Joshua Sterns
With a keen eye for design aesthetics and porportion, Joshua aims for clean and utilitarian pieces that seamlessly blend functionality and beauty. His furniture exhibits a remarkable attention to detail and craftsmanship, creating pieces that are not only visually appealing but also practical for everyday use. While incorporating curves and intricate elements, he ensures that they enhance the overall effect without overwhelming the design's cohesive nature.
During a transformative year spent in Japan, Joshua's artistic journey took a significant turn. Immersed in the country's rich traditions, he was introduced to the world of traditional joinery, the beauty of hand-planed surfaces, and the timelessness and rich history of traditional designs that still resonate with a modern sensibility. This experience became a profound source of inspiration and marked a turning point in Joshua's focus towards fine woodworking.
With his unwavering commitment to excellence and an eye for innovation, Joshua continues to leave a lasting impression in the world of fine woodworking, producing remarkable furniture pieces that stand the test of time.
Background
Born in New York, Josh spent his formative years moving around the US, residing in New Jersey, Michigan, Texas, and Ohio. After pursuing a career in commercial photography in New York City, where he explored various roles such as assistant, lighting technician, set builder, and stop-motion animator, Josh's interest in woodworking grew outside of his professional endeavors.
This fascination with woodworking eventually led Josh to take a leap of faith and relocate to foggy Northern California. There, he enrolled at the Krenov School to hone his skills as a fine furniture maker. The intensive training he received provided him with the muscle memory and confidence to bring his creative ideas to life.
Currently residing in Fort Bragg with his supportive wife and inquisitive child, Josh crafts fine furniture and occasionally builds guitars in his woodshop. He continues to pursue his passion for woodworking with unwavering dedication, drawing inspiration from his diverse experiences and surroundings.
“The challenge of doing very exacting work is as important to me as the final form a piece takes.”
Tell us more about your woodshop. I work out of a 2 car garage at my house. It’s big enough for guitars and furniture, but there’s not enough space to do cabinetry. In other words, it’s just about the perfect size.
What inspires the work you make? I’m interested in executing my work as cleanly and precisely as a can. This is kind of a foolish goal. Wood moves—a joint that’s perfect in May will look different in December—but the challenge of doing very exacting work is as important to me as the final form a piece takes.
What’s your favorite wood and why? I don’t have a favorite wood, but I am partial to species that grow on the north coast, particularly madrone and very tight old growth Douglas fir.
Have you ever taught woodworking? I’ve been lucky enough to work as a teaching assistant to Jim Budlong during the Krenov School summer session and it’s one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had. Students of all skill-levels and many different backgrounds design and build a small project, and we help them learn new techniques and solve problems as they arise. It feels great to help a student select wood, tune a hand plane or avert disaster by teaching them how to do a challenging repair. And the students often have interesting ideas and perspectives that challenge me to see things in new ways.
Who do you look up to in the World of Wood? Tell us about them. I’ve never met him, but I’ve been inspired by David Finck. He was trained by James Krenov in the early years of his program. He made his living building furniture and the occasional guitar for many years before transitioning to a full-time luthier, building violins and violas of exceptional quality. He also wrote the definitive book on wooden hand planes, which every woodworker should have a copy of.
Also… in my younger days, my father and I would watch Norm Abrams on PBS using a pocket hole jig and shake our heads at the TV: ‘Please, there is no way anyone can make something that perfectly!’ We loved and hated Norm Abrams. Do yourself a favor and watch some of the original episodes of This Old House where Norm puts Bob Vila in his place—you won’t regret it.
Any interesting hobbies? Since I was a teenager I’ve backpacked, camped and hiked—partly for the solitude, partly for the nature. It’s a lifelong goal to through-hike the Appalachian trail. I haven’t gotten to that yet, so maybe now I’ll wait until my son’s old enough to join me. And possibly carry me.
