DESIGNER CRAFTSMAN FURNITURE

CRAFT

Craft is a tradition handed down through repetition. There are traditional methods of furniture making that time has shown to be honourable and true. Those methods remain the foundation of my work. The strength offered in this approach is the difference between the heirlooms sought for long after their making and the discarded furniture of the current era. I combine traditional methods of joinery, contemporary design and a fit and finish completed with hand tools, to produce a piece of furniture that is worthy of fine craft and time honouring craftsmanship.

MATERIAL

Kenton Jeske Woodworker

Quality of materials is of the utmost importance. I have chosen to stand by the use of hardwood exclusively. I do not use veneer products, or any other substrate in the construction of my furniture. Knowing the material you see at the surface is the material through and through is part of the integrity within my furniture. I like the fact that these pieces are built for use, the kind of hard use that daily life extols. I spend time studying and selecting each board, observing grain patterns for harmony, colour for tone matching and considering how to remove or enhance imperfections. 

FINISH

Kenton Jeske Woodworker

All of my furniture has several coats of tung oil, hand rubbed in and burnished to a high sheen. Applying this sequence, layer upon layer, creates a silky, lustrous surface that brings forth the woods natural colouring and emanating characteristics. Oiled furniture displays the deepest and richest colouring the wood has to offer. This finish allows for hard use, with ease of maintenance, and allows a patina to develop over the years. Patina is a sheen on wooden furniture due to age and polishing and has come from a hardening of the surface through daily use and is beautiful in its maturity.