Knotty Woodpecker

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Knotty Woodpecker

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Knotty Woodpecker, Furniture, 307 E Center St SW, Rochester, MN.

04/08/2024

Making handmade furniture with real hands and traditional hand tools, a clean & minimal style influenced by Ming Dynasty furniture and American hand tool techniques.

Traditional hand tools means using hand plans, hand saws and chisels. It's like painting on canvas instead of creating digital art on a tablet.

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Open Tue-Wed 3-6
307 E Center St, Rochester

04/02/2024

Now open!
The furniture shop is now open weekly: Tue-Wed 3-6pm

The space is now 100% workshop for creating handmade furniture. It's time for serious furniture making! Stop in to talk about furniture, or talk about tools, or bring me coffee!

Plus, Knife sharpening is available.

Happy Tuesday

02/29/2024

One of the first pieces designed in this collection is this Ming-influence accent table.

American cherry wood with a natural oil finish
Ming-style mitered corners with hidden dovetails
A unique frame joint on the top corners
Hand-carved pattern around the skirt edge
Made from 25 pieces of wood
Estimated 40 hours to build
And leather feet

02/21/2024

This tool was abandoned at some point in its life, but given to me by my Tuohy friends some time ago.

I had a need, so I pulled it out of the scrap bin for a new life. It was glued to a picture frame to be wall art.

What's interesting about this plane is the marking on the side indicating the angle of the mortise. A hand plane sold at the store wouldn't have marks like this, but if I made my own handplane, I wouldn't bother removing those marks. The body is also missing any sign of markings for brand or cutter size.

I'm also surprised by the wood used, which appears to be black walnut: not super durable for tools. This really doesn't make it a bad tool, it just might need to be flattened a little more often (which isn't very often, or never, depending on the user). Special attention was also given to the shape of the wedge, which I don't see very often.

So here is someone's handmade tool, probably made for a specific use by the user himself some time ago. It now has a new life in a new toolbox and works perfectly well. A new plane like this sold today is around $300.

02/19/2024

So this thing happened,
I ordered new blades for my new furniture projects and they will need a home when they get here. I found this old Stanley No.45 box of cutters which is a perfect home.

In the process, I also restored some of the old blades to add to my set, because.. they were there, and why not? Now, there's not enough room for the new blades anymore. Now I need to find a home for them.

It feels like progress, but it also doesn't. Anyone else feel like we're running in circles?

On the bright side, I might have set a record for tools per square inch in this toolbox.

02/17/2024

One of the inspirations for the design in progress. This is a piece from the Ming style.

I've heard it go by many names: wooden sofa, luohan bed, platform bed, o***m bed, chaise couch. For reference, these are often bigger than a twin bed.

The wooden pattern on the back of this piece is one I've failed to understand the meaning, but it is common. It has a stacking effect from both top and bottom of the pattern. Please share if you know anything.

And yes, I intend to include a little table in the middle like the one shown.

02/09/2024

This cabinet designed with a strong Ming-style influence. I'm excited to see this one come to life. Estimating over 100 pieces and almost 200 hours to build, so very few of these will come out of the shop.

Now in search for high quality hardware to match, probably solid brass with a vintage finish, but finding the perfect piece sometimes feels impossible.

All Cherry wood. Can you picture it?

01/31/2024

This piece was discovered at a museum's Ming furniture collection. Somehow a clean design but still very unique and interesting, not to mention its long life.

The Ming Dynasty refers to a period in China between 1300s and 1600s. Afterwards, styles got more... complicated.

Though this piece looks very simple, the joinery is actually quite complicated compared to common Western furniture. My guess is there are over 30 pieces of wood in this little table.

01/28/2024

The "artist's workspace" ...after I cleaned it up a bit. Lots of reading, studying, calculatoring & drawing to find the perfect design. Planning for 6 pieces in this collection.

Ming Dynasty features & joinery incorporated into new designs for a calm & strong style, plus an indestructible heirloom build and a touch of hand carved textures.

There's been some talk of incorporating amazing dragon or tiger carvings I've found in a few inspirational pieces.

Pictures coming soon.

01/02/2024

Still in the study phase of Ming Dynasty joinery. Now on book two of the set, with more complex joinery to make sense of as we go. These designs will influence my next collection for added strength and unique styles.

This assembly shown is a chair leg. The book tells me they don't make them this way anymore. Though they are much stronger, they are also very time consuming. Once it's together, they look the same as the inferior design.

02/15/2023

Saddle brown, fiddlehead green, or dark brandy leather for this new chair design?

Leather craft upholstery by

Now accepting donations to get a lounge chair set in limited fiddlehead green leather 😋 because you deserve a fancy seat with your cortado.

01/06/2023

Shop update #2!
Now open by appointment only.

Why? Designing and building handmade furniture is hard work! This gives me some freedom to focus on the finer details. (Details are the best part!)

YES, you can still randomly drop in! But no more regular hours. Call, DM or text if you're wondering where I'm at.

Knife sharpening drop-off/ pick-up details at knottywoodpecker.com

Thanks for your support.
See you soon!

Address

307 E Center St SW
Rochester, MN
55902

Website

http://KWoodpecker.com/

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