| Q:
Okay we know you like it, but how did you get
into woodworking?
A: It
was a three step process: I selected my parents
with great care so as to get the necessary woodworker
genes; this also ensured that I grew up on a
farm, surrounded by tools, materials, and many
woodworking opportunities; the final step waited
until, at 29 years of age, I decided to learn
to play the guitar and, being too poor to afford
the type of guitar I needed to inspire me to
play, I decided to make one. As it happened,
I never did learn to play as I was completely
overwhelmed by the joys of making. This was
my first experience of ‘fine’ woodwork,
and I fell madly in love with it. There was
one final quirk of fate, however, for there
was a downside to my choice of parents. I also
inherited a gene for deafness, so I decided
early on that my future as a luthier was likely
to be limited, and this prompted me to move
sideways into furniture making and woodcarving.
I did not seriously begin my woodworking career
until I was about 36 years old.
Q:
Who are your woodworking heroes/gods/gurus?
A: My
God was, as far as I know, not a woodworker,
but his attitudes and values shape my way of
woodworking. His name was Ned Ludd, and, in
his honour, I like to think of myself as a Founding
Member of the Society of Latter-Day Luddites.
My Guru is also not a woodworker, but again
is important for his influence on my aesthetics
and my views on design. He is an architect,
and his name is Christopher Alexander. If I
was to give him a side-kick, I would nominate
Robert Pirsig, a writer and another non-woodworker
who has had an enormous influence on me. My
woodworking heroes are numerous (and you will
probably be able to see the connections between
them, me, and my God and Gurus). I will mention
here those wonderful Shakers of the past, as
well as people such as Ernst Barlach, James
Krenov, Ernst Gimson, and the Barnsleys.
Q:
What do you mainly make?
A: I
make dining chairs, rocking chairs, jewellery
cases and carved wooden bowls. And anything
else that happens to take my fancy. My way of
working is to make what I feel like making,
when I feel like making it, and to worry about
selling it afterwards. That is what I am psychologically
comfortable with.
Q:
Your thoughts on traditional vs ‘new’
and digital?
A: What
can I say? As a Latter-Day Luddite, I obviously
lean to tradition. I fail to see why we must
bow down to the new and different in lieu of
the tried and the true. What is so terribly
wrong with standing still? I do, however, love
my Mac laptop and my Canon 10D, so sometimes
progress has its rewards. In our field though,
I loathe biscuits and dominos. They belong with
MDF and kitchen cabinets.
Q:
What are you pet woodworking hates?
A: My
pet hate is anything and everything cheap: cheap
tools, cheap machines, cheap work. And sanding.
I hate sanding.
Q:
What is your desert island hand tool/ machine/
timber/ woodie book?
A: My
desert island hand tool would be a Flexcut carver’s
jack. My desert island machine would be my coffee
machine. Or I might trade it for a good Wadkin
PP tablesaw. For timber I don’t think
I could go past a good lump of European lime,
but I would settle for some nice Aussie cedar.
My book would be Alexander’s four volume
The Nature of Order.
Q:
The best thing you’ve ever made?
A: The
best thing I have ever made is usually the latest
thing I have made. Right now, that means the
latest version of my rocking chair. I also have
a soft spot for two of my bowls (Photos 2 and
3).
Q:
Your best excuse for not getting something quite
right?
A: My
excuse is that I’m not God so I’m
not allowed to be perfect.
Q:
Your most often-made mistake?
A: Boy,
there’s a bit of competition for this
one! It’s a toss up between under-pricing
my work leaving sanding scratches in the finish.
Q:
Your biggest woodworking disaster!!?
A: My
biggest disaster occurred late one night in
the mad rush before an important exhibition,
with every second counting, when I was gluing
the top back rail on a rocking chair. There
were six back splats, so 12 mortise and tenons,
and a bridle joint at each end of the back rail
to be glued. For ease of clean up I decided
to go with PVA glue which, predictably, swelled
each tenon, so the bloody thing locked tight
half way on, and there was no way I could move
it any further. So, in a mad panic, out came
the lump hammer to disassemble it, which I was
able to do, but not without the odd bit of collateral
damage.
Q:
The thing I would most like to change about
wood is…
A: I
think wood should be instructed to be docile,
well behaved, understanding, helpful and, of
course, more plentiful.
Q:
The thing I would most like to change about
woodworkers is…
A: I
would love to see more woodworkers indulge themselves
by giving themselves the tools, machines and
materials they need to really enjoy their woodworking.
Happiness is the point of life, I think, so
if you enjoy your woodworking you are blessed.
Make the most of it.
Q:
The thing I would most like to change about
my own woodworking is…
A: On
a macro level I am never happy with what I have
done. That is why I tend to make things, like
my chairs, over and over again: I am chasing
the perfect chair. I am as far away from it
as ever, but I can’t let it go.
On a micro level, without a doubt it is my impatience
with finishing that I need to change the most.
Especially with sanding!
Q:
My final word on woodwork is…
A: It
is a fascinating, never ending challenge, intellectually,
physically and psychologically. I love it.
Write to Robert: howardrobert@mac.com |
