The James Krenov Smoother – under review

[Javier]

You mean something like this?

That's the sort of stuff Byron. Compared to the huge log clunkers I'm refering to from the early American 70's Nakashima's stuff is almost, well, er, dainty. The top is only about 2" or 3" thick for a start, and there's even an underframe made of machined and joined square'ish bits instead of a tree stump. Slainte.

I've read JK's books. His work was refined, not the organic type work mentioned above.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

...He work was refined, not the organic type work mentioned above.

I think that's already established Javier. Indirectly that was one of the points I made in my first post to this thread- the more refined look he promoted. It wasn't until the latter part of the 1970's that the work and writings of Krenov and others of that generation became well known and influential. They moved people forward and away from the clunky log look that was popular in the early 1970's.

Sadly, it doesn't alter the fact that I can't read Krenov's prose, try as I have many times over the last twenty five or thirty years. I suppose, therefore, his influence on my own work and philosophy must be minimal. Slainte.

 

[Paul Kierstead]

Unfortunately Byron, I find Mr. Krenov's writings come across as directionless twittering. Reading a whole page of any any of his books gives me the urge to slam it shut and throw it away as far as possible, preferably into a fire.

Interesting. Although I have gained good information from a wide variety of woodworking books, Mr. Krenov's are the only ones I have ever actually enjoyed reading. It is kind of directionless I'll admit, but if I want to read, instead of having a reference, I like him.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[Anonymous]

snip
I recall that we used to simply dismiss American craft woodworking of the early 1970's as the triumph of wood over all other considerations of design, taste, function and joinery skills, ie, lumpy tree root stuff slathered over with epoxy resin and, therefore, laughable junk, ha, ha. Slainte.

Still going strong in Scotland it seems.
I too never been drawn to Krenov or for that matter any of the popular woodwork gurus. I don't like gurus anyway but even more I don't like the worshipful uncritical audience they seem to attract - they are as bad as each other. To some extent poor old Krenov may be victim and had gurudom thrust upon him wether he wanted it or not.
That vague mystical/naturalistic stuff is a bit of an American cultural tradition going back to Thoreau and earlier.

cheers
Jacob

 

[Javier]

I bought the Fine Art of Cabinetmaking. I thought it contained alot of practical info. Making
a handplane, cutting/selecting lumber. Handplane use, scraper use, matching grain
on doors cabinets. Dovetailing, doweling, choosing quality machinery, using Japanese chisels
(before they became popular in the West). He also goes step by step in the building of a cabinet.
The list goes on. I woulodn't consider him a guru, just an interesting instructor that makes cool
looking cabinets. Though he has made some wise, guruish quotes like the one below.

 

[Anonymous]

I bought the Fine Art of Cabinetmaking. I thought it contained alot of practical info. Making
a handplane, cutting/selecting lumber. Handplane use, scraper use, matching grain
on doors cabinets. Dovetailing, doweling, choosing quality machinery, using Japanese chisels
(before they became popular in the West). He also goes step by step in the building of a cabinet.
The list goes on. I woulodn't consider him a guru, just an interesting instructor that makes cool
looking cabinets. Though he has made some wise, guruish quotes like the one below.

Aha, so it's his fault then - all this japanese chisel mullarkey :roll:
Anyway I've ordered the book. I ought at least to find out why I'm not interested in him! Might change my mind even.
Sorry not impressed by the quotation, I've got new-age friends who burble on endlessly like that, teetering on the edge of meaninglessness.

cheers
Jacob

 

[engineer one]

i think it is important to put jk in perspective, in the 70's as sgian dhub says american taste and style was dubious to say the least.

before the petrol crisis, the yanks had a great deal of money,but not too much taste to our eyes, and they thought that bigger was better.
along came the new post war designers who tried to play to that market. since they were such good marketers and pr people, they made it appear that that was all that was available.

along came people like jk who showed it was possible to make things slightly more subtely, although often too much wood and not enough form and function.

however it was because of this that the market grew for better hand tools, and even if we did not like the designs then at least we can be thankful for better tools, mass produced at decent prices. without jk i do not think LN and LV would have been able to be so brave.

so love him or hate him. you have to admit he helped move american design into a better place.

paul :wink:

 

[Philly]

Aha, so it's his fault then - all this japanese chisel mullarkey :roll:

Nope, I think you'll find it's the fault of the Japanese.

Anyway I've ordered the book. I ought at least to find out why I'm not interested in him! Might change my mind even.

Speechless..... :shock:

Philly

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Still going strong in Scotland it seems.
Jacob

Ah Jacob, the work of Tim 'Stonehenge' Stead, now sadly departed. I knew him reasonably well, particularly some years ago when I worked for Edinburgh College of Art. We had good connections with most of the local furniture designer/ makers. Tim was quite a character, always ready to roll up a smoke on stage and spark it up half way through giving a seminar or lecture, ha, ha. Slainte.

 

[Javier]

I've got new-age friends who burble on endlessly like that, teetering on the edge of meaninglessness.

cheers
Jacob

Your friends have become one with the universe. No but seriously, his book has alot of
practical information, but written a generation ago you've probably heard many of the
techniques repeated by others since.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyway I've ordered the book. I ought at least to find out why I'm not interested in him! Might change my mind even.

Speechless..... :shock:

Philly

It was only £1.93 from Abebooks, I'm not getting carried away :lol:
IMHO woodworking gurus in general seem to operate in isolation and tend to be blindly unaware of the great tradition of woodwork and the millions of anonymous artisans contributing to it. I tend to look at their work and think "so what?"
Here's a nice chair (obviously french) made by "anon" with backup from the collective genius of tradition:

 

[Paul Chapman]

IMHO woodworking gurus in general seem to operate in isolation and tend to be blindly unaware of the great tradition of woodwork and the millions of anonymous artisans contributing to it.

When you know the background to some of these people you call gurus, that's often not true.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

Mr Grim wrote:

Here's a nice chair (obviously french) made by "anon" with backup from the collective genius of tradition:

The chair is typical IMO of the countless beyond number of so called rustic, poorly made, ill proportioned, appallingly designed and badly finished artefacts that litter flea markets, boot fairs and 'antique' shops....I wouldn't give this sort of thing a second glance and if it were mine, it would be top of the pile on November 5th. Moreover, it's not even very old, note that the top rail at the front has had no wear worth speaking of. To compare this sort of utter rubbish with the furniture produced by JK ( even if you like or dislike his stuff) is frankly just a little disappointing - Rob

 

[ByronBlack]

Mr Grim wrote:

Here's a nice chair (obviously french) made by "anon" with backup from the collective genius of tradition:

The chair is typical IMO of the countless beyond number of so called rustic, poorly made, ill proportioned, appallingly designed and badly finished artefacts that litter flea markets, boot fairs and 'antique' shops....I wouldn't give this sort of thing a second glance and if it were mine, it would be top of the pile on November 5th. Moreover, it's not even very old, note that the top rail at the front has had no wear worth speaking of. To compare this sort of utter rubbish with the furniture produced by JK ( even if you like or dislike his stuff) is frankly just a little disappointing - Rob

Ditto =D>

 

[Anonymous]

Predictable reaction. Nothing particular about that chair and not valuable, randomly googled "chaise paillee". Just a chirpy bit of "vernacular design" of a kind which always gives me pleasure. I'd rather have it than one of those overworked Makepeace monsters - even more so if I was sitting on it in it's home territory Provence with a glass of red wine in one hand and a Gauloise in the other!

cheers
Jacob

 

[Javier]

even more so if I was sitting on it in it's home territory Provence with a glass of red wine in one hand and a Gauloise in the other!

cheers
Jacob

Nice chair. I like the rustic style of chairs made by John Brown. He wrote some articles
for U.K.'s good woodworking magazine a couple years back. I'm thiniking of ordering his book.
I need a good chair building guru. 8)

 

[AHoman]

IMHO woodworking gurus in general seem to operate in isolation and tend to be blindly unaware of the great tradition of woodwork and the millions of anonymous artisans contributing to it.

Are we still talking about the same James Krenov? The one who was the product of a trade school in Sweden? Or is this a kind of fantasy-whipping boy guru that you dream about?
-Andy

 

[woodbloke]

Mr Grim wrote:

I'd rather have it than one of those overworked Makepeace monsters - even more so if I was sitting on it in it's home territory Provence with a glass of red wine in one hand and a Gauloise in the other!

Mr Grim.....suggest you lay off the Gauloise, them foreign smokes'll do you no good. Were we talking about Krenov....I think so? So how did Makepeace sneak in? - Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Mr Grim wrote:

I'd rather have it than one of those overworked Makepeace monsters - even more so if I was sitting on it in it's home territory Provence with a glass of red wine in one hand and a Gauloise in the other!

Mr Grim.....suggest you lay off the Gauloise, them foreign smokes'll do you no good. Were we talking about Krenov....I think so? So how did Makepeace sneak in? - Rob

Given them up sadly, and so has most of France it seems - not a whiff last time I was there. It used to be next to garlic and pissoirs as the essential french pong.
Makepeace another "guru". Did JK make chairs at all? I'll find out when I get the book (if I don't throw it straight in the fire :lol: )
BTW if you keep your eyes open you can spot fascinating variations on straw bottomed chairs like the one above, all over the world. Some are very rustic and hewn like those painted by Van Gogh, greek cafes have them but different shape, lotsa french variations like this one with a bit of oo la la, common in chapels in Britain with arts n crafts prim and properness, some totally peasant made, others mass produced etc.
Often very sophisticated shapes but in an under-stated way which you only get to appreciate if you try to copy one.
I bet a JK chair would have very long spindly legs and a rather uncomfortable top so you'd bang your head on the ceiling. :lol:

cheers
Jacob

 

[Anonymous]

even more so if I was sitting on it in it's home territory Provence with a glass of red wine in one hand and a Gauloise in the other!

cheers
Jacob

Nice chair. I like the rustic style of chairs made by John Brown. He wrote some articles
for U.K.'s good woodworking magazine a couple years back. I'm thiniking of ordering his book.
I need a good chair building guru. 8)

Just ordered it. Sounds interesting. 1st editions worth a bomb! Best price from toolpost. Thanks for that.

cheers
Jacob