Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

Woodworker Rohan Ward was going about his regular day when he received a rather surprising phone call. On the line was a representative from the U.S. Department of State asking if he would be interested in designing and building a table for President Barack Obama. “I was pretty dumbfounded and thought ‘what an amazing opportunity,’” Ward says. The table was meant to commemorate the state visit of French president François Hollande in February 2014. Ward designed it to embody the two countries’ cultural ties. He used a handcrafted replica of the Key to the Bastille as the central display. Made from traditional American hardwoods, including cherry, walnut and maple, it also incorporated wood from a fallen oak on George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon. The key in the center of the table was forged in Mount Vernon using reclaimed iron from the Statue of Liberty. The inlay design below the key is a symbol called Point Zero, which lies outside the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

The President’s Table, made from American cherry, Mount Vernon white oak and walnut

1/7

www.leevalley.com

Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

While it is a straightforward, traditional design, it was challenging to build because of the level of perfection that was expected. “If there’s a scale of one to 10 of being intimidated, it was up there,” Ward says. “It was such a great honor.” That said, he laughs when he notes that “Driving it to the White House was probably more intimidating than building it!”. Ward, born in Sydney, Australia, always knew he wanted to be a woodworker. It was an evolution from having two parents who were practicing artists (mom was a print maker, dad was a sculptor and painter). His father, who was very hands on around the house, taught him the basics. “He was pretty influential in terms of learning how to use tools,” he says. During his last year of high school, Ward built a sculpture of a horse for which he received a lot of recognition. This sealed the deal and inspired him to pursue furniture design/making. 2/7

www.leevalley.com

Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

Horse sculpture made from various woods, including found driftwood, with sea-grass matting

3/7

www.leevalley.com

Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

Ward attended the Australian National University’s Canberra School of Art and graduated with First Class honors in the Woodworking & Furniture Design program. When it comes to his education, he can’t stress its significance enough. “It was probably the most important thing,” he says. Compared to being self-taught, it was “a much more accelerated way to gain a high-level skill set.” The intense training covered everything from understanding ergonomics to learning how to sharpen a chisel to building a workbench. However, it was the instruction he received from George Ingham while he was there that had the most influence. Ingham, a Master Craftsman and prominent figure within the Australian visual arts and crafts community, inspired him to “try to aspire to that level of woodworking.” After graduating in 2000, Ward went on to start his own custom-furniture business in Canberra. In 2003, he was commissioned to build a Japanese tea house for a client in England. This led to working for private clients in the United Kingdom for several years. During that time, he met his wife, and in 2006 the couple relocated to her hometown, Chicago. He spent four years managing Bernacki & Fil Workshops, a Chicagobased custom furniture business, before opening Rohan Ward Designs in 2008. His company offers furniture design and building, finishing, restoration and repurposing. “I love to showcase the wood – this is the fundamental ingredient of what I do,” he says. “It’s a lovely medium to work in. Really enhancing that into a beautiful crafted piece of furniture is my main goal.” 4/7

www.leevalley.com

Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

Credenza made from sapele with goat-skin upholstered doors

5/7

www.leevalley.com

Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

Of the many projects he’s built over the years, the one that still stands out to him as being the most challenging is the table he built for his final project in his last year of art school. Called the Harbour Bridge Dining Table, it’s a dry structure held together by a system of wedges and tenons. “Building a table with no glue is pretty tricky,” he explains. “There were just so many elements to that table.”

The Harbour Bridge Dining Table made from figured Tasmanian oak and Casuarina glauca

6/7

www.leevalley.com

Woodworker Profile: Rohan Ward

Woodworking Newsletter Vol. 9, Issue 5 - May 2015

With regard to his future, the father of two young boys wants to keep running his own business and challenging himself to continue to make interesting furniture. “It’s something that’s in my blood.” Text by Lee Valley staff Photos courtesy of Rohan Ward (http://rohanwarddesigns.com) 7/7

www.leevalley.com