In his 16 years as a
professional woodworker,
Chris Hedges has built
award-winning furniture,
and appeared several
times on the cover of this
magazine. As this issue
goes to print, he’s busy
developing a cabinetmaking
curriculum for a major
technical school in Ohio.
Somehow he also finds
time to teach college-level
sociology. Woodworking inspiration often comes
from one of his favorite classroom topics—the Shaker
communities who created so many beautiful furniture
pieces. Check out Chris’ dye stain article on p. 56.Larissa Huff has secrets to share. As an instructor
at the Lohr School of Woodworking, she recently
designed a course in “concealment furniture making”
that yielded the Top Secret Table on page 34. We’re
not saying anymore, except to note that she can be
trusted to help you if you have something to hide.
For more on her adventures in furniture making
and classes, visit lohrwoodworkingstudio.com.
Bill Schneider
has more
time for
woodworking
these days
since retiring
from teaching
photography
at Ohio
University in
Athens, Ohio.
When not in
his shop, you can find Bill under the stars with his
telescopes. Building a new telescope led him to
construct the circle-cutting jig on page 52 as an
easy way to make round parts. Bill and his wife
inhabit an area of Athens perfect for stargazing.
“I’m always looking for
new sources of inspiration
for Arts and Crafts style
projects,” says Willie Sandry.
“Sometimes it’s a walk through
an antique shop with my
wife, or flipping through
an old furniture catalog
printed over a century ago.” Whatever the inspiration source,
we’re grateful for the results. With its decorative inlays, proud
pegs and traditional joinery, the mirror that Willie built for
this issue (p. 23) could easily be mistaken for a fine antique.Rob Spiece has become quite
a regular on our pages. In
recent years, he has shared his
expertise on making small boxes,
flattening slabs, recovering from
woodworking mistakes, and
more. In this issue’s contribution
(The Breadboard End Joint,
p. 46), he shares his particular
take on a classic technique for
keeping a solid wood panel flat
while allowing it to expand and
contract seasonally. In addition
to teaching classes at the Lohr
School of Woodworking, he and fellow instructor Larissa Huff
stay busy designing and building custom furniture commissions.
Oh yeah, and there’s that great tattoo of a 6" ruler on his forearm!Contributors