Wood Art

A box is a box is a box. Or is it? One could convert a kitchen cabinet into a humidor, I suppose.  Remove the shelves, put in a source of humidity control and a hygrometer, install a stand of sorts and voila, your instrument is now protected!  There are a great many sources for wall mounted cases for guitars.  One could say there are as many possibilities as there are woodworkers willing to build them.  So why Phil 4 Wood Art Humidors?

The ‘Art’ is the part that keeps me building. There are many building methods and wood construction ‘systems’ today that are efficient, quick to use and extremely strong.  So why bother with antiquated joints like dovetails and wedged, through mortise and tenons?  Why use a triple slip or bridle joint, on a door, when five minutes with a Festool Domino Joiner ® could produce a union that would be just as (well, not really! ) strong?

Why hand carve a latch or a pull, when there are an almost infinite number of beautiful and effective latches and pulls that could be purchased and installed in minutes?

It’s the Art.

There is something intrinsically satisfying to me about carving a small handle out of a piece of some exotic wood, from somewhere far away, and then spending an inordinate amount of time filing, sanding and polishing, until it begins to shine and feel like it has a patina from being rubbed by a thousand hands for a hundred years. Once arrived at that place, satisfied the wood feels and looks right, it is then mated to the cabinet with a mortised dovetail and a bit of glue.  Leaving the side of the pull protruding a little, adds a shadow and a touch of visual appeal and whimsy that is, to me, gratifying enough to warrant the effort.  Same holds true for the latches that I’ve developed and the cradles that I fashion to hold these instruments we cherish.

A saying amongst those who try to earn a living at this craft contends that; “As soon as you pick up a chisel or hand saw, you are losing money”....... I suppose there could be truth in that, but I believe that in this world of ours, where quick and competent, practical and effective are everything; in this world where capable is ‘sufficient’, there are those who can appreciate the Art enough to support my need to produce it.