Design in Practice: Stylin’ Finis?
In the last installment I got to Chippendale furniture but I didn’t cover all the changes that took place. The cabriole leg was actually on its way out in terms of fashion (in England, at [...]
Dutch Tool Chest with a Lower Storage Unit
The Dutch Tool Chest from the October 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine has proven to be a popular project – I’ve been asked to teach classes on building this chest all over the world [...]
‘Roubo’ Kitchen Island
I’ve finally decided on a design for a kitchen island that will hold a mid-sized microwave and cookbooks, and serve as a table with room for stool storage underneath. The design parameters [...]
Museum Photography Tips for Accurate Reproductions
The first step in creating accurate reproduction furniture is usually taking good photographs of the piece you are replicating. That doesn’t mean you have to be a professional photographer. It [...]
Furniture Details: Shoes
In my last “Design in Practice” post I talked about how, as furniture transitioned from William & Mary to Queen Anne, the bottom back rail moved down and became the shoe on top of [...]
Workbench Day 2: The Case for Workbench Classes
Building a workbench at a school is, in my calculation, a wise investment. Good schools have huge machines – wide planers, beefy mortisers and sliding table saws – that can make difficult jobs a [...]
New Jet $50 Guarantee
If you’ve ever been frustrated by heading to your local tool dealer to get a hands-on look at the latest new tool reviewed in Popular Woodworking Magazine (or in one of our online reviews) [...]
Q & A: Stuck Gib Nut
Stuck Gib Nut Q: I managed to round-over a gib nut on my planer’s blade holder. I’ve tried everything to free that nut. Any suggestions? A: AYou can free a stuck nut by striking it with a center [...]
Workbench Day 1: Grab the Ash With Both Hands
The hardest part about teaching a class on building a workbench isn’t the teaching part at all. It’s finding good material that makes the class a pleasure – instead of a battle against the [...]
Some Incredible Shaker Pieces Up for Auction
Skinner Auctioneers, in Marlborough, Mass., has an astounding collection of Shaker pieces from the Andrews Shaker Collection up for sale in a June 15 auction. Unfortunately, the pieces to which I [...]
Pembroke Table Plans – A Little History, a lot of Fun
Rob Millard knows a little about furniture history. But what I discovered in talking with Rob last week is that he knows even more about enjoying the craft. Rob makes authentic reproduction [...]
Period Trippin’
I got a request recently in the comments section of my “Design in Practice:Stylin’ Too” post (read it here) about museums to visit for those interested in period furniture from [...]
