Erik Copeland

Previous post continued... Another shop I worked for specialized in farmhouse/country furniture on a made to order basis. They had established designs to choose from and customers were allowed to personalize details like size, wood species, and stain/paint. They catered to private customers as well as interior designers. I was originally supposed to be the shop assistant who's duties were limited to sanding, rough machining, de-nailing reclaimed boards and the like. As lu...ck would have it I joined in the midst of an employee shuffle which left them without a reliable lead in their table department and a significant backlog. All of a sudden I found myself in charge of the department. They had no plans or drawings to speak of; the previous guy had done it from memory. I had to kind of reverse engineer their designs from picture to plan and figure it all out on the fly. I built everything from large 16' dining tables to little end tables and everything in between. I also got involved in the design of a few new pieces. We exclusively used domestic woods - Pine, Oak, Maple, and a whole lot of Reclaimed Barn Board. It was an excellent experience and I really enjoyed it, but in the end I wanted to build more than just tables. . #designerfurniture #ontariosmallbusiness #torontofurniture See more

I'm always asked about my background and experience in furniture making prior to breaking out on my own. I have a formal education both in industrial woodworking and fine furniture making. My first job as a furniture maker was for a small production shop that specialized in building high end grandfather clocks. While I can't say that I enjoyed the production style work, it was an excellent learning experience. With the way that the shop was set up and operated it was obvi...ous that the higher ups had a background in engineering. It was an on the job lesson in precision and accuracy; though looking back we had definitely past the point of diminishing returns. I mean, wood moves after all. For about a minute I actually considered specializing in grandfather clocks, but quickly dismissed that idea once I realized there wasn't a demand for them. I'm the only person I know that owns one. But still; a great place to start. . #designerfurniture #torontofurniture #ontariosmallbusiness See more

Busy day - lots of odds and ends. Trimmed doors and drawer fronts down to size. Spanked together some routing templates for the hinges. A bit of painting. Ordering supplies and other administrative duties. . #ontariosmallbusiness #designerfurniture #customfurniture

I've used euro hinges extensively in the past but really dislike them; so unless they're specifically asked for I avoid them. These just arrived from Sweden for a current project. I've been playing with samples I picked up back in November and have been pretty happy with them. Simple, old school, high quality. . #furnituredetails #furniturejewelry #designerfurniture

A concept for an upcoming shelving/media unit. The design is obviously of Shaker influence. The clients house is filled with an eclectic assortment of traditional furniture, so this should fit right in. Did you know that Mid-Century Modern furniture is basicslly just the Scandinavian version of Shaker? That is to say that the Shaker style provided the foundation and inspiration for many prominent Scandinavian designers to build off of, develop, and make their own. . #ontariosmallbusiness #ontariofurniture #torontofurniture