“Send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille”

 I finally turned the pillars for the MFA cupboard project.

turning pillars with pole lathe

A quick review: the project is to build a replacement for a now-missing upper case to a two-part cupboard. The museum owns the lower case, and thus I have been building the upper case. Typically a cupboard like this (a press cupboard, joined cupboard, wainscot cupboard, these are some of the names for it) has a lower section with a top board that forms the deck for fitting the upper case. The upper case usually just sits on top of the lower, the connection points being the turned tenons at the bottom of the pillars fitting round mortises bored into the lower case at the front corners, and sometimes some “free” tenons between the bottom edges of the upper case’s rails and mortises chopped in the top of the lower case.

17th c pillar

The pillars for this upper case are based on a related example that survives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.. These pillars are maple, and are just a bit different from almost all other cupboard pillars of 17th-century New England. These stand out because the pillar and squared block above it are one. In most cases, the squared block (really a very short stile) is separate and the pillars have turned tenons that fit up into the mini-stile, and down into the top boards of the lower case.

 

Rob Tarule sent me the maple stock I used for these, sawn out to just oversized dimensions. I then let them sit a while in the shop before working them, the maple being less reliable than oak. I weighed them and once they slowed down in their weight loss, I decided they were OK to work. On April 5th they were each 9lbs 6oz. By June 22nd, one was 7lbs 9oz. So at that point, I planed them, & mortised them. Their finished size is 3 ¾” square, and just over 22” in length.

 

After mortising, I then mounted them on the lathe. It had been several years since I made pillars, so I was somewhat rusty at it. Lucky for me this time the work I am copying is not that good, so it was easy enough to do a passable job.

rouging-out gouge

 I used a hatchet to hew off the corners of the section to be turned; then used this gouge to work the hewn shape into a cylinder.

the turned blank

Once it’s a cylinder, it’s time to mark out and cut the details.

a bead and cove underway

a small gouge used to cut the cove.

skew chisel

The skew chisel taking a nice shaving, leaving a smooth surface.

test-fit detail

a detail and overall of the test-fit of the upper case with its pillars. Things a little out-of-whack, but most of these joints are not pinned at this point.

upper case test fit with pillars

 

a bad day of geometry c. 1605

box w drawer, walnut & inlay

Having looked the other day at some scratched graffiti on a molding plane; http://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/sketched-on-a-napkin/

I was reminded of an English box I’ve seen with some geometry scribed on the inside face of the box front. This particular example survives in a corrupted configuration; it was once a box with a drawer, and is now just a very deep box.

On the inside face of the bottom section carved with the arcading is a series of attempted spirals, laid out with “a pair of compasses.” The original layout called for three spirals, and only one is complete. The center one is poorly-thought-out, and the one on the proper left end of the box is barely begun. Here are the two better examples:

two spiral patterns

And a detail of the one on the left above:

compass-formed spiral

 This spiral is marked out with two center points; with some help today, it was not too much trouble to figure out the layout. 

But my next question – what happened? This face of the board is laid out with a vertical center line, (which is not centered on the present length of the board) and two equidistant lines marked out from that. These all serve as centers for the spirals. One spiral got nowhere fast, two partial arcs. The center one is not a consistent spiral, there are mistakes in its layout. The one on the proper right-hand end is fully-formed, and “correct” in that it follows a system to produce a continuing spiral.  Here’s a sketch showing the layout with two center points:

compass-drawn spiral

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I wonder, was it was practice? Did the joiner/carver start out wanting a “three-spiral” motif on his drawer front, get frustrated with the geometry, give up & flip the board over to carve the simpler arcading? Maybe it was just a bad day for geometry c. 1605.

arcading

The carving, in walnut, is excellent, first-rate work. This box dates from about 1600-1610. A nearly identical example, dated 1605, is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Another is in a private collection.

(I can’t think of a carved pattern with spirals that continue outwards so much, most are just one or two turns around…I’ll be on the lookout.)

 

changing horses in mid-stream. new carving

MFA cupboard door #1

This is the door frame & panel I made for the MFA cupboard project. The carvings are based on related examples; the frame carving is essentially a copy of that on the cupboard at the MET in NY.

And while it’s been hanging around my shop, I decided I didn’t like it. So I carved version two – below.

new version MFA cupboard door

This one has S-scrolls that relate to the lower case in the MFA. Here is a detail of the scrolls I used to arrive at the new pattern.

S-scroll MFA cupboard

The addition of the open circles & half-circles shortens the S-scrolls. I like them better that way. The cupboard base also has S-scrolls without the open circles; so either door frame is conceivable; but I lean towards the 2nd one. There will be no Door #3. It’s not Let’s Make a Deal.

A couple of tweaks; I have to decided whether to cut out the background of the full-circles, or cross-hatch them. Also, add some nail-holes-as-a-punch.

Then pillars. Then applied moldings. Then paint. Somewhere in there the pine top boards, soffit, etc. A zillion details, and this is only the upper case. Imagine if I were making the whole thing.

 

sketched on a napkin

S Doggett round plane

Many years ago, Rob Tarule showed me this plane at the museum where I work. I don’t remember if Rob bought the plane when he worked there. It’s an unsuspecting enough example. It’s a 7/8″ round plane, probably birch, about 10 1/4″ long.  Made between about 1770s and 1820s; according to A Guide to the Makers of American Wooden Planes by Emil & Martyl Pollak.

 Here is the stamp, reading “S Doggett  Dedham”; probably for Samuel Doggett, Jr. (1751-1831) of Dedham, Massachusetts.  

S Doggett Dedham

 So that makes it a reasonably old plane, but the reason that I took pictures of this plane is the sketch scratched in the side of it. It looks as if someone scratched a house frame’s “bent” with a knife in the side of the plane, now very faint. well, it takes a bit of raking light, some imagination, etc to make it appear. but I like the idea that some carpenter/housewright took this plane & made this sketch…like we might sketch on a paper napkin…

sketch of house

 

one thing leads to another

Well, I’m not much when it comes to carpentry. I knew the old aluminum screen door had to go; and that I couldn’t abide a factory-made modern wooden door. So I made one, and then of course had to struggle through framing & hanging it.  And that led to new shingles…& on & on.

But today I had help.

willing helpers

As is often the case, the help often has a mind of its own. Apparently, Daniel did not warm up to the chip carving, and thus decided to shingle over it.

so much for chip carving

Meanwhile Rose had decided that there was more pressing work elsewhere, and was ready to go.

ready with the tool kit

The kids work at a faster pace than I do; making photography a little trickier. Plus they were smart enough to work in the shade.

home repairs full-speed

 

a couple of photos

box stool, oak

 

Finally getting around to photographing some stuff I’m finishing up. First is this box stool. It’s a form I’ve only seen in passing in England; but its construction is pretty straightforward. I have used some carving patterns from Devon, and the turnings are generic enough. Here’s a view of it open:

box stool, open

While I had the paper set up, I shot this detail of the interior of a joined stool’s upper rail, or apron. The hewing hatchet’s traces are evident, as is the tapered cross-section of the other rail, resulting from the riven stock used in the stool. Barely visible in this shot are two Roman numerals matching the mortise & tenon. (there’s a “I” just above the longest protruding pin, the corresponding “I” is washed out on the surface of the stile.)

tool marks, joined stool

Sorry I haven’t been keeping things coming too much here lately, been short on chances for photos, and without them, it’s just blather to me…my goal is to get it going again. Stay tuned.

 

Woodworking on the road

This year I have been on the road a bit…when I started scheduling stuff last year, it seemed like a good idea. Then more & more proposals came along & each one was too good to pass up.  The winter & spring got the Colonial Williamsburg & Winterthur presentations wrapped up…

 

In August, I will be at Country Workshops to teach a class in making a carved box. That class is full, it will be a pretty busy week. I am really looking forward to it, Country Workshops is where I really cut my teeth at green woodworking. www.countryworkshops.org  So, I will pack up the family, drive ’til I’m cross-eyed, then look for this mailbox, and then the fun begins. Drew & Louise run a great gig there; well worth a trip sometime. The CW website has the lowdown on the whole show, as well as tools, books, etc for sale, and a forum for information & inspiration. 

CW workshop view

I just learned this weekend that the registration for the Woodworking in America Handtools & Techniques Conference 2009 is now underway…I have never been, but I gather that these things are really something. I was quite pleased to be asked to participate, and as soon as I get home from Drew’s, I’ll unpack, re-sharpen and start getting stuff ready for October in Valley Forge. Whew. Look at the line-up, it’s impressive…including Roy Underhill, thus you know it’s going to be lively.

http://handtools.woodworkinginamerica.com/GeneralMenu/

 

new kitchen cupboard door

Well, after a 3 1/2 year interruption (the twins) I have resumed my work at re-facing the cupboards in our kitchen…

Perhaps you could guess, but I am doing them in oak, frames & panels. Here with some accents in black walnut & Atlantic white cedar. The whole thing, if it ever gets done, will be a total mix-up of patterns and styles, all falling within the general outline of seventeenth-century stuff. This pattern is copied from stuff from the Connecticut River Valley, c. 1675-1700 give or take.  The panel was a practice piece a while back, so I made the frame this past week or so…and fitted the walnut & cedar the other day. Now some more finish, then start to figure out how it will fit in the scheme of things.

next kitchen cupboard door

 

new use for joined stool

In joined stools, it’s pretty common for there to be a slight gap between the upper rails’ top edge and the seat. This stems from the fact that the stiles (legs/posts) don’t shrink in length, but the rails shrink a bit in width. Not a big deal, but it leads to a use I had never considered before. The kids have taken to using it as a mailbox…

new mailman

Sometimes, though, you have to check to make sure the mail got in the box…

where'd it go?

 

carved panel

the June 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking includes an article I did about the carved work in my joined furniture. I was quite pleased with the treatment I received there, and the printed result.

 I carved two panels in photographing the stuff for the article, thus decided I was well on the way to another chest. So it is now one of the too-many projects I have going.  It’s been a while since I made something for the house, so we’ll see if there’s room for it here. 

Here is a detail of the central panel and some of the framing; it’s further along than this now, but I haven’t had much chance at photos. The muntins are made from quartersawn white oak, the rails are riven white oak and the panel riven red oak. I am planning on painting the carvings, and in time the various oak pieces will all blend together…

center panel, new chest

Otherwise, another extra-curricular woodworking that I sometimes do is spoon carving. These days, I keep a few spoons underway in a basket that I take with me when the kids & I go to the playground. It has taken a while for the moms to get used to that guy with the beard and the knives, but so far no one has called the police. I learned spoon carving 15-20 years ago at Country Workshops (www.countryworkshops.org) from Drew Langsner, and Jogge & Willie Sundqvist. This batch contains a few woods; cherry, apple and some birch. The thing I like about spoon carving is that you can take it most anywhere, and do much of it in your lap. I hew the rough shape at the shop, then do the knife work in bits & pieces as time allows.

a few spoons

My interest in spoons got re-kindled by the work of Robin & Nicola Wood http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/spoon-carving.htm and their posts (and others) on the forum at the bodgers’ site http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/

Country Workshops’ forum also has a lot of information about woodenware, it has been a staple there since Drew & Louise started the school in 1978…

http://countryworkshops.org/forum.html