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DESIGNING A CHAIR TO LAST • THE PHILADELPHIA STORY FEDERAL FURNITURE
7485164537 6
07> J ULY 1997
$6.95 u.s.$7.95 Ca nada£4.25 u.x.
A CRAFTSMAN 'S JO URNEY
Helping You Become a Better WoodworkerOur gianttoolcatalog givesmore thanjust manufacturer'sspecs. We provide detailed tool descriptions, usefultechniques,aswellasascheduleofeducational seminars.
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READERSERVICENO. 106
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July 10-12, 199 7Purchase College, P urchase, NY
Historical and Crit ical Perspectives ' Techniques,Old and New' Networking ' Des ign & Creativ ityPresentation Drawings ' Developing the FieldLimited Production ' Photography ' Plus , a MajorExhibition: " Surv ey of North American Furn iture"
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1~C1lA hasre-invented thesteel rule by putting micro-fine marking
holesatevery scale position toinstantly locale a sharppencil or scribe exactlyontarget! Now, instead ofsquinting at that bluroflines along theedge ofyouroldsteel rule, you caninstantly putyour mark precisely where you want it with zero uncertainty and noeye strain. Even ifthelighting is lessthan perfect oryour eyes are tired at theendoftheday, you canstillbesurethat theprecision buill into everyINOlA RUW actually shows upinyour finished work!When accuracy counts ... INCRA RULE'S!Available in6'; 12" and 18" lengths. l'atentspendingTo learnmore about thisextraordinaryline of precisionMarking Rules, Bend Rules and 'l-Rules, call,write, orfax:
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J U NE /J UL Y 1997 3
JUNE /j UL Y 1997 NO .11
On th e cover: William Walker 's livingroom reflects both his roots and hisrange, with pieces of his own design inthe foreground and an early cabinetafte r jam es Krenov in the background.See p. 56 . Photo by jonathan Binzen.
DEPARTMENTS
6 Letters
10 On Disp layA visit to New Hampshire 'sStrawb ery Banke Museum
14 Calendar
18 The Drawing BoardRefining your thumbnail sketcheswith transparencies
70 Fine Furn itu re TimbersLuscious pink pear
74 Mate rialsCracking glass
78 About the Authors
82 IndexIndex to issues 6 through 77
86 Furniture Sto riesjohn M cPhee recalls hisgrandfather's horned furniture
Another Way to Lock a Cradle, p. 32
Making Chairs Strong, p. 36 Computer Photograph Brings Lamp to Life, p. 54
Home Furn itu re (ISSN 1076-8327) is pu blish ed six times a year. by The Taunto n Press. Inc.. Newtown, CT 06470 -5506. Telephon e (203) 426-8171. Period icals postagepaid at Newt o wn. CT 06470-5506 and at additio na l ma iling o ffices. u.s. newsstand distribution by Curtis Circulat io n Co.. 730 Rive r Road , New Milford. NJ 07646-3048and Eastern News Distributor s. Inc., O ne I> led ia Way. 12406 Route 250. l>lilan . all ·i4846-9705. GST # 123210981.
FEATURES
22 Letting the RoomDetermine the DesignDining furniture fromthe Asian end of Arts and Craftsadds spice to a bungalow
BY DARRELL PEART
28 Bold Color andGe ometry Expand aTable 's HorizonsBY HE NRY FO X
30 A Cradle that SwingsHigh and LowBY TIMOTH Y CLAR K
32 Another Way to Lock the Cradle
BY W I LL IA M WHITE
33 Lightening the Lookof an Ente rtainmentCenterBY RICHARD JUDD
36 What Makes a SeatStand Up to Abuse?A few critical joints will keepa dining chair sturdy for decades
BY JERE OSGOOD
42 Uniting Two Casesin One Hutch DesignBY W I LL I A M SK I DMO RE
45 Etched LegsElevate a Display ShelfBY GREGOR Y HAY
46 Fresh Curvesfor a Kitchen TableBY MICHAEL HUR WIT Z
48 Federal FurnitureWas RevolutionaryAn interest in all things classicalga ve rise to a delicate furniture style
BY JENNIFER A . PERRY
54 Computer PhotographBrings Lamp to LifeBY DAVID FA Y
56 William Walker'sFurniture-Balancing ActA custom designer mak es a mark inarchitectural and production furniture
BY JONATHAN BIN ZEN
62 Triangle CutoutsEnhance Vast,Flat SurfacesBY JOS E REGUEIR O
65 Starting from theSimplest ChairBY WILLIA M M cA RT H U R
66 Fine Furniture300 Years in the MakingEver since colonial cabinetmakersplanted the seed, furniture makinghas flourish ed in Philadelphia
BY MARK GALLINI
Lightening an Entertainment Center; p. 33
Federal Furniture Was Revolutionary, p. 48
Furniture 300 Years in the Making, p. 66
Postma ster : Send address changes to H Ollie Furniture, The Taunton Press. Inc., 63 S. Main St., P.O. Box 5506, New town. CT 06470- 5506. Primed in the USA
• letters
TOO MUCH INFORMATIONLEFT TO THE IMAGINATIONFor a product to be successful, it mustdeliver so mething . Depending o nyour perspective , that so methingcould be ex posure, information orknowledge. Hom e Furnitu re isprobably best utilized by e ithe r of twogroups: professional furniturebuilde rs or co nsume rs who wish tocommission cus to m-made furniture.The bui lde rs receive nationalexposure through yo ur maga zinewhen their articles are published, andconsume rs ge t the equivalent of acatalog for one -of-a kind furniturewith information o n where to bu y it."This is a fine relationship for Hom eFu rn itu re, profess iona l furniturebuilders and furniture bu yers, but itleaves the amateur woodworkerreade r witho ut the transfer ofknowledge that normally comes aspa rt of a subsc ription. I have readseveral issues of Hom e Furniturefrom cover to cover and theinformation provide d is so vagu e thatyou canno t hope to build thefurniture yourse lf. I design thin gs for aliving , dea l with drawings every day,and as a serious hobby e njoywoodwork ing . If anything , mycombination of design ex pe rience,ability to crea te drawings, and level ofwoodworking skills should beenough that Tcould build the piecespresented in Hom e Furniture. That'swhere we have a mismatch . There isso much information left to theimagination of the reader that o newould need to do a co mplete layoutof components, joints, e tc., in o rde r tobuild the project. Othe r than the
6 HOME FURNITURE
outside dim ensions and possibly thewood used, what information have Igained from the article?
I know the literature for Hom eFurniture said this was not a "howto-do-it" magazine. That 's anunderstatement. You sho uld haveindicated that there was little chancethat you could build it even if you hadthe skills.
-ArnoldNelson, Redlands, Calif
TRADITIONAL VS .CONTEMPORARYThe recent Hom e Furniture includedtwo letters of resp on se to thetraditional/modern squabble raised inthe letters section of HI" #9 (January1997). I'd like to add my voice to thecall for balance and for ope nness.This is a big world, and woodworkingis a lot of different things. I foundThomas Richardson's remarks ab outj am es Krenov parti cularl y disturbing.Aesthetics ce rtainly transcend merestyle. Whether traditi onalist o rmodernist, wh o can fail to gain fromthe impeccable rightness of jamesKren ov's aesthetic sense and sense ofco nte nt. Whether yo u "like" hisfu rniture o r not , you can't den y hisimmeasurable co ntribution, sho wingus that woodworking remains a livingthin g. It seems to me that HOllieFurniture is giving excellent coverageto the range of woodworking.
-i-fohn Nesset, Minneapolis, Minn.
In reference to Charles jacobs' letterin the April 1997 issue (H I" #10)den ouncing co nte mpo rary furnitureas soon "fo rgotten," he himself hasforgotten one important point: All
hGme·tu. rurru re
EDIT ORTimothy D. SchreinerMAN AGIN G EDITORSuzanne RomanART DIRECTORMaI:V TerrizziA SSO CIATE EDIT OR S[oIlCIIIUl/l Bittzen. Zachary Gaullein,jefferson Kolle .C OPY /PRODUCTION EDITORLa wrence SheaART A SSI STANTj O((V HanleinsonEDITORIAL A SSI STA N Tj ennifer Ma tlacleEDITOR -IN - CH IEFj ohn LioelyDE SIGN DIRE CT ORSusan Edeima nC O RPO RATE CIRC ULATI O N DI RECTO RDo ug las Ne w/onPUBLISHERlames P Ch iauelliADVERTI SING SA LES MANAGERNo rman SippelADVERTISING SA LES MANAGE RFI N E W O OD W OR KI N GDick !VestNATIONAL ACCOUNT M A NA G ERSTall/ Brancat o, Da vid Gray: Linda Abbe"SEN I O R A DV ERT IS I N G COO RD INATORKa/IIIYII SimondsADVERTI SI N G SEC RETAR YHilda Ferna ndes
TO CONTACT HOME FURN/T URETelephone: (800) 283-7252
(203) 426- 81 71Fax: (203) 426- 3434
E-ma il : hf@taunton .com
CUSTOMER SERVICE:Orders: (800) 888-8286
Ot her inquiries: (800) 4 77-8727E-mail : hfservice@taunt on. co m
ADVERTISING SALES: (800) 283-7252 x 512E-mail : hfads@ta unton.com
TAUNTON TRADE CO :Retail Sales: (800) 283-7252 x 265
Copyright 1997 by The Taunt on Press. Inc. ;'\0 reproductionwithout perm ission of The Taunt on Press. Inc. Subscriptionrates: U.S. and possession s. S32 for o ne year , SSG for twoyears. $H2 for three yea rs; ou tside the U.S. and possession.....S3H for one year , $67 fo r two yea rs, .$95 for three yea rs (in U.S.dollars, please ). Single co py. $6.95. Single copies outside [heU.S. anti possessions. $7.95. Address all co rrespo nde nce tothe appropriate department <Subscription . Editorial o r Advertising ). T he Taunton Press. 63 South Main Street . P.O. Box5506. Newto wn . cr 06470-5506.
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rhe : EWI, 'CR-\ Bcnd Ruleis precisely what you needfor layout andmeasurement alongtheedgeofa board or otherworkpiece.Micro-fine marking holt'Sal everv scale lineinsl{IIII(J' locate yoursharppencil or scribeexactlyon large! with zero uncertainty and no eye strain!The'.l0° shape keeps iI suugIy in placewhile thc twoscale surfaces leI you markand measureon the top.edge, andcomers simultaneouslyl Thereare even twovertical endscaleswith marking holt'S for drawingprecision lines parallel to the edgeof your work.When accuracv counts ... J.\'CRA RULES!Av,ti lahle in 6': iz" and Ill" lengths. PatentspendingTo learnmoreabounhiscxtraordmarv lineofprecision.'Iarki n~ Rules. BendRules andT-Rules.c-all, wruc, or fax:
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• letters (continued)
those trad itional styles treated withsuch reve ren ce we re, at one time ,contemporary.
Admittedly, to know where yo u' rego ing, yo u have to know whereyou've been. However if you fail tolook ahead now and again, you 'llonly end up run ning into a d itch .
-Scott Massey, Van couuer;Be
One more view on conte mporary vs.traditional design. I subscribe to yourmagazine for the chance to see whatmy contem poraries are doing toadvance furn iture design . If I want tosee traditional-style furniture there arehundreds of books with thousands ofphotographs rea dily available toanyone who has a lib rary card.Contemporary design is not thataccessible, which makes publicationslike yours more valuable to thos e ofus who think furni ture design needsto grow and branch and berepresentative of the time in whi ch itwas created.
We are creating the traditional styleof the future right now, not to replaceChippe ndale or Biedermeier butto stand with them in an other fewhundred years.
-ScottArmstrong, Powell,W)~
INSPIRED BY BARNS LEYThe photographs of the cottage andwoodwork of Edward Barnsl ey inyour Summer 1995 issue elfF #3)
brought ba ck a fond mem or y to me. Ihad been traveling Great Britain ,looking for a furniture mak er to wor kfor. I found my way to the door ofBarns ley's lovely hom e on a Sunday,and unannounced. He invited me in,and showed me many fine pieces andhis workshop. I particularlyrem ember the sweet fine sycam oreinlay that he liked to employ. Hisshop had a wonderful atmosphere,very English , and one could reallyse nse the brilliant traditi on that wasbein g perpetu ated there .
I had recently completed a four-yearapprenticeship in Japan, and Mr.Barns ley and I had a lengthydiscussi on on similariti es anddifferen ces in the two cultures'approach to woodworking. I showedhim a small Japanese plane that Icarried, and he comme nted that hethought it was quite beautiful. Iende d up staying for a dinner that hiswife prepared.
Mr. and Mrs. Barnsley were the mostgracious of peopl e. It was a few yearsbefore the end of Edward's caree rwh en I dropped in on him. He hadbecom e quit e well known andhighl y respected . I was a pers on offairly limited woodworkingex pe rience, yet [ shall never forgetthe ge nuine kindness of the Barnsl eysin the way that they ope ne d theirhorne to me. They both had aco nviction toward furniture making,
and their lives , that still inspires.I aske d if it might be possi ble for me
to find a place in his sho p. He repliedthat he 'd recentl y taken on a younglad , and at the time, one "schoollea ver' was enoug h. Neverthe less,there was a plentiful spirit the re that [was fortunate to have expe rienced,alb eit for a sho rt time.
-Dennis Young, Hotalea.fapan
VISIT OUR WEB SITEAND WRITE TO US ON E-MAILHome Furniture is now on line . Visitour Web site . unotutaunton.com, fora look at wh at is in the current issu eof the magazine. The site also hasinformation abo ut other Taunt onPress magazines as we ll as about ourlarge se lec tion of books and videoson subjects of interest to fellowenthusiasts.
Our online presen ce also makes iteasie r to co ntac t us. Send que ries o rco mme nts ab out the magazine toour e-mail address:hj@tallntOI1. Colll.We also encourage you to se nd lettersto the ed itor for publi cation to thee-mail add ress .
Submitting an article. If you have an interesting story about how you designed a pieceof furniture, we 'd like to hear about it. Send aletter with photos to Home Furniture Editorial,635. Main St., P.O. Box5506, Newtown, CT06470-5506. We pay for articles we publishand return materials we can't use.
forfellow enthusiasts va ......allo. Huma n Re sour ce s: Ca rol xt aroni. director; Linda Balk-nni.
Christine Linco ln. Ptu a u cc/Accoumlug. .lanicc A. Rom an . chief fin.uu-ia l
office-r: \X'ay ne Reynol ds. controller. Sarah Roma n. Hiz abeth Conkltn.jenntfer Glas.... Canl]yn l\ov;llcskLAcnJlt!llill.lf
Patrick La mon tag ne . Iren e Arfaras. Keith Cha pman. ,\b ry Sullivan. And rea I tcn ch cltffc . Karen 'x'illiams. Carol Diehm.
Marga re t Bafun do . Dorothy Blasko. Susan Bu rke . Lawrence Rice . Clayk Ham mon d. t.ydta Kriko rian . Lorraine
Parso ns. Elaine Yamin . Co rpora te Des ig n: SUS:111 Ed elman , dinxtor. La ura Bergeron. Uf)fJkA rt:Jlldil' Delohcrv, Am}
Be rnar d , Lyn ne Phillip..., llvn rv Rot h . Carol Smg e-r. Cynt hia Smit h, Ros;die Vaccaro. SC/I' !' /'Or!IICf Destgn: .\ Lsr}
Terrt zzi. jod v I I;lnkinson.l>jw togmp lty : Bovd Hag en . Anthonv Phillips. t'nnnoticm: Philip Allard.FranCt'SC;1Armtnio.
D.}. Arneson . \\ 'enJy Ho we s, .lulia Brine , .\la ry Beth Cleary. Leigh J laLw _·r.J l' llnifl' r Win."!OIl. Corporate Services:
n lOllI;I S Luxcder. di rect o r.jane To rre nce . Pu tft l lmeun Cl ient Sen-tees: Patricia \\ 'illb m...on. Carolvn Arm-th. Kathryn
Dolson, Holl r Sm ith, Eill'e ll Swirsky. On /e" "roo!ssi llg' J o h n Comerford, ;\'anq' Bro w n, l\:.trh a ra l.owl'. Eilee ll
.\ lc ;..1ulty. Dawn Teixeira, .\Iarylotl Tho m pson . Customer Sl'rI'ices: P:.urkia ,\ la il luff. l)l llllla \\ 'l'instl'i n. Christi Ik ue r,
Pen ny Letfl·n ..... Karin Mc.'\I aho n. j e lln ife r Sc\ ·erino. ....tary Ellc n Silk. Barhara Smith . nafa FII11:t': Caro k And o . B<lllnk'
TauntonP UBLI C ATIO NS
The Ta unton Pres s: Paul Homan, chairman: Peter Chidsey. pre-sident. I>ialll'
Patterson. sccfI.:lary. Corporate Edttortabjohn Lively. editor -in-chief 8; vice
p re sid e nt. Bursles: Carolyn Man da runo. editor: Ruth J)ohSt:\":lgt.: , Peter
Chapman. Thomas C. ,\k Kcnna. Ronco Olah. Jennifer Rcniihan. Diane
Sinitskv. Sew Products. Suzanne Homan. editor: .k fli..-rson Ko lle . :\Llrc
Ik ard s ley. .\la rg;lre t Patner. xtadclainc Frl.'ngs, Tracy Le-Brun . De-bra Mc-Cormack , Gina Paois, Andrea Shorrock
n istritnutou: Pau l Setpold. l.oum BUll, Mary Ann Costagltola. De borah Greene. Linnea Ingram. Brian Leavitt. Aaron
Lund, f-rederick xtonnc-,. jonathan Pond, Elsk' Rod rig ue z. Alice Saxton , Eileen Sheehan. •\tanufacturin~: Kathleen
Davi-e.director. Kathleen Do no \";ln . I 'n p ress ' Austin Starblrd. john Garofalo. Stephen Roma. Patricia Siget n. Debo rah
<:(l<lpl·r. \\ 'i!li;lm Hivona. David Blasko. Richa rd Bf)(Jth. .Ianw ...Chappu is, .\l;lrk Coleman. l.iva Dol'co. Tina Foste-r,
\\ 'i1lla lll C;odfrl'y. Florence Nichols. joseph Pctruhai . Linda Red dington . Martha Stammer, Chansam Th arn mavongsa.
David Kellney. Amy Evon. Kath y Martin . .\lo nic ;! xturphv. print troductton: Dec Flanagan. Nicole Anas tas . Lynda
!'Ilclrris. promot ion: Thomas Greco. Debo rah Baldwin ..xttch ac l Gyuby. books: Philip vankirk.john Cava llaro . Trade
Pavlik. magai'.ine.... " ideo: Craig Umauoff Thomas Menard. Manato::emenl In fo r m a tio n Sy !Olc m s: Robe rt Peters .
director. Bre ndan HClWt:, Arthur Caron.james Courtright. xtauncc Downe y Gabriel Dun n. ] . Larry Kinnea r. Marjorie
0111;1]Yl·\·. Ho~t: r Sl'li).:a. ,'e :l pp IiCa Uf)// s: Heidi 'ccaldkirch, Barb ara Daignault. Robert Nielsen. An dr ew \\'i1e~ . I'C
'~)'s'e1Jls ' \ \;trgart·t Arc-her.Joa nne Bisso n . Rita xtvers. Lisa No rthr op . Operations: f'1H"t:JUIsi IIR & Facilities: William
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Hcn no . Isahel Kaplan, :'\orma-.!t:all Taylor. Ta u n to n Di rc l..'t: ClaudLI .-\Ik'n, J\1:lrY~lI1n Dklte, !'amcLi Dunaway.
Bre nda ILlln illo n . De llni:-. O ·Brk n . .\kg~1ll Sang:-.ter.,leannc Todaro. Taunton New 'tc:dia : Hoy Swanson, dirt:l"1or;
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Alle n ,Jo llll l\ad g;llup i. Pete r Bill. Barbara Bucka k w, Linda Yurchi...hin
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t imbe r bed abs orbs vibra t ion and noise .Thi s is no ord inary lathe!
We've refined th e wood turning lathesof yesterd ay b y bl ending th eir finestdesign qu alities with modern a lloys andprecision manufacturing. Th e result is arobust but elegant 16" swing lathe whosebed length is unlimited . Gu ara nteed topl ease and compleme nt th e craft of eve nthe most dis cerning of cr aftsm en.
The Conover Lathe. A long trad ition ofpride in American-made qu ality.
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READER SERVICE NO. 67
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36x48CAD planw/de tailed instructions
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READER SERVICENO. 754
CRAfTSMAN HARDWAREby CHRIS EfKER
Hand-hammeredcopper brassand bronzehardwarewithauthentic craftsman detailand style.Most complete lIneofArtsand Craftsperiodcabinetand architecturalhardware available,includinga fuIllineofelectrical plates.
fo r Catalogand pricelIstsend $4.00 to:CHRIS EfKER / CRAfTSMAN HARDWARE
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READER SERVICENO. 801
Imported and Domestic
Hardwoods4/4 to 16/4 thickx 4"-16" widex 6'-16' long
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READER SERVICENO. 42
JU NE /JULY 19 9 7 9
.ondisplay BY JEFFE RSON KOLLE
Period Furniture in an Authentic Setting
A feel ing of a simpler life is evide nt in the furnished room s of
Strawbery Banke museum in Portsmout h, New Hampshire .
Missing an r, with an extra etacked on at the end:Strawbery Banke . It's afunny na me for anextrao rdinary museum o fpe riod furniture and ant iqueho uses in Portsm outh , NewHam ps hire. The town wasfirst ca lled StrawberyBanke , fo r the ve rda ntfields of wild berries thatgrew along the shores . Th ename was cha nged toPortsmouth in the middleof the 18th ce ntury.
The museum refe rs toitse\f as "an his toricwaterfront ne ighborhood."Fort y-six buildings invarying states ofrestoration make up themuseum , an d most o fthem are crowded alo ngnarrow, unpaved 17th century streets. Peoplelived and worke d in thearea for 300 years pri or
Saved from t he b ulldozer
in the 1950s, a neighborhood
of over 40 period buildings is
now a mu seum.
to its incorporation as amuseum in 1958.
There are houses, shops,and ba rns, all of which yo ucan walk arou nd and lookat, imag ining life beforethe Internet , the inte rstate ,the automobile. The re is awide variety o f ex hibitsinside the buildings:displays of woodworkingtools, ex hib its about houseconstruc tion, arc heology,coopering, and periodcrafts like candle makingand open hearth cooking .And , of co urse, there isfurn itu re.
Th e mu seum has a vastco llec tio n of Port sm outhfurn iture. The re are nin efurnished hou ses in themu seum, displayingpieces tha t run the gamutfrom a Queen Annehighboy, made in 1738, tofactory-made furniturefrom the 1950s.
Portsmouth was a majorfu rnitur e-making ce nteras ea rly as the mid-18thce ntury. It wa s in theFederal peri od , from the1790s to around 1820, thatthe city ex perienced itsgrea tes t wealth and whenits furniture reach ed itspin nacle .
In the town's heyday, thewealthy mer ch ant classbuilt hundreds of high -stylehouses and filled them withhigh-style furn iture . Thetown fell o n hard times,
and by the 1950s, the portcity, once known for itsman sion houses, wasknown mainl y for its Navyprison, its seedy bars andits houses of ill repute. Anurban renewal plan--aeuphe mistic term in the1950s----called for thewidesp read razing ofthe town's periodneigh borhoods, and , infact , man y wer e bulldo zed.Recogni zing the imminentannihilation of their city 'shistory, a sma ll grou p ofvisionaries were ab le tosave the neighborhood thatnow comprises StrawberyBanke museum.
While I was visitingStraw bery Banke, I had
none of the other-side -o fthe-glass feelings of falseperfection I get at so memu seums. Some of thebuildings need pai nt, ther ewas mu d in the narrowstreets, and the lawns didn 'tlook like go lf courses. Butthe mu seum bu stles withactivi ty; peo ple arew orking everywhere.
The re are no guidedtours; you can wander thegrounds freely seeingwhat yo u wa nt to see,discover ing things at yo urleisure. One building , theWilliam Pitt Tavern, is fullof period reprodu ctionfurniture that you can sito n, touch , open thedr awers of if you like. Of
10 HOME FURNITURE Photos.jeffe rson Kolle, exce pt where noted ;[O f) photo this page : courtesy of Strawbe ry Hanke
SOFfCOVER, 192 PAGES, ISBN: 1-56158-124-0, ITEM 070255, $24.95
508-753-8183Fax 508-797-5626
• email: [email protected]
25 Sagamore RoadWorcester, MA 01605
THE BEST s EASIEST WAYTO VENEER s LAMINATE
READERSERVICENO. 82
At the Worcester Center for Crafts,you'll have one-on-one instruction
from nationally recognized craftspeopleand 24-hour studio access. lt's intensive.studio-basedstudy that will give you the hands-on experience you
need to launch your career In crafts.And there's still time to apply.
The wood studio also offers residencies,workshops and ongoing classes.
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Since 1860 . wood craftsmen have usedB RI\VAX to pro tect. restore and re condition fine furniture and antiques to theirorig inal "patina" which could only beduplicated by laborious hand rubblnq beforethe B1t1WA X blend . This unique "craftsman's choice" is now available to Americanprofessional woodworkers and refinishers ,as well as the quality conscious individualwho simply wants to keep their turnishingsin top condition.IlIUWAX is available in Clear, Light Brown,Dark Brown, Golden Oak , and AntiqueMahogany(Cherry) .For more information. or to order, call or write:TR G Product s 1- 800-3BRIWAX6135 Peacht ree Du nwoody Rd ., Suite 201Atl a n ta, G eo rg ia 303 28·45 41(404) 399-0776 • (800) 327-4929
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forfellowenthusiasts
Taunton
An alder, padauk turned bowl .a[our-wood carved sculpture .a cherry, moradochest. ..a "Flame Chair" of Bolivianrosewood and African wwge...
From the publishers of Home Furniture
Or write: Taunton Direct, Inc.
63 S. Main St., P.O. Box 5507Newtown, CT 06470-5 507
Design Book Seven brings you over 300examples of fine craftsmanship: furniture,accessories, turnings, musical instrumentsand carvings by woodworkers from all overthe United States and around the world.Each functional. .. creative ... beautiful. ..exquisitely detailed. The pieces are shownin full color often with accompanyingclose-up details.
To order, call 1-800-888-8286,and ask for operator W559.
Wait till you see whatfellow woodworkersare up to!
READER SERVICE NO. 41
JUN E /JU LY 1 9 9 7 11
Displays of tools and handcrafts fill many of the buildings. Others are
full of furnit ure from the 18th through the 20th centuries.
• on display (con tinued)
course , like all museums,th e rooms full of periodant ique furniture haveba rriers arou nd th efurniture , but yo u ca n pokeyo ur head into th e rooms.
Th ey loo k like theoccu pants just ste p pedout for a minute. You cansme ll th e beeswax o nth e fu rn iture , and see th efingerprints o n theglass ware. Knowing howfu rn iture was lived withhelps yo u ap p rec iate itssty le and desi gn . No o nelives in the houses, but yo ucan fee l th eir presence.
Straw bery Banke is o pe n
Portsmouth furn iture was fancy
and high -style. Strawbery Banke
hasa vast collectio n of furnit ure
from this New Hampshire seaport .
from th e first weekend inMay through the lastweekend in October. Itreopens fo r Tha nksgivingw eek end and holidaycandlelight strolls on th efirst tw o weekends in
December. Admission is $9for adults, less fo r senio rs,child ren and groups. Forfurther information, call(603) 433-1100.Jefferson Kolle is an associate
editor at Home Furn it ure.
READERSERVICENO. 34 READERSERVICENO.3
Major Credit Cards
NE WANTIQUE STANLEY
TOOL VIDEO
122 E. Main s., Mesa AZ 85201
READERSERVICENO. 752
Build thiscomfortable chair withwide bowarms and adjustable s-posltlonback. anexcellent example ofthe Arts & Craftsstyle. Overall size:33"widex38Y2" highx 33%" deep
Plan#724(postpaid). . . . . . . . . $19.50Catalog (freewith order) . . . . . • . $3.00
Rne furniturePlans Since 1968
FURNITURE DESIGNS, INC. , Dept. HM-671827 ElmdaleAve. , Glenview, IL 60025 ~
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Full-Size Professional PlanMORRIS CHAIR
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Spoke Shaves45 & 55 PartsAntique Tools
800-574-2589
THE ST:]AMES BAYT OOLeD.
(602) 835-1767
12 HOM E F U R NIT U R E
craftsman's corner
Thisspaceis reserved
for advertising of hand-crafted
custom furniture for sale.
For more information call
800-926-8776, ext. 553 .
Seeart icle in Home Furn iture #1, Pg. 58 or visit our Web sitehttp://\Nww.humnat.orgl ak.ht m for mor e phot os and inf ormati on .
P.O. Box 17B. Arcata. CA9551B 707-B22-6722
BE N ADRI A NC ECabinetmaker
Finc Sha ker &
Cus tom Designed
Furn iture
36 8 Whi teface RoadNo rth Sandwi ch,New Hampshire 03259603-284-6603
Email: [email protected]
Gn~g A n :en a uxC u h inet lila ke rs
Creole 11m/ Actu liu II Reproduct ion s
18th r-e-n fu r -y e n· ul.·Fur-nitur-e is ~o ll ~h l
aftt'r by pl 'il"a ll '('lIlI l· (·t oni a w l
muse ums. D isr-nv r-r
th e ~nu·t·flll e l t·~a IH· t·
o f en r-lv C n ·o lt· .sh "lt,in lilt' .:It-an line s 1~ lI dl'i lll Jllt· de tail of til .·!...
ean·fu ll)' ITartt·.!iuu-r-p r e ta t iu ne .
1:111 Cu uutr y Clu h l>r,. , Cuving ltl n, LA iO·l :U
:;0 1-111)2- i96i ur :;04- 119:l -lIi Il2
Historic WindsorsKit or Custom Built
Exacting replicas bylradltionalartisans whose workis in the WhiteHouse &major museums.21s~les
ofchairs, stools &seuees- or _....l-++++.j..jJJwell buildyour ideas. Museumfinishes or craftsman'skits, atsurprisin~y reasonableprices.
Call forJreeportfolio610-678-6049THEAMISH WORKSHOPS1',0. Box 6115, Wyomissing, I'A 19610
Ray Kelso
720 Black Rock Rd.
Co llegeville. PA 19426 TREEBEA RD(610) 933 -1080 DESIGNS
N C.
Contemporary Des igns inN ati ve American H ardwoods
& Veneers
Furniture Ma ker
21st Century Designer
As seen in Renovotions Sly/e. Spring 1997
Call 609-859-1790 with inquiriesBrochu re. ava ilabl e
139 Newbold. Carner Rd. Vincentown, NJ 080 88
D esigned and Buill by M ichael T. Maxwell
7 15 Liberty Street • Bedford. Virginia 24523
800 - 686 - 1844Qlla!iryhardwoodjurn'llirt - (rajrrJ loy txprrimuJ hands
IIAND CRAfTEDFINE FURNt7URE
Unique . o neo f a Rinda nd custo mfu rn iture fo rhomeor o ffice .
Encinitas. CA Tele/fax 760-632-9173
FURNITURE & CABINETRY
-: 1- . - - -~.lI· ·itiirt. . .'----..;,;,,:.
---- ~!I!!II~. ..
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CUSTOM BUILT• Colonial • Early American • Shaker • Country
Bernie Campbell241 Hillcrest Drive , Mad ison Heights , VA 245 72
804-846-6883READER SERVICE NO. 759
JUNE / JULY 1 9 9 7 13
• calendar
CALIFORNIAWoodFair 1997JII~1' II-I] . College ofthe Redu .oods, EureleaArtisans will exhibit furniture and other woodcrafts at the ninth annual show sponsored bythe parent co llege of the influential furnit uremaking school. Call (707) 445-6915.
COLORADOAnderson Ranch Arts CenterSno tomass VillageBrian Kelly teach es tab le design andco nstruc tio n June 30-July 11 ; Sam Maloofleads a weeke nd workshop Jul y 26-27 ; andGail Fred ell w ill lead a intensive three-weekworkshop o n furn itur e design September 119. Call (970) 923-3181.
CONNECTICUTThe Crafts m an's Chair,lIay 18:fu~)1 6 Brookfield Crafts Cente r;BrookfieldAn exhibit of chairs from so me o f todav'sbest furniture makers. Call (203) 775-4526.
DELAWARE"Co stly as well as Ornamental": TheCase Furniture of NewportWil/terthII I' Museum, Wil/tert hllrThis ongoing exhibit (above photo) showsthe distinctive techniques used by Newportfurniture makers in the 18th cc nturv. Call(302) 888-4600. .
ILLINOISCh ar les Rennie MackintoshThrough june 22. The Art Institu te ofChicago, ChicagoAn exhibit of furnitu re. an and interi ors(including an entire tea room) from the turn of-the-century architec t, o rga nized by themuseums of his native Glasg ow.
MAINECen te r for Furniture CraftsmanshipRockportAmon g their co urses this summe r: ChrisBecksvoort on Shaker design (lune 16-27);John Dunnigan o n advanced furnituremaking (lu ly 14-25); and Robert DeFu ccio onon chairmaking and design (Aug ust 11-22).Call (207) 594-5611.
Haystack Mountain Sch oo l of CraftsDeer IsleJe re Osgood teaches a co urse on chairdesign Aug ust 17-29 wh ere you ca n go froman idea to a finished prototyp e in twoweeks. Call (207) 348-2306 for informationon this an d seve ral other summerwoodworking courses.
MASSACHUSETTSInspiring Reform: Boston's Arts andCrafts MovementThroughjul y 14. Dau is Museunt, WellesleyYou can see the in fl uence of Arts and Craftson the Boston area through 150 objects madefrom 1890 to 1930, in a varietv of decorat ivearts including furniture . Call (617) 283-2051.
Woodworking Through the AgesJUI/e 14-15 Hancock Shatzer Village.Ha l/cockA weekend of demon stration s of Shaker.traditional and co nte mporary cabine tmakingtechniques. and exhibits of handmad efurnitur e from the 18th ccnturv to todav, Call(413) 443-0 188. ..
NEW JERSEYPeters Vall ey Craft Ce n te rLa vtouM;ln in Simpson co nducts a workshop June14-15 on mirror desi gn and co nstruct ion. andGary Rogowski teaches August 4-12 ondesigning boxes. Call (201) 948-5200.
NEW YORKFurniture of Distinction, 179 0-1890The stuseinn ofthe City ofNet» rorl:An ongoi ng display from the heyda y of NewYork furniture , with related do cuments, suchas a bill to one of Duncan Phvfc's customers,that depict the furniture trade' in the city overthe course of a century.
Shaker: the Art o f Crafts mansh ipThroughjul v 13. Munson -williams ProctorInstitute Art Musenm. UticaA traveling exhibit of 86 ob jects of furn itureand de corative arts from the Shakercommunity at New Leb an on . New York. Call(315) 797-0000 .
Conference '97 o f The Furniture Soci ety[uly 10-13. Purcha se College. PurchaseThis group's first annual co nfe rence willfeature lectures from furniture makers andothers in the studio furniture fie ld: also. anexhibit of work from Furniture Societvmembers. Call (804) 973- 1488. .
NORTH CAROLINAPenland Sch oo l of CraftsPenlandCourses this summer include Mitch Rversonon using found objects in furniture .Iu·ly 6-18.MichaclIoerling on the design process
JUNE/JULY 1997
Augu st 10-22. an d Norma n Pete rsen ondesigning and building ben ches Augus\ 2430. Call (704) 765-2359.
OREGONTh e Good Wo od Sh owThron g}! May 31. Contemporary CraftsGallen : Portia ndYou 'll 'have to hurry to catch this showspo nsored by the Good Wood Alliance; it's ajuried exhibition of furniture and othe r objectsthat aim to provoke a rethinking of the role ofwood in design. Call (503) 223-2654.
WASHINGTONNo rth west Fin e Woodworking GallerySeatt leThrough June 15. a show of recent furn iturein the Arts and Crafts srvle bv ThomasStan geland ; from June is to)uly 31.BobSpan gler exhibits furnitu re made in bubinga.Call (206) 625-0 542.
WISCONSINCra ft in the Machine Age , 1920-1945[uue 13-AIIglist 17. Milu-auleee Art ,lIl1selim.MihraIIkeeA look at how American craftsme nresponde d to the rise of mod ernistic styleand industrial desi gn ; the sho w includesfurniture bv Charles Eames. \'i'han onEsher ick a,;d Frank Lloyd \'i'right. Call(414) 224-3200.
CALLS FOR ENTRIES
The Ch a ir Sh ow IIEntries dill' / 11111' 4. Exhibitton will heOctoher 4. i99 7 throughjanuary 4. 1998{It the Folk Art Center; Asheuille, N CThe Southern Highland Craft Guild sponsorsthis co mpe tition for chairs designed in thelast three yea rs; the sho w is juricd by SamMaloof. Wendy Maruy ama and MichaelMonroe. The entry fee is S15. Call (704) 2987928 for informadon .
The 1998 Nic h e Magazine AwardsEntries dil l' Aug ust I. 199 7This cra fts co mpe tition includ es categoriesfor o ne-of-a-kind or limited-ed ition as wellfor production wood furniture. The winningartis ts will receive awards at the PhiladelphiaMarke t of Ame rican Craft next February. Call(410) 889-3093 for an application . .
Listings in this calendar are free. Send completematerials, including a phone number to call formore information, to Calendar, Home Furniture,63 S. Main St., P. O. Box 5506, Newtown, CT064 7 0-5506. The deadline for th e October/November issue isJuly 7O.
14 HOME FURNITURE Photo: Co urtcsv u f Win tert hur Muse um
• craftsman's corner
HANDCRAFTED FINE FURNITURESim ple designs with
attention to detail.
O bjet D 'Art & Carved FurnitureFeatured in Ar ch itectural Di gest
and H ome & G arden
5 10-2 3 7-8 13 1 Berke ley , CA
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CARVING WORKSHOPOF
A1ADE- TO-oRDER
H ANDCRAFTED FUR ITURE
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C OLLECTION R EPLl LI-I.S
Call for brochure401 -78 2-244 3
Michae l Gloor51 Gree n StreetPeace Dale, Rl 02883
• CUSTOMCABINETRY' FL"IE WOODWORKII'GJOHN S. SCRANTO N . PROPRIETOR
tt 'S c~~
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P.O BOX 828 'I I ""
KEENE, NH 03431 SHOP 603·352·4186
2jO Cigar Humidor
Photo; Lee Fathe ree
Makers ofwell-reasonedfurniture, lamps,6- accessories.CATALOG 55613 Village Stree tKalam azoo, M ich igan49008TEL: (616) 384-0183FAX: (616) 382-°387
R. S. WILKINSON
Selected as one of r'America 's 200 Best Craf tsm en "by Enrl )' Amer jcan Life Magazine.
Color photos. hrochure $3177 Scotland Road • Baltic. CT 06330 860·822-6790
creator of: exquisite one of a kindand limited production furniture.
P.O. Box 181, 28 River StreetWindsor, vr 05089
(802) 674-2224
Aftermath Furniturep.o. Box 7415, Ann Arbor, MI 48107
(313) 332-8750READERSERVICE NO. 7
The folding screen in walnut, cherry or oak - 53.000
Handcrafted Latticeworkin a variety of beautiful patterns.• Folding Screens • Window Treatments
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) U N E / J U L Y 1 99 7 15
• craftsman's corner
Furniture Buyers:
When you call craft man's corneradvertisers, please tell them yousaw their ad in Home Furniture.
J?uss£oomis,{fr. 'Voice: 413·628·3813M ast er 'Furniture Ma /i:s r :fa>;; 413 ·628 ·4576
1413 'l1"'-<t 9i9tU£ 'H!i{(iams6urg, ~l!l 01096 'Brochure $1
H ANDCRAFTEDCON T EMPORARY
FURNITURE
gOA VICT O R IA ST.K E E N E , NH 03431
READER SERVICENO. 24
EntertainmentCenters
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CreativeDesigns
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Cal And Wecan Discuss How To TailorADesIgn ToYour SpecialNeeds
ANDERS ~=JENSEN
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']{pt Just a 1(sproauetion, 5tn 'Evolution
t--- ROBERT PHIPPS---1CABINETMAKER
282 LeXingtonAve.• NewHoven, CT . (203) 387-4220
HOWARD HATCHFINE AMERICAN FURNITURE
Original Furniture Designs forHomes. Offices. Libraries, ChurchesPO. Box 1467, Conway, NH 03818
Phone/Fax 603- 447-8486
G. R. Clidence18th Cen tu ry WoodworksColonial Reproductions
See Hom e Furniture No.9, Page 26
Beds and tablesof fine hardwoods
CUSTOM ORDERS272 j ames Tr.liI. W. Kingst on . RI 02 892
40 1-539-2558Brochure 53
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READERSERVICE NO . 26
turn ed, caned, illlaid
Our Specialty is Furniturein Unique Hardwoods fromMichigan's Upper Peninsula
EAEL)'AMERICANWINDSOR
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For additionalinformation .or to place anorder. please
NORMAN'S HANDMADE REPRODUCTIONSIZ205 Harn ett - DIIIIII II ",)'.
DIIIIII. N C 2833 -19 /0-892- -13-19
16 HOM E FUR NIT U R E
512/847-318716500 Ranch Road 12 ' Wimberley. Texas 78676
READER SERVICENO . 126
G uaranteedto be the most comfortable and well
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THE WEEKS ROCKER'"Cherry, S1,595 , VISA/MC, includ es
dclivcrv anvwhere within the conti nentaliJ .S: O ther woods available.
Call tor brochure and wood sample s.Dining room fiirni turc also available .
FURNI TURE M A K E RS
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Complete lineof Mission/Craftsman lightingfixtures , handcraft ed from quartersawnwhite oak with handmade art , -............glass oramber mineral mica.Send or callfor freebrochureColorCatalog$5
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Spirit Lake, 1083869-9744
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ceo . AlnlcyH I . B ox 223Pcrk insvi lle. V1' 0 5 15 1(8 0 2) 263 -52 I 7
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SOUTH BERWICK, ME 03908(207) 384-2621
Jeff Lind
George A inleyFINEWINDSOR CHAIRS
Call for brae/lU re $2
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READER SERVICENO. 706
Fu rniture andCa bine try, each p ieceind ivi d ually built tomeet yo ur particular
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Brochure Availabl eFrank B. Rhodes
1;22 Round Top Road, Chestertow n, MD 21620410·778·3993
Handmade 18th Cen tu ryReproductions & Co nte m porary Works
J U NE /J U L Y 1 9 97 17
.thedrawingboard
BY DAVID KENEALY
Refining Your Thumbnail Sketches with Transparencies
A transparent exercise . By tracing and redrawing your original sketch on a succession of pieces
of tracing paper, you can develop a design in an efficient and cont rolled way.
or cluttered up the drawings withdevelopment lines.
I find this ba cktracking worksparticularly well for furniture design.I'm often trying to work ou t specificco mponents o r details, like the curveof a leg or the placem ent of thehardware. Using ove rlays, I canredraw just the leg o r the hardwareuntil I get it right.
The repetitiveness of this procedurehas ben efits beyond those alreadymenti oned. By tracing the basis of adesign a number of times youbecome very familiar with it. You'llfind that yo ur later drawings are donerathe r intuiti vely. By then , the poi nts
/
»: ..>' /\;\/
+.I~
"'~
.tIl
L;-.
"
multi-vi ew drawings that show thetop, front and side views of a piece.
When yo u're happy with the scaleof yo ur foundation drawing, tap e apiece of tracing pap er on top. Tracethe part s of the drawing that you thinkare good. You may like a particularcurve or the way a space is divided .It's easy to change the parts of thedrawing that aren' t working so we ll.
There are many benefits to wor kingwith transparen cies. I think yo u'll findthat as you co ntinue the se que nce,yo ur drawings will improve. Thebeginni ng drawing, o r anyone alongthe way, is always availabl e to goback to . You haven 't erased any lines
Imagine this: in an inspi red moment,a wonde rful design for a piece offurniture pops into yo ur head. Rightnow is the best time to get yo ur ideaon pap er , but yo u're late fo r yo urkid's soccer ga me. You scurry for apen cil and a piece of paper and beginto produ ce rapid thum bnail ske tches .They are sponta neous . The linesdocume nt the rush of ideas. Anyattempt at refine me nt now w illqui ckly kill the creative outp ut. Evenworse, yo u might miss that fantasticfull-vo lley sc issors kick to the upperleft co rner of the goal that yo ur childis about to make.
An inspi red thumbn ail sketch is fine ,but you' ll proba bly wa nt to refine thedrawing before yo u go into the sho pand start building the piece. Maybeyo u [ust ne ed to wor k out so medetails. Maybe yo u need apresentation drawing to sho w to yo urclient. A technique that works for me,and that I teach to my stude nts, is torefine a thumbnail ske tch withtransparen cies. By tracin g the o riginaldrawing on pieces of tracin g pa per,you can make changes as yo u go andprogressively develop a design in anefficient and contro lled fashion.
Before you start wi th the tracin gpap er, you may need to redraw yo urthu mbnail in the scale andpe rspec tive you want for the finaldrawing. I call the sca led, redrawnversion a foundation drawingbecause it's what yo u use for furthe rtracing-pap er modifi cations.
I like to work in two-pointpersp ective. It has a nice way ofshowing a piece of furn iture as it'smost often seen in rea lity. Thistechn iqu e works just as well with
18 HOME FURNITURE Phot os; Sco tt Phillips; dra w ings bv Stewart Young
• craftsman's corner
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JUNE /JULY 199 7 19
the drawing board (contin ued ]
FROM THUMBNAIL TO PRESENTATION DRAWING
Wh en the author's student, Stewart Young, work ed on the design of a chair,transparencies allowed him to move quickly from the thumbnail sketch (upper(eft) to the presentation dra wing (bott om right) . He made his changes quicklyand then evalua ted ea ch transparency on its own.
('; 11I
i " .\ )/I, ,
, , ' I I
/ / /
lCr )}f
of persp ective , the proporti on , thedesign eleme nts and the shapes are allvery familiar. The drawings are loose.The lines are bo ld. The tentativenessof drawing particu lar parts o f thedesign disappears. Familiarity with
the de sign encourages co nfide nce inyour drawing, and this co nfide nceleads to an a rt istic line quality.
Back to the soccer gam e. What agoal it was-a thing of real beauty,accomplished spontaneously but
prepared for by enduring practice .Rea lly, very similar to refining you rthumbnail ske tches.David Kenealy teaches in the Fine and Cre
ative Woodworking Program at Rockingham
Commun ity College in Wentworth, N.C.
20 H OM E FUR NIT U R E
• craftsman's corner
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J U N E / J U L Y 1 99 7 2 1
22 HOME FURNI TURE
Letting the RoomDeterminethe Design
Dining furniture fromthe Asian end ofArts and Crafts
adds spice to a bungalowBY DARR E L L PEAR T
•I t can be exciting to design furniture that makes a strong personal stateme nt.
But the reality is that making a piece of furniture that works in a room and not just
in iso lation usually calls for more dipl omacy than self-declaration. In architect ure
it's called contextualism: takin g cues from the surrounding buildings and land
scape to design a new struc ture that fits in rather than stands out. To me, design
ing furniture this way is a pleasure as well as a challenge . Instead of being focused
at the drawing board , much of my effort goes into assess ing all the millwork and
furniture in the room wh ere the piece will stand, then finding a style that is com
patible , and finally adapting that style to the particular circumstances. A dining
table and chairs I made recently se rve as an example of this approach.
SIZING UP A BUNGALOW
Seatt le is full of bungalows. Many of them, like the one in these p ho tos , show the
impact of Gus tav Stick ley 's work. My clients' bungalow went up in 1908 and
might have bee n bu ilt directly from plans published in Stick ley 's magaz ine , The
Craftsma n. When I first walked in, I was imm ediately impressed w ith the har
mony of the place , the wa y the hou se and the furniture all seemed of a piece .
However, it was not a period piece , so me thing rigidly co nforming to what might
once have been, but a sensitive blend of styles and details that respected the past
Photos.Jonathan Bln zen: drawing: Vince Bubak J U N E / J U L Y 1997 23
The table base is bulked up from the
Greene and Greene original to ho ld its own
with the heavy furniture and millwork around
it. The author widened the legs, shortened
the stretchers and thickened the tabletop.
24 HO M E F U R N IT U R E
--I "( \I II II I
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SENt:HSeA"~---( '\
~ I'- J'""'----"""
oRIC.' t-tALC.fe"-F"TSHAN- S"T'(L.E.e.u'L.T-I~ BUFFET
Faceted fra mes link the table and th e
house. After his clients mentioned they liked
the angled frames of their alcove windows,
Peart chose a tab le design with a faceted
frame around the top; it pleased them and
gave the tab le a sense of be longing.
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A FURNITURE MAKER'S S IT E MAP
For informal se ttings, the table was tofit within the bench-lined alcove at thefront of the dining room. For more formal occasions the tab le was to be expandable to 95 inch es and wou ldoccupy the ope n space in front of thebu ilt-in buffet.
They knew they wa nted so methingthat would fit in with the Stickley style ,but they didn 't want to be ove rwh elmed with a lot more straight linesand hea vy eleme nts.
They also menti oned that they likedthe design of the wind ows in the alcove, whic h were faceted at the top.The y wondered if the tabl e couldbe tied in to those windows by incorporating some facets o r ang les . Still,they d id not want the tabl e top tobe rectan gular o r polygonal, sens ingthat a ro und-ended form would bettersuit the room. And being ve ry conscio us of co lor they wanted the woodto blend well with the woodsalready in place.
and made room for the present. To thisimpressive co mposition I was asked toadd a dini ng table and chairs.
That fee ling o f har mo ny, I learn ed ,was hard won. Th e ow ne rs o f thehouse had just fini sh ed an exte ns iveren ovation. When th ey had first e ntered the bunga low, it had lookedquite different. The woodwork waspainted black , the floo rs were coveredwith o range shag carpet, and the brickfire pla ce was pa inted gold. The y reversed all that w ith re novation s inkeeping w ith the Stickley lineage ,resto ring many o f the o riginal architectu ral detail s and adding freestanding and built-in furniture in the sa mevei n. And then they adde d an Asiansp in of their own.
J im Graz zini, the co nt racto r for therenovat ion , built a pa ir of Stick leystyle couc hes an d a coffee tab le forthe living area, with wa ll-hu ng book she lves ab ove . He added cus hionedwindow seats to the alc oves at thefront of the din ing and living area sand also restored a built-in buffet tha twas original to the ho use (see thefloor plan at right) . The work wasdo ne in Douglas fir to match theo riginal millwork. Keying o n the owne rs' interest in the Far East , Grazz inispiced the o rig inal Arts and Craftstheme with so me O rie nta l c leme nts,incl uding sho ji sc reens , whi ch he fitted to most of th e w indows. All ofthese things helped guide my sea rchfo r a tab le design .
LISTENING TO THE CLIENTSThe renovatio n was an express ion o fwhat my clie nts liked , b ut I wantedmore input. I ta lked with the m atlength and obse rved their taste in othe r things to he lp rea ch a desig n thatsatisfied us all. They had a firm idea ofwhat they wanted for their table andcha irs. but no preconceived not ionsas to how to accomplish it. They askedthat in add itio n to blending with theo riginal and newly introduced the mesin the hou se , the dining furn ituresho uld meet a number of criteria.
J U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 7 25
Eastern accent in an Arts and Crafts
alcove. With evide nce of Japanese influence
in their back-splat butterflies and crest -rail
cloud lifts, the chairs and tabl e fit snugly in
the shoji-screened alcove.
WE FIND THE ANSWERIN A STACK OF BOOKSI often approach design problems witha stack of books. As my clients and Ibegan sifting through my pile of Artsand Crafts furniture books, no th ingwas even remotely close until wereached the work of Charles and Henry Gree ne. The beautiful blend of Artsand Crafts and Far Easte rn influencesin the ir designs was pa rticularly appropriate for the bu ngalow. It was fitting,
26 HOM E FUR NIT U R E
too , that we take cues on designing inco ntext from the Greenes, arc hitec tswho would design not simply a structur e but an integrate d envi ronme ntfrom rain gutte rs to foo tstools. Almostevery piece the Greenes made wasspecifically designed to suit its site , so Ifelt good about tweaking one of theirdesigns to fit a new environme nt.
\Vhen we ca me up on the ex tendingdining tabl e from their hou se forWilliam R. Thorsen , we knew we had
found just the thing. It was a designthat could fit co mfortably with boththe Stickley an d Asian flavors in theroom. And it answered nearly all theothe r criteria we had discussed. Its topwas compr ised of a ve neered panelframe d by so lid edging. When closed,the frame-and-panel top was ro und;ye t the so lid fram e , curved on its outside edge, was co mprised of a series ofan gled sections wh ich formed afaceted line on the inside edge whe re
Less graceful Greene and Greene. Peart deliberately made the chairs less sculptu ral tha n the
originals, designed for Greene and Greene's Gamble House, th ickening the side po sts and crest
rail to avoid seeming too delicate in contrast with the surround ing furniture.
they met the ve neere d pa nel. Thetable 's base was faceted as well, ec ho ing the to p. Overall, the tabl e was farlighter and more sculptural than muchMission furniture . And the 1909 date ofthe o rigina l tabl e closely matched the1908 date of my clients ' hou se.
ADAPTING AN OLD DESIGNNow it wa s a matte r of sca ling theGreenes' table from the ph o to andcusto mizing the desig n. I started withthe top. In the Gree nes' table the frameof the top sat proud of the panel it surro unded, bringing atte ntion to thefaceted shape. I liked the effect, but myclients fe lt it would make things tootippy for the d innerw are. So I madethe frame flush with the pan el, but reduced the number of frame segme nts,making the ang les more pronou nced.I also inlaid dark stringing between thefram e and the pan el to furth er high light the face ting .
The Greenes had mad e the to p oftheir tab le quite thin-perhap s thr eequa rte rs of an inch . I thou ght it wou ldneed more heft to stand in the roomwith my clients ' o ther furniture. I doubled its thick ness. Then I rounded ove rthe lower edge to so ften it visually andto play off the curvature of the top.
I mad e se veral changes to the base,as well. My clients thought the base ofthe o riginal tabl e ca me too close to theperimete r of the table and migh t restrict legroom, so I ga ve my base asma ller footprint. I d id so by sho rtening the stre tche rs . I left all othe r d imensions alone , however, whichmad e the ba se loo k beefier. I alsochanged the sha pe of the legs at eithe rend of the tabl e. In the Greenes' tablethey are sq ua re in section. I mad ethose legs with a V-sha ped cross section. I hoped it would both emphas izethe facet ed sha pe of the base andma ke the table look a little heavier.Here and elsew he re , I was add ing visual weight to reach a point of mod eratio n between the Greenes' lighter,more co mplex wo rk and the hea vystarkness of Stick ley.
WHICH CHAIRSFOR THIS TABLE?With Greene and Greene a fixed part ofthe equation, my clients and I chose theliving room cha irs from the Greenes'1908 Gamble Hou se to accompa ny thetabl e . We deliberately chose one oftheir simpler cha ir design s. Th ey didmany more complex chairs in that era,beautiful things rich with low-reliefcarving and inlaid ebony accents , butthe room we were furn ish ing wouldn'tsupport too much sculpture and delicacy. a t to menti on that a lot of inlaywou ld put us way over budget.
I altered the design of the Ga mbleHouse chairs in seve ral wa ys. First, Imade them narrower.Tha t enabled meto fit more of them around the table.And in combination with a thickeningof the legs, this gave the chairs a stouterappea rance that I thou gh t would makethem work bett er in that room. I alsomade the crest rail a bit less sculpturaland a little thicker than on the original.And in place of the square ebo ny pegs
that the Greenes favored , I used roundones of Ebo n-X, an ebony substitu temade from dyed wa lnut. Ro und pegsand holes were easier to mak e , and Iliked the way they ad van ced the them eof curves that the tab le introdu ced.
I'm quite happy with the way th ingsturned out. But the co mpatibility of theGreene and Gre ene designs with aStickley-style bunga low and its built-insis no co incide nce. The Greenes mayhave practiced exclus ively on the WestCoast, but they were well aware ofStickley, and even filled some o f thei rfirst houses-designed before they hadbegun designing their own furniturewith pieces o rde red from Stickley's catalogue . So you co uld say that with thisco mmission, almost 90 years later, I'vesimply turned the tables. •
Witll allfourleaoes in. tile 29-in. lligll table is
95 ill. long and53 ill. wide. Witllout lea ves
it 'sa 53-ill. diametercircie. Both table a nd
chairs are cherry unth Ebon-Xaccents. 77,e
finish is Daly 'sProfin, a urethane varn ish.
) U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 7 27
--.------
-Blue lacquer acts like a~u~n~i~~r~m~,~d~r~a~W~In~g~~~--:~;:==;::~";";::~~_=::;::::;.the eye to the table'siffiusual geometry.The
striking ash grain peeks through the color,
adding texture to the crisp, angular surfaces.
Bold Colorand GeometryExpand a Table'sHorizonsB Y HEN RY F OX
his is the co lor I wa nt it to be ," theclient said as she chose the bo ld, bluep iece from the array of lacqu ered ashsa m p les we had prepared for her.\'(!ith this stat ement and little else , weset out to design a breakfast table for asunny alcove with a pa norami c viewof the Atlantic. Our task in the shopwas to figure out w hat that blu e mightlook like .
Despite its simp le appearance , thereis more to this tabl e than its bold co lor.Th e legs taper on the outside facesrather than on the more common insideface s. Th e top is wedge-shaped, notun iform in thickness, and the unusualleg placement makes it look as thoughthe top is being cradled by the legs.
These features were no t the result o f
28 HO M E F U R N IT U R E
LEG PLACEMENT MAXIMIZES SEATING ROOM
Notching the legs around the top at each corner, as shown in this top view of thetable, increases the space between the legs, with or without the extension leaf.
;;. 1--E---50 in.----="""
legs pull out like a drawer. The two back
legs smoothly pull out on full-extension slides
(right), making room for an expansion leaf
with apro ns. Mortises in the top accept
tenons in the leaf.
Stability in a wide stance. The tapered legs
on this breakfast table notch arou nd the
wedge-shaped top (left). This maximizes the
space between them, which increases stab ility
as well as seating room .
T50 in.
~lBack legspull out
~30 in '4
~----..
whimsy; we just wa nted the table to bestable, practiced and related to its surroundings. The wedge-shap ed top hastwo sources : One is the hom e itself, amod ern structure perch ed on a roc kyprom on tor y, with an gul ar lines, a nonrectilinear layout and crisp, co nte mpo rar y detailin g. The o the r is the view.We thou ght the tapering top would bea subtle gesture to the hori zon line ofthe ocean. By tapering the tabl e in ad ram atic wa y, it might appear to recede to the sa me vanishing point.
The leg design was d rive n as mu chby func tion and e ng ineering as it wasby aes the tics. Rather than overhang ingthe base , the tabl etop sits in notch escut into the tops of the legs. This allowed us to place the legs to the ex -
trern e outside edge o f each corne r,maximizin g the se ating room. It alsoimproves stability, an import ant conside ration for a narrow table.
Because the not ch ed legs stick outfrom the sides of the tabletop, they area stro ng visual element. Instead of situatin g the legs the sa me way in eachco rner, we made a front and a ba ckside . The front legs are opposite eac hother on the sho rt sides of the table ,lea ving a wid e spac e in between. Theback pair of legs are both on the lon gside and are closer togethe r. Theselegs , including the apron in between ,slide out like a drawer to make roomfor an ex te ns ion leaf (pho to aboveright). Dovetailed ex tension slid es allow the leg assembly to be pu lled
smoothly aw ay from the main tab lewithout co mpromising the widestance. This construction also sidestepsthe probl em of having a seam in thetop when there is no ex te nsion leaf.
The deep blu e co lo r tran sforms theshades and variations of the wood intoa uniforml y bright surface , drawing attenti on to the unusual geome try. Wedidn't want to lose the texture of wood,thou gh . We chose ash because it has apronounced and striking grain patternthat sho ws through the lacquer, makingit clear that wood is underneath .
The table is50 in. Iong,3 0 ill. wide and3 0
ill. high. \Vith the extension Ieaf, it is 50 ill.
square. The ash is coated with a spraying
lacquer tinted with bluepigment.
Photos : 7"::lChary Gau lkm: d rawing: Vince Bahak J U N E / J U L Y 1 9 97 29
Furniture fo r two. A good crad le is comfortable for infant and pa rent alike. Raising the cradle off
the floor also helps keep a baby away from cold d rafts and playful siblings.
A Cradle that SwingsHigh and Low
B Y TIMO T H Y C L A R K
a cradle has to fit tw o completelydifferent people, one large and onesmall. For an infant, a cradle is a ge ntlyrocking haven o f comfo rt and sa fety,ideally built to quietl y and smoothlycoax a newborn to sleep. Parents,on the o ther hand , have requi re -
30 H OM E FUR N I T U R E
ments of the ir own. My cus to merswa nted their cradle to be high eno ug hso tha t they could tend to th e babyco mfo rtably either sta nd ing or sittingin a cha ir. But they also wa nted a cradle that could rock on the floor, as we llas so me thing that could be easily
transp orted from room to room.I already had made a swing ing trestle
crad le for a relative , so I had somewhere to sta rt. In the research I didfor that first crad le, I learned that mosttrad itiona l cra d les are the floor-rocking variety; I found few examples
Trestle post~
CARVED LEVER KEEPSTHE CRADLE IN CHECK
The cradle swings smoothly because the
maple peg rollsfrom side to side in the notch
at the top of the trestle post. The moon
shaped lever locks the crad le to the stand.
Headboard~
I
carveJlever Tenon
The cradle is locked inplace by raising thelever and pivoting itinto a notch in theheadboard. The leverrecess is made by aseries of router cuts inthe trestle post. Youcan 't inadvertently lockor unlock this cradlebecause you need toslide the lever up, overthe tenon, be fore youcan pivot it in eithe rdirection.
The customers wanted a crad le that could be
used on the floor as wellas in the trestle base,
making it easierto move around the house .
of early American swing ing cradles. Itore out some pages fro m cata logsand I talked to people with youngchild ren to find out how they likedthe ones that they o wned . I used theca talogs to begin figuring out climensions, suc h as the height of the sides,and to determine standard mattressdimen sions-genera lly 18 inch es wideand 36 inch es long.
As with this cradle, the first one Imad e hung in a trestle base , o r "standard," but it had a flat bottom and thecradle was not detach abl e fro m thebase. Also , because this ea rly versionwas permanentl y attac he d to the base ,it was aw kw ard to move from roomto roo m.
In my current ada pta tio n of the design, I added curves to the bottomof the cradle so it ca n roc k on the floor.I also cha nged the way the cradleattaches to the trestle base , which ledto an improveme nt in the swingingmech anism . Instead of inserting pegsinto a hole in the cradle stand, I let
Photos: Zachary Gaulkin: drawing: Bob La Pointe JU N E /JUL Y 1997 31
Another Wayto Lock the Cradle
BY WI LLI AM WHITE
When I design ed a cradle for my first grandchild, Iwanted
to be able to eas ily lock the cradle basket to the stand . This
is a useful feature not only for keeping the basket still when
in use, but it also makes the cradle eas ier to carry.
Most cradles I've seen have a locking mechanism at only
one end. In my design, Iwanted a convenient lock that
would pin the cradle at both ends to prevent racking forces
from needlessly stressing the joints when the cradle is moved.
The mechanism Isettled on inserts two brass rods
thro ugh the ends of the cradle and into holes drilled in the
t restle stanchions. The brass rods are moved by a pivoting
lever that protrudes through a slot in the side of the cradle.
With just a flick of the wrist the bas ket is locked and the
cradle can be moved.
To lock the cradle
to both ends of
the stand, White
designed a
mechanism
activated by a
discreet lever.
The lever is attached to two brass rod s which are inserted into
the trestle stanchions. Brass ma kes the pivot mechan ism smooth
to operate despite change~ in humidity.~
the maple pegs rest in a flat-bottomednotch at the to p to the trestle . Whenthe crad le swing s, the pegs simp lyro ll from one side of the not ch tothe other, offering almost no resistanc e. The cradle sw ings for severalmin utes befor e requiring an otherge ntle push.
The character of a crad le's swing short and cho ppy or long and ge ntledepends on the pla cement of thepivot point-in this case, the maplepegs . The shorte r the distan ce between the pivot point and the bottomof the cradle bask et , the tighter th eswing will be . In this design, the distan ce is only BY, inch es , which is onthe sho rt side. Some sw ing ing crad les
32 HOM E FU R N IT U R E
have a rad ius of 12 inches o r more .While cradles are meant to swing
freely, I felt it would be a go od idea toprevent the cradle from swinging toohigh in case an overeage r sib ling decided to turn it into an amusementpark ride. Th e sides are high enou gh(about 9 inches) to keep an infanttucked safely inside during normaluse , but ex tra insu ran ce never hurts.To limit the cradle from swinging toohigh , I simply posit ioned the crosspiece of the trestle base so that the bottom of the crad le would hit the ba sebefore it swung too far.
Finally, parents so me times like tokeep crad les locked, I learned, in o rder to have a stable landing pad for the
incoming (or outgo ing) infant. Tokeep this cradle from rocking, I mad e asimple lever on one end that protrudesthrou gh the trestle and locks the cradlein the center of its swing (see drawingand top ph oto on previou s page). Thefurniture I make usually has clean linesand sur faces and I se ldo m ge t the opportunity to carve. In this case, however, I felt I could play a little, so I carveda moon into the lever handle and I leftthat as the on ly decoration. •
The overalldimensions ofTimothy Clark S
cherry cradleare 42 in. long,23 in. wide and
4I \12in. high. The mattress rest is 24 in. offthe
ground when the cradle is in thestand.It's
finished with linseed oilandpaste tcax.
Lightening theLookofanEntertainmentCenterB Y R IC H A R D JUDD
e ntertainment cente rs are a bear. Notonly are they big and heavy, but usuallythey're also heavy looking, imp osingand awkward. I find an inherent prob lem in trying to hide a large television , aVCR, stereo equipme nt, tap es and CDsbehind closed doors:The cab ine t oftenends up looking like a refrigerator box.
Prior to the commission for the entertainment ce nte r in these ph otos, Ihad built a different one. The cabine twa s a success; it did what my clientswanted it to do , but I learned a fewlessons from its design and construction. That first ente rtainme nt ce nte r saton an enclosed plinth, and had co rne r
VISUALLY UP L I FT I NG
posts that tap ered fro m thick at thefloor to thin at the top, making it lookmassive and grounde d. All the pan elswe re co nstruc ted using medium-den sity fiberboard (MDF) and were veneered o n both sides. And the pocketdoors required a ca bine t within thecabine t to mount the heavy mechanical slides and hinges. The cabine t waspainfully heavy for two peopl e to lift.
When I was co mmissione d to buildthis ente rtainme nt ce nte r, the o nlything the clients told me was the sizeand approx imate we ight of their televisio n. My recent ex pe rience had astrong influen ce on my desire to keep
Doors fold flat aga inst the sides. In lieu of
pocket doo rs with their heavy hardware, the
author used hinges with a 270 0 swing.
-~... -~ -- . -1'1 ' I /;Ii
Photos:Jefferson Ko lle. except w he re not ed. d rawi ng: 'linn: lktlutk
Legs that tap er from thickat the top to thinner at thebottom (for left ) make acabinet seem lighter. A taperin th e other direction(center) or a solid base(right) ground a cabinet,giving it a heavier look .
JUNE /JULY 1997 33
Behind closed doors hides an array of
aud io/visual equipment. The dark wood and
tapered legs of the base give a visual lift to
the large rectilinear cabinet.
34 H O M E FUR NI T U R E
this piece scaled down to the nurumum size for the required fun ctions.
My background is in architecture; Istudied du ring the Modernist era whenthe Bauhaus architec ts were revered."Less is more ," they said. For this newente rtainme nt ce nte r, rath er tha n decide on a shap e and size of the exteriorand then work out the details of the interior, I started by laying out the interior.Below the space for the television, Iplaced a ce nter divider to support theweight. On either side of the divider Iprovided adju stabl e sh elves for VCRand ste reo equipment. The size of thecabine t was kept to a minimum by designing it around what it would be required to hold. Form followed function .
REDUCING THE WEIGHTTo light en the cabine t's weight I usedY.-inch birch plywood that is co nsiderably light er than the MDF I used on thelast cabine t. And in lieu of the po cketdoor system, I used some beautifulbra ss hinges that allowed the doors toswing 270 0
, enabling them to fold flataga inst the side s of the cabine t.
Unlike the European hinges that Inormally us e , these brass hingesare n' t co nceale d, but they are so
A center div ider supports the weight of the
television and parti tions the lower cabinet for
stereo components and a VCR.
Just right malachite. Inlaid squa res of
malachi te in each doo r are focal points at the
inte rsection of the diag on al line inlay on the
fron t of th e cabinet.
beautiful as to become a design feature of the cabinet. I also e liminatedthe weight of the heavy mechanicalslides an d the ex tra space needed forthe pocket doors .
REDUCING THE VISUAL IMPACTI used bird's-eye maple veneer to cover the whole cabinet. The cho ice ofbird's-eye maple makes this largepiece seem light and bright co mparedto a dark wood that would have aheavier effect.
A cabinet of this size and rectangular form still has a monumental fee l toit. I inlaid some black diagonal lineson the doors to break up the surfacearea into smaller sections. A wonderful thing happens with these co ntrasting inlays . The lines seem to float offthe surface of the bird's eye maple ,adding depth to the flat p lan e . Theshadow line where two doors meetmimi cs the door inla ys and becomespart of the pattern.
At the ce nte r o f eac h door, wherethe diagonal in lays cross , I inlaid ao ne -inc h square of mala chite . Th esemiprecious stone inlay is a nicecounterpoint to the jewelry-qualityco nstruction of the brass hinges .
Functional beauty. The author chose th ese
brass hinges with their subtl e, jewelry-like
appearance to complement th e ca bine t's
ot her small detail s.
AN UPLIFTING BASEThe base for the cabinet is also de signed to create a lighter visua l impact.First, the cho ice of dark African wengecontrasts with the bird 's-eye , w hichseems to float the cabine t in space offthe floor. A 6-inch o pen space belowthe rail gives the ca binet an ac tua l aswell as a visual airy qua lity.
By making the legs tape r from thickat the top to thinner at the botto m, thewhole piece seems rea dy to take off.Contrast this with a leg that starts outwider at the fl oo r and narrowly tap ersas it goes up (see the d rawing o np . 33). This leg would be like a treetrunk with a stro ng connectio n to theground. If the base of the ca bine t wascom plete ly enclosed it would lookeven more grounded.
I thin k I was ab le to tam e the bear forth is e nte rtainme nt ce nter. Th e designof this piece clearly be ne fited from mybeing the bott om guy going up thestairs deliver ing that last one. •
The entertainment center is 58Y,in. high ,
40'/4in. wide and25 %in. deep. T7wbrass
hinges used in thepiece are a ua ilablef rom
Hafele America (3 9 01 Cheyenne D/:,
Archdale, NC 27263; 800-334-1873).
Photo top cente r: Courtesy of Rich ard Judd JUNE /JULY 1997 35
B Y JERE OSGOOD
n early 40 years ag o when [ waslearning how to make furniture , myfellow students and [ spent a lot o ftime designing chairs. Wh enever wefinished o ne, our instructor, Tage Frid,would sit in the chair. "Sit" isn 't theright word. He would land o n it hard ,tip it o nto its back legs and wigglearound to see if it was going to fallapart. I never saw a chai r break, but I
36 HOM E F UR NI T U R E
witnessed a lot o f sweating students.Another Scandinavian furnit ure mak
e r, the Swed ish designer Carl Malm sren, o nce said that chairs are "themost difficult member of the furniturefamily to mast e r." [ think this is true. Achair, especia lly a dining chair, bearsburde ns unlike any other piece of furnitu re in a home. Its successful designdepen ds as much o n solid engineering
as it does o n aesthetic se nsi b ility. Tobuild a dining chair that is both beaut iful and stro ng requires carefu l atte ntion to the forces working against it.
What are thos e forces? First and foremost , a chair supports a person man ytim es its o w n weight. Thi s weightcome s and goes, moves and shifts.Diffe rent parts of a cha ir ex perie ncestress and strain at different times . Sec-
It looks good, but will it hold up? Behind the
lissome lines of this chair is a carefully
engineered skeleton designed to withsta nd the
substantia l force of a 200-pound dinner guest.
THE FORCES WOR K I NGAGAINST A C H AIRPeople land hard in a cha ir, so the joints must be strong eno ugh to withstand thisst ress. In th is ba sic chair des ign, the strength of the joints between th e seat railsand legs is critica l. Imp roperly des igned, the joints work loose and the chair wiggles.
Directions of forcewhen a personsits down
o ndly, as Tage Frid illustrated to us, theweight is depos ited o n a chair wi thforce, not gent ly and gradually, so itmu st be able to withstand these mome nts of impact. Cha irs also getdragged around the house for all sortsof purpos es , from eating and loungingto working and some times eve nchang ing a light bulb. Few pieces o ffurniture work this hard.
Tens ion andcompression onleg joint s
Every chair design accommodatesthese forc es in different ways , makingit d ifficult to es tablish ground rulestha t can be applied to all. Most wooden chairs, ho wever, share a few critica l connections hold ing the seat andlegs together. Th e success o f thesejoints will , in la rge part , de terminewhether a chair design will stand orfall after yea rs of use.
Force crea ted byperson landingon seat
SEAT RAILS CARRY THE LOADWhen Tage Frid d ropped him self o ntoa chair, he would pu sh his weight intothe ba ck , so metimes tiltin g o nto th erear legs. You ma y be doing this rightnow as you read this art icle. If yo u are ,notice how the ba ck becomes a leve rwh en yo u lean into it. Thi s weight ex erts trem endous force o n the intersection between th e back and th e seat,
Pho tos this page and being page: Dean Powell; d rawings: Bob LaPoin te lUN E / l U LY 1997 37
Rear seat rail
Direction offorce fromsomeo neleaning ba ck
The width of th e rail ismore imp ortant than itsthi ckness. The authorrecommends a minimumof 3'/z inches.
'~~
T i3'/z in . I I
1b ), Side seat railI /t::s-L/ ....'.... "
...."
! I
Back leg
\\
\,
j
II
l~
.. ~
Seat rail
I
I
II
II
I II I J\ ,..- ......
/ ..../' -,
To maximize th e g luebond without weakeningthe leg, th e author useshaunched or "webbed "te nons on the seat rails.
Sho rt orend grain
/
fBO'k/19 I
1
The joints between the side seat rails and th e ba ck legs bearth e brunt of th e weig ht. The top of th e joint, under tens ion, isbeing pried apa rt by the force of someone leaning back. Thebottom is in compression and will he lp resist thi s force.
SEAT RAIL WORKS T H E HARDEST
38 H OM E F U R NIT U R E
Bigger doesn't always mean stronger, as
the author illustrates with this cha ir he mad e
in the 1950s (left). The seat rails are plen ty
thick, but strength comes from width , not
thickness. These rails were too narrow and
wiggled loose over the years.
Trim back the tenons to minimize the amo unt
of material cut out of the leg for the mortises.
Both the side and rear rails shown here (right)
have ample long -grain gluing surface.
Fron t
ipeat
,
'1Cre t( s rat
-~
pla tft
ck
51s
L '<,t II
- . -'1 I P1' I<,
I
I ~ ~ ~
I ~'''h,)lJL.J
5
Saleg~
Searat
A NATO M Y OF A
D I N I N G CHAIR
ly on adhes ives to hold a cha ir together. This makes it possibl e to buil dstro ng cha irs with less material, but italso mean s maximi zing the stre ngth ofthe bond. One way to co mpa re different jo inery options is to measure thetotal area of the lon g-grain gluing surface. I measu re the long-grain facesof the tenon and the correspondingsides of the mortise and compare different joints to see which has the mostgluing surface .
Chair joinery is a ba lancing ac t,thou gh. A large tenon with lots of gluing surface will be stronger than asma lle r o ne, but it also mean s thatmore mater ial mu st be rem oved fromthe back leg to ma ke the mortise . Agaping morti se in the back leg may fatally weaken its strengt h, defeating thepurpose of the strong te non . If thecha ir has a rear seat rail mortised intothe back legs at the same spot, this will
pus hing these pieces apart. Not surprisi ng ly, this is o ne of the most important jo ints in a cha ir (see dra wingfacing page). If this joint is poorly designed-and I know this from expe rience-the seat rail w ill work loosefrom the back leg. It may no t co llapse,but the cha ir will soon wiggle.
In most wooden chairs (othe r tha nWindsor-style cha irs) the seat railshave tenon s that fit into mo rtises in theback legs. The tenon has to withstandthe weight of the sitte r as we ll as sideto-side racking forces. The refo re itmus t be thick-at least % inch bu t I prefer to make them closer to y, inch . Ihave seen tenons that were too sma llsimply snap off. To get the most me chemical advantage, the depth of thetenon should be mo re than half thewidth of the back leg.
Another important cons ideration isthe glue . Today more than ever we re-
M O RE THAN ONE WAY TO CONNECT THE BAC K LEG SIn many chairs, th e ba ck legs are connected by a seat rail, which is often mortised in to the leg at th e same spot as th e sidera ils. M oving th e rear seat rai l so it spans between the two side rails means fewer mortises in th e back leg. Corn er bl ocksreinforce th e joints and provide a secure place to anchor a slip seat.
Rear railat tached toside rai l
Leave roo m for rootof side ra il tenon, atleast th e length ofth e tenon it self.
~ Stub tenons
\
/,n
Rear rail
/
/
Cornerblo ck
Angle ofscrews intorail
Side rail
~
Photos; Zachary Gaulktn, excep t wh ere noted JU NE /JUL Y 1 9 97 39
DOVETAIL LOCKSTHE FRONT LEGThe aut hor uses a sliding dovetail tofas ten th e side rail to th e fron t leg .The dovetail is locked in place by th etenon fro m th e front ra il .
Sliding dovetail
Side rail
Frontleg
Sliding dovetails keep on working even if
the g lue fails. Corner blocks reinforce the joint
and serve as a go od place to fasten an
uph olstered seat.
40 HOM E FUR NIT U R E
weaken the leg even furth er.O ne so lutio n is to make haunch ed
or "webbed" ten o ns that are either Tshaped or U-shaped (see drawing o np. 38). Thi s reduces th e size o f themorti se without sacrificing the lengthof the tenon. Although ther e is lessgluing area, it still makes a stro ng jo int.Ano the r way around thi s d ilemma isto attach the rear sea t rail to th e sideseat ra ils just ins ide the back legs using stub ten ons, bu t not so close as tointer fe re wit h the roots of the side railten o n (see botto m right drawing o n p.39). I can then run the bac k slats pastthe seat an d eithe r attach them into alo wer stre tc her o r d irectly into theba ck legs.
The dimensions of the rails are ascritical as the joints. No amo unt of joinery w ill hel p a cha ir survive years o fuse if the rails are too sma ll. Wid th ismore critical than thickness, becausethe rails mus t withsta nd tension andco mpressio n forces. A chair I mad e 40years ago has rails that are plentythic k- nea rly tw o inch es-but thew idth is far too nar row and the jointhas failed (see left pho to o n p. 38). Ihave found that the sea t rail sho uld beat least 3Y, inch es fro m to p to bo tto mwhe re it meets the back leg , especiallyif the chair has no stretche rs.
Fina lly, the rear seat jo ints arestressed the most whe n so meone tiltsa cha ir o nto its back legs. As an insurance poli cy, I try to position the bot tom of th e back legs further behindthe se at th an the top. Th e mo re th elegs ang le ba ck, the harder it is to tipthe chair o nto the rear legs. There is aside be ne fit to do ing this: The legskeep the top of the cha ir from sc raping aga ins t a wa ll. If the legs are angled too far back , though , they becomea tripping hazard .
FRONT LEGS ABSORBSOME OF THE STRAINThe bac k leg-t o-seat rail co nnectio nmay bear the brunt o f a 200- pounddinner guest, but I have seen a lot ofb rok en front legs, too . When so meone
sits do wn in a chair, the weight pushesthe fro nt leg o ut, making the joint between th e front leg and the se at railwork hard to stay tigh t (see dr awingo n p. 37) . A strong joint in front fightsthi s te ndency. If this joint is weak,everything reli es on the stre ngth ofthat back joint.
For man y yea rs I have used a slid ingdovetail to co unte rbalance the weightthat pu sh es the fron t leg out (see drawing and phot o at left). The dovetai l islocked in place by the tenon on thefront seat rai l, creating a me chanicaljoint th at has proven indestructib le .With stronger glues , this may see m ex treme , bu t I like insurance . It's not always possible to use a dovetai l, butw hen yo u get the chance, tak e it. Alocked dovetail is stronger than a mortise-an d-tenon, and it will work even ifthe glue fails.
Corner blocks co mplete the seatframe. Th ese small blocks , fastened tothe inside of th e seat rails , re inforcethe joinery and provide a co nve nientspot to drive a screw into an upholste red se at frame . On e word of advice :Don 't rely on the seat itse lf to keep achai r rigid . A woven or upho lsteredseat may help tie things together atfirst, but seats invariably loosen withwear. If the cha ir is designed properlyit should hol d together with o r witho ut the seat.
STRENGTH IN STRETCHERSThe easiest way to strengthen a chair isby increasing the bulk of the parts ,both th e rai ls and the legs. Whi le thismeth od can so metimes overcome e ngineering deficien cies, it usually re sults in a heavy, clu nky chair that maynot break, but isn 't very inviting. Oneway to gain str engt h without sacrificing deli ca cy is by spreading the loadamong a grea te r number of parts.
A stretche r syste m be low the seat , forinstan ce , will help resist tw isting andracking fo rces o n the legs, reinforcingthe seat joints (see drawings on facingpage). Shaker cha irs often have several se ts o f turned stre tchers e nc irc ling
STRETCHERS KEEP THE LEGS IN CHECKSome chairs have no structu re below the seat, but man y have some sor t ofstretcher system whi ch helps resist racking and twisting forces on the legs.Stretchers can be positioned any number of ways, as these examples show.
H-STRETCHERThe stretcher between the front legs isrepla ced by one connecting th e two sidestretchers, adding more room below.
ARMS ACT LIKE UPPERSTRETCHERSArms ti e th e legs togeth er andreinforce th e jo int between th e ba ckand th e seat .
BOX STRETCHERShaker cha irs often ha ve delicateturnings, which means more parts arerequired to carry th e load.
OSGOOD'S SPLIT-RAIL STRETCHERThe rail splits to reinforce the front legdown low, where the extra supportis needed.
the legs. These cha irs are quite strong,ye t each ind ividua l turning is ligh t anddelicate. To ac hieve the sa me strengthwithout stretchers wo uld mean bulking up the seat frame, w hic h wouldchange the design.
Adding arms to a chair does the sa mething as adding stretchers, althoug hthe strength is up higher w he re it canhel p stabilize th e back as well as thelegs. The cres t rail also ho lds the cha irtogether and helps keep the back legsin alignme nt.
Stre ng th comes at a price , thou gh ,and yo u ma y not want to pa y it. I liketo tuck my feet underneath the sea t, fo rexa mp le, so stre tc hers do wn to thefloo r would not su it me. Instead, Imigh t mak e the stre tchers a little bigge r b ut use fewer of them, keepi ng thechai r stro ng w hile leaving morelegroom un derneath.
A so lution that I like to use is a sp litside rail and stre tc her combina tio n .The lower part of the rail becomes astretcher and meets the front leg about5 inc hes below the seat rail, co unteracting some of the tensio n on the frontleg . In th is case the joi ne ry at the backleg has proven to be q uite stro ng,w hich is why I have the lower stretcher curve into the seat rail at the back o fthe cha ir. It a lso makes the designmore fluid an d less rectilin ear.
Ther e a re count less wa ys to co unte rac t the forces working aga inst a chair.The classic Thonet ca fe cha ir is completely different from a Sha ke r ladd erback. Ho wever you choose to addressthese struct ura l prob lems, I stro ng lyrecomme nd fu ll-s ize shop d rawingsand a full-size pine mo ckup. These aregood places to analyze the joine ry andenginecring.
Structure and joinery are only two elem ents of any design. For me, makinga chair is more about design tha n e nginecring. Comfort and sty le arc farmore important to most people. Sodurabili ty has to be weighe d aga ins tde licacy. Strength agains t comfo rt.Weig ht against beauty. Eng incering isjust o ne o f the p ieces to the pu zzle. •
JUNE /J UL Y 1997 4 1
Uniting Two Casesin One Hutch Design
BY WILLIAM SKIDMORE
W hen my daughter Becky go t engaged to No rt, I offered to make apiece of furni tu re for the ir weddingpresent. After thinking about it, theydecided that w ha t they'd like was ahutch, co mfo rtably proportion ed, likethe best Sha ke r design s. Well , theShakers seem not to have made diningroom hut ches, so the design was up toBecky and me.
We visited antique sto res and poredover cata log ues and furniture book s,looking at various hutches for inspi ration . The pieces that we saw wereeithe r ta ll and unga inl y o r shor t andsquat. The fo rmer didn 't have muchsto rage space; the latter were toobulky looking.
The more we talk ed about the design, it becam e clearer that the reasonmost hutch es fail was that whe n yo utake away the e mbellishme nts ofdoors, drawers and mo ldin g, they arenothing mo re than tall , simple , foursided boxes . I reali zed that a two-pi ecehutc h, one that w as a box on a box,would be better looking. A break at aco unter height of three feet wouldhe lp a great deal with the proportion sof the long, thin sides that make so mehutch es look so ta ll and skinny. If Ise t the uppe r box ba ck from the loweron bot h the fro nt and the sides , Iwould br eak the monot o ny of fourlong sides.
It turned out that ma kin g the hutchin two pieces was ve ry practical, too.In my small shop, I could buil d thetwo-piece hutch wi thout hel p, and Ico uld move it eas ily in a pickup truckfrom my sho p in Clea rville, Pennsylvania. to Becky's ho me in Ann Arbo r,Michiga n. If I had made the hutch inone piece, it might have been like theboat that, o nce built, was too large toexit throug h the shop doors.
Pleasing pro po rt io ns, lots of storage space.
A narrower upper case, fitted with glass
doors, lends lightness to a large piece of
furnitur e. Aligning the cornice with the lower
case unifies the two -piece hutch .
GETTING THEPROPORTIONS RIGHT
The proportions for the base were notdifficult to work out. We looked atso me of the furniture around ourhou se for inspiration. The width of thehutch 's lowe r case and the arrangement of two draw ers over two doorscame front the side board in our diningroom. And the cock beading on thedrawers came from a burea u we own.
The top section was ano the r matter.How do yo u make the top se ction of atall piece of furn itu re , w ith more thanhalf of its height in the top cabine t, soit ap pears neither to p-heavy nor anafte rthoug ht?
There we re also more utilitarian conside rations that had to work with theway the hut ch look ed. The she lves inthe top section needed to be deepeno ug h to stack 12-inch dinner plates;this, in part, dictated the depth of theupper case . Becky also wa nted to display so me of her china and silver. Andshe wanted to keep the large counterope n, both to make it usable for serving and to show the beauti fu l cherrythat she had chosen for the wood .
These requi re me nts led to se ve raldecisions ab out the design. For onething, we thought that glass door s inthe upper case would add to the lightan d ope n feeling tha t we wanted tomake the ent ire hut ch seem less massive . The glass doors wou ld also serveto showcase the china . A drawb ack toglass doors is that the she lves wouldbe visible , adding to a profusion ofhorizo nta l lines in the othe rwise simple upper cabine t. I effectively hid theshe lves by mount ing them at the sameheight as the muntins in the doors.
ARCHES TOP AND BOTTOMTo keep the co unter o pe n, we optedfo r a gracefu l arch under the top cabinet which we designed to ntimic, butnot duplicate , the arch at the base ofthe lower section. The arch in the upper case is talle r, making the counterspace more usabl e fo r se rving food .
Both arches sta rt as a simple cur ve
The shelves line up w ith the m untins,
making for a clean, uncluttered look
behind the glass do ors.
Set back in width and depth. The smalle r
dimensions of the upper case redu ce th e
overall bulkof the hutch as well as providing
a counter surface for serving food .
Photos:Jefferson Kolle: drawing: Vince Babak J UNE /JULY 1997 43
A frame of 2x4s, screwed to the hutch base, supports the twin-wheel casters.
-r .'
___1I,
,,I ,
'!/ <, ~
II 6= , ~ ,- - ~ - .~ -- ' -~- -- - - .--.-J
I.I'M' " . I
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that flattens o ut into a long , p rominentstraight line. Th e long stra ight linescreate the illusion o f width w hichhelps to balan ce o ff th e hutch 's 83inch heigh t.
UNIFYING THE DESIGNWITH A CORNICEA lot of the commerc ially availabl ehut ch es that we sa w in sto res and catalogs had some sort o f corn ice at thetop. To my eye, most o f these corn icesjust weren 't right; th ey appeared tobe nothing more th an a tacked- onaftertho ught.
I did so me ske tches anel decid ed thata b ig, sim ple, g racefu lly sweeping
A Movable Beast
Wheeled, yet concealed. Casters hidden
behind the bracket base hold the hutch a
mere Yo. inch off the floor.
cove mo lding would be a fittin gcrow n to the top o f the piece , creatingthe impression that the upper case islarger than it is. Thi s e ffec t wasachi eved by getting th e curve rightan d by exte nd ing th e cove o ut overthe counte rto p bel ow.
On the sides, the co rn ice ex tends toa width equal to that o f the lower case.And in the front , the corn ice ex te nds toa distance even with the face of theba se-a little less than the co unte rto poverhang . Havin g the cornice evenwi th the sides o f the lo wer case marries the two se pa rate pieces into a uni fied whole . My drawings sho wed thata co ve that extende d beyond the sides
You never know when a child's toy or
a telephone message will wind up
between your furniture and the wall. A
lifetime of struggle with large, heavy
furniture, scratched floors, and
strained backs convinced me to put
the hutch on casters.
Iwanted the casters to be invisible,
not sticking out under the hutch as on
a piece of office furniture . Iset the
casters high inside the case so they are
o f the lo wer case would make the upper case seem top-hea vy. Conversely,a smalle r, narrower cornice that undersh ot the side s of the lower case wouldseem puny and undernourish ed.
Beck y and Nort's hut ch is beginningto tak e o n the deep patina o f agingche rry. With che rry, and , I hope , w ith agooel piece of furn iture , one ca n believe the poet, Robert Brow ning , w how rot e : "Gro w o lel along with me! Thebest is ye t to be ..." •
The hu tch, constructed of solid cherry; is 83
in. high. The {ower case is35 in. high , 48 /j,
ill. wide and 18 /j, ill. deep. The uppercase is
48 ill. high, 44/j, ill. wide and 15/j, ill. deep.
covered by the bracket feet. Although
the hutch appears to rest firmly on its
four feet, the feet are actually Y,6 inch
off the floor. The weight of the hutch
rests on the casters.
The casters are mounted on a
frame made of 2x4s that are hidden
behind the hutch's bracket feet. I used
large screws to attach 2x4s to the
hutch base. The 2x4s provide both a
solid surface to mount the casters,
and a firm contact with the base to
support the full we ight of the hutch
without relying on the bracket feet.
Enlarged screw holes in the 2x4s and
a single line of glue at the cen ter of its
length ensure that seasonal wood
movement would not stress th e sides
of the base.
I used heavy-duty, twin-wheel
casters to ensure the floor would not
show dents over time. Each caster has
a 90-pound load rating.
- William Skidmore
44 HOM E FUR N I T U R E
EtchedLegsElevate a Display Shelf
711esllelfis 29 i ll. squareand 74'12ill.lI(f(1J. 'DIe
pattern ill tile ebony legs was etc/led rather
than earned; Itaycut ou t a resis t templa te
a lid fwd tile legs sandblasted by a g lass a rtist.
45JUNE /JULY 19 97
W he n my best clients to ld methey wanted a d isplay case made o fso lid ebony, I wasn 't about to turndown the commission. But it did posea dilemma. How do yo u give an opensided structure-one that is completelyblack , stands so me thing over six fee ttall and two feet squa re, and supports200 pounds of glass-the subtlety andpresence it needs to hold its own in aliving room full o f art, musical instruments and high- style furn iture? That iswh at I tried to figure out as I designedthis se t of she lves.
To stan with, I decided that instead ofdisguising the basi cally skeleta l natu reof the piece with curves and sculptural elements, I would make a virtue ofit, giving all the parts straight lines,hard edg es and geometric overallshapes. To so fte n the piece a bit Imad e the side frames of ziricote ,whose black-and-tan co lo ring provided a quiet contrast to the pure bla ckebo ny legs and rails.
I thought it would he a sha me to useall that ebon y without embe llishing it insom e way.And yet I want ed the she lf'simpact to be restrained and not overshadow the pieces displayed upon it.My solution was to etch a low-relief pattern of ge ometri c sha pes o n the frontlegs. I hoped it would be some thingthat you notice from a distance hut only really appreciate from up close . •
Ph ()«)S:.J0I1:IIh;l1l Bin zcn
Black beauty. Hay chose black woods for his
display shelf to give its open structure visual
weight. The sandblasting technique used for
the relief carving on the front legs left a whitish
residue that gives th e carving definit ion.
BY GREGORY HAY
Slats without slots. Crisscrossing strips of wa lnut and elm veneer answer the customer's
request for something tha t recalled Hurwitz's slat-topped tables but was fit for d ining .
Fresh Curvesfora
Kitchen TableBY MICHAEL HUR WITZ
46 HO M E FUR NI T U R E
•I 'vefound that seeming ly attrac tivecommiss io ns so me times br ing withthem limitation s that prove too restr icting. But this project was an example ofthe ideal co mmission. The clients , whowanted a kitch en table for dai ly use ,had seen two tables of mine that theyliked-a deco rative table with a marblemosaic top and a tea tabl e with aslatte d top. They liked the size andcircular format of the ce nter tab le, butwere afraid that the marble top mightbe too co ld or hard for a kitche n table .And the tabl e 's base didn't p rovidethe necessary legroom for dining .They also liked the idea of activatingthe top surface by build ing it up ofcr isscrossing slats as I had done withthe tea tabl e , but they we re co ncernedtha t it was les s practical than a so lidtop would be .
I settled fairly quickly on a veneeredpattern that woul d make a refe rence tothe slatted so lutions of previou s piecesb ut would make a so lid surface. As Idesigned the ve neer pa ttern , I had inmind the w ay a woven tableclothlooks. I made a pattern that was simpler where it would be a backd rop forthe place settings and sligh tly moreco mplex in the ce nte r. I thou ght of it asa piece of fabri c whose borders wereunraveled , leaving only the wovence nter still intact.
In the base of the table I was takingcues from natural forms but tried tostylize them to the point where they'renot really recognizabl e as sprouts o rlimbs, but still retain the fee ling ofsomething orga nic. The stretc he rs areplainly practical and struc tural- the irho oped design provides knee roomwhile keeping the tabl e 's legs fromwigglin g. But they also do visua l work;they reinforce the sense of upwardmovement within the piece. •
This elm table with elm and walnut veneer
is 42 in. in diameter and3 0 in. high. Theash
chairs are 17 in. wide, 18 in. deep and3 0'/2
in. high. The table isfinished with oil and
varnish; the chairs are lacquered, with milk
paint on the seats.
Bending botanical forms to human use . The
high -hooping stretchers, inspired by plant
forms, rise and cross creating footroom
und erneath (above). When the cha irs are
pushed in, their front legs, which are tu rned
out 45°, nestle agai nst the stretche rs (see
bottom photo facing page). Each leg of th e
tab le has a mating truss, which forks at the
top like a tree branc h. The trusses support th e
tab letop's rim and make a visual con nection
between the top and base (photos at right).
Photo s:Jon athan Hinzc n JUNE /JULY 1997 47
Federal Furniture WasAn interest in all things classical gave rise
BY JENNIFER A . PERRY
48 HOM E FUR NIT U R E
Phot os.jeffer son Kolle . except where noted ; p hoto t~lC i llg page taken at Strawhcr y Ban ke Museu m,Port smou th , N.l I. ; phOIOSth is page taken at David DUfl{OIl Antiques, w oodbu ry. Conn.
Revolutionaryto a delicate furniture style
Icon s fro m Greece and Rome. The eagle, a
Roman symbol of power, became emblematic
for America, and adorned Federal furniture in
inlays, carvings, even drawer pulls (above). The
13 stars shown represent the original colon ies.
Below, a goddess in a chariot adorns a mirror
panel. Adecorative column is inlaid on a desk
front (bottom left). Achair splat is carved with
an urn (bottom right).
o ne people who will strive to dothings righteou sly, but we will dothings our wa y.
CUTTING -EDGE CLASSICALTwo hundred ye ars can add a lot ofpatina to a piece of furniture, and it canalso add to our se nse of its formality, itsse riousness. But late in the 18th century, when the Federal style came into itsow n, it was, primarily, the latest thin gin home decorating. We like to think ofthe men who founded this co untry asbeing beyond reproach, but the y werenot beyond the whims of fashion. Afterthe discovery of the ruins of Pompeiiin the middle of the 18th ce ntury, allthings classical were in vogue. Thenew nation of Ameri ca grabbe d o ntoclassicism like a teenager go ing after alatest fad. Paintings from the time ofthe Revoluti on often depi cted GeorgeWashington in a toga, and he was frequ entl y de scribed as a myth ical figure.
Before the days of hom e decoratingmagazines, American cabine tma ke rslooked to England for inspiration. Latein the 18th century, two English designbooks that promoted neoclassical stylewere published. George Hepplewhite 'sCabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guideand Thomas Sherat on 's The CabinetMaleer and Upholsterer's Drawing Bookco nce ntrated on the use of classicalform and ornament in furniture design.
Classical figures-gods and goddesses-and classical accouterments likeswags, urns , medallion s and columns
a t the Smithsonian Institution, inWash ington, D.C, yo u ca n see theportabl e desk o n which Thomas j efferson wrot e the Declaration of Ind ependence . The desk is simple. Its onlydecoration is a light string inlay mad eof satinwood. jefferson said the desk"is plain, neat , conve nient , and ... ye td isplays itself su ffic ien tly." Symboli cof the co untry 's birth, the desk alsorepresents a new furniture stylewhich, like j efferson's principl es, became known for its elegant simplicityand efficiency.
The desk is thought to be one of thefirst pieces of Ameri can Federal furniture-the style that became fashi onabl e during the latt er years of theAmerican Revolution and remainedpopular throu gh the first qu arter of the19th ce ntury.
Th e sleek lin es , carefully chosenwoods, and smooth sur faces o fAmerican Federal fu rni ture link it aesthe tica lly with much of today's stud iofurni tu re . And like man y of today'sfurn iture mak ers , Fede ral cabi netmak ers prided th emsel ves o n theircraftsma ns hip . But th e rea sons behind the creatio n a nd popularit y o fFederal furniture were complex andunique . Its designs and motifs p roclaime d loudly and clearly that America wa s a new and independentna tion with aspirations no less loft ythan those of the ancient Greeks andRomans. Cabine tmake rs made a distinctively Ameri can state me nt : we are
Spade feet, stretcherless legs. Federal chai rs
often did without leg stretchers for the sake of
a de licate appearance . The spade fee t and
simple square back lend lightness to the cha ir.
were all part of the neoclassical designvocabulary, and Ame ricans made themtheir own. Bellflowers were inlaid onto drawers, swags were tacked ontochair rails; and urn s were carve d ontochair bac ks.
Americans e nhanced their borrowedrepertoire of classica l des igns w ith asig nificant add ition of their own: theeagle. Perhap s the most po pular imageduring the Fede ral era, the eag le was asymbol of Rom an power and had beenmad e Ame rica 's official mas cot in1782. It be cam e the ide ntifying American image, and it was seen eve rywhere-i-fro m finials to drawer pulls.
LINE, INLAY AND COLORThere was more to the Federal stylethan ad ding an inlaid eagle or a carvedurn here and there. In so me se nses, theFederal style was a rea ction to thestyles that ca me before it. If it ca n besa id tha t the Q ueen Anne and Chippendale styles were based on curves,Federal was based on line.
Almost witho ut exception, Fede ralfurnitu re has a delicate , linear, almostwispy appea rance . Chair and table legs
are thin and stra ight, and many chai rshave no stretchers betw een their legs.The furniture often seems to be standing on tiptoes. Upholstery is taut and flat,and chair se ats are usuall y rectilinear.
Cabriole legs, a stylistic give n duringthe Queen Anne and Chippenda leeras , gave way to ro und or square tapered legs. Th e Queen Anne slipperfoot and the Chippe nda le ba ll-andclaw foot were left behind in favor ofsimpl er square or turne d feet.
This is not to say that Federal furniture is all straight lines and rect ilinearshap es. Curves abound on Federal furniture , but they are, for the most part,linear rath er than compound: Imaginea linear curve as a cylinder, curving ino nly one direction , and a co mpoundcurve as a sphe re, wh ich curves in several directions.
Th e Federal emphasis on line wasnot limited to form and mass; it was also manifested in deco ratio n, specifica lly inlay. Federal case pieces look asif they are composed of geome tricpuzzle pieces , with ovals, rectang lesand circle s fit together.
Whereas the Queen Anne and Chip-
Beyond basic
brown wood
furniture.
Geometric shapes
in light-colored
wood s, line inlays,
and formal, painted
furniture, likethis
New York chair with
a decorative eag le
(botto m center), are
hallmarks of Federal
furniture.
50 HOME FURNITURE Top left and bottom len ph otos this page and top right and bot tom leftphoto s EKing page : Co urtesy o f Da vid Dunton Antiques, 'X'oodbury. Conn.
pendale styles were known for carvedo rnamentatio n, Federal furniture focused o n smooth sur face de corat ion.Carving certainly appeared on Federalpieces , especially o n chair splats andlegs, but it wa s carving as decorati onrather than the deep, sc ulptural carving typi cal of Chippendale furniture .
Federa l cabinetmake rs favored mahogany as a primary wood, but theyalso began using a vari ety o f br ight,light-colored woods for highlightsand veneers , woods like maple, satinwood , boxwood, holl y, rosewoodand birch .
Inlaid pieces often had subt le shading, achieved by putting the pieces intohot sand which burned or charred thewood . The variety of light and dark co lor co mbinations became a hallmark ofFederal furniture. Even after 200 years,the bright-colored woods, varnish ed orshellacked, almost shimmer as light refl ects off their polished surfaces.
NEW FURNITURE FORMSYears ago, before VCRs, before theterm couc h potato was invented, noone had entertainment ce nte rs in their
Middle righl and bott o m right photos th is page takenat Si rawhery Banke Mu seum. Port sm outh , NJ I.
homes. Lifestyle cha nges broug htabout new furnitu re forms . Similarly,in the Federa l pe riod, new furni tu reforms ca me about in response tocha nges in America ns' pocketbooks,ex pectations and lifestyles.
The most significant new form in theFede ral period was the side board (seephoto on p. 48). At the end of the 18thcentury, rooms in Federal ho mes beca me more specialize d , so furn iturewas crea ted to fit rooms ' new functions. As Ame ricans began to differentiate between a sitting room and adining room, sideboards were designed so that meals co uld be se rve din the new room set aside for that specific purpose.
The introductio n of tam bour andcylinder desks reflected the cha ngingroles of men and wome n in the Fede ral period. Sometimes known as ladies'desks , they are thought to have beenused mo re by women than men andmay have been crea ted to meet an increased interest in wome n's learn ing.These desks we re smalle r than thelarge desks and sec retaries of the past,indicati ng they were most likely used
A quantum leap from cabriole
legs with ball-and-c1aw-feet.
At left, a lady's desk was a new
form during the Federa l per iod.
At top right , an arm curves into
a turned leg on a sofa. In the
midd le right photo, simp le,
straight, bracket feet support a
Federal chest. At righ t, a card
tabl e and a candlestand look as
if the y stand on tiptoes.
JUNE /JUL Y 1 9 97 51
George Washington didn't sit here. Lolling
chairs, also known as Martha Washington
ch airs, had unupholstered arm s, a unique
design that arose in th e Fed eral pe riod .
Classic lines, classical motifs. The supporting
colum ns and the carved eag le finial on this
looking glassare among the defining elements
of Fed eral furniture.
Card tables were made in pairs, and though
used for gaming, two tables were often used
in a room as a symmetrical design element.
less for business and more for pleasure.Worktables with a clo th or wooden
drawer to hold a wom an 's needl ewor kwe re a sign o f social status and d isp osab le income. Som e workt ables included a writing surface inside a topdrawer, another sign of women's educational accomplishments.
Banjo wall clocks, patented by Simo nWillard of Massachusetts in 1802, so ldfor ab out two-thirds the price of an average ta ll case clock and permittedmany Americans the luxury ofow ning ahigh ly desirable decorat ive object. Theyfeatur ed geometric shapes , eag les, andother patri otic emblems, gold leaf andpainting on glass. and are conside red apinnacle of neoclassical design.
Card tables were mad e before theFedera l peri od , but it was duri ng thistime that their manufactu re prolifera ted. Card pla ying was a popular Fede ral-era pa stime , but more tha n that ,lightweight , portabl e and often highl ye mbe llishe d ca rd tables were use d asdecorative e leme nts in Fede ral hou seho lds. Ofte n mad e in pa irs, Fede ra lcard tables were placed under wi ndows or mir rors to give a room the desired symmetri cal appearance .
A va rie ty of new chair sty les withclassi ca l and patriotic motifs appearedin the Federal per iod. Most notable isthe loll ing chair, now usually ca lled aMartha \X1ashington chair. It is a uniqu eAmerican Federal for m with a high upholste red ba ck and upholste red seat.Unlike Chippe nda le wing chairs, theirarms are ope n and unupholstered. Theo pe n arms give the chairs a ligh t look ,and they suggest a casual posture , perhaps an allusion to a lifestyle that madetime for rela xation and leisure.
No furn iture is crea ted in a vac uum.Fed eral furniture drew on mot ifs froman cient Greece an d Rom e and usedthe m in a lighte r, delicate style that fitthe fashionable impulses of a newcountry. Man y o f the furn iture for msdeveloped during the Fede ral peri odare still bein g made tod ay, and it is hardto deny Federal's stylistic influe nce onmuch of today's stud io furniture. •
52 HO ME FURNI TURE Top lcf and hott om ph oto s thi s pa ge: Co urtesy of David Dunt on Anttqucs. Woo dhury. Co nn.:top right photo a nd phOIO fac ing page taken at Strawbcry Banke t\ IUS(;'UIll , Portsmout h. :\ .11.
Photographic image of a fictional lamp.
This compute r rendering was done before
Fay had even built the lamp . The computer
fileswere made into a 35mm slide by a
com puter service burea u.
d:»; is not my favor ite activity.But in custom fu rniture making, prese ntation is critica l. Luckily, I've fou ndan alternative to showing my roughsketches to potential custo mers. Instead of laboring over my drawi ngs, Itake my concept sketches and a list ofdim en sions to a co mputer graphicsfirm. While I watc h, they plug in the information and generate a three-viewdrawing and then an isometric view.As the piece co mes to life o n thescreen, I can add or change detai ls andthe piece can be turne d so I can examine it from various perspectives. I endup with impressive drawings that areeasily understood by potential clients.
The w ho le process tak es about threehours of co mpute r time.
Recently, events led me to pu sh theprocess one ste p furth er. I wa nte d toente r the Califo rn ia Des ign '97 show,which required the submission of aph otograph. Unfo rtuna tely, the lamptha t I wa nte d to sub mit was not ye tmade-and there was only one weekuntil the competition deadline! I calledthe CADtechni cian at Inertia Studios inSan Francisco, wh ere I have my co mputer re nderings done. He said thatwe co uld scan the actual mater ials fo rthe lamp into the co mp uter to create'v irtual furn iture." This rendering couldthe n be mad e into a photographi c
slide by a se rvice bureau.The first step was to construct CAD
three-view an d isometric renderingsof the lamp from my preliminaryske tches (see the drawings on facin gpage). We then scanned in samples ofthe ebony for the lam p'S posts andrails , co p per banding for the hoops,and the paper for the shad e , handmade by my sister, Leslie Fay. Th escan ne d mater ials became the pa letteto fill in the isometric image.
The next ste p wa s to use ArchiCADsoftwa re to put the lamp 'S image in aroomlike setting. We decided to placethe lamp on a textured marble surface ,with a w hite wa ll beh ind it. Then, the
54 HOME FU R N I T U RE Computer -simulated phot o this page andco m puter rend eri ngs facin g page: Dan H rub y
DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE O F T H E CO M PU T ER
After starting with idea sketches (left) the author takes rough thr ee-view dra wings to agraphic designer, who renders them on a computer (m iddle) . From this springs an isom etricpresentation drawing (right) . The au thor tints th e com pute r renderings with colored pencil.
DA VID c. A. fAY4'" wunu STIUTOAKLAND. U. 9«09
010160"'"''
LIGHT AND SHAPOW LAM '
]
J
<__- -10'- - - ,
!JJ
lJ !lJ .i»"I , '"
••••••••••••••••
Welcome back to the real world. As goo d as
the counte rfeit looks, it doesn't have the warm
personality of the real thing (right). With a low
watta ge bulb and a handmade paper shade,
the lamp gives off a g low, not a beaco n.
co mputer was able to simulate a lightsource inside the lamp to visualize thelight and shadows cast on its surroundings (see the co mpute r ph oto onfacing page). This process too k an additional four hours.
The resulting image was remarkablyrealistic-convin cing enoug h to persua de the jury of the sho w to acceptthe piece before it had been built. [just hope the real thing delivers on thepromise that the co mpute r made . •
This lamp is 15 in. h igh , 10 in. wide and
4 in. deep; its shade has thin chips ofmica
sandwiched between lay ers ofpaper made
from abaca-rootpulp.
Photo this pag e :Jonathan Binze n; top left d rawing: David Fay JUNE /JULY 1997 55
William Walker'sFurniture-Balancing Act
A custom designer makes a mark in architecturaland production furniture
BY JONA TH AN BINZE N
A pr ivate man goes public. William Walker's
design aest hetic, de veloped th rough his
custom pieces like this cherry end tab le,
has broadened along with his business to
embrace architec tura l and produ ction work .
bill Walker is like the old-fashione dman of lette rs wh o, not co nte nt withwrit ing fine nove ls, tries his hand at es says, poems, plays, light verse and letters to the editor. In Walker's case,thou gh, the literature is furniture . Hisnovels are custo m-designed and handbuilt tab les , chairs and cabine ts of avery high order. But Walker 's enthusiasm spi lls over as well into arch itec tural woodworking , ca bine t jobs andde signing p ro to types for productionfurniture , and he has ab und ant ene rgy,fascinat ion and flair for all these un de rt akings. He 's drawn to the differentchalle nges the y pose-the tigh t, perso na l focus of the one-of-a-kind piecewith its insatiable appe tite for ma nhours; the broad strokes and co llaborative design process of an architectura l commission; and the hardcom pro mises required to make craftand comme rce meet in a productionpiece designed to be built in half a day.
His interests in too ls and mat erialsare eq ually catholic. In his shop o nBainbridge Islan d , Washington, yo usee handmade planes an d sho p-sawnve neer but also steel tabletops he 'shad sa ndblasted and cut out by laser.Walker likes explor ing, and his field ofex plo ratio n kee ps ex panding . Hetreats all these ende avo rs as pans of a
56 HO ME FU RN ITUR E Photos.jonathan Bin zen
Kitchen collaboration . Walker designed the
rolling table with input from the architect and
client, and built the cab inets and built-ins to
the architect's design, consulting on the details.
w ho le, so disco veries he makes andski lls he deve lops in one realm natu rally blow across and pollinate projects in the othe rs.
IN PURSUIT OF PURE FORMCustom work is the heart of \'V'alker'sb usiness. It keeps the blood pumpingto all the ex tremities. And in this age ofIKEA and art fu rn iture, Walker's custom work elo quently answers thetho rniest qu estion you ca n put to a se rious furn itu re mak er: Can yo u make
me some thing in which beauty andusefulness are smoothly blended andneither one is compromised? He ca n.His pieces meet the challenge of function hea d-on, but with clear, curvinglines and distin ct, integral details thatmake the straightfor ward look se nsual.
Walker's e nd tabl e in che rry (photofacing page), like the best of his work,has both a clea rly defin ed fo rm an d asmooth visua l now. He wa nts thetab le 's part s to blend , bu t still be expres sed se parate ly. In place of tradi -
tion al aprons, whic h would be tuckedunder the top, Walker makes these integral with the top, glue d up around itlike a frame. But he sto ps short ofblending the top and apron completely. By veneering the top and lett ing theso lid aprons show, he makes a subtlebut ce rtain distinction between the two.
Walker is fond of playing with "families of curves" as he calls them, and thispiece demon strates the concept. Thecurves in the length and he ight of theapron s, the curves in the legs and the
) U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 7 57
Meals on wheels . He has a background in
making fine craft furniture, but Walker excels
aswell in doing work with a utilitarian spin.
Weaving a dining ta ble into the fabric of
the house. The mantel he built for this
house provided Walker with the spark for
the design of this table: "a big curving slab
held up mysteriously."
58 HOM E FUR NIT U R E
curve of the stretche rs are all differe nt,but related; the trick is to find curvesthat are all notes in a cho rd.
All his furniture, Walker says, is "really about the relati on ship between thepans," and ge tting them right can befrustrating. He 'll be close to the harm ony he 's seeking and then "I'll changeone thin g and it'll have a ripple effect."As so meone with strong han d skillswh o loves the detail s and the craft offurnitu re makin g, Walker has to fight tokeep his eye on the overall form of apiece and to keep from getting lost inthose pleasing details.
On the path to findin g the right balance, he says, "d rawing is only a firstste p ." For him, "Mocking up is whe rethe meat is." But it isn 't mock-ups alonethat give pieces like this tabl e theirse rene feeling of resolution. Walkerworks in loose se ries . Related ideassurface again and again over the yearsand you can see them becoming mo renearly resolved. Legs and stretcherssimilar to the ones on this end table appear on many othe r pieces Walker hasmad e ove r the yea rs- dining tab les ,desks, co ffee tab les, breakfast tablesea ch time restated to suit the specificpiece . His approach is one of refinement rather than constant innovation.
COURTING COMPROMISEAND COLLABORATIONBolts and cas ters aren't on the curriculum at the Co llege of the Redwoods.They may not be explicitly ba nne dfrom the pr emises of the cloiste r-likesc hool o n the California coast w hereWalker spent two yea rs in the early1980s so aking up the furniture- makingmethod of James Krenov, but it's unlikely you'll find many rattling aro undin the hard ware drawers there.
You can, however, find them on som eof Walker 's work. A recent pie ce likehis rolling kitchen table (photos previous page and top left) was made to fitthe demands of its site, the requests of aclient and the architec t's overall vision.Its bolts and casters represent \XTalker'so pen ap proach to furniture making ,
and his acceptan ce of two othe r commodities looked upon skeptically at hiso ld school: co mpromise and collaboration. In this tabl e and elsewhe re, Walker demonstrates that fine work can bedo ne within tight restrictions.
Walker's wife, Jul ie Krieg h, is an architec t with the Seattle firm Wein steinCopeland Architects, and he 's longdone millwork and architec tura l cabine twork for her firm and othe rs. Earlyon, the primary attrac tion of such job smay have been the cas h flow, butWalker discovered they were valua blefor ot he r reasons . "I like physicallyhard work," he says, and they provided plenty of that. He also found thework affo rde d a psycholog ical release."A rea l se rio us o ne -of-a-kind piecetakes a lot of e motio na l ene rgy," hesays . "It's nice to do so me thing quicker afterward to get the co bwebs out."
The ro lling table is a good ex ampleof the so rt of project Walker meanswhe n he talks about the pleasures ofco llabo ration and compromise. It wasdesign ed fo r a new house on whichJulie se rved as project architec t and forwhich Bill mad e all the bui lt-ins andcabine try. Working w ithin a very tightse t of param eters, Walker prod uced ajaunty, stro ng , who lly p leasing tabl etha t answers all the demands that wereimposed on it. Walker simply took allthe requests and d irectives and gavethem a little spin. "That table was totally fun," he says , and it shows .
The requirements he was handed inclu ded the overa ll idea: an informa lea ting table to look like an island extens io n of the kitchen ca bine ts; thematerial: eastern maple , to match theres t of the kitchen; th e sha pe of thetop: sq uare at one end to meet the cab-
It looked simple on the blueprints. Walker
built this de corative wall pan el from plans by
Weinstein Copeland Architects. The curved
unit, veneered in Honduras mahogany, was
made in sectio ns and mounted on curving
French cleats . Installat ion alone took two weeks.
J U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 7 59
inets, rounded at the othe r to let trafficflow more easily around it; and thecaste rs: so it co uld be ro lled out ontothe lake-view dec k for meals in goodweather. Qu ite a list. But \\falke r tookeven more input. He not iced that theclient had already purchased cha irs forthe table from Donghia, with be nt plywood for seats and bent steel rod forlegs. He liked them, and fo llowed theirlead , incorporating bla ck steel rod inhis table 's stretcher sys tem.
Walker says he didn 't lose a lot o f
60 HOM E F U R NI T U R E
No sugar on this coffee tabl e. Walker aims
for clarity of form instead of eye-catching
adornm ent: " If I get the form right, it
shouldn' t need a lot of sugar-coating."
sleep over that table: "1meant it to be afriendly piece of furniture that relat esto peopl e and the hou se with out needing to be anything more." That 's plenty.
FURNITURE BY THE BATCHThe third dim en sion in Walker 's furniture universe is designing for production. Five yea rs ago, he was asked todesign a group of pieces to be mad e inlarge numbers by a skilled productionshop in Rhode Island. The ente rprise ,P&E Editions, or gani zed by Warren
and Bebe Jo hnson from their Pritam &
Eames Gallery in East Ham pton , NewYork (the sa me gallery that se lls Walke r's cus to m furn iture). brou ght together work designed by Hank Gilp in andJere Osgood as well as by Walker. It remains to be seen wh ether the projectwill nourish , but it has spawned somesuperb pieces of furn iture. One of themost interes ting is Walke r's stee ltopped side table (see bottom ph otofacin g page).
Designing for production bringsWalker up aga inst problem s quite diffe re nt fro m those he 's encounte red indo ing custo m furnitu re and architectural work.
\'(Iorkillg backward fr ont the retailprice. It's a co ncept that most manufacturers are familiar with. but itdoesn't ring a bell for many craft furniture makers, at least not one they're eage r to an swer. Yet it is the essence ofdesigning for production , an d Walke rhas relished the challenge it poses tohis handcra ft mentality.
What ca n yOll make ill fo t t I' hour s ofproduction tim e that is wo rth leeepinga Iifettmer'Yne: was the question Walke r tried to answer in the design for hissteel -to pped tabl e. "It's much eas ier tomake a nice piece if you take awa y thepressure of time ," he says .
The crux of the challenge is to designa piece of furn iture that has the sameintegrity that custo m work has . Andyet one that is made, as he says, from"a kit o f pans. You stack the m up , grabpieces and assemble them. Discretee leme nts that have to go togethereasily." Walker points to the Finnis hdesigner Alvar Aalto and the Dan ishdesign er Hans Wegn er as masters o fthis typ e of furnitu re design. "With\\fegne r and Aalto . the design of theproduction process is equally beautifulto the design of the pieces."
The key to the beauty of their pieces,he says, is ..the cla rity of their work.They both boiled things down to theiressent ial pans." He co mme nds theausterity of the ir furniture and sa yshe strives fo r the same qu ality. "I tend
to be auste re," he says, "but not entirely ascetic. 1 accept that furn iture isfor tou ching."
FRIENDSHIP ISTHE RESIDUE OF DESIGNWhen as ke d w hic h way he 'd like totake his business in the next 10 yea rs,Walker says his stro ngest interest is stillin one -of-a -kind furnitu re, but he 's notready to lock himself into just that oneapproach to the craft. "The re 's such ahigh to one-of-a-kind, but it also ca nbe lo ne ly," he says. "I need the mix."
"Whe n I left the Krenov school 1thought I was full eno ugh to go to someSlee py Hollow and just mak e thingsbut 1now know I wouldn't make it if Iwas cut off from the relationships thatare such a part of what I do. For me, anintegral part o f my whole ene rgy fo rmaking furniture is people- sp ecificpeople. Ge tting to know peopl e andseeing what they want and trying to
make the m happy- I don't think there 'sanything wron g with that." •
Jonathan Binzen isan associate editorat Hom e Furnitur e.
Broad-minded maker. Walker 's interests
range from on e-of-a-kind furn iture and
handmade planes to production wo rk like
the tab le he's assembling above, its stee l top
cut out by compute r-co ntrolled lasers.
Finesse from a factory. Walker's steel and
mapl e table, whose parts are made entirely
by ma chin e, go es from raw materials to
UPSbo x in a day.
J U N E / J U L Y 1 99 7 61
Triangle CutoutsEnhance Vast, Flat Surfaces
B Y J O SE REGUEIRO
Massive delicacy. The visual impact of an
otherwise austere sideb oard is lessened and
comp lem ented by simp le detai ls in the doors,
a thin, ta pered to p, and cont rasting woods .
C oncrete , stone, glass, polyester,stee l- I've designed furniture made ofall these materials , but I sta rted out,twen ty years ago, by making furnitureout of solid wood. The words used todescribe wood aren't usu ally sha redwith these othe r materials. How oftenhave you heard someone talk aboutthe warm beauty of polyeste r? For me ,the attraction of so me of the nontraditional furniture materials is in theirmass and texture.
When I designed this sideboard , Iwa nted to combine a stark , planarform, rem iniscent of so me of my workin concrete and stone, with- I hate tosay it for fea r of so unding trite-thebeau ty of so lid wood. But more than
Stark, massive, and textural. These qualities
also appear in the author's furniture made from
nontraditional materials likeconcrete and stone.
that, I want ed to pu sh the traditi ons ofwood furniture and play with pe ople 'sprecon ceptions of what it sho uld look
like. Most people expect delicacy andrefinement in wood furniture , not unad orned hard edges and vast, flat sur faces. But, in this sideboard , I wantedto combine a bold , stark form withso me simple and elegant details.
In the back of my mind, I imagine dthat the sideboard 's case should bemad e of wide , unembellished boards ,mitered at the co rners to give the piecea massive presence. The details to enhance the sideboard would come fromthe doors, and they would evolve laterin the process.
I design ed and built the ca rcase ofthe sideboard before I kn ew what Iwas going to do with the top and withthe doors. Although building part o f a
62 HOME F U R N ITU R E Photos, Dirk Bakker
piece of furnitu re before the rest iseve n design ed might seem like an arbitrary and possibly naive way to go, itoften works well fo r me to first buildthe basic shape and then finish theembellishments after I get a fee l forthe full-size form. I call the processfreesty le design ing.
I'd made a sketc h of the sideboardusing my favori te draw ing too ls: a Bicba llpoint and some co lored mark ers(see drawing below righ t). I d rew thebasic sha pe of the case, ge tting theproport ions right for the stiles, railsand sides. In this first ske tch, I drewlou vered doors becau se I knew I wanted air to be able to flow freely in andout of the case to take advantage of thewo nderful aroma of the cedar ofLeb anon . Altho ugh the effec t might beminimal , I thought that a ventilatedcase wo uld help balan ce the temperature and hu midi ty on both sides of thewide planks that made up the sidesand bottom of the piece (see the side ba r on the following page for more onwood movement).
The louvered do o rs in my originalsketch weren' t q uite right; they detracted from the large surfaces of theother sides. The small pieces of woodthat wo uld have made up the louvers
Duplicating an angle. The angle of the
triangular cutouts in the frame-and-panel doors
is the same as the bevel at each end of the top .
A bank of doors, hinged top and bottom to
the rails, requires no stiles between the doors,
and adds to the clean look of the piece .
DESIGN, BUILD, THEN DESIGN SOME MORE
The author designed and built th e carcase of his sideboardbefore he had decided on th e design for the doors. Louversweren 't right, but he kn ew he wanted doors that wouldventilate th e case. After numerous sketches he decided ondoors wi th triangular cutouts in the pa nels.
Drawings th is p~lgl' : Jo~e Regue!ro J U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 7 63
Keep the Top Flat andAllow for Wood Movement
-jose Regueiro
Notches in each end of the battens
case. A single screw holds the
batten to the top and helps prevent
the top from cupping. Unlike
gluing the top to the battens, or
attaching it in more than one
location, a single screw will allow
the top to expand and contract
across its width.
There is a Y.-inch gap between
each end of the notched batten and
its corresponding cleat. The gap
allows for expansion and contraction
across the width of the top. As an
added benefit, the battens and
cleats will give extra support to the
top should something heavy be set
on the piece.
are held captive in cleats attached
to the front and back rails of the
~Ie-:
Y. -in. gaps for rcontrac.tion and ~expans ion
The edges of my sideboard's top
are attached to the case with biscuits.
out as the wood wants with only
slight, unnoticeable movement.
I attached three float ing battens
to the underside of the top, spaced
evenly along the top's length.
The biscuits hold the perimeter of the
top in place and keep it flush with the
front and back of the case. The top
and sides will move equally because
the wood grain runs in the same
direction. The case can move in and
The top on my sideboard is made
from one large 17-inch wide plank.
When you work with wood this
wide, there's always the risk of it
cupping, and it can check if it is not
allowed to move as temperature
and humidity change throughout
the seasons.
held them in place on the case. I co uldsee that the cutouts not o nly allowedfor air flow, but they also p rovided astriking visual counte rpo int to the case.
After the door desi gn was workedout. the shape of the top followed naturally. Like the doors, the edges of thetop are flush with the front and theback of the case . Th e be vels at eac he nd of the top follow the sa me ang leas the cut-out trian gles and add abuoyancy to the piece.
The triangle-cut out door panels andthe simple be ve l of the top add aligh tness to the sideboard that ot herwise might appear as o nly a lon g. lowbox. inte resting in for m. bu t lackingin elega nce. •
Flat panels keep it simple. Rather than a
raised field for the panels on the back of the
sideboard, the author used flat panels to
complement the other flat surfaces.
77wcarcase of the sideboard is Englisll
brown chestnut, and the do ors are made of
cedarofLebanon. 77wblue, cast-stoneware
knobs arefrom a line of'trardu-are
designed and manufactured by the author:
looked out of sca le and o ut of p laceon a sideboard tha t was o the rw isemade of large pieces of flat wood.
After several sketches of d iffere ntdoor patte rns (see drawings on previous page), I came up with a design forframe-and- pa ne l doors with triangu larslots cut from each pan el. I drew thetrian gle-cutout doors full-size on apiece of plywood, remarkably similarin co lor to the ceda r. cut them out and
64 H O M E F U RN ITU RE Dr aw ings thi s page: Boh LaPoi nte
Starting fromthe Simplest Chair
Mc A R T H U R
SMALL CURVE ELEVATES
A STANDARD LEG JOINT
The mitered curveflowing from seatrail to front leg isborrowed fro m theEng lish furnitu redesig ner EdwardBarnsley. The 45 °miter at th e bottomof th e leg jointreduces sho rt -g rainproblems andma kes a strongervisual ma rr iage ofthe two par ts.
The strength of this chair seems to stem from
st raight lines. Anoth er look reveals a deeper
strengt h: every surface ismod estly curved .
BY WILLIA M
771is chair is / 7 ill. wide, / 7 ill. deep and36 \I,
ill. high. It is m ade ofEnglish etm totth a seal
ofuiooen colto n, a nd tsftnished with shellac'
t; fairly simple side cha ir startedout life as an even simpler o ne . As I began designing it, I had little idea what Iwanted it to look like , so as a startingpoint I made a full-scale drawing of agene ric side chair devo id of detail. Iused basic data about chair co mfort toes tablish the principal dimensions ofmy generic chair-seat height, width,depth and the angl e of the back to theseat. Then I set ab out adding details tocome up with a design that pleased me.
One of the key areas to wo rk out wasthe back. At first I thou ght I'd have fourspindles between the ba ck posts. Thatlook ed OK in my first draw ings. Butthen I made a pl ywood mock-up ofthe chair. The mock-up was stro nge no ugh to sit in and revealed se veralproblems in co mfort that I adjusted for.It also revealed tha t with fou r spindlesthe bac k loo ked like the door to aprison cel l. I did some new spind lesketches and mocked up a number ofthem, eventually settling on this ve rsio n. With its wide, pierced ce ntersplat it is a comfortable cross be tweenthree spindles and four.
I knew from the start I wanted backposts that splayed outward at the top.This was part ly for aesthetic reasons,but it also just loo ks more co mfortableto me. Maybe that is becau se it seemsmore in line with what the human bod ydocs : it wid en s at the sho ulde rs. •
PIHlh ): Seth J lJ1oL'i ky; draw in g...; B()h Lal' o iut c IU N E / J UL Y 1 9 97 65
Fine Furniture300 Years in the MakingEver since colonialcabinetmakersplanted the seed,furniture makinghas flourishedin Philadelphia
BY M A R K GA L L IN I
k evin Arnold 's chisel eases a sliverof mahogany from the crown of an18th-century sec retary he is reproducing. The sho p, Kinloch Woodworking,is so qui et at this mom ent and the unfinished piece stand ing next to Arno ldso state ly that yo u alm ost for get yo uare still in the 20th ce ntury. Philad elphia. the fifth largest city in Ame ricaand less than an hour by ca r, seemsmuch farthe r away.
Meanwhile, in the city, Michae l Hurwitz is ma king ad justments on a different kind of desk , this one very much ofthe p resent. The curly as h piece withmarb le inla y gliste ns in its Jap an esecas hew finish. Its man y histor ic influ e nces are subtle ye t sy nthesized sothat the effect is as fres h as the finish .
Kinloch 's impeccabl e reproductions
and the decidedl y conte mporary wor kof Hurwitz represent the diversity andvibrancy of tod ay's Philadelphia furni ture makers , working 300 yea rs afte rthe co lonial cabine tmakers planted theseeds o f their craft. From the finest examples o f 18th-century rococo to theind ividualistic, studio-built furnit ure ofthe 1990s there has been an unbrokentradition o f design and craftsmanshipand the market to support it.
WITH WEALTH CAME SKILLIt was the growing economic power ofPhilad elphia in the 1700s that attracteda concentration of skill ed Europeanfurniture mak ers. Th e city grew conspicuo us ly wealthy during the 18thce ntury and the visual restraint of theQuakers yielde d to an almost decad ent
66 HOME F U RNITU R E Photo this page ami top photo facing page:j onalhan BinzL'11
Young hands keep a Philadelphia tradition
alive . Furniture makers such as Kendi Monn
(left) and Gerald Mart in (above) at Irion
Company feed a hungerfor handmade, one-of
a-kind reproductions of 18th-cen tu ry classics.
rococo style. Thi s o rna te , refin ed"Philade lphia style" se t the standard forfamili es of means eager to broadcasttheir status in a what was a co lonialand briefly a national-capital.
Those 18th-century glory days linger
on today in the accumulation of buildings and antiques that survive and , significantly, in the appreciat ion for finefurnit ure among the buying public.Long ago the hunger for antiques inthis tradition-bound place ou tstrippedthe supply of hei rlooms, creating abrisk trade in reproductions. The oldworld craft that helped sett le the regionth ree centuries ago is still very muchalive in the shops of young cabinetmakers feeding the demand for highstyle, one-of-a-kind reproduction s.
"William Penn , he wasn 't buying antiques. He was having the stuff madeand made right," says Kendi Monn ofIrio n Company in Christiana, a smalltown in Lancaster County about anhour from Philadelphia . "Fortunate lyour clients look at it the same way."
Irion is the largest custo m sho p inthe nation building prec ise replicas of18th-century gems, o ne commissionat a time. The company has IS cabinetmakers-almost all of them are under 40- and a backl og that str etch esmore than a year. Inside Irion's bri ckshop that used to house a hardwaresto re, a visito r mu st weave through amaze o f in- progress work: a walnut
Philadelphia highboy; a Massach usettssecre ta ry; a half-dozen clocks; som ebeds and chairs.
Half of Irion 's customers come fromthe region and many are bu ying theirfirst piece of custo m-made furniture(usually a bed). Deal ers refer o thersw ho cannot find the antique thatthey want . Occasionally, Monn says, acusto mer has othe r needs. "A guy willsay, 'I inh erit ed thi s cha ir. It's wortha fortune. I want to sell it, but my fam ily will be furious with me if Ido. Please make me a copy so theywon 't know."
Down the road from Irion, closer tothe city, Kinloch Woodworking sitsamid ston e houses and gent leme n'Sfarms in the quiet Chester County townof Unionville. Kinloch cate rs to thesame clientele and operates mu ch asan 18th-century sho p would have-bybuilding one-of-a-kind pieces fo r indi vidual clients on a commissio n basis."\XTe 're the descendant s of the cabine tmakers who are building for the descendants of the people who orderedthis furnitur e 250 yea rs ago," says DougMooberry, the propriet or o f Kinloch ."Our clients don't have to have new,
"Cheap real estate is an important part of
the equation," says Michael Hurwitz, who
mov ed to Philad elph ia in the 197 0s to set up
his home and shop in the center of the city.
Lo w er len pho to : Suzanne Roman; low er right pho to : Mark Gallini JUNE /JU LY 1 9 9 7 67
they don't have to have antiques , theyjust have to have great stuff."
RESEEDING THE CRAFTIN THE 20TH CENTURYReproduction furniture is only a part ofthe Philadelphia sto ry. Lea ving Ches terCounty and heading ba ck to the city, adetour through Paoli would take you toa different sort o f stone hou se-theWharton Eshe rick studio , a fantasy ofstone , wood an d tinted stucco. Keepheading north east, through Philadelphiaand up the Delaware River to the formerartist co lony of lew Hope , and you' llfind yet anoth er unusual sto ne hou sebac k in the woods-the workshop ofGeo rge Nakashima. These are the llOUSes of the forefathers of the craft furnituremovement of the 1950s and 60s.
Wharton Eshe rick, born in 1887, was apaint er and sculptor by training but it isas a furniture maker-and for the handmade home he built-that he is best remembered. By the time he died in 1970,Esherick's organic, sculptural forms hadattracted many to the craft, people whosaw an ex press ive side to furn itu remaking. "For me it wasn't so much thepieces themselves," says Michael Hurwitz. "It was a case wh ere o nce in agreat while som eon e co mes along and
Wharton Esherick ins pired a gene rat ion of
artisans with his sculptu ral, imagin at ive
furn iture forms. His hom e and studio in Paoli,
Pennsy lvania, is now a mu seum.
reveals a completely different ap proachto the work. ' Hurwitz reca lls seeing"one piece in particu lar, a dining roomset and the chairs were stre tched with arawhide seat. The proportions are so elega nt and the mate rials are cavemanmaterials. I liked that sensibi lity."
George Nakashima , who built a stu-
dio in New Hope afte r Worl d War II,b rou ght an other singular approach tohis work. Nakas hima's contributio nwas his almost religiou s insisten ce onreverence for the material. "A lot ofw hat he d id was presentat ion of theglory of nature ," says Hurwi tz, "and tha twas co ming from a differen t place tha nother furn iture ma kers of the time."
If Eshe rick and Nakashima, who diedin 1990, awoke people to the craft, itwas Dan Jackson wh o helped bringthem to Philad elphia and put theirhan ds to it. Jackson trained as a furnitu re maker in the United States andScandinav ia and helped start the furniture design program at the PhiladelphiaCollege of Art, o ne of the many craftsprograms that sprouted in the 1960s.Jackso n 's reputation drew othe rs. "Hecharged up a lot of people with thepossibilities of the mediu m," says NedCooke, professor of art history at Yale.
A CITY IS CHANGED,BUT A CRAFT CONTINU ESWha t yo ung furniture makers found inthel960s and 1970s was a city in decline, losing population and ind ustrythe opposite env ironment tha t hadgreeted co lonial cabinetmakers. Bleakas this may have seemed , it waspromising te rrain for someone lookingto set up sho p. Philad elphia e ncompassed a large and appreciat ive market,and it was affordable. "Cheap rea l es tate is an important part of the equation ," says Hu rwitz, whose shop andhome are in a 19th -century row o fwa re ho uses, factor ies and, lately, residences. " It may have helped a criticalmass of furniture makers to develop."
Helping to sha pe that critica l masswas the Rich ard Kagan Gallery, the natio n's first ga llery dedicated to studiobuilt furniture. Kagan 's ga llery, though
Georg e Nakashima was one of t he
forefathe rs of craft furniture . His organic
furniture is stillmanufactured under the
direction of his daughter, Mira. The shop and
studio (left) are in New Hope, Pennsylvania .
Top photo: Charles ~1iI1L'r :
lo w er len p hoto: \ 'inn'lll Laurence
no longer o pe n, introduced the publi cto Wendell Cas tle , Sam Maloo f an dothe rs, now the giants of the field.
The cur re nt magn et for co nte mporary wood worke rs is an o ld brick factor y bu ild ing in Fishtown, In thissc rappy, blue -coll ar neigh bo rhood ,there is a cooperative sho p in which asman y as 16 people toil away o n anygiven da y. Alongside them are Bob Ingram and Ja ck Larimore , wh o own thesho p and have becom e fixtures in thePhilad elphia furniture co mmunity.
Ingram 's playful , limited -editionpieces are far different from Larim ore 'so ne-of-a-kind , sculpt ural objects , butthe two men sha re a mission . "BothJack and I come from the Midwest," Ingram says. "\'(fe' ve got that son of pioneering attitude o f helping everyo neas o pposed to just working for individual ga in." Doz ens o f as piring furnituremakers have co me through the ir sho pove r the past 15 years. "We sharedfro m the beg inning an interest in developing the community and the realization that critica l mass is importa nt toind ividual growth," Larim ore says.
The fruit o f that effort , in many ways,has been the Philadelphia FurnitureShow. Organize d by Ingram and anothe r furniture maker,Josh Markel, theannual sho w attracts 10,000 peopleover thre e days. "If 10 o r 20 years agosomeone said such a thing co uld ex ist,I wou ld have sa id they were out o ftheir minds," says the fanner galle ry
A cooperative shop in downtown
Philadelphia is a nerve center for the region's
artisans. Jack Larimore, one of the owners,
(above) and Jane Swanson are among several
furn iture makers in the shop.
owner Richard Kagan .Abo ut a third o f the show's 200 ex
hibitors co me from the Philadelphiaregion, a testam ent to what Ned Coo keca lls "the accumulated skill level " ofmore than 300 years of furniture making. The o riginal seeds planted byco lonial cabine tma ke rs not o nly tookhold in the soil , they thrived in it. •
The Philadelphia style, circa 1997. Bob
Ingram (above) is one of the founders of the
Philade lphia Furniture Show. His settee (left) is
one example of the contemporary furniture
being made in the city today.
To p and midd le pho tos:Suza nne Roman: bot tom photo.j.u-k Ram-da le J U N E / J U L Y 1997 69
.finefurnituretimbers
The place is on a hill in so uthe rnRhode Island and we always ca lled itTomcats. I remember it well because itwas a grea t place to roa m am ongpaths that twisted aro und old hickoriesand oa ks and over aba ndone d sto newa lls. In autumn, we knew where thewild pears grew and lost no time inenjoying their deliciousn ess. I didn 'tknow the sc ient ific nam e for the tree ,o r that the species was not nat ive tothe New World. Sitting under a peartree in the warmth of a late fall sun, itdidn't reall y matter.
It was years later before I learnedthat tne descendants o f the commonpear tree provide not only delectabl efruit but also a remarkable wood. Ican 't reca ll anothe r species whe re thereports of the wood's cha rac te risticsare so overwhe lmingly gene ro us: onefurniture mak er ca lled pear "a dreamwood." A pa ramo unt feature ofpearwood is its luxuri ous pinkishco lo r. Creators of ma rq ue try havelong used pearwood to depict humanflesh. A friend recent ly acquired a
BY JAMES H. FLYNN
Luscious Pink Pear
Pear blossom time. The pure-white flowers of the pea r tree usually appear in early May, just
ahead of the pinkish-white blossoms produced by its nea r relative, the apple .
billet of pearwood from Alaba ma inan ex treme ly brilliant shade of red. Ashe was turning it on his lathe, theo nly way he co uld describe it was"Iusciou sly sensua l."
Pearwood 's tiny pores and faint raysgive it an extremely fine and eve n
Domestic or import. Cut a local pear tree and
you'll probab ly get narrow boards with wide
variations in co lor (lower board). For cleare r
wood with a deeper, more even tone, buy
steamed European pearwood (top board).
texture. It carves and shapesbeautifully, and can be planed in eitherdirection with little tearout. The woodaccepts a fine finish and polis h.
The pear is so important a stap le inour fruit diet that thou sands ofvarieties have been developed overthe ages. The lineage of the species,known as Pyrus com munis, can betraced to Europe, western Asia, theHimalayas and China. Generally, theleaves are alte rnate and deciduou s;rath er long with a sha rp pai nted tipand a ro unde d base.
The cultivated pear tree is usually
70 HOME FU RN ITURE Phot o: Sco tt Philli ps; draw ings: Michad Rothman
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JUNE /JULY 199 7 7 1
• fine furniture timbers (continued)
severely pruned to keep the fruit at area chable height. These shorter,squatter trees, with their manybran ches for bearing fruit, will rarelyyield boards that are long, wide andclear. Larger trees, up to 60 feet ormor e, may be found along roadsidesand in abandoned farm lands. Theseare more likely so urces of pearwoodfor furniture making.
Centuries ago, craftsmen often usedonly material from their immediatevicin ity, so it is not difficult to findexamples of o ld pearwood furnituremade in Europe, where pears stillthrive to perfe ction. Today, pearwoodcan be found at hardwood dealers atprices from $10 to S16 per board foot,though it's difficu lt to find largequantities of pear with uniform colo rand grain patterns. Most of the wood
Back to nature. In areaswh ere pear orchards
have been tended for centuries, some trees
escapecult ivation and become naturalized,
reaching heights of 60 feet or more.
so ld in the u.s. is from Europe, and issometimes called Swiss pearwoocl,eve n though more of it co mes fromFran ce or Germany. This wood isoften steamed, in a pro cess thatintroduces moisture into the seasoningvats to homogenize and enhance thedepth of the pinkish co lor.
Besides furn iture making, pearwoodis used for measuring instruments likeT squares and rulers , turn ery,sculpture and musi cal instrumentssuch as lutes. Somewhere out in agreat musi c hall or in a lonesomecafe, someone may be playing aRussian ba lalaika I once made withpearwood. I hope that it is still ringingout "Lara's Theme."James H. Flynn is an Associate Editor of
Wo rld of Wood, the journ al of the Interna
tio na l Wood Coll ectors Society.
High qua lity woodworking supplies and tools are easy tofind in the Ga rrett Wade Catalog. We have everything fromtraditional old-style hand planes and saws to the very latestin modern power rools.Aswell as solid brasshardware, old worldvarnishes, stains, oilsand much more.
For a Free Catalogsend us a post cardor lett er with yourname and add ress tothe address belowor call Toll Free:
GarrettWade Co.161 6th. AvenueDept. 1114NY, NY 10013
800-221-2942800-566-9525 -fax
READER SERVICE NO. 62
72 HO M E FUR NIT U R E
Protect Your Back IssuesSLIPCASES FOR HOME FURNITURE.Bound in dark green and embossed in gold,each case holds at least 8 issues of HomeFurniture (two year's worth), and costs $8.95($24.95 for 3, $45.95 for 6). Add $1.50 percase for postage and handling; outside theUnited States, add $3.50 each (U.S. fund sonly). PA residents add 7% sales tax. Sendyour ord er and payment to the address below,or call toll free, 1-800-825-6690, and use yourcredit card (minimum $15).JesseJones Ind., Dept. 95 HF, 499 E. ErieAve., Phi ladelphia, PA 19134 (No P.O. boxes,please).
Let's face it, using the right tool canmean the differen ce between successand frustration. Using the right screwcan mean the difference between gettingit togeth er, and gett ing a broken screwextractor. So use the screws designedfor woodworking, or give us a call whenyou need that broken screw extractor.
READER SERVICE NO.1 39
READER SERVICENO. 702
Te l: 20 1·478·7070Fax : 20 1-478-2 106
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READER SERVICENO.8
READER SERVICENO . 32
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"Fine Wo o dworki n g" a nd"Fine Hom e bu ild ing "Vid e o s $ 16 ea!Handplanes in W oodshop • Ro uterJoinery - Repair Furniture - Masterin gMachines - Mas teri ng Band Saw Refini shing Furniture >Ro uter Jigs andTech . • Bow l Turning - Radial AnnSaw Joinery - Turning Projects - Make aShaker Table • Turning W ood · Mortise& Tenon Joints - C hip Carving -MakingBoxes > Carv ing Techniques · Installin gKitchen Cab inets & Countertops •W dfini shing (O<, "'",Y) • Dovetail Drawer Sm Shop Tip >Sam Maloof' - Table Saw• Fin ishing with Frank Klausz • FramingFloors • Tiling Countertops • Tiling Walls• Tiling Floors • Framing Roofs >FramingWalls · Basic Stairblding • Buildin g Decks• Build Kitchen Cabinets - Instal lTrim •La ying Hardwood Floors • Sand &FinishFloors · Installing Doors & Windows >
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Applyin g Top C oa ts $ 16Spec ial : Book and 2 Videos on
Finishes by Jewitt $47Th e Shaper Book (Bird) S 18Built In Furniture (T olpin) S3 2Timber Frame HomeR" EJ",nn (Benson)S32Best of F ine Woodworki ng Books :1. More Finishes & Finishing Tech. S12:2 . Bed s and Bedroom F urnit ure S 12
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INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
737717
9153
16
7
76
1917
1371
7977191912
771611
8 111. 71.87
7715
1377HI
1919
37921
972
Qu a lity Va kuu m ProductsMason Rap ap ort Fine Furni tur eFrank Rhod es
William Robbins Fur ni turem akerSafrane k Enterprises , Inc.San dy Po nd Hard woods
Seabury Distr ib utorsSteven Siegel Wood working
G].W. Spy kma n Cab ine tmake rSI. j a mes Bay To o l Co m pany
Ste rling Po nd Hard wo o dsHaro ld W. Stev e nsonTRG Pro ducts
Target Enterp ri ses
Taun to n Press
The To ol Chest
The Trebuche t works hopTreebeard Designs, Inc.
Tro pical Exo tic Hard wo odsTuckawa y T imber Co m pa ny
Pet er S. Tu rne rUncomin WoodworksVacuum Pressing System
Van Dyke 's Restore rsR. Dam ia n Velasq uezWG BGlass
Ga rrett Wad e Co m panyWallacc & HinzDavid War ren Direct
Gary Weeks WoodworkingWhitec hapel Ltd .R.S.WilkinsonWood Classi csWood Fas hio ns. Inc.Woo d-Mize r
772
87
1716
797717
73
1321
72II21
IS17
71
87
12t57919Hi77797987
381
8171
168 12181
Lavinia Int eri ors
Le igh Industrie sLie-Nielse n To ol worksLind Woodworking
Russ Loomis
MEG ProductsMacBeath Hardwood Co mpany
Man hatta n Cab ine tryManny's Wo od worke r's Place
M.T. Maxw ell Furniture Co mpa nyJohn McAlevey
Mc Feel y Square Dr iveMercury Vacuu m Presses
Mykl Messe r Design s
Mar io Messin a Design e r Craftsma nMission Sp irit
Misugi Design s
Mitch ell Graphics
Mod ern PostcardM on tap crt o Uti.
W. Moore Profiles, lTDGeorge Nakas hima Woodworker sNo rman' s ReproductionsNo rth Star LumberNo rthwest Timber
Oa kwood Ve neer Co.O ld Village PaintO ne ida Air Syste ms, Inc.Paxton Hardware Co mpa nyH. H. Perkins Co mpanyPhant om Eng ineeri ng
Robe rt Phipps Cabine tmakerPoot atu ck Co rp o ratio n
jim ProbstProfessional Di scount Hardw are
772121
91612
2
19
79157777
77792116
38 1
27781
77976
753, 7, 9
975IS1381
781
7,8776
Dimestore Cowboy
Thorn Duprex
Charles Durfee Cab ine tmake rChris Elke r Crafts man HardwareFirelight WoodworksFurni tu re Designs
Th e Furn iture Soc ietyDave Gadd isGilmer Wood Co mpany
Mich ael GloorGoby's Walnut Wo od Products
Th omas Gold ing Carving Schoo lGo ugeo n Brother s Inc.
Groff & Hearn e Lumb er , Inc.She rwood HamillHoward Hatch Furniture
Hearn e Hardwoods, Inc
Heu er Woods
Highl and Hard wareHomest ead Fin ish ing Products
Homestea d Hard woo dHort on BrassesHut pro ductsImport ed European Hard wareInca Co rpo ratio n
Incra RulesTh e Jap an Woodworke rAnd ers Jensen DesignJonah 's Cabine t Sho pAnthony KahnKarda e Supp ly Co.
Ke lle r Syste msKwi ck Klee nLag una To o ls
Peter Lang Lum ber
131517
798 1
79
913131373
281
7979132
77211315778116
99
81
17
31781
19, 79
797577
Ben Ad rian ce Cab inetma ke rAfte rmath Furni ture
George AinleyAirware Amer icaAlva HardwoodsAmBel Co rp.Am er ican Fu rn itu re Designs
Th e Amish Wo rksh opsGreg Arceneaux Cab inetma kerAfte rmath Furn iture
Bar-MaidBarr Specialty To olsBig Tree Tools , Inc.
Blue Ox HardwoodsBrand New
J- Brubaker Wo odworkingLarry & Faye Brus so Co., Inc.
Burak FurnitureByer Woodworking & Co m panyBernie Cam pbe l l Furni ture
Carving Work sh op of Jim G rayCerta inly WoodChes tnut WoodworkingG. K Clide nceMau rice L. Co ndon Co., Inc.
Co nover Lathe
Co nover \'(lorkshopsCot.swold Furn iture .\ fa ke rsThe CraftsmanCrea tive DesignsCrown City Hard w are Co.
Robert Dalrym p leJ-B. Dawn Pro du cts , Inc.Delphi Stained GlassDiefe nb ach Benche s
JUNE /JUL Y 1 997 73
.materials
"Glass is a ne ce ssary evi l." At leastthat 's w hat Jeff Greef, a se asonedwoodworker , says. "If it wasn 't forthe fact that glass is clear , wewouldn't use it at all." Yes , when yo uwant to show off a well-c rafted tabl ebase, or let light th rough a ca b inetdoor, glass is necessary. But it doesn 'thave to be ev il. Gra nted, glass is afrag ile material. But knowing a littleabout it-types and thicknesses,how to ge t a good cut, how tominimize breakage-can mak e yourdealings with the stuff go, well, assmooth as glass .
The two most common types ofglass use d for furnitu re are plate andtempered. Plate glass is regu lar sheetglass. Altho ug h its three co mmo nthicknesses are sing le-stre ng th ( Y16
inc h), do ub le-strength (Y8-inch) andquarter-inch , it is ava ilab le in grea te rthicknesses. Tempered glass is glassthat has been stre ng thened th rough aprocess of reheating and quickcooling . This process builds extre mestress into the glass so that w he n hit, itsha tters into sma ll and re lative lyharmless pieces. Once glass has beentempered, it cannot be recut withoutbreaking. Its special nature requiresthat it is made to order. Your local glassshop can assist yo u with both kinds .
The answer to w hich kin d o f glassto use can be found in yourapplication. For obvious reaso ns,tabletop glass needs to haveconsiderable strength. Althoug h bothquarter-inch plate (or thicker) andtempered glass can to p off a tabl e ,tempered p rovides the most safety.But safety doesn't come cheap.According to Mason Rapaport, awoodworker who has designed and
Cracking Glass
co nstruc ted his share o f glass- to ptabl es (see "Curved Legs for a CoffeeTabl e ," HF #6, Spring 1996), temperedglass is not the best buy. Priced ataro und $6.25 a squa re foo t, temperedglass costs approximately $2 a squa refoo t more than qu arte r-inch plate .Rap ap ort finds YJ-inch plate to be asuitab le alte rna tive . If yo u have smallchildre n around the house , however ,the ex tra ex pense o f tempered glassmay seem like a ba rgain in exchangefor its added security.
If yo ur design ca lls for cabine tdoors, turn exclusive ly to plate glass .Jeff Greef, author of Display CabinetsYou Ca n Custom ize (Betterway, 1995),recommends "do uble-strength platew he re grea te r stre ng th is needed. The
BY )ENN\FER MATLACK
light and eerie. Glass ca binet
doors and "levitati ng" V,-inch
plate she lves help to co nvey a
feeling of airy lightness in this
con temporary china ca binet by
Michael Gloor.
larger the p iece of glass, the morestre ng th needed." He adds that he"wo uld not use single-strength largerthan two feet sq uare." Keep in mindthat the thicke r the glass , the higherthe pr ice . Expect to pay ab out $2 asqua re foo t for single-strength plateand $2.50 fo r dou ble-strength. Andremember that thicker glass meansheavie r glass . The weight of a glasspan el on a door's frame and hinges iscruc ial. If the glass is too heavy, doorswill suffer and eventua lly sag.
Becau se shelves have to holdweight , they require th icke r glass. Forabout $4.25 a square foot , quarterinch plate will p rovide the strengthneeded and peace of mind.
Afte r you decide on which kind o f
74 HOME FURNITURE Phot os thi s page: Ken Ambrose; phOIOon p. 76:Jennifer xia tlack
/3030 CeriseAl'efl lle. /lanl/lOrne. G~\ 00250:/1G-(i7(i.()070 Fax 3 /0-676-0330
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INCA's robotic machines which servethe home entertainment industry, feature rack and pinion drives made fromadvanced materials, provide whisperquiet precision controlled motion.Custom machines built within a week.The INCA family of products include:
yearsofswordmakingtradition, ourchiselmakers
pride themselveson making onlythe best. Fora
two-yearsubscriptionto our
catalog with thelargest selection
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tools reflectingthis age-oldpride
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-Entry Doorsand Sidelights-KitchenCabinet Inserts-T iff any StyleLampshades
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Our hugeselection ofJapanesechiselswilltake a sharperedge and hold itlongerthan anyother chisel in theworld. Period.Theyareavailable for usewith theheaviest ofhammers or themost delicateofcuts. Backed byover 1000
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The perfect way togetstarted in stained glass. Our30 minute videocovers all the basics. Filled withclear, simple instructions, hints, close-ups, andexamples to helpyoucraft yourown stained glasswindows, lamps, and more. Package includesvideo, written instructions, plus a 100 page colorsupplycatalog. Money back guarantee.#6149AM...510.95+ 53.00shipping/handling
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wood suppl y store, home center oroth er outlet where furniture
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J U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 7 75
rna erial (((((Ol/!obi1looljfJ'~ff))
glass and thickness to use , a good cutcomes next. If yo ur glass is a simplegeometric shape, ca ll yo ur local glassshop with its measurements. "Alwaysorde r the glass just sma ller tha n thehole it will fit in," adv ises Greef,"because yo u ca n' t trim the edges ofglass with a block plan e ." If yo ur glassis oddly shaped, make a template outof a sturdy material such as thinplywood , Masonite o r particleboardand take it to the glass sho p .
If you don 't sp ecify what kind ofedge you want , yo u' ll most likely ge ta flat polished edge. While there 'susually no extra cha rge for the flatedge . a different edge treatm ent suchas prism, beveled, pencil o r bullnosebeveled will cost more (see /-IF #6, p.109). And any kind of edge work ontem pered glass will inc rease yo ur
cost. Prices vary depending on thetyp e and thickness of glass used aswell as the kind of edge.
When yo u work with glass,rem embering the obvious means alot: "Glass," says Gree f, "differs fromwood in how forgiving it is. It isn 't.Strike it hard e no ug h and it breaks."If yo u need to tran sp ort a pie ce offurn iture with glass , take the glassout befo re you move it. Construct abox out of plywood and place theglass inside padded with bla nkets oneach of its sides. If you need to shipglass , Greef recommends writing"CAREFUL- GLASS INSIDE" onthe outside in hopes that handlerswill take care. It's also wise to insurethe shipme nt.Jennifer Matlack is th e editorial assistant
at Home Furniture.
Taking the edge off. An uprigh t sander in a
glass shop can round the edges of glass or
shave away a sixteenth of an inch.
VIDEOLearn how to veneer , bend ,an d clamp wit h VAKuum .
Basic to advanced techniquesdemons trat ed . On sp ecialfor only 519.95. reg . 534.
for a free brochure, 10 p urcha seth e vid eo, and for more info rm at ion .
Make fine curved furniture & cabinets quickly and easily with aVacuum Pressing System from Quality VAKuum Products. Pro
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"Live-edge" pieces, spatted wood, hurl , turning spindles .. .Large seque ntia l sla bs fro m 3" to 8" th ick ; T to 20' lon g
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76 HOM E FUR NI T U R E
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For complete booklet on all E.C.E tools & theiruse and care, write: David Warren Direct ,PO Box 542, Crysta l Lake, IL60039Dealers Invited. Spec ial discounts to schools.
Over 20 Years Expetience with Tige r & Bird's-eye MapleCH RIS & SANDY POND
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JUN E /JU LY 1 997 77
t '
Home Furniture prints the addresses and telephone numbers of theauthors featuredin each issue, unless the author requests that theybe omitted.
JERE OSGOOD(right) has been a furnitu redesign er and craftsmansince 1957, and altho ug h hehas acquired a grea t deal oftec hnical skill, it is as a designer that he is bestknown. His work has beenpurchased by public co llection s including the Muse um of Fine Arts in Bostonand he was recently nameda Fellow by the AmericanCraft Council. Osgoodgrew up on Staten Island,New York, and studied architecture at the Universityof Illinois. He studied furniture making at theRochester Institute of Tech no logy and in Denmark,and he directed the Program in Artisanry at BostonUniversity. He now tea ch essho rt co urses aro und theco untry, in add ition tomaking furniture in his studio (626 Abbo t Hill Rd.,Wilton, NH 03086). "\VhatMakes a Seat Sta nd Up toAbuse?"on p. 36.
TIMOTHY CLARKsplits his time makin g furniture, building boats andteaching woodworking toadults and children.Stude nts wh o take classesin his o ne-man sho p learnto build everything fromWindsor chairs and ultralight ca noes to simple pin ebench es. Clark has designed several co ntempo rary Windsor chairs androckers, as well as the CodRib 12, a 22-po und, oneperson ca noe, available inkits (The Wood Sch ool , 53Sears Lane, Burlington, VT05401; 802-864 -4454). '/1
Cradle that SWings Highand Low "on p. 30.
DAVID FAYbegan his education inhandmade thin gs on a tripthrough Asia, wh ere he became fascinated withwooden archit ecture . Henoticed that in most American buildings , "all the craftwas covered up, but inAsian architec ture the waya bui lding looks is often aclea r description of the wayit was built." He came backhom e and built co nvention al hou ses and then timber-fram e struc tures beforego ing into business as acusto m furniture maker(4115 Webster St., Oakland,CA 94609 ; 510-601-5456)."Comp uter PhotographBrings Lamp to Life"on p. 54.
HENRY FOXbuilds co nte mporary furniture insp ired by the architecture and land scape ofcoastal New Eng land. Foxdiscovered furn iture aftercoaching crew teams andbuilding rowing she lls,which he calls "floating furniture 60 feet lon g." For thelast 12 years he has beenmaking furniture in Newburyport on the NorthShore of Boston (FoxFurniture Studio , 39 Libert ySt., Newburypo rt, MA01950; 508-462-7726)."Bold Color and GeometryExpand a Table 'sHoriz ons"on p. 28.
MARK GALLINIis a freelance writer andgraphic design er wh o livesand works in Philadelphia.A co ntributor to WHYY,Philad elphia's public radiostation , Gallini also hasex pe rience in the buildingtrades. He has worked as acabinetmaker and ca rpe nter , building furn iture anddoing new construc tionand restoration , includingthe reconstruction of hishome and studio in CenterCity. Originally from Massachuse tts, Gallini lovesPhiladelphia "as only people who adopted it do .""Fi n e Furniture 3 00 Yea rsin the Making "on p. 66.
78 HOM E F U R N IT U R E
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READER SERVICENO, 112
TEAR-OUT FREE SYSTEM/SHELF PIN HOLESinall materials - without rnulfi-spindleequipment
usingyourplungerouterandtheMEG boring guide.Guidesavailablefor:
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READERSERVICENO.1 40
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READER SERVICENO. 655
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hrn§TOliERS)S upplies for woodwork ers and
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LOGS * PLANKS * SQUARESOver 50 species in stock. Custom milling available.
WE STOCK Lumber 1" to 6". Squares to 12 x 12. Logsand Burls. Thin Woods. Sample Sets & Assortments.
WOODS FOR, Furniture, Boxes , Musical Instruments,Carving, Paneling, Turning.
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J U NE / J UL Y 1997 79
about the authors KUi!HUU!iJuUJki!«flp
GREGORY HAYbegan his woodworkingcareer in 1982 as an ap prenti ce to a carpe nterwhose motto was "perfection is not eno ug h!" Hespe nt thr ee years buildinghou ses, restaurant interiors,cabinets, doors and fixturesbefore he had had enoug h,and then he tradedapprent iceships , begginghis way into the sho p ofDennis Young, a cus to mfurnit ure maker who hadstudied in Japan. After 20months of rigorous skillbuilding while producin gfurniture under Young, heope ned his own shop,whe re he makes pe riodand conte mporary custo mfurniture (1814 Skillma nLan e, Petaluma, CA 94952;707-763-4666). "Etched LegsElevate a Display Shelf'on p. 45.
MICHAEL HURWITZhas been making furnituresince the mid-1970s , whenhe attended the Program inArtisanry at Boston University. He has taught furn itu redesign but current ly co nce ntrates on makin g custom furniture himself. Thisyear he is living in Jap anstudy ing lacqu er work andtraveling throughout Asia."Fresh Curves /or a KitchenTable"on p. 46.
RICHARD JUDDalways thought that hisco llege degree in architecture was a co mpromisebe tween wanting to be anart ist and wanting to makea living . Eventually thedesire to work with hishands took him from thedrawing board to furnituremaking. In 1984, he startedRichard Judd Furniture, Ltd.(6896 Paoli Rd., Paoli , WI53508; 608-845-9722) ."Lighten ing the Look 0/an Ent ertainment Center"on p. 33.
WILLIAM McARTHURstudied geology at theUnive rsity of Arizona andworked for seven yearswith the U.S. GeologicalSurvey in Palo Alto, California. A job in a furniturefactory during co llege washis first taste of woodworking , which has since beco me his profession. Herecentl y spe nt two yea rsstudying under JamesKrenov (Four SistersWoodworking, 400 N. Harrison St., Fort Bragg, CA95437; 707-964-4141)."Starting / rom the SimplestCha ir" on p. 65.
DARRELL PEARTremembers watching hisgreat-grandfath er , a carpenter, build an addition tohis cabin and thinking "I'dlike to do that-buildthings." He 's been buildingand designing custom furniture sinc e the early 70s,working in a suc cession ofshops in Seattle . He nowworks full-time buildingco nference tabl es for alarge co mme rcial firm, aswell as part-time in his ow nsho p (625 Western Ave.,Seattle, WA98104; 206-9352874; Web site: http://www.webcorn.com/peart/)."Letting the Room Determine the Design " on p. 22.
JENNIFER A. PERRYis a graduate of the Winterthur Museum Master ofArts program in EarlyAmerican Culture. She isthe curato r of education atthe Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Conne cticut and an avid fan ofthe New York Yankees(P.O. Box 1051, Old Lyme,CT 06371; 860-434-5542)."Federal Furniture WasReuolutionary" on p. 22.
JOSE REGUEIROope ned Jose Regueiro Studios in 1981, and has exhibited his work in museumsand galleries in this co untryand ab road. He recently began making and marketin ga line of decorative drawerpulls (1470 Ashton Dr.,Rochester Hills, MI 483092249; 810-650-2976). "Triangle Cutouts Enha nce Vast,Hat Surfaces" on p. 62.
WILLIAM SKIDMOREdesigns by instinct and experience. Self-taught, hehas learned his woodworking skills by read ing Fin eWoodworking and bookson cabine tmaking and bytrial and error. His specialtyis musi c stands, but he enjoys building larger pieces.He works as an atto rney inWashington , D.C., doingmost of his woodwor kingon the weeken ds in Penn sylvania (7217 Spru ce Ave.,Takoma Park , MD 20912)."Un iting Two Cases in OneHutch Design "on p. 42.
WILLIAM WHITEhas been worki ng woodfor nearly 30 yea rs. Aneng ineer who recently retired from IBMafte r a 30year caree r, he nowdevotes most of his ene rgyto building furniture andother woodwor king projects, including designingand building his own toolsand fixtures. White learn edso me of his skills as a machinist in the U.S. Navy, andhe still employs a grea t dealof metalworking in his furniture. He says, however,that he now gains moresatisfaction from traditionalhand tools and recentl ysold a 6-inch jointer to bu yso me handplanes (35 Partridg e Hill, Williston , VT
05495; 802-878-2655) ."A nother Way to Lock theCradle" on p. 32.
80 HOM E FU R NIT U R E
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READER 5ERVICENO. 131
KARDAE SUPPLY CO.31 Cedar Lane . Hillsdale, NJ 07642
Ph: (201) 664-1787 . Fax: (201) 664-1429
• Free brochure available
The companyalsooffers hardwood dollies and steel tube panelcarts
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READER SERVICENO. 5
Kiln Dried HardwoodsBIRDSEYE MAPLE . . . 6 .00.8.00.10.00BUITERNUT A DOCHERRY 4.25CHESTNUT.. . ,uMd 6.00 new 12.00CURLY MAPLE . . ......•............. 6.00CURLYCHERRY. . . . .. . .. .. . . . . 7.00ELM 2.75PHILLIPINE MAHOGANY .4.50POPLAR .2.25SASS AFRAS 3 .00WALNUT 5.00
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READERSERVICENO. 14
WB2000 SYSTEM WATER-BASED WOOD FINISHESTarget's water-based coatings offer a wide range of topcoatfinishes and stains to meet your needs. Our system is moredurable than varnish and safer than lacquers.Send $2.00 lJ!fP'"~~~~~~~:s~~ Catalog10: 1: TARGET~
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READERSERVICENO. 755
BLADES, BITS, HINGES , KNOBS , PULLS, WOODS,SPECIAL HARDWARE , FASTENERS & LOTS MOREl
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Educa ti ng Ame r ica's Woodwor ke rs
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READER SERVICENO 59
CALL (8 00) 462-6660
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READER SERVICENO. 11
JUNE /JULY 1997 81
1
AAalbcrs . Ben: chair by, 7:41Abra sives: synthetic . fo r finishes , 6 :21Adams, Stephe n A.:
abo ut , 10:88on banister-hack armchair, 10:;4-55
Albe n i, Jac k:abo ut . 8 :108on sideboard, 8;54·; ;
Aluminum: and cherry, combining, 9 :74-75Amm oni a fuming: process of, 8:22Ande rson Ran ch Arts Ce nte r: instructi on at ,
8 :15Anti quing: of met als, solution for . 9 :15Arches: inte rsecti ng, meth od for , 8 :97Arno ld , Kevin :
abo ut , 7: 113ca rving b)', 8 :37, 38 , 39mentioned, 11:66secr et ary by, 7:44 -46
An Deco:Finnish , 6 :24-29room in , R:86-R7
Art Nouveau :book on , ci ted , 6 :71cha irs after, 7:70-7 1
Arts-and -Crafts style:bed in, 9:48-49book on, c ite d , 10:75ca b ine t in , rolling , 10:8"clo ud lift" motif in , 6 :14designing . for bungalow , 11:22-27des k in , lad y's , 7:79-8 1Finnish, 6 :24-29furnitu re in , 7:26-31, 10:70-75and Japanese tou ch , 10:74table , pedestal , 6 :24
Ash , w hite tF raxin us a me r icana):qu aliti es of, 6:108-109
BBack gammon : table fo r, 9:62-63 , 96Bamb oo : as na ils, 10:4Barrett , Peter:
abo ut , 7:112o n stereo cabinet , 7:66 -67
Bas-relief : sandblasted, 11:45Beading:
cock, co ntrasting , 6:54, 55co ntra sting inlaid, for c urves, 9 :85ebony, curved , 9:36 , 37
Hccks voort , Chris:abo ut , 8: 108, 10:88on dining-ta ble design. 10:26-33light fixtu re by, 10:65on mus ic stand . 8:52-53
Bedroom suite : mat ch ing . loosely , 10:6 2-63Beds:
Arts -and-Crafts style, 9:48-49co ntemporary, 10:75
bed bolts for , 9 :29bed-rail joint for , stro ng hidde n . 7: 58.
59 , 7:100hoards of. designing. 9 :2&29ca tta il inlaid , 7:57-59w ith Chinese motifs , 8:4 143with curve d pan eled headboard . 8 :70
7 1foundations for , designing. 9:27-28headboards for . with slats and v..'e dges.
10:26-27with li ncnfolds, 7:74-75 , 96maple and metal , 6:48-49mattr ess sizes for, 9:27paneled simple, 6 :94on pedestal , Btedermeter-veneered.6 : 7(~77
pencil-post , mod ern, 10:26-27simple, w ith c urved elements , disks,
10:62-63See also Cradles .
Be llonhy. "l ark :abo ut . H:lOHon orna me ntatio n , 8:32-35
Ben ch es:des ign ing , 9:22-25 , 96with paint ed slats , ow ne rs o f, 7:8of textured slats , 6 :74-75 (addenda .
7:8)window, classi cal -style , 10 :50See also Sett ees .
Ben son. E. E. "Skip":aho m.6:114on hen din g forms. 6: IO,~
on finish . 6:20-21on tiered container, 6:56-57
Be rkeley Mills : tansu by. 10:74
Binzcn. Jonathan:on James Krenov . 7:32-39on William Walker, 11:56-6 1
Bishoff , Bonni e :abo ut . 10:88on upholstery, 10:58-59
Blachly. Ted : sideboard hy, 10:49Uoggs , Brian :
about , 8 :108on chairs . 8 :26-31o n hickor y hark , R:97-99
Bolts : sleeves for, w ood e n, 7:101Book mat ch ing : triple . 10:24-25Bookcases:
Arts-and -Crafts style . 7:26 . 27, 3 1corner post s of. raised . 7:3 1formal .
above cabinets. 6:6 1-63finish for, 6 :20
Holmes ,histo ry of, 8 :40reproducing. 8:36-W
Mackintosh . 9 :32 . 34rounded e nd for. at w indow. 6 :62-63with V-shaped shelves , 7:50-51
Boxes:handled. co mpa rtme ntalized. 6 :56-; 7jewelry
ml;lti-companment , wit h d rawer,10:46-47
\X'illiam-and -7\-larv style , 10:22Brace , Bill: . .
abo ut , 6 :114on display cabinet , 6:46-47
Brass :ag ing, 9:15
finish for , 10:25black patina for . 9:15
Breton. Pran cots :abo ut , 8 :108on armc hair, 8 :63
Bridle joints: double , making. 6 :101-102Brinley, Edward: desk afte r, 9 :60-61Bron ze : as tabl e supports. 10:38 . 39Brooks, Jon :
auc tio n prices o f furnit ure by, 10:50Brown. Edw ard C.;
abo ut , 7:112on chair and de sk . 7:48-49
Buch an an . Curt is:ab out , 6 :114on birdcage Windsor . 6 :52-53
Budl ong, Jim :abo ut, 9:92on c hina cab inet , 9:64 -65
Buffets: See Sideboards.Bulger, Bruce:
abo ut . 6:114on book ca se , 6:6 1-63on finish . 6:20
Bun galows: fu rn itu re for . 11:22 -27Bunn, Steve n Th omas:
abo ut , 7:112on wtndsor high c hair. 7:54-56
Bure au-cabinets: Ch ippe ndale, 8:79Bure aus:
with book-mat ch ed drawers. 6 :72-73Chippendale , 8 :81Ch ippe ndale-style. six-drawer, 10:22drawers of,
ho ok -mat c hing, 6 :73grain selection for , 6 :35 , 6:73
with ex te nded posts, 10:62-63falL\'-finish ed, 10:37Federal . 11:50 ,51Queen Ann e , contempo rary, 10 :50with sc ulp ted legs , 9 :36"37Sha ker, 6:89Shaker-style , 10:23skirts for , with inlaid beadi ng , 9 :85See also Chest-ove r-d raw e rs .
Crede nza s. Desks: kn eehole .Huzak. Anthon y:
about, 8: 108on hall table , 8 :58-59
cCabinets:
Arts-and-Crafts style. w all, fu me d-oak.8 :22, 56-57
c he rry-handwrought stee l. 9 :78c hina. 7:62-63
w ith cant ileve red glass shelves,11 :74
desi gn ing. 11:42-44two-piece , 11:42-44
c hina-sho wcase , mah ogany, 9:64-65 .96
co rner, quartersawn-oak, 9:44-4 5disp lay.
coved walnut , 6:4 6-47e bo ny and glass. 11:45
file , 8 :22 -23fronts for , bo okmatch tng . 10:25Ge rm an schrank , 8:7 5·77b)' Kren ov , 7:33-39library, Ch ip pe ndale, 8 :81w ith rounded from , fluted doors,
10:68-69, 78afte r Ruhlmann, 8:86, 87, 89Shaker-style , 10:21, 22showcase ,
Ge or gian, 6:38w all-hung, with marquetry, 9:50-
51sid e , from o ne plank 's w idth , 10:24-25stereo . lacew ood-rosew ood . 7:66-67tansu, mod ern, 9 :40-41w riting , Mack intosh , 9:3 1See atso Cre de nza s. Ente rtainment
ce nt e rs. Sec ret aries . Sta nds : wash.CAD: See Co m pute rs.Califo rn ia Co llege of Arts and Crafts:
instruction at , 8 :15Carcases:
backs of, finished , 7:80for two drawers. 7:8 1
Carpente r, An Espenet: de sk after, 8 :64-65Carving :
for chair sp lat , 6:44-4 5Fede ral \'S, Chip pe ndale, 11:5 1of Holmes cartouche . 8 :39Iinenfold , Simplified, 7:74-75aft er Russian construc tivism , 8 :60 -62See also Bas-relief.
Caste rs : fo r heavy furniture . hiding. 11:44Ce nte r for Furniture Craftsmanship :
instruction at. 8 :15Chairs:
"Agura," 8 :72 , 74Appalachian , development of , 8 :26-3 1arm ,
Chippe ndale , 8 :83c urved . upholstered, 8:63producti on -run , 6 :93strutted . 6:68-69upholstery for . c ho osing . 10:58-59
arms on , strengthening e ffec t of , 11:4 1arr ow-hack , 8 :28 , 29Arts-and-Crafts style , 7:26 . 30
Britis h , updated, 10:72loungt' , 6:28,\ Io rris co nte mpo ra ry, 10:70 . 7 1
hack c urve fo r. finding , 8: 29backs of, bending to lumbar c urve ,
8 :29banister-hack , 10:54..55ch erry-handwrought steel , 9 :76 , 78Chine se , 8:46-47Chip pendale, variations in , 8:83co rne r blocks for , 11:39 , 40c rest-rail joinery for , 9:84designing, 7:40-43
for small people, 6:40-4 1dining, 7:40-43
arche d-bac k slatted , 7:90-9 1, 92pe<lr-rosewood, 9 :52 -53upholstered , 7 :70-71
dovetails for . 11:40dr ess ing-table , aft er Ruhlrnann . 8:86fan -back, 8 :26 , 28 , 30-31Jflllx -t1nished, 10:35 , ,17Federal, II :49, ;0with flut ed solid hacks . 6 :24 , 28-29Georgian pea r, 6 :36 , 37, 40-4 1grain o rienta t ion for , 7:49Gree ne and G re en e Brothers. II :22-27hei ghts of , 7:1l6, 10:33instruction in . 8 :15Irish c hild 's . 6:92joinery of . discussed , 11:36-41library. leather-upholstered, 10:45lolling, Federal . 11:52Mackintosh, 9:30 , 3 1-35, 96office, 1958 , W:IOpost -and -rail. Chi nes e-influe nc ed . 9:42
43post -and -run g. 8:27. 28-29 , 31
sen co nstructio n for , 8 :29-30rail join ery for , 9 :H4-85rail s of , designing, 11:38ro cking.
designing, 10:40 -43with slat hack , 7:R2-83\'('indsor -stvl e , 8 :66-67
seats for , '
hickor y-ha rk , 8 :31upholstered plyw ood, 6 :102
Shaker-sty le , 10:21-23Sheraton arm-, 6:44-45side ,
rush-bott om ed , 6:94simple, 11:65
slat-h acked simp le. 6 :27s latt ed . c he rry, 7:48-49so lid-backed upholster ed . 10 :56-57str esses on , 11:36-39st ret ch ers for , 11:40-41
c rino line . 9:56 . 57split , 11:4 1
and tables , matching. loosely, 10:56-57three-legged circular. 6 :26 . 78-79tri angle , 8 :73 , 74tulip ped est al , 6 :28 , 29\Vindsor ,
high. 7:5·4-56birdcag e , 6:52-53co urses in . 8: 15English. 9:56-;7making . 8:28-29
See als o legs. Seats .Cherry (Pr u n ns spp .) : color of , dye ing and
preserving. 10:82Ch ests:
apothe car y, 8 :44-45-over-d rawcI'S,foll,l' finis hed. 10:37faux finish ed . lO:36. 37paneled simp le, 6 :94silver . 8:68-6 9-on-srand ,
campaign , w ith fall-from de sk,7:76-78 ,97-99
rue. pa in ted , 8:48-49silve r, in buhinga. 8:68-69
See also Bureaus . Cabinets: tansu.Chests of dra we rs: See Bureaus. Highboys .Ches ts-on-ches ts : See High boys .Ch iffo nie rs:
Ruhlmann-rcprodu ct ions, 8:84 , 87See als o Bur eaus. Cabinets.
Ch inese furn iture: Min g . ta ble afte r , 10:5253
Chinese :book on , ci te d , 8 :47Chippendale , defined , 8:8D-1l1cloud-rise moti f fro m , 8:41-43motifs, in bed . H:414 3
Chippendale , Thomas:abo ut , 8 :79-8 1, 112Gentleman a nd Cabinet-Ma ker 's
Director; 171l' , book case fro m , 8 :3640 , 79-83
mot ifs in. 8 :80-81style, discussed , 8:78-83
Ch ip pe nda le:cha ract e rized . 11:50..51chest. six-draw er , 10:22
Circle s:d ividin g, 9:10See a lso Curves .
Cizek . Les:ah out . 7:112o n ca mpaig n c hes t. 7:76-78 , 97~99
Clark, Tirn othv:abo ut . 11:78o n cra d les. 11:30-32
Clide nc e . G. R.:abo ut , 9 :92o n bed s, 9:26-29
Clinton . Carl:ab out , 6 :114on card table , 6:50-51
Clock s:banj o wall . Federal . 11:52tablet op. with liquor co mpart ment,
10:22, 23Co hle , Dan :f aux fin ishes hy, 10:35 . 37Co he n , Michael :
aboUl , 9:92on co rn e r ca b ine t , 9:44 -45
Co lema n. Tim othy:abo ut , 10:88o n fluted cabinet . 10:68-6 9
Co llege of th e Redwood s , The:address fo r, 7 :39in struction at , 8 :14-15
Co lor : design aro und , 11:28-29Co lumns:
Fed e ral. 11:49framing armoire, 8:60-62See also Pilasters .
Co mmo des: Chippe ndale . rococo. 8:80Comp uters:
de sign with, 3-D , 8:90-93
82 H OM E FURNI TURE
"d raw ing on ," fo r repeat pa ttern s, 8 :34laptop , desk fo r, 9 :72-75programs for, 3-0 , 8 :9().93virt ua l furniture on , creating, 11:54-'; 5
Con lan, Mary :about . 7:112on stre tcher tabl e , 7:47, 99 -100
Consoles : See Crede nza s.Co ntainers: See Boxes.Cooke , Ned : me ntione d , 11:68, 69Co rd , Danish :
buying. 9:89seats of , 9:42 -43
Cornices: as un ifying dements , 11:43 , 44Cotswold Furniture Make rs : tabl e b y, 10:72 ,
7H4 'Country workshops: inst ru ct io n at, 8 :15Cra dles:
loc ks for , 11:3 1, 32swi nging, co nverti ble, 11:30...32
Cranbroo k Acade my of Art : history of , 6 :2728 ,29
Crede nzas:ash bowfroru . 6:42-43cherry-curly maple, 9 :54-55Ge orgian style , 6 :39
Cu llen , Mi chae l :aboUl ,9:92on dining table , chairs, 9 :52-53
Cu rves : freehand . drawing. 7 :15Devlercado. Randolp h :
about. 8 :108on Chinese c ha ir, 8:4647
DDes ign :
in Arts-and-Crafts style , 7: 2(~3 1
aro und ava ilable wood, 10 :24-2';o f c hairs , 7:41-43of "c lassical" furnitu re , 6 :36 -41classical or ders in , 7:85-85wi th clay , 10:43w ith "cloud lift " moti f, 6 :14aro und co lor , II :28-29comp uter-aided, 3-D, 8:90-93by drawing. 11:18-20evo lu tio n of , 10:23Fibo nacci series for , 7:14- I 5w ith grain , 6:30 -35modular, 7:86-87process of , 7:4 1for production, 11:60-61of rocking chai r, 10:40-43of ta bles , d ining , 10:26-33th e matic , of fu rnit ure fam ily, 7:90 ..93fo r vent ilat io n , 11:63See a lso Drawing, Go lde n section .
Moc kups. Models. O rna mentation .cario us sty les.
Desks:Arts-and-Crafts style , 7:28 , 30backs of , finished , 7:80bombe, after Brinley, 9 :60-6 1Cabanel, after Ruhlman n , 8:88, 89cherry-alum inum , 9 :72-75cherry-ha ndwroug ht steel , 9 :79compute r surface for, 9:72-75cy linder, beginnings o f, 11:51-52designing, aro und needs, 9 :72-75doors for, glass , 7:79 , 80fall-from ,
Ja panese-influe nced, 7:52-53 , 96 97
lepers for , auto mat ic , 7:97 -99inlaid , with squares , 10:66-6 7kneehole, Townsend , 9 :46-47ladv's .
, federal, \ 1:5 \Arts-and -Crafts style , 7:79-8 1
light-box surface for, 9 :72-75Queen Anne-style c urly map le ,
conte mpo rary, 10:49 , 50rolltop. with pull -ou t writing surface,
H:64·6;-on-stand , with fall fro nt , 7:76-78 , 97 -99stand-up , 9:7 2-75..table, bublnga. 7:48-49tambour . beginnings of , 11:51-52tilti ng surface for , 9 :72 -75
Dividers: p ro port ion al, d iscusse d , 9:10Doors:
bridle-joints for , do ub le , 6 :101-102carved, after Russ ian constructivism.
H:60-62coo pe red , 1O:6H-69,78
process of, 6 :98caved , 10:68-69,78designing. wi th models , 6 :43
entry, hand w rou ght steel , 9 :77fluted , 10 :68-69, 78frame-and-pa nel . wi th c uto uts , 11:6 2
64grain for , selec ting , 6 :33stiles for , integra l wi th door , 10:25
Do vetails:for cha ir ra ils, 11:40ex posed, 6:47lap , 7:8 1slidi ng , making, 6 :100
Dowels: bam boo as , 10:4Draft ing : See Drawing.Drawers:
bottom co nstruction for, 7:49case for , sta ble , 7:8 1des igning, wi th model s , 6:43do ve ta iled , 7:73wi th exposed doveta ils , 6 :47as fall-fron t wri ting surface, 7:52-53 ,
7 :9(~97
fin ish for, sweet-sme lling , 8:23fronts of , curved , 6: .;z,9inlaid , 6:80 , 8 1lining for. p igskin , 7:73lope rs fo r, ma king , 7:77, 78 , 7:97-99to one side , 9 :72-75un derslu ng, 9:63wood selection for , 6 :35wit h wooden pins, 9 :84See a lso Pull s.
Drawing:of curves , freeha nd, 7:15fu ll-sca le, fro m patterns, 10:18in pe rspective , how to, 6 :86-89re finin g , wi th tracing paper, 11:18-20See a lso Co mp uters: virt ua l furn iture
on . Lines.Dres sers: See Bureaus .Dudley, Peter : on sket ching , 6:86- 89Duprex, Thorn:
abo ut , 8: 108on apo thecary c hest , 8 :44.-45
Dutc h : furni ture , modern, e xhi hits of,10:10
Dyes:an iline , even res ults w ith . 7:22-23po tass ium dich romat e as , 10:45wa ter-ba se vs. o il, 7:23
EEbony (ntospyros sp p .) : su bs titute for ,
11:27Elm (Ul m us a mericana):
buying , 9:89disea se-resis ta nt , 9:89qualit ies o f, 9 :88-89
Ente rtainm ent ce nters: des igning , 11:33-35Escutc heons:
ma terial fu r, 6 :67tagua nu t , 10:23wal nut , 7:80
Esheric k, Wharton: work by, me ntio ne d ,11:68
Exhibitions:"Designing Mod ernity," 10:10See also Museums.
FFarr , Tom :
aha lit, 7:112on roc king chai r, 7:82-83
Faux fin ish es: See Paint .Fay, David :
abo ut , 11:78on lamp, 11:54
Federal style :c haracte rize d , 11:49forms in , 11:51ta b les in, 11:52
Fiberboa rd (medium-density) :fo rma ldehy de -free , 7: 107
Fibo nacci se rie s:d isc usse d ,7:14-15vs . go lde n sect ion , 7:14-15
Finck, David : light fixture by, 10:6 5Finishes:
abrasive for , 6 :21book o n, cite d , 10 :82co lor da rkening , 9 :14fo r d rawe rs, 8 :23[aux (See Paint. )fo r fumed pieces , 8 :22grai ned . gessoed . 6:20lacqu e r,
ca talyzed, di scussed , 10:80 -82tinted blu e , 11:28-29
linseed-beesw ax , commercial , 8 :22nickel powd e r co at ing , 6:49non -yello wing , 9 :14oil,
linseed mix ture, 6 :20 -21low-toxic, 7:2';marine , 6 :21pe netrating . rem ovin g, 9:14rags from, danger of, 10:82
fo r q uart e rsaw n oa k, 9:45UV bloc king , 9 :14varni sh , cata lyze d , d isc ussed , 10:HO-82viny l, sp ray, 7:22See also Paint .
Firep laces: Arts-an d-Crafts style , 7:26-27Flem ing, Peter:
aho llt .9:92on desk , 9:72-7 5
Flynn, Jam es II.:on ash , 6 :108-109o n el m, 9:88-89on lace w ood . 8 :104- 10 ;on pea r, 11:70-72on sapele , 7: 106-107o n wenge , 10 :84-86
Forms:fo r coop ered doo rs, 6 :98for vac uum ben din g, fro m fo am , 6 :103
Fox Hcnrv:'ahOlu: '11:78o n color and geometry, 11:28-29
Fox , John Reed:abo ut , 7:112on w riting ca h ine t , 7:52-53 , 96-97
Fran k, Christophe r:abo ut . 6 :114on mapl e and metal bed , 6 :4H-49
Frost , Rich ard :abo ut , 6 :114on demilune tabl es , 6:54- 55
Furniture:"country," producti on run s of, 6 :9Q..95knock-down , 9 :66-7 1lib ra ry on , 10:10mod em, muse um of , 10:8-10
GGallin i, Mar k:
ab ou t , 11:78on Philadelphia , 11:66-69
Gaulk!n , Zac hary:on furn itu re auc t io n, 10:48-51on ligh t fixt ures , 10:64-65on Polla n ), 8 :84-89on Shac kleto n shop, 6 :90,,95on wood-forge d iron furnitu re , 9:76-79
Geer, David :abo ut , 8: 108on glass-toppe d e nd tabl e , 8:50-5 1
Georgian:ca binet , sh o wc ase , 6 :38 , 40chai rs , pear , 6:36 , 37, 4l1-41credenza , 6 :39
Gesso: fo r grai ning , 6 :20Gilp in, Hank :
abo ut . 9:92on ben ch es , 9 :22-2 5
Glass :attac hment metho d for, 8 :5 1for doors , 11:74edg es for, 6:109 , 11:76hand-blown, fo r bookcase , 8:39-40for shelves, 11:74source for , 6 :109for tabletop s, 11:74type s of , 11:74
Gloo r, Mich ael : ca binet by, 11:44Go lde n section :
di sc uss ed , 7:8 4-8 5, 86vs . Fibo nacci se ries , 7:14-15findi ng , 8:8
Got hic style : define d , 8:8 1Goul de n, Nicho las:
abo ut, 6:115 , 9 :92 , 10:88o n ash c re de nza , 6 :42-43on bridle joints , 6 :10 1-102on Cha rles Rennie Mackintosh , 9 :3Q..35on jewelry box , 1O:4(K 7
Gra in: See Lumber.Graining: See Paint .Gravell . Rob ert:
about , 6 :115on was hsta nd , 6 :80-82
Gree n , Don :abou t , 6 :115on ben ch , 6:74-7 5
Gre en De sign Furn iture Co .: c ha ir by, 10:71Gre en wood: instruction in , 8 :15
Greene and Greene Brot hers:backgam mo n ta ble after, 9 :62-63bed afte r, 7:74-75"cloud lift " motif from , 6 :14di ning suit e after, 11:22-27rep roduc tio ns of, 10 :74See a lso Arts -and-Crafts sty le .
Grooves: as design ele ment, 8:55
Hflack, Garrett :
about, 9:92on c hairs , 9:42 -43
Hand icapped: tables and, access for , 10 :29Handles:
brass,antiqued, 8 :49antiq uing , 8 :105source for, 8 :105
jewelry-box, e bo ny, 10 :47Hardware : See Cas ters . Hand les . Hinges .
Plllls .Hare , Rob :
about , 9:92wood-forged iron furni tur e of , 9 :76-79
Har re ll, Paul:about , 8: lORon c hes ts , 8 :68-69on design wi th grain , 6 :30·35on drawers, 8 :23
Hay, Gregory:about , I I :80on display shelf, 11:4 5
Haystac k Mou nt ain Scho ol of Crafts :instructio n at , 8 : 15
Hei nold , Norbert :about, 9:92on hac kgammon tab le , 9 :62-63
Helgeson, Rich ard :abo ut , 7:112on designing c hairs . 7:40-43
Hellm an, David : work by , 10:74Hepp lewhite . George: Cab tne t-stateer and
Upho lste rer 's Guide, infl ue nce of , 11:49Hepplc white :
inlaid server after, 7 :64-65side boa rd after, 6 :66-67
He rsey, Susan : light fix tu re by, 10 :65Hickory (Carya sp p .):
hark of ,sea ts fro m , 8 :3 1harvesting , 8 :97 -99
Highboys:Chi ppe nda le ,8:H2Q ueen Anne,fi1ux fin ished, 10:35
I tinges:fo r fall fronts , 7:98hand-fo rged ,
for chest, 8 :49so urce for, 8: 10 5
kn ife, 7:66 , 672700 brass, //:3 5
Holze r, Hank:abo ut , 6 :115on di ning se t , 6 :78-79
Hooper , James:abo ut , 7:112on sideboard, 7 :64-6 5
Horns: in furnit ure , cu rio sity of, 11:86Huck er , Th omas:
abo ut , 10:88on bec fw ood-br onze ta ble, 10:38-39
Burn e , James:abo ut . 8 :109on roc king cha ir, 8 :66-67
Hurw itz, Mich ael :abo ut , 11:80mention ed , 11:66, 68on round ta b le , 11:46
Hut c hes: See Cabi nets.Hvit t rask : me ntio ned , 6 :29
IIng er soll , Ian :
abo ut, 10:88furnit ure making of, JO:20-23
Ingram , Bob : work by, me ntio ned, 11:69Inlay:
bellflow e r, 6 :50 , 6 :66 , 67brass, 6:70-7 1for curved tab leto p , 7:90, 92 , 93Federa l, c haracterized , 11:50afte r He pp!c w hite , 7 :64-65of init ials , for jewelry box, 10:46-47intersecting-line , 11:35Italian ptetra dure, 7 :59of mala c hite , 11:35
JUNE /JULY 1997 83
of me tal, 6:109oak and aco rn , 6:50-; 1and painted w ood , 6 :74·75sh aded , 6:67See also Ruhlmann .
Instructi on :at community co lleges , 9 :8from Kre nov , 7:39sch ools of, 8 :14-15, 9 :6-8
Iri on Company: furniture from, 11:67Ishibashi , j un :
abo ut , 8 :109on chairs . 8 :72 -74
Italian : fu rn itu re , modem, exhibits of,10:10
Ivory : source for , 6 :67
JJackson , Dan: discussed , 11:68Jacobson , Andrew:
abo ut , 7:112on game table , 7:72-73
Japanese furnit ure: book on , cit ed , 10:4Jenk ins , Emyl: o n Chippe ndale , 8 :78-8 3Jenkins, Scott: bureau by, 10:49Jewelry c hes ts: See Boxes: jewelry.Jo inery:
edge, hamboo pegs for , 10:4kn ock-down, 9 :66-71with linen -cord lashing, 10:38 , 39See a lso specific join t.
Judd, Rich ard :abo ut , 11:80on enterta inment center, 11:33-35
KKar p tlo w, Miles:
abo ut . 8 :109on armoi re , 8:60-62
Keil , Darr yl:abo ut, 7:113on design, 7:90-93
Keneal y, David : un dra wi ng , 11:1&.20Kev in Kop il Furniture Desi gns: tabl e hy,
10:75Kinl och Woodworking: fu rn itu re from ,
11:67Kitch en s: to ca hinetmaking sta nda rds,
11:57-58Kolle , Jeffe rson :
on Sha ker -style furn iture maker. 10:2023
on Strawbe rj ' Banke , 11:10-12Krenov, James :
Ca binetm ak er 's Noteboo k, A, impactof, 7:36-37
Fine Art of Cabtne tnut leing . c ited . 7 :39Impractical Ca btne tm ate er; TI,e, cited,
7:37,39instructi on from , 7:39 , 8 :14 , 15profile d , 7:32-39Work er in Wood, c ite d , 7 :39
LLacewood (Greuillt« rob us ta) :
look -al fkes, 8:105qu aliti es of, 8 :104-105
Lamb , David: work by, 10:49 ,50,51Lamo nt. Ste phe n:
abo ut, 7:113on lady's des k, 7:79-81
Lamps: See Ligh t fixture s.Lang,J ohn : light fixture by, 10:65Langsner, Drew:
abolll, 9:93on English \X'in ds ors, 9 :56-57
Langsncr. Drew and Lou ise : sc hool of , 8 : 15Lap joints : gtuefess. 9:68 , 69Larimore , Jack : work by, mentioned, 11:69Larso n, Norm:
abo ut , 9:93on armo ire , 9:58-59
Lasso , Rob e rt :abo ut , 9:9:3o n c hina cabin e t. 9:64-65
Latta, Steve: bookca se by, 8 :36-40Le Blanc , Richard: .
abo ut , 7:113finish me th od s of, 7:22-23on ta ble, 7:60-6 1
Legs:Art No u vea u, 6 :70-7 1cabriole , sim plified, 10:25co mpoun d-angle , 9 :38-39diam ond-shaped, tap ered, 8:5 0 , 5 1with dovetailed tops, 11:28-29feet fo r, e bo nized , 7:7 2·73
grain for , sel ecting, 6 : :~2-33
grain o rie ntat ion for, 7:49 , 99 -100Hepplewhite , 6 :66-6 7of joined parabolas , 6 :5H-60o uts ide -ta pe re d . 11:28to rail s, jo inery for , II :65reed ed , 8: 32, 35w ith sandblaste d relief, 11:45sc alin g down, pro blems with , 7:55-56scul pt ed , 9 :36 '37wi th spade feet . 11:50square int o oc tago na l, 6 :55tap ered , 8 :41, 42, 4 3
sh ort , 11:_'-'-34torpe do , 8 :8 4as trusses , 11:46turn ed , off-ce nte r. 6:102-103
l.ethaby, W. R.: w or k by, lOBLe w is, Matthew : ligh t fixtu re by, 10:65Lib rari es: .\Iackintosh, 9 :32 , 34Light fix tures:
Arts-and -Crafts stvl e , 7:27, :10floo r, 10:64 , 65 .gal lery of, 10:64 -65hangin g, w ith ven eer strips. 10:65scon ce , 10:65sha de s for , m ica and pap er, 11:54-55table ,
Arts-and-Crafts sty le, 10:71e lliptica l, 11:54-55
Lind , Carl : ligh t fixt ure hy. 10:64Linc nfolds: co nstruc ted, not ca rved , 7:74
7 5 , 96Lines : d ividi ng , 9:10Lock e , William E.:
abo ut , 9 :93on kn eehole desk , 9:46...47
Lom as, Joh n: table by, 10:7 2. 74Low e , Phil :
J/easuring Fu rn iture f orRep rodu ction vide o , c ited , 10:18
o n patt erns, 10:16-18Lumbe r:
hook -mat ch ing. 6 :7:\ , IO:24·2Sgrai n mat ching of . aro und co rn e rs ,
6 :34gra in o f, des ign with. 6:50-35
MMack int osh, Charles Rennie:
c hairs after , 7:70...7 1sidehoard afte r. 7:29work bv. 9:30-35
Mah ogany 6wietenill sp p .),' (S m lllUlgon i)Cuban , ove r Honduras mah oganysubstra te , 10:45
Mahogany (Su iteten ta sp p .)! (Sm a crojJhyl/a ) Honduras :
da rke ning , to mat ch Cuban , 10:4:;as ven eer subst rate , 10:45
Malachite : inlav of, II :3SMalmsten . Cari: as teacher, 7::\4-35Mant els: simple , 11:58Map le (Acer spp.) :
hird's-cyc , simulating , 10::\6tige r. finish fo r. 9:14-15
Markel , Josh: mentioned, 11:69Marqu etry:
from Holm es bo ok case , 8 :36 , 38in showca se ca b ine t. 9:50-5 1urn , san d-shade d. 7:64-65
Martin , Lo y Davis: on design for sets , 6 ::\6,il
Masaschi , Tcri :abo ut, 10:88snvf a ns: finishes , 10:34-.; 7
Matlack , Jennifer: on glass , 11:74-76Maxwell ( .\1. T. ) Furniture Co .: Arts -and
Cra fts sry te by, 10:70Mayer, Barbara :
o n updat ed Arts-a nd-Cra ft s styl e , 10:7075
Maynard , Pete r: table by, 10:48 , 50McArthur, \Villiam :
abo ut , II :80on cha irs , 11:6 5
Mcl nnes, Andrew :about , 9 :930 11 tavern tab le , 9:38-39
Mclnnrc. Sam uel : armc ha ir afte r. 6:4 44 5xtc l .enn. Jon athan :
abo ut , 9 :93o n bo mbe de sk, 9:60-6 1
McPhee , John: O il horn ed furniture , 11:86Measurem ents:
book on , ci te d , 10:18takin g, 10:16-18
Melle r, Niko laus:
about . 10:88o n Hied ermei er table , 10:60-61
.\k'tal :n ickel powde r coating for , 6 :49See also Aluminum. Brass. Bron ze .
Steel.Metcal f, Josh :
aho ut , 10:88on mit e red tabl et o p , 10:52-53
xt trror s:c heval. Mac kint osh. 9:3 1Federal, II :49, II :52simple , w ith c urve d elem ents, dis ks ,
10:62-63Missi on style:
tabl e in, 7:60-6 1updated , 10:71-72See a lso Arts -and -Crafts style .
Miters:false . for chai r ha ck , 6:53rhre e-wav, 10:52-53
xtockups: of chairs , 7:4243Models :
for chairs. 6:15, 6:69design by, 6 :43for tabl es , 6 :15value of, 10:43
Moldings: co mple x , for headboard , 6 :76..77.\lonn , Kendi : mention e d , 11:67.\Ioob er ry, Doug:
abo u t , 7:113,8:109o n Holm es bookcas e . 8 :36..40ment io ned , 11:67
. secretary by, 7:4· i ~i6
Morris sty le: 'See Arts-and -Crafts style .Chairs .
.\Io rris , William : exhib itio ns of work bv, 7:6M ortise and tenon : .
bolted , for bed , 7:58 , 59 , 100for c hair se ats , 8 :3 1fa ux proud , for tableto p , 7:60 , 6 1with loose tenon , 11:65mite red , 11:65pi nn ed , 7 :81fo r seat rails . 11:38 , 3940See also Brid le join ts . Te no ns .
M ort ises: in glass. 8 :51M ose s, Dan iel and Pat rici a:
ab out , H:109on tile c he st , 8 :48-49o n milk paint , 8 :22· 23
Mu seums:livin g t r th-Cen t. village , 11:10-12of mod ern fu rn iture , 10:&-10
NNails:
bamboo , 10:4w ood en , 9:84 , 10:4
Nakash ima sho p : furn itur e from. 11:6HNesser. John :
abou t , 9:93o n kn ock -down tabl e , 9:66..7 1
Nights tands : See Tables: n igh t.No rth Bennet Street Sch ool : instru ct io n at .
R I4
oOa k (Q llerms spp.) :
fume d , finish for , 8:2 2fuming, 8: 22qu artersawn, ca b inet fro m , 8:56·57
O rn ame ntation:repeat-p att ern . w ave , 8:32-35source s for, 8:33
Osgood . Je re :abo ut . II :78auc tio n pr ices of furn iture by, 10:50on c hairs , 11:364 1w o rk by, 10:50 ,51
pPad auk (Pterocarp us spp.) :
co lor of,e p he me ral na ture of , 10:82protect ing , 9 :14sim ulating , 10:8 2
Paint :f a ux finish es w ith , 10:34·37
birds-eye , 10:36books on , 10:37methods for , 10:36
milk, 6 :52 , 53, 8:22 -23Palmer , Bill:
abo ut , 8 :109o n bed , 8 :70-71
Pate , Andre w :
about , 6 :115o n bed, 6 :76-77
Patterns: fo r rep rodu ct ions, making . 10: t6 ..18
Patt erson. Lance :abo Ul, 6: 115on coo pe red doors, 6:98o n side board . 6:66-67
Pea r (Pyrus spp.) : about , 11:70-72Peart , Dar re ll:
abo ut , 11:80on "Asian" Arts-and-Craft s style , I I :22
27Pen land : instru cti on at , 8 :15Per ry, Jennifer A.:
about , II :80on Federal furniture , I I : i8-53
Pet er se n, Steve:about , 9:93o n ca b ine t , 9:50-51
Pfen inge r, Mart in : book case attributed to .8 :36-40
Philadelphia: furn it ure fro m, 11:66..69Philbrick , Tlmorh v S.:
abo ut , 7:113. '10:88-89o n design , 7:84-90on lib rary fu rniture , 10:44-45
Ph ot ographs: virtua l, co mp ute r-crea ted ,11:54-55
Picture frame s:f a llx fin ish ed , 10:35Pilast er s: fo r bookcases, 6 :6 1. 63Pin s: proud , 7:70-71Plan ew ood : See Lacewood .Plyw ood :
edging fo r, 7:73fin ish for. gcssoed. 6 :20
Pol laro , Frank: w ork of, 8:84-89Ponti , Gio : chair by. 10:10Ponvert. Philip: .
abo ut. 10:90on bed room suite , 10:6 2-63
Portsmouth (NH): furn iture , in villagesett ing , 11:10-12
Pot assi um dichromate: as dye , 10:45Prei ss , Rich :
abo ut , 9 :95o n bed, 9:4849
Presses : ve nee r, foam forms fo r, 6 :103Price s:
re ve aling , 8:6-8See also Se lling.
Pritam & Elm es Galle ry : handles Krenov .7 :39
Probst , James:about , 9:93on c redenza, 9:54-55
Pulls :carved, 6:72-73 , 8:64-65
wi th sleeved bolts , 7:6 2. 65 , 101cast-bronze. 10:52·5 5c ro sspiece over rece ss . 7:60 , 6 1d ro p , 9:58 , :;9
brass-ironwood . 7:77Federal , 11:49of inlaid p ieces, 7:93integral, carving, 8:96silve r d rop-pen dant . 10:23so ur ces for , 11:80ston ew are , 11:64ta ns u, 9:58 , 59w alnu t Arts-and-Cra fts sty le, 7:80
QQ ueen Ann e: cha rac terize d . 1l:5 ()..51
RRadtke , Charles :
about . 8 :109o n co mpute r-aided design, 3-D, 8:90 ...93
Rap ap ort , Mason :abo ut, 6:115on coffee tabl e , 6 :58-60on glass , 6 :1090 11 mod el s. 6 :15
Raynes, Walter:abo lit , 6 :115on c ard ta ble , 6 :50..51
Reguclro . Jose :abo ut , 11:80o n sideboard , 11:62 ..64
Reproduct ion s:evo lution of , 10:23patt e rns fo r, making , 10:16..18sto ry stic ks fo r. 10:16
Rhod e Island School of Design : instructio nat , 8 :15
Richard Kagan Galler y: disc ussed , 11:68-69Rich ardson , B . B. : desk afte r, 7:30-3 1
84 HOM E F U R NI T UR E
Rob inson, Monro e :abo lit , 7:113on hutch, 7:62-63 , 101
Robso n, Joe: \"'.: fin ish by, 8:22Rococo : defined , 8 :80Redel . Kevin P.:
about , 7:113on Arts-and-Crafts style , 7:26"'31
Rodriguez, Mario :about , 6 :115on librarv stool , 6 :64-65o n o ff-center turning, 6 :102· 103
Rogo ws ki, Ga ry:about , 8 : 10900 bed. 8 :41-43
Rot h-Suszynski, Alice:about . 7: 113on be d , 7:74-75 , 96
Ruhlm ann , Jacques-Emile :book on , ci te d , 8 :88craftsman emulating, 8 :84-89sideboard after, 7:89
Russell , Bill:/allx -fin ished c hest hy. 10:$7Russel l. Jamie:
about, 8: 109o n d rawer p ulls . 8:96on roJltop des k, 8:64-65
SSaarinen , Eero : furniture by, 6 :28-29Saarinen . Eliel: "
Finnish ho use of , 6:29furnit ure by, 6 :24-29
Sapele (Eutandrophragnut cyttnar tcm nv:pommel, 7:82-83qualities of . 7:106-107so ur ces fo r, 7: lO7
Savage. J. Thomas: o n Hol mes boo kc ase ,8:40
Saw ing: for ro ugh surface , 6:83 , 84Scarf joints: nibbcd vs. hooke d , 6 :6Schmidt, SCOlt :
about , 6: li Son fin ish . 6 :21table joinery by, 10 :86on table , 6:83-8 5, 6 :99-100
School for American Craftsmen : instructionat, 8: 15
Schiirch, Paul:about, 7: 113on bed . 7:57-59 , 100
Schriber, James:abo ut . 10 :90on pencil-post bed , 10:26-27
Screens:snojt . in alcove, 11:26w ood-glass mosaic , 10:51
Scrihe rs : shop-made, 10 :16-18Scribing : for reprod uct ions , 10 :I ()..J8Seats :
Danish cord, 9:42-43wi th Shaker tape, 10:21,22,23 , 10:43
Sec res t , Lorna :abo ut . 7:113on up holstered c ha irs , 7:70-7 1
Secret compartments :behind cubbyholes , 7:78
Secretaries:elli ptical shell-shaped, 10 :50Federal , 11:52Salem reproduc tio n , mah ogan y, 7:44 ...
46Selling:
bvauct ion . 10 :48-51pricing altitude fo r, II :60
Servers: See Sideboards .Sl"UCCS : Ph iladelp h ia conternporary, I I :6 YSettles: See Settees.Seymour, Liz: on Saari nen , 6:24·29Shackleton. Charles: furni ture sho p of,
profiled ,6:90-95Shaffer, Gunter:
about . 7:11:\on table , 7:68-69
Shak er :apothecary chest after, 8 :44-45furniture , maker of, 1O:2Q.2j
Shaw, Jo hn : inlay after, 7:64-6 5Shellac: for drawers, 8 :23Shells : with re peat-pattern wave motif,
8 :32 ,35Shelves:
glass ,type for, I I :74wood-framed. 7:62 , 63
grids as , 9 :64-65raised. to door-rai l heigh t , 7:62 , 6jtable , brass-veneered . 6 :70 ...7 1
Shepard, Pet er:aho ut .9:9jon b ureaus , 9:.16-57
Sheraton , Tho mas : Cab inet ...J[a k er andUpholsterer's Drawi ng Book , in fl uence01',11 :49
She raton:sideboard afte r, 6 :66-67table after, 8:32-35
She ridan Co llege o f Art an d Design :instructi on at , 8: 15
Side boards:Art Deco , 7:89Arts-and -Crafts sty le , 7:29beginnings o f, 11:51cherry, ash and rosewood , 10:49co ncrete -sto ne, 11:62curved and slatted, 7:90-93Federa l, 6 :66-67, 11:48inlaid , after Hepp le w hi te , 7 :64-6 5mes qui te-Englis h plan e , 8:54-55proport ions for, 7 :89rectilinear, wi th ve nt ing c utouts . I I :62
64after Ruhl mann, 8:88See also Credenzas.
Silverware : Mac kint osh. 9:3 1Skidmore , William :
abo ut , 11:80on hutch. 11:42-44
Skirts : c urved . w ith inlaid beading, 9:8 5Smit h , Greg B.:
abo ut , 10:90on side ca binet , 10:24...25
Sofas :Federa l, 11:51Grecian-style , 7:86
Spyk ma n , Gar}·J . \V.:abou t . 8 :109on fumed-oak fin ish , 8:22on wa ll ca binet , 8:56·57
Stains :fro m anil ine dye and o il-based sta in ,
7:22See also Ammonia fumi ng .
Stan ds :cand l e , /a ll~'\"-fi n is hed , 10:35
Federal, 11:5 1music ,
che rry, fre twork, 8 :52-53sha fts"for. ad jus tab le . 8:97
was h, Victo rian . w ith music al mot ifs,6 :80-82
See a lso Cabi nets: -on-stand, Chests-o nstand . Desks-o n-stand .
Stangela nd , Thoma s Ilugh :about . 10:90bed by, 10:75o n "cloud lift " motif, 6: 14o n desk, 10:66-67
Steel :cabine t of , with c he rry , 9 :78table of . w ith ma p le , 11:60-61
Stick ley, Gustav :cab ine t from , 8:56-57hou se after, 11:22-27See also Arts-and-C rafts style.
Stools:ltbrarv, 6:64-65See aisn Benches.
Story stic ks : as pat terns , 10:16... 18Strawberv Ban ke : visited . 11:10-12Streflcr , ~li chac l:
aho ut , 8 :109on schrank , 8:75-77
String ing :de ntil . 6 :50-51ho lly, 6 :72 , 73
Style : evolution of , 1O:2jStyrofoam :
cu nt ng . w ith hot wi re , 6:103glue for , 6 :103
Surface pr e paratio n: for figured w ood s.9 :14-15
Swanson, Jane:abo ut, 6:115on in la id table , 6 :70-71on me ta l in lay, 6: 109work by, mentioned , 11:69
Swe nsson. Carl:abo ut . 10:88on rocker , 10:404 j
Szymkowicz. Co nrad :auc tion prices of w ork by, 10:50 , 5J
TTables :
aprons of , wood se lec tio n for, 6:34 -j 5
Arts -and -Crafts sty le, 6:28 , 7 :26-27. 28.31, 10:70 , 71
updated , 10:72 , 75backg ammon . 9:62-63 , 96bas es for , ped estal, design of, 10:32-33bedsid e , w ith c urved bac k. 10:6 2-63Bled ermele r se wi ng , 10:60 -61, 76br eakfast . wi th thr ee -way co rner joint ,
10:56-57ca nt ilevered bu bingn-ash , 10:51card,
demilune . 6 :50-51Fed e ral , II :51. 52
and c ha irs , ma tc hing , loosel y, 10:56'5 7c he rry -ha ndwroug ht steel , 9:79ci rc ular , aprons for, b rick laid , 10:76coffee , beefwood-bron ze, 10:38 , 39coffee ,
glass-to pped, wit h arc hedstretc hers , 11:60
kn ock-dow n , 9 :66-71Norwegian, 9:66 -71on parabolic legs, 6: ;8-60wancy-cdgc d tre st le, 7:68-69
corbels fo r, 7:60 , 6 1co rnices for, "Moo rish ." 7:3 1de milune , 6:54-55
design o f . 7:88-desk . hublnga. 7:4R-49dining,
aprons for. 10 :j 3bases fo r. pedestal, 10:32designing. 10:26-33e lliptica l, 10:30-31exte nsion , drop-leaf , 10:30 , 3 1ex ten sio n , wit h leaves , 10:3 1extensio n , with mul tiples, 10:32ga te-le g . ro und , 10:48, 50rec tangular, spaces at , 10:28 , 29room space and , 10:29-30 , 30ro und, sp aces at , 10:29 , 30ro und , w ith veneer "slats ," 11:46Sha ke r-style , 10:22sq uare . 10:30swivel-to p , 10:31tr estle, des igning. 1O:52-3 jtr es tle , pear -sycam ore , 9:52-53w id th of , 10:30w ith x-strct chers, 10:56
dr e ssin g , afte r Huhlmann , 8 :86l St h-Ce nt . stretche r, 7:47-49, 99 ·100e nd ,
cherry, II :56, 57glass-top pe d . 8 : 5(~5 1
Shaker-style , 10:22ex te nsion , J1:29game , pear and wa lnut , 7:72 -73Geo rgian mot if, 6:36 , 37, 40glass-to ppe d , 6:58-60after Gree ne and Gr eene Brothers ,
11:22-27hall,
lacc\vood . 8:58-59mis sion. 7:60-61
heigh ts for, 7:86 , 10:34library, w ith X-stre tc hers, 10:44-45night , Hiede rm eie r-vc nccred, 6 :76-77pe des ta l,
Art s-and-Crafts sty le , 6:24hooped , 6 :24 , 6 :78-79round, 6 :94Shake r-style , 10:21
w ith poor vs . good gra in ma tching,6:30-31
proport ions fo r, 7:87, 88ro lling, II :57-58, 59-60Sheraton . glove. design of, 8 :32-35sid e ,
hrass-inlaid , 6 :7Q..71Chi ne se , 8 :46Ch ip pend ale gothic . 8 :8 1Chip pe nda le , 8 :79
sm all otaepocne. des ign of, 7:87ste el-and-ma p le, 11:60 -61st retc he rs for ,
arc he d , 11:46, 47wood sel ecti on for , 6 :34-35
tave rn , 9 :38-.19trays fo r, integ ra l, 9 :66-71trestle ,
ex te ns io n, 6:8.1-85extension , slide s for , 6:99 -100slatted and curved , 7:9 0 , 9 1, 9 2
with tri angular motifs , 6 :86tw o-d rawe r w ork . Sha ke r-style , 10:21work-, Fed er al, 11:52See als o Desks: w rit ing. Legs. Stands:
night. Tabletops.
Tah lesaws: bridle joints on , double , 6:101102
Tabletops:attachment methods for ,
bridle-joint , 9 :70wi th floati ng battens , 11:64screwed-plate , 9:69
floating , 11:58frame for , faceted, I I :24, 25 , 26-27glass for , I I :74half-dovetailed . into legs , 11:28-29mitt-red three-way, flush , 10:52-53
Tansu : "Arts-and -Crafts style, 10:74book on , c ited , lO:4pins for , maple. 9 :84Shaker-style, 9:58-59
Templates :wit h computers, 8:3 4pau ern s for , 10:I(~ 18
Tenons: double-stub , 7 :8 1Thomas. William :
auction prices hy, 10:51bureau by, 10:50
Throop, Thomas:about , 6 :115o n armchair, 6 :68-69on ch air sea t . 6 : )0 2on models, 6 :14· 15
Tilman, Raymo nd : lam p by, 7:26Tischler, Pet e r:
abo ut , 6 :115on bureau, 0:72 ·73
Trays: integral to tab les , 9 :67, 7 1Turner, Peter:
about , 7:113on bookcases . 7:50-5 1finish methods of , 7 :23
Turn ing :off-center, 6 :102... 10'::'scribing, 10:18story sticks for , 10: 18
uUnivcrsitv of the Ans:
in Ph ilade lp hia, Inst ructio n at , 8 :15Upho lstery:
fo r armc hairs , choosing, 10:58-59haircloth , 6:44-45source for, 10:59
Utsugi (Deu tziu crenatav : pcgs for tansufrom , 10:4
vVan Beck um Pel cr:
aho ut , 6:114 .on Sheraton armchair, 6 :44 -45
van Erp , Dirk : lamp by . 10 :71Varnishes: See Finishes.Veneer:
bending. 6:103of brass , 6:7D-71c hamfe rs with , 7:67he rringboned , in pa nels , 6 :76-77pic , on small box. 10 :47, 76-77over plywood . 11:35rcsawing. for drawer fro nts , 6:35of screws, in sleeves, 7:101substrates for ,
qu arter-sawn , 10:45forma lde hyde-free, 7: 107
woven-slat effect in , 11:46Videos: on measuring furnit ure , lO:18
w\Vaals, Pet e r : chair b v, 7:4 1wagan . Robert : Shak"er furn itur e maker.
10:20-22\Vales , Hod: chair by , 7:4 1Walke r. Mark :
about . 9:93on tansu c hest , 9:40-4 1
\Valke r, William :abo ut . 10:90on hreakfast se t, 10:;6-;7caree r of, 11:56-61
\Vall p;II1e1S: curved, venee red , 11:58White. William :
about. II :80on crad le locks, I I :32
Wood mov ement: allowing fo r, II :64Wolfsonian , '11e :
traveling ex hibit from , 10:10visited, IO:H-IO
yYoung , Ste w art : drawings hy, II :20
JUNE /JULY 1997 85
• furniturestories
If so meone like Dani el Boone hadcome into my grandpa re nts ' houseand hun g up his powder horn, hewould have had a ve ry hard timefinding it when he was read y to leave.Their house was a PhiladelphiaVictorian at the edge o f the city, witha vestibule that led into a kind ofatrium-a squarish hall , in part asitting roo m, through which otherroo ms opened. You migh t not havenoticed the ruby-glass window, thecoal-bu rning fireplace, thegrandfathe r clock, the stairwaybe nding aro und the clock, becausethe furniture in that most traffickedpa rt of the house-the American boxse ttle, the library table, the so fa, theclo thespole, and miscellan eou sstools-had been lovingly made withsuch a liberal use of cattle horns thatthe vestibu le, atrium, and front parlorhad the combine d effect of aco nde nse d stampede.
In a chair beside the arch to thedining roo m, my grandfather sat inthe evening, reading the EveningBulletin . The legs of the cha ir werecattle horns, tips down, touching thefloo r. There were no armres ts, butbehind his head and shoulders was anintricacy of multiple ho rns. Text tohim was the library tabl e , its twolevels separated and supported byhorns, its fou r legs concatenating somany horns tha t they looked likegrowing ba nanas. Across the back ofthe sofa in the front parlor were tieron tier of horns. In the ves tib ule wasthe Ame rican box se ttle with a mirrorabove the bench and protrudinghorns running up the tw o sides andacross the top. You hung yo ur hat,your sca rf, yo ur powder horn on the
Horns
horns. A clothespole that had hornsco ming out of it like spines from acactus was just inside the atrium door.
All these pieces were made byj oseph Palmer, a farmer at Doe Run,35 miles west of the center ofPhilad elphia, wh ose daughter Laurawas my moth er 's mother. His farmwas all-purpose, self-sufficient , withhorses and co ws and ca nnable crops,a smo keho use, chicke ns. Doe Runwas dammed to reserve the water thatturn ed the wh eel of the mill. j osephPalmer was, amo ng many things , anenergetic woodworker in variousge nres. Who knows how he becameinterested in horn furniture, but it wasat least by 1892. wh en he made thatEvening Bulletin chair as a weddingpresent for his daughter Laura and herhusband, j ohn Williamson Ziegler ,wh o gave me the j ohn and was ca lledWill. Whittling mahogany,joseph
BY JOHN McPHEE
Palm er made pointy tenons toreinforce the horns from inside. Thehorns were from Texas, lon g andsho rt. He evidently had them shippedto him , and may have obtaine d othe rslocally. He was working in a traditionthat reached into the Middle Ages,had some mod est popularity inEurope in the mid-19th ce ntury, wasshared by othe rs in America in histime , and attracted no followers.
In the mill, j oseph Palmer also madebookboards-the hard pans of w hatare now called hardcover books. Heso ld them to Charles Ziegler, my greatuncl e , who owned Fran klin Bindery,and whose best custome r was thej ohn C. Winst on Book and BibleCompany, where my grandfa ther WillZiegler was second in co mmand.Winston was said to publish morebibl es than anyon e else in the co untry,and at the other end of their list wasmy grandfather's specialty, thehardcover equivalent of the newspaperex tra, now known as the qu ickie. In1912, he published a book on theTitanic while the bubbles were stillnumerous and the ice had yet to melt.
He would have been sitting in hischair, supported below and behindby two doz en cattle horns, whe n heread that the great ship went down.Being a publisher , he naturally kept apair of pearl-h andl ed .44-ca libre ColtPeacemakers in a velvet-lined boxupstairs, but eve n they, in thepersistence of memory, are no matchfor the horns-the fun ctional horns,the decorative horns, the func tionaldecorative festoons of horns.John McPhee is the author of 24 books of
nonfiction; his latest is the collection of essays
Irons in the Fire (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
86 HOME FURNITURE Drawing : Rob ert Andrew Parker
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