Craftsmanship in Wood

Dennis just tell me how furniture is supposed to look and I will only build it that way from now on.

Just layed out this morning and have been cutting some quad through wedged tenons. They will be cut flush as the top is a work surface.

Haven't decided if I will do contrasting wedges.

I hope you post pictures!!

Paul, I generally know how furniture is supposed to look to me. For yourself, you can decide, but there are many many books where the author's intention is to help one develop a sense about it, lesser analysing the fine details than things like balance and proportion. Traditional work seems a good place to study, there being so many examples of great and lesser so . Designs may be period, but they still can have a lot to say. How one looks at things allows for an interesting discussion, and can make for a life long pursuit.

Personally, I've never been offended when people suggested ways of changing a design for the better to me, figuring that it is a deep complex subject where input might make for something helpful, and accepting or rejecting advice is my prerogative. I may not respect the advice, but I do the subject. Ultimately making the decision about it lies with what I want to do.

I like your furniture. I tend to forget that the way I speak sometimes doesn't translate into written word. I have been told I have a very dry sense of humor, and feel my last comment could be taken as "unpleasant" when it was not the intent. I should have my wife proof read my entries.
I have a tenonsy to type as I think - that was a woodworking pun.

Thanks, and no problem, Paul, I wasn't sure, and I could see my ruminations striking as being a little pushy.

I recall a juried show in Northern California, for furniture, but one of the entries was a desk made by a boat builder, a very fine one that has a school himself. Quite nicely done, but on the underside of the desk he had left a bunch of pencil lines. The judges didn't like that, or at least one didn't, but when told that his desk could be accepted for the show if he simply spent a minute with an eraser, he had a major problem with the requirement, and ended up withdrawing from the event. I think that to a boat builder, pencil marks are of little concern, but for high end furniture being exhibited, I'd be hard pressed to decide if visible on the underside was a concern or not. Just to be safe, i erase them. Objective or subjective can be pretty confusing.

You guys are a couple of wildcats, that's for sure.

I am currently en route to Australia to buy Dennis a beer and to give him a hug.

You'll be searching Australia for a good long while. Dennis lives in Japan.

How about Australian beer in Japan? 'Murray's Wild Thing' is supposed to be very good. Hugs are ok, but shake the sawdust off first.