WPatrickEdwards

More ASFM Student work

2012-02-28T09:51:00.002-08:00

We have another class this week at the American School of French Marquetry. We only have one student, but classes are held no matter how many students sign up. Actually, it is fine with me, since this student is returning for his Stage II class. He originally took the Stage I class two years ago, and has used the Boulle method to decorate a sideboard.

Warren is a professor of electrical engineering at Georgian College in Ontario. He has a garage workshop and, like most woodworkers who are not professional, can only work on his projects in his spare time. Aside from some small Mission style end tables, this is the first large project he has done, and it took about 4 months.

He used the lessons from Stage I to adapt the Stage II designs included in the ASFM handout to the Painting in Wood method. Therefore, he made packets with both the background veneer and the different colors of woods for the design in the same packet. The design on the end of the sideboard is the "bird chasing a bug" design and the drawers have the "Williamsburg SAPFM Demo" design, while the center door has the "flowers with ribbon" motif. Normally these would be cut using the "piece by piece" (Stage II) method, and that would result in identical pictures. However, using the Painting in Wood method resulted in the same design, but each picture has different colors.

This week he is here cutting the rose, using the proper method, making three identical copies, with no saw gap. I expect that, when he returns, he will be able to take his work to the next level. After he took the Stage I class, he returned home and made his own chevalet from beech and ash. He had some help from the school where he teaches in making the more difficult metal parts.

As I write this, the sweet sound of his cutting mixes with the blues music on the radio.

Two weeks ago, another student, Matthew, returned home with his completed Stage I projects. I had recently posted a note about that class. I just received an email from him and post his comments here:

Message from Mathew Nedeljko:
Hello everyone! Just wanted to drop you all a quick line and say thank you again for the wonderful time at ASFM last week! Despite having a great time at the school I was not happy about bringing home a cold with me! What happened to the great sunny weather I have always heard about. Anyway, I have been working on completing the class exercises...thought I would send you some pics to keep you in the loop! Patrick, these are mounted with the hot glue, which I love working with. Obviously I am going to have to place another order soon! Thanks again for everything last week and I look forward to coming back for Stage 2 next year!

I have also posted his photos with this post.

Chevalet Mechanic Tips

2012-02-26T08:21:00.004-08:00

I love fast cars and I love fast chevalets. I am fortunate to own a fast car and I am also fortunate to have a stable of chevalets. The primary difference is that I pay a mechanic to work on my car, but I am the mechanic for the chevalets. That is probably because the car is German and the chevalets are French. This seems weird to me today, as I reflect on my life, since I passed my language proficiency in college in German, and never took a class in French in my life. However, my French is much better than my German (unless you ask my partner, Patrice, what he thinks...something I usually avoid.)

Back to the point. Owning a few marquetry cutting tools requires a bit of normal maintenance. Now that others in this country are discovering the advantages of this unique tool, it might be instructive to pass on some tips for the owner/user to make their experience more enjoyable. When I have classes, I spend a bit of my time adjusting these tools for the students, and there are some normal things to consider to keep them working properly.

The first question is: does the size of the chevalet fit the worker? Traditionally, the worker would build his own tool, so it would be built to fit his sitting height, and whether he was right or left handed. The height (or size) of the chevalet is measured in metric centimeters from the top of the seat to the blade, when the saw is resting in the chops. In the school I have 6 different sizes, from 54cm (the size illustrated in Pierre's book) to the largest which is 61cm. That is about a 3" difference in height. The best height for a worker is determined by where the saw sits relative to the body, when the worker is sitting normally on the bench. The saw should be at about the same height as the base of the neck, or the collar bone. The reason is that to adjust the saw blade tension the worker pulls the frame together with his arm, pressing the knob of the saw against his shoulder. Thus, it should be low enough for that to be comfortable. At the same time, it needs to be high enough for the worker to see the blade in front of his eyes when sawing.

If the tool is not the right size, then it is often possible to replace the wood jaws of the clamp to better fit the worker.

The next step is to determine if the saw is cutting exactly perpendicular to the work. That test is done from time to time, or when it seems that the tool is no longer cutting properly. Use a piece of wood about 1/2" thick, and I prefer tulip poplar, since it is easy to cut. Mark the piece "front" and cut a keyhole test. Pierre describes this test in his book on page 207. The test cut should pass easily in and out of the wood from either side. If the top edge is not parallel, then an adjustment is made to the horizontal support for the saw carriage. If the cylinder is cone shaped then the adjustment is to the vertical. Note that there is a relationship between both the vertical and horizontal adjustment. Usually, it is mostly one and a little of the other. Continue cutting test pieces until it works properly. Another tip: using a very small blade makes this adjustment more accurate, before using a larger blade to cut the project.

When the tool is new, it is normal for the saw frame to work properly in a horizontal plane. Over time it is common for the saw frame to warp or the chevalet arm to bend slightly. It doesn't take much deflection to change the accuracy of the cut. That is why older chevalets have a saw carriage tilted up on the vertical adjustment, which you would think is bad. Not so. The only thing that matters is if the test cut is proper at the face of the jaws.

There is another adjustment that I make from time to time. Since the packet is manipulated around the saw blade, it is important that the chops or clamps press only in the center, where the blade is cutting. If the clamps grab the packet on the edges, then the pivot point is moved away from the blade and it is more difficult to get a smooth cut. Thus, I take a piece of paper (see photo above) and put it only in the center of the jaws and clamp it shut with my feet. It should grab. Then I test the paper on the edges of the jaws and it should pass freely. To make this work, I use sandpaper or a rasp to remove some wood from the jaws on the edges, so they only press in the center.

Finally, when I sit down to cut, there is usually dust on the sliding rod for the saw carriage. I wipe it clean with a rag and add a small drop of oil to the bushing. I also add a drop to the pivots at each end of the carriage which allow it to operate smoothly. These pivots should not be tight. There should be a little "end play" in the pivots to allow the carriage to swing easily.

Following these tips should make the driving experience more enjoyable. Remember, speed counts, but don't go so fast that you go off the line and crash the project.

I'm thinking of either a seat belt or air bags for my chevalet??

American School of French Marquetry

2012-02-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

We just finished another class in marquetry here at the school. ASFM has been offering classes since 2000 and we have enjoyed the company of hundreds of students. I find the character of the "typical" student who spends the money to learn French marquetry can be summarized in one word: "unusual." We have, in general, type A students who show up: corporate executives, scientists, airplane pilots, researchers, conservators, artists, craftsmen/craftswomen, and even a retired formula 1 race car driver.

One of the benefits of having regular classes every few months is that we are forced to clean up the shop. I think that, absent the students, the shop would be a real mess. No matter how much we think we are sweeping the floor and taking out the trash, it always gets ahead of us. That is why the classes are like the "open house" period at ecole Boulle. It gives the staff the necessary motivation to stop working and pay attention to the surroundings.

This past week we had a rather unique class, where 3 of the 4 students already owned a chevalet. This is very cool. Almost all the time we are just introducing new students to the special features of this tool, and this time we could jump in the deep end the first day. It was a lot of fun. Of course they still had to do the basic exercises. There is a method to my madness which seems to work with most students.

I stress the process by starting out with a simple exercise and repeat with a slightly more advanced exercise and, after that, another exercise, which illustrates a different feature of the process. By completing three similar exercises in one week, the student has the opportunity to learn the basic process necessary to do Boulle marquetry. That is, select a design, select the woods, build a packet, cut out the elements in a specific sequence, sort the parts properly, build an assembly board, glue the project together, add mastic, glue the marquetry to a surface and (finally) clean off the Kraft paper from the front of the picture.

When we have time, we discuss other topics of interest, like hammer veneering, French polishing, geometric marquetry, protein glues and anything of interest to the student.

I sincerely enjoy sharing this pastime with these students, and I think I learn as much from them as they might from me.

Here is a link to a nice post and video from last week's class.

I Am Not a Carver...But I Play One in Real Life.

2012-02-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

If you have seen any of my work, you will notice that the primary decoration is flat surface veneers, and that there is an obvious lack of carved elements. It is not for lack of tools.

When I started buying tools nearly a half century ago, it was a different world. Tool "collectors" and "users" were rare, and the dealers who offered them hard to find. Most of the antique wood tools were found sitting on the floor, under the table, in the back of the antique shop, next to roller skates and abandoned toys. They were universally priced from $5 to $10 dollars, without any concern that they might be rusty, missing parts or museum pieces. The fun was in the hunt. But you had to cover miles of junk to find anything.

During the 1970's there was a change in the market, as tools became recognized for their merits and value. They went from the independent antique shops to specialized dealers who know what each tool was worth and its history. Books were written on the history and function, including names of makers, with dates and research into the types of tools that were made. This period saw the rise of the tool "collector" who was, in many respects, like a coin collector. They gathered collections which were designed to include every type of a specific tool ever made. Stanley tool collectors, for example, searched frantically for the number 1 plane to complete their series, regardless of the fact that the number 1 tool is essentially useless for woodworking. ( I know this statement will generate some hostile comment, but I am not a Stanley collector. Sorry.)

I began "collecting" wood spoke shaves during this period. However, I soon realized that there was an infinite number of variations of this tool, and eventually quit buying them when I had collected nearly 500. Since I had paid an average of $20 for each spoke shave, I now wonder what I could have done with that $10,000 instead, if I had just bought 3 or 4 good ones and quit looking? Now, I try to imagine what my kids are going to think when they open one of my 8 tool boxes and find drawers and drawers of wood spoke shaves. I think they will say, "No wonder there is no money left!"

Starting in the 1980's there was a shift in the marketing of these antique tools, with the emergence of the specialized tool catalogue. Don and Anne Wing were some of the first to create this method of focused selling, with their regular catalogue, called "The Mechanick's Workbench." These catalogues were professionally printed, with excellent photos and descriptions of tools carefully selected for their value and quality. They were priced accordingly.

The distribution of these catalogues was done in a staggered way, geographically, so that they would (in theory) arrive at all points of the country on the same day. Most of them were sent from the East Coast and I lived in San Diego, so naturally mine usually arrived after everyone else. The instant that I got a new offering in the mail, I would read it cover to cover, budget my money and make a list. Within hours I would call in and find that 75% of my preferred tools were already sold.

At the same time as Don Wing, there was Bud Steere, and soon after that Richard Spurgeon, Tom Witte and Martin Donnelly, among others. By then, it was impossible to find any tools at the local antique shop, since they were all bought up by pickers who then sold the best to these centralized distributers. Simultaneously there appeared regional tool collecting groups where you could meet other like minded collectors and buy and sell or trade for what you wanted.

There are a couple of tools which historically have been hard to find. The first is clamps. It seems that no one wants to sell their clamps. The other is good quality carving chisels. They are expensive to buy new. The new chisels are not as good, and most of the old chisels have been used to open paint cans at some point. I don't want to think of the chisels which have been repeatedly sharpened on high speed grinding wheels...

In one of the early catalogues, I was able to buy a set of carving chisels that was amazing. I bought a set of 75 Addis (English) carving tools, all from the same carver, for $11 each. That was a big purchase for me at the time, and I wonder where I got that much money since I was earning about $15/hour. Sometime after that, I found another collection of 75 tools for sale, at a price of about $15/each, which were used by O. Highley, master carver working in California around 1920, who specialized in rococo carving for the churches.

The amazing thing is, when I set out all the 150 chisels on the bench, that there were very few duplicate shapes. It was like they each did different things and, combined, I had purchased a rather complete collection of Shieffeld tools, mostly made early in the 19th century.

I built a wood case for the wall to hold these tools. It was made of three doors, held with piano hinges. It closes nicely on the wall, which both hides the tools and keeps them handy near the bench when I need to use them. I have them organized in the racks with the different sweeps assorted according to size. Each tool has a small number stamped in the handle, so I can put them back when done. This also keeps the tips from being damaged.

Obviously, the internet has replaced the printed catalogues, and the excitement of opening the mail box to find the latest offering. For me, some of the excitement of the search and find is gone. But, that may be also because I have all the tools a woodworker could ever want.

Historic Ecole Boulle Video

2012-02-12T09:26:00.001-08:00

Very few foreigners have ever been accepted at ecole Boulle, in Paris. It has always been a quiet and rather selective institution, focusing on training French artisans in the traditional skills of furniture design and fabrication, as well as upholstery, architecture, interior design, sculpture, metal working, and many similar trades.

I was only allowed in because Dr. Pierre Ramond invited me to be there. In fact, the only time visitors are allowed to walk in the door and get past the guard is during the annual open house in late January. This provides the entire school a chance to clean up and show off to the "public."

At that event, busloads of people from all over Europe arrive to examine the student's work. Each workshop sets up an area where the best efforts of the students is on display, and the students stand ready to explain how and why they decided to do that project.

Not much has changed in the century that ecole Boulle has been teaching the historic trades. Certainly the most obvious is that female students and teachers are now part of the school. Another difference is the first floor, where the heavy machinery is located. The old cast iron belt driven power tools have all been removed and are replaced with the most modern CAD and industrial machinery. As you can see from this video, probably many fingers have been saved by removing the old machines.

Fortunately, upstairs nothing has changed. The work benches, tools, patterns and floors show the marks of thousands of talented workers who have passed through these rooms. It is, for me, one of the most authentic historic experiences of my life. When I saw this video, I was transported back to the same place, like a time machine.

Recently a friend sent me a link to this old video of ecole Boulle in the early days. Enjoy!

http://www.ina.fr/economie-et-societe/education-et-enseignement/video/VDD10045545/la-fabrication-d-un-siege-a-l-ecole-boulle.fr.html

Old Brown Glue Invades Canada!

2012-02-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

For years now we have been selling individual bottles of our Old Brown Glue to several different countries. We are, in fact, international in scope, thanks to the web. We have had people in Germany, France, England, Australia and other countries inquire about distribution and supply.

Until now, we have only sold our glue in the states, either directly from our business, Antique Refinishers, Inc., in San Diego, or through Tools For Working Wood in New York, Highland Hardware in Atlanta, Woodcraft in Alphretta, Georgia and Mahoot Tool and Supply in Fort Bragg, California.

One of the problems with international sales is the relatively high cost of shipping. For example, to send a $20 bottle of glue to a person in Canada, the postage is usually more than $34. Even at that cost we have been selling a good amount of product to that country.

I suspect that one of the reasons our glue is so popular up there is that it is not affected by freezing. As most woodworkers know, if a synthetic glue freezes, it never works properly after it thaws out. Old Brown Glue returns to its normal state after freezing, with no negative results. Think of the qualities of water, for example. Water can be frozen, liquid or vapor, depending on the temperature. It can go from one state (solid, liquid or gas) to another as many times as you want and always remain H2O.

Old Brown Glue is exactly like that (except for the vapor state). It can be solid, gel or liquid depending on the temperature and humidity. When it is frozen or dry (in the joint) it is solid. In the bottle at room temperature it is a gel. When heated to operating temperature (120-140 degrees F) it is liquid. Like water, you can go from one state to another as many times as you like without damaging its qualities.

Now for the first time Old Brown Glue is available through a major distributor in another country, Canada. We are very pleased to have been asked by Lee Valley & Veritas to supply them with our product. We were waiting for them to stock their stores and post the page in their online catalogue before we made this announcement.

I have always admired Lee Valley & Veritas over the years. During the many wood shows I participated in I would always spend lots of time in their booth. I am sure that they spent a lot of time removing the drool marks I left on their samples. It is an honor to be associated with them and I am personally glad they have decided to carry our particular glue, since it is a modern formulation of a traditional glue which is unique in its working properties.

If you are a woodworker in Canada, I suggest you get some of this glue and do your own testing with it. I believe that you will appreciate the fact that it has a longer open time, easier clean up and superior strength that makes it a joy to use. It is also important that it is non toxic and made of simple organic protein modified with common urea, so that there is no hazard to your health, your kids or pets in the workshop.

After you try it, send me a note and tell me what you think. Of course, since I have been using it every day in my restoration business for the past 20 years, I am ready and able to answer any questions you may have.

ADA Chevalet

2012-01-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of my various trips to Paris to study with Dr. Pierre Ramond at ecole Boulle occurred in the spring of 1996. I had just arrived and was visiting my friends at the Musee des Art Decoratifs, next to the Louvre. As I walked into the conservation lab, each of the workers walked up to me and shook my hand, congratulating me on my success. I had no idea what they were talking about.

I was shown a copy of the newly published volume II by Pierre, "Chefs D'Oeuvre des Marqueteurs" (Masterpieces of Marquetry) which included my photo and a brief paragraph on page 62, talking about marquetry cutting saws.

It read: "The marquetry donkey is a typical instrument of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Unknown to provincial and foreign marqueters, it is remarkably light and easy to move." And: "The perpetual transfer of techniques between continents can be illustrated by Patrick Edwards' equipment." I was being celebrated for exporting the particular Parisian technology of cutting marquetry using a chevalet.

Later, when I started the American School of French Marquetry, I built several different sizes of chevalets for the students, and hired a machinist to make the specialized hardware elements for this tool, putting together in a kit all the hardware and blueprints for sale. This made it possible for interested woodworkers to easily put together a chevalet for their own use.

Over the past decade I have sold nearly 50 kits, so I can only wonder how many of those are built and operating in North America where there were essentially none before. I know that this tool has been kept "secret" over the years, and there were a small number of artisans who knew about it or had one for their own use. However, with the internet and the classes being taught here, it has become more mainstream. The reception has been fantastic. Everyone that sees it is amazed by its operation and wants to try it.

After coaching hundreds of students in its use, I realize that since it requires some physical abilities, I must adapt my methods to a wide variety of human limitations. In ecole Boulle, all the students are young, energetic and able to operate the tool without any difficulty. In my school, we accept all ages and abilities and some of my students arrive with "limited" physical abilities.

One of the requirements of using this tool is arm strength. To set the blade tension you need to grab the outboard arm of the wood saw frame and pull it towards your body, using the biceps muscle. The knob on the inboard side of the saw frame is placed on the upper chest and the saw is squeezed together and held while the other hand tightens the saw blade screw. When released the tension of the blade is tested by plucking it to hear the pitch. It takes some dexterity and a certain amount of arm strength to do this, but, when mastered, it means the blade can be set up easily and quickly.

Another requirement is good eyesight, as well as eye/hand coordination. Using the Optivisor solves the eyesight problem, but coordination is another problem. Either you have it or not.

Probably the most "comments" I receive involve the wood seat. People who lived in the 18th century loved the solid wood seats on Windsor chairs. They were everywhere, they were durable and they were comfortable. I wonder if people who lived at that time had harder butts...One thing is sure, people today have soft butts.

Anyway, we have an assortment of cushions here for some students to use while cutting. There is no shame. When I built my first chevalet in 1976, I upholstered the seat in leather. All the chevalets I have built since have standard wood seats. One of the problems with the upholstery is that it is difficult to slide around and change your position as you work. Also, like riding a bike, after a few hundred hours of working on a wood seat, your body "adapts."

Another requirement for using the chevalet is using your feet. The feet need to rest on the pedals and hold the clamps tight against the work. Therefore, a person who was paralyzed from the waist down couldn't use the traditional tool.

I had a student who was able to walk but not able to lift their leg over the seat. I was asked to design a chevalet which would allow them to sit on their own stool and not require them to lift their leg over the bench seat.

It took me some time to work out the mechanical details, but this is the tool I just finished. It is a traditional chevalet except for the seat. I needed to add a second foot for stability, but it seems to work fine. In addition, it takes up less space in the shop, and you can use any type of seating that is comfortable for you.

So, pull up a seat and get to work.

Why Use Reversible Glue?

2012-01-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

I just finished cleaning up the glue room. Yes, I have a special room for glue. Not for using the stuff, but for cooking it. Over the past decade, the demand for Old Brown Glue has increased exponentially, from a few bottles a week to hundreds a month.

I never thought I would be in the glue business. I only wanted an organic, reversible protein glue to use in my restoration of antiques. I always had the hot glue pot, but there are a lot of jobs where having a slower set time and more liquid glue is an advantage. So, I began to experiment with modifying the Milligan and Higgins 192 gram hide glue that I always use to see if adding urea would lower the gel point.

The exact formula was eventually perfected, and these days the Old Brown Glue takes care of the majority of repairs in the business.

It is not obvious to some woodworkers why it is important to use a glue which is reversible. After all, if you put it together when you build it shouldn't it stay together...forever? Never happens. As the popular expression goes, "If it breaks, it will be thrown away". Never heard of that? Well, just consider the ratio of surviving antique furniture (made with reversible glue) to the amount of surviving modern furniture (made in the last century with synthetic glue).

The reason I started my business, as a furniture conservator in private practice, using only organic finishes and reversible glues is because I wanted authenticity in my restoration. I knew that the old pieces have all been repaired at some time or another, either due to accident or misuse. I found it much easier to take apart and repair those areas where traditional glue was used and much more frustrating to repair damage which had been repaired with synthetic glue.

The old protein glue usually was crystalized, due to extreme loss of moisture, and could be easily scraped away with a toothing iron, leaving a clean original wood surface. Where plastic glue was used, I needed to carefully carve away the glue with a chisel, which usually removed some of the wood surface, leaving the joint damaged. As the plastic glue tended to seal the wood pores, it was necessary to remove all of it, since synthetic glues do not bond to themselves. Any residue of protein glue was not a problem, as the fresh application of hot protein glue would completely bond to the earlier surface. Protein bonds with protein.

Synthetic glues, in general, are made of some chemical which changes into a different chemical with the addition of a catalyst. Epoxy is well known, and you always have part A and part B to mix together to activate it. Other glues activate when in contact with moisture or another chemical. All of them have a similar feature: they do not easily reverse once activated.

Animal protein glues are similar in their working characteristics to water. Water is sometimes solid, sometimes liquid and sometimes vapor, but it changes back and forth from one state to another simply as a function of temperature. Animal protein glues go from solid to gel to liquid and back again as a simple function of both temperature and humidity. It takes both. In fact, Old Brown Glue can be frozen without affecting its quality, unlike synthetic glues.

In the dry state, either as pearls, granulated or solid sheets, animal protein glues will last for thousands of years, assuming they are stored in a cool dry place. If they are in a cool but humid place, mold with begin to attack them. When cold water is added to the protein, it immediately begins to absorb the water and expand, gradually turning into a gel. The speed and amount of water absorbed indicates the quality of the glue. In the gel state mold will begin to form on the glue in a few days, damaging the glue. That is why it is important to heat it as soon as it gels.

Raising the temperature in a double boiler changes the gel to liquid. Cooking it as much as you want between 140 and 160 degrees keeps it ready to use and prevents the mold. I cook my glue in the glue pot about 12 hours a day, every day, all year long. From time to time I add water to keep the viscosity rather thin. On cold glue in the morning I add cold water. During the day, when it is hot, I add hot water. Keeping a plastic lid on the glue pot helps reduce the evaporation. I always keep a stainless steel meat thermometer in the glue to monitor the temperature.

Protein glues set initially by loss of heat, which only takes a short time, and then fully cure by loss of moisture, which can take overnight. Old Brown Glue sets by loss of moisture, so it has a much longer open time and cannot be used for hammer veneering or rubbed joints. On the other hand, it has a very liquid viscosity which allows it to penetrate deep into fine cracks. It also cleans up easily with cold water, using a sponge, toothbrush or paper towels, and doesn't damage original finishes on fine antiques.

The secret to reversibility of protein glues is that you need to both hydrate and heat the surface of the glue. Heat alone will not do it. Once you figure out how to get water and heat to the glue it will liquify. It doesn't matter how old the glue is. I can take apart 18th century joints and apply a hot wet rag compress to the joint and easily remove all the old glue. Doesn't take long and conserves the wood joint as it was originally made. Add fresh glue and clamp. Easy.

There are other advantages. Last week I finished cooking a large batch of Old Brown Glue and my wife came in and said she wanted to go to lunch. I said that I just needed to stir the glue once more and I would join her. Soon after we were sitting in our local eatery across from each other and I noticed a strange look on her face as she looked at me. Looking down at my favorite Pendleton shirt I was shocked to see gobs of glue running down the front onto my pants. I guess I had been in a hurry to stir the glue and splashed it all over me.

It was a very unpleasant lunch. I got all Monk on myself, thinking everyone in the place was staring at me. I was sticking to the table, the napkin, the chair. We quickly ate and I returned to the shop, taking off my shirt. By putting it in hot water I was able to completely remove all traces of the glue. When it dried you never knew anything was wrong.

Imagine if that was a toxic, plastic, non reversible, synthetic, modern glue..."If you get that stuff on your Pendleton, it will be thrown away!" Surely you've heard that old saying!

Federal Card Table

2012-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

I am always ready to preach the virtues of animal protein glue, as well as traditional hand work.

I have written numerous articles on using glue and relating my experiences over my career with this unique material.

It occurred to me that, in Europe, the lessons of using natural glues were handed down from grandfather to father to son, but in America that tradition was not so common. More often than not, American woodworkers get their information from reading articles, other woodworkers, or too often, from the young salesman at the hardware store.

Since the early 20th century, American woodworkers have been using synthetic glues, some of them toxic, none of them really reversible, instead of cooking glue in a double boiler.

Therefore, I decided to write an article on what your grandfather neglected to tell you about protein glues. It appeared in Issue #197 (March/April 2008) of Fine Woodworking under the title: "Hide Glue, Age-Old Technology Has Unmatched Advantages."

Since some of the features of hot glue are its fast tack and easy clean up with water, as well as the fact that it doesn't stain the wood and is transparent to finishes, it is perfect to use for inlay, and hammer veneering techniques. So I needed a project which could put this glue to good use, and selected a simple Federal card table.

I had in stock a quantity of nice large Honduras mahogany crotch veneer, and I picked out three matching sheets for the top. It was a simple matter to shape the apron and legs at the bench and I used the liquid Old Brown Glue to glue up the bricklaid apron elements. I went through Montgomery's American Federal book and found some designs for the shell and eagle marquetry features. Those were cut out using the "chevalet de marqueterie" and shaded in hot sand for dramatic effect.

After the article was published and the table was finished, I sold it to a client who lived in Reno and delivered it there before I could even get a good photograph of it for my use. Years went by and I forgot about the table, until this client moved to San Diego and asked me to pick up the table for cleaning.

Now that it is back on the bench, I am pleased that it looks "right" and that the workmanship is "not bad". It could use more polish, as I only put a few thin coats of shellac on it before it left the shop. After a good cleaning and more polish, I expect it to look even more authentic.

Looking Back To The Future

2011-12-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well, another year is put in the memory bin. It seems like such an arbitrary moment to change everything and start over. All the invoices, bills and receipts get filed into boxes. New folders are in place, ready to receive new invoices, bills and receipts. New calendars are on the wall, already filling up with dates and events which are planned in the next few months.

It seems rather arbitrary to me, since I am a native of Southern California, and there is no actual climate change to signal the end or start of the seasons. It will be in the mid 70s today, sun shining, clear skies, no breeze, just like any other day. I am at work, doing what I always do, just like every day. Pick up trash, put away tools, sharpen chisels, sweep the floor, heat the glue and repair something valuable, talk to clients, and in general just solve problems.

The one thing unusual about the start of the year is that I tend to get rather nostalgic. I often think back over the years and reflect how my life is the culmination of events and decisions which seemed insignificant at the time, but later proved to be decisive and very significant. I am fortunate to be in business and thank my clients for their support all the time. I frequently have clients who mention that I worked on something for them "years ago" and they were very happy with the results. I also have younger clients who mention I worked for their parents or grandparents and now they need me to do a project for them.

Having never believed in spending money of traditional advertising, I realize how important it is to have my named passed around by "word of mouth". It takes years to build a good reputation and only a few mistakes to destroy it. That is why I have always gone out of my way to make the customer happy with my work.

For example, early on in my career I had a decorator client who brought me a standard upholstered club chair. Not really an antique, but a nice frame made in the 1930s. She had picked out a very wild and contemporary fabric that looked like a Jackson Pollack painting. I proceeded to upholster the chair, which took some time. When she came to pick it up, she was shocked. "You put the fabric on wrong side out!" she exclaimed. I showed her the surplus roll of material, and how you can tell the front surface from the back. "This is a brocade weave," I explained, "and the pattern is made by pulling different colors of thread from the back through to the front surface. If you look on the back side, you can see all the loose threads which are not part of the pattern. The front side is smooth and finished." "No," she answered, "the back side is the show surface. I expected you to know that!"

So I took all the material off the chair, turned it carefully over, and put it back in place, wrong side out. She was happy with the results, and I never heard from her again.

Another time, I picked up two reproduction French armchairs with new white upholstery. The beechwood frames were painted a dark color. She asked me to refinish them "natural". I went through a lot of trouble to protect the upholstery, as I used paint remover to remove all the paint, sand the wood and apply a clear shellac finish and wax. When she saw them, she was shocked. "I asked you for a natural finish!" she exclaimed. "Like that!" and she pointed to a piece of "shabby chic" which had been painted white, then rubbed with solvents until most of the paint was worn off.

I returned with the chairs, covered the fabric again and painted them white. The client was happy with the results, and I never heard from her again.

Those clients are part of the past. It took years for me to recognize the subtle hints which indicate whether the client is right for me or not. During the early years, I took every job which walked in the door. I met a lot of people who liked what I did and some who were never satisfied, no matter what the result was. I learned to avoid the latter. It is much easier to walk away and not look back then to get involved with a project that can have no successful conclusion.

These days, because of "word of mouth" and lots of kind articles which have been written about me, I seem to get wonderful jobs and satisfied clients most of the time. In my business, getting references and work is like a miner who discovers a gold streak in the earth. By working for clients with nice pieces, I get referred to other clients with nice pieces. And so it goes...

Certainly the past year was a challenge in many ways. Compared to the year before, it was somewhat better, and I am always optimistic. In the long run, it all averages out. The antique business is a wonderful business. The objects are often extraordinary, the clients are involved, and there is always something new to learn about the masterpieces of the past.

I look back on the choices I have made in the past and wouldn't change a thing. It is always exciting to see what new project will arrive tomorrow.

Shop Tour: Library

2011-12-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

I used to travel a lot more when I was young and gas was several gallons to the dollar instead of several dollars to the gallon. I had a nice Ford pick up truck with two extra 20 gallon gas tanks and a fully furnished cab over camper. I was self contained: I could eat (beans), sleep (on a hard futon), wash (with a cloth and hot water in a pan), and even use the toilet (plastic porta potty ((just as much fun as it sounds))).

I spent two decades just driving wherever I wanted to East of the Mississippi, looking for "old stuff" and talking with like minded collectors. Gee, I guess I lived the life of those two guys on TV now who use a Sprinter to find bicycles in barns! Only, no producer thought my life was worth recording at the time.

I met some interesting people. There was a guy in Natchez who made fakes for a well known New York antique dealer. He showed me his private collection in his house, and the entire house was furnished with newly made "period 18th century Americana". I met a character straight out of the pages of Dickens, who owned a large town house on Pine Street in Philadelphia. He had filled several floors with beat up real antiques that were stacked one on top of the other, until they nearly reached the ceiling. When you walked down the narrow isles of mahogany, the floor moved and these large stacks of bureaus and tables threatened to come crashing down. I met a gas station worker in New Hampshire who was so amazed at me getting out of the truck with bare feet that he couldn't even give me directions.

Of all the memories I have from those trips, it is the used bookstore experience that stands out most. Every town and city I visited had used bookstores, usually situated in the run down, older parts of town. Brick buildings, that used to contain banks or restaurants, were full of book shelves, and stacks of boxes of old books. The people who operated used book stores were in a class by themselves. They would sit patiently at their desks, sorting through books, marking each one carefully on the inside page with a pencil price and code. They were proud of the fact that they knew where every book was in their store, and always asked the new customer: "Can I help you find something?"

I never asked for help. I have been in so many of these stores I had developed an uncanny instinct to go directly to the areas where I could find books on Antiques, Crafts, Museums, Architecture, and even early American History and Travel. I could spend less than 30 minutes, find what I wanted, drop $20 and go on down the road.

Most of all I remember the smell and light and quiet that these stores shared. It was another age. All that is gone now. Even the large retail bookstores have closed. I am sorry that young travelers these days will never know what an experience that was.

The popularity of the internet contributed directly to the demise of these wonderful places where you could find like minded souls. At the same time, most of these book dealers have closed their shops, they have opened virtual shops online. Now you don't have to travel. You just use book search engines. That is, if you know what specific book you are looking for...

For many years I had "hippie" bookshelves. You know, stacks of bricks and pine boards. Very practical, since they can be put up and taken down quickly, or changed to fit the space. Also very ugly.

That all changed a few years ago, when I was visiting a client's home here in town. They are wonderful supporters of my craft, as well as other artisans, and are able to contribute to the arts across the board. They had purchased a large quantity of bookcases, but they were changing their minds and decided to have other bookcases built instead. They asked me if I was interested in having their "old" bookcases. Free.

Gee, I had to think for almost a second about it.

It took several truck loads to move all the bookcases. I now have over 50 cherry cases, with bevel glass doors, and bases and crests, which were enough to fill the school room at work as well as my private library at home and also the kitchen of my partner, Patrice. What an amazing difference!

Now the students who attend the American School of French Marquetry have a real library to access, and we have a rich source of material to examine for our projects. I have every Antiques magazine ever published, from January 1922 to today. I have all the museum catalogues, books on French, German, Italian, English, Russian, and American furniture and Decorative Arts, as well as the related trades and technologies.

At home I have my rare books which I enjoy that are fully protected inside their glass cases.

Each time I open the glass door to extract a volume, I am instantly transformed back in time to the moment I entered some obscure bookstore in some obscure downtown for the first time. I hear the patron ask, "Can I help you?" and I hear my response, "No, I know where to look."

Every time I departed with my purchases, I would sincerely add: "Thank you very much."

Shop Tour: Wood Storage

2011-12-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of woodworkers, I cannot throw away a piece of wood, no matter how small. I would qualify for one of those shows on TV about hoarders. I can easily imagine them following me with the camera and mic, as I climb up the ladder, searching for exactly the right piece of material. The anticipation of all that wood falling down and crushing me would be perfect for modern television viewing.

I can spend half an hour searching for the perfect piece of wood to make a 10 minute repair on an antique "just right." I seem to remember each piece of scrap wood that I put somewhere, and it is weird that I can remember where it is, even though I cannot seem to remember someone I just met the day before.

I have devised ingenious ways to sort my scraps: by length, width, thickness, species, age, character, color, purpose, etc. I have used boxes, trash cans, racks, bins, and any corner that otherwise was free. No matter what I do there is always the problem of dirt. It seems that lumber storage is the most difficult area of the shop to clean, and, in a finishing shop, that is a problem. At least I don't have power tools contributing to the dust problem.

For the first 30 years the wood just "collected." I never had to throw any out, so it was ridiculous how much out of control it was. When I decided to build the new addition to the shop, I had to move all the wood to storage. That is when I realized that I had enough wood to completely fill a 20 foot room floor to ceiling, stuffed up to the door.

I designed a room in the addition for material storage, mostly for repair pieces. I had a welder create wall mounted brackets which I attached to the upper wall, for short lumber. I also had the welder build much larger brackets to attach to the main wall of the addition for longer material. These brackets are extremely strong. I used a lot of 1/4" thick steel angle iron, which is 2 x 3" in section. For the main lumber, I ordered 7 units made. The piece which attaches to the wall is 8 feet tall, and has 26" angle iron arms welded every 18" apart to support the wood. These units are bolted with 3/4" lag bolts, using an impact wrench, directly to the 2x8 wall studs, spaced 32" apart along the wall. That results in easy storage and access to all my large pieces of wood, and the rack is just inside the roll up door at my delivery ramp.

I am amazed at how much lumber I can keep on these racks, and how easy it is to get at it. I have no idea how much weight is there, but I am confident that the design of the rack is sufficient to carry the load, which includes me when I climb up to get to the top. Since I need to buy lumber which is generally kiln dried, I do not like to use it for several years. That means that new lumber needs to go to the bottom of the pile, and older pieces move up to the top.

The parts room is more of a challenge. I have wood in there which is ancient, for exactly the right repair. 18th century cherry, Cuban mahogany, old pieces of boxwood, Brazilian rosewood,Victorian walnut, old growth pine, and so on are carefully kept in special places, ready for the client who needs them. There is also a huge pile of broken furniture parts: turnings, feet, drawers, sides, table tops, and other elements, which could be used if necessary.

To give you an idea of what I did with the wood from the storage room, when I moved back in to my new space, imagine this: I have a long driveway on the side of the shop, over 40' long, inside my fence. Each trip from the storage, I would just dump the wood on the driveway and begin to sort through it. Over several weeks I culled the wood, picking up the best pieces and installing them in my new building. Towards the end, I would just dig through the remaining pieces for that occasional treasure find, carefully looking at each piece, thinking how it might be useful.

Sad to say, at the end of that job, I ended up taking a full truck load of scraps to the dump. It was the bravest thing I have ever had to do. I understand how the hoarder feels when they watch others dig through their "stuff" and make the decision to toss it. It seems that the minute it is gone, you find a use for it.

Instead of Chestnuts and Open Fire

2011-12-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

This is the time of the year for seasonal activities. Of course, the holidays bring with them absolute deadlines, which must be met, if the elves are to deliver to Santa their special work product. We all know that elves work day and night; there is no "overtime" in elf land.

It is also the time of the year in San Diego when we can actually wear unusual clothing, like long sleeves, flannel shirts and even sweaters. There is always a hint of "rain" in the air, and a "chill" which natives complain about and others, who migrated here from distant parts of the world, seem to actually enjoy.

Currently, Patrice and I are building a series of late 17th century letter boxes, inspired by an original which recently sold in Europe. The exterior is covered in marquetry, with Gaboon ebony background and 22 different exotic hardwood species comprising the design inlay. All this work is done using the rich inventory of sawn veneer material I purchased from George, in Paris, some 20 years ago.

These "Painting in Wood" boxes will have interiors that use olive wood, kingwood, boxwood and tulip, to contrast with the exterior. I am currently working out the details of the release for the secret panel which hides the secret compartments that these boxes usually have. I love designing secret escapements. I think about them all the time. First you imagine complicated mechanisms, with sliding arms, levers, springs, gears, string, wire, magnets, etc. Then you throw all those ideas away and reduce it to the most simple function you can think of. Then you simplify it again, and it might work.

The design of a secret release system needs to be durable, to work for centuries. It needs to also be repairable, in case it fails. It needs to be hidden, but accessible. It must be simple to use, and not difficult to reset. A good design is always a challenge.

While I was building the case for the box, using beech wood and full blind dovetails, Patrice has been busy with the marquetry for the exterior. He started out designing the overall pattern, for the top and sides, while I assembled the veneer into packets. He then went to work on the chevalet, cutting all the elements in 4 copies at the same time. We decided to use the Classic Method, since we want to make a series of 4 boxes with the same marquetry.

As he completed trays of parts, I then put them all into the proper area for inventory control. This means we have several trays with stacks of 4 identical pieces for each element of the design. Trays for the top half of the top design, bottom half of the top design, front and back panels and side panels. Each tray is carefully handled, and covered at night, so Gigi (the shop cat) will not mess them up.

There are something like 1500 elements in the marquetry for one box. With 4 boxes to build, that means 6000 tiny pieces of wood. Each element of the design needs to be placed in hot sand long enough to create a shadow by slightly burning the wood. I guarantee you that this is the most essential and most boring stage of marquetry work.

That is why I am pleased that it is winter! It is "cold" here and working over the hot sand is rather pleasant, especially with a nice cup of coffee near by.

Patrice spent the entire day yesterday (12 hours) listening to French books on audio, drinking coffee and carefully placing marquetry pieces in the sand. Sometimes it takes 10 seconds, sometimes longer, but each species of wood reacts differently to the heat. It takes all your concentration not to loose a piece in the sand, or let it combust, and the work means you are constantly moving pieces, with tweezers, from the tray to the sand and back again.

What you see in the photo is the tray with the top half of the top design. Today Patrice will start the tray with the bottom half of the top design, and "so it goes." The first box in this series was purchased the day we started, and is supposed to be under the tree soon.

How soon is Christmas again?

Shop Tour: Cave a placage

2011-12-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

It is not too far from the truth to say that I spend all my time at the shop. Since I am fortunate to live only 6 blocks away, it is easy to walk or bike home for lunch, and I enjoy the short walk to work each day as my primary physical activity. I go home to shower, eat and sleep, but the rest of the time is spent inside this large building I constructed over the years for my "sport".

It started out as a run down 1926 Craftsman home, located in a commercial district in historic North Park. Across the street is Jefferson Elementary school, where the happy sounds of children playing have provided the background music at work forever. In the years just after the second War, the previous owners added a 500 square foot stucco showroom to the front of the house for their business: repairing tube type televisions. When tubes went out of style, they closed up the shop, and I got it. I am the second owner, and I began to remove interior walls to make room for my business.

Now, over 40 years later, the building is completely converted to my use and includes a large 2 story addition where the back yard used to be, bringing the total size to about 5,000 square feet. It is what you might call a big playground for woodworking. I have everything I need to exist: tools, materials, hardware, veneer, wood, projects, food, kitchen, showroom, school, etc.

Frequently, people visit for a tour. We have found visitors from all over the globe knocking on our front door, asking politely to see what is inside. We enjoy these visits, and have a standard 5 minute tour which usually takes longer, depending on the various topics of interest.

One of the neat things about my workshop is that I have the luxury of space and the shop is set up with a variety of designated work areas as well as specific storage areas. Looking at it from the visitor's perspective, I can see that it would be informative to showcase some of these areas on the blog. Others, who wish to set up a business, or are just curious as to how I work, might enjoy this series.

To start, I chose the room I built for my veneer storage: the cave a placage. In many ways, it is my veneer vault, since most of my profit over the years sits on these shelves, waiting for a project. Many woodworkers who have veneer store them improperly. I have seen lots of shops where the veneer is placed high up on a shelf where it gets heat and dries out. It also gets dusty and dirty. It is difficult to sort through and gets broken.

When I designed my addition, I added a room just for veneer. It has 10 foot ceilings and is about 150 square feet, with welded steel shelving on all walls. It has 8" thick walls and is completely insulated on all sides, as well as being air tight. Therefore, it remains extremely stable in both temperature and humidity. Note the monitor on the shelf. Usually the reading is about 65 degrees and 65% humidity.

Veneer storage is exactly like cigars, wine, cheese and mushrooms. Not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, not too dry, and no light. This room provides that perfectly. I have seen the humidity drop overnight here in San Diego, when the Santa Ana winds blow in from the desert. It can go from 70% to 10% in under 24 hours, and unprotected wood goes into shock from the sudden loss of moisture. Inside the veneer cave, it remains stable, as long as the door is closed.

When I started buying veneer in the 60's and 70's, I could order from Constantine, in New York, and spectacular veneer would arrive in the post. I could get sawn Brazilian rosewood for 28 cents a square foot. I could spend $50 and get the "marquetry pack" which contained a gold mine of shorts, more than I could ever use. All these veneers were 1/28" (0.9mm) or thicker.

During the 80's and early 90's the quality and availability of veneers declined dramatically. I realized that I should buy as much as I could afford, since I could see that the "end was near." In 1995, in Paris, I witnessed the demise of the largest veneer processing plant in France. All the machinery was sold for scrap and the business changed forever. The only place left for me to purchase good material was Patrick George, who was a 4th generation French veneer dealer. He operated a veneer saw, the "scie a bois montant" which I have discussed in an earlier post. Be sure to check out his video.

His sawn veneers are the best in the world, and the price reflects that quality. They are all between 1.5 and 2.0 mm in thickness and sold by the weight. They average between 100 and 350 euros per Kilo. For many years, when I returned to Paris, I would drop about $10,000 on his veneers, stocking up my vault with the most wonderful woods, ranging in color from Gaboon ebony to English holly. I have a treasure trove of materials to select from, including bone, ivory, horn, shell, and brass and copper.

Now I don't have the extra money to spend, and much of the material available is not up to my standards. I realize I need to be very responsible and conserve what I have for the next 40 years. It took me 40 years to stock my cave and it will take me 40 years to consume it.

I am a very fortunate woodworker.

The Final Reward

2011-11-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

I often think that I could have gone into the medical field. I might have been a plastic surgeon or a "bone doctor" for example. As a plastic surgeon, my job would have been to repair cosmetic damage in such a way that it was not obvious anything was done. As a bone doctor, my job would have been to repair complicated broken bones so that the person was made whole again. Either way, I would have had a lot more stress, and more money by this time.

By my estimate, I have restored over 10,000 objects in my career. I think that may be conservative, but I only really count the larger projects. Like the baby doctor who has delivered hundreds of babies into the world, it is hard to remember all of them. Each one is special and unique at the time of delivery, but the next day there is another job to do, "and so it goes."

Here are two photos of jobs we just completed this week. The first is the chair, which I did for my own pleasure (ie: I was the client) (in other words: no money). The second is the mirror which Patrice did as his first gold leaf project.

The chair project was very rewarding. I was able to completely conserve all the original materials which were in the upholstery, and I had a piece of fabric and some trim which was perfect for the job. You will note the work I did on this chair in earlier posts. The fact that this chair was found in the trash and on its way to the dump in a pickup truck when I got it is even more satisfying. One of the most important reasons I am in this profession is to save (recycle) important cultural artifacts from the past which would otherwise be lost forever. This chair is now ready for the next century of use, and I trust that, when it is dirty, broken and torn, a person who appreciates it will take the time to put it back together.

The mirror is also very exciting. Patrice worked very hard on it, and it was a difficult first project due to its Rococo carving and condition. He added gold leaf to the entire frame (again I refer to earlier posts) and created a patina which the client desired. We both spent some time discussing whether the patina was enough or too much or not enough. The client was very pleased at the result and Patrice should be complimented for his effort. I told him that, without him, I would never tackle such a job.

All I did for this project was clean the mirror.

Old and New Protein Glue

2011-11-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

I have had the cast iron glue pot cooking near my bench for over40 years. Every day I turn it on first thing when I open up the shop and every day I turn it off when I turn off the lights. There has been a note inside the front door which asks: "Glue Pot Off?" for as long as I remember. More than once in my career I have woken up at 2am and returned to the shop to see if I forgot to turn it off. About 30% of the time it was on; the rest of the time I just mumbled something and returned to bed.

For the past two decades I have also been developing and using a liquid form of this glue, Old Brown Glue. The demand for this glue has grown tremendously through word of mouth and the fact that it simply works great. It has a long open time, bonds well, penetrates better than hot glue and is much easier to clean up.

Currently I am repairing a nice set of English Regency mahogany chairs. Doing the gluing on a large set of chairs at one time requires that I use a glue with a fairly long open time, so I use the OBG. In some cases there are small fragments of wood which are broken away from the joint. For that I use the hot glue pot, since the bond is almost immediate.

So the glue pot sits next to the OBG system in the center of the shop, just a few feet from my bench and the wall of clamps. For the OBG I use a simple tub of hot tap water, which I change from time to time as it cools. The bottle is kept in the water so it is liquid. On top of the water I float a small plastic cup which holds the brush and glue, ready to use. I can take that small cup to the bench, make my repair and quickly return it to the water so it stays ready. In addition to keeping the glue liquid, I can use the tub of water to wash my hands or wet a paper towel to clean up the joint. Very practical and easy.

And I do not have to wake up at 2am and worry.

This project also serves to demonstrate more vector clamping methods. As the regency chair form is fairly common, I always have blocks ready for clamping in place. First I just tape the block where I want it, so I do not have to have three hands. Then I put the glue on the joint and apply the clamp. Normally, if the blocks are made correctly, only one clamp is needed to close the joint. The second clamp serves to hold the block in position.

Looking closely at the photos, I need to make two comments: First, the wine bottles are full of water based stains, not what you think. Second, there is a belt sander on the floor...one of the few nasty tools I have used and not something I am proud of. However, have you ever tried to hand sand sharkskin? It has the density of teeth!

All That Glitters

2011-11-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have a very small company. My wife, Kristen, sits in the office all day and works the phone and paperwork so I can be at the bench. Without her doing that part of the business, I would not be half as productive, and have a lot more gray hair.

She also teaches the design and art part of the class when we have students in the American School of French Marquetry. She was a high school art teacher for many years and understands "negative space" which is why she can live with me.

I also have a business partner and friendly agitator, Patrice Lejeune, who shares the work. He graduated from ecole Boulle and worked in Paris restoring and creating furniture for several years before he contacted me and we successfully brought him here on a visa. His wife, Agnes Penot-Lejeune, is finishing her PhD thesis at the Sorbonne on the 19th century art market, and is working on that project on the web here in the shop.

Patrice has his own style, and has developed a type of marquetry which is unique. You can see his work by checking his link on this blog page (top right side). He also is able to do all the diverse projects which I refuse to do, since I am too old to learn anything new. For example, he does the parchment and sharkskin projects which have recently become part of the business as well as constantly experimenting with formulas for stains and finishes. I find bottles of stuff all over the shop, and always have to ask him "What is this?" before I either throw them out or put them away. (A small complaint: he refuses to label them all the time.)

Earlier this year, we sent Patrice to Oregon to study gold leafing with Nancy Thorn at Gold Leaf Design (see link). Naturally, I thought, since the price of gold is about 5 times more expensive then it should be, why not start a new business working with gold? Seems logical...

Anyway, Patrice is not one to start out small. After doing a dozen or so samples to work out the process, he started regilding an Italian Rococo mirror for one of our favorite clients. This mirror had fallen on hard times and there was a lot of gold overpaint, as well as missing gesso and broken elements.

As you can see in the photos, with the help of the shop cat, Gigi, Patrice is making great progress and the future is bright (with gold!).

7 Billion People and 2 New Toothing Planes

2011-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

The birth of the unknown child yesterday which pushed the world's population above 7 billion made all the news. When I was born there were 6 billion. Hard to imagine...

I would like to announce another birth. The birth of two lovely toothing planes. I received the notice from Jack Ervin by email, along with two photos. They are charming and perfect, as all newborns are supposed to be. I wish them a long and productive life.

Congratulations Jack! You should be proud.

Patrick,

I am attaching photos my first attempt of toothing planes. I was first inspired by your video on Woodtreks about your workbench and the maintenance of the top. What you said about flattening made more sense to me than what others said regarding the subject. When I discovered your blog and read what you had to say in general about toothing planes got me to researching how to procure one. The old tool route was there but distances away. Then I hit on the idea of using a new iron and make my own. Here is the results. The bodies are 6-1/8" and the irons (Lie-Nielsen 212 18 & 25 TPI) are bedded at 80 degrees. I laid out what seemed to be right for the mouth location and used a
large draftsman french curve for the side profile. I have used them for flattening extra figured cherry glue-up panels and will use them to maintain flatness on my bench top.

Thanks for the inspiration from the videos on Woodtreks and your blog. I visit your blog regularly and need to reply more to keep you encouraged.Your site is making a difference in a positive way at least to me.

Jack Ervin

Conservation and Restoration

2011-11-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

How do we treat cultural objects which have survived generations of changing taste? Are we simply custodians, and, if so, what is our role in their survival for future generations to appreciate and enjoy?

As a "furniture conservator in private practice," I am in many ways free to establish my own work ethic in my business. I could, for example, use epoxy and foam or add a zebra skin to a Chippendale chair, as the market demands. On the other hand, I could refuse (as I did) to cut out the back panels of a Baroque marquetry armoire, dated 1698, to fit the gigantic television of a rich client. (She was very upset that I refused her request, and I lost a lot of work with that decision.)

Conservators are like doctors in that they are supposed to "do no harm." Unlike doctors, we are also obliged to not remove original material. Conservation means conserving. That said, sometimes it is necessary to make difficult decisions to do invasive work for the survival of the object. In that case, the conservator becomes a restorer. Restoration is necessary when a part of the object has become damaged beyond repair, by bugs, rot or accident. Restoration must be as authentic as possible, but not with any suspicion of "faking." It is a challenging job.

Consider, as a typical example, the question of "original finish" which I have discussed here before. I usually tell my clients that there are two questions to consider when they ask me about refinishing. (1): "Is the finish protecting the wood?" and (2): "Is the appearance of the finish beautiful?"

In the first case, if the finish is damaged beyond repair and no longer protecting the wood, I recommend replacing it with an identical finish. In general, the paste wax protects the polish which protects the wood which protects the protein glues from humidity and mold. If the finish fails, the object will quickly deteriorate. In addition, with many homeowners using oil polishes and sprays, a finish which is missing in areas will allow the uneven penetration of these materials which will damage the wood.

In the second case, if the client appreciates the dark, dirty and opaque look of the finish, fine. Many collectors pay a premium for that look. On the other hand, even the most famous furniture dealers on Antiques Roadshow, who complain about the loss of value when a piece has been refinished, have highly skilled refinishers working in their businesses who do exactly that. Their advice would be more instructive if they explained why using synthetic finishes damages the value but restoring correctly the original finish increases value.

I have seen respected museums make terrible decisions about conservation. When I was studying at Winterthur, in the summer of 1978, I fell in love with the Boston lacquer high chest made by John Pimm, spending hours closely examining the decorative surface. It was one of the signature pieces in their collection, and worth a great deal of money, simply because of the condition of the finish. Soon after that, on another visit, I was horrified to discover that they had coated the surface with a new product, which gave it a shiny, plastic glow. When I asked the conservator about it, he indicated that this new product had a special solvent, and in the future (should it be necessary!) this solvent would dissolve the finish without harming the original finish underneath. Why experiment on this particular piece?

At another time, I believe it was in the Met in New York, I came upon a conservator who was injecting gallons of epoxy into cracks in an ancient carved stone statue. That was about 30 years ago, and I wonder what is the condition of that statue today?

In my mind, there are two obvious reasons to keep things original. The first is to protect the original character of the piece, exactly as it was made, and the second is to provide a learning tool for us to understand exactly how and why it was made that way in a historical and cultural context.

This brings me to the prejudice against upholstery as represented by the acceptance of "non intervention" upholstery methods pervasive today in many American museums. While I was at a conference in Williamsburg, the speaker (a conservator) asked the audience at the end of his talk if there were any questions. I was sitting in the front row, directly in front of the podium and I raised my hand.

"Sir, I note that you have objects on display which include many historic layers of finish, and the purpose of that display is to show the changing taste of fashion and style over time. At the same display, you have removed all evidence of upholstery and replaced it with foam and velcro upholstery. Why not treat the upholstery evidence in a similar way as the finish?"

His response was quick and shocking: "I am a conservator. My job is not to conserve things."

This is why I am in private practice. My job is to conserve things.

Upholstery Conservation

2011-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

Upholstery Conservation

2011-10-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, one of my marquetry students stopped by the shop and asked me if I wanted a chair. In his pickup was this chair, made around 1880 or so, with all the original upholstery intact, although in very poor condition. One foot was broken off and a carved finial was missing.

I cannot say "no" to free antiques.

After the repair and refinishing, I began to conserve the upholstery foundation. Note the previous post on this site where I am taking it apart.

The method used to upholster this chair is amazing. During the 1870's the art of upholstery reached a very evolved state, and the taste in furniture was for elaborate and complicated upholstery designs. Not only was the fabric and trim exotic, but the method of tying springs to achieve comfort was very advanced.

The opportunity to examine and conserve an example, which has survived for over a century was too much to pass up. Here was another chance for me to sit next to the master who created the upholstery on this chair and learn from his work. Layer by layer, as I took it apart, I understood what he was doing and why.

The selection of stuffing, for example, is revealing. The initial layer of stuffing is straw, which was not expensive, and provided a rather hard edge when stitched. On top of that was Spanish moss, a medium expense, designed to provide a medium layer of resiliency. On top of that was curled horsehair, one of the most expensive materials, chosen to provide a softer top. On top of that was a thin layer of wool cloth batting, which prevented the hair from sticking through the show fabric.

Of course, the burlap and muslin was rotten and torn; that is usual. The proper conservation method is to replace the burlap and muslin, while conserving all the original stuffing, and adding stitching to hold it all in place, like it was done originally.

This series of photos shows the work to restore the seat and sprung back, up to the muslin. The seat has a wire front edge, so the stuffing must be sewn to that, as well as on the sides of the seat to hold an edge. The back is interesting, in that it contains 4 small springs in the center of a stitched edge. As you can see, I needed to re stitch the edges and sew the springs to hold them in place.

The last photos show the chair in muslin, ready for show cloth. I haven't covered the armrests yet, but they are in place.

Sitting in this chair is like sitting in a catcher's mitt...you fit so comfortably you do not want to get up.

Italian Empire Dining Table Project

2011-10-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

We are still working on projects in these difficult times, but two things have changed. We are accepting more diverse types of jobs these days, like gilding, sharkskin/parchment, upholstery, etc. And we are not able to produce the continuous flow of work we had previously enjoyed for several decades.

In the past we normally had a minimum of 6 months backlog of good work sitting in the shop. At the same time we were putting jobs out the front door, new work was being bid and brought in the back. Therefore, we could work full time and never see the end of the work. The importance of this backlog of quality work, properly bid, meant that I could continue to bid new jobs at the best price.

It also meant that I could bundle projects with similar activities for each week to gain maximum efficiency. One week might be spent hand sanding all jobs that were at that stage. The next week the shop could be cleaned and all those projects would begin the finishing operation. After that, I could spend a week upholstering, since the shop was clean. In a small, two man shop with not a lot of space, this method of processing the work was very profitable.

These days we still have work, but the backlog is down to 6 weeks instead of 6 months. Also, we do not have the quantity of similar jobs, since we are accepting more diverse projects, and it is difficult to do the same activity for a full week. The result of this is that the shop needs to be reset more frequently during the week for each type of project. Much less efficient.

At the same time, a large project, which was not a problem in the past, can completely block the flow of work.

We are building a large Italian Empire Table and matching chairs for a client. It has taken us longer than we estimated, and the client has been patient. (Note the recent post: It Always Takes Longer...) Although it has been in pieces all over the shop for several months, we can easily visualize it in our minds. The client, however, can only look at the parts laying here and there and wonder if we know what we are doing.

Lately, the parts have been coming together. The bases are nearly assembled, the gold bronze mounts will be shipped from Paris next week, and the top is completed and sanded, ready for the polishing to begin.

The top has been on my workbench for the past month. You can imagine how that has interrupted my work space. It takes two men just to move it, so I cannot do it alone. It has been completely fabricated using only hand tools. All the joints were made with hand planes and the top and back of the top were surfaced using a sequence of hand planing and sanding methods.

The single mahogany board was cut into four pieces and the edge was cut in for the Greek key using a basic old fashioned router. Not the router you plug into the wall, but a chisel mounted vertically in a piece of wood, set to a 2mm depth. Using this tool around the top, I was able to remove all the wood evenly for the Greek key to fit flush with the solid top. Then I added a solid mahogany edge to protect the veneer from damage.

The reason I started this post talking about the flow of work is that I need to make several dovetailed drawers and I hope to have this Empire table off my workbench and on its own base soon. I miss my workbench; I haven's seen it for a month!

Simple Example of Vector Clamping

2011-10-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

I was just looking at the photos I posted of the chair with all the clamps. Unless you go through a sequence of applying the clamps it is difficult to fully understand why each clamp is placed where it is. After dozens of clamps are in place it just looks like a mess.

I may be accused of using more clamps then necessary in my repairs. That may be simply because I have collected more clamps then a single person should have over the years. However, it is also because I study each repair carefully to fully understand where all the forces need to be applied.

If the part is shattered or previously repaired badly, it is necessary to take apart all the fragments and clean the glue off of each using small chisels or a small toothing plane iron I keep for that job. I use an Optivisor to see more closely what I am doing and I am extremely careful to not remove any wood.

Then it is important to begin the repair by gluing several small parts together, wait overnight, and continue adding fragments day by day until the repair is complete. Sometimes with chairs I have more than a dozen fragments to assemble just for one joint.

In other cases, the repair is simple and easy. Just remove the modern glue, clean up the wood surface and add protein glue.

In the case of this American Empire center table, pictured above, the two rear legs had come loose. Since the top of this table is marble, there was a lot of force on the joint, which was originally held by three dowels. The owner had had some person try to glue it with the "strongest glue on planet Earth" with horrible results. Part of his problem was the glue and part of the problem was the failure to understand clamping pressure on this joint.

Note the central axis of the joint, perpendicular to the face of the plinth, extends above the toe of the foot, out in space. There is no way to put a clamp there, unless you add a block. That illustrates very clearly what I intend to show about vector clamping. Just by adding a pine block of wood on the foot I was able to create a purchase for the primary clamp. The red clamp is the primary clamp. Since gravity also creates a force downward on the clamp in this position, I added a second, orange, clamp to compensate. These two clamps are all that are required to achieve a correct vector force on the face of the joint.

The entire operation took 15 minutes and made me a profit and the owner of the table happy. I have always guaranteed my repairs for life. Sometimes the project will return for more repair but never in the place where I repaired it. I can say, with some satisfaction, that I have never had a repair failure in my career of restoring antiques. Do it right and forget it.

Eaten Alive!

2011-10-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

I hate bugs that eat wood. Build a house, spend a lot of time and money and what happens? Termites move in from next door and consume your equity in short time.

I once visited an elderly client who lived alone in a very large, rich house. She was the kind of person who, in her late 80's, would wander around in this 10,000 square foot house all day, barefoot and in her nightgown. She called me about bugs in her clock.

When I arrived, I walked into the entry and noticed a beautiful early Georgian tall case marquetry clock. I didn't see any bugs, so I removed the bonnet to look at the works. When I pulled the bonnet forward a kilo of live subterranean termites fell to the floor and started crawling all over the place.

I was amazed at what I saw. Inside the bonnet was a large colony of termites, which usually don't eat hardwood furniture. Moving the case from its position at the wall I discovered a single hole in the floor, under one of the feet of the clock. The termites had eaten through the oak floor, up into the foot and continued along the body of the clock into the top, where they set up shop. The entire clock was crawling with bugs and I put it into several layers of plastic bags before I removed it for fumigation.

At the same time I had to remind the elderly lady to keep away, as she insisted on walking all over the bugs crawling over the floor.

Generally, hardwood furniture is attacked by a pest called a powder post beetle. They leave small exit holes in the surface, which serve to provide a convenient place to remove their waste, called "frass". Frass can be distinguished from fine sawdust in that it feels like small round pieces of sand, where sawdust feels more like baby powder.

There is another bug, which has a more morbid reputation. The Death Watch Beetle is so named because during the 18th and 19th centuries, when a person was on his death bed, his friends would sit through the night next to him and quietly wait his demise. Often the only sound in the room was the loud noise created by the Death Watch Beetle, as it ate the furniture.

The Death Watch Beetle is a much larger insect than the powder post beetle, and the size of the exit holes is the clue which animal you are looking at.

It is fairly easy to determine if something is actively infested. One way is to use a stethoscope to listen for the sound of the bugs as they have dinner. The easiest and quickest way is to use sun light or a strong flashlight and look at the inside edges of the exit holes with the raking light coming from the side. The holes that appear fresh indicate activity. The holes that are filled with dirt or wax or oxidized are old and the bugs have probably moved on.

These bugs are hard to kill. The eggs can survive two weeks in a vacuum. The Getty has developed a method to use nitrogen inside a bag which is able to keep the oxygen out. If the bag keeps all the oxygen out for two weeks the bugs will die. Even a single molecule of oxygen gives them a chance to survive.

I do not recommend heating or freezing antique furniture, as strange things can happen to the wood, glues and finish. Even Vikane gas is not enough to kill the eggs; only the adults.

Methyl Bromide gas applied at a certain concentration for 48 hours is guaranteed to work on all these bugs all the time. I have a company with a sealed container, where I put the furniture every two weeks to have this treatment done. It is the only way I know, and, since Methyl Bromide gas is a serious problem for the ozone layer, it is soon going to be eliminated as an option.

When I asked the customs agents why they don't require fumigation for furniture beetles as the antiques arrive from Europe, like they do for pests on fruits, they answered: "We don't care, since that bug is already here."

The bugs are going to win this war.

Eaten Alive!

2011-10-12T15:21:00.001-07:00

Vector Clamping

2011-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Question: Can you have too many clamps?

I think you know the answer...

A lot of woodworkers like to read books, magazines and posts about their craft. There are literally hundreds of authors who discuss dovetail drawers, finishing methods, the best tools, etc. I am no different. I have bought books that I was sure would be poorly written and contain misleading information just so I could read them and be proven right. I have many old and out of print books which also were essential for my career. I not only have all the magazines, but I have the promo leaflet for FineWoodworking which was sent out before the first issue.

In all this material, there is one aspect of furniture which is difficult to address: proper clamping methods. Sure, there are stories on vacuum bags, some on veneer presses, a few on specific clamping issues, and so on, but so far I have not seen an article which clearly addresses what I call "vector clamping."

I am sure that my mathematics, geometry and "proper" education in those fields lets me think differently about clamping, but at the same time it is said: "If you scratch the surface of a woodworker, you will find an engineer." This statement was proven at the first SAPFM dinner so many years ago. I found myself sitting at one of the tables in the front with Underhill, Breed, and a dozen other veterans, in a room with about 200 members. The speaker asked the group, "How many of you are making a living at traditional woodworking?" Most of those sitting at my table raised their hands, in total about 10% of the group. Then the speaker asked, "How many of you are engineers?" It was a clear majority.

So I assume that, when I use the term "vector," many woodworkers will know what I mean. A vector is a little arrow which shows the direction of the force under consideration. So a clamp applies pressure in a direction perpendicular to the face of the clamp. Of course, this pressure is not constrained in a single linear vect0r, but forms a cone of force as it leaves the surface of the clamp. As an example, my veneer press screws exert pressure over 81 square inches, or a 9x9" area, and I placed them on the press 9" apart to form a grid.

The primary purpose of discussing vector clamping is to illustrate how I restore antiques, which very often have curved surfaces. Tripod tables, cabriole legs, bent wood windsors, and many, many traditional forms of furniture rely on curved elements, which often break. These breaks can occur at a joint, like the leg on a tripod table, or in the grain of the wood, like the foot breaking off of a cabriole leg.

In many cases these breaks are treated in a way which makes my life miserable. The repairman will take some synthetic glue, epoxy or "the strongest glue on planet earth" and paint it on the break, then frantically search for a way to clamp it before the glue sets. The result is a mess, and I am constantly trying to undo the damage, scraping off the glue and starting over.

I usually will tell the client: "If you had not had it repaired before, I could do it for half the cost."

Assuming you have a fresh break with good wood surfaces, the first thing you need to do is determine the center of the break or joint, and imagine a vector line perpendicular to that point in space. If you are able to put pressure with a single clamp on that vector line, it will clamp the repair properly. That is all there is to it.

Now, it is often the case that the vector line which pushes directly perpendicular to the center of the break goes off into air, away from the wood surface. Like the curved leg on a pedestal table, the line goes off the curved top edge of the leg, and a clamp will not gain a purchase there. That is why you need to create a proper place for the clamp to press.

Select a softer wood than the object, like pine, poplar or other wood. Shape the wood to exactly fit the surface of the curve, and leave a length of wood for another clamp to hold it in place. Clamp this new piece in position and locate the vector line on it. Draw a perpendicular line on the new piece which crosses the vector line at 90 degrees and cut to this line with a saw or chisel. This will be the place to put your clamp for the repair.

In every place where you need it to press directly on the vector line for the repair, you will need to cut a softer piece of wood and clamp it in place. Do this before you reach for the glue. Now your repair has little pieces of soft wood clamped all over it in places where you need to make the repairs. Grab your glue and put it on the repair, place the pieces in position and use a single clamp to press the vector line together.

It is rewarding to see a single clamp pull a complicated joint together, without slipping to one side or another. When done, all the soft wood pieces can be kept in a box for reuse in similar jobs which will certainly happen.

I do not need to stress that you use animal protein glues...

Typical Upholstery Project

2011-10-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Of all the traditional organic materials used in upholstering antique furniture, perhaps straw is the most difficult to conserve. Straw was one of the earliest stuffing materials used, going back easily to the 16th century. It is commonly available, essentially free, and has fairly good initial resilience. However, it compacts over time and breaks down, so that after a century of use it is in poor condition.

Compare that with the best material, horse and hog hair. Even after a century of hard use, curled hair retains its shape, and is much easier to clean and reuse.

I have focused on conserving straw during my career, since it is a challenge and since it is often discarded by other upholsterers, so that a majority of antiques are being converted to modern, synthetic stuffings. Did I mention I hate foam and staples?

I just started a parlor chair from around 1885 which has its original straw foundation. This chair is from the decade after Turkish upholstery was the fashion. Turkish upholstery represented the high point of the upholsterer's craft in the 19th century and exotic and complicated forms of upholstery were produced, using expensive fabrics, trims and accessories.

This chair carries that style of upholstery on a decorative frame, with spring stuffed back panel and seat, and large arm cushions which curl around both sides of the arm support. These photos show the original stuffing foundation as I took it apart. The first photo shows the chair without its fabric. You can see the basic burlap covering on the seat, stitched with a wire front edge. The arms are also stitched. The back panel has been removed and is resting in place.

The second picture shows the back panel structure. The springs are surrounded by a hard stitched edge with straw stuffing. The horsehair is placed in the center of the top.

The third picture shows the chair laying on its back on my work table. The seat stuffing has been cut away from the springs and is folded back to make it easier to remove it. This stuffing is very fragile, since it is just straw and the burlap is rotten. I use care to keep it intact, vacuum it and transfer it back into its original position during the restoration. You can see the difference in the burlap which covers the springs now (replaced by an upholsterer some 50 years ago) and the torn burlap which is original to the stuffing, holding the straw in place.

The last picture shows the original springs and the method of tying them in place. This pattern is called "8 knot" tie, since each spring has 8 knots. Note the cords tie both the tops of the springs as well as all the centers of the outside springs to hold them in place under load. This is the way I was taught to tie springs. There is also a great deal of broken straw debris which sits on the top of the webbing. Fortunately, this chair was not used much after the burlap became torn. With most upholstery, and straw in particular, if the seat is used after the supporting burlap tears, the stuffing quickly becomes chewed up and damaged beyond repair.

This chair has been properly restored once before me, by an upholsterer who knew what to do, probably 50 years ago. He removed the stuffing exactly as I have done and removed the jute webbing from the bottom of the chair. He added new jute webbing, and then sewed the base of the springs to the webbing to hold them in place. He tied the tops of the springs using Italian cord and added new burlap to the top, stitching it in place to the wire edge and springs. Then he carefully returned the original stuffing to its original position. I will do the same, except I do not need to treat the springs, as they are still in good shape.

One of the clues that I am not the first person to work on conserving this chair is the chalk numbers indicating which corner blocks go where.

When you can feel the springs come up into the seat, stop using the chair. Take it to a traditional upholster and save the stuffing. It's the right thing to do.

I will post more during the restoration so you can see how I do it.

Diversity Survival Mode

2011-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

When I arrived in Paris in 1991 to enter ecole Boulle, I was introduced to many important craftsmen in the field of furniture making. They would ask me what I did for a living and I would mention that I did everything: restoration, conservation, creation, upholstery, weaving splint seats and rush seats, veneering and marquetry, turning, carving, polishing, making hardware, fixing locks and keys, replacing period glass, and so on, thinking that I was impressing them with my diverse talents.

I quickly learned that this approach was counter productive. The philosophy of craft in Europe is that you spend your life in one field. In fact, you should spend your life focusing on one aspect of that field, so that you can truly master the trade. You know the mantra: Jack of all trades, master of none.

So, I changed my introduction. If I was introduced to a carver, I said that I was a carver. If I was introduced to an upholsterer, that was my trade. And so it goes, to quote Vonnegut.

I did not start out to be a "furniture conservator in private practice" as my listing in the AIC directory states. I first started out as an upholsterer. That was because, in my neighborhood, there was an 85 year old upholsterer who moved here from New York and set up shop. I would visit and spend hours talking with him, watching him as he worked, methodically tying springs, stitching horsehair stuffing and spitting tacks. He was old, but his hands were strong and agile.

I thought, "I could do that." And so I did. It was very rewarding.

When customers asked me where they could get the wood repaired or refinished while the upholstery was changed, I said, "I can do it." I started to get more jobs, since I was able to do the complete project. My entire career has been successful because I am not afraid to take on jobs which require adapting and learning new methods. I should say, discovering old methods which are almost forgotten.

This typically American philosophy of craft has kept me in business during the past years, when others are closing up shop. I can adapt to whatever job walks in the door.

Currently, I am doing a lot of upholstery. I still find it interesting and rewarding. I am one of the last who spit tacks, tie springs by hand (8 knot Italian cord) and stitch horsehair.

The trade of upholstery took a wrong turn in the 1950's, when foam and staples became available. Hundreds of years of using organic materials were abandoned in favor of the new materials. Horsehair, Spanish moss, kapok, down feathers, cotton batting, excelsior, straw and other materials were removed from antique furniture and thrown out in the trash. Foam was added in place and, not only was the shape of the upholstery different but the comfort that those earlier materials provided was lost.

As it turned out, foam deteriorates rather quickly. Early foam from the 50's lasted about a decade. Later foam was improved and lasted several decades. Modern foam is supposed to last much longer, but will it? Horsehair lasts a century and more and still retains its shape.

Perhaps the most serious loss has been to the actual craft of upholsterer. Being an upholsterer in the 18th century was more prestigious than being a cabinet or chair maker. The trade of upholsterer included aspects of what we call today, interior designer. The upholsterer advised the client on fabric selection, bed "furniture", drapes and carpets and diverse textiles. All these materials were very expensive and the value of the actual upholstery on the chairs and sofas exceeded the value of the woodwork.

Upholstery is one of the few trades you can learn by undoing and studying antique examples. To restore upholstery means to take it apart, layer by layer, conserving the stuffing and springs, and replacing the jute webbing, cord, burlap and muslin with similar materials. Properly done this work can fully restore the original comfort and look of early seating furniture. As older, traditional upholsterers retire or die, this trade is in danger of becoming obsolete. The pieces which survive with their original foundation are rare and need to be properly conserved.

This week, if you ask me what I do for a living, I will respond: "I am an upholsterer."

It Always Takes Longer Than You Think

2011-09-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Some time ago (6 months!) I received an email from a new client in Chicago. They had found me on the internet and wanted to know if I could add some marquetry to kitchen cabinets in a house they were building. Not my usual kind of job, but, in this economy, you cannot say "no" to work.

I was asked to provide some rough design ideas, so I turned to Pierre Ramond's book, "Marquetry," always close at hand. There, on pages 57 and 58 I found some examples that fit the dimensions provided by the customer.

I worked out a price and time frame and we reached an agreement to begin work.

There were some assumptions which were made that turned out to create problems almost immediately.

One of the problems I created for myself was to include much more detail than necessary. It is hard to draw designs with simple elements, after years of trying to add detail wherever possible. Why draw a flower, for example, with 5 elements when you can draw a flower with 30? Leaves should have multiple parts so that they can be shaded. Every time I added a line with the pen I thought it looked better, but I didn't consider the added work required downstream to cut, shade and assemble that extra part.

Another part of the job that I forgot to address was that I needed to glue my designs down to their doors, which were already assembled and finished.

That created the biggest problem: matching the cherry color to the existing finish. The doors supplied were finished with modern stains and spray finish, that created a deep blue-red color to the cherry. The color was a combination of the stain layers and the hue of the lacquer.

Marquetry is not normally stained. Staining marquetry with different woods only hides the work. About the only type of color that can be added to marquetry comes from using potassium dichromate, or other chemicals, which react with the acidity in the different woods, turning some woods dark and leaving others alone. For example, when boxwood or holly is inlaid in mahogany, you can use potassium dichromate to darken the mahogany without darkening the inlay.

We tried the potassium on the cherry, and it darkened it, but it was brown and not the blue-red we needed. So we built a waterproof box, bought an aquarium heater (large size!) and took all the cherry we needed for the project and started soaking it in a series of stains. Using various organic materials in the water, we were able to change the color of the cherry over time. In this case it took nearly a month of work to get it right.

After soaking, we needed to dry out the cherry and press it flat, which took several weeks of pressing and repressing, changing the paper frequently. More time lost.

All the projects were too large to cut on the chevalet, so we needed to cut most of the work on the overhead saw. Of course, that takes more time than the chevalet, so again we fell behind.

All the elements were placed in hot sand to create shadows, and, again, having more complex designs than necessary, that took longer than predicted. There were a total of 8 large panels.

Throughout all this delay the client was patient and understanding, fortunately. Instead of 3 months it took 6. The completed project was shipped out last week, and I expect that with the addition of the finish the cherry will be very close to the rest of the kitchen.

Moral: no matter how long you have been doing something in your career, always consider what can go wrong and, as the saying goes: PLAN AHED!

Memories of an Antique Dealer

2011-09-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have often written in this blog about what I have been doing for the past 4 decades. When I get a call from an old client who mentions their name, I am often at a loss to put a face to the name. I usually ask what was the project or what was the piece I worked on, and then it often comes back to me. Sad to say that I remember the piece better than the person, but it's true.

Recently, I received an email:

Dear Pat:
I hope I have the right person, the Pat Edwards that used to operate an antique furniture refinishing business in the Adams Avenue area. If so, I want to thank you for my purchase of a Hoosier type kitchen cabinet from you in 1971-1972. My husband and I had just moved into a 1906 Craftsman home in old downtown La Mesa and we broke our bank to buy a Hoosier you had just refinished. We spent $125 and it seemed like so much to us (well, it was!!)

Over the years I bought, scrounged, refinished and often sold antique furniture, but never did I come across a better one than the one I bought from you, and thus I still have it and enjoy it every day.

We moved from La Mesa to an 1896 Victorian in Lemon Grove and the Hoosier was in the old kitchen there for 34 years. In 2007 we built a log home and moved to Hayfork (yes, Hayfork) in Northern CA and put the Hoosier front and center in our log home. Recently I bought an older pie safe and had to squeeze the Hoosier a little, but it remains my star piece.

I have often wanted to thank you again, so here it is! By the way, what was the name of your shop? And, do you have a similar business today?

Attached to this email were several nice photos of an old oak Hoosier kitchen cabinet. When I saw them, I was transported to a barn in Kansas in 1971. It was cold and there was snow on the ground. I had a few hundred dollars in cash and a pick up truck with a lumber rack and a tarp. The barn was full of oak furniture. Square and round tables, sets of press back chairs, treadle sewing machines, and kitchen tables and hoosier cabinets.

The "dealer" was the farmer, who invited me to dinner and fed me fresh corn and a steak. I bought several items, loaded them on the truck and moved on down the road. One of these items was a Hoosier which was nearly complete. Often these old kitchen cabinets lost their "guts" which included a wide variety of attachments to make the cook happy. Owning a good Hoosier meant that the person working in the kitchen had a central location for almost all the tools of the trade. Using a Hoosier along with a kitchen work table was essential for all small farm homes to efficiently prepare the meals.

This Hoosier had everything, including stained glass windows. It only needed refinishing...I can't remember if it was painted white, as most of them were, but I do remember refinishing it. See the next blog entry for me using methylene chloride at that time, since it was the only way I knew to do things.

I also remember repairing the tambour roll, which ended up working nicely. I was also pleased that the pull out enamel surface was not badly chipped.

In any event, I transported it 1500 miles home, refinished it and put in in my little shop with a price tag of $125. I assume that included a profit, but for the life of me I find that hard to believe.

I do remember at that time another client walking into the shop and asking about a nice oak roll top desk I had for sale. When she asked about the price I said "Three fifty." She pulled out a five dollar bill and expected change!

In any event, I am pleased to hear that some of the things I have worked on have been important to the people who supported me. Gosh, when I think of all the antiques I have taken apart, restored, conserved, upholstered, finished, or sold over the years...each of them is important to the owner and represents an important possession in their life.

I am happy to have been of service.

Stripping Patina?

2011-09-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

I shudder to think about the way I approached refinishing furniture when I started over 40 years ago. First of all, I was young, impatient and considered myself indestructible. I was never sick, and could work all day and night, every day of the year. I was never tired and always excited to see what kind of wood was hiding under the disgusting old finish.

I consumed gallons of paint stripper, and went out of my way to use the stripper with the most methylene chloride content. It was more expensive, but, oh boy! did it work! Put the stripper on the surface and watch the dark years of dirt and finish wash away.

I was not too concerned about my exposure to the chemical. After all, I always worked outside in the shade with a cross wind and wore heavy rubber gloves. I really did not concern myself with a respirator, since it was always in the way, and I usually worked up a sweat. Comfort was important.

From time to time, I would get spots of stripper on my arms or face. Once even I got it in my eye. I would just turn the hose on myself and wash it off while I continued to work.

After about 10 years of this kind of activity, I started to notice problems. In fact it was my wife who would look at me when I returned home and say "I see you stripped furniture today." She could see the gray color of my skin and the confusion in my eyes. Methylene chloride had beaten me, and I started to question my whole relationship with the chemical. I began to research the material to find out what was going on.

I discovered that the chemical industry had a very effective and strong lobby in Washington to protect the use and distribution of methylene chloride. It was the most effective chemical to remove paint, and, for example, when you have to remove tons of paint from airplanes or ships you do not have a lot of alternative choices.

My good friend, Michael Dresdner (finishing expert), adds: "Futhermore, it's used in a host of other manufacturing operations, including as an aerosol propellant, a plastic welder, a blowing agent for urethane foams, a degreaser in electronics manufacture, and to decaffeinate coffee, tea and create flavoring and hops extracts. One of the more interesting marginal uses is in those bobbing glass gooney birds who would tip over until their beak went into a glass of water, then bob up straight until the water on their beak evaporated and the head started tipping down again."

Just a bit of chemistry here to explain what happens when you put stripper on a finish. The chemical molecule of methylene chloride is very tiny. So tiny that it sinks down through almost all finishes and quickly attacks the finish bond at the surface of the wood. This causes the finish to blister and fall off the surface.

However, since the molecule is so tiny, it easily passes through almost all other materials, from heavy rubber gloves, to protective clothes and skin. It quickly enters the blood and creates stress in most of the important organs, like the liver, heart and brain. My experience with it indicates that the body gradually becomes more sensitive to exposure, so that when I started using it, I had little reaction, but after a decade of use I would notice a strong reaction almost immediately upon opening the can. There are some reports of older people who experienced heart attacks while refinishing kitchen cabinets, for example, and did not connect the attack with the exposure to the chemical.

Certainly the most dramatic accident relating to furniture refinishers I know of occurred just a few blocks from my shop last year. A elderly woman hired some workers to refinish the wood trim in her historic craftsman home. These guys put flammable stripper on all the wood work in the house, without opening the doors or windows. Just as the woman was rushing out the back door to avoid the odor, the water heater kicked in and ignited the fumes, exploding the home and instantly destroying it. I saw the smoke and flames from my shop and rushed over to see what was happening. There were dozens of paint stripper cans in the front yard, and I tried to make a sick joke with the fireman who were fighting the fire, "I hope it wasn't the stripper!" I said. He just looked at me, and I knew.

If you must use methylene chloride, contact an industrial safety supply company, like Lab Safety. They will direct you to the proper gloves, suit, shoes, mask and breathing protection which will be necessary. For example, the chemical penetrates my old heavy rubber gloves in 6 minutes. The proper clothing can provide complete protection for many hours. Very important.

One problem with methylene chloride is that it completely removes all finish, color and patina. The color, stains and dyes are removed and you must start over to make it look "old". Not a good thing for fine antiques. I wanted to find another way to remove the finish, so I started to test other methods, which lead me to focus on denatured alcohol.

Denatured alcohol is a larger molecule than methylene chloride and can easily be used with minor protection. It is also a solvent for shellac and will dissolve other finishes given enough time. The problem is that it quickly evaporates, and I work in Southern California, where the climate is hot and dry most of the year.

I found a system which works wonderfully, is quick and easy and doesn't remove the patina from the wood. Since the wood grain is not raised, it doesn't require sanding, except in rare cases. I use paper towels, denatured alcohol, plastic food wrap and green scrubbing pads. I place the paper towels on the surface, add a lot of alcohol, cover the towels quickly with plastic wrap, smooth out the bubbles, and wait.

After 10 minutes or so, depending on the finish, I remove the covering and use more alcohol and scrubbing pads to wipe off the surface finish, leaving clean old wood. If required, I can repeat the process to remove stubborn finishes. Never use steel wool; only plastic pads. Steel wool can cause black spots, and scratch fine wood surfaces.

I have used this method to great success on evaporative finishes and those oil finishes made with alcohol soluble resins. Alcohol will not remove most cross linked finishes, such as chemical or UV cured urethanes, ureas, polyesters, and acrylics, nor will it remove most epoxy finishes, but all those finishes should never be applied to genuine antique surfaces.

I have used this method to get great results for many, many years, and I have no desire to open another can of methylene chloride ever again.

Restoring Boulle

2011-08-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

One of the most rewarding and frustrating projects I have done over the years is restoring Boulle furniture. By common usage, the term "Boulle" refers to the furniture which is made with brass and tortoise shell marquetry, generally from the last quarter of the 19th century, in Paris.

This period, referred to as Napoleon III, represented a revival of the technique of marquetry popular during the period of Louis XIV, when Andre-Charles Boulle was the most important ebeniste in France. Of course, the early work by Boulle and his contemporaries was made with a much higher degree of quality and workmanship. In fact, the type of tortoise shell used during that time was from a different sea turtle, which was a meat eater, and produced a much thicker shell. The thicker shell was perfect to match with the thicker sawn veneers available at that time.

The shell used during the Napoleon III period was from a sea turtle which was a vegetarian, and the shell was much thinner, also a good match for veneers used later in the 19th century, produced by slicing machines.

The term "tortoise" shell is confusing, since a tortoise lives on land and a turtle lives in the ocean, but that is the term which has always been used for this method. C'est la vie.

After determining which species of shell is used, it is necessary to select the appropriate shell for restoration from a turtle of the same age. Turtles live a long life, and the young turtles have very dark pigment in the shell which forms large areas of color, contrasting with the naturally clear background. As the turtle ages, these blobs of color spread out and become rays of dark, turning into spots of color in very old turtles.

Of course, sea turtles have been on the endangered species list since 1986 and are a controlled substance, so only the restorers who have old stock (and can prove it) have access to this material. I personally have about a kilo of shell, of both species, which I purchased legally prior to the ban, and I use it for appropriate restoration projects.

Another source of shell is damaged furniture, but in that case only very small pieces can be salvaged. There is a plastic shell substitute, used in the guitar industry that works, and there is a substitute shell made using protein glues and coloring, a recipe that first appeared in the 18th century and, more recently, was perfected by Don Williams, working at the Smithsonian.

The other material, brass, is common, but must be annealed so that it is soft. It is hard to do that in a small shop, since it is best done in a large oven, where the sheet is evenly heated and allowed to cool naturally.

Almost all Boulle furniture is damaged by workers who do not understand what to do, and usually resort to nails or epoxy or plastic filler to repair the surface. These efforts make the proper restoration difficult. It is essential to understand that the traditional adhesive, fish glue, is the only adhesive that should be used to restore Boulle. Attaching brass to wood is difficult, since under environmental changes, the wood and brass move in opposite directions. This constant tension between the marquetry and the substrate is controlled by the properties of fish glue, which allows a small amount of sheer movement during these fluctuations, while keeping the surface stuck in place. Fish glue is used for tortoise shell, brass, pewter, mother-of-pearl, ivory, bone, horn and other exotic materials which do not move in the same manner as wood veneer.

The other problem with brass is corrosion, which attacks the brass when the finish fails. I have restored Boulle furniture which lived in Hawaii, and I can attest to the problems of salt air on brass. Not a pretty sight.

The third part of the surface is the mastic, which is composed of protein glue and wood dust. This mastic is around all the elements, filling the gap where the saw blade cut away the materials. This mastic is easily softened in cold water, and can be carefully removed using dental tools. It is often necessary to remove the mastic to repair the surface, and replace the mastic after the repair is completed. Unlike wood surfaces, it is fine to apply the mastic from the front surface, since neither brass or shell is porous.

In most cases, I look at the surface and decide if it is easier to remove the brass or remove the shell to restore the damage. The brass is often lifted, bent and distorted, and it is easier to remove the entire element to repair it before gluing it back in place. Missing brass elements will need to be engraved after the repair is completed to match the surface design.

The shell is prepared by boiling in hot sea water for some time to soften it. Then it can be scraped flat on both sides and shaped to the contour of the surface. It is glued with fish glue, colored with red or brown pigment, as necessary, and placed over red or brown Japanese paper to produce the proper color. In some cases, gold leaf is placed under the shell to produce a very exotic look.

To repair and remove the surface requires care and attention. Paper towels are placed on the surface and covered with cold, distilled water. On top of this a plastic film is placed and the worker waits patiently. After a short time the mastic will begin to soften and the water and towels are removed. Now the repair can begin. More detail on this process is found in my 1997 AIC paper, "Current Trends in Conservation of Marquetry Surfaces", which can be found on my Consulting page of my website.

In most cases, the cost of restoration of Boulle furniture which has been badly treated greatly exceeds the value of the piece. It is only for sentimental reasons or pride of accomplishment that these projects are usually attempted. It is a challenge, to be sure, and one of the guaranteed parts of the project is that, once the initial repair is completed, new areas of lifting will appear somewhere else.

Only after all the elements are properly glued in place can the polishing begin.

The Picking Machine

2011-08-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

The history of French inventions is full of objects which Americans believe were invented here. Unfortunately for our culture, Americans are an ego-centric animal who believe all thought and ideas begin and end within our borders. I am sure, if you asked people walking down the street, who invented flight, cinema, photography, bicycles, submarines and the Xerox machine, the clear majority would respond: "USA!"

It is easy to click on google and discover pages and pages of inventions which came from France. I just discovered, for example, that the taxi was invented in 1640, in France. Amazing!

Add to this list the concept of the duplicating machine, normally referred to by its American corporate name: Xerox. It was created in France to solve a difficult problem which was essential for the evolution of the craft of marquetry.

Before Louis XIV, all the historical methods used to create decorative surfaces were developed in the Mediterranean Sea, from Egypt to Italy. The most interesting at that time was cutting several materials in a packet, using a fret saw held at a perpendicular angle, so that all the elements and background were cut simultaneously. This method was called "tarsia a incastro" by the Italians and renamed "Boulle" by the French.

However, Louis XIV and his successors wanted to elevate the craft of marquetry to another, more complicated level, and keep the secrets of that trade all to themselves. They devoted money and time to all the trades, from furniture making to tapestries, from sculpture to architecture, to insure that France would be the most highly sophisticated country in Europe during the 18th century. And they succeeded.

The primary problem with Boulle method is that the drawing is placed on the packet and cut along with the material. Therefore, the drawing is destroyed in the process. Of course, no matter how carefully you were, it was impossible to exactly duplicate the design by hand. A method of making exactly precise copies of the drawing was needed.

The inspiration was provided by the traditional Fresco painters, who used a piece of paper punched with holes to transfer the design to the wet plaster. By placing the paper on the surface and pouncing a colored powder over it, the dots of the design would remain for the artists to use as a guide. The idea was simple; the transfer of that method to woodworking was more complicated.

At first, paper was picked by hand, in a laborious process that must have driven artisans to drink. It is not recorded when the picking machine first appeared, but by the 19th century they were manufactured in French workshops and sold in supply houses for the trade. I have three antique machines in my shop, made in Paris and Lyon. I have a fourth machine, made in 1980's in Paris for Dr. Ramond at ecole Boulle, which is driven by a motor.

All the antique machines use a foot pedal to turn a large drive wheel in the lower cabinet. The cable which travels up through the hollow brass tube transmits this energy to a series of gears, which adjust the speed, and on down the front tube to a small crankshaft in a box near the end. This crankshaft converts the continuous rotary motion to reciprocal motion, which is connected to the needle shaft, making it move up and down very nicely.

The needle has a stop which can be adjusted so that it moves only slightly. The needle is a "number 12 sharp" which is very hard to find. It must be adjusted to that it only passes through three layers of paper, no further or it will hit the table and damage the tip.

The design, which is hand drawn, is pinned to two layers of Kraft paper, 48 grams weight. The needle is traced around the entire design, punching holes through all layers of paper. It is important that all the lines are traced, and no duplicate lines are punched. The spacing of the holes is important: too close and the paper will tear, too far apart and it will not serve the job.

When the design is fully punched, the middle layer of paper is removed and the back side is abraded with a pumice stone to clean up the paper tear out around the holes. This piece of paper becomes the master design, which will remain in the shop for decades, and can be used over and over.

The master design is then placed over some white Kraft paper and a pounce is used to apply "bitume de judee" which is a fine, oil impregnated dust. The bitumen leaves a dot of power at each hold, and it is necessary to fix the powder to the paper to make the design useable. The paper is placed across a heated piece of metal and the heat melts the powder to the paper. Thus the essential idea of a Xerox machine.

Using a picking machine allows the worker to make dozens of copies of the original drawing, each design exactly like the other. The use of a picking machine along with the creation of the chevalet allowed the French to perfect the "piece by piece" method of marquetry, which has many advantages over all the other methods. This method they kept to themselves for almost two centuries.

When Is An Antique Fake?

2011-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks I will be presenting my annual lecture at the University of California at Irvine, in association with senior ASA appraiser, Nancy Martin. We have done this for several years, and the goal is to assist aspiring appraisers in analyzing antiques for condition and authenticity.

I take a truck full of pieces and parts to point out details that make the forensics of furniture fraud into a practical science. Wood analysis, hardware evidence, style, form and function, historical periods and revivalism, popularity of fakes during different eras, and, most importantly, the tool marks left by the process of fabrication all must be considered when deciding how old something actually is.

The economics of fraud play an important factor in the popularity of fakes. If something takes a lot of work and skill to make, and the market does not support the value of the original then it is not likely someone will make a copy and try to pass it off as antique. On the other hand, anything which is made as a copy or a fake will, technically, become "antique" after a century of life.

This is one of the problems with the term "antique". Back in 1800, if you look in a dictionary from that period, "antique" refers to an object of great antiquity. In other words, Greek and Roman objects were considered "antique" to the leaders of the French and American revolutions. During the Victorian period, which lasted over 60 years, the revivalism of earlier styles and fashion changed the concept of antique to include objects made during the previous century.

This idea that something over 100 years old was antique was common, and allowed rich men like Frick, Hearst, Mellon, and their Robber Baron buddies to import tons of stuff from Europe tax free, claiming it was antique. I still think of my son, at the age of 8, standing at the front of the tour at Hearst castle, raising his hand to ask the guide a simple question: "My dad says there are no antiques here." Actually not a question, and certainly not the question I would have proposed. I spent the rest of the tour avoiding eye contact with him.

By 1930 the government stepped in and the Hawley-Smoot tariff act included a definition of antique as "made before 1830". This was intended to reflect the fact that pre-Victorian objects were generally made by hand, and had a higher value than those made later, during the Industrial Revolution. This definition is the one I grew up with.

In November, 1966, President Johnson signed a law which included a change in this definition, designed to reflect the antique dealer's lobbying efforts, and reinstated the 100 year old description. Overnight all the stuff made between 1830 and 1866 became valuable. Tiffany and Belter pieces which had been donated to thrift stores now commanded incredible prices.

More importantly, collectors could anticipate that investing in objects which will "mature" into antiques soon is possible, so people began looking at Stickley and Craftsman furniture as a good purchase.

At the same time, a fake made over 100 years ago is technically "antique" and that creates the problem. Unlike fake money, fake antiques are rarely if ever destroyed. They continue to live in the market place and confuse the consumer. So, "When is an Antique Fake?" has become the title of one of my most popular talks.

I post a picture of two candlestands. One is a fake, made in Italy, designed to look old. The second is a copy of that fake, made last week by a carver in my shop. I added the "patina" and color to match the first. So, we have two objects, a fake which is "antique" by age alone, and a copy which will be "antique" in 2111. Guaranteed.

Always keep your eyes open!

Future of Antiques

2011-06-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

I note in the New York Times today that Albert Sack has passed away at the age of 96. He was the last member of a family business that opened in 1905 and dominated the top level of the antique business for a century. His passing marks the end of an era.

I first met Albert in his store in the early 1970's. I was dressed in typical West Coast winter mountain gear: Swiss leather mountain boots, Levis, Pendleton and down jacket. Not exactly your upscale client. However, Albert invited me into his store, took several hours to walk around with me discussing the merits of each piece, and then showed me dozens of photographs of items he had sold in the past which were very helpful to my research. He knew I would never be able to purchase anything, but he recognized a fellow enthusiast of the field.

When you live with Antiques you live with history. American culture is fairly young. The value of understanding different periods of antiques is that it tells the personal story of how this country has evolved from one coast to the other. The transition from a farming based culture to a merchant and consumer based economy can be documented by the objects left behind.

During those early years of my travels around the country, searching for antiques in odd places, I called my research "cultural anthropology." That was before that term actually became a real class in some colleges. My idea was to visit some obscure antique store and ask the owner which pieces he had that he knew were made in that region, and why. I learned about regional characteristics, secondary woods, unique forms not made in other areas, and how each area reflected its particular ethnic origins, whether it was French, German, British, Canadian, or some other source of design.

At that time it was normal for the antique dealer to have a good understanding of his stock. Most dealers were connoisseurs of their speciality, and visiting a shop was always a learning experience. Just ask a question and you would usually get a lecture on the merits and qualities of any object. They had a passion for collecting and wanted to share their enthusiasm.

I remember a distinguished dealer, well into his 80's, shaking with Parkinsons desease, who insisted on showing me the mark under a huge Chinese porcelain bowl. He lifted it off the table and turned it over, while I tried to get into a position where I could grab it if he dropped it. I had only remarked in passing that it was a spectacular bowl, and, in truth, I didn't know anything about Chinese porcelain. However, I now think of that bowl and that mark.

Antique shops today are filled with junk. The business has transformed into swap meets, garage sales, flea markets, storage unit auctions, and pawn shops. Even the roadshow focuses more on the money and less on the history and culture. Albert Sack was the last of his breed.

Like any business, the antique business is transforming and evolving. My generation is older and has collected for years, and now looks at downsizing but our children do not appreciate the stuff we want to give them. They want their post-modern environment and their electronic toys, but not something which was made centuries ago. They do not care about history or culture in the same way that Mr. Sack did.

That may change, and the change could come in a surprising form. People who care about the environment, climate change, carbon footprints, recycling, and all the other progressive ideas which are topical these days, will learn to appreciate antiques for another reason. Antiques are carbon neutral and "green". Antique furniture was harvested by human and animal power, shaped into their final form with sweat and skill, and represent the survival of historic old growth forests. Modern furniture is made with toxic glues and finishes, often transported around the world with petroleum based ships and fabricated and assembled with industrial machinery, consuming precious resources. Modern furniture is also designed to be disposable, since it does not survive many years and is usually not repairable.

Support your local antique dealer, if you have one. Support your local furniture repairman, if he is using hand tools and organic materials. Save the antiques your parents are trying to pass on. Cherish the history and culture of the past. It is your heritage. The real value is knowing how we got here and understanding the meaning of living with antiques.

Veneer Tools: Hammer

2011-05-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

When I started in business the veneer market was dominated by Albert Constantine and Sons in New York City, a firm which has long ago disappeared from the field, for many reasons. At that time they supplied every tool and all the veneers in the world. I still have early price lists, and my mind reflects on the time I could purchase sawn Brazilian rosewood veneer for 28cents a foot.

Whenever I had extra cash, like $50 or so, I would order the "marquetry special" which consisted of a large box of "scraps" which was like Christmas. Each time I would anticipate opening the box, where I would find satinwood, boxwood, ebony, teak, mahogany, and woods I never identified, but were amazing colors and character. I think the cost was about 50cents a pound for the mix.

No more...

Since they were the experts, when they published a book on "Veneering Simplified" by Harry Jason Hobbs, I eagerly ordered it and followed the advice religiously. On page 53 was the illustration of a veneer hammer, which I immediately built, exactly as illustrated. Their hammer was made from a "discarded floor buffer" and it was horrible! Combined with the glues Mr. Hobbs recommended using (Elmer's Glue-All, Constantine's Contact Cement, and Titebond) I managed to destroy much of the veneer I had purchased.

As a direct result of reading what Mr. Hobbs wrote, I started to research protein glues and seek out other types of veneer hammers to solve the problems I had experienced. Finding antique veneer hammers is a rare treat, and I have discovered only two in my search. Adding to that collection is a typical German made veneer hammer, and a variation of that form which was made for me as a gift from Yannick Chastang, after his second "stage" in my workshop.

The Hobbs hammer is in the foreground of the photo. It is huge, clumsy and the blade is way too thick. Think of the pressure difference between sneakers and high heels. You need pressure, and a wide piece of metal does not work. The small hammer on the left is my favorite, since most of the hammer veneering I do is related to antique restoration, and that hammer reaches into the smallest corners. Next to it (going left to right) is another antique hammer with a more traditional shape. Next to that is the modern German version, which has a large iron head, and then the Chastang version.

Both the hammers with the iron head have the advantage that the iron can be placed in the hot water of the glue pot double boiler and quickly warmed up so that they can be used to reheat and reposition any piece of veneer, without having to use an iron. Both the antique hammers have wood heads, with a rather thin piece of iron for pressing the veneer. The iron is smooth and slightly rounded on the edges so as to not damage the veneer.

I suspect the veneer hammer is called a "hammer" only since it looks like one. There is never any hammering involved. Rather it should be called a veneer "squeegee" or veneer "sliding thing for pressing out the glue." In fact, it is not held like a hammer but the handle is used for driving the tool across the veneer, while the head is pressed down with the other hand.

Hammer veneering is a simple task, and should be practiced by any person who wants to work with veneer. You need a hot glue pot, toothing plane, scrap of wood and some veneer, along with a veneer hammer. You put the hot glue on the prepared wood, place the veneer face down on the hot glue, apply glue to the veneer (glue side up) and quickly flip it over. The face is now up and has some hot, slippery glue on it, ready for the hammer. You press down with the hammer in the center of the veneer, holding the handle in your left hand and pressing down on the head of the hammer with your right. (I am right handed; switch these instructions if you insist on working left handed.) By driving the hammer from side to side at a slight angle to the grain direction, you work to push the glue out to the edge. Work quickly, and, if the glue sets too fast, have an iron ready to reheat the glue. You need to continue until glue emerges from all sides of the veneer and gels. At that point you are done.

The clamping is provided by atmospheric pressure, which is tremendous. You create a vacuum under the veneer by pushing out all the air, and the glue prevents air from entering, so the atmosphere holds it in place while the glue continues to loose moisture and set. Think of how the shower curtain sticks to the tile wall when you press out the air. Same effect.

Hammer veneering has been used for centuries by artisans with very simple workshops. No need for a press, or large collection of clamps. You build up the pattern in place, cutting through the freshly laid veneers and removing the waste strips, hammering the joints tightly together. Absolutely fantastic for adding string inlay; simple and quick.

I made the Hepplewhite work table shown here using only a veneer hammer, and you can see the extent of detail which is possible. It was fast and easy, and, since the protein glues set rather quickly, I was able to build this project on a series of steps, each taking about 3 hours. Three shifts a day for a week, and you have something to brag about.

Veneer Tools: Saw

2011-05-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

I find it ironic that I can collect literally hundreds of unique and different woodworking tools related to chair making, cabinet making, carving, turning and other trades, but, when it comes to specific veneering tools, the choices are few.

Of course, there is the glue pot. I have also spent some time discussing the toothing plane. I still need to post information on the veneer hammer. The veneer press sits in the corner demanding attention, but, as I look around what is a pretty sophisticated veneer workshop, there are not a lot of different tools that I see.

You might be surprised to hear that I think veneering is a relatively simple procedure. I know what you are thinking, "Marquetry is so complicated!" However, in my mind, the marquetry is fully assembled and applied as a simple sheet of material, exactly like you apply a sheet of veneer.

Using animal protein glues and either presses or veneer hammers has been the standard method of application for several centuries, and some very sophisticated products have emerged from essentially primitive workshops.

The first type of saw to be developed for cutting shapes in veneer was the fret saw, developed in Italy sometime in the 16th century. The French developed the chevalet during the 18th century, and other countries devised foot operated frame saws to cut curved shapes.

The simplest form of hand saw for making straight cuts on veneer has a blade which is held with a wood handle in different forms. The most commonly used hand saw today has a round handle with a small blade having teeth on both sides, top and bottom. This tool is what I started with over 40 years ago, and I determined some 39 years ago that it was worthless.

I always wondered why someone would design a tool with a round handle, offset from the blade in such a way that a) you cannot control the blade, b) you need to remove the blade to sharpen it, c) the teeth on the top of the blade are sharp and will (eventually) cut your left hand so that your blood will stain the maple veneer you are holding, and d) must be used right handed.

I got the answer one day many years ago at a tool meet. You know the situation: early in the dawn, tool dealers meeting in a secret place, first-timers eager to set up early, old-timers picking through the boxes and waiting for the best time to open up, bad coffee, bad donuts and worse cigarettes. I always look around to see where the small cluster of pros are gathered together, and then crash their party with some smart remark, sure to endure me to them.

As I approached them this morning, I could see they were passing around a single tool, and I overheard them asking each other, "What the blank is that?" (They didn't say "blank"...) When they saw me, one of them said, "Ask Pat, he might know", and they handed me the tool. My first response was, "How much?" I was told it was $75 and I quickly handed over the money. Then I informed them that I had just purchased a very rare English veneer saw from the end of the 18th century. They were not pleased with this response, and I walked away in search of more entertainment.

As you can see, this saw has a open tote handle, like a dovetail saw, but was made with a veneer blade. It works wonderful: you can control it perfectly and you can sharpen it without removing the blade, but it can only be used right-handed. I am convinced that this is the model which eventually was transformed into the round handled tool that is sold today.

The French developed a different type of veneer saw. The handle is large and directly on top of the blade. The saw is easy to sharpen, and can be used in both directions, right and left-handed as well. It is still manufactured and used in France. It has been my saw of choice for many, many years.

Now my good friends at Tools For Working Wood, in New York are bringing to market an improvement in this design, made by Gramercy Tools. I have been fortunate to receive this tool, along with several different blade designs, for testing. Working with Gramercy directly, we have suggest blade designs which work specifically on thicker, sawn veneer material. At this point, there are several variations of the blade, along with the tool available on the Tools For Working Wood site, linked to this blog.

It is important to understand how the blade works to sharpen it properly, for any hand held veneer saw. The blade is absolutely flat on one side, which presses against the straight edge. There is never a "set" on a veneer saw. By that I mean that all the points of the teeth are exactly in line with each other, unlike a panel saw or dovetail saw, which requires a "set". The teeth are flat on the one side, like I said, and only sharpened on the other side, using a stone. The sharpening needs to create a bevel which extends past the gullet of the teeth. So, if the teeth are, for example, 1.5mm long, then the bevel needs to be about 2.5mm long. The result is a knife edge, flat on one side, with teeth. As the tips of the teeth wear down, you need to use a triangular file to deepen the gullet, and then resharpen the bevel on a stone to continue.

I want to thank Gramercy Tools for devoting their creative energies to improving on this tool, as well as working on other specialized veneer tools like the lifting knife and veneer hammer. I am hoping that their products will inspire woodworkers to return to traditional veneer techniques and gain an appreciation of how much fun it is.

Now, if we can just get someone to make a good double boiler glue pot...

Animal Protein Glue

2011-05-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have never had any difficulty speaking in front of an audience. I have given hundreds of hours of lectures, as well as quite a bit of television. Generally, I speak about Decorative Arts, focusing on antique furniture issues. Quite often, when I speak about living and conserving wood furniture, I am asked, "How do I find a good craftsman to repair my antiques?" I usually respond like this: "Ask the prospective restorer if they have a glue pot, and what kind of glue and finish they use."

It has been my experience over 40 years that, if the woodworker uses protein glue, shellac and wax, he understands antiques. It is essential that reversible methods and materials be used in restoration, and that the glue and finish selection is as close to the original as possible. Using modern adhesives and finishes will negatively affect or completely destroy the value of the object. All furniture is subject to damage, either by wood movement or actual use or abuse over time. Therefore, the repairs need to be reversible.

I have never missed a chance to promote or discuss the virtues of animal protein glues during my career. For example, when the Society of American Period Furniture Makers organized, I quickly joined the group and began contributing to their Journal, which has evolved over the past decade to become a great source of furniture making research. In January, 2002 (Volume 2) I contributed an article, "Why Not Period Glue?" The inspiration for that article was that, after attending two SAPFM conferences at Williamsburg, I realized that the members of this group were very concerned about early furniture, construction methods, using antique tools, and even shellac finishing. The one thing I noted in talking with many members was that they generally used modern synthetic adhesives without even thinking about it. So, I raised the obvious question in my article.

Later, in March 2008, I wrote an article, "Hide Glue" in Fine Woodworking (Issue #197), which attempted to reach a much larger audience. This followed the feature story, "How Strong is Your Glue?" (Fine Woodworking #192, August 2007), where both hot protein glue and my Old Brown Glue were tested in objective and scientific conditions. I also made a video with WoodTreks, which discusses the preparation and uses of this glue.

Traditional animal protein glues have been used in all cultures for thousands of years. The protein is organic, easy to cook and adaptable with many diverse types of additives. There are quite a few different sources of protein, and each produces a different type of glue characteristic. Rabbit, fish, animal bone, hide, blood and other materials all have been used for making glue. In America, generally starting after the first World War, synthetic glues were developed and introduced, which quickly replaced the traditional glue pot in the workshop. Other countries continue to use old fashioned protein glues even today.

There are many misconceptions about using animal protein glues, which I address in my published articles. I believe that these beliefs are a result of authors who do not have direct experience with the material, and simply include in their writing "facts" which were previously published by other authors with little experience. Statements like "It smells bad," or "It goes bad quickly," or "Make only what you need at one time," or "It is not as strong as modern glue," or "It is difficult to use," are false.

I have posted a chart here which I use in my class to explain the simple properties of this glue. There are only two factors to consider when working with this glue: heat and water. If there is any problem at all, just figure out which of these two factors needs to be adjusted to fix the problem. Either add or subtract water or raise or lower the temperature. Or both.

You will note from the chart that both of these factors combine to determine the viscosity. Think of water, for example. It is either solid (ice), liquid or air. It can change from one state to another and back again, over and over, simply as a question of temperature. Animal protein glue is the same, It is either solid, gel or liquid, also as a function of temperature, with the addition or removal of water as a second important factor. More importantly, this glue has the property of changing from one state to another, again and agin, without damage. This is what makes it reversible.

It is important to understand that you must add cold water to the dry glue to fully hydrate it before adding heat. If the glue is a solid slab, the way it is sold in Europe, it must be broken up into chunks and soaked overnight. If the glue is granulated, or in pearl form, it hydrates much quicker. You will know when it is hydrated since it turns into a thick gel. Then you need to put it into a double boiler and raise the temperature to 140 degrees to use it.

I don't have the time here today to discuss all the features of this hot glue. Read my articles, some of which are posted on OldBrownGlue.com and let me know if you have any questions. Get some glue and play with it.

I want to discuss briefly how I came to make Old Brown Glue, which has enjoyed increasing success in recent years. I was fascinated by how early 19th century cabinetmakers were able to veneer columns. For years I tried, without success, to do the same using hot glue. Then, about 20 years ago I joined an international group in Paris which focused on marquetry conservation issues, including modifying protein glues to do a specific job.

That experience led me to do my own research on using urea to reduce the gel point of hot glue. I cooked 37 different batches to test the recipe and finally succeeded in a formula which did what I wanted it to do. Essentially, the urea attaches to the Hydrogen bonding sites and thus reduces the temperature at which the liquid glue turns to gel. Since urea and protein collagen are natural, organic materials, this glue is non toxic in nature.

After perfecting the recipe, I was able to veneer columns without problems and you can read about this technique in Fine Woodworking (Issue #173) December 2004. The Master Class article, "Low-tech method for veneering columns," featured a desk I made on the back cover of the magazine.

I start with 192 gram granulated protein glue made by Milligan and Higgins. I cook it in the bathroom at the shop, add the urea and the "secret" ingredient and put it into bottles. It takes some time, and I will never get rich doing it, but I am pleased that the demand is such that I need to cook a batch every other week.

Old Brown Glue has a shelf life. We put a date of 8 months on the bottle, and each bottle has the batch number on the top. I am currently shipping batch 150. It can be kept in the refrigerator and will remain good for over a year. It needs to be warmed up to use it, and I just place the bottle in a pan of hot tap water when I use it. You can heat and cool it as many times as you want, just don't dilute it.

There are three indicators that the Old Brown Glue has gone bad: 1) It has a very liquid viscosity at room temperature (it should be a gel in the bottle), 2) It smells strongly of ammonia, and 3) It has mold visible inside the bottle. If a bottle is past the date on the label, please take the time to do a test before you use it on your project.

7 Meters of Greek Key Assembled

2011-05-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last week Patrice spent some time preparing the material, setting up the jig and laying out the design. All that preparation time was rewarded with only one day required to cut nearly 2000 individual pieces, in 17 different shapes to size. Exact size.

Since we required two lengths and two widths of Greek key for the border of this table top, it was important that all four lengths be exactly the same length; 2.5 meters for the sides of the top and 1 meter for each end. The four lengths needed to fit together precisely at each corner, If each element was slightly off in size, even a fraction of a millimeter, the results would not work.

I have posted the paper (computer generated) design showing the plan, with some details of the ends and center elements. Note the design has a center "T" component on each length where the pattern flips left and right. That change in the pattern is required if all four corners are to be the same. So, standing in the center of each side of the table, the client will see the pattern as a mirror image of itself, with the center "T" creating the flip, left and right. It is surprisingly not obvious unless it is pointed out.

What is not shown here is the two strips of wood, mahogany and ebony, which will be added to the outside of the design and run the length of the table. That will add some width and make the decorative effect more pleasing as well as more in keeping with the size of the top. All the elements are sawn veneer, 1.5mm thick.

I also show the two sides of the assembly board, upon which Patrice built the design, face down with hot protein glue. By using the traditional French method of stretching Kraft paper on a board, it is possible to lay out the pattern directly on the paper first, with pencil and ruler. This allows the assembly board paper to provide an exact scale for the elements to be glued in place. That simple method guarantees that the pattern will end up at the precise location necessary. In fact, the error over 2.5 meters is less than 1/10 of a millimeter.

By stretching the Kraft paper on two sides of the same board, we were able to build the entire pattern on a single assembly board. The next step is to apply mastic (diluted hot protein glue and fine hardwood sawdust) to fill any gaps, and level the surface (which is the glue side). At that point the Greek key is completed, and we can cut it away from the board and apply it to the table top, with the paper on the face. After application, the paper and surface glue is simply removed with cold water and scraping.

By this method it is fairly quick and easy to create a rather complicated running pattern on a piece of furniture.

You can search this blog for more information on the assembly board process.

More Toothing Plane Info

2011-05-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

One of the first mention of a toothing plane is in the classic tool reference book, "Ancient Carpenter" by Henry Mercer. On page 127 and figure 120 he illustrates a "toothing plane" with the purpose of "scratching the surface of a slab of veneer to help the glue to stick."

The use of the Tooth Plane is very well desceribed ca.1815-1816 by James Smith in the "Panorama of Science and Art": "With this kind of plane, however hard the stuff may be, or however cross and twisted its grain, the surfacwe may be made everywhere alike, and will not be rougher than if it had been rubbed with a new fish-skin. This roughness may be effectively removed with the Scraper."

Joseph Moxon (who does not mention a toothed iron) tells us in "Mechanics Exercises" (ca. 1703): "But if it be very hard Wood you are to Plane upon on Box, Ebony, Lignum Vitae, &c. It is set (the iron) to 80 Degrees, and sometimes quite upright. So that these hard Woods, are, indeed more properly said to be Scraped, than Planed."

James H. Moncton, writing in "The National Carpenter and Joiner" (1873) states, page 6: "Veneering is a very simple operation and every carpenter ought to be able to do such work when needed; the surface of the material, upon which the veneer is to be laid, should be well scratched with at tooth plane..."

The conclusion is, in general, that the toothing plane is used both for leveling the wood surface, both on the carcase and the veneer, as well as providing an improved glue surface. I have used toothing planes for over 40 years and there is always one close at hand when I am at the bench.

I have posted some pictures of toothing irons. The oldest is by James Cam and was made in 1780. Note how much of the tooth is ground away. Normally the iron has grooves which are at least 1-2 inches on the end. The teeth grooves are made exactly like a rasp is made. The iron blank is annealed so that it is soft. Then, using a punch chisel, the maker punches the grooves along the end of the iron. The spacing between the grooves is determined by the use of the iron. Coarse, medium or fine grooves each has a purpose. Since the punch chisel is held at an angle, the grooves are slanted like teeth on a saw, producing teeth which are slanted when viewed from the end. Once the grooves are formed the iron is tempered and the bevel is ground using a wet stone. Never use a dry grinding stone since the temper of the teeth will immediately be destroyed.

To sharpen the iron, never put the grooved side on the stone. It is a simple matter to refresh the bevel side using wet stones (water or oil). The bevel angle is not important, but should not be too shallow, or the teeth will have a tendency to break off.

Toothing planes have a large range of angles, with the blades set often between 80 degrees and 105 degrees. I also use the iron by itself in my hand to reach difficult areas. I also have toothing irons which have been ground to a rounded end for concave surfaces.

When you select a plane, look for the length of grooves that are left. Longer is better. Also, look at the condition of the bevel. Many irons are improperly sharpened.

Good hunting!

Greek Key

2011-04-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

We are building a large Italian Empire Dining table for a client, along with 8 chairs. The wood we are using is genuine Honduras mahogany, which was purchased over 35 years ago.

I clearly remember buying the wood. The lumber yard at that time was downtown, in a run down industrial district, near the harbor and on the railroad line. Today the same site is the location for a tourist attraction, Seaport Village. Where I remember walking dusty isles of rich hardwood lumber, now kids are buying candy and balloons and tourists are taking pictures of the palm trees by the water.

The reason I remember that particular purchase is that the good mahogany was kept on the second level, under the skylights. The trucks could pull up in the alley and you just slid the lumber from the stack down over the edge of the walkway onto the top of the lumber rack on the truck. On this particular day another truck was in the way, so I slid the boards down on the side, leaving them standing vertical against the rail.

There was some particularly wide and figured mahogany planks in the stack, and I picked out three that looked special. When I reached the ground and turned around to examine my selection, the image of such wonderful wood, nearly 30 inches wide, a full inch thick and over 16 feet in length took my breath away. I remember the price was less than $3 a foot, and I barely had enough money to pay for it, or I would have gotten more.

Needless to say, those trees are gone and the price on similar material today approaches $20 a foot.

This table project is using the last of those boards, and the top of the table, which is 1 meter wide by 2.5 meters long is made from one piece of wood, hand planed and jointed. The picture shows it laying on its side next to my bench, waiting for the greek key banding around the top to be finished.

We needed to produce 7 meters of a complicated Greek key in sawn ebony and mahogany for the band, so we purchased a saw guide for the japanese saw that allowed us to make the elements. A total of 1,696 elements were needed to make the pattern, and the parts are sorted into a tray for assembly. We are making the band using hot glue and Kraft paper on an assembly board. One of the photos shows Patrice working with the tray, checking the design. The elements must be cut to a very high degree of accuracy or the pattern will change over the length of the table.

The use of the saw guide as well as the japanese saw made this part of the project much more efficient, and all the parts were cut out in one day. There was a lot more time spent in design and material preparation, but when it came time to saw everything worked well. Spacers were used on the jig to adjust the length of the part, and the angles were either 45 or 90 degrees.

I will let you know more about this project as we put it together.

PS: The Greek key pattern is the same pattern as you see in the Senate chambers in Congress.

PS2: Note the special veneer saw with different blades in the first photo. This saw is being manufactured by Gramercy Tools and distributed by Tools For Working Wood. It is a wonderful design and I will discuss it more later. See the link posted on this site.

Toothing Planes and Glue Pots

2011-04-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

I started the American School of French Marquetry to introduce woodworkers (who were not fortunate enough to have been born in France) to a tool that is amazing: the chevalet de marqueterie. Unfortunately, the British translated the name to "donkey" and the aversion to the tool has persisted for centuries. I say, unfortunately, since I think the chevalet is the neatest tool since the one made to slice bread.

In my 40+ years of collecting woodworking tools (that do not require electricity), I think I have read most of the books and visited many of the sales and collections, so that I can usually recognize what a tool is designed to do. Sometimes I find a special purpose plane or tool which becomes the subject of speculation, as it might not be obvious to the first glance what it does. One of the fun pastimes for tool collectors is to share such tools among themselves to create intelligent speculation and form opinions, often not even close to the actual truth.

This has been going on for years.

One of my favorite books is the 50th anniversary publication of "The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association", volumes 12-26, March, 1959 to December, 1973. It is nearly 1000 pages in one book which comprises all the newsletters of EAIA during those years. It is very interesting to read the questions raised and follow the responses during the following issues, as members add to the collective knowledge of some obscure aspect of the trades.

I noticed early in reading this book a question about a toothing plane. Something like "what is the purpose?" As I followed the train of thought through pages and pages of information, it became clear to me that the toothing plane was a common tool that had lost its importance in the trade by the middle of the 20th century. So I immediately started collecting toothing planes.

I found out a lot about the tool, some of which I discovered through research, some from European masters and some from direct experience. One of the first things I was told was the toothing plane proved the "truth" of the work. By that I mean that when you hand surface wood, and then veneer it, you need to know it is flat. Any imperfections created by hand planing will be transmitted through the veneer, as the hot glue cures and pulls down the veneer tightly onto the surface. By running the toothing plane at an angle to the grain, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, you create a cross hatching of tooth marks which will not appear on any slight depression. Therefore, an even pattern of tooth marks on the entire surface proves it is flat, or the "truth" of your work.

In researching early veneer methods in France, I learned that before 1800 all veneer was sawn by hand from logs. This process left rather rough saw marks on the veneer and the material was obviously thick, about 3-4mm. Such veneer would be hard to bend onto the shapes of the furniture made during the Baroque and Rococo periods. Therefore, a toothing plane was developed, with rather fine teeth, to work the veneer, removing the saw marks and making the veneer thinner without creating tearout. The toothing plane has a steep angle to the blade, between 85-100 degrees, like a scraper.

Another plane with much larger teeth was made for the carcase. Usually the carcase was made of oak or beech and hand surfaced, so it needed to be toothed to guarantee a flat surface.

After 1800 the French created a mechanical saw which made veneer much neater, usually 1.2-2mm in thickness, and with regular saw marks. Therefore the toothing plane with the fine teeth was no longer necessary, but the other plane remained in the shop for the carcase. As steam power became popular, slicing veneer machinery replaced the saw (except in France) and the use of power tools in general made toothing unnecessary. However, in traditional workshops where hot glue was used, evidence of toothing plane marks remained until the middle 20th century.

The survival of the toothing plane is due to other reasons it was used. It creates a larger glue surface area. It reduces the chance of glue starvation when the joint is under pressure. It removes dirt, old glue, and oxidation, creating a fresh wood surface. It is essential in applying rubbed glue joints and hammer veneering. Most importantly, when the surface is hand planed, it proves the ""truth" of the work.

The first tool I made when I started my career was a toothing plane, shown in the left of the photo. Note the variation in the tooth spacing on the irons, which range from an 18th century iron on the left to a 20th century iron on the right.

More on glue pots tomorrow. I'll also talk about how to sharpen toothing plane irons.

I've Been Busy...

2011-04-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that the last few months I have neglected posting on my blog. I have been working on projects and busy with my diverse (volunteer) civic activities, and just didn't have the surplus creative energy to sit down and write something. So today, I just sat down and decided to start contributing again.

I am amazed at the stats for this blog, even though I have not posted anything for some time, I still get thousands of visits each month. I am encouraged and flattered that others think my blog has value. I am motivated to continue, and I have new topics to discuss which will expand the focus of this site. I want to talk about traditional period upholstery conservation and the philosophy of non interventive upholstery which has become all too acceptable in museums today. I also want to talk about developing and marketing my Old Brown Glue, which has become very much in demand over the past decade.

I also intend on discussing the issue of authenticating antique furniture. I am presenting my annual lecture at the University of California at Irvine, in association with the American Society of Appraisers, in June and my mind is full of talking points which are of value to both furniture conservators and collectors.

I value comments and would appreciate any input from you, dear reader. Please send me questions or comments and I will direct the content of this blog in that direction. I am more interested in having a conversation than just hearing myself think.

So, every few days now I will sit down and work on this site. But right now I need to finish restoring the nice Boston Sheraton mahogany card table which stands on the bench.

Thank you for your interest.

Surviving The Test Of Time

2011-02-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

The last two posts have focused on the new Colombo jig saws in use at the school. I can only imagine how smooth the operation of these expensive and specialized saws is. I can also imagine the younger students who might prefer the new system to the old ways.

However, I would like to point out an important difference between the most expensive modern jig saw and the traditional chevalet de marqueterie, as it has existed, according to Herbert Cescinsky, since 1680.

The French have the distinction of being the only country in the history of marquetry who use a horizontal blade to cut material. As far as I can determine, every other country uses a vertical blade alignment. Whether you are using a hand held fret saw, or a foot powered frame saw or a jig saw, the blade moves up and down. The chevalet is the only tool which has been designed to operate with a blade in the back and forth direction.

This may seem like a small detail, but the differences are dramatic.

When the blade moves up and down, it is easy for small elements to fall down into the throat of the machine. The sawdust remains on the surface which hides the design. The worker must use his hands to hold down the work, or it will bounce up and down. It is nearly impossible to see exactly along the length of the blade, and the worker needs to adjust his sight to cut while viewing from an angle.

The chevalet is unique in holding the saw frame horizontal and cutting with a horizontal blade. The dust falls away naturally, the blade is directly in front of the eyes of the worker. The saw, which is controlled by hand, is very sensitive to pressure and speed, and can be manipulated very easily. The small elements which are cut out are held in the packet, since the packet is vertical, and it is possible to cut the smallest pieces imaginable. The feet operate the clamps, which frees up the left hand to control the material.

It is not known exactly when the chevalet was created, but I note that Herbert Cescinsky, in his 1931 classic, "The Gentle Art of Faking Furniture," states: "The marqueterie-cutter's saw, in its guides, with the 'chops,' which open and close by foot pressure, to hold the veneers while being cut, and his seat at the end (the 'donkey,) as it is called), have hardly varied at all in two hundred and fifty years." 1969 edition, page 89.

The pictures illustrate one of the antique chevalets at the school, which I probably used. Also shown is the newest chevalet, which is adjustable in height and can be converted from left to right handed use. Note the fancy carved face.

There is no other tool quite like it!

Out With The Old

2011-02-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

The last post included photos of the new atelier de marqueterie at ecole Boulle, provided by my internet friend, Filip. I received a comment on that post which asked about the new marquetry saws. I thought the best response would be to show more photos of the saws, provided by Filip, and information about the company which manufactures them.

The mark, Colombo, has earned a respected reputation during many generations of marquetry artists. The new professor of marquetry, Gabriel Fuchs, has installed 4 Colombo saws in the new building. One has a throat depth of 115cm, and the others have an 85cm throat. The company makes smaller saws, including one with 55cm clearance. These are highly developed tools with specialized features designed to make marquetry cutting easy and precise. The largest tool runs about 4500 euros, and is manufactured in France.

I include three website links for you to explore:

http://www.ftfi.fr/bois/articles/machines/stationnaires/scie-a-chantourner-lourde.htm

http://www.cofil.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=66

http://www.directindustry.fr/prod/colombo-filippetti/scies-a-decouper-5613-38717.html

I am not sure, but I imagine that the single overhead saw must still be used. There were three cast iron jig saws and one overhead saw. The overhead saw has no throat depth, since the upper structure is suspended from the ceiling. I include a photo of the workshop as it was when Pierre was there. You can see all the chevalets lined up along the window, with the overhead saws and jig saws in the back.

So, it seems that Gabriel has removed the three jig saws, and perhaps the overhead saw, for all I know. He has installed the Colombo saws, and the entire workshop is larger and more open.

Life goes on, and old men guard their memories, as they sip their coffee and live in the past.

Porte Ouvert 2011

2011-01-31T07:53:00.000-08:00

One of the great consequences of the internet age is the ability to have strangers around the world share common interests. I know the movie industry has discovered this. I expect the movie about facebook to win an oscar. Who would have thought, just a decade ago, that you could tweet or unfriend someone?

I have only blogged (again, a modern concept!) for a few months, but I am amazed at the international response I have received. I imagine my words as just a few data drops in the immense ocean of internet content, but people have found me, just like a message in a bottle is picked up on the other side of the world by a stranger. It boggles the mind.

One of these kind souls is Filip Tanghe, and I believe he lives in Brussels. He also attended a Stage at ecole Boulle and returns each year, when he can, to tour the open house. This year he offered to take some photos for me, since I am not able to make the trip. Looking at the photos I am filled with warm memories of my years in school in Paris, nearly 2 decades ago.

I knew that when Gabriel Fuchs replaced Pierre Ramond there would be changes. I heard that Mr. Fuchs wanted to "modernize" the atelier and invite more contemporary work from his students. Pierre was always passionate about the past, and admired the great works from the 18th century, as well as supporting newer ideas.

I had no idea that the school would tear down the entire wing of the building and start over!

The school is built in a large "U" shape, with a courtyard in the center. The original wing still stands in place, with the names of great ebenistes posted in tiles on the outside wall. The front wing is now draped in construction scaffolding and I assume will also be modernized. The wing which housed the marquetry workshops on the 6th floor, as well as the finishing workshops and other classes, has been replaced by a modern glass structure. All the classrooms are new.

In addition, the old cast iron jig saws have been replaced by modern jigsaws. Filip reports that there are 5 of them, as well as two new chevalets. One of the new chevalets is designed to work either left or right handed, as well as being adjustable in height. These new chevalets also have carved masks on the front block, perhaps since I note the carving workshop is in the next room to the marquetry atelier.

He also sent me a photo of Pierre, who is now 75 years old. I note he is older and grayer than I remember, but there is one feature that hasn't changed in 20 years. His passionate smile still fills the workshop.

Porte Ouvert

2011-01-02T09:43:00.001-08:00

Since I was invited by a professor to attend a stage at ecole Boulle, I had no idea how difficult it was to visit the school. Once I was provided with my student identification and pin, I realized how special it was to be accepted into that institution.

Assuming you were visiting Paris as a tourist and wanted to see the school, this is probably what would happen: you would enter the front door and meet a security guard sitting behind a window. He would ask you what your purpose was and, if you had not made prior arraignments to visit, send

you away. Assuming you got past the entry, you would find yourself in a lobby without any information on where to go; just the normal crowd of students passing on their way to class.

The actual administration is located on the second floor, and, since the school is 6 floors high, you would need to ask them where the workshop is that you wanted to visit. There are many different workshops in the school. Classes in upholstery, chair making, cabinet making, carving, engraving, metal working, industrial design, marquetry, finishing, sculpting, and so on. Everywhere you go there is amazing talent. The teachers are all outstanding in their profession, and the students have such a high level of ability that it is taken for granted that anything is possible.

Once a year, however, the school opens its doors, and makes it possible for the public to see the work. This happens at the end of January, in a few weeks. I can imagine that this week the entire school is cleaning up its floors, ceilings, lamps, windows and setting up dioramas in each workshop to show off their projects. It is a busy time for all.

Busloads of people arrive, from all over Europe. Italians, Germans, English, French and many other countries arrive to tour the school during this special time. As an English speaker, it became my duty to explain the marquetry workshop to these visitors who did not speak French. It was a treat I will always cherish.

It also gave me a chance to tour the entire school during this time. Normally, I had very little chance to see all the other workshops, since I was busy doing my student work. But during "open door" I could wander all over the school and discover for myself what was going on. Behind every door was a new experience and a chance to see some wonderful work.

If you have the chance right now, go to Paris, take the metro to Place Nation and walk two blocks to ecole Boulle. It is worth the trip.

The Douville Family Veneer Saw

2011-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

During my first year at school, I was joined by two other marquetry workers who, like myself, were invited by Pierre to study for a "stage" of work. One of these workers was Danish and the other was Spanish. It was an interesting period for the three of us, starting with the language issues. Fortunately, the Danish spoke English and understood enough French to explain to me what was said. Unfortunately, the Spanish spoke French, but with such a strange accent that I was more confused than ever.

One day Pierre announced to the three of us that we were invited to visit a workshop just outside Paris which had been in business since around 1800. I had no idea why this was such a special opportunity, except that it was a historic atelier. From the comments of the other students I began to realize this was the chance of a lifetime, and something which not everyone was given the chance to experience.

The workshop was that of the Douville family, who were responsible for creating the first mechanical saw for veneer around 1805. The saw was still in place, and the two elderly brothers who lived there were the 5th generation of the family. They were still in business, sawing veneer, and rarely opened their doors for visitors.

Before we went, Pierre related a story to us which helped us to appreciate what to expect. He said that there was a museum conservator from a major American museum who had visited the workshop previously. During the visit this curator asked if he could use the restroom. "Is it a petite affair or a grand affair?" inquired one of the Douville brothers. "A petite affair," replied the conservator, properly dressed in a nice suit. "There's the wall," was the answer.

When we arrived it looked like any other home on the street, surrounded by the famous wall. We were greeted by two men, both in their 80's and unmarried. They excitedly showed us the car which had sat in the garage since the 1920's and was in perfect condition. We went to lunch and they drank several bottles of wine. It was a very interesting conversation, which became more interesting after lunch.

My first impression of the workshop, which was in a building in the back yard, was that it was just a large building full of wood and tools. The wood frame saw stood in the center of the room and around the walls were cabinets with piles of wood, veneer and tools scattered everywhere. The most amazing thing was that the entire room was full of a dark, heavy sawdust that was at least 3 feet deep over every square inch, except the narrow paths where people walked. The sawdust was mahogany, rosewood, tulip, kingwood, and I can only imagine what other woods, and it actually covered the drawers up to the top surface of the cabinets. The walkways, or paths if you can call them that, were narrow clear trails which were only about a foot wide.

"Have you ever lost anything?" I asked, incredulously. "Only once," one replied, "Remember when dad thought he had lost that diamond ring?" The other answered immediately, "But then he found it years later." They both agreed that nothing was ever lost in the mess, it was just not readily available at that moment. Surely it will turn up later...

I was not allowed to take any photographs during this field trip, which is unfortunate. Within the next 5 years the shop would be sold and closed. Patrick George purchased most of the veneer and the original saw was taken apart and moved to his veneer store in Bagnolet. Patrick George operates two veneer saws, which were made later in the 19th century. I include a photo of one of these tools with this post. The other photo is a tool collector in the South of France who owns a similar saw.

I had originally posted a story about this special type of veneer saw on July 26, 2010. To my knowledge, there is a German shop and a shop in Belgium, in addition to Patrick George and the person in the South of France, which is the total list of these saws currently operating in the world.

I now realize how important is was to visit the original tool and talk with the original family. At no time did I ask to use the bathroom.

Sand Shading

2010-12-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

There are many individual steps to create a marquetry panel, and I love all of them except one. From the inspiration to the design, the selection of materials, putting the packets together and cutting out the elements, shading each piece in hot sand and gluing the picture together on an assembly board, making the mastic and gluing the final picture in place, and...finally...removing the kraft paper to discover your finished work of art. I look forward eagerly to each step of the process, except shading in sand.

This is kind of weird, since the first "Is Good!" compliment I got from Pierre was when I shaded the ribbon on my third etude. Up to that point, which was two months of school, I had only heard him say "Is Bad." So I assumed I had done something right.

To be blunt, shading elements in sand is boring and a little dangerous, if you forget for a moment what you are doing. The sand is very hot (around 600 degrees at the bottom) and the pieces are very small. There is a strong temptation to reach in and grab a piece if it disappears. Resist that temptation. In fact, do not place any part of your hand over the pan. Use very large tweezers and keep your body parts away from the pan and the sand.

In the winter there is some relief that the heat is comforting, but in the summer...

If, for example, your project has 1500 elements and you made 3 copies then you have about 4500 pieces of wood to place carefully in the sand at exactly the proper depth and angle. Each piece sits in the sand for a few seconds. That means you will need to sit in place working without stop for 22,500 seconds, which is over 6 hours.

When I first tried to burn wood in sand, I just went to the local beach and brought home some sand and heated it in a pan. Not only did I destroy the pan but the beach sand created the most interesting smells as some of the "foreign matter" burned up. I then tried Home Depot play sand, but the grains were different sizes and I could not get an even burn. Then I tried sifting sand but couldn't find the proper screen to work.

So, during my first visit to Paris, I purchased a kilo of sand from the supplier to the school. As I went through customs I was stopped and asked to open my bags. The officer asked me what was in one bag, and I replied: "Sand." He just stared at me and repeated, "Sand?" like I was an idiot. I started to explain the technique of marquetry and what the sand was used for, but he simply waved me through.

This happened again at the airport in Portland, Oregon. I was vacationing with my wife at Cannon Beach and discovered the high winds created wonderful spots behind rocks which were full of the finest sand, very even in size. I picked up several pounds and put them in my bags. At the airport I watched from a distance as my checked bags were opened by TSA and the officers gathered around to sift through my "special" sand. They shrugged and I could tell by their body language that they also thought I was an idiot.

Isn't it amazing how we choose to spend our time?

Tradition Preservation

2010-12-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

One can only imagine what it must have been like standing in the center of Andre-Charles Boulle's workshop during the peak of his career. The piles of exotic materials, like imported hardwoods from all corners of the world's forests, the tortoise shell, ivory, brass and copper sheets, gilt mounts, complex hardware, all formed a backdrop for the magnificent projects which were being constructed with great precision by dozens of talented workmen. From time to time the king or his representative would visit and verify that all the work was done to the highest level possible anywhere in the known world
.

All that was destroyed by a fire in the workshop around 1720, and the loss was beyond measure, both to the King and France, and to the history of furniture making. Boulle never recovered and died a decade later in debt. The fashion for "Boulle" decoration declined and was replaced by the more colorful marquetry decoration of the mid 18th century made possible by the French invention of the picking machine and the development of the chevalet.

By the way, I must admit that I like the work of Pierre Gole better than that of Andre-Charles Boulle, but that is another post.

The reason I mention this brief history of the trade is to discuss how tradition is kept alive through the centuries. During the 19th century the use of marquetry surface decoration almost disappeared. Many of the shops closed or changed their work to adapt to the clean, "modern" lines of the newest fashion. What tradition persisted in the old ways was transmitted by individual workers to their assistants. Even the traditional Guilds were abolished by the Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution threatened to eliminate much of the historic knowledge of the past masters.

Around the time of Napoleon III it was obvious that a school needed to be created to reestablish the methods of furniture making which were made famous in the 18th century. It took about 20 years, but at the end of the 1880's a new school was built and opened its doors to the first class of 60 students. That was ecole Boulle, and it stands today as one of the most important trade schools in Europe. Its mission is to preserve the historic trades of the past.

During the 20 years that this foundation of learning was being established there was a renaissance in the Faubourg St. Antoine, in Paris, where workshops again returned to making highly decorative marquetry. Much of this marquetry was applied to local creations, but some of it was made for export, and one of the more well known New York shops, Herter Brothers, purchased their marquetry at this time for their own use. I was restoring a famous Herter Brothers table before I attended ecole Boulle, and took pictures of this table with me when I entered Pierre's class for the first time. He pointed to page 60 of his book and stated that the marquetry on this New York table was made in the Guilmet workshop of Paris around 1880. More research needs to be done on this particular transmission of material from Europe to America during the late 19th century.

I have direct evidence of this trade. Years ago, at the end of a lecture I had presented on Decorative Arts, I was approached by an elderly woman, Jonna Aase. She asked me if I would be interested in some marquetry she had inherited. I asked "What kind of furniture is it?" She replied, "It's not on a piece of furniture. It is just marquetry."

When I visited her home, she produced several pieces of marquetry which had never been used. After I purchased them, she provided me with a note: "These are imported inlay woodwork brought to Odense Denmark by a Danish importer of veneer woods. Made in Paris about 1874. This date established by a newspaper backing on the reverse of the inlays dated in March of 1874 in the French language. Purchased in Odense by Chris Anderson and brought to America in October 1914." These panels were made with sawn veneers, highly tinted and faced with paper, as is the normal method. They even have prices!

I used these examples in my lectures and classes for years. Since I had several examples, I took many of them back to Paris and presented them to Pierre Ramond and Michel Jamet and Patrick George and other mentors who had helped me in my studies. I felt that returning these small samples of French work from a century ago would somehow contribute to the continuation of the grand tradition of design and culture.

Don't You Loose Pieces?

2010-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

The craft of marquetry does not travel well. By that I mean that, during my career I have demonstrated in public at woodworking shows, SAPFM conferences, school classrooms and, for three years, in the Getty museum galleries. What a chore!

You need to move the chevalet, all the hand tools and materials, set up the glue pot, assemble the picking machine, and not drop the trays which are full of pieces. Any unnecessary movement of the trays means that time must be spent putting all the pieces back in order. That can easily take hours...

At the workshop in ecole Boulle there is a wall cabinet which holds all the trays of work for the students. Each student is provided with a tray or trays according to his project, and the position of his trays within the cabinet is decided by the teacher. You do not put your tray back in a different slot. There is no messing around with the trays; too much is at stake.

I noticed that, like all students where there is a close friendship bond, there is a certain amount of humor and jokes. It happens from time to time that one student will do something to another student to create a moment of laughter. This is really because the work is serious and challenging and it makes the working environment more enjoyable when people have fun.

However, it is never fun to mess with a student's tray. You do not touch it. If it is in your way, you find the owner and ask him to move it. Too much is at stake.

I was at school for so long that I took this rule as absolute and obvious to all. Unfortunately, not all Americans understand this idea. Years ago, when I was demonstrating at the Novi convention center in Detroit (I think?) I had all my work and materials spread out on the tables for the public to see. I was working for several days on my chevalet, making a project, and putting the parts in the tray on the table as I cut them out. I encouraged the visitors to handle much of the material and tools which I used to show the process, but I had a small "do not touch" sign next to the tray of parts.

When my back was turned a kid about 10 years old, standing with his father, used his hands to stir up the parts in the tray, breaking many of them, and spilling them on the floor. What I said next caused all the people within a 50 foot radius to stop talking and stare. It was not nice. The father covered his kids ears and quickly disappeared into the startled crowd. It was several minutes before I regained my composure, and I never was able to complete the project, which had taken 3 days to cut.

Now that I have my own school, the American School of French Marquetry, I never need to travel. Everything has its place, and the space is wonderful to work in. I am a lucky camper.

You are all invited to visit when you are in San Diego. Anytime...just don't touch the trays!

Kraft Paper

2010-12-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

Before I went to Paris to study with Pierre I had been working over 20 years restoring antiques and making marquetry. I had read all the books that existed in English and that was the source of much of my knowledge as well as my problems.

I have mentioned before in this post that the first time I saw a copy of Pierre's book, "Marquetry," which was published by Taunton Press in 1989, I was introduced to methods which resolved many of the difficulties I had encountered. I was already using a chevalet to cut designs, since I built my first tool 15 years earlier. However, it did not come with any instructions! I had to teach myself by trial and error as well as deduction.

My first mistake in building the chevalet was that I placed the blade in the saw in the wrong position. I knew that it cut on the push stroke and was held horizontal in the jaws. However, I positioned the blade with the teeth cutting on the left side, not on the bottom. That meant I had been cutting for 15 years by feeding the material into the blade from the left, cutting sideways.

When I arrived at ecole Boulle, I knew that I would be able to use the chevalets with confidence, since I had been sitting on one for a long time and had lots of experience. After all, my first project was cutting a table top which was 4' x 15' (which took 300 hours). Imagine my surprise when I sat down and realized the blade cut down and not sideways!

There was another aspect of the French method which had eluded me as well. I had used lots of gummed veneer tape to hold my work together, as most workers do in countries outside France. I would start to salivate as soon as I saw a roll of tape, and had licked miles of tape in my career. I wonder what the protein content of veneer tape is?

The biggest problem with taping projects together is that the layers of tape are not even all over the surface. In some places there were many layers of tape and in other places there were only a few layers, or none. That created problems when the marquetry was put into the press, as the pressure did not evenly reach all the surface of the veneer at the same time. Other problems were caused by tape not properly adhering or not pulling the pieces together properly.

In reading Pierre's book, I noticed a short mention of the kraft paper, which he uses. On page 73 is a paragraph which describes the 4 types of paper used in marquetry. "Grey kraft paper for gluing and inlaying," is the only mention of this material, and no where does he discuss making an assembly board with this paper. Clearly, it is such an obvious trick that he does not feel it necessary to explain further.

I have posted previously the proper method for making an assembly board using kraft paper. (Post dated 10/10/10).

When I saw the students building such amazing projects with this method I realized what an important part of the process this was. It allowed the pictures to be built face down, which created a clean front with all the elements pressed forward properly. It allowed the work to be done from the back, where tool marks and mastic were not seen in the final result. The paper was easily removed after the picture was glued to the project by using cold water and gentle scraping. Most importantly, it allowed even pressure to reach the entire surface, since there was only one layer of paper holding everything together.

Unfortunately, kraft paper is not available in America. I have to import it at some expense from France, and I sell it for my students to use at a reasonable price. I wish it were more generally available. It seems that in our modern world we are so anxious to have the newest electronics, but who cares about such a simple material as traditional paper?

But Is It Art?

2010-12-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of experience in the world of Decorative Art. I have read literally thousands of books, visited hundreds of museums and attended professional conferences all over America and Europe. I have reviewed auction catalogues and had lengthy discussions with museum staff and still do not understand the prejudice against considering marquetry as "fine art."

Clearly, the marketplace makes a distinction between fine art and decorative art. It is obvious that paintings will easily bring millions of dollars and that only a rare few examples of furniture have sold for above one million dollars.

So, in effect, the marketplace has determined that paintings, considered as fine art, are more than one hundred times more valuable than furniture, considered as decorative art.

Even the terms are inherently prejudicial. "Fine" is naturally a good term. "Decorative" is somehow less important, as if it is just wall candy. "Fine" stands the test of time. "Decorative" can change as fashions and fads change.

On one hand, I can accept that porcelain, furniture, silver and other "trinkets" are not in the same market as a Picasso. (When I include porcelain, I immediately visualize the incredible painted decoration which is used and wonder...) But on the other hand I cannot understand why marquetry is not considered a fine art by itself, which just happens to be attached to a cabinet.

Then there is the wall art, produced by marquetry artists. Even in the 17th century this was referred to as "Painting in Wood." Isn't that enough to be classified as fine art today? If not, why not? After all, modern artists work in mixed media, and their work is often considered fine art.

Just click on the two photos I have posted here and tell me if it's "fine" or "decorative."

Fantastic Realism

2010-12-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

As I watched the students in the marquetry workshop at ecole Boulle choose their projects, I noticed that there was a preference for transforming art into marquetry. Some of the most popular design sources were from M. C. Escher, who was responsible for much of the black light art posters of my young college days. Yes, I experimented...

Another source of inspiration was that of a Polish artist I had not heard of previously. Wojtek Siudmak was born in 1942 and moved to Paris in 1966 to study art at the ecole des Beaux-Arts. He is the most famous proponent of "fantastic realism" which, to the normal viewer could be described as "science fiction art." I suggest you visit www.siudmak.com to see for yourself.

I have included with this post the original paintings by Siudmak along with the marquetry panels which were produced by the students while I was there. The detail is amazing.

I have included a photo of one of the students, Stephen Delage, who is shown in front of his work during a marquetry exhibition around 1992. These exhibitions were grand affairs, with the Minister of Culture and other official dignitaries opening night. They were usually held in some large room, which by itself was worth viewing. It was an impressive feeling to see the artists, their work and all the public standing around discussing the works.

Stephen also produced the second image of "the man who stopped the world" loosely translated by me from the official title: "L'homme qui arreta la Terre." The name of the work which Stephen is standing in front of is "L'infranchissable obstacle." That means something like "the insurmountable obstacle."

I do not know who made the marquetry picture of the third image or the original title. This panel was located under glass in the office of the school, and was made before I got there. I cannot actually find my picture of the full panel, but I was able to find a picture of a detail, which I show here. When I get the time to search for the full picture, I will post it.

In the meantime, just enjoy the detail of the work, and the faithful interpretation of the original work. Far out, Man!

Size Matters

2010-12-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

In total time I spent ten years at ecole Boulle, staying only once or twice a year during that decade, and less than 3 months each time. It was like I discovered a new existence, and (like an untold number of visitors before me) I began to consider parts of Paris my "neighborhood." I would sit on the metro or in a cafe and read French newspapers, carefully holding them up between me and the tourists next to me so that they would not ask me directions (in English!)

I was reminded of my first time in France, way back in 1967, when I was a healthy, young bicycle racer. I had purchased a custom Rene Hearse bicycle and was traveling around Europe for the summer. It was the "Summer of Love" and there was a very unpopular war in Viet Nam, which the French had lost and we were losing. I carried a small Canadian maple leaf flag which hung from my bicycle and that prevented people I met from asking questions about the war. I discovered that Canadians were generally treated with polite respect, and I was free to experience the true excitement of being a cyclist in Europe. There are some great mountains and many days I would spend all day climbing, only to be rewarded with the entire next day descending.

So my goal in returning to Paris as a student was to be assimilated into the local culture as a resident, not a tourist. It was obvious that I was not French, since I stood a foot taller than everyone on the Metro, so I became a German or American or Dutch or Canadian visitor, depending on the situation. By that I mean if an American asked me directions, I would answer in German, or if a German asked me directions I would answer in French Canadian, and so on. It was just a game, and a lot of fun.

One thing I did have which connected me to the city was a pin, which I wore on my shirt at all times. This pin changed each year, and was made by the students at ecole Boulle, to identify them as students. I have ten different pins, each one designed and manufactured by the students in the engraving/jewelry workshop.

This pin opened doors. When I would walk into any museum they would immediately notice the pin and grant me free entry, as well as clear passage to the workshops and back rooms. Versailles, the Louvre, Musee Camondo, D'Orsay, all museums large and small were happy to let me in and show me anything I wished to see. It was amazing.

It also worked in visiting different cabinet shops and supply houses, since they also showed preference for the students of ecole Boulle. I was spoiled and soon took it for granted that I would get "special treatment."

One year there was a request from the administration for the marquetry workshop to produce a small number of unique pins for some visiting dignitaries. This was unusual, since the pins were normally made in the metal shop. However, the marquetry students were happy to provide the pins, which were made in pewter, bone and purpleheart.

The cutting was done on one of the overhead saws which sat in the center of the marquetry workshop. I was completely amazed to see the precision of the work, as well as the size of the elements. It is hard to believe but the students produce this kind of precision on a daily basis, without any obvious consideration that it might be difficult.

You can judge for yourself by looking at the metric ruler next to the pin. This is not a pin that I was able to get. I had to be content with the normal student pin, but that was just fine with me.

Pierre Makes Glue For All To Use

2010-12-10T08:23:00.001-08:00

I cannot say enough to explain how much Dr. Pierre Ramond, professeur d'marqueterie a l'ecole Boulle, changed my life.

On a human level, he demonstrated to me that passion and enthusiasm are just as important as solid research and knowledge in your work. We live our lives surrounded by thousands of acts of human genius, and it is normal that, since we are involved in our own egocentric world view, we often fail to open our eyes to the miracles that surround us. The difficulty is understanding the balancing act which is necessary between passion and objectively.

On a professional level, he demonstrated how much there is to appreciate about the range of methods, materials and historic processes used over the centuries in our trade. He would look at a marquetry surface and explain at great depth how the woods were selected, how the colors were achieved, how the pieces were cut and glued together, how the style and complexity could be used to indicate the age or origin, what was good and what was bad.

In fact, when I first met him, he did not speak much English, and I spoke no French. The first three months I existed on two phrases, which he used often: "Is Good" and "Is Bad." In the beginning I thought all he could say was "Is Bad." It was several weeks before I knew he could say "Is Good." Understand that he did not say these phrases with any particular emotion. It was not punishment to hear my efforts were "bad." It was just a fact. There was no way to explain to me how bad or what I could do to make it better. Just the fact that I could make it better was the only conclusion I could make.

When he finally said it was good, I was elated. At the same time, since it was just a simple fact, I had no idea how good it was or if I could even make it better. As I worked in the school, the other students began to help me understand what he meant and how I could better communicate my questions.

Pierre had a small class, compared to the other teachers. He normally had about 15 students, which included in the same class first, second, third and fourth year students. Each student helped the other. Pierre watched over them like a proud parent. Most of the time he listened to the sound of the saws as they worked. It was amazing how sensitive he was to the sound of the workshop. Anytime there was an unusual sound, he immediately was at the student's side to assist in the problem.

He always encouraged. He was always positive. He always was ready to discuss new ideas or elaborate on old techniques. He was also involved at the same level as the students. By that I mean that he had the ability to relate to students, visitors and staff on an equal basis at their level of understanding. As a direct result of this ability he was able to elevate their insight to his level, which was at the highest professional level possible.

I first noticed this during class, each day at 10am and 3pm. That was coffee time. Class would start as usual in the morning with all students greeting each other and starting work independently. Pierre would stop class at times for all to meet together to get a short lesson in some technique, then back to work. Promptly at 10 coffee would appear in the center of the room, and all would stop to drink and tell stories, like a big family. The coffee was prepared and cleaned up by different students each day, and this task was organized among the students for the benefit of all. It was strong coffee and, after 15 minutes the group returned to their tasks.

Pierre was just one of the gang, during coffee time, and he even had an open door for the school staff and workers to show up and take a break. After coffee, he transformed into the professor who was always assisting the student as needed. His quick smile and honest sense of humor was always ready to warm the room.

Pierre provided the glue which held us together. I will be forever grateful for having met him. "Is good!"

20 Years Ago In Paris

2010-12-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Nearly 20 years ago I looked at my wife, Kristen, over the dinner table and asked her if we could borrow money against the house so I could go to Paris and study with Dr. Pierre Ramond. What made this conversation more difficult than you might expect is that we owned the house free and clear. It is a tribute to her trust and understanding that she agreed to the proposal.

Pierre had met me at the Getty museum and had invited me to study with him in Paris for a "Stage" which is a short term of study for a specific project, usually lasting less than 3 months. It was the most exciting offer I had ever had in my career. After all, he was recognized as the world's expert in the field of traditional French marquetry, and ecole Boulle was the most difficult trade school in France to get into. Without his invitation, it would be impossible to even visit the school, except during the annual week in January when the school opens its doors to visitors.

The first day I arrived in Paris I was invited to dinner at Chez Jenny, a famous restaurant at Place Republic which specializes in food from Alsace. More importantly, the walls were completely covered with marquetry by Spindler, a three generation family of marquetry artists from that area in Eastern France. Around the table, at the request of Pierre were the conservators of many museums from France and England, and I realized that this was my official introduction to the world of marquetry, at a very high level.

Of course I was tired after 12 hours of flight and I wanted desperately to have some French coffee. The maitre d arrived (in a tux) and asked everyone at the table (in French, of course) what they would like to drink to start. "Wine, beer, wine, wine, beer..."etc was the response as he went around the group. When he looked at me, I said "coffee, please." He took a few moments to speak and raised his eyebrows, looking sternly at me and repeated "coffee???" I just said "Yes, please, I would like a coffee." He turned and walked away.

As he left the room, I turned to the only person at the table who spoke English, the conservator from the Wallace Collection, and inquired why the strange response. He just looked at me and replied, "Coffee will damage your taste for the food, and should be consumed after the meal." I looked around the room at the other, elegant diners, and said, "That person is smoking, that person is smoking, all those people are smoking, and that person is smoking and feeding her dog oysters from a silver tray!"

"Yes, of course!" he answered, and then clarified his response, "But tobacco does not affect the taste." Welcome to France. Immediately, the maitre d returned and served everyone their drinks, without looking at me. I did not get my coffee until after dinner.

The real reason I am remembering all this is because I spent several years in Europe and always had my cameras at my side. I managed to take thousands of slides and prints of the school, marquetry exhibitions, workshops and the trade in general, as it existed at that time. Little did I know that I would document the end of an era, since I have noticed, in recent visits, that most of the business activities of that period have changed completely. It is a different world today, and I hardly recognize it.

Fortunately, I have the record on film, and I have begun to transfer this material to digital format. I will use this blog to post much of this material so that others can appreciate the work of the European masters, both ancient and recent. I think you will be amazed at what professionals and students are able to do with the technique of marquetry.

As I write this post, I am enjoying a nice hot cup of Peet's coffee, black, made with a French press. I have not yet eaten. Fortunately, food has not spoiled my taste for the coffee!

ASFM Graduate Student Work IV

2010-11-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

If you have been reading all the posts of this blog, you may ask "Why is this post 'Graduate Student Work IV'?" I should have mentioned that the post, "Butterflies Are For Eveveryone," which featured work by Karen Kaminiski, was actually ASFM Graduate Work III. It is my goal to feature work by students who contact me and provide me with photos and information about their creations. If you have completed any studies at the American School of French Marquetry, please send me something so I can use it to inspire others.

One of the first students in the school was a brain surgeon, Dr. Ken Stover. He is the kind of person who constantly asks questions and is pushing the envelope. It was a lot of fun having him in the class, and he returns as often as possible when class is in session to meet the new students. He is the person responsible for suggesting the third exercise in Stage I, which we call "beer coasters."

After completing two stages, he built his own chevalet and converted his garage into a large marquetry atelier. He purchased lots of sawn veneers from Patrick George, in Paris, and decided to create his masterpiece.

I often suggest that students practice on more basic etudes before attempting something grand. More often than not, they do not listen. Aaron was such a student, and so was Ken. He fixated on the table top made by Riesner, which was illustrated in Pierre's book, and announced to me that he would produce that design for his headboard, which would be 36 x 60".

To accomplish a project of this size required that he make a saw frame with a throat of 67cm for his chevalet. Still, he had to bring the full size packet to the school to use the overhead saw to cut it into smaller pieces. When he left, he had cut the project into 11 individual packets, which he could then cut further with his chevalet at home.

Using a 2/0 Pebeco German blade, and the Painting in Wood method, he began work. Over several years he cut pieces, when he had the time. From time to time he would bring in part of the project to share with me and the class. The total time spent was 1650 hours and there were over 5,000 pieces total.

All of the necessary elements were then put into hot sand to create shadows, and the picture was assembled on an assembly board. Mastic was applied and it was glued to a substrate and cleaned up, as usual. Shellac finished it off.

Ken asked Aaron Radelow to carve the frame, and he did an exceptional job. You may remember Aaron as having created the fantastic ivory and horn tables, featured in an earlier post (ASFM Graduate Work I). It is obvious he has a wide range of talent.

It is odd...I have a background in physics, and I often say to people, "Marquetry is not rocket science." In this case, I should add, "Marquetry is not brain surgery." Just do it.

Home Sweet Home

2010-11-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Some people never move. I am one of those people. I have spent nearly 40 years in the same building doing the same work. I find it very pleasant and rewarding.

One of the problems with never moving is that you tend to keep stuff that you might have thrown away during relocation. I have never had to make that difficult decision; should I keep it or should I throw it away? Quite the opposite happens. When my wife and I decide to discard something from the home, my answer is "I will take it to the shop, in case I can find a use for it later."

My obsession with keeping stuff started at a very young age. In 1960 my parents built a home on the top of a hill. The house was on a dead end road, and just behind the backyard fence was the city landfill. That might sound like a problem to some people, after all, the smell was noticeable. But to me, it was like living next to a general store where everything was free.

During those years it was not the policy to cover everything up with dirt. So, at the end of the day, the workers went home, and I went to work. I found amazing things and drug them home, much to my parents "delight." There were lots of black and white TV's being thrown away, most of which worked perfectly. I built a Heathkit tube tester and fixed them, giving them to all my friends.

I found furniture, which I took apart and repaired, starting a career, before I even knew what a career was. One of the best parts of this broken furniture was the wood screws. I kept thousands of wood screws, sorting them according to size. I had no interest in Phillips, but selected all the slot head screws I could find. I still use these screws today, as the currently available screws are terrible, if you can even find a slot head to purchase. I consider myself an expert on the wood screw, and have devoted considerable research to the topic.

Getting back to the topic, I first opened my workshop in an abandoned church, kind of like Alice's Restaurant. I hired some other independent workers and made an effort to create a co-op restoration business. Within 6 months I realized most of these workers did not work well together, and someone broke in and stole all my hand tools. I took what I could salvage and retreated to my garage, working alone.

Around 1974 I was walking my son to school and I noticed that the TV Repair store was vacant. In short order I was talking to the owner of the property, an elderly lady who lived down the street. She agreed to rent me the store, if I would escort her to her weekly hair styling appointment and help her purchase her groceries. That sounded like a fair trade, since the rent was low, and the store had nice windows facing the school. It was three blocks to work.

Over the next 36 years I purchased the location and expanded into the entire property, removing all the interior walls, and adding a two story building in the back yard. I started with 250 square feet and ended up with 5,000 square feet. Needless to say, most of the shop is full of stuff, since I never learned to throw anything remotely useful away.

After all, why put it in the landfill when it still has something to offer?

How Dangerous is Hand Tool Woodworking?

2010-11-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today I volunteered to sit at a table to promote SAPFM (Society of American Period Furniture Makers) during a two day event sponsored by Lie-Nielsen Tools. I used to do lots of woodworking shows and events and have talked to thousands of enthusiasts over my career.

The group, SAPFM, is one of the best groups in America for promoting traditional woodworking skills and design. They have an annual meeting at Williamsburg each January and a mid-year conference sometime in the summer at a different location.

Today, when I walked in, the first thing I noticed was a bench full of beautiful, hand made wood planes. The maker, M.S.Bickford, was casually making a dado on a piece of wood with one of his planes. There was a single person standing there watching him. The sound the wood plane made as it removed shavings from the dado was like classical music to me.

On the other side of the room was the tables filled with Lie-Nielsen metal planes, probably the finest made currently in the US. Scores of people were busy crowding around these tables as the demonstrator worked to remove shavings from a block of wood that were perhaps a million times thinner than a human hair.

I have to confess that I don't use metal planes, mostly because I cannot remember which way to turn the screw adjustment (really a stupid argument) and also because they hurt my hands, which do not usually fit the tool. I have rather large hands. It seems that I manage to hurt myself each time I pick up a metal plane. Nicks, bumps and scrapes are normal.

I have hurt myself with wood planes also. Mostly it happens when I have too much junk on the bench and my finger gets between the end of the plane and what ever it runs into.

I think metal planes are more attractive to most woodworkers because there is a perception that they are more precise. I suppose that is true, but precision is not my primary goal, and has never been. Anyone who has seen my work realizes that it is not perfect, in the absolute sense. However, it has a certain impact, and seems to impress most people who look at it, in spite of the imperfections.

There is a large group of woodworkers who are really machinists working in wood. They have expensive and dangerous power tools which perform precisely and make their job easy. They are workers who are exposed to excessive noise, toxic dust, dangerous cutting edges, and powerful tools that can eject a piece of wood with enough force to go through the wall.

I prefer the sound of a nicely tuned wood body plane as it moves through the wood, cleanly cutting the proper joint, which may be approximately perfect. The pleasure, for me, is in the process.

By the way, I tried clamping my head the other day, and that hurt a lot. Bad idea.

Butterflies Are For Everyone

2010-11-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

The greatest gift I can receive from teaching is experiencing the diversity, creativity and imagination of the people who are "students" I use the traditional term "teacher" and "student" which schools have always used to represent who is giving and who is receiving, but I know that I am not alone in my profession when I confess that I am learning more from my students then they are from me.

Sure, they are taught the methods and techniques, the tools and materials, the history of the trade, and how it has always been done in different countries. But, time marches on. New workers have new ideas and new twists on the formula. History evolves constantly. Each time I talk with a new student, I learn something from them which makes me realize that we are both playing part of this evolution.

I have had students who wanted to make clothes with marquetry. Students who wanted to use materials which I would never consider appropriate, but which created discussion that launched new ideas for thought. Students who found creative ways to change the process.

Fortunately, I am open to new ideas (as long as they are for other people). Personally, I have found my style and my reputation is secure. But I realize that my style is not for everyone, and I always encourage each person to find their own "voice."

One of the graduates of the American School of French Marquetry is Karen Kaminiski. She has a delightful fascination with butterflies. I share this interest, since one of my early tables is the Butterfly Table, which I talked about on this blog months ago. However, when I make a butterfly it is in veneer and set into a design which is glued onto a piece of furniture.

Karen had other ideas. First, she decided to make her own material, since veneers are thin these days, and thick veneers are expensive and hard to find. She uses Old Brown Glue to make thin veneer "plywood" by pressing layers of veneer together. In this way she could make her own material which was strong and decorative, at a very cheap price.

Then she used the piece by piece method she learned in Stage II to cut out butterfly patterns and the separate pieces which she then fitted into the cavities of the wings. Then she cut out trees which would hold these butterflies.

Each time she would create a new piece, she would show up at the school and give it to me. Each time I would encourage her to sell them, or let me buy them. Each time she refused.

She has given them away to all her friends as gifts. Her beautiful and unique butterflies are now fluttering around in rooms all across the country. What a wonderful gift.

Thank you, Karen, for the gift of a new idea.

What Is A Chevalet Kit?

2010-11-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

One of the first questions I asked, when I entered ecole Boulle and met Dr. Pierre Ramond, was "When was the chevalet de marqueterie first invented?" To my amazement and disappointment, he replied, "No one really knows."

Perhaps the invention was kept secret for decades, and the inventor died without recognition. Perhaps the French actually know, but still want to keep it secret. Perhaps actually no one really knows.

As I walked around the museums in Paris, looking at the magnificent workmanship in the marquetry surfaces, it seemed obvious to me that the chevalet de marqueterie, which must have included the saw support arm, was being used early in the 18th century. How else, I wondered, could such large and complicated work be executed? Certainly the illustration of the worker, shown in Roubo's book, holding a fret saw in his hand, did not explain it completely. Something was missing. Something was kept "secret."

One piece of the puzzle was found in reading Herbert Cescinsky's 1931 book, "The Gentle Art Of Faking Furniture." I prize this book, and it is certainly important reading for any collector who wishes to invest in quality pieces. On page 89, he writes, "The marqeterie-cutter's saw, in its guides, with the 'chops,' which open and close by foot pressure, to hold the veneers while being cut, and his seat at the end (the 'donkey,' as it is called), have (sic) hardly varied at all in two hundred and fifty years." That statement puts the chevalet de marqueterie invention as early as 1680, when the Dutch and English were busy making lots of "painting in wood" surfaces.

It also means that Andre-Charles Boulle had the chevalet, with the supported arm, in his workshop, and that it was in common use, since his shop employed some 60 workers at the peak of his career.

Regardless of the opinion expressed by an Englishman about the existence of some obscure French "secret" tool, the fact is that the chevalet de marqueterie has existed for more than a century. Generally, the worker made his own tool, but there were also tool dealers who would make and sell the same tool. It is also to be noted that this tool was almost exclusively used in the region of Paris, France. Very rarely does it appear outside Paris, from my research.

I was encouraged by Pierre to transfer this technology from France to America, at the time he retired from teaching. I take his suggestion seriously, and have made it my goal to introduce this wonderful and unique tool to anyone who would listen.

To that end I engaged a machinist to fabricate the necessary parts, like the sliding mechanism and the jaws and other parts which require machining. I also have collected all the odd bolts, screws, blades, and other elements of hardware which the tool requires. I then drew up a full scale set of very detailed blueprints, including notes on parts of the tool which require specific attention. I need to order a dozen of these kits at a single time to gain some advantage in cost, and, even at that point, I make about $75 profit each time I sell a kit. I also make a sturdy wood box to ship and can send this kit anywhere in the US for $50. The total cost of the kit is $500 plus the $50 shipping.

Each person then needs to supply the wood and put it together. I estimate it takes about $750 in wood and perhaps 2 weeks to do the job. It can take more or less time, depending on your shop and much less if you use scrap wood. The best wood is ash, beech or oak, and most of the large elements can be laminated from 4/4 stock.

The value of a complete tool is about $2500, and I have purchased and sold these chevalets over the years for that amount. I can tell you there is not much profit to be made in making them for sale, since it does take a fair amount of woodworking.

But, as they say, where else can you have so much fun for so little money?

Wood To Dye For

2010-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

There are many tricks to falling asleep. For example, just stop drinking coffee and work 24 hours a day. A more practical method is to count sheep. However, I doubt that many people who live and work all their lives in the city even know what sheep look like. They certainly have no idea what a flock of sheep smell like.

I have a method which works every time. It is a book, originally published in 1936 in Germany, by Dr. Hans Meyer. Fortunately, Linden Publishing has chosen to make it available, although not in large circulation. I found my copy at a tool show years ago, and when I picked it up to ask about the price, the seller was visibly surprised that anyone would even touch it. Usually, I can get through about 3 or 4 pages before I fall into a deep coma.

The name is "The Book Of Wood Names." It has no pictures. It has 564 pages of very small type which simply list all the names of commercial woods then currently in existence in the world. Every local name, every commercial name, every nickname, every latin scientific name, every different country is considered, and it took 20 years for Dr. Meyer to compile. He must have had a very interesting life. At the rate I am making progress reading his life's work, it will certainly last me a century.

The point of this is that there are a lot of woods in the world. Each one is different, and each one has a color. That provides a person who wants to make marquetry art with a wide range of colors. However, even in the natural world of wood colors, there are some which do not exist. Therefore, for centuries, artisans have struggled with different methods to transform woods from one color to another. Kind of like turning lead into gold, but with wood.

The most elusive color is blue. I have a piece of veneer which I purchased nearly 30 years ago that has a natural blue tint. It is a piece of a beech tree which was infected by a specific mushroom and that produced a chemical reaction within the tree that turned it blue. I probably will never cut up this piece of veneer. I just like to look at it, sitting on my tool shelf.

I have heard stores of people who dug down into the roots of trees and put metals, like copper and iron, as well as other materials, and then waited years for the tree to react, before they cut it down in the hope that the wood would be interesting. There are also many specialists who took to their graves the secret of how they made a certain color, like the tobacco color which Oben and Riesner used for the King's desk at Versailles.

For the past several weeks, my partner Patrice has been soaking some veneer in plastic tubs, to dye wood for future projects. Using different species of wood produces different shades, even with the same dye. Today I looked outside the shop and was rewarded with a spectrum of wood colors, from blue to green. Tomorrow, we get to dry the yellow batch. We are still searching for that elusive blue, the holy grail of wood colors.

What I love most about being an artist who paints with wood as my medium is that the natural supply of wood colors is almost unlimited. However, I am not against adding my two cents worth (of dye) to get it exactly right.

La mutiplication des chevalets de marqueterie

2010-11-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

It was always my desire to introduce the special tool for cutting marquetry, which has been invented and developed in Paris for two centuries, to the world outside Paris. I am fascinated at the general lack of awareness of the existence of the chevalet de marqueterie, or marquetry cutting easel. With the exception of small independent workshops in parts of Holland and England, the world of marquetry cutting outside Paris has always done things differently.

Looking at the illustration of the marquetry cutter sitting on his tool, which was published in Roubo in the 18th century, you begin to appreciate the fundamental difference this tool provided. The blade travelled in a horizontal position. To my knowledge, this tool is the only tool which exists to cut marquetry which uses a horizontal blade action. Hand held fret saws, jig saws, overhead saws, and all other methods used in history for cutting material relied on a vertical blade action, while the material rested on a cutting surface, held in place by the hands.

When the material is held vertically, the sawdust naturally falls away from the blade. The action of the saw is easy to control, since it is directly in front of the eyes. The feet, not normally used, can control the clamps, which frees up the hands for manipulating the material. Finally, and to some more importantly, the worker can work while sitting.

Do not underestimate the importance of sitting while working. Comfort is important, if you want to work long hours, an essential part of the job description of marquetry artist. If you are comfortable, and your coffee mug is handy, there is no reason to quit cutting.

At the American School of French Marquetry we currently have 6 chevalets. We have a 54, 55, 56, 57, 59 and 61cm selection. The size is the distance (in cm) from the top of the seat to the blade, when it is in a resting position. In this case, the size of the tool needs to be selected to fit the height of the person, when sitting. Usually, I suggest the handle of the saw be about the height of the top of the collar bone, or at the adam's apple on the throat. It depends a little on the physical comfort of the worker, but it is important to get a good fit.

Therefore, as you may note, we do not have a tool which is 58cm or 60cm, and that is what we are building. In addition, we are making two more tools for sale to students who have requested them.

Normally, we just sell the hardware kit and plans. Most woodworkers do not mind making their own tool. However, sometimes a student just wants to purchase a tool and get right to the work.

In this case, we decided to make a total of 4 at the same time. Just a question of efficiency.

This will solve the problem we currently have when we offer classes and several students are looking to use the same tool. After all, the difference is only a centimeter, about a half inch. Sometimes just a half inch is all the difference in the world between comfort and happiness and struggling with the tool to achieve good results. Above all, we want our students to be happy.

Cover Boy

2010-11-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

When Woodshop News contacted me last year to ask if I would like to be interviewed for a story, I was a little surprised. I have received and read a lot of woodworking magazines over the years, and the majority of them simply don't speak to me, personally.

When I have discussed my issues with different editors in the past, they all offer the same version of the argument: Magazines are in business to make a profit. The profit comes from the industry of selling woodworking machinery. Therefore, we need to appeal to the sector of the market who consumes that product the most.

It is the pyramid theory of woodworking. The group of woodworkers in the world fit into a pyramid. At the bottom, the majority of people who work wood simply make utilitarian objects in their garage when they have spare time, and consume a lot of things in the market place, as well as reading the most magazines and articles on how to do it. In the middle sector of the pyramid are the woodworkers, both amateur and professional, who are experienced and able to create interesting projects which are at a more advanced level. These woodworkers know more about the tools and methods and represent a more sophisticated consumer, who is willing to pay more for certain things. That is the market most woodworking magazines hope to attract in choosing their articles and advertisers.

That leaves the top of the pyramid. At the smallest level of the market are the individual artists and craftsmen who have managed to establish a reputation over the years. These people are likely to be members of the Furniture Society, or the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, or other, more local groups, often in a leadership position. Unfortunately for me, most magazines do not focus as often as I would like on articles which would appeal to the top of the pyramid, and that is a complaint I am always willing to express.

Woodshop News has established a secure market share which represents the "industry" of woodworking. If you want to spend a lot of money investing in the most advanced machinery this is the magazine which you would usually read. Tod Riggio has done an excellent job for a long time keeping this magazine positioned at the top of his market pyramid. From time to time there are articles about individual "artists" or "craftsmen" but the thrust of these articles is always presented from a business position.

So, when I was contacted by Jennifer Hicks, from Woodshop News, about an article, I immediately told her that I would not fit into their normal format. To her credit, she persisted and told me that she was looking to expand their coverage of woodworkers in the market. I was impressed with her professionalism and knowledge when I met her, and working with the photographer was very easy and enjoyable.

Now that the November issue is out, I am receiving calls and compliments from woodworkers across the country. Looking at Jennifer's column, "Taking Stock," I find her insight into why they choose to include me: "So the question here is whether Woodshop News is simply following the evolution of the industry or suggesting that shops that rely on traditional skills are a dying breed." I have often wondered about this very question.

She continues, "Interestingly, Edwards points out that the industry could evolve in a backwards fashion--and it just might. For one thing, the environmental movement continues to gain momentum, making the use of veneers and sustainable materials more popular than ever. Also, We can probably all agree that individual craftsmanship will always be valued, and, when the economy finally improves, customers will be willing to pay for it again."

I often think I am a dinosaur. The term "dying breed" hits close to home. All the elder statesmen who I looked up to when I was learning the trade are either dead or no longer productive. I have a very few good friends who can exist with hand skills in this business. Mike Dunbar, Roy Underhill, Al Breed, Don Webber, and a dozen other peers make up my world.

However, when I realize that all these men are teaching, like myself, I am encouraged. Perhaps we can keep the tradition alive and actually change the world. At the very least, we can change the way of thinking about the process of work. Embrace the Workmanship of Risk!

It is significant that an industry standard would choose to feature alternative methods of work at this time. It has been a century, almost exactly, since the famous "Form ever follows Function" lectures of Louis Sullivan, which defined the relationship between Man and Machine for the entire 20th century.

Is it possible that workers in the 21st century would return to "Form ever follows Process?"

My Walden Week

2010-11-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

I find that my schedule has filled up over the years, instead of free time I now have no time. One result of "success" in my field is that I have been able to contribute "pro bono" community activities in support of non profit groups which I believe need my help.

So, now in my 6th decade of life, I find that I am running two corporations, full time, and sitting on 6 different non profit boards with different agendas. That has required me to work on remembering names and relationships which I was never particularly good at in the past.

My business is located in an historic business district in San Diego. In fact, North Park is the first business district to be developed outside of the proper downtown, located on the opposite corner of Balboa Park and initially served by the street cars of a century ago. When I selected my home and found a commercial location in the 60's, the dollar meant a lot, and prices were very low compared to today. For example, you could purchase a nice Craftsman home back then for less than $20,000, and I took advantage of that opportunity.

During the 1980's I realized that North Park was in hard times, and there were lots of commercial vacancies, and the rest of the stores were thrift shops. I discovered a State law which allowed for business districts to organize themselves and I began to walk, store to store, to see if I could get support for creating a North Park Business Improvement District, or BID.

When I was successful, I was elected president of the BID, and my civic activities began. Over the years I have been elected to serve on other boards, and I continue to do so as much as my work will allow. Currently, I am sitting on the board of directors of the North Park BID, the Lyric Opera, the Redevelopment Area PAC, the North Park Historical Society, the BID Foundation and the San Diego BID Council, where I currently sit as President. In that last position I represent 16 BIDs across the city which include 12,000 businesses.

I do not mention this to promote myself, although when I look at it it does seem excessive. I mention this because I have found that there is not any part of my schedule which is left open for me to leave town. I used to travel a lot. Taking a month off and going to Europe or the East Coast was easy. I just closed the door and drove away.

Now I have this iphone which shows me all the dates on my calendar which require me to be at some meeting or activity. This is retirement?

My father's family were woodworkers, and built Craftsman homes in Montana a hundred years ago. They had a mill and workshop in Whitehall, Montana, which today is essentially a ghost town. During the 20's they decided to build several cabins at Ennis lake, about 60 miles away, on the Madison River, in the Rockies. I grew up fishing the Madison, and I suppose I can be considered a pretty good fly fisherman and hunter.

Last week I just left. I decided that I could miss a few meetings, and told the other directors and staff that I had some "emergency business out of town" which required my attention. I got on a plane and 3 hours later I was chopping wood for the stove, drawing water from the artesian well, and fixing fence in the meadow.

Thank AT&T that I had no signal.

Pink Floyd Teaches French

2010-10-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

When I first entered ecole Boulle, my professor, Dr. Pierre Ramond, did not speak any English except for the phrase, "Is Good" and "Is Bad." It all depended on those two statements. In other words, my work was Pass/Fail. To make the situation worse, I did not speak any French.

We had quite an experience at first, with lots of hand gestures, and a lot of confusion. Fortunately, I was familiar with all the tools and materials that were being used in the workshop, so I was able to start learning the basic words for things. One of the methods I used to learn the language was to use a pocket cassette recorder and record the entire day. Each evening, as I sat in my hotel room, I would play back the recording and try to associate the phrases with what I remembered happening at that time.

As I was not able to ask detailed questions or even understand the answers, I did not understand fully the significance of the teacher's choice of design. The first thing Dr. Ramond did was show me three different marquetry designs. He indicated that I should choose the design that I wanted to do during my Stage. There was a very simple design, a second which was intermediate and the third would have taken me the full three months I was planning to stay at the school.

I had done complicated designs before, so I was not concerned with the degree of difficulty. I did not want to spend all my time working on only one project, so I picked the most simple design. Pierre was surprised and amused. He said something which I did not understand. One of the students told me he had asked why I would pick such a simple design.

I said, "If you want me to cut circles or squares, I will do that. I am not here to impress you with my talent. I am here to learn exactly how the French method works, and I want to do as many projects as I can. So I picked the easy design."

When the student translated that to Pierre, I saw his expression change. He smiled.

After spending 4 years at ecole Boulle, with Pierre, I learned that his most important goal was providing the best design for the student to grow and learn properly. The design needs to be slightly more advanced than the level the student is comfortable with, to encourage him to get to the next level. By selecting the basic design, Pierre understood that I wanted to start at the beginning, even after 20 years of working in the business of marquetry production.

During the third year, soon after I arrived, Pierre walked up to me and handed me a design with the title "C.A.P." I had no idea what that meant, but, one by one, each of the other students in the class came over to me and shook my hand. By then my French was much better, and as they congratulated me they explained that I was given a design which was a test. The "Certificate of Aptitude Professional" or C.A.P. indicated that the worker was competent in the professional skills of the trade.

I need to explain that I was not a full time student. I was taking a 3 month "Stage" each year. To be a full time student and pass the C.A.P. is very difficult. I was only given a design, which is just a small part of the C.A.P. test. Still, it was an indication of the confidence that Pierre had in my work that he decided I should execute that particular design. I was very proud.

When I opened the American School of French Marquetry, I asked Pierre if I could use his designs for my students. He supported me in every way, and encouraged me to follow in his footsteps. I also decided that it would be best for the Stage I students to do three exercises in the first week. Three simple exercises, which would reinforce the process by repetition.

The third exercise has several degrees of complexity. I look at each student during the week and decide how well he or she is cutting and at what speed. Then I select the proper variation of the third exercise that will allow the student to complete on time and still challenge their abilities. So far, it has been very successful.

By the way, I eventually learned French from the students, who discovered that I knew all the lyrics to all the Pink Floyd songs, as well as what Roger Waters was thinking when he wrote them. We made an agreement: if they could teach me French, I would be able to explain what the songs meant. Just try to explain the lyrics to "Comfortably Numb" in French.

ASFM Graduate Student Work II

2010-10-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

When Kerin Lifland showed up for class the first day, I knew I would learn more from him than the other way around. He was a talented artist and accomplished woodworker. He was also very kind and humble, so it was easy to work with him of projects during class.

One of the first exercises in class requires the students to draw their face. Not everyone draws in two colors, in such a way that it can be properly cut into a marquetry picture. Kristen and I usually allow at least an hour for the students to take a photo and trace the outline properly. Kerin was done in about 10 minutes. That was the first clue that he had done this before.

He had also worked in marquetry extensively before he arrived, and, except for the chevalet and some other minor aspects of the craft, was just interested in taking his talent to the next level.

You can visit his site at www.kerinlifland.com.

After he finished the classes, I went to Los Angeles to visit with him and was amazed at his workshop. He had basically built a large shop behind his house, and had independently created many fixtures, jigs and other creative solutions to woodworking problems that were unique. I am always surprised when I am in a shop which is not limited (as my shop is) to hand tools.

Years later, Kerin called me late at night in a panic. He said that he had created a large marquetry work of art and something had gone terribly wrong. He had glued it down with protein glue but, in working to clean up the surface, the pieces had discolored and lifted, damaging the surface. Not only was the surface damaged but it was in the most important part of the design...the face!

This is one of the most important differences between woodworkers who create new pieces and woodworkers who spend their time in repair and restoration of damaged pieces. I am more of a restorer and I have always had the ability to solve difficult repair issues, even on the most complex pieces.

He was in such a state of concern that the entire project was ruined, that I calmly said, "Bring it here and we will fix it. No problem."

The next week both Kerin and his wonderful art was sitting in my shop. I put on my Optivisor, got out some clean water, some heat and tweezers. Working carefully, I reset all the damaged elements, using fresh Old Brown Glue. Overnight in the press finished the repair.

Next up, Patrice cleaned up the surface, removing the stains. Careful work resulted in a successful repair. When we finished, you could not see any damage, even with a close examination. Kerin was grateful and surprised at the same time.

More importantly, we all got to spend some quality time together.

ASFM Class of 2010

2010-10-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

The American School of French Marquetry has just concluded its first decade of operation. It has been a very promising start. We have three full time teachers and classes that are well attended and have exceeded our expectations in results. I found myself looking back and reflecting on the significance of our work and what the future may hold.

First of all, we have continued the teaching methods and materials which were used at ecole Boulle by Dr. Pierre Ramond. We are the only school in North America to offer this program. We also have successfully introduced the chevalet de marqueterie, which is a Parisian marquetry tool unknown previously in this country. (I know that there were a few French workers who actually owned and used such a tool, in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, but they did not make its use public.) I was actually encouraged by Dr. Ramond to introduce the technology to this country.

We have had several hundred students over the past decade, from all countries. Students from Europe, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Philippines, New Zealand, Korea and all across America have sat on our chevalets for the first time and been introduced to a new method of making marquetry art. We have had all ages, from very young to very old, men and women. Every one was able to successfully complete the projects.

By making kits available for the chevalet, we have made it easy for the graduate to build their own custom "chevy" and continue working in their own workshop. Nearly 50 kits have been sold in ten years. That may not seem like a lot, but I consider that number amazing. When we started, I actually thought, "Who would want to do this?" I mean, I love it, but I am a little eccentric.

The personalities of the students who attend classes is diverse. Of course we have professional and amateur wood workers, both at the start of their career and at those who have spent their life pursuing the craft. In addition, we have had corporate executives, brain surgeons, Formula 1 race car drivers (retired), artists, housewives, nurses, museum conservators, teachers, and others who I cannot classify in normal terms.

They all share one thing in common: excitement and amazement at learning something completely new. Me too.

Artistically Burning Wood

2010-10-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

When you stand in front of an elegant marquetry surface on a piece of furniture made centuries ago you are looking at a surface which has been dramatically altered by age. Visitors to museums do not realize that the woods have lost their color and the range of shadow created by the maker using hot sand. What they are looking at is often uniformly brown, and appears two dimensional and flat.

When the marquetry was originally made it was full of bright colors. Natural colors of wood veneers range from absolute white to absolute black, with all the colors of the rainbow in between. Purpleheart, tulip, rosewood, holly, and hundreds of exotic hardwoods made up the palate of the marqueteur. Each was selected for its depth of color and grain. In addition to those natural colors, workers would dye woods using methods which are now lost to history. Blues, bright reds and a wide range of greens were created using natural vegetable dyes, and these colors are fugitive in sunlight.

Over time, all the colors that made the design beautiful fade. First the reds, then greens, and eventually most of the woods turn light brown, so that the design looks uniform in color. Museum visitors who think that the marquetry they are looking at represents the original intent of the maker are mistaken. The restorer who removes the marquetry surface is rewarded with seeing the original colors that remain on the back of the elements. It is one of the joys of this business.

In addition to the colors, the marquetry maker would spend hours placing each element of the design in hot sand to slightly burn the edge. This required the designer to create the appropriate shadow on the drawing which would provide the guide for the work. If the marquetry was being executed in several copies, each element would have to be burnt exactly the same. One by one the worker places the small pieces of veneer in just the right angle in the hot sand. The sand needs to be very hot so that it only takes a few seconds to create the burn. I like to make dark, dramatic shadows, and Patrice likes to make light, subtile shadows. Each his own taste.

Each time the surface of the wood is scraped or sanded you loose the shadow. After generations of refinishers have had their way with the surface the three dimensional quality created by the artist is lost. It is a sad fact of our trade.

I can tell you that it does take a lot of time and attention to do this properly. This post shows two students who are burning the elements of the rose etude. So far, we have had hundreds of students and not one has burnt his fingers. How lucky is that?

Kristen Teaches Art

2010-10-19T14:09:00.001-07:00

The American School of French Marquetry has one of the best student/teacher ratio in the country. Since we limit the class size to a maximum of 6 students and have 3 full time teachers, it is at least 2:1. Last week we had 4 students taking Stage I and this week we have 3 students taking Stage II. Thus, we have one teacher for each student.

Patrice is our French teacher and can correct me any time I say something either not correct or not proper French. He is also able to teach about more contemporary marquetry designs and experimental techniques. He has created a type of marquetry we call "fusion marquetry" and another technique called "sprinkle marquetry." I will write more about these methods in a future post.

I am more interested in passing on the traditional methods which I learned at the feet of Pierre Ramond. I still live in the late 17th century, but am willing to discuss all the methods and styles popular until the end of the 19th century. Not everyone is still stuck in the past, so being able to have Patrice in the school gives the students a full opportunity to explore their own interests.

Kristen is special. She is a true artist, having spent her entire life studying calligraphy, water colors, stained glass, color theory, jewelry making, and art history. She spent many years teaching art at the High School level, as well as adult classes. All her close friends are artists, and they range from graphic design to textile art to bead making to painting and other fields too diverse to mention.

Today the students are getting a short lesson in light and shadow. It is important to understand how light works and how shadow creates depth. When you make marquetry pictures, you use hot sand to burn each element in exactly the right place so that the final picture looks real. To be good at this, you need to fully understand how the eye is fooled by light and shadow, and how different techniques of creating shadow effects work together to make it realistic.

As you can see, the school has a rather extensive library of research material. All the students are welcome to use this library. I
think it adds a wonderful dimension to the experience for the student to search through all the materials available, and then use a book search engine to add the same book to their collection. I used to spend a lot of my time in used book stores. Now I spend a lot of time on the internet using book search engines.

Tag team teaching makes the time go quickly and keeps the students occupied. Always something new to learn.

Patrick George Sawing Veneer Video

2010-10-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was just watching again the superb 10 minute video of J. George et fils at work in Paris. I have discussed the difference between sawn and sliced veneer in an earlier post. I have also mentioned how important it is for me to visit Patrick George and purchase veneers as often as I can. He always selects special flitches of wood for me and knows my taste.

I don't know exactly how to put the proper hyper text for you to click on, but I can direct you to the video. Just go to YouTube and search for "au bois montant." The first video you see is by darius 1400 and is a professional 10 minute documentary of the veneer business at George's, including the machine which saws the wood.

"Au bois montant" is French for "as wood rises." This machine, invented in the first decade of the 19th century by the French, saws the wood veneer as the wood is raised up from a pit into the moving saw frame. The speed of movement against the blade is exactly equal to the amount of wood removed by the saw. Note there is a large gap in the spacing of the teeth, and the teeth are rip teeth cutting in both directions.

Even if you do not understand any French, this is worth watching. What you are experiencing is a business, run by four generations of the same family, which continues to work in a tradition that hasn't changed in two centuries. Living history brought to you by YouTube.

How Tall Is Your Tall Case Clock?

2010-10-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

When I finished this clock I asked the photographer to take a picture with me next to the clock. One of the reasons I did this is that I have a fairly large ego and am constantly struggling with my urge to control my ego with a superficial veneer of humility. I am sure I am not the only person on the planet with this problem. After all, some of us have no confidence at all (unfortunately) and some of us have more confidence than is earned by our actions. Where is the balance?

Anyway, this is not a therapy session. I am just trying to be honest about why I took this picture. The "real" reason is that I wanted to show some sense of scale; how large is this clock, compared to a "normal" person?

On the other hand, when I saw this photo in my computer, it reminded me that my tall case clocks were all sold and that I never had any trouble making them and selling them, even at very high prices. Why? Is it just that they are nice to look at?

There is more to it than that. Tall case clocks have very "human" characteristics which appeal to all of us. In many homes, they are placed in the entry of the house, so that they greet you when you arrive and are the last image you see as you depart. They have a face, which is at eye level. The face has hands, which signal the time of day, down to the minute and second. Some clocks also remind you of the day of the month and the phase of the moon.

The case has feet, a waist, and, inside the bonnet, cheeks which support the seat board of the works. There is also a back to the case, just to carry the analogy a step further.

It was the English clockmakers who first discovered how to use a pendulum to regulate time in the last half of the 17th century. The tall case was necessary for the pendulum to operate, and the weights to drop, which provided a full day of power. Soon, clocks were engineered to run for a full week, then longer. The weight on the pendulum could be adjusted up or down a few millimeters to adjust the speed of the clock. For the first time in history, it was possible to keep time down to the second.

Another human feature of these manually operated clocks is that they need human contact. They require that the owner wind them on a regular basis, and adjust them as necessary, or they just stop short, "never to run again," as the song goes.

It was later, in the 19th century, when a popular story was written that talked about the "Grandfather" clock. Poems were penned, and it was common to speak of "Father" time. In other words, the tall case clock, which had always stood guard in the entry of the home, came to represent the generations of the family who had lived there. Often, their names were recorded inside the case, for children to read and appreciate.

Time marches on, but the Grandfather clock stands sentinel; a sentimental reminder of our past.

English Breakfast Table

2010-10-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

I compare my work to that of the custom tailor. It may sound different, but we both are concerned that the "client" looks good in the "fabric" that we fit to his body. Obviously, a fat client should not have large horizontal stripes in his suit. Also, it is nice to dress a redhead in green. There are simple rules which make the job easy.

In my case, the "fabric" is the wood veneer I purchase, generally in Paris. I need to mention that the business of veneer supply has changed dramatically since 1995. You may refer to my earlier post on sawn veneers vrs. sliced veneers. Suffice it to say, the veneer which is being produced these days is not material which I would purchase or use, as it is too thin.

That said, I anticipated the problem many years ago, and I spent lots of money I didn't have at the time to buy more veneer than I needed. My veneer cave is stocked with the most amazing flitches of wood veneers, and I call it my "bank account." By that I mean that, for the rest of my career, I can only rely on what I have already purchased. The only exception is the rare occasion where I discover some old pieces of veneer in some back room which are available since the owner will never use them. That said, if you know of any good veneer which was cut before 1995, CALL ME!

I have mentioned Patrick George, in Paris, before. He is my primary supplier, as his business has been selling exotic wood for 4 generations. He treats me right, and I give him all the money I can. When I walk through his warehouse, I don't even ask about price. I just say, "Give me that, some of this, and everything over there!" Somehow I always end up short when the total is presented, but he understands. By leaving me in debt, he knows I must return to settle up next time. I am always in his debt.

One of these visits, I purchased some wonderful burl flitches, including highly figured ash. That flitch sat in my cave for years, until a delightful small English Pembroke table walked into the shop for a restorative face lift. Not too much. Just a slight adjustment so she could stand in the corner of the room without people staring.

As I was working on cleaning her smooth surface, gluing some loose elements, and protecting her patina, I fell under her charm. She was so simple, yet elegant. Just the right amount of marquetry trim. Nice figure. You know, she had chemistry.

While she recovered in the work shop, I paid homage by making two exact copies. I figured, since she was so beautiful, that should anything happen to her in the future, these honest copies would continue the gene pool. I selected the ash veneer I had purchased years before, and applied an appropriate brown water stain to create the same effect. The clothes fit perfectly.

When I finally returned the original to her home, I came back to work and was delighted to find her sisters standing proudly in my showroom, consoling me in my loss. We had breakfast together.

Tabouret Pour Les Clef

2010-10-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed visiting antique shows. I rarely go to buy anything, since I never seem to have "lots of money." I go to just learn and expand my understanding of the world of ancient objects. I guess that is why a lot of people spend time wandering through antique shops and shows. You never really know what to expect or what you will find.

For example, if I need a pair of shoes or some food, I know where to go, how long it will take, and what I am looking for. It is really more of a chore, since there is really no excitement, and perhaps there is actually disappointment if the store doesn't have what I am looking for.

With antiques it is the opposite. No matter what city or country you are in, you can always pass a pleasant few hours walking through the antique stores or shows. You do not need to purchase anything to experience the joy of discovery. There is never disappointment. Often you discover something which you already own, and often it is priced higher than you might have paid, so you feel rewarded. You might trip over something which completes your collection, but is rather expensive. However, if you look at the average price of all the similar objects in your collection, you could perhaps justify the extra cost, just to add value overall.

One of the best shows in the year happens each spring in Maastricht, Holland. I have had the pleasure to have been invited to that show for several years, during the 1990's, since I knew several of the dealers and collectors who attended. It is amazing. Everything is the highest quality (and price). The dealers often will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just to set up their booth. The convention center is huge, and was built by the city exactly to the show's requirements. Thousands of fresh tulips fill the aisles, and are replaced as soon as they show any fatigue. The antiques range from medieval armor to modern art. It might take you two days to see the show, assuming you walked fairly quickly. The combined knowledge and experience of the exhibitors is beyond measure.

One year, as I drifted through the halogen lights, from treasure to treasure, I discovered a small stool, or tabouret, sitting at a desk, with a large price tag. Actually, none of the things at Mastricht have price tags. That would not be classy. The normal procedure is to ask, and the dealer will usually hand you a glossy printed book or professional photographs, along with a letter of provenance and, at the end of the material will be the price. That way, you know why it is so cher.

In this case, I happened to think of my dear client, in Sacramento, who owns my Biedermeier jewel cabinet. That cabinet has lots of secret places, and lots of locks with several keys. She often needs to call me to ask which key does what, or how to open a drawer where she keeps something special. She also has never found a good place to hide all the keys, and constantly forgets where they are.

So I asked for the information, and was handed a nice set of photos, along with dimensions. When I returned to the shop, I selected some interesting French walnut veneer and made the tabouret. There was one important change. The original had a simple silk covered seat, fixed in place. I decided to add a "secret" compartment under the seat, which lifts up on hinges, after you unlock it with a single key. The interior cabinet is lined with silk, and provides a secure place for all the other keys that work the jewel cabinet, along with "hints" to remind the owner how to access the secret areas.

Everything in one place, accessible by one key. Even a place to sit while you decide which jewels to wear that evening.

Boy With Hammer

2010-10-14T12:42:00.001-07:00

I was a difficult child. I was determined and self-centered and would not take direction well. My first year in school I would not submit to naps when all the other kids were told to lay down and nap. (Yes, that was a different era.) In reviewing my early reports from school, I discovered the comment, by the frustrated teacher, "Does not play well with others."

I was always busy building things. I made more forts than I can possibly remember. I had forts in trees, forts in canyons, forts underground, forts with several floors, forts with rooms too small for adults to enter, and forts made in the house out of furniture (which my mom did not really appreciate.) Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I was born with a hammer in my hand. People soon realized that it was not a good idea to try to take away my hammer.

I was also a dedicated recycler. I would spend days with my hammer straightening bent nails. I mean, why buy nails when there are plenty of good nails around that just need to be repaired? Buckets of nails, all sorted according to their size and purpose. There was also lots of good wood available once the nails were removed. I never bought anything. Everything is there, all you have to do is pick it up. My favorite day was trash collection day. I would get up early and go out into the neighborhood to see what the trash fairies had brought me. Christmas every week!

I haven't changed much in 60 years.

The only difference today is that the hammer is a veneer hammer.