Who are you a fan of?

[Bobby O'Neal]

I always wonder how everyone on the board feels about other people's work. I'm a big fan of Thomas Moser pieces and Christian Becksvoort as well.

So, who's work do you enjoy drooling over?

[Jim Matthews]

Right here, in my little corner of the world..http://staplesfinefurniture.com/

On the other side of the world...http://jfinkle.com/

[Chip Lindley]

William Morris started the Arts & Crafts movement. Frank Lloyd Wright did his interpretation. But, Greene & Greene's style is my absolute FAV!

196859

edit: Aww, you're wayy too kind Larry! ;-)

[Larry Edgerton]

Chip Lindley......

[Andrew Gibson]

George Wilson

[Glen Blanchard]

James Krenov

[John M Wilson]

Norm Abram :D

[Gary R Katz]

Wow, thanks for showing us Josh Finkle.

[Timothy Juvenal]

George Hepplewhite.

He gave us a respite from Rococo excess of line and ornametation, and gave us simple and elegant lines for sofas, sideboards, and chairs.
His designs for shieldback chairs represent the best of the classical chairs, IMO.

The much earlier William & Mary lowboy is one of the nicest pieces ever devised, with pleasing ornamentation and proportions. Of course, the the name of originator of this design is lost to time, but many original examples of this versatile form are still with us. They were used as desks, dressing tables, and sideboards. Later lowboys in the Queen Anne and Chippendale styles look comparatively awkward, as if they were about to scurry away. Chippendale sideboards tend to be bulky, overly ornamented, and appear too heavy to be supported on so few legs. But the Hepplewhite sideboard is perfection in form and line, with slender legs easily supporting the graceful body of the piece.

Timothy

[Jamie Buxton]

Hans Wegner for chairs. Chairs are really challenging. Some of his are wonderful -- subtle and graceful.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I watched Norm Abram from the very beginning.

[Paul Girouard]

Darrell Peart

http://www.furnituremaker.com/

I will say Norm Abram's may have had more impact, in total numbers of people who took up woodworking , of any carpenter who ever "taught", or inspired people, to take up woodworking.

I have no facts to support this , it's just a hunch.

[Larry Edgerton]

Besides Chip, I would have to say I like Sam Maloff. I like his work, and although I never had the pleasure I would have liked his personality from everything I have read. I agree with Chip that Greene & Greene were a pair with vision from a design standpoint, I have several books on their work and use it as a reference to suppliment my meager imagination. I respect Krenov, even though I was never a fan of his style, but he did have his own style, and that is hard to accomplish. My work is a lot of reproduction of others style, and I have to admit I do not have one I can call my own.

My favorite person however is an old German fellow, long dead now that in his gruff way taught me the difference between utilitarian woodwork and true craftsmanship. I only worked with him for a year, but it was in that formitive time in my 20's when you decide a direction, and what work means to you. Thirty some years later when I do something that is not terrible I think of Gunther and wish I could get his gruff assessment. Its funny, I work to get approval of a man long passed away.

Larry

[Brian Loucks]

The Shakers... crisp clean lines, nothing fancy just timeless.

[Tom Winship]

Chris Becksvoort as well. Went by his place in Maine one year but missed him. His pieces are simple yet so beautiful.

[Al Weber]

David Lamb for his unique style. Garrett Hack for his execution of various styles.

[Andrew Gibson]

How about Roy Underhill. I for one have learned a bunch from his show... and mayb more importantly that I don't have to have a 100" wide belt sander... :P

[Jim Matthews]

Wow, thanks for showing us Josh Finkle.

I'm drawn to builders who have methods, and style that differ from my own.

I draw the line at the more inventive pieces that look like a Dr. Seuss creation.

Hard to define what I think is "just enough" before it crosses over to ornamentation.

[Dan Barber1]

My favorite person however is an old German fellow, long dead now that in his gruff way taught me the difference between utilitarian woodwork and true craftsmanship. I only worked with him for a year, but it was in that formitive time in my 20's when you decide a direction, and what work means to you. Thirty some years later when I do something that is not terrible I think of Gunther and wish I could get his gruff assessment. Its funny, I work to get approval of a man long passed away.

Larry

Larry:

I couldn't let this go by without saying what a great statement it is. Most of us, or at least the lucky ones, meet someone along the way, usually as you say, early in life, who inspire us in ways that they often never know, but we never forget. And it is not the famous but the unheralded real heroes who are the ones that really count. For me it was a local carpenter/woodworker who went to our church who invited me to spend a day with him in his workshop when I was fourteen. While I was there he showed me how the tools worked and turned me a bat on his lathe. I thought this was a miracle at the time because in my little out of the way Tennessee town, we didn't see this much. Wonderful things like bats were created at some faraway place out of whole cloth by someone a step or two below the deity. At the time I was more interested in baseball than woodworking and I never went back to his shop. But I remembered that day with Mr. Sterling and later in life I discovered Norm and built my shop. But without that one day it might never have happened. I remember Mr Sterling often when I'm in the shop and wish he were here now to see it and give me some pointers.

[Abi Parris]

Nakashima. Use of natural "defects" in wood and transforming them into a focal point. For me, it is an exhibition of how wood has many forms and while it may be cut, planed, etc. to make it look and behave as we want it to, it always has its own personality.

[lowell holmes]

Add Garrett Hack to that list.

[Ron Kellison]

James Krenov, Sam Maloof, George Nakashima, Norm Abrams, Darrell Peart, Glen Huey, Tage Frid, George Frank, Bob Flexner and Leonard Lee. I've learned something from all of them and, collectively, my meagre composite of skills represents what they've tried to pass on. I suspect each of them would be disappointed but I'm getting better!

Regards,

Ron

[Bill Geyer]

I have to say that I have long been a fan of my friend and mentor Gene Landon, who passed away last week. Anyone who knew him understands what a loss it is to the woodworking community. The depth of his knowledge was a gift that he passed on selflessly. i for one, will miss his guidance.
for more see this..
http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/38364/eugene-landon

[Paul McGaha]

Norm.

Watching all those New Yankee Workshop TV shows is what got me wanting to try woodworking.

PHM

[Montgomery Scott]

David Roentgen

John and Thomas Seymour

Thomas Chippendale Jr

[Jim Becker]

I always wonder how everyone on the board feels about other people's work. I'm a big fan of Thomas Moser pieces and Christian Becksvoort as well.

So, who's work do you enjoy drooling over?

Ditto Moser and Becksvoort...and add George Nakashima. Most of my furniture design come from those three.

[John Coloccia]

George Wilson, for obvious reasons.