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Just finished building this Irish Gibson chair. It’s probably the simplest chair construction I’ve encountered. Details on our blog today.As the rain began to taper off in the afternoon, Jonathan looked both chests over one final time to see if there was anything he missed. His bony fingers searched for dust nibs, his eyes scoured for irregularities. He had been over these pieces time and again but wanted to make sure all was satisfactory. Mr. Johnson was pleased. The proportions were most agreeable, the drawers ran smooth, and the paint was just right. Nothing ostentatious, just tasteful and neat. It was a $14 well spent. Of all the furniture Jonathan made for his neighbors, this commission was the largest. Most customers ordered light stands, blanket chests or simple kitchen chairs, but the money from this project was an unexpected godsend to their family. — from “Hands Employed Aright: The Furniture Making of Jonathan Fisher (1768-1847)” by Joshua A. Klein #Hands_Employed_ArightAnd how should we finish up this Chest of Drawers? “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” suggests grain-painting it to look like oak, then adding wooden knobs that are ebony or painted to look like it. Also recommended: Adding a strip of flat or beaded wood around the bottom of the case to cover the dovetails. Then paint this strip black as well. Contemporary tastes don’t go for grain-painting, and we like our joinery exposed. And this chest looks just fine to the modern eye if simply varnished. In fact, some people have asked me if the piece was a Shaker design. That’s an interesting comment, as early Shakers were from England and were trained in the shops of 18th-century masters. It wasn’t until the Shakers started training their own followers in cabinet making that the Shaker style became extremely refined like what you see in the Eastern Shaker communities in the middle 19th century. The chest in this book is made using American black cherry, which does not take well to complex dyes. So I decided to use a finish that would be simple, as this is not a high-style piece, and would be in line with the practices of the period. — from “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” by Anon, Christopher Schwarz and Joel Moskowitz #The_Joiner_and_Cabinet_Maker@RudeMechanic on Twitter
- Dec. 14 Open House Special Guests blog.lostartpress.com/2019/12/13/dec… https://t.co/zMVQUFb7Sa 17 hours ago
- Another Gibson Chair blog.lostartpress.com/2019/12/12/ano… https://t.co/ACP2BcWsFP 1 day ago
- 2019 Anarchist’s Gift Guide, Day 10: Berea College Brooms blog.lostartpress.com/2019/12/10/201… https://t.co/x4MO81trXA 4 days ago
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Category Archives: Sharpen This
Whetstones for Dull Wits and Liars
If you are a diligent woodworker you have a sharpening station, all your edge tools are clean and sharp and your sharpening stones nice and flat. How about your mind? Sharp, or nice and flat? What about your truthiness? It … Continue reading
Posted in Satire, Sharpen This
2 Comments
Round the Corners of a Plane Iron
If the corners of a handplane’s cutter are not supposed to cut wood, then I remove them. OK, let me put that a different way. Some handplanes are supposed to cut into corners: rabbet planes, shoulder planes, moulding planes and … Continue reading
Posted in Sharpen This
13 Comments
Sharp Edges Cut Out Profanity
That’s a pretty good incentive don’t you think? Sharpen your tools and stop swearing. Everybody Does It – A Sharpening World Tour Neolithic polissoirs, characterized by straight grooves and a shallow basin, were used to sharpen axes, arrows and blades. … Continue reading
Posted in Sharpen This
26 Comments
The ‘Sharpen This’ Speech – Now Available
Highland Woodworking has published my “Sharpen This – the Hand-tool Backlash” speech that I gave at the Lie-Nielsen Open House a couple years ago. You can read the whole thing in Highland’s newsletter here. (Note: You can subscribe to the … Continue reading
Posted in Sharpen This
28 Comments
Sept. 9 at Our Storefront: ‘Sharpenday’
Next Saturday, Sept. 9, is our regularly scheduled open day for Lost Art Press. We’ll have our complete line of books plus a good number of slightly damaged books at 50 percent of retail (cash only). And T-shirts. Coffee. Stickers. … Continue reading
Sharpen This, Part 10: Oh, Stewardess! I Speak Jive
Some days I wish there were a Google Translate filter for woodworking forums and podcasts. It would allow people to understand what is really being said. Below are some actual quotes I’ve heard through the years and my rough translation … Continue reading
Posted in Sharpen This
Sharpen This, Part 9: Guided by Voices
Read the other installments in the “Sharpen This” series via this link. When it comes to the topic of honing guides, I’d sooner have a double colonoscopy than discuss them. But here goes. Honing guides are jigs. They hold a … Continue reading
Posted in Sharpen This
