Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
piece would work better with crown cut veneer of the same wood for the sides and more flowing legs into an apron skirt at the base of the cabinet box with a definate 20 - 30mm gap between
Rob Cosman Planing Technique
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Adam W.
A Major Clanger
I'm not saying that, but I knew someone was going to come along and
Is it anymore beautiful now we know it's by Krenov ?
I don't think it is, but I know it's now just gone up in value by quite a lot and people are going to think twice before criticising it.
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That particular piece by Krenov is not my cup of tea. It is quite shouty. But he worked on commission, and if that is what the customer wanted, that is what he built. Mozart worked in the same way, and composed some distinctly strange pieces - like several works for glass harmonium. For example . That is just commercial life.
Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)
Established Member
I think that the problem is that there are a great deal of wannabe Krenovs. There are two sides to Krenov, and often one - or both - are just missing as his work is imitated.
In the effort to build with Krenov-styled wooden planes - all the while seeking boards with dramatic figure (and book-matching these just makes them even busier), and then glorying in the product being "hand made" - the essence of Krenov's eye for detail, sense of balance and symmetry are just not understood. One ends up with a million photocopies which, like a photocopy of a photocopy, lose definition and become an unsightly blur. Every cabinet on a stand is "Krenov".
Having said all this, Krenov inspired a generation of woodworkers with his lifestyle message. Jacob, I think that Krenov was a man at the right place at the right time, as you suggest, but he was fairly unassuming, for all the articles and books he wrote. His message has an authenticity to it, unlike the photocopy Sellers.
Regards from Perth
Derek
I've seen a lot of nice furniture, A LOT, as have we all.
It doesn't matter who made it, and that isnt a reflection the maker, it is horrible to look at.
Getting into the argument that the maker is celebrated for some work, doesn't mean that all work is something we should be swooning over and handing out accolades, just because of who made it.
What he was aiming for might have been to show the upper cabinet in glory, and not detract from making it to large or too gaudy, and that concept isnt new. Many makers have small undercarriages
with the emphasis placed on the upper unit. but the cabinet section of it itself is nothing to write home to mama about.
It doesn't matter who made it, and that isnt a reflection the maker, it is horrible to look at.
Getting into the argument that the maker is celebrated for some work, doesn't mean that all work is something we should be swooning over and handing out accolades, just because of who made it.
What he was aiming for might have been to show the upper cabinet in glory, and not detract from making it to large or too gaudy, and that concept isnt new. Many makers have small undercarriages
with the emphasis placed on the upper unit. but the cabinet section of it itself is nothing to write home to mama about.
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Adam W.
A Major Clanger
I think we run the risk of being blinded by the name of the maker. When it comes down to it, is the cabinet a good design ?
It looks odd, unbalanced and out of proportion to me. It's almost like it's a novelty object and he's having a laugh.
I don't care who it's by and I'd never heard of him until last week when his name popped up the dovetail thread. I thought I'd better go and take a look, and now I have, I can safely say that I won't be adding him to my list of inspiring makers.
It looks odd, unbalanced and out of proportion to me. It's almost like it's a novelty object and he's having a laugh.
I don't care who it's by and I'd never heard of him until last week when his name popped up the dovetail thread. I thought I'd better go and take a look, and now I have, I can safely say that I won't be adding him to my list of inspiring makers.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
Fashions change. You need to keep in mind when, and for where, a piece was made.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
Maybe he'd been out in the woods collecting mushrooms that day.
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And that's still not an attack, as lots of designers and artists have been, and still are, influenced by psychedelics.
Edit:
And that's still not an attack, as lots of designers and artists have been, and still are, influenced by psychedelics.
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Jacob
What goes around comes around.
What did Krenov have to say about sharpening? 
PS easy to find out:
"James Krenov had a very lax position on the sharpening of his tools, specifically hand plane blades. He sharpened free hand, never spent too much time doing it, never worried about secondary bevels, or angles, and he used oil stones - the same oilstones for 30 years and had "never trued them up or anything".
I'm impressed!
PS Derek comparing Krenov and Sellers is a bit irrelevant.
If anything they could have made a good partnership with Sellers making and Krenov designing (if you rate his stuff that is!)
Sellers does seem to annoy a few people! I see that as a good thing.
PS easy to find out:
"James Krenov had a very lax position on the sharpening of his tools, specifically hand plane blades. He sharpened free hand, never spent too much time doing it, never worried about secondary bevels, or angles, and he used oil stones - the same oilstones for 30 years and had "never trued them up or anything".
I'm impressed!
PS Derek comparing Krenov and Sellers is a bit irrelevant.
If anything they could have made a good partnership with Sellers making and Krenov designing (if you rate his stuff that is!)
Sellers does seem to annoy a few people! I see that as a good thing.
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Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Why not indeed! Not everybody sees them as infallible saints of woodworking and being dead is neither here nor there (except for them of course
).Jester129
Established Member
What's
Peter Sellers got to do with all this- he was very funny!
Peter Sellers got to do with all this- he was very funny!
What did Krenov have to say about sharpening?
PS easy to find out:
"James Krenov had a very lax position on the sharpening of his tools, specifically hand plane blades. He sharpened free hand, never spent too much time doing it, never worried about secondary bevels, or angles, and he used oil stones - the same oilstones for 30 years and had "never trued them up or anything".
I'm impressed!
PS Derek comparing Krenov and Sellers is a bit irrelevant.
If anything they could have made a good partnership with Sellers making and Krenov designing (if you rate his stuff that is!)
Sellers does seem to annoy a few people! I see that as a good thing.
That's funny. Sellers claims fame on something made for the Bush admin, which was only due to being in the same town as Bush's ranch. But his description is noncommittal as to how much of it he made, and it's pretty gross looking.
At least krenov was doing the making.
Krenov apparently had a problem with tearout that would be been easily solved, but let's be realistic about whether either has made a living just as a maker. Krenov paid the bills with a teaching job and despit Paul's fuzzy stories about lifestyle, he's been making money from students for 38 years, at least.
There are real makers who spend full time and more just making high end furniture.
Distaste for a design sense isn't exactly personal condemnation.
Devmeister
Established Member
Some of us can. Some of us have done reproduction work of 17 and 18th century pieces. No one disagrees he doesn’t have skill. The issue is design. I envision his work standing alone in a dim lit room with specialized lighting highlighting the piece as a testament of modern art from our time.
thetyreman
Established Member
doctor Bob
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Never heard of him.
Each to their own, live and let live, etc etc. We all have faults.
Each to their own, live and let live, etc etc. We all have faults.
So you walk about liking everything, and dont have an actual opinion of your own ? You feel you cant say 'I dont like that'
Sure we can appreciate the work that has went into something. I find that piece anemic.
I like Alan Peters quirkiness, his attention to detail, and i like Tage Frid simplicity as in his well known chair, but these two makers are extremely far apart in their design philosophies.
Trig is mid century modern, whereas peters is postmodern. How can that be the same. How can two different designers of 2 separate eras like the same style. Sure they/we can take elements from it, and thats what contemporary does, but each are different in their own right, in their own direction. Using materials readily to hand or in the society they moved about in. Both are designers, and one might say blinkered to their time frame. They are not just makers, they are pushing the boundaries of their time.
Personally I like Alan peters but im not really that struck on Tage Frid. For me thats of a different era.
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Adam W.
A Major Clanger
Nothing, but he always seems to get a mention.What's
Peter Sellers got to do with all this- he was very funny!
Somebody has touched on sharpening, tearout and that they could correct Krenovs' planing technique and setup to avoid it too.
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