Frank Strazza: One Of The Premiere American Furniture Makers (AMAZING DOVETAIL JOINERY)

Frank Strazza: One Of The Premiere American Furniture Makers (AMAZING DOVETAIL JOINERY)

Learn more about Frank and see his work here: http://bit.ly/2shiGUa
Frank’s Instagram Page: http://bit.ly/39brdZu

In this Episode of Have It Made we are featuring my longtime mentor Frank Strazza. In the video Frank touches on his inlay and marquetry work, he also shows us his technique for letter carving. My favorite part of the vide is at the end when Frank shows us how he cuts his houndstooth dovetail by hand! Frank’s Bio is below and be sure to head over to his website and Instagram page to see more of his work.

Frank Strazza

Frank’s interests in woodworking are many and varied. His passion covers several aspects of furniture making including, carving, inlaying, marquetry, tool making, Windsor chair making as well as violin making.

Frank’s first recollection of any interest in woodworking came at the age of seven when his mother found an old hand crank drill at an antique trading post, this piqued Frank’s interest in tools, and furthermore, in working with wood. When Frank was young he was given the opportunity to take some woodworking classes in the evenings with some of the men in his community. At the age of twelve, he built a cedar chest with hand cut dovetails throughout.

Frank apprenticed with the Heritage Craftsman, first in Austin, Texas and then later in Waco, Texas. He has been building furniture for over 25 years and his work has been featured in both local and national publications, including Woodworker West, Woodwork Magazine and Fine Woodworking. Frank has won multiple awards, including, Best of Show, Peoples Choice, First and Second Place, Best Traditional Furniture and much more for many of his pieces, including several awards both at the Texas Furniture Makers Show and at the International Design in Wood Exhibition in California. His most recent win was at the 2012 Texas Furniture Makers Show where he won, both Best of Show and People’s Choice for his “Roses Table”. He has also participated in building furniture for the permanent collection at the White House in Washington D.C.

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50 Comments

  1. Stewart Fuoco on May 2, 2022 at 6:45 pm

    ya buh was dose planers made wid a machene doe?…



  2. David Wiezer on May 2, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    Well done Andy!



  3. Darren Masom on May 2, 2022 at 6:48 pm

    Handcrafted always means more and worth more than anything a mill or manufacture line can ever build



  4. Life M on May 2, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    This is an automatic drawer calculator.
    It’s a furniture making app that I developed. Please use it and review the problem or review.
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.devez.diy



  5. Adam Abou-Youssef on May 2, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    Whoa, he and Paul Sellers worked together to make the cabinets for the White House? I had no idea. That’s very cool.



  6. Phil Mckernan on May 2, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    Yeah, if I bought a bench from him, you better believe his inlaid name would stay. That’s like an autograph but way better. Amazing work.



  7. dutchyfresh1 on May 2, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    Frank you’re the Man!



  8. Ryan Bishop on May 2, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    That coping saw is just sexy



  9. John Kelly on May 2, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    Thanks for sharing your time!



  10. Avihai Melamed on May 2, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    Q: while beautiful, isn’t the strength of a dove tail with such a narrow base compromised?



  11. Wade Meredith on May 2, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    Craftsman at its best, so inspiring for woodworkers



  12. Mark Goddard on May 2, 2022 at 6:55 pm

    Brilliant. Not only that, he didn’t claim to be a carpenter and then reach for the router and power tools, guides, laser guided tools and other machinists stuff.



  13. Jeffrey Cunningtown on May 2, 2022 at 6:55 pm

    Good and very accurate designs are on the Woodglut website.



  14. Steve Zytveld on May 2, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    This man creates poetry.
    Thank you.

    – Cathy (&, accidentally, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown



  15. Gary Clinton on May 2, 2022 at 6:58 pm

    That dovetail was sick!!!



  16. Mike Smithey on May 2, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    Please tell me how those weird angled dovetail joints are strong when you can only be as strong as your weakest point and some of your weakest points are 1/8 of an inch thick how does that work



  17. Mike Smithey on May 2, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    We already have cabinets and Custom Cabinetry that has been made in the 13 and 14 us that are still around today so why wouldn’t yours last for 500 years



  18. WhiteVanMan on May 2, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    4:20 there’s a difference between artisan and wood machinist, a lot of carpenters are really wood machinists, nothing wrong with that but there is a difference and it shows.



  19. harry clod on May 2, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    You’ll find all the inspiration you need on Woodglut.



  20. ironman tooltime on May 2, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    Saw this guy on an old dovetail video. Might try and search it out. He’s class.



  21. linzie rogers on May 2, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    Studied under him at Homestead Heritage.



  22. Jim Carter on May 2, 2022 at 7:08 pm

    Franks the man. Hope he good recovery from biking accident.



  23. Rios Moodie on May 2, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    If you want to build it you can find nice instructions on the Woodprix website.



  24. Migo-Migo on May 2, 2022 at 7:11 pm

    I agree with Frank’s view. Something machined does feel a little cold, like there’s no life to it. Compared to one that’s made by hand, it’s got a warmth for some reason. The wabi-sabi aspect also gives the handmade object so much character.



  25. TKING2724 on May 2, 2022 at 7:11 pm

    Mr. Strazza sounds exactly like Ed Bolian from the youtube channel vinwiki.



  26. Andrea McLester on May 2, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    Wow what a treat! I hope you will forgive me, but Frank is just as dreamy as his furniture. I knew there was a reason I took up woodworking!



  27. bloedblarre on May 2, 2022 at 7:14 pm

    It’s not about whether or not you can make it with a machine. It’s about dignifying items with the human touch. It’s about investing in the craftsmen in your communities. it’s about the deeply personal experience of owning an item that was made with love and dedication, whose maker worked years to learn the trade, going from inspiration to desperation, from not feeling good enough to finally gaining the confidence to become a commercial craftsman. We cannot all be craftsmen, but those who can’t can still enjoy the art by owning a unique piece rather than going for another IKEA piece.



  28. Russell Turman on May 2, 2022 at 7:14 pm

    Does he glue that dovetail joint or is it tight enough with no glue?



  29. Coleman Calgary on May 2, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    Do you have a rich spouse? Or big trust fund?



  30. Conner Monier on May 2, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    You should try Woodglut. You can get your money back if you don’t like it



  31. Woodworking Woodworking on May 2, 2022 at 7:16 pm

    Absolutely stunning. A true masterpiece. 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗😍😍



  32. Bill Gladwin on May 2, 2022 at 7:16 pm

    Just like that!



  33. Woodworking Woodworking on May 2, 2022 at 7:17 pm

    Superba, prima balustrada…



  34. Chavira Wiser on May 2, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    I’m pretty sure the best manual is on the Stodoys website.



  35. Ultrimax Coatings Ltd. on May 2, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    amazing work joinery at its best ! thanks from https://www.ultrimaxstore.com/



  36. 木頭仁 on May 2, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    很美的鳩尾榫



  37. Bill MacTiernan on May 2, 2022 at 7:24 pm

    Sometimes I get a hairline split in the tail board that originates at the corner of a pin. In drawer construction, which usually involves relatively thin sides, the split can be reduced or eliminated by easing the side of the particular pin.



  38. T A on May 2, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    i have worked on wood cnc machine and will have to disagree with you on your words that the wood loses it’s soul when made on cnc. I have put like 2-3 hours to create the program that the machine will follow and this is where my soul is, it’s just transferred to the machine to achieve an absolute perfect result, something that you will never achieve. As i perfectionist has spotted a few spots where your craftsmanship failed, so you must try harder mate.



  39. Adrian Luica on May 2, 2022 at 7:29 pm

    What this man does is amazing. I would love to learn from him.



  40. Gary Sadler on May 2, 2022 at 7:29 pm

    Concerning the comments at about 3:50 about imperfections, I"m reminded of the phrase, "Made perfect by its imperfections." I heard the phrase about 50 years ago; don’t remember where or who used the phrase but I feel better about my "mistakes" in woodworking when I recall the phrase. I’m not a machine; thankfully my work demonstrates that fact.



  41. Andy Rawls on May 2, 2022 at 7:31 pm

    Thanks again Frank for giving up your time to share your skills with us! You can see more of Franks work here: http://www.strazzafurniture.com/custom-furniture.html



  42. Tyson Leyba on May 2, 2022 at 7:32 pm

    love this guys work! watching him showed me that I could do better work myself.



  43. Matt Long on May 2, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    Andy thanks so much brotha !



  44. Ryan Brooks on May 2, 2022 at 7:37 pm

    I believe he worked with Paul Sellers on the Cabinets in the White House



  45. Jouve théo on May 2, 2022 at 7:38 pm

    Really good video 👍🏻



  46. Carlos Andrade on May 2, 2022 at 7:40 pm

    Talk too much he should show more of his work then blah blah omg what Waste



  47. Romaine Athey on May 2, 2022 at 7:40 pm

    I have checked many woodworking plan sites. I think the instructions from Stodoys are the best.



  48. nelson f1 fan on May 2, 2022 at 7:41 pm

    I like Japanese furniture makers like ISHITANI zero bs talking but Amazing product;
    Unlike this dudes way to much BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAHHHHHHHHHHH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH 17 minutes later blah blah blah blah blah blah blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh



  49. Darren Masom on May 2, 2022 at 7:41 pm

    New York is always good sell point



  50. Bruce Brachman on May 2, 2022 at 7:42 pm

    Frank. Very few know the entire saying. "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." Makes sense doesn’t it?