I am working on another desk box; an oak box with a slanted lid. Mainly I need this for the photos, for an article in the works. The annoying part is that the photos I needed to shoot were the slots/dadoes/what-have-yous on the inside faces of the box’s end boards. But…I don’t like to do the carving after cutting voids into the board. So first, I had to carve them.
This time, I made up the design, drawing from my research (and others’) into the varied carvings coming out of Devon, England. The same style appeared in Ipswich, Massachusetts during the last 3rd of the 17th century. I carve this stuff more than any other grouping, mostly because of its variety. Once you learn the “vocabulary” it’s easy to make up designs willy-nilly.
The desk box ends are weird shapes though. Took a little sketching with some chalk, and some wiping away with a damp cloth – but I got something I like. So then the front board is simple enough – a plain ol’ rectangle. There are three boxes from Devon that seem to be the same carver, or the same general pattern anyway. One of these I photographed back when I worked at Plimoth Plantation, the other two are from a website I subscribe to, Marhamchurch Antiques – http://www.marhamchurchantiques.com/ Paul Fitzsimmons there is a magnet for this Devon/Exeter oak furniture.
I’m going to carve the box front at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Sunday July 9. from noon to 3pm. I’ll be demonstrating the carving, and some joinery and other oak-y stuff. http://www.mfa.org/programs/gallery-activities-and-tours/early-american-furniture-carving
Here are a few details from the Devon boxes that were the inspiration for my sketch – (the first two from Marhamchurch Antiques, thanks Paul, the 3rd is my photo).
This one had a later escutcheon on it, covering up the pattern. I took it off, so we could see the shape. At that time, I had never seen the previous two.
But before I go to Boston to work on Sunday, I’m off to Maine for the Open House at Lie-Nielsen Friday & Saturday. https://www.lie-nielsen.com/hand-tool-events/USA/146
These events are legendary; the lineup this summer is killer. I try to do this show every July…it’s like old home week, seeing all my friends from the hand-tool circus. I guess I was there last summer – found my picture on their Facebook page –
This time I’ll mostly be carving oak for a bedstead I’m working on. But I have a talk on Saturday about green woodworking, so I’ll do some spoon carving too. See you there I hope.
PETER FOLLANSBEE: JOINER’S NOTES 
If only I had legs like that I’d be a babe magnet
On Tue, Jul 4, 2017 at 4:53 PM Peter Follansbee, joiner’s notes wrote:
> pfollansbee posted: “I am working on another desk box; an oak box with a > slanted lid. Mainly I need this for the photos, for an article in the > works. The annoying part is that the photos I needed to shoot were the > slots/dadoes/what-have-yous on the inside faces of the box’s e” >
Thanks, Peter. Your Joiner’s Notes are inspirational as they are my only connection with wood workers in this country. I am a member of APTGW in England and have often wondered why working with green wood isn’t popular here in the US. I live and work in a fairly remote part of the North Carolina mountains and just don’t have the contacts that I would like to have. For the past twenty three years I have worked as an interpretive ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway doing both traditional wood working and blacksmithing. I suppose I’ve done most of the things that I see going on in the UK, shaving horses, bodgers benches, chair making, ox yokes, wagon restoration, spring pole lathes, etc., etc. I built a water-powered lathe for turning hubs for wagon wheels and I snake logs out of the woods with heavy horses. Surely there is an organization of like-minded folks in this country that get together periodically to share their skills and experiences.
Please feel no obligation to respond to this and keep up the good work!
All Best, Will Foster
ps: You can google me up as the Mabry Mill Blacksmith (U tube, photos, etc)
On Tue, Jul 4, 2017 at 5:53 PM, Peter Follansbee, joiner’s notes wrote:
> pfollansbee posted: “I am working on another desk box; an oak box with a > slanted lid. Mainly I need this for the photos, for an article in the > works. The annoying part is that the photos I needed to shoot were the > slots/dadoes/what-have-yous on the inside faces of the boxâs e” >
Reblogged this on b19y and commented:
If you’re around Boston this weekend (July 9th, noon to 3), swing by the MFA to see Peter do his thing.
Peter, I’m curious whether you have a chunkier-than-usual cutting angle on the carving chisels you use for oak. Seems like that hard, elastic wood would beat the heck out of a delicate cutting edge.
Kalia