More free thinking...
We asked Jon Haberman www.jonhaberman.com to tell us about the free edge cabinetry that was recently installed at one of our projects...
In the first design discussion for the cabinetry in the DC apartment that was recently featured in the SPI Blog, Sarah Pak suggested that we consider using a free edge in the wood for the countertops. I jumped at the idea. A free edge results when a board is cut from the log in such a way that the outside edge of the tree is left intact. Boards are not usually cut in this way and can be difficult to find. I found them for this job at Hearne Hardwoods in Lancaster, PA.
Furniture and cabinetry that utilize a free edge have become increasingly popular. It can be an acquired taste. Free edge boards typically have variations in color and figure and knots or blemishes that production furniture makers would reject. I have become more and more interested in the beauty revealed in these imperfections. It is great to find clients and collaborators who share this interest.
The first photo is one of the boards that we used for the DC cabinets as it looked when first brought to the shop. At this stage it has been sawn at the mill into a board of a certain thickness. Ours were just under two inches thick. These boards are called "in the rough." Once we have decided which boards will be used where, they are "cross cut" (cut perpendicular to the length of the board). Next they are "dressed" to their final thickness. In pre-industrial times this was done with hand planes. We use machines. Every piece then moves through multiple sanding steps, using finer and finer grit paper. After a final sanding, the finish is applied, in the case an acrylic lacquer. This a rewarding part of the process. The finish brings out the color in the wood and reveals the particulars in the grain.
To start with rough boards and bring them to a state of polish is very satisfying. There is always something new to be found in the different woods that come in and go out of our shop.
