There is no such thing as “the way they did it.” When we consider woodworkers of the past and their various tools, it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking for the “old ways” of doing it – as if woodcraft has been a monolithic enterprise. In reality, the body of surviving furniture and tools from history testifies to a diversity of approaches and cultural values. No two chairs are alike because no two artisans are alike.
The authors in this issue hold up for us another way of working-in-the-world. Each article in its own way shows us that craft is, at bottom, a human endeavor. Whether it’s showcasing the generations of Appalachian families who lived in joyful self-sufficiency, or the struggles of modern apprenticeship in a past world, or the skilled work of an enslaved craftsman that eventually earned him freedom, this issue brims with heart. It succeeds, as Updegraff puts it, in “keeping the folk in folk craft.”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“Mountain Music: The Story of Foxfire’s 50 Years of Appalachian Handcraft” – Michael Updegraff
“Warp & Weft: Weaving Academic Research with Handcraft in the Restoration of a Loom” – Nevan Carling
“Understanding the Medieval Socket Axe” – Gustave Rémon
“A Williamsburg Apprentice: Discovering the Trade, Art, & Mystery of 18th-century Cabinetmaking” – Jeremy Tritchler
“For Speed: Fancy Windsor Chair Production in Early America” – Elia Bizzarri
“Examination of an Early 19th-century Chest of Drawers”
“Finding the Groove: The Value of Batch Production Woodworking” – Joshua A. Klein
“The Drawknife & the Butterfly Effect” – Dr. Mike Epworth
“On His Own Book: The Story of Chairmaker Richard Poynor” – Hunter S. Zyriek-Rhodes
“Book Recommendation: John Ruskin’s Unto this Last” – Ray Deftereos
144 pages. Printed on premium, heavy (#70), uncoated paper for a classic look and tactile feel. Weighs 1 lb. Printed in the United States of America. Ad-free and independently published.
Published September 2021
