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the artisan

   There is a time for everything, everything happens when it's its time.

   For me the time has come to rediscover woodworking techniques linked to a romantic and more sincere idea, in which every effort is rewarded with results.  Practice and dedication make an activity a profession, the arts are used correctly to continually seek a respectful and perfect result.

   I specialized in manual manufacturing techniques, I use precise tools and I am committed to perfection, aware of the saying "Perfection is the best you can do today", which makes me understand that perfection does not exist, it is something ideal to target to, and that every day moves its goals higher.

   The closeness to nature and the awareness that a plant felled by hand arouses a form of respect and awareness superior to felling with motorized or automatic equipment, allows me to give value to every small clipping of the woods that I use, and to find ways to use them to create unique objects, even small ones.

   I am happy to make furniture and furnishings on commission and to-specification; I pay a lot of attention to detail and always try to maintain precision in every aspect. The value of non-industrial furniture, which passes through generations unscathed, is unparalleled. At the same time, I am not very inclined towards restoration, but rather towards revisiting non-antique furniture with the aim of giving it new life, under a new aspect that is more harmonious with present time furnishings.

   A walk in the woods near the workshop, a drop of rain that refreshes the skin, the sound of a bird: inspirations that regenerate ideas and the will to do.

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First hits with manual plane
Wild oak boards

techniques

I always start from the dried board, which still shows the bark and the plant from which it comes is clearly identifiable. If we look closely we can still reconstruct its shape and understand its dimensions at the time of felling.

Necessary steps include checking the linearity, the first passes of the plane to identify the grain and richness (sometimes called "imperfections": how can what nature gives us be imperfect?).

When the material is interpreted and reduced to usable for the intended purpose, the path divides. Depending on the purpose, the wood is passed to cutting (longitudinal), or to sectioning (transversal), or to shaping (mixed processing techniques, carving, emery...). Here, machinery is sometimes used to speed up the times and reduce costs.

The wood is then composed into panels, usually, or glued with other woods, depending on the job. In the form of a strip or beam, it can undergo carving processes for joints, facets, or other.

The final step is always manual: the hand plane, once the iron is well sharpened, decides the finish that the surface will show. Sanding is rarely done (only in the case of particular shapes): the sanded surface is almost never left visible, this depending a lot on the finish with suitable products. Often, a scraper is used, a manual tool as simple as it is effective, if well prepared, to make up for the very few inabilities of the manual plane.

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"Bedrock" style hand plane
Cabinet scraper on round surface
Japanese knife in double iron layers
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glues and finishes

To hold together works created with the purpose of being assembled with joints, glues are of crucial importance, in order not to ruin, in the end, the work done. I use non-toxic aliphatic glues, also used in the food sector, which respect the material and remain elastic over time, following the dimensional fluctuations of wood.

In rare cases I prefer to use hide glue, that is heated in a bain-marie and offer indisputable advantages: in addition to being one hundred percent natural, it can be heated even after years and get loosen, making it possible to dismantle a piece of furniture and recover some parts, without losing the rest of the furniture. Furthermore, in the case of joints, they have the characteristic of facilitating the joining of the parts, making the components to slide smoothly.

When possible, being able to caress a finished hand-planed product is pure pleasure: it feels like a wax finish has been applied, but instead it is the tactile sensation left by a well-sharpened blade.

However, I often use finishes that protect the wood and prevent dirt and stains from altering its beauty over time.

In this regard I always prefer oils, which, being often of purely natural origin (products of trees, or of mineral origin) respect and blend correctly with the wood fibers. Wax finishes are also excellent, if added with natural, non-harmful substances.

Sometimes, due to the type of object and the impossibility of restoring or re-treating the wood over time, I use water-based finishes or, where strictly necessary, solvent-based finishes: there are many qualities, versions and specifications, so many that you can get lost in the choose. Whenever I deem it necessary, I prefer to turn to my fellow restorers, who make finishes their profession.

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marquetry

A technique that has nearly fallen into disuse is marquetry. It is found in many antique furniture pieces, as well as in woodworks preserved in medieval churches and museums.

I wanted to fish out this technique to be able to give uniqueness to some of my creations that is rarely found in current productions. The beauty of two contrasting woods that form an image is unmatched, as far as the satisfaction of the craftsman when he sees them compose, and gives the last strokes of scraper admiring the final result...

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Text marquetry in progress
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