I thought I'd take this opportunity to re-acquaint myself with you all. I'm a small Canadian oceanographer married to a girl from Cleveland, living in San Diego. I work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography - I have an office right on the beach in La Jolla, and yes, it's about as good as you'd imagine. I study phytoplankton (the little plants in the ocean). I do a lot of computer modeling and have recently developed (with a colleague who's a much better woodworker than I) a cool new tool for studying plankton, using lasers, super-sensitive CCD cameras, hugely expensive lenses, and computerized buoyancy control. It weighs more than your car, and cost more than your house. But nobody else has one!!

I've been woodworking since I was a kid - my father and grandfathers always had tools around. I mostly taught myself, but learned a lot from reading and experimenting. It's only recently that I've really gotten into woodworking in a serious way - my Festools are my first investment in my own tools. And I love them!

But you all know how that is.

Like many of you, I have a dog (Wally, a Golden Retriever who is a certified therapy dog - if you feel better after petting him, you owe me fifty bucks!), and a daughter (Gillian, 10 years old - you'll be hearing from her from time to time). My wife Sharon fully supports my Festoolian habit, and probably gets as much delight out of my enjoyment of my tools as I do. I really lucked out!

My woodworking style is simplicity and precision; I love the work of the Shakers, Sam Maloof, George Nakashima, Krenov, Danish modern, and particularly Japanese styles. My work is a mishmash of all those, with a little personal quality thrown in.

I love to cook, and am continually experimenting with new pasta sauces and ravioli. I love making noodles by hand, and am on a long quest to make the perfect udon (fat Japanese noodles). Long way to go. Like my woodworking, I don't use recipes or plans. Unlike woodworking, I eat my mistakes.

One of the great delights of being an oceanographer is that I get to travel - mostly to places near the coast (sorry Timmy C!). So if you're near an ocean, feel free to invite me to visit, and we'll talk food, wine, and Festools!

And here's my family:

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...

Wow Peter, I'm really jealous on so many levels...
but particularly of your ability to condense such a full and interesting life into one single page.

I don't think of your furniture as simple any more than Maloof's chairs are simple. I don't think we have a word that adequately expresses that style. Maybe there is a Japanese word?

Thanks so much, Michael. We should ask Okami what the Japanese is for "I don't have a clue". Or perhaps the French, "Un peu de je ne sais quoi" would apply?

I'm always amazed at the subtleties of a true Maloof piece. If you do a Google image search on Maloof chair, you'll get tons of pictures of imitations. But when you put them side by side with a real Maloof, they all look heavy and amateurish. I'm so far from achieving anything Maloof did that it's not funny. But I truly enjoy the challenge.

I'd also like to be able to play a Bach fugue on the guitar, but unless I grow another brain, that's not gonna happen either!

At least I can sit on my chairs!

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...

Hello Poto,

Three things we have in common:

1.) We are tF Friends.
2.) Both have Golden Retrievers, though mine makes me go to therapy, and,
3.) Neither of us will ever have as many Festools as Fred!

D

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Darrin Wyatt
Fred West now has an OF 2200!

Darrin - dude! It's like we're the same person!

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...

How about Scano-Japanese? Something combining the Scandinavian simplicity with the Japanese proportions and joinery?

It's something I aspire to, but I'll have to live with what I can do. I sure love the experimentation, though.

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...

Hello Poto!

Looking forward to seeing these chairs
Yes, I've seen a few Maloof style chairs copies, and have to agree, most of them just don't flow like the masters, and some places are too heavy.
I'm guessing they ain't easy to copy
I'm going to have a go at Mr Maloof's low back chair soonish, it's one of my favourite chairs I'm a little worried it's way over me actually I'm sure it is...

One way to say "I have no idea" in Japanese is: "Wakaranai"
"Absolutely no idea" is "zenzen wakaranai"
Cheers!
Okami

Along with "arigatou gozaimasu" and "sumimasen", "wakaranai" is going to be one of those really useful words, I can tell. Thanks!

Good luck with the Maloof low chair. I had the good fortune to sit in one, once. The father of an old girlfriend of mine was a famous stained-glass artist in Manhattan. He taught at the same summer school (Pilchuck) as Maloof, and they became friends. He made a window for Maloof's house, and in exchange Maloof made him a chair out of curly maple. It would be hard to read in that chair - I would spend all my time fondling the arms and seat, and I wouldn't be able to hold a book!

Got to do some complicated joinery on the chair rails today. Wish me luck!

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...

Peter, I never get tired of saying that I'm glad you're here.

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John

1 Toolie, 2 XL Festool Polos

John, that is too sweet. Thank you.

And I'll never call you "Rafferty".

So is that DeWalt drill collecting thing a hobby or a compulsion? They have drugs for that, you know...

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...