Syzygy Woodworks

What a fun project this was!

My client had a collection of Willits Jazz Statues and wanted an appropriate display stand for them. When I first saw them I was blown away by how much character the statues had. My second reaction was how heavy they are. They are made from cast concrete!

This is the display stand I came up with. I thought the stylized piano keys inlaid in the border of each shelf complimented the character of the statues nicely.

The main wood used is Makore veneer, also known as African cherry. I’ll definitely be using this again. The grain is gorgeous. The piano keys are made from dyed black poplar, white sycamore, and charcoal poplar.

I’ve been asked numerous times if the border of piano keys is painted on the shelves. The answer is no. They are wood veneers inlaid into the veneer of the shelf, a process called marquetry.

As with many of my projects, I started this one without knowing what to do and figured it out along the way. It’s similar to building a bridge you’re stepping onto.

This fireplace surround was unique because of my client’s choice of electric fireplace. Unlike most electric fireplaces which only have one display face, this one had the option of being visible from three sides. There were a number of ways that the unit could be mounted. My clients chose to have it mounted with a mantle both above and below the fireplace. To my mind, those mantles, made from stained white oak veneer, are the most stunning feature of this fireplace surround.

The countertops and floating shelves are made from the same veneer, with the floating shelves featuring dimmable LED lights. The cabinetry, with inset glass doors, is finished in white to match the existing trim work in the room.

Speakers from the sound system needed to sit on the sides of the cabinets, so rather than just have them on the floor, I built some boxes using the white oak veneer for them to sit on.

On occasion, I’ve received a commission to build and ship a project. It’s not something I’ve done a lot and never anything larger than a vanity, but it is something I’m open to.

As always there is a trade-off.

In this case, the trade-off of not having to install the project is countered by having to package and ship it. It’s quite the adventure to crate something as large as a bathroom vanity, schedule transportation with a freight company, deal with the pickup and loading, and then wonder if something you’ve spent a considerable amount of time building is going to survive a long journey without any damage.

All this in addition to designing a custom piece to meet your client’s needs and specifications via many, many emails.

Much of woodworking and cabinetry is about solving problems. Designing and shipping projects for a faraway client is simply a different set of problems to be taken on and solved.

The pair of vanities shown here, both made from white oak, were shipped to South Carolina.

It’s been a while since I posted anything. The reason is not that little has been going on in the workshop. Quite the opposite. I’ve been busy with many projects as well as improvements and upgrades to the workshop. I plan to catch up on sharing completed

First up is an extensive study project that occupied much of my attention over that time period. The design was by Lani Collard of Mialani Interiors.

With the addition of nearly six hundred square feet of cabinetry and wall paneling, the room was transformed into a functional home study displaying a lifetime of memories from a painting of the church my clients were married in to a set of 100-year-old stained glass windows salvaged from a relatives home.

It’s hard to list all the custom details in the study, suffice it to say there were many. Sliding doors at each workstation to hide computer drives, LED lighting throughout, large glass display doors, LED panels to backlight the stained glass windows, sliding shelf for the printer, cabinet to hide the shredder, filing cabinet drawers, and slide-out keyboards. The list goes on.

The countertops were made from Richlite, a material I had not worked with before. It’s basically paper infused with resin under pressure. Very hard, and very heavy, it’s rated for outdoor use, and finishes beautifully. Of the many options available for countertops this is one I will bear in mind in the future.

As has happened so often in the past, I was once again blessed with wonderful clients. Working alone on a project this size, the installation was done over many days, and some of my fondest memories of the project were sharing lunchtime breaks with my clients. Nice food, great conversation, and companionship made “installation days” something to look forward to!

This is my second attempt at a “Cracked Ice Platter”.

The veneer is white oak and the solid wood is also white oak. The veneer has been stained an ebony color.

The wide rim on the platter is slightly concave. From a woodturning perspective, this is fairly standard. However, from the perspective of applying the veneer, doing so to a curved surface raised the degree of difficulty somewhat and required learning new techniques, which ultimately is the reason why I’m doing these platters.

It’s nice to see a project after it’s been in a home for a while and has started to take on the character of that home. I don’t often get that opportunity.

These fireside cabinets were made from solid maple and stained knotty alder veneer. My first time making doors with muntin’s, the doors have smoked glass panels and self-close hinges. Solid maple drawer boxes with under-mount soft-close guides. Lastly, an idea I got from a previous client, an electrical outlet with USB ports was recessed into the mantle.

At the end of the day I took a break from cabinet making and turned a small box at the lathe. The design is from a book I have “50 Turned Boxes” by Chris Stott.

The box is made from pecan. It’s fairly small but, if you pack them tight, it’s big enough to store all your hopes and dreams 😉

Laundry cabinets with shiplap and floating shelves.

This project added a lot of storage space and style to the room. The cabinets were supplied by the homeowner. I built and finished the shiplap and shelves as well as installed the project.

Reading the closing chapter of “The Wisdom of our Hands” by Doug Stowe this question really stood out to me.

I’m sure, for many of those reading this, the answer is a resounding “yes”. I can’t help but wonder if the same is true for society in general.

Continuing with my quest to combine veneer and CNC work with woodturning, this platter is made from curly maple and dyed poplar veneer and solid sapele wood.

I didn’t use the CNC much with this project apart from using it as a plotter to draw the design on construction paper. A “cracked ice” pattern, inspired by some of the work of furniture maker Tim Coleman.

This is my first attempt at marquetry, the process of joining small bits of veneer together to make a pattern or image. A friend of mine, Andrei Zborovski of Avrora Inc. has a lot of experience with veneer and marquetry. He taught me how to do the marquetry.

All the pieces are cut by hand with a knife using the window technique. I feel fortunate to have his instruction and knowledge to draw from. A time-consuming but very relaxing process requiring a lot of focus and attention to detail, I feel that marquetry is an easy thing to learn but I could spend the rest of my life learning how to do it well.