After a year of intermittent work on the plans for the Braintree Joined Chest, I’m happy to announce they are now available and ready for ordering. The chest featured is based on some examples I studied (and one I own) made in Braintree, Massachusetts between 1670-1700. I made them like the originals, with riven oak as the primary wood with white pine as the secondary wood. Substitutions are up to you. The finished chest is 35 1/4” high, 55 1/4” wide and 23 1/2” deep (front to back.)
I’d like to include a word about Jeff Lefkowitz. If you’re not aware of his work, a little background. A chairmaker and teacher, Jeff first came to my attention through the plans he worked on for Curtis Buchanan’s Windsor chairs. As plans, they convey all the details you need when building the chairs. But they’re also just exquisite images. If I had wall space in my shop, I’d stick some on it. Jeff went on to do other plans you might have seen, Tim Manney’s shaving horse, Dawson Moore’s spoon mule, Jarrod Dahl’s pole lathe, chairs by Pete Galbert and Bern Chandley – I’m sure there’s more. And two sets of carving patterns he’s worked on with me.
This time I threw Jeff a challenge – working up detailed drawings for a joined chest with a drawer – something that to my knowledge he’s never seen in life. Or is certainly not familiar with. Very un-chair-like. We went back and forth over the past year. Picking the project up, then setting it aside now and then to come back to. Jeff fits these projects in between his chair-classes and his home life. Always in this project, it was Jeff pushing for more detail, better explanations.
The plans consist of 6 pages, 24” x 36”. The first four are the chest and its components and joinery, these are drawn by Jeff in his usual detailed and clear images. The last two pages are the carving patterns on the top rail, drawer front and panels, as well as diagrams of the geometry used in the layout for these carvings. Scaled drawings, a stock list and construction details throughout. There’s even some filler showing how to make it as a chest with two drawers, I was able to measure two of those when I did the research about these chests many years ago.
You could build the chest from the plans, but they also serve as a companion to the series of videos I’ve been making on vimeo. That series is not yet done – I got laid up with lyme disease and missed 2 months of shop work. I’m getting back to it – there will be at least 2 more, maybe 3 more videos. The lid, some sharpening of carving gouges. Maybe installing a lock.
One minor blip in the printing resulted in one drawing (bottom left image below) coming out lighter than the rest. Rather than scrap 600 pages of paper – I decided we could live with it. It’s still readable, just light.
The plans are $90 and come rolled in a cardboard tube. Shipping in the US is $9.00
International customers, I’ll send you a PDF and you can take it to be printed. $70 for the PDF. Email me at Peterfollansbee7@gmail.com
Chest Plans; Braintree Chest with a drawer, 6 pages, 24″ x 36″
rolled in a cardboard tube, $90 plus $9 shipping in US.
Here’s a short video showing what’s included in the drawings.
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Carving Drawings; 17th-century work from Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts, set # 2
This set of patterns is a continuation of my interpretation of carvings found on furniture from Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts in the 17th century. This furniture mainly uses frame-and-panel construction, and the designs reflect this format. The drawings include patterns for framing parts and panels – as well as box fronts.
I’ve drawn most of them “full scale”, I chose typical sizes based on some chests and boxes I’ve measured over the years. I worked the same way I carve them, using some basic geometry for the layout, and tracing the carving gouges to establish some of the curves. Many shapes are drawn freehand; these represent V-tool outlines.
This style of carving is readily adaptable. These are not templates, nor are they to be slavishly copied when you’re carving. Treat them as a pattern, something to base work on, but make adjustments as required. You might have slightly different carving gouges, or stock narrower or wider than what I have drawn. That just gives you a chance to change things around a bit. The first set had some basic patterns, a couple of these patterns evolve from the first group. There’s step-by-step sequences for several of the patterns; a couple of designs include alternate sections, some are layout sequences.
Page 4 of this set features “strapwork” designs like this:
If you’ve seen other drawings & plans drawn by Jeff Lefkowitz for Curtis Buchanan, Dawson Moore, Tim Manney, Pete Galbert and others, these are a little different. I’ve drawn the images, Jeff did the layout and planning. These pencil drawings reproduce differently than the line drawings seen on the other examples – and the curves and shapes are not perfect, nor are they supposed to be. As I said, I drew them just like I carve them. It’s just that carving is quicker!
As for instruction in the carving, there’s lots of options. The free one is/will be a series of videos on my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/MrFollansbee
The book Joiner’s Notes published by Lost Art Press has 47 pages on carving, including some of these patterns. https://lostartpress.com/collections/books/products/joiners-work
I worked with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks on a few professionally-done videos that focus on carving, they are included here: https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4243/home-education-videos
17th-century Style Carving: Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts, set #2
5 pages, 24″ x 36″, rolled in a cardboard tube.
$75. plus $9.00 shipping in US;
international customers email for PDF which you can get printed locally $55.
Carving Drawings; 17th-century work from Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts, set # 1
This set of patterns is part of my interpretation of carvings found on furniture from Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts in the 17th century. This furniture mainly uses frame-and-panel construction, and the designs reflect this format. The drawings include patterns for framing parts, from 2” high rails to 5” wide vertical muntins. In addition there are three designs for wider vertical panels, as well as horizontal box fronts.
I’ve drawn most of them “full scale”, I chose typical sizes based on some chests and boxes I’ve measured over the years. I worked the same way I carve them, using some basic geometry for the layout, and tracing the carving gouges to establish some of the curves. Many shapes are drawn freehand; these represent V-tool outlines.
This style of carving is readily adaptable. These are not templates, nor are they to be slavishly copied when you’re carving. Treat them as a pattern, something to base work on, but make adjustments as required. You might have slightly different carving gouges, or stock narrower or wider than what I have drawn. That just gives you a chance to change things around a bit. As you study these patterns, you’ll see common themes in them. The intention is that some of these will recur and be expanded on in future sets of related works.
If you’ve seen other drawings & plans drawn by Jeff Lefkowitz for Curtis Buchanan, Dawson Moore, Tim Manney, Pete Galbert and others, these are a little different. I’ve drawn the images, Jeff did the layout and planning. These pencil drawings reproduce differently than the line drawings seen on the other examples – and the curves and shapes are not perfect, nor are they supposed to be. As I said, I drew them just like I carve them. It’s just that carving is quicker!
There’s step-by-step sequences for several of the patterns; a couple of designs include alternate sections, some are layout sequences.
As for instruction in the carving, there’s lots of options. The free one is/will be a series of videos on my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/MrFollansbee
The book Joiner’s Notes published by Lost Art Press has 47 pages on carving, including some of these patterns. https://lostartpress.com/collections/books/products/joiners-work
I worked with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks on a few professionally-done videos that focus on carving, they are included here: https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4243/home-education-videos
17th-century Style Carving: Devon, England and Ipswich, Massachusetts, set #1
4 pages, 24″ x 36″, rolled in a cardboard tube.
$60. plus $9.00 shipping in US;
international customers email for PDF which you can get printed locally. $40.
PETER FOLLANSBEE: JOINER’S NOTES 