The New Workbench Top

In 2004 as a student of the Furniture Institute of Mass I needed a bench and only had 5 days to draw and make the bench. The size of the bench at the time was 32 inches wide and 5 feet long. The bench served me perfectly, but I wanted something longer and a tail vise. 

Long ago I thought I would always make my bench, but I quickly realized there are makers out there who can make them quicker and priced well. So I ended up buying a new bench top that will last me the rest of my life. 

I might still make the bench wider to fulfill my dream of making it in the European style bench on one edge and a Roubo style bench on the other edge. Essentially I will be making myself a smaller version of the Patrick Edwards bench. But for now this will serve me well. 

The bench top is made from Rock Maple and in dimension is 4 inches thick, 7 feet long, and 32 inches wide. The tail vise hardware comes from Lie-Nielsen Tool Works. Lets just say this bench top weighs a ton and I love it. 

Many thanks to my two friends Jasper and Brian for helping move the top and for helping me install the tail vise. 

New Book! Crafting Excellence: The Furniture of Nathan Lumbard and His Circle

    I'm happy to share that another book on a great maker named Nathan Lombard is going to hit the market shortly. Pre-order your copy from Amazon ( < Click).

   

    When the inscription “Made by Nathan Lumbard Apl 20th 1800” was found in the late 1980s on a chest of drawers, the identity of an unknown craftsman suddenly surfaced. Crafting Excellenceintroduces the striking achievements of cabinetmaker Nathan Lumbard (1777−1847) and a small group of craftsmen associated with him. Working initially in the village of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, these artisans fashioned an array of objects that rank among the most colorful and creative of Federal America. Recent scholarship has revealed Lumbard’s connection with the cabinetmaker Oliver Wight, from whom he likely learned his trade and gained an understanding of neoclassicism. Careful study of objects linked to Lumbard, Wight, and nearby artisans has produced a framework for identifying their work. The discovery of Lumbard’s name three decades ago led the authors on a pioneering journey, culminating in this handsome volume, an insightful contribution to American furniture history.

New Book: Thomas Chippendale Junior

I found out about this book from https://pegsandtails.wordpress.com/2017/12/30/new-book-the-life-and-work-of-thomas-chippendale-junior/

Where I bought book can be found below.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Work-Thomas-Chippendale-Junior/dp/1781300569

Description of the book:

The Chippendale cabinet-making firm, founded by Thomas Chippendale senior in about 1750 became famous partly through the succesful publication of his The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director (1754, re-published 1755 and 1762), and partly through the fine furniture supplied to a number of illustrious clients. Chippendale senior ran the workshop for just over twenty years. His eldest son Thomas Chippendale junior continued the business for over forty, the first two decades in partnership with Thomas Haig. Chippendale senior's work has been well documents. Chippendale junior's work has never, until now, been thoroughly researched. The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale Junior repairs the omission. His patrons included members of the Royal Family, aristocrats, landed gentry and antiquarians. He was adept at satisfying their demands, whether they required lavish gilt or simpler, often mahogany, pieces. Where family archives and original settings survive, as at Harewood House, Paxton House and Stourhead, they reveal the variety and quality of Chippendale's output. Analysis of client's invoices, even when the furniture can no longer be traced, for the first time provides a colourful view of what customers chose and what prices they paid.

Product Detail:

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Philip Wilson Publishers (December 30, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1781300569
• ISBN-13: 978-1781300565
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 1.7 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds

Shop Signs

The importance of shop and lawn sign is rarely discussed. Even spelling out every service that is being offered is key these days. These signs are short money and I highly recommend every small business to use as much signage as possible.

English Clock

I had a clock come in to the shop or should I say studio. The clock came in for adhering of any and all loose cross banded moulding. There was also a couple sections of moulding that needed to be reproduced.  In this post I highlight the amazing clock. This clock was/is breathtaking. 

Pricing your work

Hello everyone. I wanted to share with you episode 11 of the Against the Grain Podcast. In this episode we discussed Pricing your work. I am certain the information being shared by Guy Dunlap, Justin Dipalma, and myself Freddy Roman will be very educational, informative, and eye opening.

If episode #11 wasn't enough to catch your attention than the following video surely would help. Shawn Van Dyke who is a business coach and who will be my business coach is the best in the business and surely worth a follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shawnvandyke/. Also it will be worth you wild to visit his website http://shawnvandyke.com.

Please leave your comments and give all of us a follow.

Cheers.

Flexible wood as clamps.

I'm in the middle of repairing a French Commode that has sadly been repaired incorrectly in the pass. One of the many issues with the commode was the drawer runners, kickers, and guides.  As I repair all the broken elements I come to the realization there isn't a easy way to clamp my repairs. 

So what to do?  Well I decided to try flexible thin pieces of wood cut to a size that gives me the desired clamp pressure. There isn't a write rule on this, often its a trial and error.  

Below you will find two examples of flexible strips giving me the desired pressure and clamping I needed to glue down all the repairs. 

I hope you find this helpful.

Cheers,