Peter Follansbee has built a tool chest that shames us all when it comes to adding a little flash. No, he didn’t opt for the airbrushed Thundarr the Barbarian on the lid that I suggested. Instead he used “odd bits” guides for his tool trays.
These “odd bits” – pieces of oak he used in carving demos – are gorgeous, and especially fitting for a chest designed for a joiner, as Peter calls himself.
Visit his blog, Joiner’s Notes, for the whole story and more pictures of his fine piece of work. Peter, the joiner at Plimoth Plantation, says he’s not much for dovetailing; I think he’s being modest.
In any case, get a good gander at his carving – I think you’ll be seeing a lot more of that in the coming months with the release of the long-awaited book from Peter and Jennie Alexander, “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree: An Introduction to 17th-century Joinery.”
The book goes to the printer next Friday, and right now we are finishing up work on the index, the dust jacket and a few minor typos. When will it be on sale? We will start taking pre-orders in about a week. The book will ship in late February or early March, barring some disaster.
I’ll have complete details on the book next week, including pricing and (joy) an excerpt for you to download.
— Christopher Schwarz
Peter is one of a kind.
Talk about some nice “odd bits” for his tool tray guides!
He’s just showing off!
(only kidding. he’s one of the most down to earth guys around.)
And how can you NOT like that cool beard !
“And how can you NOT like that cool beard !”
After watching him riving oak at WIA, I think he is the Hephaestus of woodworking.
Jonathan
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jaw… floor.
I am drooling over those gudies. GUIDES! WIth CARVINGS!
Jonathan
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Those carved interior bits will puzzle more than one future archaeologist or museum curator. Kinda like the starry sky painted on the inside of a mummy case….
Exactly what i was thinking. Makes me smile…
Verrrry nice! I’d say ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’, but I don’t think that really applies here. More like, ‘if you’ve got it, make good use of it’!
I’m impressed!
Ariel, Ookla, RIDE!
I was kinda hoping for the Thundar, myself.
Or at the very least a bas-relief carving of the broken moon. 🙂
Very Nice!! I thought I was the only one who watched Thundarr back in the day….alas there is hope..HA!
You were already my hero, but the Thundarr the Barbarian reference just clinched it.
Yeah… just a few odd bits of scrap.. WOW!!
I haven’t convinced myself that I need a tool chest yet. BUT this is making me think. I have finally understood what Chris was trying to say in the book. If it doesn’t fit in the chest, you probably don’t need it. He admits that this will piss off the tool collectors, but he is talking to woodworkers and very often (not always) tool collectors and woodworkers are not the same folks.