When Fixing Your Screen Door Is Practically A Work Of Art

Frank Howarth, brought to my attention by this Laughing Squid post, says that his work (which he features at his website, FrankMakes.com) is best described as "architecture at a small scale expressed through woodworking and film making." I don't know how formal that genre categorization is, exactly, or how many folks fall into it. But it's awesome; that much is clear.

Our screen door needed some attention. It needed a new screen, the screen door protector was coming apart, and the door did not close properly in the door frame. I removed the screen door and brought it to the wood shop. I removed the screen and repaired a damaged section in one corner of the door frame. I cut a thin strip off the bottom of the door so it would fit properly in the door opening. I made a new screen door protector out of walnut. The protector is a series of horizontal strips with two walnut, wood turned starbursts.

It's not the most riveting thing I've ever seen, at least when judged in terms of the visual style and overall dynamics of its content. But there are some surprisingly fun little grace-notes that pop up unexpectedly -- the stop-motion staples crawling away made me laugh, for example -- and Howarth's woodworking skills are flat-out amazing for a non-handyman like me to watch (whether presented in a cutting-edge way or no).

Attribution(s): Videos and stills are the property of Frank Howarth.