The Impractical Cabinetmaker: Krenov on Composing, Making and Detailing

What is an “impractical cabinetmaker”? According to the legendary woodworker James Krenov, such people are idealists who want to “express themselves spontaneously and simply as a form of individual adventure and satisfaction.” The Impractical Cabinetmaker, the third book in a trilogy that also contains A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook and The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking, expresses Krenov’s influential philosophy of woodworking to make pieces with “honest purpose, clean lines, the traces of tools skillfully used - these make up objects that enrich us in a person-to-person way.”

The Impractical Cabinetmaker attempts to answer questions posed to Krenov by woodworkers from all over the world. (Krenov was born in Siberia and studied and worked in Sweden before moving to the U.S.). He invites the reader into his workshop and shares his woodworking techniques and his philosophy on craft. A series of photographs shows Krenov composing a cabinet directly in the wood, without dimensioned drawings. (Krenov describes himself as bad as sketching, so if you are too, you might find this approach to be liberating.) The book also includes an interesting discussion about repairing mistakes - when to repair and when to accept the mistake gracefully. There is also a detailed exploration of three projects - a curved showcase cabinet, a writing table with drawer, and a chess table - that showcase Krenov’s philosophy in practice.

Color and black and white photographs, sketches. Soft cover.

This is one of those books that has inspired generations of woodworkers to aim higher in their work, and to think about broad aspects of both designing for and building with wood. Krenov’s construction methods (using dowels) are idiosyncratic, but his intense approach to woodworking has had a profound impact. It is well worth a read. - Jeff Miller, author of Chairmaking & Design