Project Highlight - Rick Hale

I'm a newly retired entrepreneur that really loves art of all kinds, but above all respects fine furniture crafted in wood.  I've always had the goal of one day owning the necessary woodworking equipment and tools with the intent to build furniture as a creative outlet for myself.  For me, wood speaks to me in itself is an expression of art well beyond its obvious functional utility.  I collect and play guitars and hang them in almost every room of my home as art in fact when not in my hands making music. But having said that, admiring a fine instrument and fine furniture is one thing, crafting it a major step up and truthfully intimidating if completely honest.  I knew I had some creative skill, but that alone was far from what I knew I needed to start out on my own crafting fine wood based art (furniture and beyond).  

 

After renovating our lake home and adding an addition, an enlarged formal dining area spawned the dream of including a custom live edge table.  And although buying one was an option, I didn't find exactly what I wanted and deep down I really wanted to put my hands on the project and participate in its creation. But I clearly lacked the skills and specialized tools. I also come from a business background where coaching and consulting is just part of the ecosystem and culture of our firm and time and again a major determiner of success.  With that in mind I set out to find a mentor and coach who not only had the skill set and experience, but the patience and commitment to excellence I knew I needed for my first project. I was aware that my baseline of knowledge was at the very bottom from tool selection and acquisition for my shop including layout and flow and more.  Once again, I'm a novice and although a bit more handy than most, the use of high end woodworking equipment is a new thing for me so owning the equipment was only the first step.  The last consideration was finding that person capable of visualizing and executing a plan that was outside of the box and unique, one of a kind in fact. The goal for my first project was to build a hand crafted 8 plus foot live edge walnut dining table, live edge the full length and with a base equally captivating (live edge as well) free of exposed screws or metal of any kind often found on store bought tables found in traditional furniture stores (even high end boutiques).   I'm talking about an heirloom quality, one of a kind,  last table standing in a nuclear attack piece of functional art that will be handed down generationally well beyond my life. Tall order, right? 

 

Well, I'm here today sharing this story because I found just the right guy.  He's an artist, engineer and educator. He's the package and his name is Jamie McDonald.  He possesses a rare blend of traits coupled with a kindness and patience that only comes from the heart.  I've known Jamie for many years as part of my business network and actually own some of his work, which I treasure.  The coolest part is that it was an amazing piece that he donated to auction for charity and I was the lucky winner! Beyond talent, he's also generous.  It's obvious to me that his creative flair is always present and wood selection and combinations along with finish skills are best in class.  When he's finished with a piece it's loaded with personality and character and speaks as if human on some bizarre level.  

 

So knowing his background and skill, I called Jamie to share my dream of owning and operating in an environment in my garage capable of producing work similar to his. With a bit of luck he was not only available but excited to contribute to my master plan starting from ground zero....I mean zero!  We met and worked through my ideas and he suggested things to make the project far more amazing than I'd even considered possible.  Wow, for a first project, this was going to be amazing. Next up, he explained in great detail how important selecting the proper tools are in the process and not only provided a critical list (wants vs have to have) with recommendations and options but even helped me source the best value with the most reputable vendors.  In no time at all, I had the requisite tools for not only this project but for others for years to come.....and we were off. 

 

From concept to wood choice (walnut) and ultimately how art meets function we covered it all.    With Jamie's critical eye and decades of experience we were able to craft a stunning visual statement that also demanded stability and durability withstand the test of time, for generations to come.  Jamie addressed it all. The top was 2 inches thick and finding the wood was the first challenging step since we required 3 slabs that were each almost 10 feet long. I learned every step of the way critical skills and factors along with how many different concepts needed to be considered simultaneously.   And although it was a physically large project, each step was broken down into simple to understand processes with key lessons and hands-on education a part of them.   For example, the 2 inch thick top was the heaviest and largest part, but the table base construction and method for joining the two halves was the most challenging with Jamie showing how to craft our own planing strategy for a massive slab once joined expertly.   

 

In the end and after 3 weeks of total accumulated hours we stepped back and were both amazed at the finished project. It was creative, beautiful, interesting and super stable…it was the desired combination of form and function. I have total confidence that the method of construction will help keep the long term effects of wood movement to a minimum for as long as this table exists… and I didn’t even know that wood movement was a thing to be considered. I’m most excited that I took the initiative to reach out, it was most certainly economical in terms of combining the learning curve with taking away a finished product. Additionally, I couldn’t be happier with my own performance, the final results relative to what I’ve learned and absorbed, what I’m now capable of, along with the benefit of owning an amazing piece of furniture that I can now pass down to my family for many generations to come. 

 

When anyone asks about the table I can explain every part of it from experience. In the end the total cost was similar to purchasing a similar quality table directly from someone else, but the value of the real hands on education and pride of ownership can not be replaced. Jamie was the right person, at the right time, with the correct ability to communicate and transfer his skill set. I’d probably still be building bird houses if I didn’t take the 1st step of reaching out. Overall, this has been an exceptionally positive life experience.  Jamie is far more than a mentor at this stage but also a lifelong friendship. I've already built a coffee table to match the character of the dining table and custom maple tops with a shelf for my music studio attached to an uplift mechanical desk but also have the goal in the coming weeks for barn doors and a cedar wrap for a cold plunge pool I'm building.  The options are limitless and I still call on Jamie for expert advice and help as needed because I want to, not have to. 

 

I can honestly say that Jamie has inspired me beyond my wildest imagination and that's saying a lot!