Centre for Fine Woodworking NZ: A vision for the future

Alice Knight (clockwise from top left): Dawn Hall Table, American walnut; Low Groove Cabinet, American oak; Curiosity Box, American ash, natural and ebonised.

Words: Brian Reid
Photos: Daniel Allen

In May 2023, seven individuals pushed pause on their lives to try something new by beginning full time study at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in Nelson, New Zealand. They wanted to learn how to design and make furniture to a high level of craftsmanship.

Learning skills

Alice Knight, Occasional Chair, American oak

For some the decision to attend may have been precipitated by the upheaval of the pandemic. For others it was a dream they had nurtured for years, in one case for decades. Most of the students were from New Zealand; two were from the UK and one was from Brazil. Almost half of the students hoped to make woodworking their new profession, the rest were looking for a serious hobby. Their names are Glen Hamilton, Deb Harwood, Gloria Hildred, Steve Judge, Alice Knight, Cam Scott and Arthur Noguiera.

Deb Harwood, Connections Table, NZ red beech, walnut

So many readers of Wood Review magazine, I imagine, are craftspeople both professional and amateur. Remember back to the day when at most, you had simply screwed together a bit of timber to make a bookshelf? These students came from a variety of backgrounds: accounting, information technology, music, theatre, non-profit management, and weeks culminates in the design and construction of a dovetailed box. This is the exhilarating part of the program. Everything is new and fresh, easy to comprehend. One just needs to get the mind and the body working together. 

Steve Judge, My Treasure Jewellery Box, American walnut, American maple, silver, pearl

Alice Knight’s Curiosity Box exemplifies the skills taught in the first term. With its gently tapered sides, perfectly fitted lid and complementary use of materials, it is a great example of what can be accomplished, with proper tutelage, in such a short space of time.

Deb Harwood, Admin Box, cherry, American walnut

Curves ahead

Glen Hamilton, Floating Weave Cabinet, American white ash, sapele; In the Wind Table, American white ash, sapele; Grounded Box, mahogany, wenge, American hard maple

Curvature, steam bending, laminating, kerf bending, brick laying and curved joinery are next taught. So many techniques to cover. The design brief was to design and make a hall  table. All of a sudden things are more complicated, confusion takes hold. There’s a three-dimensional puzzle to organise in the brain. Ouch! Do I really need geometry?

Cam Scott, Tidal Table, American white ash, American black walnut, glass

Cam Scott’s Tidal Table at first look seems so simple. The S-curve, seemingly easily bent, is quite a technical feat that required a lot of forethought, precise machining and accurate jig making.

Steve Judge, Hall Table, American walnut, American hard maple

Steve Judge’s hall table demonstrates the difficulty of joining two curves together. To keep the two legs symmetrical as they pierce the brick laid ring was no easy feat.

Gloria Hildred, able, American hard maple, sapele

Gloria Hildred’s table is so simple and yet so appealing with its reference to Art Deco or Gothic design. Her detailing in this piece ties all the components together.

Arthur Noguiera, Waters of March Coffee Table, American ash, kwila, stones; Anakin Vader Chair, American ash, ebonised walnut; Chisel Box, maple, walnut, wenge

Seat of learning

Designing and making a chair is a pretty daunting task just four months into the program. A chair has sculptural qualities. It is constrained by ergonomics and it has to be comfortable for a huge range of body types. Which takes precedence? For a first chair, an eight- week timeframe is very short. Full-scale mock-ups have to be made. Three-dimensional joinery has to be learned and resolved. Time for a vacation.

Arthur Nogueira’s Anakin Vader chair is a fairly common form of chair design. But Arthur’s design is made more intriguing by the graphic interplay of black-and-white between the frame and the seat.

Glen Hamilton’s Dan-Ash chair is so nicely resolved. Intentional or not I feel he has alluded to elements of historical design periods such as Danish design and maybe Spanish Art Nouveau.

Cam Scott, Recluse’s Throne, sapele, upholstery 

Cabinet complexities

The last and final project of the course was to design and make a cabinet with a piston fit drawer and a hinged door. Numerous joints had to be learned including corner joints such as mitres and fingers, and divider joints such as tapered sliding dovetails and thru wedged-tenons. Process, patience, organisation, problem solving and adaptability were key lessons. Understanding the complexity and interrelatedness of all the components and joints is challenging. The students were wearing out. The projects have  to be finished. The end-of-year show is coming up.

Gloria Hildred’s CD and Vinyl cabinet exemplifies the goals of the last term. Despite being constrained by the function of the cabinet, Gloria included every joint and technique that was taught. She wanted it to be restrained in appearance but appreciated as one discovered the subtle detailing.

Deb Harwood, Beach Bach Boxes

Deb Harwood’s Beech Bach Boxes were another excellent example. The joinery exercises were all there but spread through the three cabinet structures. Deb concentrated on the composition of the design that turned out so nicely. She added colour, something that is generally overlooked in this type of program. Refreshing.

Alice Knight’s Low Groove as well as Deb’s Beech Bach Boxes also used texture as an additional design element in the coving of the doors added much to both cabinets’ overall appearance.

Cam Scott, Hall Table, American walnut and hard maple

On show

I’m writing this article just a few days after the exhibition’s opening at the Parker Gallery. The students’ furniture was exceptionally presented and opening night was well attended and quite packed. I think the students where a bit overwhelmed
by the seriousness of the attention they were getting. This was so much more than just friends and family. Works were being purchased by strangers. It was an exhilarating evening, a validation that a year’s commitment was worth it. All of us craftspeople who have been through this grind know that this journey was an experience of a lifetime. I think Glen, Cam, Gloria, Arthur, Deb, Alice and Steve would agree.

Learn more about the Centre for Fine Woodworking at https://www.cfw.co.nz/

Brian Reid has taught for 25 years at the Centre for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, USA and at the Centre for Fine Woodworking in New Zealand since 2015. He trained at Parnham College in Dorset, England, under the tutelage of Robert Ingham and Sir John Makepeace. In 2023 Brian taught the final term in the course which focused on cabinet joinery and design.