One or two pieces have come back. A box was dropped and
the hinge gave way. Shaun is fixing it for its owner. Another
warped a little, and he re-trimmed it. The products are bought
with beauty and originality in mind, but Shaun stresses that
they are not coffee-table items. They are made to be used and
enjoyed on the water.
We talk about the French polish finish on his fly boxes. He
used to use only oil. Now he seals them with a shellac, an age-
old product secreted by a type of bug, which comes in flake form
but is dissolved with alcohol and goes right into the wood. He
seals the wood first and then starts with repeated oiling. The
first three or four coats are taken up by the wood, but later coats
build up. The repeated layering gives rise to an end finish that
is glossy and gleams in the golden slanting rays of sun coming
in through the workshop window from the west.
TCFF: You’ve had some of your nets and boxes go to
people around the world. That must be satisfying.
Tell me about some of the recipients.
SF: Some of the first ones were ordered for the guys at
TroutHunter. René and Bonnie Harrop and... there were four
of them. Then I made a box for Marc Bale of Sage, and KC
Walsh and Tim Malyurek of Simms. Also some top rod-
builders around the world. Frontier Fly Fishing has been a
great support.“It’s been good but scary!” Shaun remarks with a chuckle.
We speak about “nonfishing” products and Shaun shows me a
box made for a first-edition set of Ernest Schwiebert’s double-
volume book Trout. The grain is perfectly matched around the
mitre joints. Shaun is also a musician (he plays the guitar), and
while his own speaker in his workshop is a tiny budget blue-
tooth speaker, he has made a few masterpieces inside and out:
beautiful bamboo boxes with a high-polish finish, retro toggles
and handles without, and high-end sound equipment within.
He made the first one for himself. He wanted something that
could play music louder than his woodworking equipment, but
by the time he was done there was someone who simply had to
have it, so he still plays his music through the tiny plastic model.
But Shaun has bought some more sound equipment and has
plans for a “full two dot one setup” with two amps, subwoofers –
something in walnut, a sort of radiogram piece of furniture.TCFF: Are there other products on the horizon?
SF: I have a few bits and pieces in mind that I’m going to get
to at some stage. I have those speakers to do and I’m slowly
but surely learning new skills. I will look at some accessories.
I’ve seen little things that I want to try.Shaun has enjoyed doing unique engravings on his boxes.
He tells me of one he did for Chris McDowell of the Blitzen
River Rod Company. He found out that McDowell had named
his company after his favourite river and by tracing the Blitzen
River on Google Earth and taking the view down to ground level
he discovered a characteristic skyline of two mountains near the
source of the river. Shaun sketched the skyline digitally and
then used that on the front of the fly box. That process ticked
boxes for him. He was given carte blanche and it gave him room
to explore and create, which holds a lot of appeal. The fly boxes
can be used as a blank canvas. Producing boxes to a fixed
formula comes with the danger that it will bore him. Shaun says
he needs a creative outlet in his life. He has tied flies, played
guitar, tried his hand at oil paintings. He tends to move from
one thing to another over time, but sometimes he will come
back to a project or pastime. He avoids a production line, and
he changes the processes. Shaun has a career and that takes
his time too, but he couldn’t pursue that without having his
creative outlet as well. “It’s all about balance.”TCFF: Do you say no to people?
SF: Yes, I do. I have learnt. I now say no to deadlines. I say
no to enquiries that start with price and don’t progress to
much else. I also need to identify with a project. I had this call
from some guys recently who make whiskey. I like whiskey, so
I took a look at their website, and they had this cool logo...TCFF | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 | 25“I SAY NO TO ENQUIRIES THAT
START WITH PRICE AND DON’T
PROGRESS TO MUCH ELSE.”
Left: The box made for Ernest Schwiebert’s double-volume book.