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| Hi, I'm Tom , the artist responsible for the furniture on this web site (and then some). Since this page is about me, I suppose I should let you know a little about myself. I am all about the Creator and my work. I don't prioritize these, I see them (and everything else) as One. Since I work at home, I am able to create my own peaceful workplace striving to keep the Real Doer as my constant Companion. And then there is the furniture that will never go away - talk about a constant companion!!! I build furniture in my dreams!! I live on 15 acres of truely awesome, beautiful rain forest with a wild glacially fed river tumbling thru the center of it, on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Literally surrounded by National Forest and wilderness areas with the Olympic National Park boundary just up the road. I am a very, very blessed man. Let me take you quickly thru the process of creating a bench. I start each project with a walk in the woods (we should all be so lucky) accompanied by a sketchy mental picture of this bench. As I walk, I am looking primarily, for a tree with real character. Experience has taught me what to look for, and when I find it, (or it finds me) it actually creates the bench. Every other piece I gather on this walk will support that keystone tree - artistically and literally. Sometimes, it is a very specia ltree with a lot of character and perosnality that I dig up roots and all (yup, on my hands & knees with a small shovel all alone on a mountainside). Back at my shop, I am jazzed to use all these materials to help create a new bench. The Creative process is a humbling experience. The best work happens when "I" get out of the way and let the Spirit-That-Is-All-Things .... do It's thing. The bench starts with that keystone piece being roughly cut to a manageable size and cleaned - sometimes hand stripped of its bark. I then turn it this way and that until I get a clearer vision of how it wants to be used. I then temporarily fasten it to the back of my workbench in this position. Then the rest of the bench is created around it - adding legs, arms, seat and support pieces each in its turn. I always temporarily fasten the pieces together and then step back and evaluate. Throughout this process I am always checking the bench for comfort - striving to combine beauty and function. Once this temporary structure is completed to satisfaction, I then take each piece off and scrub/clean thoroughly. Important step - this could end up in your home and most rustic makers skip this tedious step (don't blame them). I then reassemble the bench using various fastening techniques - mortise & tenon, glue, hardwood pegs, screws, whatever the situation calls for. I then sand the cut ends and coat them with ureathane. I then step back and look the piece over - savoring that fleeting moment of satisfaction one gets with a task completed and well done (hopefully) and always blessing the piece by thanking the Real Creator. By now I am ready for another walk in the woods, so I gather up the scraps from the project and return with them to the forest looking for my next project! Each project is unique, but this is a general sketch of how I create my furniture. The bentwood pieces I create from small saplings and I have a pretty clear idea of where they are headed when I gather for them. I do make each design unique by finding unusual pieces with which to build the frame. And with some projects, the gathered pieces have to be stored and dried before I can use them. But all my pieces start with that walk in the woods. I use 20 varieties of trees in my work and all of them, except the ones I dig up, regenerate from their root systems quickly. Truly a renewable resource!!! _________________________________________________________________________________________________ COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING FURNITURE? My dad was a builder and I grew up helping him and consequently have built my own homes and furniture thru the years. I have been making them full time as my livelihood for the last 18 years. I have made over 2,300 pieces of furniture during that time period. When I deliver a new piece of furniture to a customer that bought one, say 5 years ago, I am amazed at how my work has evolved over the years. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO MAKE A CHAIR? I always answer this the same way - I don't want to know! I just try to make strong beautiful furniture and disregard time. Time is one of the great illusions anyway. If my work is special, it is because I am willing to take the time to do it right and add all the little details that the discerning eye finds joy in. If I kept track of time, I fear I would be tempted to take shortcuts and consequently, my work would suffer (as would I). Besides, I don't want to know my hourly wage!!!! IS THIS ALL YOU DO FOR A LIVING? Yes. 7 days a week - 10-12 hours a day. All year long. ARE YOU MAKING A LIVING? Kinda. IS THIS INSIDE FURNITURE OR OUTSIDE FURNITURE? Both. About 60% of it ends up inside including covered front porches. Due to my experience with lots if different kinds of wood, we can recommend a variety that inherently does better than others outside. All wood placed outside should be kept sealed with ureathane to protect it from sun and moisture. When you purchase a piece of furniture from us, we will give you detailed instructions on how to care for it, inside or out. ____________________________________________________________________ CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone number (360) 796-0523 Tom Jahns, 5923 Dosewallips River, Brinnon, WA 98320 I would be happy to answer any questions you might have - don't hesitate to contact us. I do lots of art shows and people ask the darnds't questions - and I really don't mind answering them. Heck, I even know the meaning of life (at least for me). _________________________________________________________________________________________________ SHIPPING We can and have shipped almost anywhere. Most of our furniture must go by motor freight. They will bring it right to your door. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ WE ACCEPT ____________________________________________________________________ OUR WORK CAN BE SEEN AT: Last updated: 5/14/08 Art Shows: I will be at the Edmonds Art Show on June 13th thru 15th. The next week I will have a booth at the Lake Oswego, Oregon Art Show on June 20th thru 22nd. I will be exhibiting at the Bellevue Art Show at the Bellevue Mall on July 28th thru the 30th. Please come see my booth at the Anacortas Art Show in Anacortas on August 1st thru the 3rd. Last year I was selected the Best Artist at this outstanding art show! There is an exciting new show in Bend, OR called Art in the High Desert that I will be exhibiting at on August 22, 23 and 24. Come check out this new show organized by some of the best artists in the northwest. See you there! Stay tuned for more events we will be attending throughout 2008. OR YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT US AND COME OUT TO OUR PLACE. MY SHOP IS HUMBLE, BUT THE SETTING IS AWESOME - RIGHT ON THE BANKS OF THE WILD DOSEWALLIPS RIVER! ____________________________________________________________________ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO GO THRU MY SITE, AND EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. I AM HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOUR ROUGH SKETCHES, DIMENSIONS, PICTURES, ARCHITECT DRAWINGS, ETC. TOGETHER, WE CAN CREATE A TRULY MEMORABLE PIECE OF FURNITURE FOR YOU! PEACE, TOM |
