Happiness

Happiness is making things.
Greater happiness is making other people happy by making things.
Even greater happiness is working with other people making things to make other people happy.

IDSWEST 2011

It seems that like us, many of the exhibitors at IDSWEST 2010 decided to take a break this year.
It was a very different experience to be at the show as an attendee rather than an exhibitor.
Overall the show seemed to be considerably smaller, and in general the exhibits were also smaller.
Some of my personal favourites were:
Future Masters, Young Designers West I especially liked the ceramic work of Sarah Péloquin-Ladany and the wood chair by Tom Chung.
Edgewater Studio This is a custom tile company. Both Edgewater and Sarah Péloquin-Ladany use Moorish designs in their work. I too have been influenced by this.
Izm Studio This is a group from Edmonton. They showed some great wood furniture pieces.
I was pleased to see at least three examples of great chair designs by local artists. As a designer and maker of many chairs I have always considered them the ultimate furniture design challenge and the design possibilities are infinite.

My Presentation at Pecha Kucha

I was recently invited to make a presentation on my work and creativity at Pecha Kucha. Here is the presentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIoXQY-9i_8

I WANT TO HIRE A CABINETMAKER

The encounter depicted in the second movie is all to real. http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7575301/
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7582361/If the conversation between the client and cabinetmaker were to continue, the next question would be "can we pay you cash in order to avoid the HST?"
This attitude on the part of the client is by no means limited to cabinetmakers. I am sure that graphic designers, web site designers and countless others in creative occupations have similar nightmare stories.

WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT TRADE,VOCATION, OCCUPATION OR JOB?

There seems to be a lot of confusion around the term used to describe people who make things from wood.
I once had an architect introduce me to his client as his “millworker”. This, I guess because I often produced and installed millwork to his design.
A “millworker” as far as I know is not a trade. It is definitely not the name for the trade of people who make and install millwork. A millworker would be a general term for someone who works in a mill. A sawmill, a pulp mill or whatever. More specific names would be used to describe the various occupations and trades within the mill.
I recently saw this ad posted by a company that makes and installs architectural woodwork, cabinets and millwork:

Positions Available

William Ronald Millwork (not the real name) is growing. We need qualified persons.

Painter / Finisher
Minimum three years experience with highend finishing.

Millright
Minimum five years experience, familiar with all aspects of woodworking, blueprint reading is a must.

Cabinet Installers and Assemblers
Minimum two years of production experience.

Please call for more job information and requirements.

The thing that caught my attention was the position for “Millright”.
This ad was placed on the website of a large company boasting 35,000 square feet of production space for cabinets and architectural woodwork.

Amazingly, whoever placed the ad does not know the difference between a Joiner (cabinetmaker) and a Millright. Worse still, they spelled Millwright incorrectly.

Here in the lower mainland of British Columbia the main educational facility training people for the trades is BCIT. Here are the descriptions for the relevant trades discussed here, taken from the BCIT web site:

Carpentry
A carpenter assembles and erects falsework as well as forms for concrete, wood and metal frame construction, and installs interior and exterior finishing metals for residential, commercial and industrial projects while conforming to plans, specifications and local building codes. The apprenticeship process requires time spent on the job supplemented by in-school training. Apprentices who have completed Carpentry Entry Level Training receive credit for the first level of the apprentice training. Apprentices that have completed the BCIT Carpentry Framing and Forming Certificate of Trades Training will receive credit for levels one and two of the apprentice training and 450 work-based hours credit towards their time in trade. A carpentry apprentice must complete a four-year program including 5,000 workplace hours and 720 in-school hours of training completed in four levels of training, each for six weeks. After completion and achievement of a passing grade, the apprentice will hold the B.C.Certificate of Apprenticeship, B.C. Certificate of Qualification, and the Interprovincial Standard Endorsement also known as Red Seal.

Joinery (cabinetmaker)
Do you know what a Joiner is? A Joiner will layout, machine, assemble, install and finish products that are fabricated from wood, plastics and other materials. Many of these processes will combine conventional techniques with automated (CNC/CAD/CAM) procedures.
Joiners work in these areas for example:
• Architectural Woodwork (Millwork)
• Cabinets
• Commercial furnishings
• Residential furnishings
• Yacht interiors
• Specialty items
To become a certified journeyperson, you need to complete four years of apprenticeship training. Apprenticeship is a time-proven method of acquiring skills in the trade by combining technical in-school instruction with practical on-the-job training. Apprenticeship training is the best method for passing along trade skills from one generation to the next.

Millwright
Millwrights are often described as masters of all trades as they are expected to install, maintain and repair all types of machinery in almost any industry. Millwrights install, repair, overhaul and maintain all types of machinery and heavy mechanical equipment. They work from plans and blueprints and install equipment and align parts or components. Millwrights also maintain and repair machinery as required. They learn how to use grinders and lathes so they can make their own parts if necessary. Maintenance includes cleaning and lubricating, or adjusting valves and seals. They must inspect and examine the equipment to find and investigate problems and breakdowns, although some millwrights specialize in installation of machinery only.

There you have it. The company with the ad mentioned above is looking for a Joiner (cabinetmaker) not a “millright”.

I hope they find one.

IDSWEST 2010, A REVIEW BY AN EXHIBITOR

We recently had the privilege of exhibiting at IDSwest 2010. This was our 5th year. Originally the show was called DV Decorate Vancouver, which gives you an idea of the naïve optimism of its founders. (The topic of Interior Designer verses Interior Decorator is worth discussion on its own)
None the less, they had vision and recognised that Vancouver was large enough to support a public show devoted to interior design (or interior decorating as they called it at the time). More importantly, the founders of this show had and continue to have enthusiasm, and commitment, qualities essential to the continued success of this venture.

For the local and not so local designer / maker / woodworker, aside from “culture crawls”, this is the only venue in Vancouver I know of where they can showcase their work and meet the public.

This year’s event took place in the new Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, a very impressive facility built not without controversy as construction costs went out of control prior to the winter Olympics. It was built without a business plan and at a cost $346 million higher than B.C. taxpayers had been promised. (Original budget: $495 million. Final bill: $841.2 million.)

Two things I like about the new trade and convention centre are the use of BC wood and the choice of relevant art. There is a great collage of archival photos and original works by Ian Wallace and BC Binning among others. A number of the archival photos depict cruel and violent events perpetrated by the government and police. I was impressed and surprised to see these.













Our experience this year as exhibitors was the best yet. The logistics were vastly improved over previous years. Although I recognised many of the exhibit staff, they were different people. They were well co-ordinated, helpful, and kind. This is no small achievement given the circumstances.

Other woodworkers often ask me if they think that they should be exhibiting at IDSwest. In answer to that I would ask; what do you expect from exhibiting? If it is immediate sales this is not the show for you. IDSwest in my experience is about building new relationships and re-kindling existing ones. It’s largely a social event, and as we know, especially in this business, it’ all about relationships.
For a small business like ours the financial and time commitments are considerable. You have to enjoy doing it in order to justify it.

Two other significant differences I noticed at this year’s event were, one, the lack of green washing. In previous years there were always a number of exhibitors touting their supposed “green” superiority. I saw almost none of this in 2010. I attribute this at least in part to the unfortunate reality that so much of the so called “green” movement on the part of manufacturers and retailers is really only a matter of fashion, and that the “fad” seems to have passed.

The other noticeably absent contingent was the “design scouts” or whatever we might call attendees with cameras collecting ideas for immediate appropriation. I guess with all the great design on internet blogs it is no longer necessary to leave the office or factory to gain access to them.

On the topic of "green" practices and sustainability I was amazed at the waste created by the show itself. A number of exhibitors build large booths from scratch, on site then when the show is over simply chuck the whole thing into a dumpster destined for the land fill.

One flooring exhibitor tore up hundreds of square feet of new laminate flooring and tossed it. Another had a display with large stone tiles glued to plywood. Rather than dis-assembling it for later use, they smashed the whole thing up with hammers and threw it out. What a waste and what a chore.

IDSwest

Its back, IDSwest. And we will be exhibiting again this year, in the new venue, the new Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.
This has become the main event for Interior Design in Vancouver and for many people designing and making in wood, this is one of the few opportunities to bring their work to the public and especially to those with a special interest in design.
Its also a great place to network and socialize with colleagues and old friends.
We have a limited number of free passes, if you would like one send us an email info@francislemieux.com