Toman Fine Woodwork is a custom woodworking business specializing in fine joinery, hand planed and tooled surfaces with many pieces escaping the use of sandpaper, metal fasteners, and glue. Drawing from a large stock of North American hardwoods and a limited supply of exotic woods, most large pieces achieve wood uniformity of grain and color coming from the same airdried log slabs.
Wood is inherently beautiful. My mission in fine woodwork is to enhance that beauty to a quiet, rustic elegance with integrity hidden in the joinery, giving generations of use.
Beauty is not sensational, but sensual to the eye and touch. We find it in natural imperfections and mindless workings of the hand. The most revered tea bowls of the Japanese ZEN Tea Masters were made by Okinawan children who were not intending beauty. When we try too hard it evades us.
Wood surfacing is like this. We try and sand to perfection. Sanding wood opens the grain and dulls the finish while hand planing and smoothing edges with spokeshaves and carving tools, burnish the wood surface and seal the grain. Sanded live edges lose the nuance of their natural surface imperfections. I avoid sandpaper as much as possible, but some woods leave little choice. Desert ironwood is one. Mesquite is difficult. If I am fighting an uphill battle, I sand, but take it to 600-2000 grit to close the grain.
I can't define it, but know beauty is embraced when I never tire of seeing or touching a piece of fine woodwork. When this is by my hands, I know I have achieved my mission.
The wood studio is located in southwestern Montana on a bank of the beautiful Big Hole River near Wise River, MT.
Toman Fine Woodwork, LLC is operated by Lee Toman
email: lee@tomanfinewoodwork.com
Seasonal landline April-Nov.
406-832-3327
Cell- 651-587-0769
Cell Service lacking near wood studio at this time, except by WiFi calling/texting reaching some areas.
Copyright © 2018 Toman Fine Woodwork - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder