In Commission

Kale gets a taste of custom work.

Kale Vogt
October 13, 2025

Since Chris has been frolicking (OK, teaching) in Australia for the past couple weeks, I’ve been (for the most part) left unsupervised around the shop. Two current commissions have been taking up most of my time and mental space in the bench room.

The first, a dovetailed box for a neighbor of the shop, has served as a deeply humbling lesson. It’s been more than a year-and-a-half since I cut a single dovetail, so I dusted off the “dovetail file” in my brain only to find that the inside had been replaced by resultant angles. If not for Megan by Katherine’s and my side (Katherine and I are both building a box), I’d be drooling atop the pile of cherry on my bench.

As of now, the dovetailed box is about halfway to completion and I have an incremental amount more experience cutting dovetails. While the dovetails have yet to be fitted, Megan was wise in showing us early on how to fill gaps. I see intentional spelching in my future.

Look ma, I’m in a magazine! Me and Katherine in the latest issue of “Fine Woodworking.”

In general, making projects intended for people other than myself has provided a welcome perspective change for me. The other commission I’m currently in the throws of has been a great example of this. This project, a set of four stools for a local coffee shop, in many ways has become a collaboration between me and the customer.

Just as I was beginning to feel the heat from four failed turned-leg designs for the prototype, I received a text from the customer. It was a hand-drawn sketch of a leg design with text that read, “Thoughts on a smooth, curvy leg?”

A wash of relief immediately came over me.

One quick glance at the rough sketch and I knew exactly what they wanted. An in-fashion, bulbous leg design that I’ve seen a million times over online and in stores. Is it a leg design that I would have gotten to on my own without the customer’s help? Nope. Is it a design that I would choose for myself? Probably not, but I understand the appeal.

Most importantly, do either of those things matter? Delightfully, no.

I quickly thanked the furniture-making gods for granting me a customer who knows exactly what they want, then responded.

“I dig this.” I said. “I can try this out today and send you a pic.”

And so I did.

The bulbous leg shape preferred by the customer. The other three octagonal legs are placeholders for the moment.