a few photos

thanks to Heather, I’ve got a new camera to work with these days. Here’s some photos, no particular theme or order. (if you want to see them bigger. click them. On a computer anyway. I don’t know how it works for you phone-heads.)

The shop from down by the river, just as the sun came over the trees. You can see Daniel’s wildlife camera, I’m trying to get a new blog post out of him.

From inside, later. Looking back toward the river. I’ll shoot this view again tomorrow, the sun is supposed to come out. Now all the cattails are golden brown. I like the way they look now better than this full-summer view.

 

These three baskets are full of split oak to be pins for securing mortise and tenon joints. I take short off-cuts from dead-straight stock and split them out & fill these baskets with them. I made the two on the left, the one on the right is a new/old one from Louise Langsner, came to me from the Jennie Alexander collection.

This basket is the one I keep down where I can get at it. The pins in it are dry/ready to use. When it gets low, I climb up and get the next batch. I made this basket in 1987. Ash with hickory rims & handle. Hickory bark lashing.

Here’s what that basket was out – I was pinning a joined stool today.

Oh, garish electric light. The cats in a white oak basket, at night in the house. Sophie, then Scout jumping out of it. These photos are a few weeks old, the cats are bigger. But still climb into stuff…

 

Last weekend, Daniel & I spent 9 hours in the car so we could spend 5 up in Maine w Jogge Sundqvist & Kenneth & Angela Kortemeier at the Maine Coast Craft School. http://www.mainecoastcraft.com/ 

Here’s Daniel getting a preview of the then-up-coming (now just-finished) class in making a book/box.

Later, out on the water we went.

Jogge & Kenneth lead the way…

I finished up the first three of these chairs.

Even got out to the beach here in Plymouth one day. Best place in town. Rose in the lead…

a semi-palmated plover. (Charadrius semipalmatus)

more books for sale from JA collection

I’ve still got a few boxes of books to sort through. Here’s the latest batch, some green woodworking/carving/American furniture, etc. Leave a comment, then I will follow up with paypal invoices, etc. The comments are time-stamped, so it solves the “who-was-here-first” issue. One copy of each of these titles. I’ll try to keep the page updated as things sell. Sorry for the clunky-ness, there must be a better way, but I don’t have time to suss it out. Prices include media mail in the US. Other shipping is extra.

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UPDATE – 1:30 PM, ALL THAT’S LEFT RIGHT NOW ARE THREE FURNITURE BOOKS, LISTED JUST BELOW THIS NOTE. 

American Furniture in Pendleton House, RISD. This is a catalogue of the collection at Rhode Island School of Design’s museum. Softcover.

$30

 

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American Furniture at the MFA Boston. Softcover. A nice overview of the collection published in the early 1960s or so.

$30.

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American Furniture, 1996. This is the annual journal put out by the Chipstone Foundation. Yes, it’s online. To get the full set of illustrations you need to view the actual books. This one includes the first article JA & I did for them, on the oak carved furniture from Braintree, Massachusetts.

$30.

 

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UPDATE – 1:30PM. ALL BOOKS BELOW HERE ARE SOLD. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, SORRY THERE WEREN’T ENOUGH TO GO AROUND!

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Handmade, by Drew & Louise Langsner. SOLD

Paperback. The covers are a bit buckled, it’s an old paperback. Otherwise in fine shape. Signed by Louise & Drew…it’s their trip through parts of Europe looking into architecture, cooking, crafts, and more.

$12.

 

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Woodcarving: Tools, Materials & Equipment, Chris Pye. SOLD

softcover. I really like this book, lots of great content about the tools, their use, shapes, sharpening. I keep my copy right next to Mary May’s book.

$20.

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Wood and Woodworking in Anglo-Scandinavian Medieval York Carole Morris. SOLD

Archaeology books usually don’t interest me much, being mostly ceramics or metal. This one’s all WOOD! Great, great book. Large paperback, some browning on the edges of the pages, but it’s all intact and otherwise in fine condition. Now a pretty scarce book.

$100.

 

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Another English book –

Suffolk Medieval Church Roof Carvings, by Birkin Haward. SOLD

Softcover. This one I come back to again & again. Not because I’m going to carve a church roof, but because it’s captivating. Great details.

$45

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Making the Attikamek Snowshoe, Henri Vallancourt. SOLD

softcover

very well-regarded book about just that – making these snowshoes. I’m trying to picture JA in showshoes! But this book was in the collection because it’s about green woodworking with simple tools. Includes a note from Henri to JA.

$75

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Folk Arts and Crafts of Japan – SOLD

hardcover. Nice study of the subject, textiles, ceramics, wood, paint –

$20.

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The History of Chairmaking in High Wycombe, L.J. Mayes. SOLD

Hardcover. Includes a section about the old methods in Buckinghamshire, then goes into how the “craft became an industry…”

$20.

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The Cooper and His Trade, SOLD

Kenneth Kilby. Aptly titled book, I have a later paperback edition. This is the first edition, hardcover.

$20

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Tage Frid, book 3: Furniture making. SOLD

Not green woodworking, not “all-hand-tools” but some chair design. That’s all I can figure as to why it was there.

$40

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American Furniture 2008. SOLD

Same series as above, this time with a piece by JA, Robert Trent & I on “shaved post and rung chairs” –

[NOTE: I HAVE ABOUT 15 VOLUMES OF CHIPSTONE’S AMERICAN FURNITURE. SEND ME A NOTE IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC VOLUME.]

$30.

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Jarrod Dahl Birch Bark class with Plymouth CRAFT

The weekend went very well, 10 or so folks making several birch bark cannisters under Jarrod’s tutelage. What amazing material he brought from Wisconsin. We never see birches that large around eastern Massachusetts. They might grow big like that out in the western part of the state, but that’s way out past 495.

After the opening session/slide show/demo, it was time for the students to get involved. Started off making knife sheaths after a demo by Jazmin. She & Jarrod make pretty tidy knife sheaths.

Jarrod distributed the bark, then it was up to the students to suss out where to cut it. “About here?” says Jake.

Some could be de-laminated. Sorta like splitting hickory bark. Just easier.

Mary dove in and started cutting the joints with a chisel. Their first cannisters had triangular joints, later ones had curved joints. The triangular ones were a good place to start.

I semi-Tom-Sawyered Pret into cutting mine. Until I got to decorating it, that is. Then he disappeared in a hurry.

 

This one’s not mine, mine was more decorated. “tarted up” is the phrase, I think. But this punch impression is my favorite of the pile Jarrod brought.

Here’s a few of the punches, antler I think.

There’s many details, but I’m not writing a how-to. Here, Jarrod demo-ing pegging the white pine bottom in place.

A student’s cannister, bottom & top in place, next up was making the top and bottom bands. I messed mine up today at home, made a two consecutive simple mistakes.

One of Jarrod’s handles. Toggles, he calls them.

here’s Marie’s group shot. Big Steve – where’s your birch work?

https://www.instagram.com/jarrod__dahl/

https://www.plymouthcraft.org/

 

Jennie Alexander’s chair

 

Alexander’s post-and-rung chair

On the Jennie Alexander chairmaking front – I worked with Alexander for years and years – and we made many of these chairs together. In the early 1990s we worked on a second edition of the book Make a Chair from a Tree and it included an afterword that described and illustrated the then-current updates to the chairmaking process from the original 1978 edition. Around that time, we shot a full-length video of the process, but JA was not satisfied with it, and scrapped the whole thing. Then later, while I was off in joinery-land, JA and Anatol Polillo produced an excellent video that shows the most current version of how to build this chair.

You probably already saw this news – but Lost Art Press announced yesterday that it’s got the video ready for streaming. Here’s the link:

‘Make a Chair From a Tree’ Streaming Video Now Available

My one comment – Chris doesn’t know what it’s called. It’s not a “Jennie” chair, it’s a JA chair. Always was.

Get it while you wait for the next (and best) edition of the book.

On the same subject, next year, I’m planning two classes on making these chairs. When I have the particulars sorted out, I’ll announce them here & elsewhere. I’ve made four of these chairs lately, and they’ve all sold – soon I’ll be taking orders for a small batch of my versions of these as well. Lots more about these chairs in upcoming posts.

Jarrod’s birch bark class at Plymouth CRAFT

We got underway tonight with a 2-hour intro to Jarrod’s class in birch bark cannisters with Plymouth CRAFT. https://www.plymouthcraft.org/

He showed some slides of harvesting the bark, and some historical inspiration, as well as examples of his own work. That was followed by a demonstration of cutting the joints for a simple cannister.

Here, using a chisel to stab out the slots and tabs for the connecting joinery.

I know from experience that wrapping your head around the layout of this joint is no joke. Here, he’s limbering the bark up for squeezing it so he can slip the tabs through the slots. Or whatever you call those bits.

 

Now to do it so all the components slide through in turn.

The body of the cannister fitted, a joined outside, and an overlapping liner slid inside.

I saw Jarrod make one of these, maybe a 20-minute demo, the year we first met. Since then, I’ve always wanted to delve more deeply into this aspect of green woodworking. So I’ve waited for this class for a long time. I greatly appreciate that Jarrod & Jazmin have traveled all this way; and have brought something new to us at Plymouth CRAFT. Looking forward to the hands-on part, starting tomorrow.

You probably already know Jarrod’s work, but just in case- https://www.instagram.com/jarrod__dahl/  

and https://woodspirithandcraft.com/

the next batch of JA’s books; TOOLS

UPDATE – THURSDAY, SEPT 13, ALL THESE BOOKS HAVE SOLD.

THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE, I KNOW IT CAN BE CLUNKY TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE. I’LL SORT THE REMAINING BOOKS, MOST OF WHICH ARE FURNITURE HISTORY; MANY VOLUMES OF CHIPSTONE’S AMERICAN FURNITURE, AND A NEARLY-COMPLETE RUN OF THE BRITISH JOURNAL REGIONAL FURNITURE. I WILL POST SOME OF THESE AFTER THE WEEKEND. 

 

I sorted out some books specifically about woodworking tools. Most are inscribed with John Alexander’s name on the inside. Rarely are there notes written in them. sometime might have slips of paper in them, noting something JA wanted to come back to. All prices include shipping in US. Leave a comment if you want one. I’ll send paypal invoices tonight.

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SOLD   W.L. Goodman, The History of Woodworking Tools, hardcover. JA & I used this book a lot; mine’s a photocopy – used to belong to Benno Forman, but this is JA’s hardcover copy.

$40

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SOLD   Paul Kebabian, American Woodworking Tools hardcover, signed.

$30.

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SOLD   R.A. Salaman, Dictionary of Tools. Hardcover, used. There was a later paperback edition by Taunton Press, but this is the 1975 English edition. A JA favorite – that’s why it’s used.

$40

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SOLD   Instruments of Change: New Hampshire Hand Tools and their makers, 1800-1900, softcover. Good condition, but a glued binding.

$40

 

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THE BOOKS BELOW ARE SOLD

SOLD  Henry Mercer, Ancient Carpenters’ Tools

Anyone interested in hand-tool woodworking that doesn’t have Mercer’s book is missing out. There’s a modern paperback edition. This is a 1960 hardcover edition.

$35

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SOLD   John Whalen, The Wooden Plane, Astragal Press, hardcover, excellent condition.

$50

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SOLD  John Whalen, Making Traditional Wooden Planes -softcover. Just what it says. I made planes with the help of this book.

$20.

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SOLD  The Tool Chest of Benjamin Seaton, 1st edition. Too weird to go into, but this first edition is listed as more valuable than the expanded 2nd edition. Nonsense, I say. It’s nice, but the 2nd edition is better. Don’t buy it & re-sell it though, I’ll be mad.

$30.

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SOLD   Josef Greber, Die Gschichte des Hobels (The History of the Woodworking Plane)

This was an EAIA reprint. The hardcover book is in German, with all the illustrations. The translation is the softcover companion volume. So you read two books at once to know what’s going on, unless you read German.

$50

 

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SOLD   Kenneth Roberts, Some 19th Century English Woodworking Tools. inscribed by the author to JA. hardcover, excellent condition

$50.

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SOLD   Tools and Technologies: America’s Wooden Age, softcover. New one to me, look at the table of contents – some old friends in there.

$40.

 

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SOLD  Early Tools of New Jersey and the Men Who Made Them.

Just what it says. Hardcover

$30.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a few more books from Alexander collection

UPDATE, 11:00 PM EASTERN TIME. ALMOST ALL OF THESE ARE SOLD, THERE’S A FEW FURNITURE HISTORY BOOKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. I’LL BE POSTING MORE BOOKS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. LOTS OF AMERICAN FURNITURE JOURNALS FROM CHIPSTONE, MORE TOOL BOOKS, AND WHAT-HAVE-YOU. THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT, PETER. 

 

A few more books from the Jennie Alexander collection. There’s only one copy of each of these, so I’ll try to keep the page updated as to each book’s status. Prices include shipping in US. Leave a comment if you want one of these, and I’ll send a paypal invoice.

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The first few of these are signed/inscribed to (then) John Alexander from Drew Langsner.

SOLD First edition of Green Woodworking (Rodale Press, 1987). Hardcover. Used, dust jacket a bit worn. Some loose notes by JA inserted into the book. I left them there.

$75

 

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SOLD

Another from Drew – same book, 2nd edition. Lark books. Softcover. Excellent condition. some revisions to the text/photos from the Rodale edition.

$75.

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SOLD

One more Langsner title – This one the Chairmaker’s Workshop – the Author’s reprint edition – softcover, condition is essentially new. a little scuffed on the back cover.

I didn’t shoot the inscription, but it reads “Thanks so much for helping to make chairmaking possible! Drew Langsner, 3-14-17, DL”

$60.

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SOLD

Mark & Jane Rees’ edition of  W.L. Goodman’s British Planemakers from 1700. Hardcover, like new. Has JA’s name written on the first page.

 

$100

 

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SOLD  Gerrit van der Steere, Four Centuries of Dutch Planes and Planemakers, hardcover. Written in both Dutch and English.

$100

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SOLD

Here’s a biggie, in more ways than one. Roubo, L’art du Menuisier. The 1976 edition, 4 volumes bound in three books. Not for the faint of heart, nor weaklings. Huge volumes; when stacked up, the pile is 10″ high, by 12″ x 17″.  Weight is about 37 lbs. Some wear to the dust jackets, some foxing on the edges of the pages. One plate, #169 is loose, all the others seem intact. Below are several photos of the volumes, to give an idea of the condition/size of the books.

I found two copies on the web just now – one for $787.83, including shipping from France to US; the other $865, also including shipping.

I’ll ask $700 including basic shipping in US. If the shipping goes over $50 I’ll ask for an additional charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A small selection of furniture-history books. I just shot the spines in the box.

$35 each, including shipping.

Here’s the titles

SOLD  American Seating Furniture, Benno Forman. Kinda beat copy. Has note from editor Trent to JA.

SOLD American Furniture & Its Makers, Winterthur portfolio. Has an article about 17th-century Dedham, Massachusetts furniture.

SOLD  Thomas Chippendale by Christopher Gilbert. New, barely opened.

SOLD  Pine Furniture of Early New England, Kettel. Hardcover.

American Furniture at Pendleton House, Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.

 SOLD  American Case Furniture: Yale University Art Gallery, Gerry Ward.

SOLD  New England Furniture: The Colonial Era, Brock Jobe and Myrna Kaye

SOLD  Colonial Furniture in America, vol 1; Luke Vincent Lockwood. I can’t find vol 2. If you buy this & the other shows up, I’ll get a hold of you.

American Furniture at the MFA, Richard Randall.

Bradford chair finished

I often get requests for an “old” finish, i.e. something that looks like those pieces that are 350-400 years old. Often the look these pieces have is more about their 19th-century restorations than about the years of use & handling. But no matter, that’s what people want to see much of the time.

Finishing is not something I have ever really studied. I can finish pieces so they look new; looking old is harder. This chair was the best result I’ve got on making one look dark/old/used; whatever we might call it. To do it, I finally jumped on the Windsor chairmaker’s bandwagon and used milk paint! I’d done it years ago, and was never thrilled with my results, but now using Curtis Buchanan’s video and Pete Galbert’s book I went step-by-step and got something I was very pleased with. I shot almost no photographs of the process for several reasons. Godawful hot out. It looks hideous in the early stages; and I didn’t want the customer to see anything but the result.

Here’s some of the first two coats of red paint – I tried to show how burnishing it when it dries gives it some polish, and brightens things up. On this first one, the horizontal rails have been burnished, the vertical post and spindles are just the dry, chalky paint.

And on this one, the two spindles on our left have been done, those on the right are still the dry paint. 40 spindles, it was no small job to do 4 coats of paint on this chair. Two red underneath, then two brown over those. Then 2 coats of linseed oil.

 

I shot no more of the process, it was too messy and sweaty, so I didn’t need another task like running the camera. Jump to the finished product:

 

Those same spindles:

If you want to learn about painting this way; Curtis’ video series on painting starts with this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCFE8CzvNNg

Then there’s three or four more. Not hard to find…

You know Pete’s book – https://lostartpress.com/products/chairmakers-notebook

And Elia Bizzarri did a video about using milk paint too – http://handtoolwoodworking.com/milk-paint-dvd/

JA & PF 2007 joined stool demo, 2nd session pts 1-3

This is the second half of the presentation I did with John/Jennie Alexander in 2007 at Colonial Williamsburg. It gets us all the way through the joined stool; I think it covers turning, assembly and making & fitting the seat board. Then some slide lecture action from JA. The video just stops in mid-lecture – it’s all I have. Still better than nothing.

I’m going to make a static page on the blog with all these youtube clips, and keep it up there on the header. That way when I write more blog posts, it won’t get lost in the shuffle.

It’s been fun to view some of this (I haven’t watched it all…) – this was our last public presentation together, it was also one of our best, for which I was very grateful. The folks at CW were kind enough to give me a disc with the video on it, and I was lucky to find it after all these years. Enjoy.