I just received the newest issue of This Old House magazine and there was an interesting but fluffy article on the Thos. Moser furniture company. The showed some pictures of furniture being built and talked about the wood they used. Nice to see articles about companies that sucessfully build quality furniture in this country. Love him or hate him he has found a place for his products. Anyway the article was worth a look.
Troy
Replies
I saw that - Very interesting. Moser and his folks really can build some nice stuff. I love their work with cherry...
Tom's Workbench
http://tomsworkbench.com
Troy, the Moser stuff is quite nice. Looks well built, and appreciate his designs and proportions.
I stopped by their showroom in San Francisco, nice people and very nice furniture in person as well. If you have not seen their catalog it is very impressive as well. A long time ago I was assisting a photographer photograph a law office in San Francisco and one of the partners offices was furnished with Thos. Moser furniture and it was real nice and comfortable to sit in as well.Troy
I do indeed get their catalogs on a regular basis. Inspiring.
You said Love him or Hate him...... I'm curious......why would anyone hate him.
Jeff
I don't love him...nor hate him.Recently I stopped in a Thos. Moser retail store in Boston
a few weeks ago. While I do like and appreciate his line of
furniture - and would die a happy man if I could someday
be half (or a third...or a quarter...) as good as he, I must
say I was not thrilled by what I viewed there.I was most surprised to see that not one of the inset doors
in any of his furniture lined up perfectly. They were all
wracked or out of line in one way or another. Not something
I'd expect to see in a Moser piece.A couple of years ago I was also in the Windsor
Chairmakers shop up in Lincolnville, Maine where
the owner has several of his competitors chairs
on display in his show room. A nice way to demonstrate
and compare his line against others. He had a Moser
chair on display. The bottom and edge of the back
end of the seat had a very large knot exposed that had
begun to show signs that the knot was shrinking and would
presumably fall out someday. A good advertisement for the
Windsor Chairmaker, but very poor advertising for Mr. Moser.The owner told me that Mr. Moser went to Lincolnville to try
to buy the chair back, unsuccessfully. This is of course hearsay.
Truth? Fiction? Who knows. But I do know what I saw with my
own eyes.Normal disclaimers apply - No affiliation with either company
past nor present. I'm just a fellow woodworking that appreciates
good work. And I do respect anyone that has managed to make
a name for themselves in the hand crafted furniture world. I
continue to congratulate Mr. Moser & the Windsor Chairmakers
for their success.FWIW.Bill-http://www.franklinwoodwright.com
Edited 4/28/2008 2:45 pm ET by Woodrat1
No negative comments from me, I have heard some sour grapes from people who have said his stuff is "just" copies of shaker designs and the like. I think most of it has to do with envy of his success. I figure unless I can do better I can't really be to critical. I always enjoy looking at what's new in his catalog.Troy
A while back the TOH crew did a remodel of a modernist house in Cambridge, MA and some of the furniture was from Mosher. It was a Vita line of chairs and an Ottoman that was very nice. The show featured a trip to the factory along with a step by step of its construction. Nice stuff.
http://www.furnitureplanners.com/productreviews/Detailed/23628.shtml
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I remember that episode now and that was fun thanks for posting the link.Troy
troy,
I'm not a big fan of minimalist/modern furniture but the Mosher Vita line to me is most impressive. Don't remember all the details but it was described as a form that rises and falls on the surface of the water from the chair to the ottoman, or something like that. Kind of a flowing form thru the piece.
With some cherry that I have I'm tempted to try my version some day.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I agree, I also think it is really hard to make modern furniture that "ages" well and always impressed when somebody succeeds.Troy
I also think it is really hard to make modern furniture that "ages" well
Yeah I think I know what you mean but my eloquence is sadly lacking a way of saying it. Seems somewhat paradoxical in that period pieces always seem to look and fit right. But that's just my impression.
Whilst looking at the furniture when they were describing it, that whole business of moving through the water just seemed the best way of expressing the goals of the design.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/30/2008 8:08 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
One thing about that article that struck me was that the reporter said wood selection for a certain piece in Moser's shop can take as long as building the piece. Or was it three times as long? I don't have the article in front of me.
I'm not sure if that was misinterpreted. If not, then either they're REALLY fussy about choosing wood, or they've streamlined the actual building process to the point that it's really secondary to the aesthetic considerations.
Zolton - who confesses his artistic sensibilities are not nearly this fine honed..If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I neither love him nor hate him, I respect him for what he has achieved. True enough I believe that he has really gotten away from the aspects that make his furniture truly hand made, but he has attained a level of success that can not be denied. Now here I am sounding like a hypocrite, but the fact of the matter stands: he makes furniture that fulfills the basic prerequisites of a quality piece of furniture (ie form and function).
In response to Zolton, I too have heard that they put a great deal of emphases on choosing the stock for each product. The craftsmen who work for Moser really do know what they are doing when it comes to stock selection for different parts for each project, although I bet it really would help anyone if you had a seemingly endless supply of extremely high quality cherry.
P.S. That is a sick quote from Semi-pro
Edited 4/30/2008 10:07 pm ET by Relayer
What is it with this love/hate relationship with Mr. Mosher? I don't get it. If it's disdain because of his success then that's silly jealousy. I can't see where anyone would argue against his accomplishments with regard to promoting our craft.
Stir, stir, stir,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
People started hating Moser the moment he moved up from working out of his garage and started making real money.
I think he's great, the furniture is great. Great aesthetic sensibility. He does what he does very well.
Charles,
People started hating Moser the moment he moved up from working out of his garage and started making real money.
Well that's just hilarious!
Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah Mr. Mosher. I've got a step up on you; my woodshop is on top of my garage (actually my woodshed).
Charles, do you think I'll be richer than he? I'll bet if he saw my cabriole legs he'd be jealous of them.
Giggling all the way to the bank,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Mr. Moser has (so far) succeeded in holding back a little of the tide of the race to the bottom that's going on in all manufactured goods. For that, he deserves respect.
In a way, he's also succeeded in a field that is unique - he's competing against many, many amateurs and semi-professionals that sell their product to family, friends, and strangers at prices that sometimes doesn't cover the materials, much less the labor, tool wear, and finishing material costs. To my knowledge, that's not true of automobiles, tools (to a large extent), houses, or anything else.
There's a reason why most professional single-person shop woodworkers describe their life as hard - the general public expects a price similar to what they can find in Rooms-To-Go for "wood solids and cherry-finish veneers" for well-made furniture that can be passed down to future generations.
You mean ......... that computer table I bought at Walmart ....... isn't going to be a hair loom ?
Denny
I suppose one could always make it into a hair loom if they're into shearing sheep!
Regards,
P.S. Sorry, couldn't resist.Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob, you're almost as bad as me.
I hate Moser only because of my raw, poisonous envy over his success.
Did you see (true story) that Moser was commissioned to build chairs for the President and the Pope to use when the Pope came to visit?
No, I hadn't seen the story about the chairs. Interesting, wonder what style they were?
Sorry to hear of your malady regarding Mr. Mosher. I'd bet your furniture is better than his anyways and I bet it wasn't made in a garage either. :-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
It would also be nice to have that much Cherry to pick through so you don't feel bad about rejecting wood because you know you will use it on another project. Troy
Kind of goes with the idea that good design is timeless. For me design is even harder than doing a good job in what I am making.Troy
You guys must all be young or new. I remember when the 'old' Fine Woodworking would have an article about Moser, or one by him, or a letter, every now and then. 25 yrs ago or so.
This guy started out not one bit different than any other one man band. hopes and dreams and lots of 'how the he** am I gonna do this?' Extremely refreshing to see his furniture last and age well. He seems to have kept much of the craft's basic ethics intact, with little loss to take his product to a larger audience. The shop is a great training ground and many good woodworkers have come out of it to make it on their own or expand their skills in other shops.
I don't understand why we are supposed to love him or hate him, but I never 'get' most of this forum thing anyway.
Dave S
acornwoodworks.com
I sure did not intend to stir up such a hornets nest. I do like and respect what he has achieved and just thought the article was interesting and mentioned that I remembered some people did not like what he had achieved or had become or what ever.Troy
Troy,
I sure did not intend to stir up such a hornets nest.
Not to worry, it's been entirely too sublime around here. Now if you don't mind I'd like to share your lead a bit.
I think Mr. Mosher has elevated hisself to at least the same level as Mr. Chippendale, Seymour, Goddard, et al don't you?
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Oh boy that comparison seems like it is worth a few comments. As for Mosers designs I think a lot of the earlier case work (not chairs)he has done where nice but not ground breaking designs buy any means. This is not meant as a put down. I do think some of his newer designs are really outstanding. Of course that is just my opinion and that and 5 bucks will get you a latte at some coffee places:)Troy
Hi Troys,
I'm glad that you mentioned the newer designs. I believe that they are mostly David Moser's. Some of David's designs are really outstanding. I think that the new Pasadena chairs and tables are breathtakingly elegant, at least, as far as I can tell by looking at the catalogue and website pictures. Next time I'm in Maine, I'd like to get a peek under the tabletops to see how they are braced.
-Andy
I think your right about David Moser designing the new pieces I seem to remember reading that somewhere.Troy
troy,
Lots of good stuff on their WEBsite: http://www.thosmoser.com/
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
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