Digital Artistry — Meet the Artists from the December 2017 Issue

How 5 masterful makers combine CNC and CAD know-how into their woodworking

In the December 2017 difficulty of Well-liked Woodworking journal, the article, Digital Artistry is a peek at what 5 skilled woodworkers are doing with digital instruments of their outlets. Every maker has an in depth conventional woodworking background and a few years of expertise earlier than they started to make use of digital instruments like CAD software program and CNC machines.

As I identified in the article, everyone knows one another. We’re friencs and members of a small consumer group that meets recurrently to trade concepts and methods as we discover this new digital woodworking world.

For the print article, I requested every woodworking to introduce themselves in their very own phrases – they every stated one thing about their backgrounds, their work and the way they acquired began utilizing digital instruments and extra. To do that, I despatched out a survey to every artist with a collection of questions.

With the area limitations inherent to print publishing, solely somewhat of the solutions gathered from the questionnaires made it into the ultimate article. However, with a lot extra fascinating info collected, I assumed Common Woodworking’s readers want to hear extra about these skilled woodworkers’ worlds. So, in a collection of upcoming posts on Digital Artistry, I’ll share elements of every woodworker’s survey solutions with our on-line readers.

In the future, every woodworker might be highlighted in a publish together with their survey solutions to how they acquired began in digital, extra particulars about their work, the instruments and methods they use, classes they’ve discovered alongside the means, photographs of their store and work and extra. The solutions are in their very own phrases, with solely minimal modifying for readability and brevity. Additionally, I’ll embrace a brief video of every woodworker of their outlets speaking about what they’re doing with these new instruments.

On this first publish, I’ll introduce every woodworker in their very own phrases, by way of the solutions to the first query in the survey.

 

Describe what you do as a woodworker?

Curtis Erpelding

curtiserpelding.com

Curtis Erpelding in entrance of his customized and constructed CNC

“My preliminary curiosity was in furnishings design, not a lot in woodworking.  Over time, like most woodworkers, I discovered the nature of the materials seductive and it turned extra possible to market my work as “fantastic woodworking” quite than as “nice furnishings design”.   A lot of the work I’ve carried out over the years has been one-of-a-sort commissions.

One among my designs is a stacking chair which I’ve produced in small manufacturing runs since the early 1980’s.  These are constructed with the “high-quality woodworking” market in thoughts, utilizing furnishings grade hardwood for bent laminations and leather-based upholstered seats.”

 

Bob Spangler

rspangler.com

Bob Spangler in entrance of his customized four′ x 6′ CNC

“I"m principally a customized furnishings maker working in home and unique hardwoods. My work is influenced by learning classical American furnishings types, their construction methods and carving strategies,  a unbroken curiosity in Asian furnishings and and the “NW fashion” of furnishings design.”

 

Darrell Peart

furnituremaker.com

Darrell Peart close to his customized twin spindle three′ x 6′ CNC

“My specialty — and what I"m recognized for, is Greene & Greene fashion furnishings. Whereas I take pleasure in the problem of determining the right way to do one thing new – my actual love is design.”

 

David Myka

myka.guitars

David Myka by his 2′ x three′ customized CNC

“I construct customized musical devices for a various group of musicians. Projects vary from interpretations on the basic designs to completely distinctive devices able to integrating with a contemporary studio setting. Woodworking is an important a part of what I do and that"s supplemented with the electronics design that makes my devices related in the present guitarist’s toolkit.”

 

Tim Celeski

timceleski.com

The writer in entrance of his customized twin spindle three′ x 6′ CNC

“The woodworking I do falls into two totally different areas. My work as a furnishings maker occupies an uncommon area of interest in woodworking — I make customized excessive-finish outside furnishings. Fairly than fee work, I’ve developed a number of in depth strains of Arts & Crafts based mostly designs that appear to cowl nearly any shopper want. In recent times, I’m placing extra concentrate on positive artwork and sculpture that I create with a mixture of conventional and digital instruments.”

— Tim Celeski

Further Assets