straight lines

        i have discovered, quite accidentally while working, that i really don't get along well with straight lines.  there are, after all, no straight lines in nature.  even the flatness of water has to have the curve of the earth.  straight lines are a manmade event.  i understand the necessity as a reference and i am guilty of using them on frequent occasions, but a curve is soooo much more appealing to the eye.  looking back at it, all my current work is reflective of this, and i'm not sorry.  when a horizontal member smoothly curves into it's vertically load carrying component, i love it!!  it's so gratifying to me to find this line and carry it to the floor.  

        the other thing i've discovered while working is thickness and weight. wood is an amazing material.  you look at old buildings that are sagging, bending, bowing out, even rotting in place, and wonder at the way this wood structure is holding it's form.  it's probably a combination of things but a major component is the strength of the wood itself.  i have reduced the thicknesses of wood in my pieces (gradually) and found that if it is done judicially, there is no reduction in the strength of the piece.  my current objectives are to make my pieces as light and curvy as possible.  i would leave you with these 2 pictures- the first of a piece of rotting wood i found out back in the great meadows, the second is the cabinet made from some of that same piece-  wood is an amazing medium to work in!!

DEDICATED TO STEVE MCKENNA

Dear Dad,

I've created this website format to be dedicated to you. It is meant not necessarily to build your private, custom, and commission business, but rather to more clearly communicate your values and goals as a woodworker. The values of craftsmanship, quality, and process that come across in your work have also been those that you have taught me, and those that I value in everything that I do personally - so this website is also meant to be a "thank you" to you for those, as well. 

This is undoubtedly a small and inadequate thank you for all that you've taught and given me. But, I do hope that it in some way reflects and communicates your values as a woodworker to those who do not personally know you, and clarifies those values to those that do. 

To me, the quality of your work, and the care and thought that goes into each and every piece is something that I care for, and something that I can see you value very much, and in which take great personal and professional pride. 

While I do hope that more people are able to gain access and exposure to your work, more than anything I hope that this website is able to reflect the care that you put into it, as well as your values of craftsmanship, functionality, and aesthetics.

Love, 

Max