SAPFM Gallery Show at CHS

Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.

Johannes Brahms 

As some of you may be aware I had a chair selected for a gallery show at the Connecticut Historical Society  in Hartford.  The show was sponsored and presented by the SAPFM.  Needless to say, I was surprised and honored and very excited to go.

The museum is housed at the Veeder Mansion in Hartford, at the edge of the University of Hartford.  The house/museum is spectacular, built in the 1920's and finished mostly in Mission Style, above you can see the quarter-sawn white oak panels in what was the library.  Mr. Veeder invented the mechanical counter and had a factory not too far from the house, where it remains to this day.

Here you can see the counter he invented,  that's where the money came from.  At my old work, we used this to tally the lumber, so this was really cool for me.  Below you can see the linen fold carvings on the molding if you look closely.

Here is a beautiful painting of the Hartford area.  This whole painting was on one wide pine board.

Rich Mallay, the head of collections, was nice enough to let me tag along when they went to the attic to get a piece for a show and I was blown away.  There were racks and racks of Windsor chairs and high boys and tea tables and dressers and anything else you could think of.

The Windsor below was made by Ebenezer Tracey, a fairly well-known and very prodigious chair maker from Bristol, Conn.  He built a lot of chairs, and I was thrilled to see a writing arm of his. 

Another view, note the leg cut-outs.

Above you can see the trademark Tracey leg.  Note how the bulb above the birds-beak forms a vase, not the straight you see today, and he also did not have a fillet and birds-beak at the top, he simply ran the vase up in what I think is a very graceful sweep, amazing.   The stretcher is a little different, with a squarish swelling and nodes at the ends.  I'm not sure if this is a typical Tracey feature or not.

A couple of gorgeous,  stunning Continuous Arms.  Look at the turning on the arm posts.  

 I will be doing another post ( or more) on this trip.  Thanks to Rich Malley, and Kyle Sprague and Ben Gammel who work at this wonderful museum.  And another thanks to Mickey Callahan from the SAPFM for putting the show together.  More to come. 

 If you are in the area, or looking for a great trip to take, check out the museum and the show that runs through the summer.

Making a Tenon Saw

 

The grave itself is but a covered bridge,

Leading from light to light, through a brief darkness! 

 

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, The Golden Legend

I've always wanted a tenon saw.  I did not want to pay a lot of money for one however.  So when I was in an antique shop, I bought a big hand miter saw.  You can pick these up for around $20 but the problem is they are too big, at around 21" long, they are simply unwieldy.  But I thought if I cut one down, it may work.

So I put a 3/32 zip (cutoff) wheel in my 5" grinder and marked a line and in about ten seconds it was cut.  I should say two things here.  First off, if you buy one get a 5" angle grinder.  They are actually easier to handle and much more balanced than the smaller 4" ones.  Second, be careful with a zip wheel.  They can kick back quickly and violently.  I'm kinda lax about safety glasses, but I wear glasses and a shield with these things.  Anyway, quick work.  In the background you can see a flap wheel sanding disc that smooths out the edge.  These also work great on wood, if you can stand the dust. 

I jointed and filed the saw as usual.  For this saw, because tenon cutting is primarily a ripping cut, I went with 10º fleam, 10º rake and about 10º slope.  This is what Leonard Lee suggests in his book, so who am I to argue.  

Here you can see my setup for sharpening, the light is key.  

I usually stone the sides with a diamond hone to take the burr off; again Leonard Lee.

And here it is all done and put back together.  It's 5' wide and 16" long.  I cut about 5" off and it's amazing how it improves the balance.  Before it felt like a chainsaw, but now it feels like a really big handsaw, which...it is. 

It cuts really well too.  The weight is such that it really zips thru the wood.  I'm not sure how much I'll use it; I still prefer a bandsaw but at least I have the option now.

Below are a couple pictures of a Rod Back Arm Chair that was recently selected for the Society of American Period Furniture Makers  gallery show in Hartford, Conn. this spring and summer.  It's one of thirty pieces selected and one of only a few Windsors.  Needless to say I am honored and excited. 

First Show

Here are some images of projects that I have finished up lately or had new photos taken.  I found a new photographer and she is great, a real sense of color and making a shot work without making it look contrived, so thanks for that.

I haven't posted in a while, but I had a show downstate at Point Lookout in Lincolnville, which went really well.  I met a bunch of super nice people who had nothing but great things to say about the furniture.  I hope they had a good show as well, and I'd like to say thanks to all of them for all the positive comments about the furniture.  This was my first show away from home, and judging fro the wonderful experience, I will be doing more.  

These shots are actually from Wintergreen Arts up here in Presque Isle, not from the show I did downstate.  First show and I forget the camera.  I contacted the show photographer but haven't heard from him yet, hopefully I'll get some photos.  My new photographer put together a slide show of the Wintergreen show which I am going to attempt to link here.  If this doesn't work, check back tomorrow. Wintergreen Slide Show here.  Some really nice photos, thanks Connie.

Another thanks goes out to Ed and Christine at the  Mount Battie Motel in Lincolnville.  Super nice people, great breakfast, reasonable rates, what more could you want.  Also, if your in the mid coast area check out the Thomaston Cafe, my favorite restaurant, great food...you gotta try the crabcakes.

Lastly, another thanks to the attendees of the show who had such nice things to say about my furniture.  Being almost entirely self taught, it's hard sometimes to tell if my work is really good, or if people are just being nice.  The feedback was genuinely positive, so thanks and I hope to hear from all of you soon.

Wintergreen Arts Show

Here's a side chair with a different finish, clear this time.  A lot of people ask me for these or if I do something unpainted, so here it is.  I did a sack back settee like this a few years ago, but this one is my design.  Like any new chair, the first one is never really right.  But with chairs, you never really know what they will sit like until it's done. 

 This one has a few things I'll change on the next ones.  First, the front legs will move back, more under the seat and with less rake.  And the back spindles are just a little too upright, a couple degrees more rake there will make the chair more comfortable.   I am really happy with the way the seat came out.  The figure and color are beautiful, and the shape is very pleasing to my eye. 
When I say rake and splay, these refer to the way the legs, arms and spindles lean back or forward and also how they lean to the side.  Just like masts on ships, rake refers to the tilt of parts forward and backward.  Splay (or flare) refers to the lean to the side. 

Here are the pieces I took to the show at Wintergreen Arts for my show Friday.  Below you see a walnut wall cabinet with a tombstone glass door and a Shaker clock. 

 The blanket chest is new, really came out great.

 

Here is the unfinished side chair.  I'm calling it the Allagash Side Chair, and behind it a Linen Press painted mustard yellow.  And on the right is the Rod Back Arm Chair I made for my father.