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MARCH 2001 WOODWORKER OF THE MONTH

Jeffrey Meuwissen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, lived on an Indian mission in
South Dakota as a child, graduated from Michigan State University in 1969 with a BS in
forestry and somehow landed in upstate New York. I guess one could say Jeff gets around.
He is a Watershed Forestry Specialist for the NY Department of Environmental Conservation
in Albany. Jeff is - as he states it - into Intarsia. But, he also crafts beautiful furniture and
we've got some fine examples for you to view below.

Jeff makes most of his own Intarsia patterns, and in this piece he has combined his love for Intarsia with fine furniture craftsmanship. This mission coffee table is graced with an Intarsia grapevine. Look for the Carolina wren he is crafting in the picture of him at work in his shop. The table is a housewarming gift for his son in South Carolina. I'd say this ought to warm his home up just fine.

This is one of my favorite of Jeff's pieces. I can hear the little dog barking. Jeff is partial to working with tropical hardwoods because of the variety of colors and grains available. In domestic hardwoods, he prefers red oak and black cherry. This piece is a great example of using many colors and grains to paint a realistic picture of a figure from life. Intarsia requires no stain, with the color coming from the different species of wood used in the piece. You see the effect demonstrated here in the rings of the raccoon's tail, the grain of the tree trunk and the body of the dog. Even the dog's tongue is a nice bright red. He finds that a satin polyurethane is easy to use and good for a final finish. This piece won second prize in the Accessories Division of the 2000 Woodworkers Show staged by the Northeast Woodworkers Association in Saratoga Springs, NY. It's not hard to see why, but the question is, what was first, and how could it have beaten this piece out?

Jeff's workshop is a converted single garage stall, and when he lamented that it isn't nearly large enough, it echoed the complaint of woodworkers everywhere. In fact, his woodworking tip was "You can't have a shop that is too large!" He spends from 10 to 15 hours a week in his shop, and says he wouldn't be able to get by without his bandsaw. The saw is what he uses for cutting all the pieces for his Intarsia creations. But he's also fond of his table saw, drill press, and belt sander. The addition of a spindle sander has helped with the finishing process immensely. His home built router table does most of his joinery with mortises and loose tendons. He says a good scroll saw would be nice, although his bandsaw is capable of all but the interior cutouts.

All of Jeff's 35 years, more or less, of woodworking show in the craftsmanship of this beautiful hutch. The remarkable thing is that this piece was crafted before he had his shop set up and it took about 2 years to finish. But, well worth the effort we can see. He uses mainly Minwax stains for pieces like this because he appreciates the transparency of the colors. Jeff's woodworking career began as the result of helping his father with remodeling contracting in the Summer from the time he was 12 years old. His Dad was an Industrial Arts teacher, and from the looks of this work, a very good one. No one else in the family really does any woodworking, although he believes his brother in Washington, D. C. is busy setting up a shop. If it's really in the genes as I've heard some woodworkers say, then his brother's was just a bit recessive, but he will be a master soon also.

The gallery to the left, and also the sunroom in his home, is where Jeff displays his specialty, combining intarsia and stained glass. The picture in the upper pane of the far right window is displayed to the right. You can also purchase it from the auction at Woodworkers Auction right now. You won't believe the price.

When we asked for advice for the novice woodworker, Jeff replied, "Don't be afraid to try things.
and expect mistakes. ALWAYS respect your equipment and never get careless when operating it.
Start with basic equipment and add the expensive luxury tools later when you decide you just
can't do without them.

If you're in New York, and you don't find Jeff in his shop (not too likely) then look for him to be
either boating, hunting, scuba diving, playing golf or working somewhere on stained glass. If you
would like to contact Jeff with a question, just send an email to meuwiss@klink.net. To enjoy
more of Jeff's work, just check out the Intarsia link on Woodworkers Auction. We're very proud
to display pieces from Jeff's workshop and very proud that he has been a loyal member of the
Woodworkers Auction community.

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