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Questions & Answers (continued) Q. Do you remember that first time you made something out of wood? A. My dad had a bunch of power tools lying around and they always interested me. I remember going to Sears one time and seeing a Craftsman Router in its little case. Oh, I really wanted that and eventually I got it. The first thing I made with it was a Giacomini sign. But actually, the first thing I ever remember making out of wood was making a trap door in the floor. My big brother and I lived in the basement. It seemed like it would be easier just to go up and down through the floor then have to go outside and come back in. So I used my Skill saw to cut this trap door where the heater had been. Then I put the floor back with the carpet glued on top so you couldn’t tell it was even there. Q. Did your parents know about this? A. They didn’t know at first, but they soon learned. They knew I had a Skill saw and they knew I had to keep using it. I had to keep trying out new things. Q. Who were some of your mentors who taught you and encouraged you in your woodworking? A. Nils Persson was someone who taught me a lot about woodworking and about the business. I worked for him in the early 80s. In fact, I ended up buying a shop from him. It was in San Rafael. Nils had a great approach to woodworking and most other things too. He’s a very positive guy. I have a tendency to knock myself out trying to make everything perfect and there’s nothing wrong with that in this business. He was one of the people that taught me some things about being a perfectionist. He taught me that there’s always a solution to every problem and that even if you make a mistake, there’s a solution to that too. Even though we humans can’t actually make something perfect, it’s important to try to get as close you can. And it’s important to take a pride in your work. Q. So, what was it like working with Nils? How did it shape you and your future? Well, I’ve just always wanted to build and work with wood. And I had a lot of woodworking experience before I ever worked for Nils. I’d learned a lot on my own, mostly by trial and error. He helped to refine, and hone the skills I already had. He helped me become a true cabinetmaker. When you look at the ads for cabinetmakers, they always say 5-10 years experience. You can’t have two years experience and think of yourself as a great cabinetmaker. So, like everyone else, I went in kind of green. It wasn’t until I got much deeper into the craft that I realized how much I didn’t know in the beginning. That’s one of the things that I love about woodworking. You just have to keep on learning new things, adding new skills. It’s part of your toolkit. Q. Any other mentors along the way? A. Another mentor of mine was Steve
Burdick. He’s taught me how to build staircases and spiral stairs and just
about anything that has a curve to it. I learned how to bend and shape wood and
really sculpt it into these beautiful shapes. It’s a valuable skill and one
that I take pride in. Some of these woodworking techniques Q. Steve Burdick, that name sounds familiar. A. He has a house in San Anselmo and one in Fairfax and he’s a big-time jazz drummer. Just a really great person. He’s one of the reasons I got through this last job I had. I had to hand-carve these twisted newels. I had some questions about how to tackle it so I gave him a call. We talked through a couple of things and I was all set. |
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and skills are truly
a craft and they’re something you can only learn them from an experienced
craftsman. You have to have the feel for it, the patience and the desire to
learn. But the knowledge, the techniques get passed on down the line from one
craftsman to another.