by James Krenov

Review by Mark Gezella – June 2005

Continuing with my theme from last month, this month's selection is once again based upon cabinets and how they are made.  I reviewed A Cabinetmaker's Notebook by James Krenov about a year ago, and thought this would be a good time to follow up with his other book we have in our library.

The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking is sectioned rather simply, which I think echoes the author's approach to life itself.  There are three basic parts; Wood, Workshop and Tools, and Details of Cabinetmaking.  Prior to these is a brief introduction which summarizes his thoughts on attitude, which is quite an eye-opener.  From the start, he challenges us to develop a professional approach without losing the care, intrigue, romance, etc. that originally brought us to the craft.  He establishes his state of mind at this point, which conveys more of a "why to" rather than a "how to" approach in the text.

Wood is all about the material that gets his preferential attention, along with where to find it and how to handle it prior, during and after use.  There's definitely a bias towards unique, often discarded billets in this section.  Mr. Krenov favors unique specimens; those that are highly figured and often spalted, in order to distinguish a piece of finished furniture.  There are endless references to all kinds of fine woods; pearwood, applewood, boxwood, cocobolo, mahogany, spalted maple, and on and on.  Many pages caught my attention as I absorbed his words, but one in particular was quite interesting.  In it, he protested to those that dismiss exotic woods due to their propensity towards the difficult.  He justified his mindset by comparing hornbeam and English brown oak to jute and Thai silk in the textile industry.  They are in stark contrast to each other; one being coarse while the other is "…exquisitely silky…".  He proffers a reasoning that choice of wood should not be based upon a single characteristic.  Instead, consider all characteristics; let its intrinsic value speak to you.  It's the multitude of values, the layering of quality, the synergies that excite him.  He says quite simply; "…They stir me, I can't help it…".  Magnificent!

Workshop and Tools is an interesting section that discusses how he located, arranged, and leverages his workspace.  He offers many photos of his tools, along with copious descriptions of how he uses them to advantage.  However, he doesn't intend to mislead readers into thinking power tools are the way to go.  There is an abundant portion of this section devoted to hand tooling, specifically how to create your own personalized tools which ultimately enable you to share the same sense of wonderment he has developed with the wood.  Examples are many; wooden hand planes sculpted to fit the maker's hands, wooden clamps less prone to marring fine material, diagonal sticks for squaring cabinets, winding sticks to check for flat, etc.  He shuns power tools as often as possible, striving for balance between all tooling in his shop.  As he states early in this section "…Balancing your environment in a way that gives you harmony is all-important…"  I love it!

Details of Cabinetmaking is devoted to the finer points of a finished product; the subtleties that empower you to associate a piece with the maker, its "signature" if you will.  I bet anyone reasonably familiar with James Krenov can probably think of several "Krenovian" trademarks without even looking at the book.  Here are some taken from the text; highly figured and/or spalted primary woods, impeccable dovetailing, book-matched panels, coopered doors, perfect proportions, eased edges that soften a piece, etc..  These are some, but definitely not all characteristics that you tend to find in a cabinet produced by James Krenov.  They are manifestations resulting from the innate sensitivity he has for the wood itself.  You need go no further than check out how many pages he devotes to hand-cut dovetails in this section to realize how committed he is to honoring the wood he works.  To paraphrase a paragraph within, "…crafting dovetails is a matter of method and exactness…and a bit more.."  This extra bit is a magical transformation brought about by combining realism with fantasy to produce work that transcends anything produced by mechanical means.

As with his Notebook, I found it interesting to place these writings within the context of his career timeline.  These early books, both published in the 1970's, were written while he still lived in Sweden.  Can you imagine - the College of the Redwoods hadn't even taken shape yet?!  It's true - the school wasn't founded until the early 1980's, and he taught there until his retirement in 2002.  Hard to believe, but both of our books predate all of that.  And to think, he attained this level of expertise and still had decades ahead of him to refine his talents.  It blows my mind!

I stressed it in my first article, and I think it bears repeating; this Author has a stellar work ethic, attributed to a genuine respect for the material he works.  He holds a belief that wood is on par with the sacrosanct of this world, which resonates throughout his books, on almost every page.  I have a lasting impression from his first book that this medium allows him to connect with a surreal plane.  That wood is not merely a raw material for us to process, but a gift bestowed by a higher power that we should hold as precious, never to be squandered or abused.  His life's work is imbued with this phenomenal conviction.  It permeates his every word and deed, and lends credence to man I like to think of as a model of stewardship for us all.

The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking has been around since the seventies, just slightly newer than A Cabinetmakers Notebook.  Our copy is in fair shape, though the binding has separated in several spots.  There are many illustrations in this offering, but they are all black-and-white, and some are quite dark.  It's a shame really; there are some great pictures of figured woods throughout, but the renderings are so dark you have to take him at his word.  Still, I was enthused to read another book by this master of the craft, and I hope you consider it as well.  This book is currently available for check-out in the Guild library.