ORIGINAL ARTICLE: AUSTRALIAN DESIGN REVIEW

Published on January 16 2015.

Physically creating something tangible to suit a purpose or fulfil a creative urge is a fundamental human yearning, one perhaps neglected in an era where our hands are occupied as an extension of touch screens and keyboards. In the smartphone age, where anyone is but a click or swipe away from the next stimulus, crafting an object with permanence is an act of enduring value.  Having a hands-on outlet for creativity is the reason why so many take up DIY projects, sign up for craft workshops at local hardware stores and invest significant time and money in amassing an arsenal of power tools. Starting and finishing a project, especially in collaboration with others, is a uniquely gratifying experience.  Wood workshops in particular are enjoying somewhat of a boom in Melbourne of late. Timber is a ubiquitous material, ever popular for its timeless versatility in furniture, interiors and built structures. It is a timber craftsman’s role to showcase the medium’s unique character – each mark and grain indicating the living quality of the wood are inherent to the value of the final product.  Australian Design Review spoke to Handsome & Co about the ins and outs of its wood workshops, and the current hands-on climate encouraging Melburnians to get crafty.

Why do you gravitate towards wood as a medium?

In a product, we like timber because it is both aesthetically warm and pleasant to the touch. It comes in a variety of colours, figures and characteristics, which means that each product made with wood is unique, like a fingerprint. Timber is worked in many different ways, it can be; carved, bent, turned, joined, laminated etc and in all of the many facets of these approaches, timber is ultimately flexible and often forgiving.

When manufacturing using timber, it can be a very frustrating material – its porous and plastic nature means it is unstable. Seasonally expanding and shrinking with the change of humidity (humidity changes disrupt timbers internal equilibrium with external air), sometimes resulting in bows, twists, cups, checks and other defect to timber boards. Its instability means that it is challenging to work, but it is this challenge which drives us to persist, practise and develop ways of accommodating for these movements, all while developing products that will outlive their maker. It is almost inevitable to feel discouraged at some point while woodworking, but when you’ve completed your product and are standing back admiring your piece of art, with a grin on your face, all your frustrations are forgotten and all you want to do is start the next project.

From wood grain porcelain tiles to the prevalence of timber in interiors, home-wares and even jewellery, why do you think the design industry has seen resurgence in wooden products of late?

I think that timber will always have a place in modern design. As for the current trends, I think it is like much fashion, in that it peaks and troughs. But don’t ask me, I’m no expert. Our hope is for quality and longevity in design to become popular and outshine our flat pack competitors.

What drove the initial launch of your Woodwork School in Melbourne?

Our initial intention was to create a space for young designer/makers who have woodwork specialised skills. While the city of Melbourne is abundant with artist studios and creative spaces, none provide an environment setup for industrial making and experimentation in new materials and modern manufacturing techniques.

It then seemed very logical to create a school, through which we could share the knowledge of our talented residents and our fully equipped woodworking facilities.

Lastly, we are a (relatively) young aged group and we love woodworking. So we particularly wanted to encourage a younger demographic by being financially accessible, offering student discount (10 percent off) and annual membership discounts (15 percent off). We were particularly pleased to see the number of women who’ve enrolled, approximately 50 percent of our current students are women.

What can students can expect from your classes?

Woodworking tools and equipment are provided. Class numbers are limited to eight students, to ensure that each individual is given adequate time with the tutor addressing their specific ability and project. Each student is provided with a bench to utilise and storage space for timber and or developing product.

All students are guided through a number of small set tasks, as an introduction to our workshop facility: fundamental skills in marking out, tool handling, sharpening, machine operation and, most importantly, personal safety. All materials and resources are provided for these starter projects.

Following the successful completion of the introduction tasks, students are then free to work on projects of their own choosing. Tutors assist students throughout the stages of each individual project, offering advice and tuition customised to the student’s specific woodworking needs. Tutors also assist with project design, timber choice, methods of construction, application of finish, responsible work practices and safe machine operation.

Have you observed any trends in the type of projects students are making?

I haven’t really observed any obvious trends among student products. Each student is making to their own tastes and most, I assume, are trying to create their own style. However, if I had to say a style, I’d probably say that due to the simplicity of student projects, that a majority could be compared to Shaker or Danish design.

Can you share any social/personal development aspect of woodworking that you may have observed through your workshops?

Woodworking teaches patience. We instruct traditional methods of joinery, which require a lot of time, patience and attention to detail. If you don’t have patience, you will soon have to develop it.

As a wood workshop, you are on the forefront of sustainable practice. How do you implement this in your classes and in what ways are wood workshops developing sustainable initiatives?

Simply put, we teach and practise traditional woodworking techniques that create high quality and durable products. We are confident that these products will stand the test of time and ultimately end up as antiques, as opposed to landfill.

What excites you about the future of your woodwork classes?

We are a very fresh-faced organisation. Handsome & Co was established in late 2013, but it was always a priority to be part of the bigger Melbourne community. We hope to be hosting and or taking part in many creative events in the future, not limited to pop-up shops, social gatherings, exhibitions and creative installations. Our residents have exhibited at the Brunswick Street Gallery and Handsome & Co had a stall at The Big Design Market.

We are also excited about the current development of our short courses program, in which we hope to introduce a range of new courses in areas of woodworking that are unique, specialised and even at tangents to woodworking (i.e. tool making and leather work).

For more information and to enrol in a class, visit www.handsomeandco.com.

READ/SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE.

Handsome & Co is a Melbourne school of fine woodworking and furniture design. We host evening classes to instruct fine woodworking skills to adult students attending evening woodworking courses.

Dedicated to instructing and fostering an enthusiasm for woodworking, Handsome and Co is a school specifically for traditional and modern woodworking techniques, with one important underlining principle; to instruct and demonstrate the methods of achieving the highest quality in both the design and manufacture in timber products.

Our tutors are professional designer/makers; each brings a wealth of extensive technical knowledge in the methods and application of traditional and modern woodwork techniques.

Handsome & Co offers courses in fine woodwork for everyone from beginners through to more experienced woodworkers.

WHAT IS OUR GOAL:

It is our goal to promote outstanding design and craftsmanship in Melbourne through the provision of woodworking classes, in which students can engage with like-minded individuals, learn traditional hand skills and explore materials and processes in the development of their own three dimensional product.

Handsome & Co is committed to providing a stimulating environment where students can gain the skills to design and make their own furniture. Our first emphasis is on the use of hand tools, followed by thorough training in the safe use and effective operation of a range of woodworking machinery.

WHO CAN ATTEND:

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to develop their skills in design and furniture making, previous woodworking experience is not essential.

WHERE IS OUR FACILITY:

Located in Richmond, the Melbourne school of fine woodworking and design is conveniently located close to public transport. Tram stops and train stations are within walking distance and parking is readily available right at the school’s door.

Our Melbourne workshop is fully equipped with woodworking hand and power tools, as well as static machinery. We provide all the necessary tools for students to complete their projects.

Visit our website for more information, Handsome & Co – Melbourne school of fine woodworking and design.

Photography : Eugene Hyland

ORIGINAL SOURCE

AFTER walking up the stairs of the nondescript brick building that houses the Melbourne School of Fine Woodworking it is the pleasant smell of wood shavings that first hits my senses.

Once inside it is the light streaming through the large north-facing windows that strikes me and after walking through the first room containing rather intimidating-looking machinery, I reach the workshop.

It is an ordered room, with shelves of neatly stacked wood, planes, marking gauges and knives, hammers, chisels, squares and rulers.

A variety of clamps hang in one corner and there are drawers filled with screws and nails.

Triple J drifts out of the radio and members of the group are so focused on their projects that conversation is kept to a minimum.

The atmosphere in the room is more reminiscent of a yoga studio.

Tutor Elliot Gorham drifts around the room patiently helping members of the group with their projects.

Elliot, who makes his own furniture at his Noddy Boffin business downstairs, said anyone could join the group and no previous experience was necessary.

Kym Fabris, who is also the Box Hill school’s administrator, said she found woodworking very relaxing.

“Planing is like meditating,” Kym said.

The Mitcham resident shows me her first project – a marking gauge – with her face beaming with pride.

“I can’t believe I made this, it’s just amazing,” she said.

“I had no idea how much I’d enjoy it.”

“I almost feel like I can make anything now.” Jo Coppin, a 30-year-old flight attendant, tells me it was her father’s love of woodwork that sparked her interest.

The Ringwood East resident arranges her work days around the tutor group and after completing a side table is now working on a coffee table made from US oak and jarrah.

“We’re creating something that we get to take home and be proud of,” Jo said.

“It’s a relaxed environment, Elliot’s a great teacher and I just really enjoy it.”

Retired Blackburn woman Heather Barnes tells me that woodworking was something she always planned to do in her retirement and she loved the smell and feel of the timber.

“I just love timber furniture,” Heather said.

She said another useful and enjoyable part of the tutor group had been a trip to a Vermont timber yard, where they chose wood for their project.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue how to start. I came back feeling much more confident.”

She is working intently on a side table, using New Guinea rosewood and said she one day hoped to make a hall table.

Heather agreed the process was very therapeutic.

“You’re so busy thinking about what you’re doing you’re not thinking about anything else in your life,” she said.

Elliot said woodworking could be both therapeutic and frustrating.

“You can’t do woodwork without feeling frustrated, if you don’t feel frustration you’re not trying hard enough,” Elliot said.

“It’s all about that feeling of pride when you finish it.”

Mid-morning one of the benches in the room is converted to a tea table and members sit around on stools chatting, sipping tea and coffee and enjoying Elliot’s chocolate brownies.

After sharing morning tea with the group I attempt the relatively simple task of planing a piece of wood.

My aim is to replicate the tight, cigar-like wood curls produced by Elliot and I follow his tips on how to stand and correctly hold the tool, but after several tries manage only a loose, slightly fluffy curl.

It feels like a small achievement, though, and I tuck a couple of wood curls in my bag as a souvenir.

Combining traditional and contemporary techniques, students are introduced to the fundamentals of joinery and woodwork through the creation of a simple ‘occasional table’* structure. There is a number of exercises or challenges within this one project, each assessing the growth of there skills base.

This project is aimed at promoting and developing a practical understanding of how timber is prepared, joined and finished. Particular emphasis is placed on precision and developing techniques to achieve a high quality end-product using both hand and machine methods.

The project has provided some excellent results and even more so, has instilled students with a sense of pride, satisfaction and feeling of achievement. I think the results speak for themselves….

*An occasional table is a small decorative table. This term is used to explain things like end tables, lamp tables, sofa tables, coffee tables, and so forth. The design and styling of an occasional table can vary widely.

For those of you about to embark into a timber yard for the first time, you might find yourselves feeling awkward and or intimidated by the adventure that is the unknown and like many things, the solution lies in information and familiarity, unfortunately these two qualities come from experience. The solution is to ask questions, make mistakes and look silly (or more accurately feel silly), these are all part of everybody’s first encounter with the foreign, definitely not limited to the timber yard.

Comparably the motor mechanic is a more commonly accepted example of the intimidation that goes hand in hand with the unknown. Much like the timber yard comes with its own language and etiquette, the mechanic does too, so lets  “fiddle with the carbi and tweak the diffs… that’ll be six million dollars”, what does that mean? Why does it cost so much!?  Fortunately timber has less moving parts than a car and is far less complex. While timber does have its complicated intricacies, the purchase of it can be simplified into these simple guidelines, in order to ensure that you are happy, confident and prepared for your purchase:

Be prepared – confidence comes from being prepared, this means doing your research before the big date, identify the timber specifics within your product; colour, budget, density/weight and machine accessibility, these elements will reduce the number of timber types and assist in your choice. Also remember to take a tape measure and either a block plane or spoke shave,

Cutting list – while this isn’t mandatory, it will streamline your visit and make it easier for you to focus on selecting the boards, rather than fumbling with numbers in your head. Remember to be flexible within your cutting list as stock availability is unpredictable and is constantly changing, which might mean you will need to think on your feet.

Choosing your boards – each board is unique and needs to be inspected before purchase, as you are purchasing per meter, it is ideal to get timber of good quality, that is straight and without defects.

View each board by eyeing down the edge and face from one end, to identify; ‘cupping’, ‘twisting’ or ‘bowing’. Then look for; ‘knots’, ‘shakes’, ‘packing marks’ and anything else that reduces the quantity/quality of usable stock. Lastly inspect ends for ‘checking’, this is pretty common, however excessive ‘checking’ should be avoided.

Keep it neat – to ensure that you maintain a good relationship with the staff at the timber yard; don’t place timber faces on the ground, either stand on their end or use ‘saw horses’ available and lastly, restack unwanted boards back in correct section neatly, with numbers facing outwards.

This is the beginning of your project, as it is the beginning of all projects and it is important to realise that material choice is all about “getting off on the right foot”.

Timber choice is a major contributing factor in the sort of the woodworking experience you will have, whether that be one of progress and consistency or the contrary, in which you might find yourself faced with timber that cups and twists, offering only anxiety, as you continue to lose material to machines in a battle to achieve a ‘flat face’ and ‘square edge’. While it only affords a short amount of time, it should be considered as one of the most important parts of the completion of a product of integrity.

I hope that while reading this article you were busy attempting to identify the subtle hints that lend themselves to the euphemism, which I alluded to in the first paragraph of text. Whether I have actually addressed this subject matter or whether you have created your own connections is open for interpretation.

Is visiting a timber yard, like wooing a woman?

While its makes for a novel concept the complexity of women is by far, more substantial than that of any timber yard or motor mechanic. While you may find that the intimidation of the ‘timber yard’ fades away as your woodworking knowledge and familiarity increases, unfortunately the same cannot be said for ‘asking out’ that special someone. I would recommend however, asking your crush to dinner on April 1^st, in which case you can quickly shout “April Fools!” when a rejection seems pending.

‘Creativity in the design process is often characterised by the occurrence of a significant event – the so-called ‘creative leap’. Sometimes such an event occurs as a sudden insight which the designer immediately recognises as significant, but often it is only in retrospect that the designer (or an observer of the design process) is able to identify a point during the design process at which the key concept began to emerge. ….accounts of creative events in design made by the designers themselves may not be wholly reliable. However, some recent descriptive, empirical studies of the creative event have begun to shed more light on this mysterious (and often mystified) aspect of design. ….Studying creative design is seen as problematic because there can be no guarantee that a creative ‘event’ will occur during a design process, and because of the difficulty of identifying a solution idea as ‘creative’. But in every design project creativity can be found – if not in the apparent form of a distinct creative event, then as the evolution of a unique solution possessing some degree of creativity’

‘Surprise is what keeps a designer from routine behaviour. The ‘surprising’ parts of a problem or solution drive the originality streak in a design project. The process of evolution in the natural world is nowadays seen as driven by a reaction to a surprise (change in environment), rather than a gradual changing of a phenotype and genotype in an ever-closer approximation to an optimum in the fitness function. We suggest that creativity in the design process can validly be compared to such ‘bursts of development’.

DORST, KEES AND CROSS, NIGEL (2001). CREATIVITY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS: CO-EVOLUTION OF PROBLEM–SOLUTION. DESIGN STUDIES, 22(5), PP. 425–437.

 Read full article here or here

I have been teaching adult woodworking classed for over 2 years now and would like to share my experiences as a tutor, but also as somebody who has been educated, employed and been witness to a diversity of workshop practices, environments and more importantly workshop cultures.

Handsome & Co provides a facility for hobbyists to practice and develop traditional cabinet making skills, which are adaptable to all facets of furniture manufacturing. While attendance is primarily for the development of skills and to make custom furniture to own, the school is also an environment in which to meet others who share an interest in woodworking and to participate in others experiences while making or just have friendly conversation during morning/afternoon tea with a slice of cake. As a tutor morning tea is probably my favourite part of a session, as it gives an opportunity for me to learn about the people who I instruct.

New students will often begin their time at Handsome & Co trialling there hand at cutting and refining a ‘half lap’ joint, ‘mortise and tenon’ joint and maybe, if confident enough, might attempt a ‘dovetail’ joint. From this early stage students identify quite quickly an emphasis on exceptionally high quality, which some might even describe as the pursuit of perfection in construction and application of joint systems. While this might provide frustration and anxiety for some, others relish in it, for its aesthetic rewards and the excitement of achieving an accurate and tight fitting joint.
For the students to best learn and address their unique and specialised requirements within individual projects, the school provides a massive variety of tooling and machines, which enable students to accomplish their goals to the best possible results. Catering to all students and applications, the workshop is equipped with a range of hand tools to suite everybody and every need. These tools are kept razor sharp, maintained for precision and come in multiples to ensure productivity in a class of seven.

I have been in many different workshop settings and find Handsome & Co to be an exceptional facility and I am pleased to be a contributant to its operation. The divisions of machine and working space provides a clean and quiet space to use hand tools and develop a product without being subjected to a barrage of dust and noise, the provision of good quality tools that are kept sharp and ready for use, with access to sharpening systems if needed and lastly the woodworking culture, in which knowledge, experiences, resources and shared enthusiasm for achieving good results, more specifically a community dedication to quality and credibility within the manufacturing with wood.

check out the website here: Handsome & Co – School of Woodworking and Design