John Buchanan Custom Tables and Demi-Lune

[Asomer]

There's something very rewarding about paying for a furniture purchase in cash rather than credit. I've been saving up piece by piece and when I finally get one, it really feels like I earned it. However, I am very impressed by people who commission custom pieces. I don't know if I'd be able to bear the strain of letting someone create something with a few thousand dollars that I might not end up loving. The temptation to control every little detail would be too much. But of course, when it's done right it's amazing - love the Demilune!

Exactly. I feel more satisfied with the purchase rather than burdened by it when I've paid for it in cash. Might mean I can't get it today, but in a couple months I can. A couple months can fly by pretty fast too, so it's not really waiting & waiting forever.

I really like the coffee table too with its black lacquered base. It has a lot of the Regency era details in it too that I'm wanting. If it had a marble top, it could easily pass for a Maison Jansen!

[TXCajun]

Kevin and Asomer,

Interesting thread. I have commissioned only two pieces, and am considering just one more. My two pieces are nothing in the realm of what y'all prefer, other than the quality of joinery. One is an armoire, and the other a delicate entry table. Both were made with extremely old, salvaged Long Leaf Pine. The real stuff. And, no, they aren't "country". They were beautifully constructed and finished. Both have some very restrained use of Texas mesquite inlay. Again, these pieces are extremely refined and beautifully constructed. They are in keeping with what you would find during the time of the German immigrants settling the Texas hill country. If you are unfamiliar, check out "Texas Homes of the 19thy Century", by Drury Blakeley Alexander and Todd Webb. It covers other cultural influences, but gives an excellent representation of that coming from the Germans. There is also a two volume set of books addressing Old Texas furniture, specifically. They are harder to come by, but I believe can still be acquired through the UT publishing house.

I am seriously attracted to that style of furniture because it is very well made and beautiful in a simple way. I have spent nearly three decades living in the Texas hill country, in the tiniest of ranching communities, alongside descendants of those original German immigrants. These are solid, hard-working people who keep the tidiest home places and appreciate handmade, elegant furnishings, linens, and food. Of course, there is that European influence such as in my Louisiana upbringing, but with a much simpler aesthetic. As I have aged, I have found myself squarely in that camp. I realize it's not for everybody, but thought I'd throw in, here, because well made is just that, no matter the aesthetic.

We never go "tubing" where the college students and tourists show up. It has become way overcrowded and nothing more than a drunk fest. Those people, who ought to have better sense, leave a trail of litter on the banks and in the beautiful water. Some of those people actually venture up onto privately owned land. Not cool. We stick to the rivers running through our friends' and family's ranches/farms. We have never had a snake encounter while in the river, although we know they are around.

Also, Asomer, you might want to rethink that river vs lake snake issue. You are much more likely to encounter the cottonmouths in the lake. Oh, they are in the rivers, but your "bad" encounter is more likely to happen with the ones in the lake. For instance, it does happen that a lake water skier drops and finds himself in a nest of cottonmouths. That is rather unfortunate. Truth be told, neither place is likely to yield any serious encounter. It is much more likely you'll be fishing, and when you go to pull in your string of fish, discover a cottonmouth wrapped around and ready to fight for it! My Pappaw would grab a paddle and start whackin'. My response is cut line and let the snake have at it. The bottom line is that the cottonmouth is very aggressive. Very. One chased my Mammaw all the way onto her back porch. She made it inside and the snake continued for several minutes behaving aggressively at her back door. That is no hyperbole! They are nasty mean.

TXCajun

[Jenny]

Dear lord, TXCajun, what a story! I think I would die of a heart attack on the spot if I went fishing and reeled up a angry, aggressive snake

[drcollie]

When having a piece custom-built, the more information you can give a woodworker as to what you want, the better. However, resist the urge to become a furniture designer and instead work off photos of something you have seen before and like. There are millions of pieces of furniture that have been made over the past 400 years, but only a few hundred that qualify as masterpieces or works of art. If you are going to commission a piece, why not build a copy of a recognized masterpiece?

We usually start with either a photo of a sketch, and the kind of primary wood you want in the build, and also dimensions. That gives us a base to work up a quote. Once we get a base quote to work with, then we can work on details if you're still in the game. A one-off will never be less costly than a production piece, however. It's never an economical move.

[Asomer]

Dear lord, TXCajun, what a story! I think I would die of a heart attack on the spot if I went fishing and reeled up a angry, aggressive snake

Lol Jenny, I've never encountered a cottonmouth in my life, but have seen several rattlesnakes in our backyard growing up. My dad would just go out there with a garden hoe & chop its head off & that was it. Haha...but, I'm a deathly afraid of cottonmouths because they are so relentlessly aggressive. Hence, my aversion now to natural clear bodies of water

[Kevin]

Bench made furniture is not cheap. However, if you take into account how long it will last due to the quality of the build (as long as it is taken care of), it makes more sense to purchase bench made than to buy trendy production furniture that falls apart after a few years.

I found it very refreshing to receive honest feedback on my ideas for commissioned furniture from Duane. In hind sight, only two of my suggestions were good but fortunately, Duane let me know why the other dozen ideas would not look right. Without his valuable feedback and guidance, I would have commissioned a few extremely well built, ugly, oddly scaled pieces of furniture.

TXCajun, I dream of having the case work for a kitchen island to be completely made from mesquite. Talk about a one of a kind piece. The problem is finding enough timber wide enough for a project so that the glued up panels do not look like butcher block. Wide, clear boards are few and far between. However, the narrow stuff does make for some tasty BBQ.

[drcollie]

Thanks Kevin! It's always a pleasure to work with you on a project, because you have an excellent sense of design and form factor, and are willing to listen to suggestions. That makes it easy! Then we can create some truly magnificent pieces. You are correct in that its not inexpensive to commission a piece, I tend to lose interest pretty quickly (and so does John) when there is too much attempt at cost cutting. At that point the customer is better off to go get a piece of production furniture.

[TXCajun]

Dear lord, TXCajun, what a story! I think I would die of a heart attack on the spot if I went fishing and reeled up a angry, aggressive snake

Jenny,

Exactly! I apologize if I in any way portrayed myself as brave! I cut the line only after I have finished my screaming and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Well, and only if there's nobody else to take care of it for me. Snakes...all snakes...scare the liver out of me.

And, my Mammaw was like Asomer's dad in that she used the hoe to make quick work of rattlesnakes and copperheads. Cottonmouths were another story. Rattlesnakes and copperheads really are shy and do everything they can to quietly move along. Cottonmouths are the ones lookin' for a rumble, and they are fast. Shoot 'em or high-tail it!

TXCajun

[TXCajun]

Bench made furniture is not cheap. However, if you take into account how long it will last due to the quality of the build (as long as it is taken care of), it makes more sense to purchase bench made than to buy trendy production furniture that falls apart after a few years.

I found it very refreshing to receive honest feedback on my ideas for commissioned furniture from Duane. In hind sight, only two of my suggestions were good but fortunately, Duane let me know why the other dozen ideas would not look right. Without his valuable feedback and guidance, I would have commissioned a few extremely well built, ugly, oddly scaled pieces of furniture.

TXCajun, I dream of having the case work for a kitchen island to be completely made from mesquite. Talk about a one of a kind piece. The problem is finding enough timber wide enough for a project so that the glued up panels do not look like butcher block. Wide, clear boards are few and far between. However, the narrow stuff does make for some tasty BBQ.

Kevin,

A kitchen island made of mesquite would be awesome! And, you are right about the width. It's also hard to find significant length that's nice and straight. But, wow, what a beauty of an island... What design do you have in mind? What kind of perimeter cabinets?

TXCajun

[Kevin]

One of my next projects will be two torchiere lamps similar to the one in the photo but without the vine wrapping around the lamp column. I am still in the planning stage so I am not sure what species of wood I will be choosing for the base and column. It probably will depend upon the color and shape of the glass shades.