James Krenov: from WoodCentral
The announcement came this month on one of the woodworking forums of the death of James Krenov, founder of the woodworking program at College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, California, and one of the acknowledged woodworking masters of our day. – Editor
“James Krenov is at last at rest, having left this life with a piece of wood in his hand, at 7 pm on September 9.”– Ellis
As would be expected, this prompted several forum participants to share their thoughts and memories of how Krenov’s work had influenced their own woodworking.
“Keeping his zen-like methods of work alive and sharing them with others is the best way I can think of to honor him.: -- David
“Krenov pieces can appear simple, but I didn't find them simple to build. When I began building a wall cabinet similar to one of his I saw in a book, I soon discovered that this ‘simple’ cabinet became one of the most difficult pieces I ever attempted. In building it, I came to realize and appreciate what an accomplished engineer Krenov was. His solutions to assembly problems resulting from his designs are elegant. And his designs do lead to assembly problems not found in traditional furniture.” -- Bill
“He did simplify some stuff, like making dovetails. Back then a studio piece had to have startling exposed dovetails, and Krenov reduced the process to a pretty simple formula. He openly admitted that people, himself included, would often goof the difficult bits and explained how to manufacture with training wheels. He believed in not making things any easier that the piece required, and not any more difficult either. ..What I like about Krenov is that he was, in his earlier books, the last great amateur. Today, amateurs normally don't see themselves at the pinnacle of craft.” – ThomD
“I don' t know of any modern cabinet maker that initiated so many cabinetry ideas that inspired others to copy.” Bill
“[James Krenov] has taught more folks about quality woodworking that most craftsmen could imagine: a true icon and legend in the woodworking industry --not only his work, but his encouragement to folks to build their own hand planes.” -- Alan
Krenov’s death also prompted some reflection on the death this past May of Sam Maloof, another greatly influential woodworker of the same generation. -- Editor
“I suppose it was a matter of time; both Sam and James were getting on in years. Both in their own ways and style were, rightly so, a great influence on us. For they conveyed not only a mastery of the craft but, perhaps most importantly, a genuine passion for it.” – Bob
An earlier post had indicated death was near for Krenov, and a post from his daughter thanking forum members for their thoughts seems a fitting conclusion. - Editor
“On behalf of the family, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They seem to have worked, as JK went peacefully, holding a piece of wood tightly in his hand. His work here is done. His message lives on: ‘Love what you do.’”-- Tina Krenov
Common Mistakes: from Sawmill Creek
The original poster on this thread lamented the frequency of the “common mistakes” he makes in his woodworking, and his resolve to stop making them. –– Editor
“Here are my most common mistakes:
1. Mark a piece of wood, measure and re-mark the piece of wood. Then cut on the wrong marking so the piece is too short.
2. Put the cutting guide on the wrong side of the pencil markings so that the piece you want is a blade kerf too short
3. Planning error in the design. Dimension is wrong on the cutlist so after you make all the cuts and begin putting it together, one or two pieces is off. “ – Chris
Some respondents offered specific solutions. – Editor
“The easiest way to avoid #1 is to scribble out the "extra" line. For #2, make an "X" on the waste side of the line. For #3, run your numbers at least twice. It's also a good idea to have someone else check your cutlist before you dive in. Often, if, say, you transpose numbers or make an error in writing the number, you will see it the same way the second time too whereas another person will be more likely to catch the error.” – David
“1. Guilty of this - I put an X over the the incorrect line.
2. Guilty of this - Mark scrap pieces clearly with an X. Use arrow head to mark kerf side.
3 - Guilty of this - Do not cut all parts listed to exact length before you build project, errors will just be compounded. Use a cut-list as a guide, not as a bible.
Make “real life” cuts as you go - the idea is to have equal length cuts for equal length parts. For example, say you are cutting 4, 20” stretchers (per cut-list) for a small table. What is most important is that they are all the exact same length - if they are 20” +/- 1/4” that will not usually be critical - unequal lengths are a killer. Make all following measurement “real life” based on previous cuts. This will usually require dry fitting as you proceed.” — Larry
“As for #3: this is exactly the reason I use SketchUp and design each and every part inplace. This makes actually building more of an assembly process than a ‘figurin' stuff out’ phase. I already did all the figurin' before. In addition to that, I may only measure one or two initial parts for a project - after that, every part gets marked inplace to accomodate the space it's going into - no measuring; just hold the rough piece up to the space it's going into and mark it. I don't trust measurements when something has to fit somewhere. I take the piece to the space.” -- Jason
Others took a more philosophical approach to examining why mistakes occur in the shop.. – Editor
“I've noticed that most of my mistakes occur when I don't plan something. I know I ought to just draw up a good set, but sometimes the desire to skip that step is too strong. The time I spend rebuilding something I goofed on is far greater then the time it would have taken to just sketch a quick set of plans to begin with.” --Steve
“It took me a long time to SLOW DOWN. Not that I still don't screw up, but being in a rush when it is not necessary always led to errors. Then, by the time I fixed the ----ups, I had spent all the time I ‘saved’ anyhow.”-- Bill
“It's far from being the root of all my mistakes, but the biggest single factor generating scrap in my shop is impatience. Getting in a hurry to finish saves neither time nor material.” –Tom
And one poster offered some reassuring words to all who participated in the discussion. – Editor
“I make a lot of mistakes, but I don't know if I can classify any as ‘common.’ There are so many places to make mistakes that I'll probably never run out of opportunities, even if I don't repeat any.” -- Mike