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Peter Follansbee
3 Landing Rd.
Kingston, MA 02364
781-585-5295
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Peter Follansbee, joiner's notes
seventeenth-century joined furniture; green wood, hand tools
January 13, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Hi there Peter,
I just wanted to comment on your blog and how much I have enjoyed reading it.
I had a question about a small hatchet that I saw you use on Roy Underhill’s show. I did a search to try to find it on your blog but did not find a name of it. I did however find this picture of it on your blog:
http://pfollansbee.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/birch-w-bark-trimmed.jpg?w=510&h=375
I am looking for a hatchet to do just what you did on Roy’s show, rough out spoon blanks. I have several hatchets that I have been using, including a carpenters axe, but none of them seem to cut that great. Mostly they glance off unless you hold them at a really steep angle. I also have a small tomahawk that I have had for several decades that I put flat bevels on and it works well but is a little on the light side.
Is that main factor that makes a small hatchet work well is the flat ground bevel? This is what I am thinking since the hawk that I put a flat grind on works so well.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as well as info on the hatchet that I linked to.
Thanks,
Dave
http://traditionalskills.wordpress.com
January 14, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Dave
the hatchet you saw was made by a Swedish blacksmith over 20 years ago. I got it from Drew Langsner’s Country Workshops – a great resource for spoon carving. I don’t think Drew sells the same hatchet these days; but he has hatchets for spoon work. http://www.countryworkshops.org Drew can help you with the specific tool for that work…
Peter
January 17, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Cool. It looks like a nice pattern. Thanks for the info.
Dave.
January 15, 2012 at 10:50 am
You need a Gransfor Axe…. Swedish made. Avaiable via Moonraker Supplies, Wiltshire, UK or Green Tool Store UK. Bodger
January 17, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Yep I have looked at those. At $180 they are a little out of my price range at the moment. Would you guys recommend a single bevel or double like the one you have Peter?
Thanks
Dave
February 11, 2012 at 12:13 am
çok güzel
March 10, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Hey Peter,
You are really very good in making joined stools.
I bought a chest dated 1726 a tridarn orginial from north west wales
17e century gateleg and a joined stool.
I like to send you a phot of the joined stool for an example for you,
but i am very anxious from which period this joined stool is.
I live in holland,
Greetings,
Adrie
March 13, 2012 at 12:09 am
hello Peter, this is Mike, I wrote you some emails about pay you some money and use one of your photo on our art design? ie: like the “detail of underside cuts” one, thanks. hope to hear from you soon, thanks. this is mike :)
March 16, 2012 at 9:08 am
Hey Peter. Could I ask you one more question about hatchets? I have it narrow down to a Mueller Carpenters Hatchet which I think will be good for spoons, bowls and general roughing out work. It has a double bevel which I think would be better than the single bevel hewing styles like the Swedish Carving Axe.
The question I had was what weight should I look at getting? I have only found the 2.25lb version which seems a little on the heavy side, however it looks like I could special order just about any weight. I was thinking somewhere in the 1.5 to 2 lb range. That are your thoughts? I am going to order one after I get your advice and then I will stop bugging you about it. :-)
Thanks again for the help.
Dave
March 28, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Peter,
Thanks for the mention on your site. We have had two contacts already. Lovely children wielding the cleaver and mallet. Hope they remain interested.
I like the photos of old work mistakes (as well as your inspirational work). The dove tail hinge shows something I didn’t know . It was obviously tapered in the center before wrapping and welding, as the rough edges do not line up as they would if thicker metal were wrapped, welded and then spread away from the hinge barel
I like the looks of your hewing hatchet. I recently made one for the Science Museum of Minnesota based on the sketch in Moxon’s book. Haven’t finished the one I started for myself.
If you would ever consider leading a panel carving workshop in WI or MN let me know.
Is your book, “How to Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” the project you and John started years ago?
April 26, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Saw you making spoons on the Wheelwright Shop – makes me want to try to make something from wood.
I noticed on your site you enjoy birding. Here are three birder webcams run by the Cornell Ornithological Lab you might enjoy:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=2422&ac=ac
https://secure3.birds.cornell.edu/page.aspx?pid=2433
http://www.livestream.com/cornellherons2
Two are for the Great Blue Heron in Ithaca, one is for a red tail Hawk nest with three newly hatched eyyases.
May 6, 2012 at 1:26 am
Peter,
I’m an 11th generation descendant of Thomas Dennis. My grandmother will be visiting Massachussetts later this month and is wondering about the possibility of seeing some of his work. Is there any on public display in or near the Boston area that you are aware of?
May 21, 2012 at 12:10 am
Hey Peter… From time to time at this point in my life I reflect on the past. I often wondered what became of the print department at the Coop, of you, your fellow framers and the great staff upstairs. Mrs. Henning was quite the lady and business woman! I worked for her as a stock boy more or less I kept the upstairs selling floor well stocked with prints and also did the Saturday street sales. Julia Childs walked through one Saturday with her husband. I do remember you and recognized you in your picture… you still look quite the same!
June 13, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Peter….. Saw you on Roy Underhill on carving spoons andyou were using a hookknife just was wondering is it your design or who you got it from.Also i first ran into you at John Alexanders you and drew pop in 1996 when i was down there making a chair at that time you were into old dove tail drawer joints.
Mike Smith
August 15, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Youmight get a kick out of this Dutch joint stool/table
http://www.vanaalstantiek.nl/index.php?showimg=319&artID=66
October 27, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Hi Peter
I saw you on The Woodwright, and I heard you make a comment about how the “20th century ruined a lot of things”. I believe it was when Roy was concerned about a flat on one of your turnings, and I remember thinking, what an excellent point. Before the machine age, hand work had no standard really, except other hand work. Now that we have arrived in the world of perfection via machines, our work is held up to the same level of high standards easily obtained by automation. So, I guess some tools marks here or there, should be thought of as a mark of true hand work.
December 22, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Peter, I enjoy your blog and your work. Do you know if you can use rose of sharon wood to carve spoons or have you had any experience with it? I have a huge tree in my yard and carved my first spoon with it. I wanted to know if i could use the spoon – i didn’t know if there were health concerns.
Also, I’m looking for a good carving knife. any suggestions?
I live in the Plymouth area and didn’t know if you ever held a spoon carving class or know of anyone who does?
Thanks for your time and Happy Holidays.