Perspectives

I once worked in a cabinet shop which completely avoided working with metal. To my amazement, even the sharpening of hand tools was outsourced. I found this very difficult to accept because as an apprentice, sharpening my chisels, planes and scrapers was one of my FIRST lessons. When in any discussion involving metal, the classic response was to back away, palms up saying “oh no…we don’t DO metal here”.

*heh heh* Okay then guys…so this is your worst nightmare…..

I believe that to have a well-rounded knowledge of woodworking, one has to understand the basics of metalwork. Our modern designs require it, as does our tooling and hardware and this level of understanding doesn’t even scratch the surface for there are so many other materials, agents and finishes required to complete most contemporary projects.

For this particular project the client had chosen blackened steel. Needless to say however that the weight of a cabinet door alone wasn’t practical or safe, so we opted for blackening aluminium thereby reducing weight by 40%. The cabinet components are 1/8″ thick, skived and folded to give sharp edge details. And to keep all lines looking as crisp and straight as possible, we avoided welding (as heat causes distortion), opting instead for all components to be machine fastened.

If all this sounds like alot of work, it was. Being a woodworker, naturally I’d have preferred it was made in wood and sprayed with a Liquid Metal finish, but that wasn’t the criterea which the project called for and the end result was quite stunning.

The part drawings give an indication of the sheer number of bespoke parts required. Every part fitting and machine screwed together.

Photos courtesy of BLUBLK LLC

The fitting of these parts, represents the merging of experience, knowledge and CAD/CAM technology. There were no remakes, no costly delays to disrupt workflow.

Why?

Because our 20 year experience is dovetailed with thought, dedication and of course….SolidWorks®.

So, trolling the web I saw this photo. “Hmm… unusual ” you may think… “interesting shaped pieces….gnarly hand….”

To me, the recognition was instantaneous because it’s unmistakably the hand of someone very special in my life, that of my former boss with whom I worked alongside for years. Together, we sawed, clamped, sprayed, installed and burned much midnight oil. This is the weathered hand of someone incredibly gifted, mechanically brilliant, strong and yet patient enough to stop and share his knowledge (and sometimes frustration) with me. As I grew older, near the end of our time together, we collectively discovered my skill sets while building our in-depth understanding of CAD, CNC and the developing technologies, often-times into the wee hours.

I could never thank this former boss for his time, patience and (yes even) friendship. He just wouldn’t have it. Perhaps this was because words are just too hollow and that a life chosen because of our love for woodworking requires sacrifice, a pursuit of something deeply personal which seems to transcend dialogue.

Anyway whatever your profession, perhaps you too were fortunate to have a boss so generous with both his/her time and confidence in your abilities. You are a product of his/her good deeds. Please, remember them and share your time liberally with that next eager apprentice. No doubt, it may not be easy and some days won’t be stunning, but with patience, the rewards will eventually exceed the risks. In his words, I can still hear him say “Ruf, no guts, no glory…”.

Thanks Ken.

The photos below are just a few inspiring photos of some art nouveau pieces. We all know that nature abhors straight lines. This integration of nature with thoughtful design produces glorious working sculptures.

At Shoreline Parametrics, we pride ourselves on our abilities to work with complex elements. How can we assist you today?

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Sometimes simple words of wisdom resonate for a lifetime.

My uncle John carried a well worn cutting from a newspaper around with him in his wallet, he was very pleased with this worn scrap of paper and would occasionally bring it to our attention, it read:

It read:

“If all you ever do is all you’ve ever done, then all you’ll ever get is all you’ve ever got”

This would be followed dryly by “but I’m not sure what it means”…. But the reality was that he knew (he was a gifted MIT mathematician).

So what’s the relevance?

Say your company is asked to price a job that you have never done before and therefore are not so sure of, does it really it makes sense that you turn the job away? So, applying the logic of the newspaper cutting in Uncle Johns wallet:

By use of 3D computer models we can:

♦ → break the job down into manageable entities

♦ → flatten complex curved surfaces

♦ → create stronger joinery like never before

For the last 20 years we have been helping small businesses increase their capacities and strengthen their niche markets by taking complex jobs that would have been sent to the B1N file, and making them possible.

As a trained joiner, I understand the work involved.

A stairbuilding colleague and I had just finished an ornate radial stair project when the contractor asked if we could build the dome ceiling above. All of our schedules were already full and to do this this required expediting. After some head scratching and lots of coffee, the project was completed a week later followed by a very simple installation.

So in the words of a dear uncle, we took on things we had never done and we got so much in return, not just money, but the chance to work together, build experience, confidence, new skills, and of course a greater standing in the marketplace and (hopefully) perpetuating more work.

And of course ……. never stop moving forward.