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Interview with Tim McCready
09/10/2008, 02:57 | A Woodworking OdysseyTim McCready?long-time cabinet maker, author of The Wood Mechanic blog, and president of Bankston & Bailey LLC, a fine woodworking shop in Virginia?commented on one of my entries, and during the resulting off-blog conversation I mentioned wanting to start a series of interviews and shop tours with dedicated woodworkers. Tim agreed to be the first interview. I think when you read the interview you'll be happy he did.
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How did you start woodworking?
I started woodworking completely by chance. Through a mutual friend, I came to Harrison (Higgins)'s attention right when his shop needed an extra pair of hands. For the first several months I didn't do much but catch boards coming out of machines. He had a contract job making furniture for one of the hotels at Colonial Williamsburg, and he needed one more grunt laborer.What is the first project you completed that inspired pride?
One aspect of the job was a production run of roughly 100 maple pencil post beds. Rough 8/4 lumber would be sawn and dressed into 8-foot blanks 1 ľ? square in cross section. The blanks would be marked then mortised for headboards and rails as required. The tapers were cut on the bandsaw, and holes were bored for bed bolts.
Once all of this relatively interesting work was done, and a giant pile of pencil posts had materialized on a pair of saw horses in the middle of the shop floor, an apprentice had to remove the machine marks with a hand plane and sand each facet of the post for an eternity.
Guess who got that job! It was extreme drudgery, but I did learn how to use a plane effectively. Eventually I also learned how to carve the lamb's tongue that marked the transition from the tapers to the lower, flat section of the posts.
The first piece I can remember feeling proud of was a desk I made for myself after hours at Harrison's shop. It's still my main desk, but now all I see are its flaws and its telltale signs of having been made by a not-yet-very-skilled amateur. Luckily, though, I feel a certain sense of satisfaction?if not pride?whenever I make something well.
I know I've made something well when there's a seamlessness that proceeds from the initial daydreaming through the design and fabrication and finally the finish. It's a good feeling. I wish I could say I felt it with every project, but I don't. My mood and mindset seem to have at least as much to do with my work's quality as any objective skill level I may possess.
You mention working with Harrison Higgins, a talented furniture maker who specializes in reproduction work. Can you tell us more about how you came to work for him, and what you remember most about your time in his shop?
A guy named Lewis who worked at Harrison's shop in the early 90's had seen my band play, and he and I had several mutual friends in the Richmond music scene. I ran into him outside the shop once on my way to the post office, and he invited me in to see the place.When you worked with Harrison, it sounds like you learned a ton. What was it like working with him?
Harrison and his partner Alan (the finisher) didn't want anything to do with me. They saw a skinny shaven-headed punk kid, and they didn't figure I'd be a very reliable worker if I was going to be out at all hours doing the band thing. They only hired me because they just really needed that extra pair of hands.
In retrospect I see all of this as having been one of the most fortuitous events of my life. Alan and Harrison are still two of my best friends and have been like additional fathers to me--although maybe big brothers would be more like it.
What I remember most about my time at Harrison's shop is the relationships with the other people. There were between 6 and 9 of us while I worked there ('92-'98), and while not all of the personalities meshed, we did manage to get along reasonably well and to produce some of the finest woodworking I've seen.
Sometimes there was a quasi-monastic aspect to the place, when everyone was at his bench doing handwork and there was no music or machine work. On the other hand, we could act like a bunch of total nitwits at times as well, and I have a slew of funny and extremely fond memories of my time there.
Harrison moved his shop a couple of years ago, and I started mine right around the corner. So I still see everyone there a few times a week. I wish everyone could have some kind of work experience like that, where they're making something tangible with trustworthy, kind people.
It was a big mix of things. He remains one of my very closest friends, and as my shop is just a few blocks from his, I see him often. As much as anything, he was a kind of second father/big brother to me. Most of what I gained in my time with him was personal, although I don?t mean to down-play the importance of learning my trade.In one of your blog posts you mentioned having a Festool TS 75. Do you find it was worth the price? What can you tell those of us that cringe at the price of Festool products, but wonder if they might just be worth it?
He?s a weird teacher. He is so much more visual than verbal, so for example, when asked how he carves ball-and-claw feet, he once answered, ?Well, I just take away everything that doesn?t look like a ball or a claw.? All of us who know him well enjoy razzing him about this tendency of his.
The Festool TS 75 would be worth twice its price for what I do. I use it constantly for rough sizing sheet goods before I cut them to their final size on the tablesaw. It's so much easier and safer that way. If I didn't work alone, I'm not sure I'd need it since there would be someone around to help me move full sheets around. As it is, it's an incredibly useful tool. I've used it to crosscut 12/4 maple (in two cuts), to crosscut table leaves, and all sorts of other things.You bought an amazing 72" straight edge at an auction, and I know you have an old 12" jointer. What other old "treasures" do you have? Are there any that you can't live without?
One of the things I find amazing about the TS 75 is that it cuts bevels so accurately. Somehow they engineered it so that when it tilts over, it still cuts exactly along the guide rail's line. Because of that it can be used to cut long mitered parts quite accurately.
I also have the Festool Domino which I find indispensable in my case work. Once I've bored the holes for the domino I find that my cases go together pretty much like legos. The Domino, however, isn't as precisely engineered as it could be. There's something slightly wonky about guidelines indicating center on the cutter; I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. In any event, I use it all the time and it's a big time saver. I had hoped that it would eliminate the need for a mortiser, and so far it has. I think, though, that it would be very hard to do the large mortises necessary for, say a bed without a mortiser.
In general, my philosophy is "Cry once when you buy a tool instead of crying the thousands of times you actually have to use it." This is not an original idea of mine--I read something similar in an online forum somewhere, and I found that it rang true.
There's really only one other treasure, a pattern maker's combination square. We used to consider it the square of reference at Harrison's shop, and for a long time while I was doing work besides cabinetmaking, my friend Reid was in possession of it. He was displeased when I reclaimed it. I suppose it's comparable to a new, top-of-the-line Starrett.You have worked in a professional woodshop, and in your own "shop" at home. At one time, the home shop was just your back porch with a handful of portable tools. What techniques, if any, carried over from the professional shop to the back porch? And what would you say are the ESSENTIAL tools for the back porch craftsman?
I use my Lie-Nielsen low-angle block plane a lot. It's the only very nice plane I have, and it was well worth the initial investment. I'm considering buying their #4 to replace the #4 Record I've always been lukewarm about.
I wish I had more nice stuff, but that's always a work in progress.
Only the basic ways of thinking about case building transferred to that piece I built on the deck, specifically the marking system I use to keep parts straight. Everything else was improvised. Honestly, that wasn't very enjoyable, and I wasn't very pleased with the results. Plus it was really cold!Did you ever build the incredible gazebo you mocked up, with the fir mantle and built in fireplace? I want one ;)
If one had no choice but to have a knockdown shop in the back yard, my best advice would be to build a flat reference surface. A solid torsion box does the trick. Fine Woodworking online has articles about how to do it. Without a flat surface, building square cases is nearly impossible.
Heck no!!! Sometimes my wife and I dream big...what can I say? I do want to mock that up in SketchUp now that I'm proficient. We were thinking that if we ever built that it would become our main living room. The best part would be that the cats wouldn't be invited!
In 2006 you described a table you built like this: "The drawer is pulled from the underside, so it appears to just be an apron. I love hidden things like that." What other hidden features have you built? Have you ever hidden something in the architectural moldings you build at work?I once made a blanket chest for my niece, which has a hidden compartment that houses a key. I kept the lock. I always thought it would be fun to send her on a scavenger hunt later in her life where she?d have to decipher clues. The key?s location would be one of the final clues, and the lock would secure some kind of treasure. Anyhow, that was my intention when I made the chest.I loved the parquetry you did (or was it inlay?) on the toy chest: you know, the one with the faux finish that looked like jade. I guess that's not a question, but there you have it.
A good friend of mine has a beautiful William and Mary highboy with a hidden map drawer. The crown molding along the front of the piece is actually the drawer face. I love that!
That?s actually a faux finish simulating malachite. A good friend of mine is an expert faux finisher and gilder, and she walked me through that process. It was not difficult although it was fairly involved. One drags a piece of leather through the dark paint to create those swirls. People either love or hate that chest. I admit that it is a bit much.
What is your favorite of all the pieces you've built?That?d probably be the serpentine top Federal Pembroke table.
In 2006 you built 6 cupolas and said "framing the first cupola base took four hours. The subsequent five only took an hour and a half apiece." Is this typical?
I think that the time savings after the first instance of any multiple is just what comes naturally. Making the first element involves a lot of thinking, checking, double-checking, and correcting. Usually the subsequent parts become second nature to crank out. The cupolas were an extreme example. I?d never made anything like those before, so the first one took a lot longer while I figured out what in the heck I was doing.You finally opened your own shop last year and stopped working for someone else. Can you tell us a bit about what led you to that decision, and how did you get the courage to finally do it?
I had become very bored at the large architectural millwork shop at which I was working in ?06 and ?07. That business was closely tied to the mortgage market, and the big developers who ordered custom goods from the shop were some of the first to take the sub-prime nosedive.After a year in business for yourself, what can you tell us about owning your own shop? What surprised you most about being the proprietor?
A lot of those big developers work on very flimsy financing, as it turns out. The net effect for me at that shop was that there was literally no work to do. For a variety of reasons too boring to detail here, the company not only remained in business, but it also didn?t lay anyone off or even reduce hours. Many people I worked with considered it a great arrangement, but I can?t imagine anything worse than clocking in at 7:30, standing around all day, then clocking out at 5:00.
At first I started taking work on the side, and when that went well, I finally jumped ship. I suppose?per your question?that a certain amount of courage was involved, but mostly I am motivated by the avoidance of boredom.
The biggest surprise of owning my own business is the intensity of the psychology of pricing. I?ve been surprised when very wealthy clients have balked at what I consider very fair prices. I?ve bitten my nails thinking I?d bid too high on something, not heard from the client for a month, and then gotten the work after all. It drives me crazy, and I think it probably drives my wife crazy hearing about it all the time. I?ve gotten jobs and later learned that my bid was twice that of the next guy, and I?ve lost bids to lower bidders. It doesn?t seem to make any sense.Were there things you should have thought about and didn't?
Hands down, the hardest part of this is the worry over whether or not new work will be coming along.
There have been many other lessons along the way, most of which boil down to the importance of sitting down and rationally considering problems before taking action. Doing so has been especially helpful in deciding which equipment purchases to make. I?d love to call Lee Valley and tell them to send me one of everything, but obviously if I did that the only business I?d be able to operate is a giant yard sale!
Not really. But only because I?ve been thinking about doing this for so long! It?s not that there haven?t been challenges, it?s just that I had already had the opportunity to think through the big issues.You're building your dream shop (I think). What have you done right? What have you done (if anything) that you would have avoided?
I rent a 1,200 sq. ft. space which is about right for a one-man shop, so that was a good decision. I shopped around until I found a good combination of low rent and good location. I only buy tools and machines as I need them for projects, and I do my best to build equipment costs into bids. I have bought a mix of top-of-the-line new equipment (Laguna, Festool) and solid old equipment (a jointer from 1910, a late 80?s Delta table saw). I haven?t sprung for central dust collection yet which has its upside (saved money) and downside (lots of dust)!You just landed a contract for the Virginia state capitol. Can you tell us about what you're doing for them, and how you plan to approach it?
So far, so good. There?s nothing I?ve done that feels like a big mistake just yet. Give me some time, and we?ll see what I can goof up!
Over the past five years or so, our state capitol has undergone an amazing renovation and expansion. In the new area, which is underground, there are two gallery spaces, each roughly 1,600 square feet. There was a bit of a rush to finish the construction for the big Jamestown 400 year celebration and the visit of Queen Elizabeth.In one blog post, you suggested that degree programs for furniture making are impractical at best, and possibly damaging to the graduates (I'm reading a lot into your comment, I know). Assuming I read your meaning correctly, what would you say to graduates of these programs that might help them once they get into the working world?
During that rush, there was little time for curatorial decision making in the gallery spaces. Basically, the decision makers in charge are getting to that now, and I?ve designed?and will soon start fabricating?the museum case pieces which will begin to unify the aesthetic of the galleries. They?re simple, veneered cases with acrylic vitrines and will house art objects and architectural models. There is also one massive piece (roughly 8? wide and 12? tall) that will display four flags on flagpoles.
Once I?ve made final drawings in SketchUp, I?ll cut pieces to rough size, edgeband the top edges, veneer the backs with poplar, veneer the fronts with anigre, miter the outside edges, and assemble the cases with band clamps and glue.
Truncated pyramids will sit inside the cases, and vitrines will fit precisely between the inside case edges and the outside edges of the pyramids. Some cases (like the one displaying a large marble bust) will require additional structure inside to accommodate the objects. That?s the basic idea.
I'm not sure I've been completely fair about this, but here is the fundamental problem I?ve noticed: Many of these programs teach people how to do top-notch work, but at a snail?s pace. I remember a job applicant who had just finished at North Bennett coming to Harrison?s shop. He showed us a photograph of a gorgeous Federal demilune table with all manner of amazing veneers and stringing. So far, so good. But when Harrison asked him how long it took him to make it, he replied, ?Six months.? At $50/hour, six months of shop time is in the $50,000 range, which nobody gets for an occasional table.
In my view, places like North Bennett would be optimal for independently wealthy people or retirees who want to become highly-skilled amateur woodworkers. I?m not sure it?s the place to go if the goal is starting one?s own woodworking business. Once again, I?m not sure this is entirely fair, and I would hope that the people at North Bennett would be prepared to answer this line of questioning candidly.
Sometimes people who go through fine woodworking programs wind up with a smug attitude about the superiority of their craftsmanship. I?ve seen this several times. Here in Richmond we have a highly ranked art school at VCU. I took a woodworking class in the Crafts Department, and the TAs there were just insufferable! I quickly found that I knew more about actually making furniture after my few months working for Harrison than they seemed to have accumulated up to that point in their lives. I sincerely doubt that any of those guys have successfully run their own shops. Successfully running a shop involves much more than meticulous craftsmanship.
I did work with two graduates of a highly regarded woodworking program at Rockingham Community College in North Carolina. Those guys came out of that program knowing how to work in real-world situations, and their level of craftsmanship was very high.
All of that having been said, if I had to advise graduates of woodworking programs as to how to proceed, I?d say "find a successful high-end furniture maker wherever you live or want to live, and if you have a halfway decent feeling about him or her personally, beg for an apprenticeship." If the answer is ?no?, offer to work for minimum wage. If the answer is still ?no?, offer to cover the workmen?s comp costs he encounters upon hiring you.
Here?s the thing, though: This is what I would advise someone to do BEFORE going to a fancy and expensive woodworking program!
_____________________________________________________________I hope this will be the first in a long series of interviews and shop tours. If you, or someone you know, would be willing to grant an interview or photographic shop tour, please let me know through the comments feature of this entry.
All photographs in this interview copyright and courtesy of Tim McCready and Bankston & Bailey LLC.
About Gebyok Center
09/09/2008, 06:08 | Antique Knockdown Carved Wood House
The Traditional House of Kudus is a traditional house of ancient culture that made from 95 percent high quality teak wood (tektona grandis). Presently, the sum in its origin area, Kudus, has become very slight compare with its glorious time in the 18th century. The Traditional Wooden House of Kudus with its parts, which full with carved, is continuously chased by collectors from local and foreign that generate one by one of the traditional house relocate from its origin location where its belong, Kudus.If it is seen from its physical condition, actually there were three categories of the traditional house in Kudus area. First was regular traditional house, second was carved traditional house and third was completely carved traditional house, known as Traditional House of Kudus.The first category appeared without carved. Its present predicted start from around year 1500th and the amount reach hundreds. Second category appeared almost at the same time but the owners had given a bit of carved in several places such as in pillars or doors. For the third category, the owners intentionally gave a full carved in all over the places. The quality of the carved was even until the highest point to reach the three dimensions level.
For note, the original traditional house of Kudus used to only located or exist in Kudus Kulon (West Kudus) area around Menara (Tower) of Kudus, a unique building remained by Sunan Kudus spreader of Islam in Java at the Wali Sanga (Nine Wali) era. The fact could be researched from its history. While, the regular traditional house could exist in the area around 10 - 25 km from Menara of Kudus. The difference between wooden carved and noncarved including more or less of the carved of the traditional house was because of the differences in the financial matter and the social status of the owners at that time.
As the time by, the original traditional house of Kudus is slightly disappear or relocate from its origin location, as they are many people who intend to acquire the uniqueness. Beside that, factors like the age of the traditional house, financial condition of the present owners and alteration in the social culture that different with the past condition, accelerate disappearing possibility of the original traditional house of Kudus. Furthermore, what it makes more concern is the possibility of vanished of the art to build the traditional house from Kudus itself as the place of origin.
Rise awareness of the vanishing of the traditional house of Kudus with its finest art, initiate an effort to maintain the existency of the unvaluable arts into an attempt to keep the art and the culture exist.
A long effort has been establishing for more than 30 years, started at around 1972 by Mr. H. Mustofa to collect, trainee and develop woodcarvers, workers and carpenters to specialize mastering the art of carving, how to maintain, structuring and setting the traditional house of Kudus with its parts, since traditional house of Kudus has speciality can be released and assembled back (knock down system) that absolutely need a particular expertise.
The effort was started from served the collectors who need his service in released and assembled back the original traditional house of Kudus that bought by them from the recent owners. Almost 60 % from the whole amount of traditional house of Kudus (totally the original sum is almost 100 houses) was handle by him. While in the process, it always found that minimum 30 % from the house clearances was damaged because of the hundred years occasion. It maked effort and obligatory to rebuild the damage parts to became complete as the former condition when it assembled back.
Using teaks wood that came from clearances of the old teak house of the wood reguler traditional house in the area surrounding district area such as Pati, Jepara, Demak, etc, especially because the owners usually want to modernize their house, component of the damage parts of the traditional house of Kudus were reconstruct together with its carved process to acquire the former condition. These process dawn the expertise in maintenance, construct, carving ability, knowing the carving style and motifs also technic in release and assemble the house, hence develop the ability to reconstruct the parts or even the whole parts of the traditional house of Kudus similar with the original one.
It recorded that 18 (eighteen) traditional houses of Kudus from the reproduction process were obtained from the long efforts. Eleven (11) were form as the standard of the traditional house of Kudus, while the rest were with the variation as requested by the buyers. The location spread in
Beside that, it cannot be counted parts of traditional house of Kudus like gedongan, gebyok and gapura have been made into many kind of size and variation to fulfill the passion of the antique collectors. Also there were many process of released and assembled of joglo, one part of traditional house that can and used for another functions like to decorate house yard, to construct pendopo, use to make garage, as a gazebo near the pool, etc. It counted also five (5) particular pendopo of Kudus was made in the process.
Beside the effort to keep existing the art and the culture, Gebyok Center which center in Kudus (see in location map), also has environmental friendly commitment as it has explained above that all the products are produced from the high quality old teak wood from ex-release of the old teak wood traditional houses where the age until reach hundreds of year and are not from the teak forest in the recent era. These are the additional value for the
The Spinning Wheel - De-Constructing an Original
02/22/2008, 04:10 | Norse WoodsmithWell, it seems my brother had been keeping great great granddad's old spinning wheel - I had forgotten the box that it was in when I left the homestead, and he had been storing it for me. After reading the last piece I did on spinning wheels, he must have read it and remembered he had it -and got it out in the mail to me - because it arrived a week or so afterwards:
It's missing some pieces, but there's a good majority of it still there. The legs and pedal are gone, and it's missing the two pieces that hold the bobbin/axle.
It's an interesting piece to me on several counts... First, it was made by great great grandad... Second, it's a study in wooden machinery - everything has a purpose and yet it's still elegantly constructed. Third, it's an example of true frontier craftsmanship. I'm not sure of the exact date, my best guess would have been somewhere near the 1870 to 1890 range, in the Dakotas. This would have been made with the most meager set of tools, and quite far out in the country... I think I remember reading the nearest flour mill at the time was a full day away.
Parts of a Spinning Wheel |
| To have a discussion about the construction of the old wheel above, it would probably help to review just what the parts are called... I got much of this information off of various web sites, including The Joy of Handspinning, which is a wonderful resource for the enthusiast - I'm more interested in the construction, but that doesn't do you much good if you don't know how the thing works!... I'm using dad's wheel, which is a replica of the old one I'm looking at:
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| Tension Knob: A threaded knob, turned to raise or lower the bobbin and flyer assembly thusly reducing or increasing tension on the drive bands. Maidens: The upright posts that hold one end of the bobbin and flyer assembly Flyer Whorl: The pulley that drives the flyer - it has several different diameters so different speeds can be achieved Flyer: The U-shaped piece with hooks - the hooks are there just so the fiber can be spooled evenly onto the bobbin. This is what spins the fiber. Bobbin: A spool that collects the spun fiber Orifice: Where fiber is fed into the wheel as it is spun Drive Bands: Twine or string that drives the flyer whorl from the fly wheel Mother of All: The upright piece that holds up the tension knob, bobbin, and flyer Fly Wheel: The main drive wheel - the large wheel that is powered by the treadle Footman: Hard to see in the photo above, it's behind everything- it's the wooden piece that connects the treadle to the fly wheel Treadle: the foot pedal at the bottom |
It's made from at least three, but more likely four distinctively different woods, from what I can see - and I think you can tell somewhat in the top photo. I'm not positive of the exact species, but from my experience with wood and my knowledge of the trees native to the area in which it was made, my best guesses would be birch or elm, maple, and basswood or poplar. I will get into where each was used as I deconstruct the thing.
Metal pieces would have been difficult to fabricate and expensive to purchase, so their use was kept to an absolute minumum. Could he have bought the metal pieces, or had a machinist make them for him? It's a possiblity. The pieces could have been ordered via mail order and shipped to the closest dry-goods store... yet they do all show at least some amount of fabrication. That eveidence could just be the technology of the time showing through, however - I'm just not qualified enough to say.
The only metal pieces are the axle/treadle drive on the fly wheel, the metal hooks on the spinner/flyer, and the axle for the flyer/flyer whorl assembly. The metal reinforcement on the flyer (the U-shaped piece in the photo below) shows signs of hammering to shape, and is riveted in place with metal pins and is surely of his own making.
The part that would have probably been the most difficult to make would have been the axle for the bobbin/flyer assembly... It appears it was made from something else, and made to work. I'm not exactly sure what it would have originally been had he fabricated it - it might even be two pieces, I can't really tell. The center was drilled out from the end and from the side to create the orifice that allows the fiber to be fed through it.... Both holes are off center, and show some evidence of being drilled and filed by hand.
You can see the orifice on the axle of the flyer on the right in the above photo, where the fiber is fed into the wheel. The far end of the axle in the photo above has a small taper to it - and is also threaded to hold the bobbin and flyer whorl on. It looks to me like the tapering was done by mounting the bolt in a wood lathe and tapering it using a file while turning. Fine metal work would have been difficult on the prairie in those days... and this is one of the things that lead me to believe this piece was at least partially fabricated by old great great granddad.
The bobbin (on the left in the above photo), the flyer, and the flyer whorl are all made from a very dense, close-grained wood - my guess is maple, though it could be just about anything of a similar nature. It needed to be, as the walls of the pulleys on them as well as the U-shape of the flyer makes using a strong wood imperative. The bobbinis made from a single piece... You can see by the breaks that it was made from a straight piece of about 3" round wood. The hole the axle slides through goes all the way through the bobbin, obviously - my best guess as to how this was made would be to first drill the hole through the rough blank - then mount the blank in the lathe and turn the bobbin to its final dimension. This would assure the axle hole would be centered on the bobbin. The far end of the bobbin is actually the first pulley you would use as part of the flyer whorl assembly - you see it in the next photo and the one two down that shows the whorl in it's place.
Here you can see the far end of the bobbin and the leather "bearing" that the axle is pushed into (the flyer whorl is not in this photo - it would take up the space between the bobbin and the adjuster piece the leather bearing is pressed into):
Both ends of the axle were mounted in leather bearings... but unfortunately the maiden that holds the closer end was missing on the original. Using another wheel made by granddad's brother, he fashioned the maiden with a leather bearing similarly to how that wheel was constructed:
You can see that it was simply a thick chunk of leather, glued into the maiden. This allows for the bobbin assembly to be easily removed from the wheel, simply by turning the maiden. There's not a lot of pressure on these bearings so they function quite well (as evidenced by dad's copy), and the leather would simply have been replaced as it wore out. Lubrication, if any, would have been tallow or beeswax.
The flyer whorl is made with two different sized pulleys so you can adjust the speed of the flyer - faster for more twists per inch in your yarn, and slower for fewer. More twists made for a stronger thread - but took more raw fiber. Fewer produced more "fluffy" yarns, good for sweaters and the like.... at least that's what I think - I have no experience spinning my own yarn. I still have the flyer whorl for the original, though unfortunately only half of it - but it does show how it is constructed pretty well:
You can see the differing diameters of the pulley to allow the flyer to spin at different speeds depending on where you placed the drive bands. The bobbin spins freely on the axle so is independent of the flyer whorl. It is driven by its own pulley on the end next to the whorl that is a slightly different diameter - this is so the bobbin would spin at a different speed than the flyer. Otherwise the yarn would only spin in place - with the different speed it slowly spools onto the bobbin as you feed more fiber into the orifice.
This is known as a "Scotch Brake"... it basically means the yarn spools quite slowly onto the bobbin, while being twisted (for strength) many, many times for each single time it spools on the bobbin - which is the major function of the wheel. It is this twisting that gives the yarn it's strength - without it, it would simply pull apart.
A good spinner feeds fiber into the orifice at a steady rate, thusly avoiding thinned out or lumpy yarn that is strong enough to knit. More twists per inch results in a thinner, stronger thread - fewer provide fluffier, more insulating yarn.
The drive bands would have been simple twine or leather strips, or possibly even yarn - it didn't need a great deal of force to twist the fiber, so grip wasn't terribly crucial - speed was.
You can also see the tensioner knob assembly in the photo above at the top of the aptly named "Mother of All". It's broken as well, but it shows how it was made... A threadbox would have been pretty standard fair in most shops of the time, so that's not too surprising to find. It still works quite well, even after being exposed to the elements for many years.... The Mother of All is broken here as you can see in the photo above and below, but again at least we can see what it looks like:
The Mother of All is so aptly named as it is the main structural element of the wheel - everything pretty much hangs off of it. It, along with the maidens and most of the spindle work (with the exception of the spokes in the wheel) are made from a hardwood I would say is either elm or birch - it's hard to tell exactly as the wood is aged so. But those were common woods used in local furniture of the time - especially turned furniture. Oak was available and used extensively for standard casework, but wasn't preferred for turning because of it's open grain and it's tendency to tear out. I would imagine the elm or birch was riven and turned green, much in the fashion of windsor style chairs, and wedges were used to fasten the tenons to the half-moon shaped base (which I think was made of either poplar - but could be basswood)... There would not have been any kilns in the area, any dried lumber would have been air-dried.
Which brings me to the fly wheel, the most prominent piece of the spinning wheel, has some interesting construction methods. The outer wheel was constructed from four separate pieces. The wheel is made what I think is basswood, though it could be poplar, I suppose... both are plentiful in the area. There are a couple ofreasons that basswood would appropriate here. First, a lighter weight wheel would be easier to spin. Women using these wheels would often spin for many hours on end, for many days in a row... ease of use was paramount in their design. Second, basswood is a very easy wood to work... Mounting a wheel this size and turning it in a treadle lathe would have been quite a task... the easier one could make the task, the better. Third - since these wheels didn't carry a load, like say maybe a wagon wheel would, there would be little or no structural stresses on them, so basswood met the bill.
The pieces for the outer rim were first assembled before they were turned using splines and wooden pegs to hold them in place. You can see here where one of the pegs was placed too far out and was turned into:
The outer wheel itself was not constructed in the same manner as a wagon wheel - where the spokes have tenons that mount into the outer wheel - for the reasons mentioned above. It was first assembled and then turned without the spokes - they were added afterwards. Here you can see one I've pulled out:
After the main hub was turned, the spokes were made to fit inside the outer rim, then holes were drilled through the rim into the spokes - and a wooden dowel was driven in to hold the spokes in place. There just one problem with that - how do you make sure the hub is centered in the outer rim? Well - my best guess is that the hub and spokes were made first. The hub first, then the spokes, which could then be glued into the hub. The hub could then be mounted on a temporary axle and turned, allowing you to mark the end of the spokes in the same location as you turned the hub. The outer rim could then be turned to match this dimension... It's just an educated guess, mind you - but the best I can come up with given the circumstances.
As for the hub, it's one piece, with an axle that mounts into the adjacent spindles thusly:
The far side of the axle has an offset that attaches to the footman, which then is attached to the treadle. And yes - at the lower left of the hub in the photo above, that is a knot... As a matter of fact, it continues through to the other side:
Why would he have used a piece with a knot like that in it, you might ask? I would put forth that it was a matter of convenience... As I mentioned above, a lot of the wood used for the contruction of this wheel would probably have been worked green. The wheel would have had to be dried wood though. Most likely that meant that it was was harvested from already dead wood - possibly even seasoned firewood. There wasn't storage space available for storing wood while it dried... The house they lived in would probably have been the size of your living room and housed 5-7 people... The barn would have been similarly small was soley for livestock. The shed that served as a shop would have been more like a lean-to, perhaps with a pot-belly stove if the owner was well-off. So dried wood was a luxury most couldn't afford, but for the wheel it would have been necessary as green wood would have shrunk and rendered the wheel useless. So it's my guess it came from whatever was available - and since it didn't need to be all that strong, it wasn't a problem structurally. Also, I should mention that the knot would not have been this pronounced when it was made - this particular wheel was exposed to the elements for many years, so has weathered quite a lot. Originally, it would have been a very tight knot.
About all that's left is the base, legs, footman, and treadle - and all I have of those is the base... The base is made of poplar, it appears. I remember hearing the half-moon shape was a sort of trademark of his, but I'm not sure of this... compared to the other his brother did later, its a unique feature and was supposedly preferred by the people who used them as they were stronger. I do recall hearing that this makers' work was highly prized by those who received it, at least within the area he lived.
I may restore this old wheel someday - no, it will never be in working order again, but I may try to get it just so it is all in one piece and has all of the parts, just for display. I doubt it's worth much to anyone but me - but it sure is fun to have around to look at and to study, to give one appreciation for the original maker and the methods and material he used in creating it.
The maker, my great-great granddad, was a very adept turner, furniture maker, and woodoworker. He used green wood quite a bit, as I think can be seen in another of his works which I will show just for reference - a crib made of elm:
It appears he also used steam to bend wood, as you can see - obviously a very industrious fellow for someone truly out in the sticks... This crib was used all the way into the 1960's as I recall... It's been retired for obvious reasons since then, but still remains in the family, well over a century after it was made.
More parts and design criteria for the old Ford
01/11/2008, 21:57 | Norse WoodsmithI know it's been a while, but I haven't been completely idle on the old truck project.... While I'm not directly working on it (I'm still in the collection phase), there's been a few developments worth note...
First - I picked up an engine and transmission. The engine is a 4-bolt main 350 chevy, I'm not sure of the year, but it's a good block. It's a rebuild, but it has less than 20k miles on the rebuild, and the bore and grind are virgin - never cut. There are some that might be taken aback some by putting a Chevy in a Ford, and I had those thoughts too... Truth is, I've been a Ford person all my life, and when I think back on my experiences - well, I don't feel too bad about stuffing a Chevy in there.
The tranny is a Chevy TH350 also with less than 20k miles (from the same place), and as it's geared it will work out well with the 2.75 gears in the Ford 9" rear end I acquired. I was considering a 700r4 overdrive transmission, but the price was right for the TH350 - and with it working with the rear I have I couldn't turn it down. It was a good price too - my brother got it as a trade for some work, and he traded it and the engine to me for a really decent price.
I've been remiss in showing some of the research that I've done in choosing these as my drivetrain - I hope to remedy that with the following, taken mostly from emails I was trading with my brother, out of old textbooks, and of course off of the web. Note - I make no claim as to the accuracy of any of this information, and the large majority of it was gleaned off of several diferent web sites, some of which are linked to, and some of which I have lost or simply combined information from many different sites.
Calculating transmission and axle ratios |
| Here's an online calculator for figuring axle ratios and the like: http://www.angelfire.com/fl/procrastination/rear.html There's a discussion of overdrive transmissions here: http://www.superchevy.com/technical/engines_drivetrain/driveshaft_rearend/0205sc_vibrations/ They seem to suggest this: "For street rods the magic number for smooth running in overdrive seems to be a minimum of 1,800 engine rpm with 2,100-2,300 rpm at 55-65 mph a good goal" Using a 25" wheel (same height as on my lumina, should be close enough), A TH350 trans with 2.75 gears will be going 57 mph at 2100 rpm and 62 mph at 2300 rpm (not overdrive) A 700r4 trans with 3.25 gears will be going 67 at 2100 rpm and 75 at 2300. So, according that - the 2.75 gears are perfect for a TH350, but a 700r4 might need as tall as 3.75 gears. But that article also mentions that a overdrive transmission will have problems with a carbureted engine unless a "kit" is installed, and also mentions the computer we talked about. Anyway, it seems more and more like the TH350 is the way to go, especially since it means the rear end I have is already geared right. Transmission Gearing: |
While I'm at it, I should list some of the research I've done on the Ford 9" - the one I ended up with is out of a 1977 Lincoln Versaille, which I think will fit perfectly - though that has yet to be seen...
Ford 9" Rear Ends
| |
| Going through some rear-end options, just researching. I'm just guessing, but I think the width I need is a 56". I think a 9" out of a truck -which is the most plentiful 9" out there - are too wide. A more optimum find would be out of a 60's galaxie, as from what I read, all 60's Galaxies had 9" rear ends. I also looked at a "crate motor" from Summit Racing. A 5.0L ford longblock was $4000. Way outta here with that. A complete engine from Spaldings runs $800 to $1200. I still think finding a donor car might be the way to go. V-8 Thunderbirds or Cougars would work as well as Mustangs, and might be easier to find. Additional Options: Might consider the 8.8" rear out of an '98 and newer Explorer if the width is OK. Factory posi, 31 spline axles, 3.55 or 3.73 gears, disc brakes and built in E-Brake. Best of all, cheap and plentiful. I gave $250 for mine from a local wrecking yard. Bolt pattern is 5 X 4.5." Thunderbirds and Mustangs in 1995 used an 8.8" rear end also that came with or without ABS brakes. 1990 Mustangs had no ABS brakes, but used the 8.8", where 1990 T-Birds did have the ABS option. There was also a 7.5" rear used for these cars that would NOT be suitable, but I think those were on the 4 and 6 cyl. models. An 8" out of a 1977 Granada was used in one project. Had 3.25 gear ratio stock. Basically from what I've read an 8" will work fine for anything up to and including a 300 horse motor. A Currie Enterprises version of a 9" made for a 1965 Ford Galaxie was used in "Old Bleu". This was a truck where a guy used mostly new parts: Just out of curiosity, I took a look at Currie Enterprises, and priced out a "crate" rear end. They have what they call a "Hot Rod" rear end ("hot rod" means a universal application, 56" wide rear end), that one can buy with options on what you want. Here's what I priced out: 31 Spline - Stock Gear Case & Pinion Support Traction Lock 3.25 Gear ratio (same price for any ratio) 11" Explorer Disc Brake Kit w/5 X 4 1/2" Wheel Bolt Pattern (the drum brake version is about $50 cheaper) Base Price: $849.9 3rd Member: $999.65 Brakes: $899.95 Total Price: $2749.5 Price for Housing and Axles Only (Base Price Above): $849.90. When I broke it down further, the housing and axles were priced at $400 each. That's directly from Currie. I found this page: http://www.rodfactory.com/NewFiles/Rear%20ends.html Says this: The Rod Factory offers narrowed 9" Ford rear axles in 3 different stages. Our Stage 1 rear axle is 56" wide from wheel surface to wheel surface and comes with 28 spline axles, bearings and seals. The Stage 2 includes new backing plates, brakes and drums. The Stage 3 comes with a rebuilt, 2.75 or 3.00 Open differential. Other widths are also available and additional options are listed below. 9" Ford Rear Axle Assemblies Part No. / Description / Price 2590-1 / Stage 1 Ford 9" rear axle 56" wide / $695.00
Currie Hot Rod 9" Ford Rear Axle Assemblies Part No. / Description / Price 2590-1H / Stage 1 Ford 9" rear 56" wide / $799.00 The list below is incomplete, I think - and I've seen some inconsistencies w/other web sites. Here's a couple good links on rear-ends: http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/axle_rear_end_guide/ http://dfwmotorsport.com/Fairlane/9inchrearends.htm |
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| Widths and technical infor on 9" Ford Rear Ends housing width in inches year/model 46 50 52 54 56 57 58-3/4
64-77 Broncos are 46" wide 57-59 Ford/Edsel are 52" wide 63-65 Comet are 52" wide 65-66 Mustang are either 52" or 54" wide 66-69 Fairlane/Cyclone are 56" wide 70-71 Torino/Cyclone are 56" wide 60-64 Ford/Mercury are 56" wide 58-72 F-100 pickups are 57" wide 73-90 F-100 & F-150 are 58-3/4" wide Another list had it like this: Year & Model / Axle Length / Notes Yet other information went this way: Where To Find The Nine Inch Rear Axle 1967-1973 medium and big block Mustangs and Cougars 1966-1971 Fairlanes, Torinos, Montegos, Comets, and other Ford intermediates with big blocks. Types Of Nine Inch Axle Housings 1967-1973 Mustang/Cougar - light duty, thinnest housing material, small axle bearings, 28 and 31 splines. How To Recognize Nine Inch Housing Centers 1957 - no dimples, flat center band up the center of the rear cover, bottom drain plug. Tips On Shortening Nine Inch Axles 1972 and earlier 31 spline axles have the ability to be shortened. 28 spline axles are tapered and cannot be shortened and re-splined. | |
I looked at some old Ford Galaxies that were good candidates for width, but in the end the Versaille rear end came up on the local craigslist.com at a fair (but not cheap) price - so went with it. What this all ended up telling me is that I am not going to go with a fuel injected, computer driven system like I first envisioned, but a naturally aspirated, old-school setup. I'm more familiar with that setup anyway...
Back to the search:
Other parts have been showing up at the door on occasion... First, an original stainless steel grille trim with only the most minor ding:
They do not make a replacement trim that I have found, and the grille I have didn't have one - so this was a good find. Next up, a piece that was supposed to be included with the parts I initially bought, but "mysteriously" was missing - the windshield frame:
There are companies out there that make a windshield frame, the cost is around $300 for a plain steel frame, and closer to $700 for a chromed one. The one I got cost 1/3 of the painted style and is in excellent shape - and as a bonus contains a windshield I may actually be able to use... Next at the door was the passenger side of the hood:
I have a full, complete hood, but the fins on the right side are pretty banged up. This one, while it has a good amount of surface rust on the exterior, is in much better shape. For $30, it will save me hours of work straightening metal. Here's the interior:
Now - one of the rarest body pieces you can find on a '36 Ford pickup is original steel rear fenders. There are no steel replicas made, all that's available is fiberglass at a cost of about $275. I have a pair of original rear fenders, but they are in pretty sad shape. I've been always on the lookout for replacements, but it often seems they go for between $900 and $1200 a pair, more than I want to spend - I can probably repair the ones I have for less than that. I did finally find one, a driver's side that I got for a somewhat fair price, though the fender needs substantial repair:
The crack is nasty, going through half the width of the fender:
Not only that, but there's the typical rot you find at the spot below the floorboards:
Still - even with all that wrong with it, it's still in better shape than mine. I'll still keep an eye out for another, esp. a passenger side - and if I end up with extras I'll either use my originals as source material for repair, or sell them at some point. I still may have to fix them, too - the one depends on how bad this one is once I get into it. Mine doesn't have much for rust, but it looks like someone was hooking a chain to it to try pull fence posts out or something... I would probably need an English Wheel to straighten it out, along with some metalwork that's quite likely well above my head.
That's it for now - I'll add more as it comes.
Coming Around to Square Edges
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Woodworking blog Woodworking Magazine
Thanks to my job and the freelance work I do for The
Fine Tool Journal, I get to see a lot of specialty handplanes that most people
see only in the catalogs or in one of the lusty tomes by The
Sandor.
But despite getting to actually use a corebox plane and dozens of other unusual and
cool forms, I tend to stick with the basics when I build. I use the jointer plane
more than any other bench plane, followed by the smoothing plane and block plane.
A few other specialty tools – router planes, a moving fillister and a plow plane –
round out my personal set.
One plane I’ve never quite made nice with is the Stanley
No. 95, the edge-trimming block plane. This tool is now made by both Veritas and Lie-Nielsen
Toolworks in iron or bronze. And though the two brands have some significant differences,
the basic form is the same.
The No. 95 is a block plane with a skewed blade and an integral and fixed 90° fence.
The idea is that you press the fence against the face of your work and the tool planes
the adjacent edge perfectly square to the face.
I’ve never been fond of the tool – I tend to use my jointer plane to dress edges square
to the faces. But during the last few projects I’ve built I’ve found the tool in my
hand a surprising number of times. I’ve been using it to plane solid-wood edging square
and flush to plywood. I’ve been trimming face frames flush to carcases. And I’ve been
dressing rails and stiles of doors and face frames before assembly.
That last task finally convinced me that the tool is a gem for a shop that blends
power and hand tools. Here’s why: When I dress stock by hand, all the edges of my
rails and stiles end up planed square from the jointer plane. So the No. 95 sits idle.
But when I dress my rails and stiles with a powered jointer (as I’m doing this week),
the edge-trimming plane shines. The goal there is to remove the toolmarks, to keep
the edges perfectly square and to not remove a lot of material. The No. 95 accomplishes
all three goals with aplomb. Typically one or two light passes is all it takes to
get crisp inside and outside edges on the parts for a frame-and-panel construction.
Here are a few tips for use: First, the set-up is key. The iron has to project evenly
from the mouth or your edge won’t be square. Take some test passes and examine the
shavings. Their thickness should be the same on both long edges. Shift the iron around
until the tool makes a consistent shaving and a square edge.
Second, press down on the toe of the tool with more force than you would use with
a block plane. The plane tends to want to rise out of the cut in softer woods. Also,
use one hand to press the tool’s fence against the work and use the other hand to
press the work against the fence on the opposite side. All this pressure ensures your
cut won’t go astray, which can be trouble.
Now, despite my crush on this tool, I haven’t been able to justify getting both a
left- and right-hand version, however. Because my stock is dressed with a planer,
it’s true on both faces, so I can work with the No. 95’s fence on either face of the
stock without worrying about grain direction. The tool can be pushed or pulled with
ease.
Now if I could just find the same love for my chisel plane/paperweight I wouldn’t
feel so guilt every time I open a certain drawer in my toolbox.
— Christopher Schwarz
Episode 37 - Fine Furnishings & Fine Craft Show: Part Three
00/00/0000, 00:00 | T Chisel - The Rough Cut Show!A Scottish visitor with California plates
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Sauer & Steiner
I first met Stuart Page at The festival of the Tree last August. He was there for the full 3 days and spent a good portion of his time bouncing between Rob Cosman, John Lloyd and myself. He was very enthusiastic, full of great questions and insight - we all loved having him around our respective booths.
Many months ago, Stuart contacted me to let me know he was planning a 3 month travelling tour of North American furniture makers and toolmakers and was wondering if he could stop in for a visit. It was great to hear from him again and I was quite excited to have him over.
On June 23rd - Stuart arrived in Los Angeles. He has been keeping a blog - curiously named, One hairy arm goes west. One of his first stops was to see Sam Maloof - and I am very envious of that visit. Sam is on that very short list of people I would dearly like to meet (along with Harrison Ford and Maynard James Keenan). And after Stuarts description of their time together - I am all the more green.
He arrived on Tuesday afternoon (July 23rd) around 3. I was on the main floor working away on an A1ss panel plane (more on that in another entry). He had just driven from Calgary... and to use his words - was a little “road worn”.
Stuart was very direct about his intentions the minute he walked in to the shop. He did not want to get in the way of my regular schedule and workday... but was hoping for a “fly on the wall” approach. I was pleased (and a little relieved) to hear this - and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.
At one point, Stuart offered to help in the shop with things that are challenging for someone to do on their own. Hmmmm... a shop helper....?
I need to back up a bit. I have two amazing sets of planes that I am itching to start into... but I am waiting for the last few % of moisture to come out of the Ebony. Quite frankly - I am really tired of waiting... so I started thinking about building a kiln. In the June 2006 of Woodwork magazine (No. 99), Ejler Hjorn-Westh wrote a wonderful article about building a kiln for under $500. This seemed like the perfect project for Stuart and I. I handed him the article and he just smiled... perfect.
Hmmm... where to put it?
We walked around the shop to find an empty spot for a 20"x 20"x 7' item. The best location was the first one we discussed - above one of the 48"to 60" shorts storage areas.
I had some scrap plywood from previous adventures - but we needed two 4'x8' sheets of plywood. I figured I would treat Stuart to the full North American experience and introduce him to the often understaffed “Orange Box”. I shouldn't complain... they did cut the two sheets to size for us.
Anyway - a few hours later - we had a kiln. Here are a few photos.
It tucked in perfectly above the shorts storage - and I didn't even have to move the phone or the furnace switch!
Here it is with the door open.
The baffle is a 1/4" piece of peg board.
The opening on the right is the dry air return to keep the air circulating.
I will be drying a test piece of Ebony to see how it goes. I will certainly post the results - regardless of how it turns out.
Thanks again Stuart for all your help with the kiln and keeping me company between piening, lapping and shaping.
Oh, and the one hairy arm... it really is ONE hairy arm... the other is pretty clean shaven.
Wesonbirt 2008 - still the perfect woodworking show.
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Sauer & Steiner
I had the good fortune to attend the Festival of the Tree again this August, and like last year - was not disappointed. The format was the same - camping on the grounds of the Westonbirt Arbouretum, large scale sculptures in a picturesque setting and very fine food prepared by “cheffie” (pictured below drying some tea-towels).
One of the most enjoyable things about traveling is the incredible people - and this year's adventure was no exception. There were many familiar faces to catch up with and just as many new ones. We were set up in the Classic Hand Tools marquee again - situated off to the side of the display area. But judging from the well worn pathways inside - we were certainly not out of sight.
There was a new demonstrator at the show this year - and for all intents and purposes - he stole the show. Steve Woodley specializes in supplying hand hewn timbers for restoration work and provided four days of inspirational demonstration.
He was supplied with 3 oak logs and over the course of the 4 days, managed to square up two of them. I found myself stopping to watch every time I walked by - with several additional deliberate trips to watch his progress. I was struck with the simplicity of the process - and the incredible skill and precision required to execute it properly. Steve taught me two very important lessons about axes. First - he taught me how to sharpen them - and yes - they should look like the backs of your plane irons. Secondly - a mediocre axe is not worth the struggle. He had at least 8 axes with him - all made by Gransfors. These are available in the UK from Classic Handtools or in North America through Lee Valley. Not only is he highly skilled - he is a fantastic guy. His brother lives less than an hour from my house and I am hoping to figure out a way to get him over to this side of the pond. I am working on it Steve.
It was great to see Jolyon Reynolds again this year - he was set up around the corner from Steve. Between the two of them - they had an amazing demonstration.
Mark Hancock and his charming wife Karen were at the show again and were a crucial part of the good natured fun and frolic in the classic handtools compound. There were only a few “safe” seconds for me to capture the above photo before Mark shifted his gouge and showered me with shavings. Typical : )
I was thrilled to see my good friend Michel Auriou again - it had been far too long since our last visit. I always enjoy Michel's insight into toolmaking, steel and business. The best piece of news was that Auriou is back in business. Hopefully some more left handed rasps will be in my future...
David Charlesworth and Pat stopped in on Saturday - it was great to see them again. They were set up beside me which gave us a chance to catch up a bit and talk shop. Here we are discussing one of Bill Carters planes (nice segue, eh?)
That same day - Bill and Sarah Carter arrived. It is always a thrill to see them. Bill had over a dozen planes with him - from wee little 1/2" boxwood smoothers, to an incredible 28-1/2" jointer. Bill was kept very busy with a steady stream of admirers and Sarah kept the three of us content with coffee and homemade cake.
If I had the money - this pair of mitre planes would have come home with me.
Another fine planemaker stopped in for a visit - Christopher Martyn. I met Christopher at last years show and was very impressed with his instrument planes. Some of his planes were featured in Fine Woodworkings 2007/2008 Tools & Shops issue.
My friend Tony stopped in to try a few planes - here he is testing out a No.4 smoother.
I also met Mike Riley and had a great visit with Phil Edwards. The Romanesque fellow is Alex Primmer - he works for Classic Handtools.
It is amazing how much changes in a year. Last year, Phil was contemplating making a few planes - and this year he had his own line of tools and was conducting a brisk business. A few days before I left for England, Phil sent me an email asking if there was anything he could bring along to help reduce my luggage. It was an extremely thoughtful offer and as it turned out - I did use many of his things over the course of the event. My deepest thanks Phil for taking good care of me during the show. I hope I can return the favour in Berea.
Mark Bennett was a new demonstrator at the show and I have to say I was quite impressed. He is a very kind, soft spoken fellow and we found ourselves discussing the finer points of plane design, our respective wood stashes (I suspect his will knock my socks off when I see it) and design in general. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was also a wealth of knowledge and passed on several great insights. One of the more interesting one was tree warts. I have to admit I was a little skeptical until he showed me one. He handed me a holly wart. He said they are very tight burls and cuts them into disks and uses them for inlay work. So I now have a Holly wart to add to my growing pile of timber.
Fun & games
The show was not just work - there was tremendous play as well. I sometimes feel guilty about it - and there were two instances where I found myself beautifully derailed.
The other derailment was Mark and I cleaning up a large piece of boxwood (with an Auriou rasp of course).
Philly and Mike Riley planting some vile shavings.
Chris Pye being majestic even when he is trying not to be. Chris was set up about 30 feet away but I was able to watch him transform a rather non-descript bit of wood into a very fanciful beast. I only wish I was able to pay closer attention - I know he has a lot to teach and I have a lot to learn.
I also had great visits with John Lloyd and Rob Cosman but did not manage to find them when I was collecting photos.
And last but certainly not least... a rather tuckered member of the International football team who was sadly defeated at the third annual “Billy Hancock Birthday showdown”. The Brits won 3/0. Mark shared a very funny comment on the last day. He was telling a few of us how surreal it was to be the keeper for the British team and seeing all these faces he recognizes from magazine head shots rushing at him. The quote went something like this... “and there was Rob Cosman - with the ball... rushing towards me. Bloody hell!”
I would also like to express my thanks to Mike Hancock, his lovely wife Mary, and their kids Alex and Billy. The Classic Handtool marquee is not the focus of Westonbirt - but it has become a very important part of it - and clearly inspires people to work with wood. Mike has done an outstanding job, and has proven that a vision of something different and a little creativity can make something very special happen. Congratulations Mike.
Kellogg's Rice Krispies for Ireland: Snap, Crackle, and Bang
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Skiving OffWhen the writing gig started, I couldn’t be sure I was a published magazine feature writer until I saw the magazine on the shelf at Barnes and Noble’s. Sure I had gotten (and cashed) a check weeks before. They even sent me a few copies of the magazine a couple of weeks before it hit the newsstand. However, I could not be 100% sure those advanced copies weren’t Photoshop’ed fakes until I saw the identical thing on the retail shelf.
When that finally happened, it took everything in me to not grab the magazine, flip it open to my article, and run through the store while screaming incoherent rants to the long line of foster parents, parole officers, and counselors who told me I would never amount to anything. (Mom and Pop, I know you never gave into the urge to walk away from your parental responsibility. The previous sentence is a complete fabrication that many authors (and ALL political speech writers) call “jazzing it up” in order to make a boring story a little more interesting.)
While in