Todd Woodesign - Home of Furniture Designer / Maker Jim Todd (see page selections down below)

November 9, 2009

Martian Sofa Table

This sofa table is made with cherry and tineo. I discovered tineo at my favorite wood supplier and had to get some. It's natural colour is very close to cherry, but it has the added distinct black lines between the sap wood and heart wood, very unique.

I've got a red finish that really punches out on this type wood, and did just fine on this sofa table.

I made two identical tables, one red, one left natural.

$600.

Click here to download:

Martian_Sofa_Table.zip (3205 KB)

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October 5, 2009

Woodworker + Drummer = Drum Top Table

Finally!

Just as my mantel clock and liquor cabinet designs eventually found some curves, my family of small tables has now been rounded out. At 24" high, these drum top tables are the same height as my cocktail tables, and with a 15" diameter, they would just fit within those square tops (which are 15 1/2" x 15 1/2").

Proportions were even more critical on this one, and therefore the full scale prototype got ripped apart quite a few times. Eventually, I arrived at these dimensions, and parked the model by the door of my studio so that I'd glance at it every time I walked by. It passed the walk-by test.

This one has a solid hard curly maple top, curly maple veneered aprons and the legs and beading are solid cherry. All with a clear laquer finish, super smooth. I will be able to prefinish each component, so it will be possible to have separate finishes on each of the parts. (I think I'll try putting an "ebony-black" finish on the cherry parts for a high contrast.)

You'll see that the two top view pics show quite different character. The wood for these two tops was purchased in a lot as curly maple, but not uncommonly, some of it ended up not having the text book rippled pattern of curly; some of it sort of has the dots of birdseye maple, some sort of has the slow wave of quilted maple... therefore, before I get into trouble with any hardcore curly maple connoisseurs, I'm going to make a point of calling these tops "figured maple", and send out a pic of the intended glued up top for approval when someone orders a table. It's more work to do this, but I like people to understand the randomness of grain patterns and possibly change their impression of what beautiful wood is. Sorry, am I losing you? Getting a little to woodie there. Guilty as charged.

The introductory price for these round tables as pictured is ...$360. Yes, a dollar / degree! (Yeah, kind of goofy, but I doubt anyone will try to talk me down even one dollar!) Drum sticks not included.

The last shot is me back in the day, at The El Mocambo, ~1989.

Click here to download:

Woodworker_Drummer_Drum_Top_Ta.zip (7741 KB)

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September 17, 2009

Bedlam

In reality, "Bedlam" was not to be anywhere near chaotic. It would actually be intensely focused and carefully proportioned. After some discussion and brainstorming, I started to conjure an original piece that combined every element that I thought a bed needed, and no more. I designed a queen bed that would not need a bulky box spring, would have independent adjustable padded leather headboards, integrated side tables with hung drawer compartments, all with clean cubic geometry and the beautiful fruity grain of cherry. I admitted that I was attracted to some of the platform bed designs out there for their Zen look, but I didn't want to create something that was going to break someone's ankle as they walked by. I made a model (pic #4) to work out the proportions and left the front legs to be resolved later on. (The vertical slab support turned out to be just right.) The drawers are mounted on self closing silent slides as usual. (The joke was that you put your gun in the front drawer, and the ammo in the side drawer... his and hers.)

In the picture of the model, you'll see that there's an additional wall at the head of the bed with a cantilevered slab shelf. This "head wall" was an option which might be executed one day. I'm thinking that this extra wall would border the position of the bed quite well, and it might look great with a grid of... brushed patina copper panels? Hmm.

Above the bed is an original painting by Jean Paul Lemieux, a great complement to the setting.

This was the forth major project I did for these clients over a couple of years, and each one worked out so well. Two days after delivering this bed, I got this email from them:

"We are loving the bed. I still think it’s the nicest bed I’ve ever seen and appreciate it every time I go into the room, as I appreciate the beautiful wall unit every time I go into my study. You are a master – a true artist. Everything you do is unique and it’s a real privilege to live with your art."

Nice. I'll tuck that one away for a rainy day.

Time to decompress for a few days; I've got some dry walling to do, got my Ipod loaded up with some new tunes, perfect transition to the next wave.

Click here to download:

Bedlam.zip (4098 KB)

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August 26, 2009

Dart Boxes

I developed this little design in my first year at Sheridan College, as a small production item. They're made of purpleheart and quarter-sawn swamp ash. This design has a special place in my dusty woodworker's heart because it was really my first official sale. (Other than making a deck, installing a door, fixing a chair...). You see, through Sheridan, I was graciously allowed to have a few pieces put in The Guild Shop in Toronto in a humble student section. I remember the moment when Don McKinley strolled into the bench room and said: "Congratulations Jim, one of your dart boxes sold." Well, there's probably still a dent in the ceiling where I hit the roof in excitement. He smiled in a way that I realized later wasn't just a "Oh geeze, what a newby!", but more of a "Enjoy the moment, tuck that feeling away for a rainy day, and meanwhile, get back to work and start thinking about the next design."

I did, I did and, I did. Thanks Don.

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August 25, 2009

Spalted Maple Cocktail Table

I had a quick request for this piece, and was happy to oblige. Matching up the pieces for a top like this is so consuming, in a good way.

Since I've been showing these spalted maple pieces, I've had more interest in this remarkable wood, so I've been looking for new suppliers.

I'm doing a dyed green one soon.

Click here to download:

Spalted_Maple_Cocktail_Table.zip (2139 KB)

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June 28, 2009

Curly Maple Built-In Home Office

The alternative to a stand-alone concealed office, as in the previous computer armoire, is the made-to-measure built-in style of this desk and cabinetry.

In this case, I was already familiar with Dianne's tastes after working through the design process with her on the "French Cherry" jobs I had done. Therefore, with that personal familiarity already established, I was able to take the many measurements and her list of wants and dive right into the design process and get going relatively quickly. I've found that repeat customers are happy to jump into the game again with more comfort and even more eagerness. I guess they have seen how I can assess their needs and wishes, and how it works into a stew of ideas that always turns into a unique and successful piece.

This desk was completely customized for Dianne's sitting position, her storage needs for letter and legal files, binders and books above, and the placement of the computer tower, screen and pull-out keyboard. I also had to consider that this smaller room was a walk-through and had a sitting area with full windows on two sides. I went with the lifted legged file cabinet design on the bottoms to keep it more open, so as not to crowd the room with overly bulky looking cabinets. The light colour of the curly maple also made it less imposing. We resisted staining the curly (this would've been too loud for the room); a clear coat on finely sanded curly maple with black hardware sings quite well, the grain shows just fine still. Also, there's so much natural light in the room, which gives it a contemporary cottage feel, so no need to bring in anything heavy and dark.

This project gave me the chance to try a technique I had toyed with: a veneered crown to match the veneer used on the door panels. I used PVC pipe to make the well sized cove molding, which worked out great. It was basically the same material combo used as on the post in "Judy's Wine Bucket Stand", but a concave curve this time.

Since Dianne hadn't decided exactly how the computer wiring was going to be managed, it unfortunately was a bit of a rat's nest in the pictures, but it's all tucked away now.

A solid hard curly maple desk top is quite a prize; you can see the holographic grain in it, feel the smooth laquer finish, and it has a really nice knock to it.

I want one!

Click here to download:

Curly_Maple_Built_In_Home_Offi.zip (2111 KB)

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June 11, 2009

Computer Armoire...

....going, going...

I got a call one day: "Hey Jim, the movers are here, we're heading back to the States... you said you still wanted to get a picture of your masterpiece...?" ....AAH!

Explanation: Delivering this piece was a back breaker, so there was a quick retreat to a warm bath at the end of the long day, without first digging for the camera. Therefore, no picture on delivery, no picture soon after, and no picture a few weeks later when I got that call. So that's why there's an actual mover's box in the shot! ... the piece of furniture was quickly out of the house a minute later by 4 impatient, muscular guys. At least I took these 2 snaps while they were tapping their feet.

What a piece to make. It gave me the opportunity to design a single office environment in a single piece of stand-alone furniture and work with some spectacular woods. I'd seen other commercial solutions on the mass market, but this was a chance to make a very unique piece that had an outer beauty and an inner calculated functionality.

Except for a few final details, my pencil sketch turned out almost like what you see in the picture, except it was designed to allow a final element of distinction in the choice of woods to be used. I had a final meeting with my client to discuss such final details, and in the end, it was all left for me to decide. As I walked out their front door, I looked out at two flag poles set against Lake Ontario. There was a Canadian and an American flag. I was instantly inspired by the sight, and on the way home decided that the piece would now have these flag poles running through it, integrating the corner connections, the door seams and carrying through as a repeating detail on the sides and back. (The back was finished too so that it could be used in the middle of a large room, doubling as a room divider.) The poles and their bases were to be made of purpleheart.

The ripple in the lake was translated to a very similar ripple found in quarter sawn figured bubinga. I found such veneer in big enough pieces of veneer to enable each panel to have an individual sheet.

It's very pleasing to find the recessed handles on the front of the nondescript tower of wood and swing the full length doors open to discover a concise workstation. The inside is veneered with a straight grain maple, which has a consistent non-distracting gentle grain. The recessed lighting inside also makes it brighter.

Although it has a discrete seam at its waist, the two pieces are individually still quite heavy. After being in a bit of a fluster to get over to the house and being rushed to take only 2 pictures, I was admittedly a bit satisfied to hear the movers grunt when they lifted the well built sections. Also, I had worked as a mover for 2 summers when I was a student, so it all seemed to be coming back in a strange circle.

Click here to download:

Computer_Armoire....zip (955 KB)

Filed under // bubinga computer armoire purpleheart

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June 10, 2009

Pod Bedroom Pieces

These pieces had been fermenting in my head as possible companion pieces to the Bow Front Armoire I made years before.

They are veneered with curly maple with solid cherry borders and feet. With these pieces, I finally exhausted a nice supply of the curly veneer which had a curious pattern in it; there was a thread like squiggle evenly dispersed through the grain like something you might see in Japanese paper.

The feet this time, are thicker (a forty degree ellipse), and tow up more to a tighter radius on the bottom curve. I hand carved the door and drawer pulls.

Once again, I made a new form to make the curved doors in my vacuum press. (One day I'll have a form for every radius from ~6" to ~246" in 1/4" increments!)

They took on a character as soon as I started assembling the cabinets, even without doors. Their shorter stance was almost a human width, so animated references came to mind right away.

Hmm, maybe I should be designing a line of furniture for kids? Or, maybe just big kids.

They reside in Guelph Ontario. At time of delivery, I suggested to them that they wander around at night and switch the placements of common household objects.

It was only a suggestion though.

Click here to download:

Pod_Bedroom_Pieces.zip (2012 KB)

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June 9, 2009

Spalted Maple Table Set

The spalted maple for these tables came to me through a friend Raymond, who is always dropping off bits and pieces of wood, parts of old barns, broken pianos etc.

One day he told me about how our friend John had a bunch of big maple logs lying out in a field. The wood was to be cut for firewood, but some of the huge trunks were too big to easily manage, so they had been left in the field for 2 years. Raymond suggested that we energetically go and retrieve some for our own firewood, since John wanted them gone. In the process of rolling massive rugged hunks up onto his flat bed, I mentioned that if it was possible to cut these logs into boards, there might be some really interesting grain patterns caused by them sitting on the ground and starting to slightly decay.

Well, shortly after, Raymond told me that he had wrangled the last biggest trunk over to a Mennonite’s place, and it had been cut into boards. I went over with him and it overfilled my trailer. The maple had reached a state of spalting that was just amazing. It was caught in the process of decaying, rotting and returning to the earth... but the graphic figure in the wood was so completely alive.

I stacked it properly outside beside my studio for a year to dry, and then finally started cutting into it and selecting the salvageable wood. There is no selecting process I’ve ever seen that demands such a close eye, distinguishing the good from the bad. Some pieces were completely decayed beyond the state of stable, usable wood for furniture. Other pieces were a perfect sample of maple caught in the exact moment of spalting, before it turns into soft, crumbling “chicken wood”. But most pieces were a random combination of rot and stable wood, and it took 2 full days to go through it properly. In the end, it was about a 15% yield of workable wood, and 85% kindling.

Then, the artist’s eye finally came to use. Juxtaposing or blending distinct grain patterns took longer than I’d like to admit, because it was just so invigorating to play with the different characters in each piece of wood. Longer pieces were rare, so it was ideal to use the pieces for my small table series.

The black lines that sometimes separate areas are where the mold was finding a path through the wood cells. Some of these areas look like swatches from a Lawren Harris painting.

The legs and beading along the curved aprons are air dried cherry, a natural complimenting choice.

There's straight hard maple, then there's curly maple, then there's bird's eye maple, then there's quilted maple, and then, the most difficult maple to acquire in a board form: spalted maple. Sure, you will find some in your log pile by the fireplace maybe, but finding a big enough piece that can be worked into a stable plank for furniture is hard.

Click here to download:

Spalted_Maple_Table_Set.zip (2662 KB)

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June 3, 2009

Bow Front Armoire

This is the piece that spawned the creation of some of my other work with elliptical ("pod") feet and bowed fronts. The inspiration came from the generous couple who commissioned me to make it. He is a Toronto firefighter who was at the time building a two-seater airplane in a garage, and she is a confident, gentle woman with a fabulous French accent. There were enough adjectives formed from their two characters to quickly brainstorm design elements and attributes... strength, lift, subtle but assertive, refined, accurate, flowing, positive, animated yet eloquent...

It is a 7' high armoire for their clothes. It has 9 drawers and 2 compartments above with shelving.

The bowed front is slightly accented by the sides angling in five degrees. The top curve is also slightly accented, by a minute curve in the back which is just noticeable enough when it's up against a wall, about 1 1/4" inches over the whole height. The solid feet are 20 degree ellipses tilting up slightly to align with the tangent to the bottom curve. The same ellipse is used for the handle recesses, which have a comfy groove on the inside to reward fingers used to explore the inner spaces.

The whole piece is bookmatch-veneered with Australian lacewood from one log for complete continuity, from left side to front, to right side.

No decoration -- it's all in the selected wood grain on a carefully calculated and flowing design. This was a benchmark piece.

Shortly after completing it (late '90's), I was approached by James Strecker, asking me if I would be willing to be featured in a book about the School of Crafts and Design at Sheridan College. I was honored to be selected as one of ten people to represent the array of graduates from the furniture studio. It is called Sheridan -- The Cutting Edge in Crafts. I chose this Armoire to represent my work and provided a write up to go with this picture. There was also a series of questions James asked me on the phone... I was mistakenly under the impression that he was going to use my responses as guidelines with which to make his own summations... my responses were scattered through chapters in the book, and in the end it was probably accurate of the times since I was a wacko furniture guy living in an industrial unit. Oh well, it's only a book, it's not like it could float around forever, like on the net... there's another topic all together.

Peter Hogan assisted me in photographing it in my Oakville studio.

Filed under // australian lacewood solid cherry armoire

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