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A Conversation with Woodworking Master Art Espenet Carpenter From "Wood Works" episode WWK-707

Art Espenet Carpenter

In this special episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks visits two master woodworkers who are renowned craftsmen and also some of his personal mentors -- James Krenove and Art Espenet Carpenter.

In this segment, David visits Art Espenet Carpenter at his home and studio in Bolinas, California.

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Art Espenet Carpenter

Art Carpenter is a self-taught master-craftsmen who, for the last four decades, has been a guiding light in the world of woodworking design and technique. His body of work has been referred to as one of experiment and innovation, and his furniture style is unquestionably distinctive (figure A).

Carpenter's work has been exhibited internationally, and some of his pieces are on display at The Smithsonian Institution. He has also been a leading force and teacher in establishing the respected Baulines Craftsman's Guild in Northern California (figure B). That organization was founded in 1972 with an underlying intention, according to Carpenter, of allowing craftsmen freedom to work without becoming part of a corporation. The Guild now provides apprenticeships for beginning woodworkers and also conducts crafts shows for guild masters. Over the years, Art has had more than 130 apprentices.

Figure A

Figure B

Setting a standard for flowing lines and individual style, Carpenter's work incorporates whimsy, experimentation and innovation (figures C and D). His genius for technical improvisations is responsible for many of his most original designs. Though now in his eighties, he cotinues to approach his craft with a bohemian ruggedness.

Figure C

Figure D

	Figure E
	Figure F

Beginning in the late 1940s, Carpenter explored the possibilities of crafting objects for a living. In his initial ventures he chose making wooden bowls -- for practical reasons. "You didn't have to know anything to [work with] wood," says Carpenter. "If you're working with metal or ceramics, you have to know some chemistry. All I need is two tools: a cross-cut saw and a lathe."

Not having extensive training with hand-tools or furniture design, Carpenter taught himself. From making bowls, he eventually transitioned into and experimented with making his own furniture pieces. He describes his furniture-making simply as carpenter-style, practical and utilitarian, but he acknowledges that organic and sculptural are other adjectives that have been used to describe his work.

"I start from the idea of 'how does it conform to the human body,'" he explains, alluding to the curved lines and flowing shapes that are integral to much of his work (figures E and F). "There are not too many straight lines on the human body."

	Figure G
	Figure H

Art built his woodworking shop in 1957, and still uses it today in conjunction with his son Trip, another woodcraftsman. Some of Art's main tools include a 20-inch band saw, an antiquated drill-press he purchased for 100 dollars, a scroll saw and a massive selection of hand tools -- all broken-in and well worn. His wood of choice is California black walnut because, figuratively speaking, it grows in his backyard. It's also a beautiful wood and not terribly expensive.

Art has continually innovated and devised techniques to realize his unique designs (figure G) and, in fact, may well have been the first woodworker to develop the through-dovetail jig, back in the 1950s.

One of his most famous designs is the "shell desk" -- a piece made with bent-wood laminations so that the sides resemble the opposing halves of a scalloped seashell (figure H).

Art's studio showroom (figure I) holds more creative wonders -- including samples of his familiar "band-saw boxes," of which he has made more than a thousand. Each box is unique since each block of wood suggests its own set of details (figure J). Each is limited in height simply because the band saw that he uses has a 20-inch gap between the blade and frame. Felt glued in the drawer components, filling the narrow space where the saw-blade left a gap, ensures that each piece fits in position snugly.

Figure I

Figure J

Figure K

Before building a new furniture design, Carpenter builds miniature mock-ups that he calls "maquettes" (figure K). "They solve my problem of not being able to draw," Art jokes, "They're made just to get proportions."

	Master woodworker Art Espenet Carpenter takes David Marks on a tour of his workshop.
	Art Espenet Carpenter

Carpenter's unique creations and his philosophical approach have shown many woodworkers that they can be free to experiment and design as they please. His approach has genuinely expanded the boundaries of style in woodworking.

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