Celebrating 40 years of handcrafted Furniture
We are so thankful to be celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. As part of our celebration, we are continuing to feature members of our team and unique aspects of our process throughout the year.
Blending art and science to build Joinery furniture
Building furniture at The Joinery requires great skill and a blend of art and science. No one brings in the science element as much as Brian, our Lead Seating Craftsperson as well as our on-the-floor engineer. Outside of his role of leading our Seating Team, Brian champions efforts to improve our shop processes to make life easier for all of our Craftspeople.
“My specialty at the Joinery (besides building dining chairs) is designing and building jigs that help speed production, reduce errors, and get more consistent results with less effort,” Brian says. “Designing a jig can require some creativity to imagine the different ways available to do an operation on a piece – and occasionally to come up with an entirely novel approach. It requires knowing all the features of a furniture piece and determining the best order of operations. Jig design also entails understanding the accuracy required in the feature, making the jig easy to use, knowing where adjustment is needed, how long it needs to last, making it safe and ergonomic to use, making it error-proof, etc.”
Brian epitomizes our company values of “Details matter” and “We do this together.” His thoughtful, methodical approach are perfect for his role, as are his team-first attitude and sincere desire to share knowledge to help others.
“I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to build our furniture better, faster, and with less effort,” he says. “I also take pleasure in knowing the pieces I build will be cherished in someone's home. I also really appreciate the teamwork with my fellow builders, that we share our knowledge and help each other improve.”
As well as being our resident process improvement guru, Brian’s curious mind makes him one of the people you’d most like to have a dinner conversation with. “Intellectually, I like learning and thinking about all things human: how our minds work, role of spirituality & religion, how we know what we know, how evolution has shaped us, the nature of money, how to arrange our family/social relationships, the hazards of social media, the best uses of the free market, and the utility of marriage” – just to name a few.
Outside of work Brian appreciates meeting new people and spending time with his nephews (and watching them grow!). He also really enjoys physical activity, including riding his BMX flatland bike and contact improv dance. (What exactly is “contact improv dance,” you ask? This is another subject on which Brian can wax poetic.)
We are grateful for Brian’s contributions to our team. Not only will the furniture he has built live on in customer homes for decades, but so will the jigs and other process improvements he has made in our shop.