This book is not a celebration of war any more than driving a Volkswagen or Porsche is a celebration of the Third Reich.
The plain fact of the matter is that conquest and defense are rich sources of innovation, improvisation and technological advances. The moulded plywood of Charles and Ray Eames was used by the Navy in World War II for splints and stretchers. That knowledge was turned to making moulded plywood furniture, including the iconic Eames chair.
The needs of the British Empire and its far-flung colonies created a style of furniture that was rugged, beautiful and stripped of ornament. There is little doubt in my mind that the utilitarian and plain aspects of campaign furniture represent the roots of Danish modern, Bauhaus and other 20th-century design trends.
So I do not regret the 28 months I spent researching, building and writing this book. I think the campaign furniture style is one of the most important and overlooked furniture movements of the last 200 years.
But I do have regrets.
When I set out to build the projects for this book, I consciously set aside my aversion to exotic tropical hardwoods. When I write about a historical style, I immerse myself in it as much as possible so I can understand it from the inside. That means ignoring well-known rules about wood movement, technological advances in adhesives and (in this case) deforestation.
When I reject my modern prejudices I usually find gold. I think the past has a lot to teach us. Time and again, I’ve found that old ways of woodworking are usually smarter, more nuanced and more practical than our own.
But when it comes to selecting wood for a project, I’m not so sure. Most pieces of campaign furniture were built using mahogany, camphor, teak, padauk, oak or walnut. The exotics on this list were beyond plentiful in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Imagine teak being cheaper than red oak.) The supply at the time seemed almost limitless when you read the accounts of the day.
I know that we furniture makers are not the primary offenders when it comes to stripping the land of tropical hardwoods. But I also know that writing a book featuring tropical hardwoods is no small affair.
So as you are picking out the wood for your first (or next) piece of campaign furniture, consider this: walnut. American and European walnut was a common staple of the campaign furniture trade, and so it’s an appropriate and beautiful choice.
Here in the Ohio River valley, we have so much walnut that we used it to frame houses and make sash. Heck, I have a pile of walnut in my shop that is bigger than a car.
If you choose to use mahogany or another exotic, consider looking for recycled lumber. Some of the wood in this book came from a (trashed) recycled dining set I purchased from a woodworker who finally decided to lay down his tools.
That old and recycled mahogany was darker, finer and more beautiful than any other modern stick of mahogany I have laid my hands on. So finding recycled wood can actually improve your finished piece (as opposed to using old McDLT boxes to make a garden bench).
In the end, it is your choice. I encourage you to ignore every word I have just written and do your own research to make an informed choice.
I don’t want blinded readers anymore than I want to spend a single day living in a totalitarian regime. You are free to make a choice about what you build, how you build it and what materials you use to build. So make it.
— Christopher Schwarz
Chris –
I am working on a project using the wood from an old 1920 mahogany table and making some decorative boxes. The wood is fantastic. I’m hoping I have enough cutoffs to do something else with it.
Also, I saw this article on Fine Woodworking about a new blight affecting walnut: http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/110518/the-eastern-black-walnut-and-thousand-cankers-disease
Happy to read this. Choosing exotic FSC wood is a sensitive choice. Choosing local FSC wood is a logical and ecological choice. As woodworkers, we should be the firsts to respect the resource that is our livelihood and make sure it stays around. Happy new year.
Hi Chris
I like the aesthetic of Military/Campaign furniture. I think it has a similar line to Japanese and Shaker furniture. In some cases I like it even better stripped further of some of the brass. I’ve built a couple of pieces, one being a side-by-side pair of chests (used for the TV in the livingroom). This was completed 2 years ago now:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/TheCompletedChests_html_6bb43abf.jpg
I used wood that is local. In this case Jarrah. I would not recommend this heavy timber for carting from battlefield-to-battlefield! If you could, I would not want any truck with you. It would be a short war! 🙂
And a lapdesk in West Australian She-oak, and Jarrah complete with hidden drawers: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Lapdesk_html_5c6989bb.jpg
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Lapdesk_html_m6022978d.jpg
I use salvage wood for all my pieces.
What I want to focus on is that it s possible to pick up some interesting woods from urban salvagers. These are guys who harvest the neighbourhood trees that heave either fallen down in a storm or been cut down to make room for a house.
I would like to recommend to your Perth, Australia readers Derek-The-Timberbloke (no relation), who is a pilot by day and a runs an urban salvage yard on weekends (I guess you know what he is looking for as he patrols the coastline! “Look for the trees, Derek – forget the swimmers and bloody sharks!”).
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/TheChair-Introduction_html_m7fdf9e51.png
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/TheChair-Introduction_html_56deca24.png
Contact: http://www.thetimberbloke.com.au/
Regards from Perth
Derek
Here’s a similar company in the Chicago area. (Never been there, but Derek’s post prompted the search.) http://horiganufp.com/index.php
Happy New Year!
I’ve been going to Horigan since I discovered them last year (I’m in Chicago). Great place!
I used a wee bit of mahogany in a recent project. (http://blog.greatlakeswoodshop.com/2013/10/thatll-do-pig-thatll-do.html). It sucked big time. Very soft, very stringy, very not-at-all-mahogany-as-I-know-it. This sourced from South America wood came from a reputable company and is still regularly sold as ‘mahogany’.
I’m sitting next to a 90 year old desk made from mahogany as I type. I had to replace some barrel hinges and do some other minor repair when I got it. The desk is tough as pig iron and very dense. My experience with the desk is what prompted me to buy mahogany. I guess this is a very long winded way of saying I agree with Chris’ suggestion to try to recycle the older stuff.
I’m very satisfied with the white oak and padauk in the above project, but I will shy away from imitation mahogany for a very long time, if not forever.
Happy new year to all! 🙂
Should I sell my Volkswagen? What will they say if I keep it? The solution is clear: I must reject my tropical regrets! Reject all things newer than Ohio! Walnut, walnut! Embrace walnut! (Just not the kind Juhl, Jacobsen, Wegner, or Maloof used). #panicnow
That fake mahogany was probably “Philippine Mahogany”… i.e. luan. I bought some of that crap to make a Roubo bookstand for my copy of “To Make As Perfectly As Possible”. Thankfully I took a good look at the wood and discovered my mistake before wasting time and effort on something doomed from the start. I can always use it for jigs or firewood.
For a fascinating exploration of the symbiosis between innovation and hegemony, I heartily recommend “Pursuit of Power” by the incomparable historian William McNeill.
It’s great to read you Mr Schwarz !
Thank you.
Where do you all find such wonderful wood for sale? Does one work in Pine and Red Oak until an elder takes you aside and confides the password for a source? do you seek out backcountry lumber yards and buy from there?
I’d say the absolute best source of leads on lumber come from woodworking friends I have met at local woodworking clubs, woodworking shows, classes etc. Woodworking can seem like a singular pursuit, but it really helps to socialize.
Second-best source: craigslist.
Chris,
After reading your blog site for the past year and following the progress of your upcoming Campaign Furniture book, I am eagerly anticipating its release to the public. Being a Naval Officer and new woodworker, I was captivated by Campaign furniture and its use in past military campaigns.
For individuals who are new to the woodworking scene, what piece of campaign furniture would you recommend we build first (maybe that is discussed in the upcoming book)? Are there woodworking classes in the US that focus on campaign projects?
Thank you for publishing your knowledge and expertise on this blog site.
-Thomas