David Savage

David Savage, British designer and furniture maker, gave a seminar at the Black & Decker University in Maryland today. B & D hosted the free event, where we attendees gave opinions on prototypes, test drove tools, ate pizza, won giveaway items (I won a 17-piece drill bit set) and heard some engaging presentations.

According to David Savage:
Speed + Skill = Craftsmanship.

He also believes designs should be understated—that details should be discovered, not blatantly obvious.

His is a shop with several craftsmen, some teaching and some being taught, and all making one-of-a-kind projects. If David needs to build a small production run, they construct a prototype and one final piece in the shop and then enlist the help of nearby workshops, with whom David has a close relationship, to make the remaining pieces in the order.

As you might notice in his designs, David likes movement—fluid, lively, rhythmic, "calligraphic" motion. He also uses nature as inspiration, as shown in two of his tables: one that resembles petals on a flower and the other resembling a sunflower, with the chairs representing the petals.

The second photo shows how one of the apprentices shaped a wavy table apron. By using shims as fences for the rounding plane, he was able to control the path of his cuts.

David loves to meet with his clients, preferably in their homes, where he can see where the piece will be used. This way, he ensures that the furniture fits perfectly in its final environment, complements surrounding pieces, and interacts with light sources.

He discovered that clients would rather view his pencil sketches when he presents designs rather than computer-generated ones, which they view as too mechanical. Sketches, they say, represent craftsmanship.

David said that sycamore, ash, cherry, oak (on its way back into popularity), and yew and walnut (both difficult to acquire), are common species used in British-made furniture.

He relies mainly on polished shellac or oil and wax for finishing. However, he also uses a technique called a "scrubbed" finish where hot water, bleach, and a bit of soap are used with a heavy bristle brush to scrub the tannins away from the wood, leaving a pale-colored, lightly-textured surface.

David showed us slides of work from other British furniture designers/makers, including John Makepeace, who he believes is the most influential craftsman in Europe.

It was enlightening to see how things are made "across the pond" and I was delighted to witness a friend from my woodworking club, an insufferable heckler, being put in his place by our speaker. Good on ya, David!

You can view much better photos of David's work on his site. The above shots were taken of the slides he presented, so are not the best quality.

Wild & Wonderful Camping

I'll be right up front—I don't "do" camping.

But it's not for lack of trying. We had a camper when I was a kid and we stayed in every KOA campground on the east coast, all the way up to Nova Scotia. But whenever it came time to have our meals at a picnic table, I'd opt to sit in our pop-top VW to eat. After all, a bug might drop out of a tree and onto my sandwich. And I wasn't willing to hazard that kind of risk.

And camping is just so....uncomfortable.

So when my partner, a true nature-lover, suggested we go tent camping 10 years ago, I figured I'd give it the ol' college try.

She set up the entire site—built a fire, pitched the tent—while I swatted flies. I did, however, bring matching dinner plates and napkins.

When it came time for bed, I took one look at her miniscule dome tent—not big enough to cover an ant hill—and thought I might hyperventilate. But I never let on how much I was suffering.

The next time she suggested we go camping, I offered to buy a new tent. Okay, she said. So I bought a 3-room tent, complete with parlor and ballroom. It was sweet. She was not happy, though, as it took a long time to set up.

A few years ago, we planned a trip to the mountains of North Carolina. Hey, I said, instead of camping, how 'bout I spring for a cabin for us. Sure, she said. So I made reservations at a lovely log cabin complete with vaulted ceiling, jacuzzi, and bidet.

Next week, we're attending her family reunion at Lake Sherwood in Wild & Wonderful West Virginia. Her family will pitch tents, cook over campfires, and sleep on the ground.

And we'll be staying at a nearby hotel.

This camping thing just gets better and better!

So what's all this have to do with woodworking? Well, I'm taking along my carving knives and will attempt to make a kuksa, while sitting on a log, fireside. At least maybe I'll give the impression that I'm an outdoorsy gal.

Swedish Wagon Maker (1932)

This link was sent to me by Jonas Andersson--thank you!

The video shows a Swedish Wagon Maker making the parts for a wagon wheel. Notice that he seems to be using regular chisels and gouges (short-handled) on his lathe, how quickly he shapes the spokes with hand tools between huge pinch dogs, and how he applies glue to the tenons. Very cool video. Enjoy!

In case you missed the other film on Swedish woodworkers (posted earlier), click here.

Landis Valley Museum, Revisited

We headed back to the Landis Valley Museum yesterday, mainly to see a new baby lamb and to enjoy the grounds in nicer weather than the first time we visited.








The gardens were blooming, the vegetables were growing, the sheep were sleeping, and my camera was snapping.

A giant loom was on display in one of the outbuildings and I'm always delighted to find ornamental details even in massive, practical machines like this one. As craftspeople, we just can't help ourselves, can we? Why have a plain, straight beam mortised into another one, when you can decorate the joint and edges with ogees and stopped chamfers?













On the grounds are a tavern, gunsmith, blacksmith, and tinsmith shops, a large barn, Victorian homes, a log home, and other structures which include a collections center and agricultural center.

In the agricultural center, behind glass, are several woodworking tools: goosewing axes, handplanes, and a handsome workbench with multiple drawers, a sliding deadman, and leg vise.

The planes and bench in particular were in excellent condition. One plow plane was stamped "E.W. Carpenter / Improved Arms & Handle / Lancaster" and looked like it had hardly been used.




In another historic building—the tavern—we found that the guide had just finished cooking his mid-day meal in an open hearth, so the room smelled like fresh-baked bread. But he wasn't sharing.

The Landis Valley Museum is a fun place to visit. Just make sure you've eaten lunch first before you reach the tavern, or your stomach will be rumbling like a Conestoga wagon on a country road.

Tool Holders

Or: What to do with a few scraps of wood and a few hours of unexpected free time.

When I designed my tool cabinet about 7 years ago, I carefully arranged sketches of my handtools on gridded paper.

Well, needs change, priorities change, and minds change, so my half empty cabinet looks a bit different than the original design.

When faced with a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do but weed the flower beds—a most egregious task—I decided instead to make a couple tool holders for my dovetail and tenon saws and my little mallet.

The saw holders are simple—just a block of wood that matches the shape of the inside of the handles, and little turnbuttons to keep the saws from sliding off the blocks of wood.

The mallet holder mimics the shelf that holds the chisel rack.

Also pictured are two Mag-Bloks (which work extremely well) that I bought from Lie-Nielsen to hold gouges and floats.

So after I made the tool holders, I looked around to see what other handtools needed to be hung in the cabinet. Shockingly, and to my utter dismay, I found that everything—everything!—already had a home in some compartment, drawer, or shelf.

And we know what that means, don't we?
Time to go tool shopping!

Sindelar Tool Museum

Have tissues on hand because you are about to drool.

If you've never visited John Sindelar's website, Sindelar Tool Museum & Education Center, you've been missing out on one of the finest collections of extraordinary handtools in the world.

John Sindelar has been amassing his collection of rare, one-of-a-kind, unique tools for decades. Enjoy!

Photos are from John Sindelar's website.

Handcut Dovetails Video

To view in high definition (but w/o this soundtrack, which is not permitted on YouTube), click here (and select the HD button).

This is not the most expeditious way to cut dovetails and it's just one of several ways to make them. The video has been sped up; it actually takes me about 20 minutes to do what the video shows in 6 minutes 11 seconds.

You can quicken the process by not using a guide block, and you might be faster at chopping out all the waste with a chisel rather than removing the majority with a fret saw. A marking knife is great for transferring layout lines, but I use a pencil that's been bevel-edged on a sheet of sandpaper.

The double-folded piece of paper in the beginning of the video is used to offset the marking gauge about 1/64" so the pins and tails protrude a bit when conjoined. This provides some wood to shave off with a handplane so the mating surfaces can be made flush.

In my opinion, it's faster to cut tails first because you can saw both tail boards at the same time, plus transferring layout lines to the pin board is easier. But if you plan to make skinny, English-style pins, I suggest cutting pins first. It's nearly impossible to transfer the lines of thin dovetails if you cut tails first.

Always saw with the "show" side facing you. In the video, they are marked "Pins" and "Tails".

If you are careful with laying out, transferring, and cutting to your lines, and sawing perfectly straight, your pieces will go together on the first try.

For a write-up of one way to handcut half-blind dovetails, click here. It explains the use of a wide plane blade to assist in lining up the guide block, and lists the tools I use.

Music: Derek and the Dominoes (Eric Clapton) "Bell Bottom Blues" and the instrumental version performed by Vitamin String Quartet.

I used a 1:8 ratio dovetail marker because I had planned to use cherry. When I used pine instead, I forgot to use my 1:6 ratio marker. 1:6 works best with softer woods.

Lettercarving Video

Watch in high definition here.

I wrote a post on this a while ago but thought it might make more sense to some in video format. Plus this video shows how to carve the serifs on letters. (To be honest, I had nothing better to do today than play with my camcorder.)

The video has been sped up so you won't fall asleep, since I am the world's slowest letter carver. The music is "Closer to You" by Brandi Carlile.

Now that I know how to speed things up in iMovie, I'm tempted to create a "2-Minute Dovetail" video....

WIA Handtools Conference

Woodworking in America Handtools & Techniques Conference

October 2-4 2009 • Valley Forge Convention Center, PA

Registration is now OPEN

See you there!

Quaker Locks & Hidden Compartments

Chuck Bender, owner of Charles Bender and Company, Cabinet and Chair Makers, is a maker of exquisite period furniture and instructor/owner at Acanthus Workshop. His wife, Lorraine, is next to him in the photo above.

Chuck is an expert in 17th, 18th, and early 19th c. furniture. Recently, he gave a presentation to our woodworking club about secret compartments and locking mechanisms that were sometimes found in period furniture, such as spice cabinets, slant front desks, lap desks, and blanket chests.

Features like this gave cabinetmakers a chance to show off their skill and ingenuity. And who doesn't like a mystery? Trying to find all the hidden drawers and figure out how to open them was great fun for our ancestors. And by the response from the club, it's still intriguing to modern woodworkers.

Chuck showed us some of his pieces, which included handcut dovetails and hand carved ornamentation. The largest piece, a lovely, tall painted hutch, unfortunately suffered a broken pane as it was carried into the meeting place by club members. I was not the cause of this, even though—as an easy target who is forever without a comeback—I was pegged with the mishap.

Chuck also brought with him an explodable chest to illustrate locking mechanisms and hidden compartments.

One way to lock a drawer is to install a Quaker Lock (also called Spring Lock). Oak, maple, or some other springy wood "key" is slid into a shallow, sloped, bevel-edged dado on the underside of a drawer. A square hole is cut into the drawer support (shelf), in alignment with the key. By reaching underneath the drawer support and pushing a finger through the square hole, the key is depressed, and the drawer can be opened. When the key is not depressed, it pushes against the front wall of the square hole, so the drawer is locked in place.

The bottom shelf of Chuck's demo piece tips upward when you push down on the back edge, and reveals a shallow compartment. When this shelf is removed, you can see a small, sliding dovetail key that slips into a matching mortise inside the cabinet's back. By sliding the key toward you, it releases the back, which slides up, and provides access to hidden spaces behind the drawers.

For 17th, 18th, and early 19th c. cabinetmakers, there were no standards for making these concealed compartments and locks; they just used their imagination. Sometimes, heavy crown moulding camouflaged a shallow drawer behind the ornate profile.

Planning ahead is paramount to successfully including hidden drawers and locks to your furniture. Trying to retrofit them after your piece is built is nearly impossible. Don't do what I did.

Today, we have bullet catches, rare earth magnets, metal springs, and other items to help us include secret spaces in our furniture.

We can also follow on the heels of our ancestors and come up with our own clever ways to add a bit of mystery to our projects.

David Savage / Black & Decker Event

All are welcome to this FREE event. You just need to email one of the coordinators (listed below) to let them know you're coming so they have enough food for lunch.

When: Saturday, July 11, 2009.

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: Black and Decker University, 8701 Mylander Lane, Towson, MD 21286

Cost: No charge. Pizza will be provided by Black & Decker.

Schedule:

10:00 a.m. – 12 noon: Delta – Porter Cable – DeWalt Product Development team will give a briefing on new tools they have under design and development, and will ask for our feedback to help them improve their ideas.

12 noon – 1:00 p.m.: Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.: David Savage, a British furniture designer and maker of international stature, will be the featured speaker. Not only is David highly successful in his own business, but he has a multi-decade history of teaching other woodworkers to be successful in their own businesses. David will talk about The British and Irish Studio Furniture Movement. He will focus on how British and Irish furniture makers have developed a way to stay connected with one another. For more about David Savage: www.finefurnituremaker.com

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.: Talk on Setting up and tuning a bandsaw by B&D University

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Round Table on “How to make your woodworking business successful”

Raffle/Drawing for a free school seat from Jeff Headley and Steve Hamilton

Contact: Mel Montemerlo at montemerlo@gmail.com; Stu Crick at stu@stuswoodworks.com; or Alan Garner at theagarn@comcast.net

3rd Ward

3rd Ward, an art facility in Brooklyn, contacted me about mentioning their woodworking department on my blog.  

I have never been to the facility, but I noticed on their website that Joel Moskowitz is teaching a Sharpening class on June 25 (read his write up here), so I asked him about the woodworking programs and instructors.  He told me that although he has never taught there before, he believes there is a need for this type of facility that provides basic training for designers and furniture makers.

He said that 3rd Ward rents shop space to woodworkers and professionals who are just starting out and that the shop contains the normal machinery and benches you would expect.

So if you live in the surrounding areas, this might be a really good opportunity for you.  If you have any questions about the woodworking programs, please email info@3rdward.com.

Supersize It!

As a kid, I used to love to borrow my Dad's little magnifier to inspect everything from flowers to bugs. We'd take it along with us on camping trips and I admit to more than one time, trying to fry an ant by reflecting brilliant sunshine through the lens and onto the hapless creature. Never worked.

In the chip carving class I took with Wayne Barton, the knives we bought from him required some sharpening before use. They came with a blade shaped like the Washington Monument, and it was our job to flatten the sides on ceramic stones. (See illustration at left).

Over an hour later, I tried carving with my knife, which tore the wood instead of producing a crisp cut.

It sure looked sharp to my eye. So I handed it to Wayne, who reached in his pocket for a little monocle-type magnifier. He inspected it and, without a word, slid the blade in rapid-fire motion back and forth on my stone. He looked again through the magnifier and handed the knife back to me.

It cut like butter.

After that, I asked Dad if he still had his pocket magnifier. And while he no longer had the cool one in the little leather case I played with as a kid, he was happy to give me another, which has a permanant place in my shop apron.

The first blade close-up is my chip carving knife. You can see how clean the edge is. And although the sides could be flattened a bit more, it cuts great.

In contrast is my pocket knife (second close-up), which I thought was sharp until I looked through the magnifier. (Did I mention I need bifocals?)

The last two images are the torch lillies that are blooming in my backyard. Unfortunately, there was not an ant in sight when I took the photos.

Workshop Video Tour

Watch in High Definition here.  (click on the HD button on YouTube)

My shop has never been cleaner since I'm having an open house on Saturday, and I'm taking advantage by documenting it on film.

It looks a little disorganized since so many cabinets either need to be built or need to be finished. My assembly table still needs a work surface (it's not meant to have unattached strips of 2x4s as a top) in addition to doors. But hey, it's my little slice of heaven.

I'll walk you through the land of unfinished projects and show you the world's cheapest store-bought workbench ($139 at B.J.'s Wholesale Club).

And if you watch the entire video, you'll get to see a scruffy little dog wearing wellies.

Music is "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show.

See You In St. Charles

Join me at the Woodworking In America Conference August 14-16! It will be too hot to do yard work anyhow, and unless your shop has AC, it will be too uncomfortable for woodworking.

Plus the resort* has both indoor and outdoor pools. And I hear that Marc Spagnuolo and Matt Vanderlist wear speedos.**

Interactive workshops and Q&A sessions on Early American, 18th century, Arts & Crafts, Shaker, and Contemporary furniture will help you learn new techniques and discover the details that make each style unique.

Unleash your creative energy by learning how pieces were made, how to successfully include combinations of mouldings, carving, and inlay, and understand proportions to make an aesthetically appealing product.

Learn methods to recreate Greene & Greene furniture, how to design with wood grain, and how the popular software program Sketch-Up can help you through the design process.

Q & A sessions with expert woodworkers will offer an informal chance to have all your questions about joinery, finishes, and ornamental details answered.

Check out the schedule here. Read about the impressive line up of presenters here. And view the list of exhibitors here.

Not only that, but the keynote speaker for the Saturday night dinner is Thomas Moser, who relied on historical influences to develop his own internationally known brand of furniture.

The Saturday dinner, the Marketplace, and the in-between seminar times are excellent opportunities to meet other woodworkers, make friends, and speak directly with presenters and exhibitors. If it's anything like last year's conference, it will be the best, albeit exhausting (but I'm a wimp), 3 days you've had in a long time.

It's easy to copy a plan from a book, but making your own original piece based on the knowledge you acquire at the conference can be more personally rewarding.

See you there!

*The resort looks pretty sweet and a section has been blocked off for conference attendees to make the stay affordable.

**I'm aware that this is a potential deterrent.