Today we’d like to introduce you to Layla Saleeby
Hi Layla, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As someone who’s prone to getting lost down various rabbit holes, I’m not surprised that woodworking has grown to be such an important part of my life, but it’s funny how it began from a relatively small thing. I’ve been a cigar collector for a number of years, and after wanting some handmade accessories to compliment my collection, I looked into the tools I’d need to make them for myself, eventually discovering the woodworking community and all the different crafts within it that spanned everything from historical bench plane reproductions to fine furniture. Hand tools were where I found my niche. There’s something old fashioned, meditative, and romantic about turning a cut of wood into a polished piece using nothing more than some chisels and a sharp iron. It makes me feel connected to my work and pushes me to really hone my skills.
Cutting boards and other kitchenware are what I’m most known now for since I began selling my work, but I’m a furniture maker at heart, and I think I always will be. From the joinery to the aesthetic design to the mechanics of planning out a piece, I love the whole problem-solving process. Last year, I made a large shelf to display my whiskey and wine at home, and it’s rewarding to look at it everyday and know it started out as just a stack of walnut boards.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When it comes to whether it’s been a smooth road to get to where I am now, I think about all the things I wish I’d known before getting into woodworking. If you just paid attention to the most popular content across Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms, you’d come away thinking that you need a huge shop with thousands of dollars of top notch tools to get started—jointer-planers, dovetail router jigs, industrial table saws—but woodworking is about more than efficiency and machine perfection, and I’ve been grateful for online creators like Rex Krueger who’ve dedicated themselves to making the hobby approachable. I began with a single saw and a set of cheap chisels, hacking away in my dad’s basement, but now my pieces can be found in homes across Charleston. Most of the furniture in my house actually comes from my workshop. Although it’s taken several years to build my skills and furnish my shop, and although the flaws in my older pieces seem glaring to me, I’m proud that I’ve become a better artist by the time I finish every project. The only way to take pleasure in what you do is by enjoying the process—even the embarrassing failures.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a hand tool woodworker running a small Charleston workshop for people interested in unique pieces made with traditional techniques. Nightjar Woodworking is my studio and business for all projects—most popularly for the kitchenware I sell—but also for furniture and other unique pieces for clients. Every dovetail is hand-sawn and each bevel shaped by eye, so while my creative approach takes more time than others, I think people enjoy owning pieces made with that personal touch.
Since I got into this trade, I’ve been fascinated by the world of historical woodworking. The techniques used by craftsmen a hundred, two hundred, five hundred years ago are the same ones people like me are using today, so the idea that there’s generations of woodworkers before me who’ve also spent hours hunched over their sharpening stones, fingers black with steel and oil, is comforting; it’s like I get to be a part of that legacy. My great-grandfather’s wooden bench plane still takes shavings like it did eighty years ago, and the cast iron model I use for virtually every project dates all the way back to the late 19th century. I think there’s few crafts that put you into direct contact with history like hand tool woodworking does.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I’ve been in the kitchen since elementary school, so I have lots of fond memories cooking breakfast for my family and experimenting with different recipes. I distinctly remember my mother introducing me to Alton Brown’s 2000s show Good Eats and getting so completely engrossed in the technical depth and scientific theory that I wanted to try out every recipe on my own, because the way he explained each step in the cooking process made them seem approachable. That’s not to say every recipe I attempted was a success (I recall turning out a very sad, floppy batch of strawberry pancakes and furiously trying to eat all the evidence before my parents woke up), but Alton Brown’s series kickstarted my obsession with culinary science. I don’t think it’d be off the mark to say Good Eats influenced my approach to woodworking. Both fields demand attention to detail and a deep understanding of their mechanics.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nightjarwoodworking/
- Other: nightjarwoodworking@gmail.com
