September 2008

Welcome to this edition of Creative Woodworks & Crafts. We have an especially fresh collection of projects in this issue. Dirk and Karen Boelman have contributed three outstanding designs—an elegant Hummingbird Fan, and two Birth Date Plaques which should make any new parents proud. Looking at these well-crafted pieces, I was reminded that sure, it all begins with a good pattern; however, the actual craftsmanship used to flesh-out any design is of paramount importance. Dirk and Karen's projects were cut, assembled, and finished with great care and skill, and in the final analysis, that's what makes them "great" rather than simply "good."

Recently, a designer sent us about two dozen patterns to look at for the purpose of receiving feedback. One member of our team who reviewed the patterns was Wes Demarest, our photographer and regular contributor to this magazine. Wes' feedback could be summed up as such: "The success of these patterns (in terms of sales) will boil down to how well the prototypes are made; i.e., using attractive, contrasting hardwoods, deciding where to use cutouts and where to use overlays, how well the cutting, assembling, and finishing are executed, and so on." In short, it begins as a paper pattern, but it comes to life on your workbench, transformed by your skill, focus, and dedication.

Another exceptional design is Diana Thompson's "Vase of Dogwood Blossoms." Diana is highly skilled in 3-D scrolling, and we think she hit a "home run" with this one. Those in our office who are not familiar with scroll sawing techniques loved this project; however, they were quite surprised to hear that the blossoms were not carved—they were designed and assembled so well that each flower appeared to them to be a single piece of wood.

Janette Square and Bruce Worthington have turned out to be a fine "intarsia pair." In response to many questions they have received from readers regarding wood selection, they devised the feature article/project "Variations on an Angel Fish," whose primary purpose is to explore this topic. They illustrate one project—the Angel Fish—being made in three distinct ways—from exotic hardwoods, domestic hardwoods, and segmented from a single piece of pine. The resultant article does a good job showing the impact of wood selection upon the entire intarsia design, including how the project is shaped.

There truly are many more things to acknowledge in this issue, but it's time to sign off and encourage you to explore them for yourself. Until the next issue, wishing you all good health, happiness, and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Robert Becker