What we call “green woodworking” today carried no such particular distinction, historically – the work of vernacular woodcraft naturally began with the tree in the forest. Join author Michael Updegraff as he looks at the close connection that makers of the past had with the raw materials they worked, and the practical benefits that can be gained today by approaching wood not just as a dimensioned-and-dried material to be purchased at a lumberyard or home center, but as the living thing that it is.
This new episode of our podcast is focused on Joshua’s new book about the furniture making of Jonathan Fisher, a Maine furniture maker working during first quarter of the 19th century. Joshua spent five years writing a book looking closely at the surviving furniture, tools, and journal entries of this rural maker to understand what it was like to work in the 18th and early-19th centuries. Having just come from the Colonial Williamsburg conference to share this research, he and Mike discuss the writing of this book and several of the unique take-home lessons for those of us in the 21st century.
Items Mentioned in this Episode:
Colonial Williamsburg
The Book: “Hands Employed Aright: The Furniture Making of Jonathan Fisher (1768–1847)”
We are announcing one Issue Six article each weekday until pre-orders open on February 1st. If you don’t already have a subscription and just wanted to order a copy of Issue Six by itself, you may do so on February 1st. If you signed up for an auto-renewing yearly subscription, 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. The beauty and artistry of period Pennsylvania Dutch painted furniture is well known. Full of whimsy and symbolism while maintaining rigid symmetry and proper proportions, this style characterizes German-American furniture decoration in the 17th and 18th centuries. Join author Jim McConnell as he explores the German roots of...
We are announcing one Issue Six article each weekday until pre-orders open on February 1st. If you don’t already have a subscription and just wanted to order a copy of Issue Six by itself, you may do so on February 1st. If you signed up for an auto-renewing yearly subscription, 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. Sometimes a chair is more than a chair. Sometimes, it makes a statement about time and place that transcends the substance of humbly painted wood. Author Nathaniel Brewster takes a look at such a chair - an 18th-century New England Windsor that he affectionately dubs “Henry.” As he...
The joy of working wood with simple tools should display itself in what is made. This is certainly true in the case of Swedish slöjd practitioner Jögge Sundqvist. He began carving beautiful, whimsical, and practical wooden objects under the tutelage of his father Wille, and today teaches the craft all over the world.
There is a common perspective in the West that finds a sense of mystique hovering over Japanese woodworking tools. The differing techniques needed to master their use (from the way a tool is held and pulled across a board, to the process of sharpening hollow-back, laminated irons) only serve to increase the intimidation factor for those of us saturated in the Western tool tradition. But author Wilbur Pan throws open the curtains to take a matter-of-fact look at what truly makes Japanese tools different – and how they might share more commonalities with traditional Western tools than you might think.
Every piece of period furniture is alive with story, and we love to crawl under tables, pull out drawers, and look at all the hidden surfaces to learn what they have to say. There are always messages to be found, written in tool marks, layout lines, and even scrawled with pencil or chalk. In Issue Six, we will be examining an early-19th-century Pennsylvania hanging cupboard. This lively piece is noteworthy for both its fanciful decoration and its vernacular construction.
Mike and I are on our way back to Maine after the Colonial Williamsburg “Working Wood in the 18th Century” conference, and what an incredible time we had. I gave two presentations about the life and work of Jonathan Fisher as well as an after-dinner talk titled “Pre-industrial Woodworking in the 21st Century.” It was a blast to see old friends and meet so many new ones. Bill, Brian, Ed, and John from the Hay shop were so welcoming and inspiring to talk to. The theme of the conference was “Five Shops, Five Traditions.” Al Breed, Steve Voigt, Joshua Lane, as well as the CW joiner and cabinetmaking shops also gave presentations covering topics such as carving, molding, foot-powered turning, joinery layout,...
The philosophies of legendary artisans William Morris and George Nakashima might appear to have been formed from vastly differing life experiences, but the two men shared many striking commonalities. Author and woodworker David Lane takes a deeper look into the lives of these makers, and to the influences that called them to revolutionize the craft landscapes of their respective eras. Even as they lived and worked in different centuries, they found inspiration in fascinatingly similar places, and built their legacies around a common reverence of skilled craftsmanship.
Boring an accurate hole is one of the most basic skills in furniture making, but how was it accomplished before the era of the factory-produced twist bit and electric drill? Author Joshua Klein tackles this question as he delves into the world of wooden braces, often called “bitstocks.” Until metal braces became popular after the industrial revolution, a wooden user-made bitstock was the most prevalent boring tool among woodworkers – wielded by chairmakers, coopers, and cabinetmakers for centuries.
