Isaac Hurst, Designer Builder
Modern Ethic LLC is Modern Scandinavian plywood furniture made by Isaac Hurst, in Portland, OR.
This was part of an early furniture piece
My story:
Just out of college I made my first furniture piece, it was a garage sale coffee table which I cut in two and then re-glued at a new angle. I was proud of it then, even if it wasn’t very functional. I found other used cabinets and objects that I could refinish as well. During the time I was working as a graphic designer for a large national company and needed the outlet that furniture provided as a way to use my physical energy. I made a bunch of pieces out of upcycled items that were interesting and different but nothing of very high quality.
Next I took a job doing CNC programming for an even bigger global aerospace company. Through this I began to understand the power of a reliable programmable tool like a CNC in a manufacturing environment. I moved from programming to engineering and spent five years designing airline furniture from a CAD workstation. Part of the design process was walking downstairs and talking to the people building the pieces I had designed. Having the feedback loop was invaluable toward training me to design in a way that was conscious of buildability.
I began to fatigue of the large corporation work environment. Since leaving college I had spent the last 11 years working in a cubicle and I wanted a shot working for a small company, a place where my contributions would be felt more directly. I found an architecture company which specialized in northwest modern eco-friendly design. It seemed like a good fit, and it was. I enjoyed three years working for them doing CAD modeling and drafting for custom homes. I enjoyed the work but I was always drawing furniture on my spare time. I began to build Modern Ethic on the side during the evening and weekends.
CNC machine finally working!
The biggest hurdle was the expensive tool I needed, a CNC machine. They’re very expensive and many of the old models are large and use outdated controls. I wanted a modern machine that wasn’t too large and after reading forums online I thought I could design and build my own. A lot of the details came from www.cnczone.com
It took about 6 months of work to get a rough functioning machine entirely of my own design. I ordered the parts from all over the world. Most of the steel I got locally and welded myself. The final challenge was designing and wiring the computer box and spindle control. Check out the photos below for a super quick view of the machine development. Now more than 6 years later, the machine has been upgraded and made more capable. I’ve reduced weight and vibration and fixed a lot of the problems. The machine is reliable enough that I can work in the shop on other things while it cuts the parts. A nice tool to have. Below is a quick gallery of images from the CNC build.
Raw steel ready to be cut and welded for the frame of the CNC
Gear track for the linear motion control
Squaring and leveling the critical bed base. It was so important and so hard to get everything flat and square
The final frame after welding. It was so heavy and so I put it on casters
The gantry sitting in place on the frame. This was also made of steel. I should have made it from aluminum extrusion. It's very heavy and the machine would be faster if it were not so.
Ballscrew sitting on a piece of aluminum plate that would become part of the Z-axis
Laying out the wiring routes with masking tape
The rack and pinion drives. These were made by Avid CNC.
The mechanically complete machine. It still needed wiring and a brain.
A look inside the control box before wiring it all up. On the right side are the stepper motor drivers (made by Gecko) and on the left is the power supply. The control board (UB1) is still in the bag.
Now here it is wired up. It's kind of a mess. Seven years later I wish I had done it more cleanly but it almost doesn't matter as I never need to open it. My original work has been reliable.
The machine finished and ready to go. A double thick MDF spoilboard is on and has been faced down. Ready to cut my first parts!
Modern Ethic begins
My first product was my Maple Cut chair. I designed the packaging, took pictures, and built a website, all the things to get started. I remember launching the website and wondering if I should go away for the weekend or if I should be ready to handle orders. Nobody knew I existed! Of course, there were no orders. I had to begin advertising, social media networking, and I also listed on Etsy and Amazon. I started to sell some and the first few were damaged in transit. More time and effort to understand how to ship furniture so it is delivered without damage.
Maple Cut Chair, 2019
Early Hex crates
Next I designed some storage crates. A friend asked if they were big enough to fit Vinyl records and from that question came a collection of storage crates for vinyl. I still produce those crates, although the design has developed further so they are higher quality and easier to produce. I began to research other furniture that I could produce that would be similar in shippng size to the chairs.
Nightstands came up naturally and I produced my Chev nightstand design. After that came several other nightstands that shared the look and feel of the popular Chev but had other features that customers requested such as drawers or taller size.
In the last two years I’ve been developing some large designs that fully flat-pack in order to ship efficiently. I’m also revisiting my record crate collection and trying to find ways to build them better so I can keep them in stock more consistently. The company is always changing as I consider what type of products I want to produce and offer. I try to avoid locking myself into doing the same thing for a long time in order to keep my mind active and my work interesting and creative.
Holding my Incise nightstand in my 3rd shop here in Portland.
Flat pack pieces of my Henskit Sideboard
My personality:
I am an enthusiast for doing. I want to make it, I want to build it, I want a say in how everything looks and is. My first inclination is to design a tool or machine before buying one. I have made nearly every piece of furniture that I own. I love mental thought challenges and solving hard design problems.
I am a slow thinker. I don't like to be rushed or play speed games. I try to make a cup of coffee last as long as possible. I like hard problems and having enough time to consider all the possible solutions.
Eco-Friendly
I make most of my products from baltic birch plywood. Birch is plentifull, renewable and quick growing. The wood that I use comes with a durable UV-cured finish applied from the mill, and I treat all cut edges with a Linseed/beeswax blend. I ship in all paper based packaging to reduce the use of plastics and foam. You can read more details here.
Based in Portland, OR
I build my pieces from my home studio in Portland, OR. The shop is closed to the public so if you’d like to visit please email me.
I also offer my work on the Etsy marketplace here.
In my current shop. I have big triple pane glass doors in front of the CNC to cut down the noise and dust.
Short
My friend Keith came out to my shop and shot a short film where I spend some time sharing about what led me to building furniture and about the collection of beliefs I have about ethical woodworking. This is the full version, the short two minute recap is on my front page.
2025 addendum:
This was shot in 2019. Since then I’ve discontinued offering the product featured in the film, my Maple Cut Chair. We’ve moved to Portland and gone through a few shop spaces since the idyllic rustic shop shown here.