About Nathan
Nathan is a woodworker and woodturner based out of Hobe Sound, FL. He’s been around woodworking, by way of his dads various wood shops, most of his life. After moving to Hobe Sound in 2021 he turned his one car garage into a wood shop and picked up his first lathe and started wood turning in January, 2024. That quickly turned into a love of wood turning and undoubtedly will be a lifelong process of learning and experience. He sources most of his material from local wood shops, utilizing as much “scrap pile” wood into cherished pieces intended to last a lifetime.
About Knot Perfect Shop
Nathan started Knot Perfect Shop as a creative outlet and, by association, a journey of discovery. The name itself came from the strive for perfectionism most craftspeople can probably understand, aka The Artists Curse.
Mortise and Tenon Magazine had a great analysis of an essay by David Pye called “The Nature and Art of Workmanship.” The theory is that hand crafted goods inherently build in imperfections. There is a difference between crude and ineffective, and the natural variations that occur while making something with your hands. The natural variations are one of the major qualities that separates hand crafted work from factory made work. In a factory, the outcome is predetermined - if it doesn't match a known quality or standard it won’t get released. In your workshop the outcome is determined by every step of the process you take - risk makes it unique.
This is where the story of growth of skills and perspective comes out of the shop. Nathan can find, in each piece, some small steps or risks that were taken in personal growth as a woodworker and he feels honored that the work is cherished and loved despite its flaws.
Growth toward perfection is part of the story that woodworking tells. When you begin to understand that woodworking is storytelling, each “knot perfect” detail in the piece becomes part of the perfection of the finished piece.