Her library

[formariz 11,987]

With all the extra time been organizing my photos. Here is another favorite job for same client. One of the first smart phones did not take the greatest photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,296]

Good grief ,can you say money. I love your work!

[oliver2-44 9,694]

Beautiful, and hundreds of hours of highly skilled/tedious work. 

[D_Mac 8,593]

My " Library " has a tub a sink and a toilet in it. That room makes me want to light up a cigar and pour myself a glass of bourbon and I dont even smoke or drink. Outstanding

[Stormin 9,981]

Beautiful! Looks like a room from one of the stately homes over here.

[squonk 41,032]

RBG?

[SylvanLakeWH 25,493]

Beautiful work!

 

Thank you for sharing.

[Achto 27,505]

Absolutely incredible @formariz !!!! Don't have the words to express how impressive your work is.

[SPINJIM 1,981]

My compliments from a part-time furniture restorer.   Beautiful work.  Good to know that there are still craftsmen around.

What kind of wood is that?   I don't recognize the grain from the pictures.

  Jim

Edited May 7, 2020 by SPINJIM

[CCW 1,292]

I am jealous.  For her library and your skills.

[formariz 11,987]

5 hours ago, SPINJIM said:

My compliments from a part-time furniture restorer.   Beautiful work.  Good to know that there are still craftsmen around.

What kind of wood is that?   I don't recognize the grain from the pictures.

  Jim

Thank you. It is all Cherry only exception are the gilded rosettes which are carved from sugar pine.

Edited May 7, 2020 by formariz

[formariz 11,987]

17 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Beautiful, and hundreds of hours of highly skilled/tedious work. 

It’s not easy working for her. She is  totally obsessed with cleanness and having the place undisturbed.  I pretty much preassembled the entire ceiling here on the floor so as to minimize any cutting on site. Kind of worked out better than doing it there overhead specially since I almost always work alone. 

[stevasaurus 22,710]

Magnificent Cas.      Love all those double miters.

[wallfish 16,985]

Wow again, Your skill, craftsmanship and knowledge is beyond incredible. It's doubtful that level of quality can be accomplished unless you enjoy doing it. Maybe it's time to try and find a young apprentice as it would be a shame not to pass some of that knowledge along.

(And stuff you do like that is the exact reason I was scared $&!tless to present you with that little wooden toy.) 

[Mickwhitt 4,592]

Stunning work! No other way to describe it. Most of us can only dream of the levels of skill, patience and knowledge you possess.

Wood is not my material of choice and anyone who can work with it in such a way deserves great praise.

Thank you for sharing the photos of your work.

Mick 

[formariz 11,987]

3 hours ago, wallfish said:

Wow again, Your skill, craftsmanship and knowledge is beyond incredible. It's doubtful that level of quality can be accomplished unless you enjoy doing it. Maybe it's time to try and find a young apprentice as it would be a shame not to pass some of that knowledge along.

(And stuff you do like that is the exact reason I was scared $&!tless to present you with that little wooden toy.) 

Thanks John. Don't underestimate your abilities. What I do is in many ways a lot easier than building an engine out of toothpicks that actually turns or a fishing reel that works. I can tell you that when I handle the little RJ, its not only intimidating but my hands might as well be the size of an elephant's foot because that is exactly how they feel and act handling it. And, to quote you yes, " It's doubtful that level of quality can be accomplished unless you enjoy doing it". That is so true . It is that very state of mind where one loses one self into whatever is that we do that yields such results. It is not material compensation or recognition that becomes the real reward for it. One has only to look at a specific photo of you looking at it to really understand it.

 

I have been more fortunate than most, for not only it has been my family's trade for countless generations, but more importantly due to coming to this country and being so fortunate to have had not only the luck but more essentially the privilege of working along side so may skilled and knowledgeable older individuals many born here and many from places like England, Germany,and Italy that cared enough to teach me what they learned through out their careers. Only here was that possible for it was here where they all flocked to. It was an education I could have never imagined possible and it was not strictly about woodworking, but also about life in general. So many to mention but two specially I think about everyday. Ironically, again only here they were possible  My friend Zev, a Holocaust survivor who taught me in a relative short time more about the value of human life and dignity than most will ever learn in a lifetime, and my mentor, teacher and friend, Leo Wuest, an immigrant from Germany who really shaped my life to what it became. A man who so many times while  answering others looked directly into my eyes. A man of few words but carefully chosen ones that really said something. Statements made to me that never left my mind such as "Never specially when in a position of authority, strip anyone's dignity from them", " Do the right thing even though it may be bad for you", " Never interfere with a man's ability to make a living", and one of the first things he said to me "Look,Listen, and be Quite" only to mention a few. I was young and at the time did not even realize what was happening, understanding only sometimes much later in life exactly what some meant. I have been lucky indeed.

 

My oldest son Alex even though he does not make a living in this field, has really carried on the family's heritage being very talented at it and hopefully will pass it on to his three boys. I do feel sad however that there are not any younger individuals that I could possibly have more frequent contact with that have any interest in this field. Not many are willing to make a living using their hands, and if they are not exposed to it from an early age there just is no incentive for it.

[tom2p 2,394]

when people say they don't build them like they used to - people are referring to items that were built / created / constructed etc

 

 but you could also include people -  they don't build them like they used to 

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

formariz You had a good teacher, your work is extraordinary.

[tom2p 2,394]

On 5/8/2020 at 4:56 PM, formariz said:

Thanks John. Don't underestimate your abilities. What I do is in many ways a lot easier than building an engine out of toothpicks that actually turns or a fishing reel that works. I can tell you that when I handle the little RJ, its not only intimidating but my hands might as well be the size of an elephant's foot because that is exactly how they feel and act handling it. And, to quote you yes, " It's doubtful that level of quality can be accomplished unless you enjoy doing it". That is so true . It is that very state of mind where one loses one self into whatever is that we do that yields such results. It is not material compensation or recognition that becomes the real reward for it. One has only to look at a specific photo of you looking at it to really understand it.

 

I have been more fortunate than most, for not only it has been my family's trade for countless generations, but more importantly due to coming to this country and being so fortunate to have had not only the luck but more essentially the privilege of working along side so may skilled and knowledgeable older individuals many born here and many from places like England, Germany,and Italy that cared enough to teach me what they learned through out their careers. Only here was that possible for it was here where they all flocked to. It was an education I could have never imagined possible and it was not strictly about woodworking, but also about life in general. So many to mention but two specially I think about everyday. Ironically, again only here they were possible  My friend Zev, a Holocaust survivor who taught me in a relative short time more about the value of human life and dignity than most will ever learn in a lifetime, and my mentor, teacher and friend, Leo Wuest, an immigrant from Germany who really shaped my life to what it became. A man who so many times while  answering others looked directly into my eyes. A man of few words but carefully chosen ones that really said something. Statements made to me that never left my mind such as "Never specially when in a position of authority, strip anyone's dignity from them", " Do the right thing even though it may be bad for you", " Never interfere with a man's ability to make a living", and one of the first things he said to me "Look,Listen, and be Quite" only to mention a few. I was young and at the time did not even realize what was happening, understanding only sometimes much later in life exactly what some meant. I have been lucky indeed.

 

My oldest son Alex even though he does not make a living in this field, has really carried on the family's heritage being very talented at it and hopefully will pass it on to his three boys. I do feel sad however that there are not any younger individuals that I could possibly have more frequent contact with that have any interest in this field. Not many are willing to make a living using their hands, and if they are not exposed to it from an early age there just is no incentive for it.

it can be a challenge just to find top skilled people in the trades - let alone highly skilled craftsman like yourself 

 

I've had trouble finding anyone just to do small amount of stone work ... or work on a tile roof ... plaster also 

 

at times when I'm in an old church with impressive stone and wood work - I wonder if this work could be duplicated today ... for / at any cost ... ?

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by tom2p

[tom2p 2,394]

 

St Thomas NYC 

could this be duplicated today ?

 

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

24 minutes ago, tom2p said:

 

St Thomas NYC 

could this be duplicated today ?

 

 

\

 

3D scanned for precision.

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by bcgold

[formariz 11,987]

2 hours ago, tom2p said:

 

St Thomas NYC 

could this be duplicated today ?

 

 

 

Glad to see that you had the opportunity of being in there. I remember many times at my lunch hour when working in the area spending time just sitting in the back admiring not only its imposing humbling  presence, but also its elegant design and beautiful meticulous craftsmanship. To me it not only was a source of inspiration, but also one of motivation.

 

Although the answer to your question is a bit complicated it is however a resounding Yes, it could be duplicated today. The complicated part are the other questions surrounding or rising from that one. Why, how, and what for, are probably the main ones.Times have changed, along with people's priorities, concerns, interests, education, etc... Such a project would have to be financially justified to begin with which would be the very first obstacle and a major one at that. It would not definitely be an income generating project, another obstacle. Because of its religious affinity it would only be really geared to that congregation and therefor unseen, unused, or appreciated  by the majority. Would it also today be financially feasible by the responsible entity taking into account all the financial disasters surrounding it ? Probably not. All mentioned would apply to any similar project attempted today.

The other obvious part of the question is of course,  are there capable craftsman to accomplish it? That I know for a fact it is again yes. Sadly not an overwhelming abundance of such an asset but they do exist. It is also the lack of necessity or desire to build such projects that contributes directly to their disappearance. I would like to say that such disappearance is slow and steady but the opposite is true. It has been fast and sudden.

 

The ability to create such work with ones hands is something that not only has to come from within, but more importantly something that like most wealth is accumulated over a long period of time, generated by good investments, decisions and sticking to the plan. All qualities generally absent in today's youth whether by their fault or not.. My mentors made an investment in me hopefully because they noticed promise, I in turn had the good sense to recognize something good when in front of me and took advantage of it, sticking to doing what I loved and absorbing as much as possible from them. Time is the secret also. Today youth just wants fast immediate rewards and a care free life. It is what we have been teaching them for the most part. One thing I have always stressed to my children was to slow down, stop, and listen to the elders. There is a lot to be learned by listening to them even though many times they are dismissed as boring and worse. When they are gone, they are gone. It is the equivalent of burning an important book that no one read. They and what they know will be gone forever and we will be left wondering how such things can be accomplished.

 

[tom2p 2,394]

 

great comment and advice - much of it I've also passed on to my kids 

 

took that St Thomas pic in Sept 2019 

 

the churches in NYC are amazing entire stretch of Manhattan - from the southern tip near the WTC (Trinity Wall Street) - up to and past Columbia U (the massive St John the Devine) 

also checked out some other churches in surrounding areas including Brooklyn ... Union Church (Pocantico Hills) with the artwork / stained glass by Chagall and  Matisse ... 

Edited May 14, 2020 by tom2p

[tom2p 2,394]

St Patricks Cathedral ... back in 2015 ... scaffolding in place during renovation 

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by tom2p

[tom2p 2,394]

St John the Devine 

 

inside the size of a football 

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by tom2p