Sam Maloof – An Inspiration for Beginning Woodworkers
Master woodworker Sam Maloof died May 21 at the age of 93 at his Southern California home. He is an inspiration to anyone who wants to start with easy woodworking. Sam Maloof considered himself a woodworker rather than an artist and worked for the love of woodworking rather than the money.
Sam Maloof was the seventh of nine children of Lebanese immigrants. He was born in the California farming community of Chino in 1916. He did simple wood carvings as a child and took easy woodworking and mechanical drawing classes in high school. He didn’t become a furniture maker until he had to out of necessity to furnish his house after getting married. His simple, elegant furniture was noticed, however, and friends began asking Sam to make furniture for them. Soon after, he started his business as a furniture maker.
Maloof always eschewed the term “artist” in favor of the title “woodworker.” The style of his work reflects that in that adornment is not found. Everything in the design has a useful purpose. For example, his famous rocking chair with the long, elegant runners in the back was made that way simply to keep the chair from tipping over. Others often called Maloof an artist and his work has been shown in museums, but he preferred the term woodworker for its humble feel. He called it an “honest word.”
Maloof loved his craft enough to work full time until his death. Not many people can do that. He never put money before the integrity of his work. He was offered millions for the rights to mass produce his designs but he refused, preferring to create them all himself, with the help of his loyal assistants. They produced about 50 to 100 pieces per year, far less than a factory would. Some of the money that Maloof earned through his work has gone to fund scholarships for fellow woodworkers.
This son of Lebanese immigrants lived the American dream by becoming a greatly admired woodworker who never sold out his talent or craft. He began with easy woodworking and his work never lost the integrity of that simplicity.
