WOODWORKING //The best advice I was ever given

hey everyone this is Nick from Padova studio and in this video I'm going to make a table in the shape of a tree in the most complicated way possible plus I'm going to tell you the story of how I became a professional furniture maker and whether or not you need formal training to do the same [Music] so I'm going to jump around somewhat in this video as I go from story time to explaining the process of this build and what I'm actually making here is a hall table in the shape of a tree or more accurately a leaf and the materials that I'm using here are Walnut which you may have seen me use before but this light colored wood is something a little different this is what you call Plantation o which is grown specifically for the building industry in manage Plantation Estates in Tasmania and as soon as I saw this grain structure I knew exactly what I wanted to make is the straight grain resembles the veins of a leaf a big thank you to Britain Timbers for supplying the walnuts and plantation oak for this build thank you so I officially started my business in this very Workshop back in 2016 but my woodworking Journey started well before then in fact it started when I was eight years old my retired grandfather built furniture out of his workshop and it was at this age that I began taking an interest needless to say I was hooked and spent every waking moment either in his Workshop or my parents garage mostly dealing with the frustration of constantly making mistakes but always being rewarded with the satisfaction of learning something new from the ages of 8 to 18 I obsessively worked on my craft with no objectives in mind other than knowing that one day I'd like to have my own Workshop but I think we did what I did because I enjoyed it so when it came time to leave school and venture out into the world it only made sense to me that if you're going to start a career then it may as well be something that you enjoy and to be fair my grades weren't exactly good enough to get into any University now if you've seen my videos in the past you would know that I love using templates to create my work and this build is no different what you can see me doing here is creating the main outline for the table leg and a big thanks to my buddy Leroy from Reading furniture for cncing this leg template out for me to be honest I probably should have had him CNC the other templates as all the ones you'll see from now were done by hand this top section is going to act as the arm that supports the top and plays a vital role in the overall look of the leaf table the template that you see me transferring now is called the mid rib of a leaf but let's just refer to this as the stem from now on and I basically want to Route out this shape into the arm while trying to keep the arm as thick as possible because this is the main support structure and it needs to be rigid now the reason why I designed the table this way is because I wanted to take a break from the usual complicated things I make and build something smaller something easier now you'd think after all these years that I would have figured out by now that there's nothing easy about small detailed pieces like this in fact this turned out to be way more complicated than I could have imagined once I finish school I decided to take on a four year apprenticeship as a cabinet maker and although I did get some great hands-on experience building unique pieces the majority of my time was spent pushing a button on the CNC machine Edge banding sweeping floors and building drawer boxes lots and lots of drawer boxes like thousands of drawer boxes so how many draw boxes that I actually started to dream of drawer boxes and if I never had to build another draw box in my life I would be a very happy draw box I mean person I'd be a very happy person draw boxes so yes my apprenticeship was a lot of repetitive work but it did also teach me the ins and outs of the trade understanding the industry Norm has been incredibly valuable for me throughout my career now one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was from my grandfather who said to me right before I started my apprenticeship that whatever it is that I'm doing always take the time to just look up and see what the professionals are doing and if you don't know go and ask I found this incredibly helpful because the reality is you're not always going to work on exciting things but that doesn't mean you can't still be learning and this act of me going and asking the trained professionals showed that I was serious and that I wanted to learn so what ended up happening is whenever they needed a helping hand they asked for me which gave me more experience so as you can see I'm cutting the angled joint where the arm meets the leg now there's nothing fancy going on here I'm essentially just going to use dominoes to glue this joint together now I had considered creating a pinned mortise and Tenon for this joint but given the allocated time frame it was more important that my time be spent in the detail of the table top which I can assure you is going to surprise you now I wasn't entirely sure whether or not to tell you my story in this video after all this isn't exactly normal for woodworking content I was hesitant because it may come across as self-indulgent which I hope it's not as this wasn't my goal here the reason for telling my story is because the more and more I do YouTube videos the more comments and questions I get about how I started and in all honesty I think that might be something that I take for granted I've always been surrounded by people in the building industry so getting involved in a trade only seemed natural but understandably many people don't have the same access to that information speaking of YouTube I do have to say a big thank you to all of you who have left a supportive comment or who have subscribed to my channel I had absolutely no idea that this channel would get to where it is today and I couldn't have imagined that it would be received so positively by all of you so if you haven't noticed already I am posting more videos with the intention to move my business to video based fields which means more unique projects so if you haven't already please consider subscribing and let's get this channel to really push the limits of woodworking now that the leg and arm have been glued together I can cut out the final shape I'm simply using a pattern bit to transfer the template to the Walnut now you may have noticed that I use a smaller router bit on my trim router to transfer the initial shape to the Walnut before using a larger bit to finalize the shade now there's no real reason for this other than the fact that more things can go wrong when using a larger router and router bit as it is possible for the template to move which would be a disaster at this point so this is the part of the build where it all starts to get interesting the components you see me making here are what's eventually going to support the top but I also want them to look like a natural part of the leaf you'll really see this start to take shape soon [Music] I will admit that after completing my four-year apprenticeship I felt like I didn't want to do this anymore I was thinking that I needed a career change as I felt like I lost a very passion that had gotten me into this industry in the first place my creativity wasn't being fulfilled at this job so I quit not long after I'd become qualified and decided to go backpacking in Europe [Music] now only three weeks into my adventure I was walking around the streets of Santorini where I picked up the sound of a router in the distance I followed the sound to a small Workshop Where I Stood at the door and took the advice my grandfather gave me years ago I watched the professionals at work this is when I realized I love what I do I just needed a break I ended up backpacking for around eight months visiting 13 different countries and meeting some amazing people this trip gave me the necessary time I needed to figure out what I wanted to do next with my career now if you watched my last video then this process will look familiar these plantation oak boards will make the leaf and I'm simply gluing them together on toughened glass to help keep the joins as level as possible and once again I'm using the old assault trick on the edges to stop the boards from sliding around you can see that I've staggered the boards and this is to save as much material as I can as you'll see shortly that the grain direction will play a large role in the overall look of this piece here's where things begin to get tricky I'm now going to create the templates for each side of the leaf and the template of the stem is vital in figuring this out by temporarily gluing the stem to the three millimeter MDF I'm going to create the inside edges to each side of the leaf but here's the trick I don't want the Inside Edge Of the Leaf to sit hard up against the stem I want a two millimeter Gap so matching up the curves can be difficult so the easiest way for me to achieve this is to use my thinnest flush cut bit which is a six millimeter diameter bit and run the bearing along the template of the stem this follows the curves perfectly while also removing the necessary gap between the stem and the leaf now granted it's removing six millimeters and not the two millimeters that I'm actually after but thankfully due to the subtlety of the curves I can just get away with this leaving an almost perfect two millimeter Gap the full length of the leaf I can then use tracing paper to transfer the outside curves to the three millimeter MDF which now completes the template once again I probably should have gotten my buddy Leroy to CNC these templates out for me [Music] another reason why I was hesitant about making a video like this is because unfortunately different formats don't always perform well on YouTube it seems as though the algorithm dictates creative decisions and I can certainly feel that pressure sometimes but I'm certainly doing my best to make videos that resonate with people and I give an insight into the world of professional furniture making and woodworking which is actually why I started my patreon account which is unbelievably gained another 130 members since my last video so a big thank you to everyone who's joined my patreon is all about getting access to more woodworking videos which show an inside knowledge of the industry with extra behind the scenes footage and quick tip videos as well as the extended version of this video with no voiceovers or music just shop sounds plus I've just released a 15 minute video all about how to get clients so check out the link in the description below if you're interested thank you you can really see here just how important that grain direction is like I said earlier the grain itself is actually what gave me the idea for this table by simply placing the boards on an angle I've recreated the look of the veins from a leaf but I'm going to enhance this even more soon once again I'm using my small pattern bit to transfer the shape of the template but unlike last time where it wasn't necessary to use this method in this scenario I definitely want to be as careful as possible because we're dealing with some very weak grain as we get to the tip of the leaf creeping up on this cut is essential [Music] so I've gone and shaped the rails off the camera but I've tried to create a natural look to them while they also serve their purpose which is to support the leaf tabletop what I need to do to the leaf is to Route out where these rails will sit as well as route out the main structure of the arm so the curvature of the leaf can sit up against the stem now the technique I'm going to use here is kind of a lazy one but it does work well because I can't be bothered to make templates for the cutouts of the Rails I'm simply going to freehand it I have a straight cutter that's following my line which is slightly oversized from the rails to allow for any expansion and contraction and I've lowered the cutter so it's only taking off three millimeters this allows me to have more control over the router and I'll then follow this cut path with a pattern bit which will allow me to go deeper but first I'll use my big router to hog out all the rest of the material Now using router's freehand is always dangerous so please be cautious of these types of methods [Music] once I'd returned from Europe I was adamant about starting my business but knew I still had a lot to learn you see after being in the industry for a few years and seeing how a business was run while also understanding what it took to perfect my craft I knew I wasn't fully prepared to go out on my own so I felt the next step was to learn how to install so I took a job installing kitchens for a year or so learned what I felt I needed to learn and then moved on to building custom solid wood furniture that actually focused on wooden slabs it was here that I found real Joy it reminded me of when I was a kid working in my grandfather's Workshop you see working in these previous jobs had taken me away from solely working with wood and yes it gave me a lot of experience in veneers and other manufactured boards but my real Joy came from working with wood the idea was to use this job as a stepping stone before starting my own business but then something happened that changed everything I had an accident that every Woodworker's worst nightmare [Music] foreign [Music] if you watched my last video where I sculpted a Blackwood coffee table you would know that I completely winged it I didn't have a plan and the abstract nature of the table made it difficult to reference any final shape to the sculpture this table is completely the opposite of that video I've not only come in with the plan but I have templates to help achieve the final result not to mention this is a leaf it has reference points which makes it easier to design something that looks natural now what I didn't like about the sculpted coffee table is that it took way more time than necessary and wasted a bunch of material to get to the final result but the very nature of winging it made me think a little more outside the box than usual in fact the edge detail I added to the top of that table is something I'll use in future projects including the edge detail of this table and it's possible that I would have never discovered this detail if I hadn't Winged It thank you foreign I've learned that no matter how skilled you are if you're not concentrating on what you're doing then serious accidents can happen it's not just inexperience that creates dangers in the workshop it can also be from developing a level of comfort and overconfidence I ended up having an accident that I don't want to go too far into but every Woodworkers nightmare happened to me back in 2010 where I managed to cut through the bone on three of my fingers on my right hand that's my dominant hand my pinky ring finger and middle finger were all hanging on by a piece of skin I was Russell Hospital for an eight-hour micro surgery with three surgeons who had never seen an accident like mine before so much so that they filmed it to present to students in the future after a long stretch with recovery I was eventually told by my doctor to begin looking for a new career this was not only heartbreaking but also confusing I'd never considered another career before after 24 hours of feeling sorry for myself I decided to prove my doctor wrong and from that point I began to work harder than I've ever worked to get myself back to where I needed to go [Music] foreign [Music] you may have noticed earlier in the video that I cut some veins out of the leaf this was to give the leaf some more pronounced detail to help amplify The Oak's grain Direction and now I'm going to fill these cutouts with walnuts making it look like the stem is growing into the leaf now I'm fully aware this isn't exactly how a leaf looks but what you're going to see me do later is going to destroy any chances of having an exact replica anyway now this might look difficult but it's actually quite easy as I'd previously saved the offcuts when cutting out the veins in the leaf I then simply just traced the shape of the oak onto the walnuts this was a little tricky though to get the Walnut positioned properly when it came to gluing the stems into place but with the help of some CA glue I was able to hold the stem in the correct position while it cured this held the piece in position while the PVA also dries then it's just a matter of using my spoke shave to plane the stems into the same curvature of the leaf now you may be wondering this is a tabletop how are you supposed to put anything on a table when it's not flat well that will all be revealed soon foreign [Music] 2016 I officially opened the doors to Padula Studio it had been a long road up until this point but essentially started this business out of my parents garage where I worked on pieces after my day job so I was a Furniture maker during the day who spent my spare time building more furniture at the age of 30 I accomplished a goal I'd had since I was a child I finally had my own Workshop my dream workshop I felt like everything should finally make sense but it didn't it felt empty you see I'd always resonated with people who said to follow your dreams create goals and work towards them this just made sense to me so I worked hard to try and do it but no one ever tells you what to do once you've achieved your dream this is when I realized that I needed to find my purpose in this career [Music] the oval base is done using the same Edge detail I used on the leg the size of this base has been carefully considered because I want the base to balance out the strange shape of the top I'm simply going to do a temporary fit while I move on to the next detail of this piece and I have to admit it's a pretty intense detail if you watch my video on my Oak riding desk you would have seen this technique before and by no means am I an expert in this in fact I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm doing my best to be as careful as possible here the glue that I'm using here is called size and it has one specific use which is foiling this is copper leaf and I'm adding it to the edges of the Walnut this detail adds a whole new element to the table and it's important to wear gloves here because I don't want the oils on my hands to tarnish the copper I'll then use fitty's hard wax oil to finish the entire piece don't get me wrong having a cool Workshop is amazing and I feel incredibly fortunate to have this set up this is where I spend most of my time it is My Sanctuary but having a cool Workshop was a goal but it's not my purpose my purpose is to create unique things that not only push my boundaries but hopefully can push the boundaries of others my purpose is to pass on the skills and the knowledge that my grandfather shared with me many years ago and having my business allows me to do it in my way now the whole point of this story was to hopefully give you an insight into my journey as a Furniture maker and I hope it didn't come across as arrogant or self-indulgence as I said earlier I was lucky enough to be given the tools at an early age of what direction I needed to go so I hope this story has given some of you an insight into that process now do you really need formal training to become a woodworker or Furniture maker no you don't unless you're working on site and you need a certain certifications but the amount you can learn from the Internet is incredible but I will say be careful there is just as much bad information out there as there is good information and unfortunately it's only through your own experience that you'll be able to determine what's right for you or you know you could just go to my patreon in my opinion the education I've had from working within the industry has been invaluable it has created the foundation for me to get to where I am today having an understanding of the industry and its processes allowed me to hit the ground running as soon as I opened the doors to my business but it's not necessary starting a business without formal training is easier than ever you're going to make mistakes but guess what we all make mistakes now if you can't tell from my story I'm someone that plans things out I planned my education and I planned the business that I one day wanted to open and the reality is it almost all got taken away from me back in 2010. part of me thinks that I was also using all this planning as a tool for procrastinating but all I can say is taking that leap having my own business and making these videos has been the greatest thing I've ever done [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Pedulla Studio

Views: 432,605

Keywords: sculpted furniture, sculpted, wooden, cabinet, cabinetry, sculpture, carved, stacked, stacked lamination, custom made, festool, woodworking, handmade, timber cabinet, Furniture, wood, how to make, how to build, DIY, maker, woodwork, artisan, interior design, bespoke, build, timber, custom design, handmade furniture, hand made, custom, Furniture maker, cabinet maker, builder, coffee table, woodworking projects, woodworking ideas, hall table, leaf, tree, copper leaf

Id: 7D4kreyUvdk

Length: 23min 18sec (1398 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 02 2023