Last Saturday during my presentation at the Cincinnati Woodworking Club I made the point that seeing authentic examples of period furniture was far better than seeing pictures in a book or online, and that seeing the furniture in context was … Continue reading
Category Archives: Craftsman Furniture
As an author I don’t expect my readers to take my word as gospel. I believe I have a responsibility to point readers in the direction of my sources. Gustav Stickley’s “The Craftsman Magazine” has been an essential source (and … Continue reading
I knew it was time to leave my job at a publishing company when the CEO proudly announced that “books are now commodities”. This was the same knucklehead who, in his first week asked “why do we have so many … Continue reading
In the comments on my post: “Gustav Stickley Finishing Article” I was asked if I had a reasonable alternative to a fumed finish for quartersawn white oak. In that post I mention one, aniline dye followed by shellac. The other … Continue reading
Earlier today I stumbled on this video from 2013. It was filmed in November 2012 when I was a guest of the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association in Georgia. I spent a week teaching several people SketchUp and was asked to hang … Continue reading
Registration will open soon at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana and I will be teaching two classes at MASW next year. The first is a week-long class June 22-26, 2020 “Design & Build a Craftsman Bookcase” … Continue reading
It’s been an interesting summer to say the least. For the first time in years my wife and I planned a vacation; a two week trip to the island of Ibiza, Spain for the marriage of my son and his … Continue reading
Woodworking classes at Marc Adams School of Woodworking are supposed to be a challenge. That applies to the instructor as well as the students. One of the challenges this year was the passing of Zane Powell who kept students safe, … Continue reading
A few times a year I teach woodworking classes. It’s good to spend time out in the real world with new people and with those who have been in earlier classes with me. I’m told I do a good job, … Continue reading
This spring I will be returning to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking for a week-long class on building a reproduction of the Gustav Stickley No. 369 bent arm Morris Chair. Of all the chairs of this type this is … Continue reading
Note: This is another older post (from about 5 years ago) that sank to the bottom of this site’s feed. I’ve brought it back to the top because it’s a good (and easy and fool-resistant) way to make these joints. … Continue reading
There is a lot to like about classes at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. The first time you visit you’re impressed by the size and scope of the facility. As a class goes on you realize how good the … Continue reading
Sometimes the best things appear in the most unexpected places. You wouldn’t expect to find a woodworking school smack dab in the middle of central Indiana, but that’s the location of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. MASW has been … Continue reading
I don’t teach woodworking classes very often, although I usually say yes when someone asks me to. The picture at left is from a series of blog posts written by one of the guys in my most recent class at … Continue reading
Before Gustav Stickley became “The Craftsman” he manufactured furniture in upstate New York. After twenty-some years in the business, he took a trip to Europe, where the Arts & Crafts movement was popular in England and L’art Nouveau was a … Continue reading
It is like hoisting a danger signal to speak out loud to Mr. Stickley of ornament, yet all people do not know this. “It is very grand,” said one visitor, “but have you no ornament, carving or draperies in … Continue reading
Furniture from the American Arts & Crafts period is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Many woodworkers assume that the deliberate lack of ornament means it is easy to build. One often overlooked feature is the visual effect of parallel surfaces that … Continue reading
The average woodworker doesn’t always use the best looking method to join two pieces of wood – he or she is happy just to get the face frame stuck to the cabinet side. That’s why these folks are “average”. The … Continue reading
I’m a stickler for getting the history of Craftsman furniture correct. Too much has been written about the people, dates, responsibilities and relationships of the original makers and designers that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. And a lot of these … Continue reading
One way to judge the merit of an idea is to see how long the results of that idea stay around. A long time ago I thought it would be a good idea if somebody published a book of measured … Continue reading
Marc Adams School of Woodworking is a special place and I’ve been invited to teach a few classes at MASW in 2017. It is the largest woodworking school in the country with an incredibly well-equipped shop and an experienced staff … Continue reading
I spent last week in the company of a dozen or so woodworkers at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. We were working on reproductions of the iconic Gustav Stickley/Harvey Ellis No. 700 glass door bookcase. This … Continue reading
. . . A Plea For a Democratic Art In the October 1904 issue of “The Craftsman” magazine, Gustav Stickley looked back on three years of publishing and many more years as a furniture maker. The article is worth reading … Continue reading
There are still a few spots available in my upcoming class at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in fabulous Franklin, Indiana October 3-7, 2016. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MASW WEBSITE AND ENROLL We will spend the week making … Continue reading
In the early 1900s Gustav Stickley had one of the most modern, best equipped furniture factories in the world. If you are as nerdy as I am about this stuff, you should get your hands on a copy of The … Continue reading
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You can, but sometimes it takes a while. After my first book, “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” was published in 2001 I began selling large format printed plans of many … Continue reading
I had heard nice things about the Alabama Woodworkers Guild before I left last week to teach a two-day seminar in building a Stickley cabinet and an evening SketchUp workshop. When I arrived on Friday I found a shop that … Continue reading
My cynical side believes that there isn’t much difference between history and marketing, and my rational side has to admit that a lot of recorded history exists to sell something. Maybe not a specific product but a set of ideas … Continue reading
One of the curious things about woodworking is that you don’t really know how thorough to be in one step until you are knee-deep in the next. With experience you develop a routine and can move along efficiently. Without experience … Continue reading
This piece is available to purchase – scroll down for ordering details. This little table is 16″ in diameter and the top is 18″ above the floor. It is made entirely from solid quartersawn white oak with through mortise and … Continue reading
UPDATE MAY 28, 2022: “The Craftsman” Magazine online archive has changed. Here is the link to access all issues: The Craftsman Magazine I’ve never been to Madison, Wisconsin but it is one of my favorite places because it is the … Continue reading
Please Note: The paperback edition of this book has been replaced with a hardcover. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE NEW HARDCOVER EDITION OF THE “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”. Revised Edition of the “Great Book of … Continue reading
Cabinets, Moldings & Built-Ins For Every Room In The Home The first, and only book of it’s kind. Based on Gustav Stickley’s original architectural drawings and information from The Craftsman magazine, this book contains detailed drawings for recreating or renovating … Continue reading
Jigs and templates are common in professional woodworking shops, as well as common topics in woodworking books, magazines and blogs. A good jig will do two things; make the work better and get the work done faster. If you … Continue reading
When the “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” was published, I hoped to include all of the material from the three books that were originally published individually, “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”, “More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” … Continue reading
This chair, the Gustav Stickley No. 369 Morris chair is one of the most iconic of his designs. I like it when complex things can be simplified, but I seem to like it more when something that appears simple at … Continue reading
Picking a favorite project is like deciding which of your children you love the most. Picking my favorite kid would be easy, I only have the one. Among all the things I’ve made from wood, the Byrdcliffe Linen Press is … Continue reading
When I was a self employed furniture maker and cabinetmaker I didn’t have much choice about what I would build, it was mostly a matter of what a client wanted and was willing to pay for. For the last 9 … Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago, I was the special guest in the WoodCentral chatroom, taking questions on Arts & Crafts furniture and trying to keep up. A transcript of the March 11, 2013 chat is now available online at WoodCentral. … Continue reading
Original Designs by Gustav Stickley & Harvey Ellis This unique book presents full-size patterns for the inlay designs and hardware originally used in Craftsman Furniture. Text includes history of these designs and the designers, materials and techniques. My last copy … Continue reading