts.
To the South, there's William Stranger,
who has been salvaging, sawing and drying local hardwoods to make his
"ecological artifacts". William's work, and the attention it has
received from the mainstream media and art community, have blazed the
trail in Los Angeles for a new era of craft to emerge.
More
excellent woodworkers are Cal Kelly, Larry Bucklan and Joseph
Christman. Joseph and I recently worked on a restaurant, The Westside
Tavern opening later this month in the Westside Pavillion. CSFM made
the reception desk and he covered a wall in log rounds. Looks great!
(More on this one in the next issue, when we have some photos.)
Westside, there's John Summerville, third generation Southern California woodworker. He taught me all I know. Stephen Carlson, Topher Paterno and I seem to be forming a compound on Beach Avenue. In addition to building his own designs, Topher teaches woodworking at Otis College of Art & Design. So he not only attends to his own details, but those of all of his students. Steve started out at Arbor Sports, figuring out how to use veneers and bamboo in skate and snowboards and now makes stunning veneer creations in his cabinetry.
According to Spike Carlson, in A Splintered History of Wood,
there are 7-10 million amateur woodworkers in the United States. The
ones listed here are pros. Hiring skilled craftspeople is investing for
the long term in your home and your family. Products built to last
support a sustainable environment. Let's make some sawdust.
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Awards and Press
 ModernLuxury.com
It seems we've used up two of our fifteen minutes of fame. Check out this video.
LivingHomes Showhouse
The media
have been all over the two exhibitions of the Kohler LivingHome, an
amazing pre-fab house, featured first at the International Builders
Show (IBS) and then at the TED Conference.
We had three pieces of wine oak furniture in both. You have to skim the
sides of the press shots (like we did) from IBS in Las Vegas to find
them, so we took a few pictures ourselves of the one at TED in Long
Beach, staged by interior designer Kristin Kilmer.
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On the Workbench
New Projects and Photos
 These applications of wine oak
were envisioned, commissioned (and photographed) by our creative
clients. Except for the non-toxic adhesives and the water based
finishes, these are made from 100% recycled materials.
And for More New Projects |
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Our
services include the highest quality modern and traditional cabinetry,
custom furniture, green materials, finishing & refinishing. We
work with general contractors, architects, interior designers and
individual home owners.
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Please
forward this email to people you think would be interested. We always
look forward to hearing your questions and suggestions.
Thanks, Cliff and Leigh Spencer
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