A traditional furniture conservator, restorer and maker discusses his life experiences and his philosophy of work. If you love marquetry this is the place to discuss it. All work is done with hand tools and organic traditional materials and methods.
Showing posts with label antique refinishers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antique refinishers. Show all posts
I guess you could say that at my age I am an "old dog." People always say that "you can't teach an old new tricks." Well, I am happy to say that this idea is not always true.
I have been hand caning seat furniture for my entire career. I can't remember the first time or even how I figured it out, but for over 50 years I have done it the same way every time.
If you search online for videos that show how to cane you will find the exact method I have taught myself. That is to start weaving front to back, then side to side, then front to back. The fourth step is always the most difficult, since the next side to side weave has to go over and under each of the two front to back strands. This always pulls them out of place and makes it difficult to get an even pattern. You need to use your finger nails to push them back in line, and that is difficult and takes time.
The fifth step is weaving diagonal one direction and the sixth step is weaving the opposite diagonal.
The seventh step is to attach the binder cane around the perimeter, or in some cases to use round spline to plug the holes. Depends on the style of the chair.
During my career I have relied on Cane and Basket Supply in Los Angeles for supplies. They were established in 1934 and are still in business. They are friendly, efficient and helpful. Susan usually answers the phone and takes my order which I receive the next day or so. I appreciate the established relationship I have with them and like to support them as much as I can. Here is the link:
Lately I have been getting a lot of cane jobs, both pressed and hand woven. It seems that I might be the only business left in San Diego which offers this service. In any event, when I ordered cane a few weeks ago, the topic of the process of weaving somehow came up. I mentioned to Susan how I did it and she immediately said that she was taught a different method. I couldn't believe that there was any other way to do it (thoughts of an old dog!) and she patiently explained what she meant.
"The third step is to weave the first diagonal."
As I write this statement, I am stopped in my tracks thinking about what she meant. It was like someone telling you how to tie your shoes differently. After all, you think you know the correct way to tie your shoes!
So the next day, after I received the cane, I was determined to try her method.
First I wove front to back.
Then I wove side to side.
Then I wove the first diagonal, like Susan suggested.
At this step I was stopped in my tracks. I did not understand what to do next. I just stood there and looked at what I had done and my impulse was that it was so wrong that I needed to just tear it out and start over. Fortunately, I did not. I just decided to quit work and go home.
During the night, as I slept, I thought of the cane process. At some point before I woke up I had resolved the struggle and realized how smart this method was, compared to what I had always done. By weaving the first diagonal, the relative position of both the horizontal and vertical strands remained in place. It was also much easier to weave the second horizontal when the time came, as you will see from the next photos.
The next morning at work I confidently approached the chair and applied the forth step, adding cane front to back.
This is a close up.
Now it was surprisingly east and fast to weave the second horizontal.
Just be sure that the diagonals fit nicely between the horizontal and vertical corners like the arrows show.
Now it was time to weave the second diagonal.
You can see from this closeup how both diagonals fit nicely between the horizontal and vertical strands.
Adding the binder is always the last step.
I was pleased with the results and happy to learn a new more efficient method of caning. I still do not expect to ever make a profit or earn a living just with cane work, but I do find it relaxing.
Perhaps if I ever actually do retire, I can take up basket weaving...
I have been very fortunate in my life to know many of the best woodworkers in the world. Some have become good friends. Others are a real inspiration to me personally. I have learned something from each of them, and I want to believe I have provided something in return.
Since I live in Southern California and most of these artisans live either on the East Coast or in Europe, it has been necessary to leave the bench and seek them out. I enjoy traveling and have done a good bit of it. I do miss being at work, but when I am in the workshop of another sympathetic soul I feel that I am at home.
Marc Adams has just published his latest book, "The Difference Makers." It was expertly put together by Christopher Schwartz at the Lost Art Press. Very high quality product. I strongly recommend you find a copy and support Christopher in his business, as well as investigate classes offered by Marc at his school. My previous post listed the classes I will be offering soon.
Since I have been teaching for several years at MASW I have been able to meet new friends and other professional woodworking instructors who are gathered in one location. Although the weather in Indianapolis cannot compare with San Diego, the intellectual environment is without equal. Marc is always busy and personally supports his teachers, providing everything they might need to do a good job.
And he keeps the ice cream machine working...
"The Difference Makers" is a book with stories about 30 instructors that Marc selected from the hundreds of well qualified teachers he has employed over the past quarter century. Each chapter tells the story of that person, with personal comments from Marc, and samples of their portfolio.
Here is my chapter:
Mug Shot with Satinwood Pembroke Marquetry Table Top
Second Page:
My Early Work
Third Page:
After Paris: The Influence of Pierre Ramond
Fourth Page:
Was I Ever That Young?
As I read through the contents of this amazing collection, I am humbled and honored to be included. I am pleased to see many of my good friends and compatriots included, and look forward to meeting others when I return to MASW in future years.
In my long career I have produced several television and video programs, instructed at dozens of adult education and institutions of higher learning, published professional articles, taught students from ecole Boulle in my workshop, held classes at Marc Adams, and enjoyed hundreds of students at my school, the American School of French Marquetry.
I am a woodworker and a teacher. However, I think I am a better teacher than a woodworker. I may retire some day from woodworking, but I will never retire from teaching.
Hungry young minds need to be fed to grow the future.
When I started my business in June of 1969 it was because I needed furniture for my new house and it was obvious that old or antique furniture was a bargain. You could find nice hardwood rockers, tables and chairs and other antiques in thrift stores and used furniture stores, which were nearly everywhere.
I remember the first "antique" I bought was from the used furniture store just two blocks from my house. It was a very ornate oak parlor pump organ made around 1880. I think I paid $125. It did not work (as the bellows were damaged and the works were dirty). I immediately took it apart to see how it was made.
(True fact: all my life I have taken everything apart as a first step to fix it. Not all of these efforts proved successful...I'm thinking of carburetors in particular, where you always end up with extra parts and no place to put them.)
In any event, I was soon playing music on my pump organ, which was very loud. The dealer who sold it to me was walking by my house and the door was open. He was surprised to hear the organ working and made me an offer to buy it back. I think the offer was $250. I had doubled my money!
AND I had a lot of fun. I thought this would be a good way to pay for college, since I was making only minimum wage working 20 hours a week in the Physics Department at UCSD. I was able to make much more than that restoring antiques on the side.
As you may know from reading earlier posts on this blog, the physics thing did not work out and the antiques thing just kept getting more fun and more profitable. First I opened an antiques store and called it "Antique Wholesalers." My motto was "Quality Pieces at People's Prices." I went back and forth in my truck from San Diego to the Mid West and East Coast and bought nice things.
After about 6 months in business I lost the entire inventory to theft. I don't want to talk about it...
I quickly opened another business and called it "Antique Refinishers." My new motto was "Here We Save the Past for the Future." Business was great and, after a few hurdles, my reputation started growing and I began working on finer and finer pieces of antique furniture. I specialized in veneer and marquetry repair.
In 1991, when I met Dr. Pierre Ramond at the Getty Museum, I was ready to graduate to the next level. He was so impressed with what I had learned on my own that he invited me to study with him at ecole Boulle, in Paris. That changed my life. I owe a debt of gratitude to Brian Considine, who introduced me to Dr. Ramond.
I was fortunate to have spent much of the 1990's with Dr. Ramond and other craftsmen and educators in Paris, and when he retired, I opened my school, the American School of French Marquetry.
I am responsible for introducing the French method, using the "chevalet de marqueterie," to North America, and happy to see its general acceptance. It is a wonderful tool and you can accurately saw the finest pieces of material in comfort and with confidence. You can order a custom chevalet from David Clark. Chevalet Kits
Soon after I opened the school, I was contacted by Patrice Lejeune, a graduate of ecole Boulle. He wanted to work with me, and I ended up making him a full partner. He has an amazing talent for the craft, and an educated eye. Most unusual, he is not offended by my personality.
Working together, we have created many wonderful pieces of furniture. Starting in 2011 we decided to produce a series of Treasure Boxes, in a process which allowed us to make four identical boxes at the same time.
To better understand our methods, you can visit our YouTube channel: 3815utah.
Here is a short video that illustrates a typical assembly process. This is Patrice working on the marquetry for the inside of Treasure Box II.
TREASURE BOX I
The inspiration for TB I came when I was searching online with Google images. I spend a lot of time using "images" as it provides an amazing wealth of information. I discovered a marquetry box that was made late in the 17th century and sold at Christies in Monaco for 18,000 British pounds. I thought it was perfect and the price indicated a certain demand for such an object.
We spent the next 18 months producing 4 identical boxes with a similar construction and design.
The background for the marquetry was some wonderful absolutely black Gabon sawn ebony veneer that we obtained from J. George in Paris. The interior was veneered in sawn olive with king wood, tulip wood and boxwood.
Treasure Box I
Interior View (secret compartment)
We were able to sell all four boxes before we had finished construction.
TREASURE BOX II
Encouraged by the success of the first series, we began to design TB II. Again, Google images provided examples of marquetry that we adapted for our use. The inclusion of birds was a goal, as we find collectors really like them.
The detail on the second series is much more complicated than the first. Also, we included bone inlay, both white and green. It took some research to find out exactly how to color the bone green. I want to thank Don Williams for help in that search.
Treasure Box II
Interior (secret tray released)
Instead of a hidden compartment, we designed a system for a gilt leather writing surface to be released. In one spot on the interior the wood is slightly flexible. By pushing down in that spot the tray is ejected by hidden springs.
The interior is veneered with sawn bloodwood, kingwood, tulip and boxwood. In total there are three birds on the box and marquetry on all sides.
As before, we sold all the series before construction was completed. One was purchased by a kind client who donated it to the permanent collection of the Mingei museum, in San Diego. That represents the first time one of our creations found its way into a museum collection, although I have participated in several different museum shows in the past.
TREASURE BOX III
There are several objects in the Getty museum collection that Patrice and I really appreciate. One is the ivory and horn table attributed to Gole. One of my students, Aaron Radelow has succeeded in making exact copies of that table, and they are wonderful.
Ivory and Horn Tables by Aaron Radelow
The other object that we admire is the marquetry coffer. It is a basic box, resting on a gilded stand (not original?) and covered in marquetry. We decided to use it for our inspiration and reduced the scale by 33 % to make it more manageable and salable. We also decided to design custom made hardware and include drawers.
For the background we selected ferreol. This wood was rare, even in the 17th century, and found in South America. It has the density of brass and is very hard to cut. That said, it has a wonderful chocolate brown color and really shows off the marquetry elements. We added pewter and brass inlay to set off the border.
For this box we used nearly 50 different species of exotic hardwood sawn veneers. I must say that I was fortunate to have purchased the bulk of my veneers in Paris during the 1990's, while I was in school. These veneers were very expensive then and, unfortunately, are not available today. Thus, it is essential that I use the material I have very carefully. It cannot be replaced at any cost.
I Love Wood
Selecting the Material for Treasure Boxes
That is why making the Treasure Boxes makes sense. These are perfect objects to show off the last of the rare woods from all parts of the world.
We immediately sold the first box to a long time client and he asked "could you make a stand?" We had not considered that, but his suggestion was taken to heart. We created a stand in matching material in the same late 17th century style.
In fact, the stand itself is something that "stands on its own" (sorry, I had to say that!)
Here's Looking at You, Kid
Louis XIV Stand
The interior of Box III has several interesting features. The key that locks the box also serves to open the secret compartment located behind the mirror. The front lid is released by pushing two buttons on the sides. The writing surface is covered in French silk and lifts up to reveal a tray veneered in satinwood. Inside this tray is a small brass button. Depressing this button allows the drawers to spring forward.
Three drawers, Silk writing surface, Secret compartment
Drawer Release System
Here is a photo of TBI, TBII, TBIII and the stand sitting in the veneer cave.
Words escape me....
As you can see, what I have learned in 50 years of business as a furniture conservator in private practice is how to convert hardwood logs into rare veneers into decorative marquetry surfaces into money. And it all started with a pump organ...
Top View Treasure Box III
PS: We have sold two of the boxes and stands at this point and are looking for nice homes for the rest. I am thinking of a new motto for these boxes: "Limited Quantities, Unlimited Quality."
When dating furniture it is essential to closely examine the clues left behind by the worker and his tools. The process of shaping and joining wood will always result in some evidence of how it was done. Over time, newer tools were introduced, and that provides a clear dating feature for students and conservators to understand.
Today I thought I would just show a simple example for collectors who may not have noticed it before. To me this feature is obvious, but I have been doing this for so long I just take it for granted. I take satisfaction in knowing that I am educating clients as I point out tool marks and dating methods so that they can gain a new appreciation of what they own.
Years ago I posted on the history of the screw (search: "Respect The Screw"). Today I want to continue that thought by discussing the gimlet.
The gimlet tool was a staple of every woodworker's tool box. It looked rather like an old fashioned cork screw, in that it had a wood handle attached to a long metal shaft with a screw tip. Since all the screws made before 1846 were blunt it was necessary to start the hole first with a gimlet. This would create the screw tap for the blunt screw to get started.
When pointed screws became available the gimlet lost its function and sat abandoned in the bottom of the tool box.
However, something else happened at the same time. The gimlet tip (a pointed screw) was added to the twist bit on the drill. Instead of the blunt spoon bit or spur bit shape the gimlet pointed twist bit became quickly popular, since the gimlet actually helped to pull the twist bit into the wood.
Post 1850 Gimlet Tip Twist Bit
One application of this new twist bit was how it changed the method for installing "pocket screws."
I am using the term "pocket screw" here knowing it is a modern term. Today a pocket screw device is rather common among modern cabinetmakers who use it to fasten face plates to kitchen cabinets, among other uses. It is actually a continuation of the method developed centuries ago for installing a screw on a 90 degree joint.
Before 1850 the only way to install a screw on a corner was to use a gouge chisel and carve a "U" shaped entry. First the proper distance from the edge of the wood was marked with a scribe, depending on the size of the screw. That would allow a flat chisel to cut into the wood, leaving a surface for the screw head. At the same time the gouge would be used to clean out the wood allowing for the "turn screw" (the traditional name for the "screw driver") to properly reach the screw.
This is what it looks like:
Before 1850
Many workers were quite careful to make this look clean and proper, even though it was never used on outside, finished show surfaces:
This Worker was Skilled and Proud of His Work
After the gimlet bit drill became popular the method of attaching screws changed. The drill was used to create a hole in the wood and the screw was then introduced on the edge. It was perhaps quicker, but it made it more difficult for the screw driver to properly approach the screw. On this photo you can see the slight marks left on the edge of the hole by my screw driver as I removed and then re attached the screw:
Note the Center Mark left by the Gimlet Point
Normally, I find this feature common on furniture made around the time of the Civil War. Old traditional workers did not abandon their methods over night and it is possible to find the chisel method used even after the Civil War.
This is an interesting example I found on an 18th century Philadelphia walnut drop leaf table. Although the original screws were chiseled in as usual, some later repairs were made and the new screws were let in with a gimlet bit. Perhaps not the best method for repairing pre industrial furniture, but still this photo provides a learning experience:
Walnut Philadelphia Chippendale Foot Standing on Wet Floor for Years
I just returned from several days hiking in the mountains. I hiked a lot when I was young (50 years ago) and have decided to return to the activity again, now that I am still able. Outdoor gear is a big business, and, as I carefully explained to my wife, since I didn't have a boat or golf clubs, it was fine to spend some money on hiking equipment.
My first purchase was some very expensive old school leather hiking boots made in Italy. I love leather boots and this is my third pair in 50 years. They last about 15 years on average.
As I hiked this past weekend, I would pass other hikers on the trail and each time I would look at their feet. Their choice of boots and the condition of the boots told me all I needed to know about them. Some were new, some were worn out. Some were too big and some were just ridiculous and not appropriate for the trail.
My foot fetish is not limited to people. Most of the time I look at feet on antiques. In fact, it is always the first thing I examine when I see a new piece of furniture.
Think about it. Something which has "stood the test of time" has been in contact with the floor for centuries. Moving around the house. Often drug across rough floors. Standing in water or on wet bricks. Attacked by insects who like to bore into the piece from the bottom. Being kicked by human feet, or attacked by dogs. Broken and repaired or replaced by workmen with different degrees of skill. Being lost completely and replaced by something completely different than the original.
All of these things tell the story of the antique and help to confirm the age and origin of the object.
That is why I always turn a piece of furniture upside down and start my analysis from the bottom.
Currently I am restoring an English butler's bureau, made around 1780. I thought the feet were interesting and would like to share their history with you so you can have a chance to see how to read the clues like I do.
Back of Bureau Showing Feet Brackets
Note the left back bracket is a different color and wood than the right.
Original Bracket after Old Repair
Replaced Bracket (19th Century) with Cut Nails
Let's look at one of the back legs more closely. What do you see?
What Are The Clues?
The original pine back bracket was repaired with newer nails and raised up on a spacer. It retains the original glue block with dark patina, and the original pine glue block on the right remains. The outside leg bracket is new and held with cut nails, from the 19th century. A more recent addition is the foot support block, with its dark oil stain, showing fresh wood at the end.
Lets look at the front foot.
Front Foot
Here it is obvious that the outside bracket is a 19th century replacement, and has a shim to fit it to the old glue block. The front leg bracket is original and made of pine with a thick mahogany facing. All the replacement brackets are solid mahogany, and not made with pine, as were the original feet.
Look more closely at the tool marks on the original foot.
Completely Untouched After 250 Years
Important Evidence of Original Work
Note that the patina is consistent from the front bracket to the glue block. Note the chisel marks on the original pine block. Note in particular how the rasp and saw marks left by the maker when he shaped the bracket foot are consistent across the glue block.
Compare with the other front foot.
Second Front Foot
Here we find evidence that some worker during the 19th century replaced the foot and glue blocks. He used screws to attach the brackets. He made an effort to use pine blocks for glue blocks, but the shape and construction is not like the original.
Band Saw Marks, Machine Made Screw, Cut Nails
Tool Marks Do Not Match
Since the cabinet is upside down, it is a good opportunity to look at the evidence of age on the bottom boards. What a beautiful story they tell.
Original Bottom Boards Dovetailed Into Carcase
This Is What Human Labor Looks Like
Human Effort
You can read every pass of the scrub plane as the worker cleaned up the saw marks. This is not a surface that would normally be seen so it is not essential to make it nice. 18th Century furniture was made in a hurry and at a low cost due to competition. Workers did not spend extra time on surfaces which were not visible to the client. This bottom shows the effort of a skilled cabinet maker to make a surface fairly flat and clean, and the patina of hundreds of years of household dirt and grime.
It would be nearly impossible to fake this surface. (I said "nearly")
This bureau, which has served an unknown number of owners over the years, is still standing proudly on its four feet. However, only two of the 8 original brackets remain from its birth. The fact that one of these brackets has never been repaired or removed is enough to prove its origins and date it to the last quarter of the 18th century.
