Note: No AI has been used to write this blog, this is from Lloyd.
I’m sitting in our converted single car garage/office with the dog at my feet and the gentle scratch of cicada’s legs outside. With summer nearly over I’m feeling reflective on what has been a very full and rich few months. It has been exhausting and hot in the workshop and I’ve been working long hours. It has been refreshing and cool at the beaches and the river. Both these modes are good for me.
Vanities and Audiophiles and Carving with Gouges
Vanities
A part of my trade which I deeply cherish is the wide range of projects I get invited to be a part of. This suits me just fine, I’m interested in many aspects of life.
Last year I took on a commission for a bathroom vanity as part of a larger bathroom renovation in Whangarei. The owner was already an established designer herself and was what I would call the perfect client. One that demands the best from me as a maker but at the same time, exudes trust in the process.
The idea for this piece came from the idea of “covering up” or a veil of some sort. Like a hidden treasure you may hold in your hand, perhaps revealing a smidge, the only amount of secret you’re willing to part with. I call it the Lumen vanity.
I’m looking forward to finding other places this visual language could go and see it expressed in other cabinetry motifs or perhaps even a table.
Do you have any ideas? I’d love to hear your vision, hit reply to this message or contact me via email.
Audiophiles
As part of my long love affair with audio, I have partnered up with an engineer friend, Chris, to design an audio rack for audiophiles.
Hi-fi enthusiasts love to play around with gear changes. Most audio racks impde flow by way of interfering structural elements. Our cantilevered design approach frees up the audiophile experience.
Most audio racks are utilitarian and cold. I chose the warmth of locally grown Walnut and the sleekness of bevels instead.
Chris has come up with an incredibly strong system to hold up the shelves using a cantilever approach. The system is easily adapted to be a 3,4 or 5 shelf system and you can read more about the features and design inspiration here.
Carving with Gouges
January was spent working on a very special cabinet. It features a bold, prominent, carved motif that has opened my “doors of perception” (as Jim Morrison would say) with regard to furniture design.
Although I’m yet to edit the photos, here is a sneak peak of the samples I made before work in earnest started on the piece. The finished result will be featured on my instagram or facebook page. Please follow to keep up to date.
Learning Woodworking
I’ll be making my way down to Nelson to take another coffee table course. It is a six day program that runs April 13-18. If you’d like to take part there are a few spots left and you can sign up here. Set in the hills of Glenduan, a romantic getaway for you and the woodworker deep within.
For me, nothing beats the comradery of the final glue up. Up until then we’ve been toiling away on our tables but this is the moment where we join forces. It’s a celebration of everything we’ve learnt, nervous energy turns to laughter and the sound of high fives fills the air.
Sign up here at the Centre for Fine Woodworking New Zealand.
Naming our Caravan
Over summer we bought a 1978, NZ made, “Liteweight” caravan that now sits alongside our vegetable garden. It serves the dual function of being a Northland holiday ready to go and extra accomodation for Lucas, our teenage son who is desperate for a bit of space.
We haven’t settled on a name but have been toying around with “Helen Clark”, “Jenny Shipley” and “Jacinda Ardern”. What do you think? Leave an idea in the comments below.
With a full, original interior, she needs a bit of work but tows well as evidenced by our trip up from Raglan to Kerikeri in howling winds.
A Visit to the Riverwood Yard
In another exciting commission I am embarking on a table built from river timber.
River timber is salvaged from the bottom of Northland rivers where it has laid in waiting for over 150 years. The Kahikatea tree we have picked out for this project is estimated between 300-400 years old.
The early European settlers harvested timber in the Northland region by felling logs sending them to the mills in floating rafts via the rivers, creeks and tributaries.
A portion of these logs didn’t make it to the mills. Some of them found their resting place in the bottom in the rivers where they have been preserved in the silts and sands.
After spending all that time on the river bed, the timber picks up dark minerals of the earth and is often significantly darker in tone to their freshly cut, land locked, long lost cousins.
NZ Native Riverwood is situated in Parakao, midway between Kaikohe and Dargaville. I paid them a visit and was treated to an enthralling tour of the yard.
Many of the logs still have the original logging marks on one end. These marks indicated the estimated timber content and the logging or milling company.
If you’re interested in a piece with a rich New Zealand history, reply to this email and we can make a start.
What I’m listening to:
John Prine – John Prine
Prine’s self titled album is rich with heart. Stand out tracks like “Hello in There” and “Spanish Pipedream” give evidence of John’s delicate and insightful mix of humour and heart.
What I’m reading:
The Book of Guilt – Catherine Chidgey
Just about finished this one. Vanessa and I agreed to read the same book at the same time so we could talk about it together. She beat me to the finish a few weeks back so I better get in some early nights.