A Simple Thing Done Well

I had chosen the line, "What's Inside?" as the catch phrase for the KBC.  People seemed to like it.  I had read that a big part of the lure people have to boxes is the mystery of, "what's inside".   

I have to admit though, that I am not totally sold with this phrase.  I just doesn't sum it ALL up.  

A few weeks ago, maybe months, I came across a description in a magazine of, "A simple thing done well".  It hit me hard, that that is exactly the summation of what motivates me in just about everything, not just the KBC.  

Simple is by no means meant to imply easy.  Quite the contrary.  Simple comes from the philosophy of imposing limits on what you do, and then doing it better than anything else.  Physical mastery comes from repetition.  "A simple thing done well" is the culmination of a singular focus done with physical mastery.   This is a strong principal to me.  

Here are a few examples of what I aspire to.  First up, Kramer Knives.

His work speaks for itself.  I'm in awe.  Not much else to say.  Check it out, www.kramerknives.com.

Next, Richard Sachs.  Richard is an icon in the bicycle frame building arena.
His work is highly sought after and has a five year waiting list.  This man has been a big influence on me and how craft as a business should be.

Lots to read about Mr. Sachs here: www.richardsachs.com.  

Enjoy.

-Steve

Today, part 2

Then there is the 2D art side of the KBC.  I will have my original oil paintings and limited edition prints linked to the main website.  The first painting completed under the KBC header is a 4' painting of my logo, the winged wheel.  

On the easel right now is the super cool and secret project of poster art specific to the Iceman Cometh Bicycle Challenge that takes place here in Michigan every November.  Stay tuned...

Two weeks ago I started a late morning commute to work on my new H-D Nightster.

To spare you all the details, this awesome beauty was totaled that day with only 800+ miles on it and I got a broken ankle out of it all.  I'm in great spirits and am very grateful that I only have an ankle on the mend.  I had to also put my newest pride and joy on hold, a Soulcraft Dirtbomb.
Sean www.soulcraftbikes.com has been great and patient.  I can't wait for this bike!  Not sure what I am going to do about another motorcycle yet.  I have plenty of time to think about it all.

So that brings us up to date.  The KBC is going to be slow for the next two months as my ankle heals.  But, man, the future is bright!

-Steve

Today

So, here we are today.  2330 is ready to be power-washed and painted.

My sweet babies are all growns up!

You've seen the Barrel Back, now the Executive and the Chairman are getting close to being complete.
The business plan for the KBC is to have a few classic standards and then to add the most comfortable and well-built chair you can imagine.  It's on the drawing board right now, just begging to be made.  I can feel the warm supple leather already...

The Barrel Back Box

I figured that if i was going to have a shot at making a viable  business out of the kbc, I'd need a few staple designs to use as a base for the business.  I wanted to hit on designs that would first and foremost be of the best aesthetic and construction quality designs that I could create.  Uncompromised inspiration.  The first piece was always going to be teh Barrel Back Box.

The initial inspiration came from a box that my brother gave me for Christmas in 1994.  Inside the box were two Swedish rifflers (a very big deal to me at the time).  Awesome gift.  I loved this box right away, for multiple reasons, and it was an obvious choice to grow the inspiration from it.  Here is the box that Tim gave me for Christmas:

It's big enough to hold a few pens and pencils, a watch, etc.  I used the proportions and curves, made it bigger, used a wood lining to secure the lid in place and added a larger radius to the top  I added in mitered dowels to anchor the corners and a few other tweaks and the Barrel Back was born.
Using Spanish Cedar as the lining gives this box a wonderful aroma when opened.  And, the construction method paired with the cedar allows this box to function as a 3-4 cigar humidor.  An attractive multi-tasker.