Join me and my dovetail saw February 20-21 at the Forge Nashville for a Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event. I’ll be working on a stepstool or a Shaker tray…or some other fun, small dovetailed project as time allows. Plus I’ll have a selection of our books available for purchase. (But if I’m away from my post, look for me at the amazing Alf Sharp’s bench!)
At the event, try out all the LN tools and get expert guidance as you learn from the LN staff, talk to guest demonstrators and hang out with a passel of fellow hand tool woodworkers. Plus, you can check out the Forge itself, a non-profit organization with wood and metal shops, a makerspace and gallery, private studios and more. You can find out more about the event here.
The Forge is at 217 Willow Street, Nashville, Tenn., and there is on-site parking. Hours are Friday, Feb. 20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
One of Ed’s many reproductions of the Declaration Desk.
In December of 2024, I traveled to Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, to meet Ed Zappen (and his lovely family – thanks again for the cheese curds, Kathy!) and take pictures in his shop for his book, “Jefferson’s Declaration Desk.”
We should, barring catastrophe, have the book to the printer this week or next, so look for it in about two months. In the meantime, I’ll be sharing some glimpses inside.
Below is Zappen’s introduction.
– Fitz
The baize-covered writing surface of the reproduction.
My interest in the events leading to the Colonial separation from Great Britain led me to a little writing box that Thomas Jefferson used to write the Declaration of Independence. I contacted the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., where the desk was located. They put me in contact with senior Curator Harry Rubinstein, who invited me to the museum on two separate occasions to study, measure and photograph the desk. That started me on a 15-year journey to learn more about the desk, its history and how to make the best possible reproduction. I decided I should share this information with other woodworkers and the general public rather than keeping the history and plans for the desk to myself. Hence, this book.
Known as the Declaration Desk, Jefferson’s writing box is typical of writing boxes used among the upper classes in Colonial America and England. These desks were small, portable and often had a sloping area covered with baize, a coarse woolen cloth used for gaming tables, and suitable as a writing surface. Various compartments and drawers in the desk allowed the 18th-century professional to carry correspondence, writing materials and other items similar to those that might be found in a briefcase today. I call this an “18th-century Laptop.”
This is a story about that writing box and its place in American history, and it describes in some detail how to make an accurate reproduction of Jefferson’s Declaration Desk. Failure to place the desk in its historical setting presents this piece as just another vintage writing box that can be purchased in antique stores on the East Coast or eBay for a small price. So that is where I shall begin.
In this update to his 1978 classic, the original text is intact, and the old photos are in black and white. Throughout this edition book, Drew has added text, which is in a slightly different font, to explain what he does differently now after 40 years of daily work on the North Carolina farm he shares with his wife, Louise.
In many ways, the book is a delightful conversation between the younger Drew, who is happy to chop down trees with a felling axe, and the older Drew, who now uses an electric chainsaw and band saw to break down stock to conserve energy (and likely aspirin). New illustrations and color photos throughout show how Drew works now.
The 1978 edition of “Country Woodcraft” inspired a generation of woodworkers to make spoons, bowls and other handy home implements. We hope that “Country Woodcraft: Then & Now” continues to inspire another generation.
Chris and his new apprentice, Katherine (who just finished her second chair!).
Comments are now closed – if there are any unanswered questions though, we’ll get to them shortly.
It’s Open Wire today, where you can ask Chris about his awkward woodworking gang signs (see above), and any other woodworking questions you might have. (I’ll chime in as time and necessity allow – but I’m teaching a Dutch tool chest class in our shop today, so my internet time is limited.)
Open Wire runs from now until 5 p.m. Eastern. Just type your questions in a comment, and one of us will answer – and you’re welcome to share your knowledge with answers, too! If we don’t get to your question right away, give us a little while, please. Chris is busy building another chair, surprise, and I am busy showing folks how to cut dados and rabbets today.
The Open Wire dates for 2026 are: February 28 April 18 June 20 August 8 October 19 December 12
This is your chance to ask Chris about the “south mouth” on the Lincolnshire chair (shown above at left and back) – though that chair is the subject of the next Stick Chair Journal, which will be out early next year.
Our last 2025 Open Wire – your chance to post any and all woodworking questions and get answers from Chris, me and fellow readers – is this Saturday from around 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern. (And this time, it’ll be mostly Chris during the day, as I’ll be teaching a Dutch tool chest class, and will chime in as time and necessity allows.
The Open Wire dates for 2026 are: February 28 April 18 June 20 August 8 October 19 December 12
