I make a lot of custom furniture, for one of two reasons. A client might just want something really special or unique. More commonly, though, they have a certain space they’d like to use for eating, reading, whatever, and there’s no stock furniture they can find that fits the space perfectly. Oftentimes, the customer isn’t looking to spend a lot of money; that’s why they were looking for a store-bought piece in the first place. To save money, we’ll use leftover wood from the house’s construction, or wood from a stockpile of “leftovers” that accumulate from various projects. That way, the material costs can be anywhere from cheap to non-existent, and judicious use of joinery techniques can keep the cost down for something that can be very special.
The incredible 4-hour dining room table. $200 worth of curly maple, a killer deadline (Thanksgiving Dinner) and voila!
walnut table, cherry floor, and legs made out of stair newel posts. The walnut was left-over, and the whole table was about a 3-hour project. It was made to fit the space.
another view with more floor. pretty stuff, that curly cherry...
git funky with some luthier materials, rejected guitar back material, abalone inlay, and a stick that fell off a tree outside
tack box with a sliding top, side access door, and metal cutouts from an old series of sculptures I did for a gallery in New York. The idea was to give the feel of the old pierced tin, with a little creepiness added in.
Curly Port Orford cedar table stringer
Table legs, Port Orford Cedar
Things you can do with rejected pieces of instrument-grade guitar top spruce
