LAKESIDE – Steve Henneford doesn’t like the barstools in his kitchen.
But instead of heading to the nearest furniture store, Henneford went into the workshop connected to his house and got to work building a stable, three-legged barstool out of walnut.
He’s not just crafting a more comfortable place to sit; he’s making an heirloom.
“I’ll replace them and they’ll be the last ones we ever need,” Henneford said in his shop last week.
As the owner and operator of Henneford Fine Furniture, the carpenter’s goal is to sell this type of quality, long-lasting work.
Henneford began woodworking as a hobby. Aside from a middle school class, he taught himself the techniques required in the field, Henneford said, and eventually began working on his own house and in construction.
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Steve Henneford shows one of the rasp tools he uses to hand-shape the wood furniture he creates in his Lakeside home workshop. |
The next step – starting his own furniture business – came last September, after the carpenter decided he needed to shake his life up a bit. He has been a gymnastics teacher for about 30 years, Henneford said, with 21 of those in the valley.
“I just thought I would do something different,” he said. “I really love woodworking.”
The creations crafted in Henneford’s one-room workshop are made of a variety of wood, including walnut, cherry and African mahogany. Chairs and benches have a distinct flow, despite being made of multiple pieces.
One of his three-legged chairs might have five boards making up the seat, but they are beveled in such a way that they form a comfortable, shallow depression for the user to rest in, connected to well-placed support at the lower back.
The furniture is strong, Henneford said, with pieces interlocking intricately in the tradition of Sam Maloof, one of America’s most-admired contemporary furniture designers.
Henneford handworks the joints to fit precisely, and said he can sit in one of the chairs even if it is put together without glue. It’s hardy furniture that is made to last a lifetime, he said, or even several lifetimes.
“I hope that people, when they buy this, they can pass it on to their kids, who can pass it on to their kids,” Henneford said.
But quality takes time. A project like the walnut barstool takes about 40 hours, Henneford said, and a rocking chair can take anywhere from four days to two weeks. Each piece gets his undivided attention to detail, Henneford said.
On Feb. 29, Henneford was working on a mahogany two-seat bench. It was still in the beginning stages, shaped roughly by a saw to get the approximate dimensions. After that, Henneford uses an old-fashioned, handmade rasp to get to the final contours.
“You’re shaping pretty much through the whole process,” he said.
After the rasp, Henneford uses sandpaper to remove the distinct tool marks and get the glassy finish to the wood. And all the while, he’s running his hands over the furniture feeling for imperfections.
“You have to feel everything,” Henneford said. “You can fool the eye, but it’s hard to fool the hand.”
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One of Steve Henneford’s custom-built footstools shows the attention to shape and detail Henneford uses in his designs. |
Currently, Henneford Fine Furniture offers two chair designs, two types of barstools and two rocking chair styles. The chairs start at $1,700. There are also end tables and jewelry boxes.
The focus right now is to create some pieces for trade shows this summer, Henneford said, which is the likely fate of the mahogany bench in his workshop.
Henneford sees his business mainly as an online pursuit. Since the furniture is so labor intensive, he probably won’t mass produce it, Henneford said; he would prefer to make it on an order-by-order basis.
As a carpenter, Henneford also takes on other commissioned projects, such as doors or ski lockers. But the ultimate goal is build a business around his furniture.
“That’s what I really want to do,” Henneford said.
For more information on Henneford Fine Furniture, visit www.hennefordfinefurniture.com.