DIY Network

A Visit with Woodworking Master James Krenov From "Wood Works" episode WWK-707

James Krenov, woodworking master and author of the classic A Cabinetmaker's Notebook.

In this episode, David Marks travels up the coast of Northern California to meet with two of the most prestigious woodworking artists in the world: James Krenov and Art Carpenter.

In this first segment, he travels to the remote community of Fort Bragg where he meets Krenov who shares some insights and reflections about his medium and mission. David also gets a tour of this master craftsman's workshop. A summary of that visit follows below.

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James Krenov

James Krenov, born in 1920, now lives and works in a rustic home and workshop nestled in the redwoods near Fort Bragg, California. This innovative and highly respected craftsman is recognized as a master furniture-maker in Europe, Canada, Asia and the US. His works can be seen in museums around the world.

Krenov's signature work is characterized by uncompromised quality and demonstrates the rewards of perseverance and meticulous craftsmanship (figures A and B). His style is marked by a distinctive harmony of patterns and colors. "I have an ingrained curiosity about materials and about wood," he says, "and I respect it. Gradually I think I've built up a fairly good, intimate contact with it."

Figure A

Figure B

Krenov is the author of five books on woodworking, including one that's a classic in woodworking circles, A Cabinetmaker's Notebook (figure C). He studied cabinet-making in Stockholm, Sweden and has been director and teacher at the College of the Redwoods' School of Fine Woodworking in Fort Bragg, California (figure D).

Figure C

Figure D

Having a keen eye to blend different varieties and colors of wood is a trait Krenov has mastered with his years of experience working with and understanding its properties (figures E and F).

"The working properties of wood," he says, "are very complicated. It's not just hard and soft. Then you have the whole prism of colors. Some woods get more beautiful with time and mellow, other woods pale and are unrecognizable as what they were. . . [Over time] you get this knowledge that enables you to weave together colors and patterns, and predict, more or less, how Father Time is going to treat them."

Figure E

Figure F

In 1981, Krenov moved to Northern California where he created and directed the College of the Redwoods' Fine Woodworking School. In his twenty years with the school, he has taught hundreds of students from around the world, and made an effort to instill an appreciation for improvisation in their work.

"Improvisation is a tremendously important ingredient," says Krenov, "because that's what free creativity in any media includes -- guesswork and hoping, trying different things and the ability to recognize when you are on the track. Without that you might as well just have a working drawing and just follow it and grit your teeth."

His sensitivity to spontaneity in design can be seen to his desire to add what he calls "music" when laying out dovetails. Rather than simple uniformity, he incorporates improvisation in the placement of his dovetail pattern. It's what he calls an evolving rhythm.

Figure G

Krenov works in a small and cozy workshop with a clear roof skylight that lets in natural lighting. In terms of tools, his shop is anchored by an Inca saw, jointer and workbench -- and of course a wide variety of hand tools (figure G). He has a number of favorites -- like his Japanese saws, old Swedish chisels and hand planes -- but mainly he emphasizes the importance of using well-tuned tools where the woodworker knows the feel of the tool and what to expect from it.

Another characteristic of Krenov's work is his creative use of wood grain patterns such as spalting. A ready example can be seen in a cabinet he was currently working on during David's visit. The solid wood cabinet bears two beautifully matched doors of spalted maple (figures H and I).

"It's the 'make-or-break' part of this piece," he says. "If I don't get two beautiful doors, I'll never have a beautiful cabinet. I do that first, and if I get that right, I'm off and running. But if I flunk on the doors, I might as well burn them up that evening and start something else."

Figure H

Figure I

In the segment that follows, David pays a visit to one of his other mentors, master craftman Art Espenet Carpenter.

RESOURCES :

The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619

David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com

Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com