Garrett Hack.
http://www.garretthack.com/
David Marks. It helps that I had lunch with him and found him to be an extremely cool guy. But I really like his designs and his methods.
I also like Marc Spagnuolo (the Wood Whisperer) who, no coincidence, trained under David Marks.
I am developing an appreciation for Jason Hibbs the Bourbon Moth guy. I don't always like what he's doing, but he is very practical without being janky which I like.
Id say my Grandfather. After that it comes to not who is the best or most informative but one who I enjoy watching Kobeomsuk. He has a good mix of hand and machine tools, relaxing, and excelent results.
https://www.youtube.com/@kobeomsukfurniture5420
The responses are really narrowed this down to the 20th century. There had to be some craftsman from the rest of all time. Like Thomas Chippendale?
I admire ancient Egyptian woodworkers, but I'm pretty sure their names have been lost to history.
George Nakashima. I drink all the Tree soul Kool-Aid. He had a gift that is often imitated but rarely done as well.
Curtiss Buchanan and Peter Galbert for chairmaking.
Freeman Keller for luthierie.
I second the kudos to Derek and Mike Allen. He doesn't tread these parts too frequently anymore, but I'd add Brian Holcombe to that list. I've been fortunate to study with him.
Michael Fortune a great designer, builder and teacher who has been in the furniture business for a long time.
My dad. He was a master woodworker and furniture maker/restorer who worked in virtual (and vastly underpaid) obscurity for a furniture company in Chicago. He was an incredibly gifted artist who always provided assistance for my art and drafting class school projects. He was also a gifted mechanic who could fix anything, including our cars. Although he passed away when I was 17, he inspired and taught me a lot simply by always encouraging me to observe his methods and the building process, from design to completion. He used mostly hand tools, many of which I still have. I remember one of his tool boxes (actually a large 3 level tackle box) contained the many powders and solvents he used to mix his own stains and inevitably got a perfect match for the piece he was restoring.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my two high school shop teachers, who introduced and educated me to the world of stationary power tools and the capabilities and dangers they possessed.
And I can’t forget Norm Abram, who rekindled my interest in woodworking after it lay dormant for a few decades.
Last edited by Stephen Rosenthal; 09-12-2023 at 2:34 PM. Reason: Typo
That's funny!
I remember when I was watching PBS, they would show The New Yankee Workshop, and right after it they would show The Woodwright's Shop. It was such a jarring contrast, seeing one guy who was all about power tools, and then the guy who was all hand tools and old time machinery that was human-powered. I liked them both a lot. Norm made me feel liek woodworking was something that I could do, and demonstrated tools that I was interested in. Roy was a master craftsman and showed what you could do with technique and patience. Such a contrast of styles, but both great in their own ways.
I'm gonna throw out a total unknown, most likely, to the woodworking community.
Doan Trevor, primarily a gunsmith/stockmaker. Check out the spinning wheel he made.