• Home
  • Blog
    • Audio Podcast Archive
    • Joinery
    • News & Ramblings
    • Projects
    • Q & A
    • Shop Tips
    • Tools
  • Free Videos
  • Online Courses
  • Traditional Classes
    • Foundations of Traditional Woodworking
RegisterLogin
Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Audio Podcast Archive
    • Joinery
    • News & Ramblings
    • Projects
    • Q & A
    • Shop Tips
    • Tools
  • Free Videos
  • Online Courses
  • Traditional Classes
    • Foundations of Traditional Woodworking

News & Ramblings

Form Before Figure

  • Posted by Bob Rozaieski
  • Categories News & Ramblings, Shop Tips
  • Date July 12, 2017
  • Comments 3 comments
William & Mary Frame and Panel Chest. Photo courtesy of H.L. Chalfant Antiques.

Have you ever found such a stunning piece of wood that you were almost afraid to cut into it? You know the boards I’m talking about. The tiger maple with such unbelievable striping you just want to put a frame around it and hang it on the wall. Or the curly cherry with the surface that looks so deep you could drown in it. It’s not too common to luck into boards like these. So when we do, our first instinct is often to try to showcase that unbelievable figure on every surface of a project that we can. However, this approach frequently leads to less than stellar results that can range in appearance from “meh” to “blech”.

If the form itself is lacking, the best wood in the world will not make up for it.

– George Walker

Similar results can occur from the over use of other decorative elements, like moldings, carvings, inlay, decorative painting, or contrasting wood species. Any element who’s main purpose is to highlight can also serve to detract if over used, or if the underlying form is lacking.

William & Mary Frame and Panel Chest. Photo courtesy of H.L. Chalfant Antiques.
Even though this chest was built with fairly straight grained, “boring” wood, the overall form is very well proportioned and executed to my eye, making it much more appealing than something with wildly figured grain that has been over used, or used in a poorly proportioned piece. Photo courtesy of H.L. Chalfant Antiques.

We should even include joinery in this discussion. Woodworkers today are obsessed with showy joinery. Air tight dovetails, pillowed through mortise and tenon joints, and ebony pegs, when used with restraint, can indeed add an element of visual interest to a piece with good underlying form. But if the overall proportions and basic structure of the piece are lacking, it really doesn’t matter how perfect your hand cut dovetails are. Flawless skin cannot make up for poor bone structure.

On the other hand, if the underlying form is good, you can get away with a less than perfect complexion. Just look at the furniture on display in most museums. It can be riddled with over sawn dovetails, surface tear out, inconsistent turnings, and be made with boring, figureless wood. But the piece can still be exemplary because its basic form is well executed, and its decorative elements serve to highlight the piece and draw your eye rather than clutter it and create a chaotic appearance.

So what’s a woodworker to do? How do we use the wood in that wonderful board in a way that won’t result in utter disappointment? The answer is to start with the basic form and then highlight sparingly. Forget about the figure in the board. Look past the surface. Instead, perfect the underlying skeleton before turning your focus to the skin. Once the overall form and functionality of the piece are worked out, only then should the ornamentation (including the figure of the parts) be considered. Thinking about your designs in this way will increase the likelihood that the figure in the wood will enhance the overall appearance of the piece rather than clutter it.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Tag:Design, Inspiration

author avatar
Bob Rozaieski

I'm a passionate woodworking enthusiast of over 30 years, with an interest in the methods of pre-industrial joiners and cabinetmakers. I'm a furniture maker, teacher, and author, and I share my thoughts and experiences with the goal of educating and inspiring others who are pursuing the craft of traditional woodworking. In addition to writing about and teaching traditional woodworking, I also build commission pieces for customers, and speak at woodworking shows and seminars.

Previous post

Still Space Left in the Candle Box Class
July 12, 2017

Next post

HTT007 - Getting Started with Carving
July 19, 2017

    3 Comments

  1. michalofsky
    November 5, 2017
    Reply

    just finished reading this article in popular woodworking
    i found it so interesting
    so i have this bunch of boring oak
    and i love the picture of the chest in the article
    perfest for my winter sweaters
    perfect to keep my wife happy
    is there any chance you have the overall dimensions of the chest in the article
    i would love to make it
    thanks
    michael
    michalofsky@gmail.com

    • Bob Rozaieski
      November 6, 2017
      Reply

      The photo of the chest was graciously provided by HL Chalfant Antiques. It is listed as 53.5″ W x 31″ H x 22.5″ D. You can find more information about it on their web site in the furniture section under chests.

  2. michalofsky
    November 5, 2017
    Reply

    one blasphemous comment on use of hand tools:
    i do use a combination of both because
    i want to get my project done
    so that i can start the next project that’s in my head but
    the festool domino loose tenon HAND held machine
    makes woodworking incredibly fast and accurate
    if a project has many joints
    the machine can help speed the project to completion by conservatively 50%
    thanks
    michael

Join the Discussion Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe!Get Notified Whenever We Publish New Content

Would you like to receive notifications when new content is added to the site? Just enter your email address below and click "Subscribe" to get on the notification list. Don't worry, we'll never share your email with anyone. It'll be our little secret!

Search

Categories

  • Audio
  • Joinery
  • News & Ramblings
  • Projects
  • Q & A
  • Shop Tips
  • Tools
  • Videos

Latest Online Courses

Hand Plane Foundations

Hand Plane Foundations

Coming soon
Hand Saw Foundations

Hand Saw Foundations

$ 50.00
Colonial Wall Cupboard

Colonial Wall Cupboard

Coming soon

About

  • About
  • Testimonials

Links

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed

Information

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

Support

  • FAQs
  • Contact

Copyright © 2015-2021 Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Login with your site account

Lost your password?

Not a member yet? Register now

Register a new account

Are you a member? Login now

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.