Sam Maloof - a model of excellence in carpentry

I like to learn as much as possible about those who have influenced the art of woodworking over the years. They are reference figures and all of them have left something behind: a special joint, a way of working, an innovative technique, a special piece of furniture. They have left their mark on the industry forever and I think that everyone involved in woodworking should want to know as much as possible about them, not just the technique or the workmanship that defines them. Because they are the result of a way of life, a philosophy, a belief. This is also the case with Sam Maloofa leading figure in the field, an American hero. In fact, Jimmy Carter, the American president who had woodworking as a hobby, called him "my woodworking hero". I would like to talk about Sam Maloof, who, despite all the awards and titles he received throughout his life, always had "Sam Maloof - woodworker" written on his business card.

Sam Maloof was one of those carpenters who worked all his life by hand, trying to bring the wood to the pattern he had in his head. Even when he became successful, he didn't abandon that idea, remaining that craftsman who works on around 50 pieces of furniture in a year. But these pieces have gone down in history.

He was born in 1916 in Southern California to Lebanese immigrants. From childhood he loved woodworking, making all sorts of toys, dollhouse furniture and wooden spoons that his mother used in the kitchen. After graduating from college he worked for a short time, then in 1941 he enlisted to fight in the Second World War. He leaves the Army in 1945 and returns to Southern California. Meeting his future wife, Alfreda, and marrying in 1948 set him on his path to woodworking for good. Alfreda, a young artist, immediately recognizes that native talent in Sam. She will support him and be with him for the rest of his life.

Immediately after their marriage, they move into a new house together and set up a workshop in the garage. There he started working on furniture, first out of necessity, to furnish his own home, and then the orders started coming in. In 1953 they move to a new home in Alto Alma, California. This place will be iconic for Sam. At the time of the move, the house had six rooms. Over time, he built 16 more rooms on his own, these included his workshop, showroom, and 2 rooms where he stored an impressive amount of special wood over his lifetime. He used to say that he didn't look for lumber, the lumber found him. Everything in the house was built by him - doors, windows, interior stairs, furniture - and when, in 2000, the extension of a motorway meant crossing his estate, he asked permission to move the house out of the way. In three months he dismantled and reassembled everything three miles away.

Maloof has remained a household name in woodworking in many ways. First and foremost he was a perfectionist. He wanted every piece of furniture he made to be appreciated both for its quality and for the fact that it was useful and comfortable. He always said he didn't want to make furniture that said "do not touch" on it. "My chairs are where people sit and my tables are where people eat," was his way of saying he made furniture for people, not non-functional works of art. Nevertheless, much of Maloof's furniture is now in famous museums or private collections, and original pieces sell at auction for impressive sums.

I said he was a perfectionist. He invented a special way of joining chair legs - the joint that bears his name - so that they were very comfortable and sturdy at the same time. It is said that when he got the order he made a prototype first. To make sure of its strength, he climbed with the chair onto the roof of the garage and dropped it from there onto the front driveway. The joint remained intact after the impact.

He was respected and admired for the fact that everything he learned he passed on. He said he knew what the work of a craftsman meant, how much effort he put into finding the best solutions and if he found them he preferred to tell others. It is the reason why there is so much "Maloof style" furniture and much less original, Maloof-made furniture. Also out of a desire to pass on what he had learned in 1983 comes the autobiography "Sam Maloof - Woodworker" which is really a "how to..." book with over 300 photographs of joints, techniques and furniture.

Like I said, he worked all his life by hand. In 2001 he said in an interview that he worked in a one-car garage, without any electrical equipment. Basically a piece of wood was slowly coming to life in his hands, following a design that existed only in Maloof's mind. Without nails, screws, or other such materials, the object was joined and began to take shape. Next came the hand sanding, done to perfection, and finishing that gave the object a silky sheen and touch. There is a story about Ray Charles and a Maloof rocking chair. He recognized the rocking chair in a friend's house just by touching it. He used to say that Maloof furniture had soul.

He has worked with wood of special species that he has collected all his life. His favorite was American black walnut, but he also worked with rosewood, maple, hickory, ebony, cork. One of his signatures is black dowels made from ebony.

Aside from the joint, the piece for which he made history is the rocking chair that was a favorite of three American presidents - Carter, Regan and Clinton. One such rocking chair sold at auction for $51,000.

Sam Maloof died in 2009 at the age of 93, leaving an impressive legacy to the woodworking world. He won a host of awards and titles, had his country's recognition at the highest level, but remained a modest man who continually gave of his knowledge. He wished to never retire and to work until the end of his life and he did. He worked in his workshop until 3 months before his death. He was an unmistakable personality that People magazine called "Hemingway of Hardwood" - a Hemingway of hardwood.