GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN - AN ACCIDENTAL WOODWORKER CRAFTS ARTFUL FURNITURE WITHOUT STAIN, NAILS, OR POWER TOOLS
By Cara McDonald / Photos by Carter Photographics

James Reed, of Grand Lake, has a purist’s heart when it comes to woodworking. James feels nails and stain are shortcuts or ways to hide imperfections, and prefers the hand-cut dovetailing that holds his pieces together. Much of his work is hand sculpted and carved, inspired by the natural shapes, knots, colors and curves of the wood, as seen in this exquisite desk.

The pile is about waist-high, and on this dry, cold winter day, it all looks pretty much the same: wood. Slabs of it, some rough, with the bark still on, and some cut into thick, shaggy planks. Dominant colors: beige and gray. You know, wood.

To James Reed, the planks are works-in-progress already – he fingers each one for the countertop, desk, vanity or cabinet it might become – despite the fact that they live under a tarp in a yet-to-be-completed garage in a someday-we’ll-finish dream house that he’s building with his dad and brothers. And as a furniture maker, that’s what sets Reed apart – not just an understanding of the crafting, the construction and tools of the trade, but in his love of where it all starts.

He runs his hand down the length of a walnut plank. “What a dynamic material it is,” he says. “Most people look at a board and see an unmovable hard object ... it’s a bunch of cells and they do strange things and they take on moisture and they move. And you cut a plank out of it, and wait five years for it to twist and settle and find its equilibrium, and think, ‘I’m going to put it together so it works.’”

Growing up a Grand County kid with access to amazing tools and piles of logs, Reed chose a profession that doesn’t seem a stretch. His dad, Jim Reed, is a log home builder and logger; mammoth logs sit in garages, sheds, in piles, some waiting for 20 or 30 years until they find their place in a home or project.

Reed had had his mind on a different life – law school. But a family friend who was a successful lawyer pulled him aside and said, “Look, if there’s something else that pulls you, do it.” That something else seemed to Reed just like dabbling: wood furniture, pieces he’d made as gifts and gave to friends. But he kept at it, teaching himself as he went along. “I keep evolving because I can see something in my mind,” he says, “and then I have to work backwards to figure out how to get there.”

Now 32, Reed is a startlingly accomplished craftsman, a title he prefers to “artist,” even though there is an artfulness inherent in his designs. “To me, furniture is absolute utility; anytime I’ve made anything, there’s been practical motivation first. Then I want to show off a little bit and make it look cool, making a weird joint or something that only another furniture maker would appreciate.”

Reed has a purist’s heart when it comes to woodworking – nails and stain are, in his mind, shortcuts or a way to hide imperfections. He prefers the hand-cut dovetailing that holds his pieces together; much of his work is hand sculpted and carved, inspired by the natural shapes, knots, colors and curves of the wood. Take, for example, the kitchen of the family’s home under construction. It’s a showcase of Reed’s skills and sensibility – curly, or “flame” walnut cabinets, unvarnished, simply oiled to show off the wood’s true chestnut hue. The lines are clean, edges slightly rounded, everything finished by hand to the tiniest wood peg or dovetail. Inside, the drawers are fresh cedar, with flame-colored streaks and a strong, spicy smell. It’s an exercise in “what if?” and is the kind of craftsmanship that will last 100 years or more.

“I think I work this way in part because I live up here,” he says. “Living in Grand County? It gives you time to focus on the details in life.”

READ MORE STORIES FROM THIS ISSUE:
• History: Scandal in Gore Canyon - The Western Front as Early Rail Tycoons Fought Over the Gore
• Afterwords: Footsteps of Ike - The Spirit of the 34th US President Still Lingers Here
• Lifestyle: The Chris-Craft Mystique - Winning the Hearts of Grand Lake Boaters for Decades
• Lifestyle: A Trail Advocate Pushes the Pedals - Keith Sanders & The Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Scene
• Summer 2010 Articles