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Chris Gochnour

@thejoinersbench

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Craftsman, hand tool enthusiast, and teacher. Contributing editor @finewoodworkingmagazine. Married to an amazing woman and father to two great kids.

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I was pleased to have a contemporary side table I designed and built featured in Fine Woodworking magazine this month. While simple in its presentation, the table is an adventure to build, including sliding dovetail battens, splayed legs that pierce the battens and top, a drawer that glides on the battens, and a shelf that wraps around the legs with a floating appearance. The inspiration for the table came from a Danish original from the 50s I saw at an online auction house. The original, however, was made from a blend of solids, plywood, and veneer, which accommodated wood movement and made the table easier to build. I chose to build from solid teak, which required more complex joinery to facilitate wood movement. I’m pleased with the way it turned out. It’s a rewarding project to build and looks beautiful in the home. A big shoutout to the @FineWoodworkingMagazine team, especially deputy editor Jon Binzen, who continue to put out a great product. In addition to my article, there are many others that offer fresh, original, and inspiring content. I also want to mention @amy.makes.everything, another Utah artisan, for the chip-carved bowl that serves as a nice accent to the table. Pick up a copy of the magazine; you’ll be glad you did. #finewoodworkingmagazine #danishmodernfurniture #handmadefurniture #teak #woodworking taken in Salt Lake City, Utah by @thejoinersbench

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As a furniture artisan, I take great satisfaction in not only creating beautiful objects out of wood, but in helping others to do the same. For the past 25 years, I have taught furniture making to aspiring woodworkers, many of whom have gone on to forge careers of their own as furniture makers. I’m proud of the pieces they build and take great satisfaction in their amazing work. You can see some of their pieces, as well as one of my own and pieces from other local and national furniture makers, at the 2021 Utah Design Exhibit this Thursday and Friday (Oct. 21 and 22 from 10am to 10pm) at the Clubhouse SLC (850 East South Temple). I plan to be there Friday around 5:30pm for the exhibit’s closing night. Many of the other artists, designers, and furniture makers will also be there at this time to share their stories and answer questions. This post includes a selection of my student’s work from the 2019 show. You’ll quickly see the quality of their work. I promise this year’s show will include pieces with great design and impressive levels of craftsmanship. You won’t be disappointed. I hope to see you there! Photo credits Melissa Kelsey, Ben Fonnesbeck, and Amy Costello. #utahdesignexhibit #SLDesignWeek taken in Salt Lake City, Utah by @thejoinersbench

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As an artisan, one of the greatest joys I experience is the completion of a successful project. That satisfaction amplifies when a client graciously welcomes the new piece of furniture into their home. I built this desk for a client/friend I’ve had the privilege of working with for many years. They love contemporary and Danish modern design. They furnished me a picture of a Hans Wegner wishbone desk and asked if I could build it with a few modifications. The result is this graceful and clean-lined teak and white oak desk. Rather than a precise reproduction it includes a solid teak top with a beveled edge, more splay to the legs, and a different motif for lateral support. These design modifications required new and fresh approaches to the desk’s construction. For example, changing the top to solid wood from the original’s veneer meant that I had to figure out a way to add strength and integrity to the desk’s top, while allowing for wood’s natural movement. I accomplished this with battens housed in dovetail sockets on the desk’s underside that strengthen the top, keep it flat, allow for wood movement, and serve as runners for the two drawers. The battens also provide the legs with a solid connection to the desktop. We selected teak for its beauty, timeliness, and consistency with this style of design. The base is white oak, which provides strength and features a natural color that complements the warm hues of teak. To pull off all the joinery required a lot of innovation, jigs, and patterns. I will feature some of these tips and techniques in future posts. I like how the desk turned out and with all the jigs and patterns at my disposal am now building one for myself. Photographs courtesy of Mike Bartle Media. #danishmodern #finewoodworkingmagazine #midcenturymodern #desk #woodworking #teak #finefurniture taken in Salt Lake City, Utah by @thejoinersbench

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“The first small town on the southern side of the mountains. Here the true life of wandering begins, the life I love, wandering without any special direction, taking it easy in sunlight, the life of a vagabond wholly free. I am much inclined to live from my rucksack, and let my trousers fray as they like.” (Herman Hesse) That small town on the southern side of the mountain happened to be Alta, Utah this weekend as my wife and I set out to summit two 11,000-ft-plus peaks: Mount Superior and Monte Cristo. We’ve both been drawn to these amazing mountains since our younger days as skiers at Alta and Snowbird. The peaks rise 3,000 feet above the canyon floor and present breathtaking and ominous views of the Central Wasatch. The climb is not for the faint of heart (or those afraid of heights). It is physically demanding and also takes a lot of nerve because of the vertical exposure. Rock scrambles, knife edges, and steep ledges present quite the challenge. Natalie and I didn’t coordinate our outfits, but apparently after 36 years together you start to think alike. We’ve been hiking and skiing in the Wasatch Mountains since we first met. There’s nobody I’d rather spend time with than her. Here’s to many more years wandering the Wasatch together. taken in Little Cottonwood by @thejoinersbench

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Twenty-two years ago today, as the sun was setting, my wife and I took spray cans to the Utah State Capitol to mark the ends of fallen trees from a destructive tornado that had struck downtown Salt Lake City the day before. Around 100 trees fell on the State Capitol grounds. Gov. Mike Leavitt gave me the opportunity to give the trees a second life by building an enduring piece of furniture. We agreed on a desk for the governor’s office – a significant piece of furniture where bills are signed and public decisions are made and announced. The desk is made from three woods: English sycamore, Japanese pagoda, and linden. After the wood was milled into boards and kiln dried, I spent six intense weeks working long days to create the desk. I was honored to build and gift this desk to the people of Utah. Even though no money was exchanged, the desk is one of the most important pieces of furniture I’ve ever built and served as a catalyst for many good things in my career. The state of Utah later commissioned me to build the credenza and conference table in the formal office. These companion pieces are also out of woods salvaged from the tornado, making the Utah governor’s office truly unique. If there’s a moral to this story it’s this: when bad things happen seize the opportunity to do something good. taken in Salt Lake City, Utah by @thejoinersbench

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I built this mid-century end table a couple of years ago and it continues to be a favorite piece of mine. What intrigues me most is that under its simple form there is a lot of complexity in the way it all comes together. I featured it at the Utah Design Exhibit in 2019. Here is the description I used: “There is an oft-quoted design principle that says, ‘Make furniture as simple as possible, but not too simple.’ The idea is to let the wood, the form, and the craftsmanship speak for itself, while finding ways to add beauty and intrigue. Design and construction like this only occur because of another form of simplicity – parsimony, the quality of being careful. This carefully crafted table projects simplicity, even as every detail is carefully thought out. The wood came from a single walnut tree harvested in Monroe, Utah. The design inspiration came from an image of a Danish modern table shared by a student in my furniture making class at Salt Lake Community College (see last photo). The proportions, many of the design elements, and all of the construction details have been re-thought and re-worked. In spite of the table’s simple aesthetic, it requires challenging construction techniques in order to accommodate the walnut’s natural tendency to move. And speaking of movement, the sap wood down the center of the table creates an image of movement, whether it be a flowing river, a footpath, or a mountain trail. Simple, careful and flowing.” Photographs courtesy of Mike Bartle Media. #utahdesignexhibit #midcenturyfurniture #finewoodworkingmagazine #amy.makes.everying (chip-carved bowl) Photo credit Mike Bartle Media by @thejoinersbench

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I lost a true friend yesterday with the passing of Marley, our white lab. She was a beautiful dog that had the saddest eyes, but the happiest heart. Her tail was forever wagging and continued to wag until just moments before she passed. Marley loved people; any visitor to our home was warmly greeted and became an instant friend. Even at 14 years old, she had the spunk of a puppy, and I loved the way she would race back into our home after her dinner to get one of her favorite things: a Pupperoni treat.
When I returned home from the woodshop today, her beautiful eyes were not peering through the glass panes of the front door to welcome me home, a simple reminder of how she will be forever missed. Rest in peace…Marley girl. by @thejoinersbench

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I know, I know, it’s not about the shavings, but you have to admit they can be fascinating. Making a raised panel using a Leon Robbins, North East Tool Company, curly maple panel raising plane. Photograph courtesy of Mike Bartle Media. #handtools #finewoodworkingmagazine by @thejoinersbench

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I headed off to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking a couple of weeks ago to teach a workshop on building one of my favorite hand tool projects: A Shaker sewing table. What I like about the project is the variety of traditional woodworking techniques that are employed in small and manageable segments. These include through dovetails, sliding dovetails, sculpting the feet using bow saws and spokes shaves, rabbets, dados, stopped dados, and the list goes on. I had a great group of students. Some were hand tool proficient; others were just getting started. I admired how the class worked together as a team, helping each other as the project progressed throughout the week. Great comradery. This was my 20th year teaching at Marc Adams and, as I’ve come to expect, everything was top notch and ready to go…even during a pandemic. Due to COVID-19 challenges, I opted to drive this year from Salt Lake City and really enjoyed seeing the beauty and diversity of our county. Scroll through the photos to see various aspects of the table’s construction and the tools and techniques employed. A big shout out to Marc and the terrific staff and students at the school. Don’t let the pandemic keep you from safely doing what you love. Stay safe everyone and keep on building! taken in Marc Adams School of WoodWorking by @thejoinersbench

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This past weekend I enjoyed sharing my passion for woodworking with others who attended Fine Woodworking Hands On San Diego. I taught hand tool essentials to 14 students from around the country. On Saturday we did sawing exercises and a practice dovetail joint. Then students built a traditional dovetail drawer with half blind and through dovetails. On Sunday we focused on hand-cut mortise and tenon joinery. Students built a door frame exclusively with hand tools. It was a pleasure sharing the craft with so many good people. I was impressed with the students’ work ethic, kind nature and skill. I’d like to give a big shout out to @finewoodworkingmagazine for making this event possible and to @jenniferandersonstudio and all the good people at @palomarcollegewoodworking for hosting and assisting at this outstanding event. #finewoodworkingmagazine #handtools #woodworking by @thejoinersbench

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I have a new motto — love where you live. Today after teaching my woodworking class at Salt Lake Community College I took a 30-minute drive into the Wasatch Mountains and parked at the trailhead of Wolverine Peak. The hike is one of my favorites in the Wasatch range. It’s a seven-mile loop, passes four lakes, ascends 2,100 feet and reaches an elevation of 10,795 feet. The hike is filled with amazing vistas, fields of wildflowers, and occasional wildlife. Today I saw a family of sage grouse and a couple of moose. It’s hard to beat the amazing access to these peaks from Salt Lake City. They are darn near in your backyard. Can’t think of a better way to start the week. #hikethewasatch #visitutah #lifeelevated #wasatchmountains by @thejoinersbench

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Thank you #finewoodworkingmagazine for featuring my contemporary sideboard in the Oct. 2019 issue of the magazine. I am indebted to Fine Woodworking for teaching me the craft. I’ve subscribed for over three decades and have devoured every issue that shows up on my doorstep. I appreciate the many craftsmen/women who have contributed their knowledge, expertise and passion for the craft in the pages over the years. I’m happy to give back in a small way by sharing my work. A special shout out to the amazing staff at Fine Woodworking for continuing to put out such a high quality magazine. Also, a big thanks to deputy editor Jon Binzen for working with me so closely. Jon possesses great vision, is a world class photographer, and is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. by @thejoinersbench

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