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Making the Case for Intarsia
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| Intarsia isn't Joe's only interest in woodworking. He recently completed the Shaker table shown below and the decorative scroll sawn plate above. |
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"I try to move beyond mosaic and closer to sculpture, by using more severe combinations of thicknesses. A typical project of mine might involve pieces with thicknesses from 1/4 inch up to 2 inches."
- Joe Szabo |
Given Joe Szabo's background, it's no wonder he makes such a convincing case for intarsia. This retired labor lawyer turned woodworker brings an enthusiasm and affection to intarsia that is downright infectious. Intarsia wasn't always Joe's bailiwick. He started woodworking in the early 70s and his shop started growing. "Pretty soon I had thrown the cars and trucks out of the garage," he said. And he still works there, with a few upgrades. Today, he has air conditioning, heat and three dust collectors. "Intarsia," he pointed out, "creates a lot of dust." When we asked Joe why he gravitated toward intarsia, he smiled: "Nothing too complicated; I was just running out of room and intarsia is mostly small." He started out with Judy Gale Roberts' book Intarsia, published by Fox Chapel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and became a convert to the craft.
Popular during the 1400s, intarsia eventually fell out of favor. "It was so time consuming that artists found it difficult to charge enough for their time." At least in that respect, Joe wryly noted, "not much has changed."
Joe's use of hardwoods in differing dimension is a reasoned personal approach. "I try to move beyond mosaic and closer to sculpture by using more severe combinations of thicknesses. A typical project of mine might involve pieces with thicknesses from 1/4" up to 2"."
A couple of Joe's recent favorite woods are Lake Superior birch and maple, but he likes to work with a wide variety of species. For instance, curly maple makes beautiful hair on a wolf, while wenge makes for a great loon body. "I also use cocobolo, purple heart, rosewood, maple, cherry, walnut, chestnut and butternut," Joe pointed out, "it just depends on the project."