ADA Chevalet

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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?