greatest living woodworker

[dtam]

Who is the greatest living woodworker?

- Norm Abram
- Frank Klauz
- Sam Maloof
- James Krenov
- David Marks

In my opinion, Frank Klauz is the most amazing, especially when using hand tools (though I have never seen Sam Maloof and James Krenov).

[dbarnett]

This guy gets my vote.

Click on his links to see the shop and his work. The sheer size and complexity of his projects are mind blowing. Check out the staircases and his volunteer project for a local private high school. He is a nice guy too, he emailed a response back to me after I complemented his work.

http://plamann.com/sys-tmpl/door/

Here is just the tip of the iceberg.

http://plamann.com/sys-tmpl/scrapboo...ook1&UID=10006

[Black wallnut]

Impossible to choose but one! Dave in Cairns AU should be in any list IMHO! Not sure wher he went but I can not find him on the WWW anymore!

[cabinetman]

Of those on your list, I vote for James Krenov.

[DonHo]

I guess who's "best" is pretty subjective but I gotta go with Mark, for my money Dave is in at least the top 2 or 3.

DonHo

[ChrisD]

From your list, I'll probably pick Abrams primarily because of how he has made the craft accessible to so many people through his show.

But I think it's too short a list as there are so many other craftsmen who may not be as celebrated as these five but do equally (if not more) amazing work.

[radhak]

Who is the greatest living woodworker?

- Norm Abram
- Frank Klauz
- Sam Maloof
- James Krenov
- David Marks

In my opinion, Frank Klauz is the most amazing, especially when using hand tools (though I have never seen Sam Maloof and James Krenov).

You are asking about celebrity woodworkers. Dunno how to rate among them.

For my money, I am pretty impressed by a bunch of guys in this forum itself.
I am sure given the opportunity many of 'our' guys could churn out high profile stuff too.

[Bruce Cohen]

Not to deminish the accomplishments of any of the already mentioned woodworkers, and now that Tage Frid has passed on, Wendell Castle gets my vote.




Bruce

[leehljp]

I really like Sam Maloof's attitude about wood design and usage. On one of his chairs placed in a museum once, he said his chairs were meant to be felt and sat in. Most of his work is with that in mind - aesthetics AND function. He designs for the object to be used, not for design that can be used.

You can tell that I am a "function first" person and this affects my choice. I have a couple of Tage's books and just did not get into his work that well as much as I wanted to because his books and work were recommended to me.

I also mention Dave in Cains who did some fantastic work. At times, he let us follow the deveopment of some of the work.

[Bruce Cohen]

I jsut realized I left out Gustav Stickley and Charles and Henry Greene.

These two men probably influenced me more than even Tage Frig.

Hank, you are really are missing a great experience by not really reading Tage's books. It's what got me started in woodworking and taught me more than every other book I've read since. And this goes back some 25 years.

Bruce

[Knottscott]

Sorry, I just don't feel qualified to pick a greatest...I'm not worthy!

I'm only familiar with Norm, Sam, and David Marks. As much as I like Norm, he's really not a remarkable wwer IMO....he's an excellent carpenter. Marks is an artist who uses wood as his medium. Maloof is a naturally talented master who seems pretty tuned into the whole woodworking scene from tree to tray.

[dtam]

I only listed the ones I'm most familiar with as I'm sure there are others less known who are just as skillful. (i forgot to include Dave in Cains, I've seen pictures of his amazing tsunami hope chest).

I actually think Norm Abrams is bit overrated. I've only started watching New Yankee less than a year ago, and based on what I've seen so far, I would rank him last behind the other four for the following reasons:
- his furnitures don't need any hand shaping or carving (like a Sam Maloof rocking chair)
- he uses too many nails
- hardly ever use hand tools. I've seen him use hand tools once only to cut dovetails for an end table (only because the dovetails were too large to cut with his jig), and it had large visible gaps

Is it just me, or do others feel the same about Norm Abrams? Maybe his earlier episodes were better?

[ChrisD]

Is it just me, or do others feel the same about Norm Abrams? Maybe his earlier episodes were better?

You're definitely not alone. A lot of people feel that way about him exactly for the reasons you mentioned. He uses his brad nailer way too much!

When FWW compiled a list of the essential woodworking books, the editor who picked one of Norm's books had to carefully qualify his response and even acknowledge the fact that Abrams' techniques are not really on a par with those that are considered appropriate for fine furniture making.

But the impact that he has made on Joe Woodworker who counts the TV among his tools cannot be denied. And that's why I picked him. I guess in this case, I equated greatness with influence.

[jwaterdawg]

greatest living woodworker? my father

I realize that is a pretty subjective opinion, but on the basis of the impact on my life and woodworking hobby, it's true.

[drumpriest]

Like so many topics of discussion that revolve around art, this one is nearly impossible to answer. It is indeed a subjective question, and I don't feel that anyone is qualified to say who is best. The question that can be answered is the one that jwaterdawg answered, which was most influential in your growth as a woodworker. For me, it has been David Marks.

I don't personally have a problem with Norm's use of power tools, or his lack of use of hand tools. I rarely use hand tools myself (except my scraper). I have occasion to break out a chisel or a block plane, but that's about it. I have not invested the time to create any insanely organic shapes either. I don't feel bad about this, it's just not the route that my projects have taken me.