In cleaning up the shop this past weekend, I came across the prototype for the Krenovian wall cabinet I built for the April issue and was reminded of how helpful it was in working out and hopefully improving the design – even though I failed to mention it in the article (I’m wordy as it … Read more
An angular front and glass doors lend visual interest to this classic Krenov design.
by Matthew Teague
pages 24-30
From the April 2012 issue, #196
Through the early stages of my woodworking, when I was sweating away evenings in a Mississippi basement trying to learn the craft using a $99 table saw and an $18 block plane, I devoured the books of James Krenov. They represented an artistic, if idealized, approach to a hands-on craft that appealed to an angst-filled editor and writer in his 20s. Even if I wasn’t up to the tasks, I knew my aim. Then life took over. After editing, writing and running a furniture business for a number of years, I still looked at the Krenov books from time to time, but my tastes and styles slowly became my own. When I started this job, however, I was inspired to revisit Krenov and the designs that kept me wide-eyed in earlier days. I’m glad I did.
Blog: Read about some clever doormaking assembly jigs.
Slideshow: See additional step photos on tapered sliding dovetails.
In our store: “A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook,” by James Krenov.
Download the free SketchUp Model of this project. Read more
Wood is the starting point of inspiration for these boxes infused with the past.
By Ted Brown
Pages: 48-51
From the December 2011 issue #194
Buy the issue now
In my mind, this article goes to the root of why we work wood. It is about the philosophy of creating things in wood and the approach more so than the technical application of skill. Back in 1993, I spent nine months studying a way of working under James Krenov at the College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, Calif. Yes, I learned technical things there, but more important is that Jim inspired us to think, to be sensitive in our choices and to do the very best we could in the execution.
ARTICLE: For another approach to a small, contemporary box, read Gary Rogowski’s “Jasmine Box.”
ARTICLE: For more on applying shellac, read Bob Flexner’s “French Polishing Myths,” in this issue on page 60.
TO BUY: Build your skills with “Box by Box,” by Jim Stack.
IN OUR STORE: “New Masters of the Wooden Box,” by Oscar Fitzgerald.
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We like to attach significance to arbitrary dates; “Best of the Year” or “Best of the Decade” lists appear everywhere. It’s a good chance to reflect, but real life happens at random. Earlier this year we experienced the loss of two woodworking icons known to most American woodworkers, Sam Maloof and James Krenov. Less well-known … Read more
