Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Claude Godcharles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Claude, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I started learning woodworking techniques first by necessity, making and restoring furniture for my house. Then it became an interest and a passion to learn more and more techniques related to this craft. Ancient craft traditions as well as modern power tool techniques offered an endless field of learning and exploring. I started by experimenting on my own, but soon found out that having a mentor with more experience was helping me learn faster and round up more know-how. Also, joining local associations exposed me to more projects and expertise, while developing a network of contacts with similar interests. It would have been great to go study at one of the remaining woodwork education programs, but not a possibility with a family and a day job required for support. Amongst essential skills, other than safely using the shop tools, I consider important to learn about design concepts, fabrication techniques, wood material technology…
Claude, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In parallel with a day job in electronic product design, I started learning about furniture construction and design, but eventually broadened my interests to woodturning. Currently I produce and sell mostly woodturned objects, either functional, sculptural or decorative. I still take on an occasional furniture commission, it helps keep my skills up, and brings more diversity and problem solving. I have also done small production runs of custom wood projects. There are many general woodwork shops around, but I try to bring to my work some artistry, thoughtfulness, and sensitivity to the wood characteristics. My pieces usually stand out as well balanced and appealing to the eye and touch. Whenever possible I use reclaimed or urban cut lumber that is otherwise destined to waste, considering that wood is becoming a scarce resource and should be used conservatively.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
In my view there is a need to rekindle the general public with the connection to locally made, quality objects. This goes as much for art as for functional items of everyday use. It has become obvious in our age of quick-click ordering online, sourcing cheaply mass produced items, that a person does not have easy access to quality locally made products. Also lost is the idea of items that can last a lifetime. There is of course a higher cost associated with small, quality production, but it can be justified by the longevity of the product.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Being from an engineering background, I started my journey into woodwork and furniture design with high standards of accuracy and precision. Well, it turns out that other than keeping your tools and machinery well tuned, that high level of accuracy is not very useful for working with wood. Wood is an ever changing material, reacting to moisture, internal stresses, etc. I eventually had to let go of trying to be accurate, and instead learn to observe and make the various parts of a system relate to each other in the best fitting manner. The resulting piece looks nice, tight, and functions well, even if you would find that it is not necessarily accurate in dimensions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://WoodworkOnDemand.com
- Instagram: WoodworkOnDemand
Image Credits
Claude Godcharles