Design and Creation
Each individual furniture piece is personally created through the design and construction process:
Design Concept and Initial Planning
The basic parameters for a new piece are discussed; the application, size specifications, spatial orientation and individual preferences. WWS interprets and translates these basic parameters to create preliminary design drawings suiting the client's and his approach to creating appealing furniture of lasting quality. The preliminary drawings are reviewed, revised and a final design is developed.
Formal Design
Four view scale drawings are created from the preliminary design detailing the specifications and dimensions for final review.
Wood Selection and Layout
William Smith's trained eye is required to select individual boards complimenting each other to create seamless surfaces and joints in his furniture. WWS finds quality wood from many sources, always seeking unique boards with figure and features which will give his pieces personality and character. Prior to any cuts, determining the layout for each component is critical. Matching boards' figure, features and color produces consistent and uniformed results.
Milling, Shaping, Joinery and Gluing
The selected boards are rough sawn, milled, planed to thickness and cut to length for creating individual parts. The appropriate joinery is cut into the parts and they are tapered, shaped, and bent. The joints are fitted tight to build the foundation and panels for the furniture piece.
Assembly
The foundation and panel components are brought together and checked for a tight fit. Each component undergoes a final hand preparation and detailing. When all fits tight, the piece undergoes final assembly.
Finishing
The desired finish is soft, thin, emphasizes texture in the wood grain and provides protection without bulky build up. Different finishing techniques are required depending on the application of the piece. A typical moderate protection finish includes two coats of tung oil varnish which adds depth and highlights rich color tones, a barrier coat of shellac, and a water based acrylic top coat.
See completed original furniture pieces of WWS Woodworks in our Gallery.