Approach to Furniture Making - When to tell when a piece is done

[charlie b]

Rereading Krenov's "The Art of Cabinet Making" I came acrossed a point worth pondering - when to know you're done. His approach is "when the nothing more can be removed in order to improve the piece" as opposed to the other extreme "when nothing more can be added to improve the piece".

Nakashima went the minimalist route. Tom Plamann tends towards the other end of the spectrum and the roccoco style is the far end of the other end of the spectrum.

So you've got Krenov's approach - learn to do a few things exceptionally well and keep it simple - letting the wood speak for itself. Tom P on the other hand seems to be constantly stretching, looking for new challenges and ways to make them.

Jack of All Trades or Master of a Few?

I like the wood and, given my level of skills and knowledge, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is my approach (ok so I get carried away a little at times - but I strive for simplicity).

What's your philosophy/approach to making things and how'd you get there?

charlie b

[mp]

Some would say you're done when you run out of time and money.

[charlie b]

No, that's just running out of time and/or money.

I'm after the things the maker of a piece uses to get to the point where he or she stands back and says - "NOW it's done!"

charlie b

[Frank Ketchum]

Usually one of two things lets me know to stop

1) I realize that anything further I do I am likely to screw up and thus move backward in my progress.

2) I get tired of swmbo asking "when will it be done?"

Frank

[Chris Melanson]

I consider being done when the customer is happy and I am paid for the job.

CHRIS

[Mark & Juanita]

I think my approach is closer to "simple, yet refined". The minimalist route would dictate for example, that square, simple sides to a cabinet would be most efficient. I, on the other hand, while keeping the lines simple, made them curves. Some details may not be apparent, but they are techniques that *I* know are there and are more esthetically pleasing to me than if I had taken a more simple technique for use.

Interesting question.