Off The Saw Launches a Collaborative Wood Shop

I'm pleased to announce that Off The Saw continues to grow with the launch of a collaborative wood shop in Los Angeles' garment district. We bring talented woodworkers together around quality tools and shared knowledge. Our tools are geared toward fine furniture making, and include a Sawstop table saw, 20″ bandsaw, 12″ jointer, 6″ jointer, 20″ planer, industrial drill press, shaper table, horizontal boring machine, sliding miter saw, plunge saw, jigsaw, routers, sanders and more. All large tools are vintage cast iron, in excellent condition and well maintained, and all small power tools are Festool. Each maker has dedicated bench space and access to all tools. Large, west facing windows provide abundant natural light throughout the shop and a view of the Downtown skyline.

Off The Saw attracts select professional woodworkers who are committed to design and to craft, and we welcome woodworkers at any stage in their career. We emphasize handwork, sensitivity toward material and attention to detail. We aim to create unique, heirloom quality items.

Off The Saw also partners with Los Angeles based shops, such as Offerman Wood Shop and Sidecar Furniture, to offer workshops to the general public.

To inquire about bench space, please visit the Wood Shop page of my new website to submit an application. Interested in receiving regular (but not too regular!) updates on the progress of the shop? Sign up for my mailing list or follow me on Instagram by clicking on the icon below the photos.

I've included some photos of the raw space, as it was when I rented it. As you can see, I have lots of work to do!

Cheers!

The Continuation of Off The Saw

It's been more than two years since I've graduated from College of the Redwood's Fine Woodworking program. What have I been up to since then, you ask? Well, I moved back to Los Angeles and took a job with The Climate Registry. Day-to-day I help businesses and governments measure and report their annual carbon footprint. Evenings and weekends I spend my time in the shop. I encourage you to check out the continuation of Off The Saw at www.offthesaw.com. I'm lucky to have more work than I can keep up with. In the line-up are a floating curved shelf, a small entryway table, a king sized bed and a round dining table. You can also follow what I'm up to on Instagram. Just click the icon, then stop by and drop me a line.

Graduation

Yesterday was graduation. (Actually, graduation was weeks ago. I'm now back in LA, but it took me a while to get around to publishing this post.) After the pomp and circumstance, the class headed back to the firepit for our final get-together. Ejler provided bloody marys and the Elephant  award was bestowed upon Dechen, a deserving recipient. The elephant award is passed down from a second year to a student that shows exceptional talent and character among a group of immensely talented characters. A good time was had by all. And then the good-byes began. I for one don't believe in good-byes, especially at this place. I feel that the school has a gravity all its own, and that most all of us will stay within its orbit. I look forward to seeing what we make of the experiences we had at College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture program.

Best Burger in Town

The last couple months have led me on a quest to find the best burger in the Fort Bragg area. I ate heaps of burgers, but two easily rose to the top of the pile. 

Fort Bragg Steakhouse is located in a dumpy building and has unremarkable decor, but the service is quick and friendly and the burgers are tasty. I recommend you go at lunch for the burger special. For $7 you get a tasty patty with bacon and cheese, and fries, onion rings or a salad. This is by far the best value.  

Mendo Burgers in neighboring Mendocino has the best burger with the loveliest ambiance, hands down. You can choose regular beef or organic beef, and the toppings are fresh and delicious. Fries are handcut and the banana milkshake has chunks of real banana. You can eat your meal in the adjoining dining room or outside in the garden. The owners' friendly dogs may be on-site to greet you. 

North Coast Brewing Company deserves special mention for their delicious fries. The burger isn't bad either.

Evelyn's First Birthday!

Evelyn, my classmate's daughter, turned one yesterday. Family and friends celebrated her first year with good food and drink at a cabin on the bluffs. There's nothing quite like watching a baby grow and develop to drive home how much can happen in nine months. Happy birthday, Evelyn!

Scholarships

Scholarships make it possible for students to pursue their education. It's wonderful to receive them (I know! I was fortunate to receive the Susan Detjens Memorial Award.), and even more wonderful to give to them. If you'd like to support the work that students do here at CR Fine Woodworking, please contact Marcia Williams at marcia-williams@redwoods.edu. You'd make a difference in the lives of woodworkers, like the ones below!

Scholarship Awards Luncheon
Photo by David Welter

The Quickening

I cannot believe it, but the school year has come and gone. My classmates and I cleaned out the shop yesterday and then headed to Jim Budlong's place for a year-end party and camp-out. Ejler made mention a few weeks ago of "the quickening"--the time of year when almost everything goes into warp speed--and before I knew it, it was over with. 

Jim's party was the perfect way to go out. He and his wife Sue homestead on 40 acres between Mendocino and Ukiah. They have a beautiful home, a bountiful garden, and many animals, including dogs,  chickens, a pig for part of the year, and, until recently, ducks. They've built many of the structures on their property out of lumber they pulled from the property. This includes Jim's shop (a shop to envy!), which is made primarily out of redwood. And they do all of this entirely off the grid!

I still have a few more posts on backlog, so check back for updates at least a few more times, but in the meantime, enjoy these photos from the party.

Calligrapher's Box

Michael made a beautiful calligrapher's box out of afzelia and london plane. I believe it's a traditional chinese design, which has storage space for brushes and a flat, hard surface for calligraphy. The original box had a stone in the center of the top, but Michael chose to use london plane, a wood that looks like stone. The two drawers open with a push-release--you push one drawer in and the other one opens. Michael used a plastic piece to get the right amount of tension and spring-back. It's an elegant box. It's currently at our spring show in the Highlight Gallery, and rumor has it that there are three interested parties!

The drawers run along each compartment, and the back of the drawer makes contact with the curved wooden piece. The plastic piece flexes in either direction, accommodating movement and springing the wooden piece back into position.

Table for Two (or Four)

Well, here's my table. Thanks to David Welter for the beautiful photos. 

As I worked to complete this project, I reflected on my time at CR. Mostly I think I learned just enough to know how much I don't know. But as I was chopping the bracket mortises to attach the tabletop to the base, I had a moment where I moved seamlessly through the motions without too much contemplation. In that moment I realized that I have learned a lot. 

I've learned lots individually and the class has learned even more collectively. This point was driven home to me when I drilled through my tabletop (argh!). My first thought was, well at least Molly's here, she's done a louse. Dechen was in the finishing room with me when it happened, and he helped me to stay calm and come up with a good solution to the problem. One of the best parts of the program has been sharing the learning experience with my classmates. I look forward to seeing where we go with our new and improved skills and knowledge. I certainly expect great things.

  

Brass Brackets (Say that Five Times Fast)

The past couple days I've been working on the finish of my table. I also made brackets to attach the table top to the base. I started by taking brass stock and rough-cutting it to the desired size on the bandsaw. I squared the corners using a block placed 90 degrees to the disc-sander. I set-up a jig on the drill press to bore screw holes through both sides of the bracket and counter-sink the holes. Lastly, I filed the brackets for a clean surface. Voila! Brass brackets. Check back soon for pictures of the table.