Woodworking Creative Differences

 At  gaviaWOODWORKS , the team designs together and different points of view only add to our creative process.

We’re always looking for ideas so want to thank all artisans, crafters, DIYers and woodworkers who generously share their work and experience online. You inspire us in the workshop and in our own web presence.
 
It all starts with what we see in the piece of wood. Each of us sees different things in the shape, grain and colour. It all gives hints about what we might bring out by cutting, shaping, sanding and finishing. Once we settle on the project, we often build a sample and use it for a while. This helps us make sure the wood creations last and reveals any glitches in our design. This stage offers many “I told you so” moments.
 
Here are a couple stories …

The Butter Dish
Mike saw it on the internet and wanted to make one. “But people don’t use butter dishes”, he was told. “Make coasters, mason bee houses and wooden discs for ornaments and wreaths instead”. So he did. After a few completed projects, he went ahead and made the butter dish anyway. Mike really hoped that would be the first piece sold but it was not. We always share a good laugh over this one.  

The Lake Table
There were many, many discussions over what colour of epoxy resin to make the lake.  Green, turquoise or blue? Metallic or no? More solid or very see-through? The winner was a transparent, blue where the grain can be seen. One drop makes a huge difference so you don’t want to use too much. The first pour was too light so we frantically scooped it out before it hardened. The second pour was perfect. Emotional debate followed over the style of legs and what colour to paint them. We are really pleased with the final product.

The Birdhouse
Who knew that birdhouse height, roof length and pitch, hole shape and location or roofing material could cause such a divide? There were different opinions on all of these topics. We finally agreed, like a big puzzle, to figure out what could be done using just the few pieces of weathered cedar siding that were given to us.