My greatest mentor died almost 200 years ago. When I began researching in 2013 what is very likely the most complete surviving record of a pre-industrial American furniture maker, I had no idea how profoundly it would affect my own life’s work.
The six-board chest is a traditional form with roots in the ancient past. However, the integrity of this style of construction seems dubious because of the contradictory grain orientation of the side boards, leading Christopher Schwarz to dub the design "the platypus of the woodworking world." In M&T Issue Five, Author Kate Fox (@woodshrew) looks to unearth the origins of the six-board chest, and to understand how the form actually works. She writes...
“This Rocker is Reley strang Neve seen iney thing like hit in my hole life hit Reley looks like my Master Piece of furniture.” – Chester Cornett
Mike and I have been looking for someone to research the work of Chester Cornett for a while now so when Brendan Gaffney and Chris Schwarz began combing through archives to study his furniture and look through his drawings, we were ecstatic. After many hours of research, Brendan has put together a wonderful technical study of Cornett’s “masterpiece” bookcase rocking chair for M&T Issue Five.
We are announcing one Issue Five article each weekday until pre-orders open on August 1st. If you don’t already have a subscription and just wanted to order a copy of Issue Five by itself, you may do so on August 1st. If you signed up for an auto-renewing yearly subscription last year, your card will be automatically charged exactly 365 days from your original purchase date. Any questions about your subscription status can be directed to info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. An Overwhelming Call: The Life & Work of Eric Sloane By Michael Updegraff "When you hold an early implement, when you close your hand over the worn wooden handle, you know exactly how it felt to the craftsman whose hand had smoothed it to...
Beginning with this post, we will announce one Issue Five article each weekday until pre-orders open on August 1st. If you don’t already have a subscription and just wanted to order a copy of Issue Five by itself, you may do so on August 1st. If you signed up for an auto-renewing yearly subscription last year, your card will be automatically charged exactly 365 days from your original purchase date. Any questions about your subscription status can be directed to info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Spencer Nelson learned to build furniture in a space 4-1/2’ by 4-1/2’ in his New York City apartment building. Tired of the hassle of traveling to maker spaces, Spencer set up shop between his kitchen and living room to...
“Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another.” Wise and profitable discourse sharpens men’s wits; and those that have ever so much knowledge may by conference have something added to them. It sharpens men’s looks, and, by cheering the spirits, puts a briskness and liveliness into the countenance, and gives a man such an air as shows he is pleased himself and makes him pleasing to those about him ... Men are filed, made smooth, and bright, and fit for business (who were rough, and dull, and inactive), by conversation.
- Matthew Henry (1706)
What a wonderful weekend. Thank you again, Tom, for your generosity to have us all over. Looking forward to next year!
-Joshua
The book I’ve been working on for the past five years, researching the work of Jonathan Fisher is now at the printer! Thanks to the support of my publisher, Lost Art Press, the wise advice of colleagues, and generous research grants from the Early American Industries Association and the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, this labor of love has, at long last, become a reality. The publisher, Lost Art Press, has now opened pre-publication ordering for this book which will arrive mid-August. You can order your copy here. I began writing a blurb about the book but decided I couldn’t improve on what Chris Schwarz (my editor) wrote: “Jonathan Fisher (1768-1847) was the first settled minister of the frontier...
Last week, our good friend, Robell Awake, came up from Atlanta to help finish the two 12’ Nicholson benches the three of us started last summer. Last year, we built four leg units in anticipation of our move to the new shop and since we’re finally settling in, it was time to get those things completed. Robell arrived at the shop first thing Tuesday morning and we picked right up where we left off last summer, both project-wise and conversation-wise. We dug out our notes and doodles about the build, re-read Nicholson’s description of the bench construction, and set to work. During these four days of work, we selected and planed the top, side, and shelf boards, notched the...
I used to carry a general-purpose slöjd knife on my hip every day. It was held in a leather sheath I made especially for that knife. It worked well at first but quickly stretched and the knife became dangerously loose in the sheath. This was my inexperience at work, not the fault of the leather. Nevertheless, when I was on the search for a more secure way to carry my knife a couple years ago I came across Reid Schwartz’s design. His clever self-locking design was so simple and so effective. I just had to try it. This weekend I finally made that new wooden sheath for my slöjd knife. Here are the steps I took: First, I started...
During Jim’s visit a few weeks ago, we recorded this new episode (listen above) in which we further explore the topic of Jim’s article from Issue Three: “On Perfection: Both Practical & Practiced”. Jim talks about how this topic developed in his own life and what happened when he enlisted others to contribute their own answers to a series on his blog. Jim was surprised to find different perspectives on perfection in woodworking which eventually inspired his M&T article. In this podcast, we dive a little deeper into this topic of perfection in woodworking.
Items Mentioned in the Podcast:
Issue Three featuring Jim’s article “On Perfection: Both Practical & Practiced”
Jim McConnell’s “Perfection” blog series
