Last fall I spent a week at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking near Indianapolis, Indiana, leading a group of woodworkers in the construction of reproductions of the iconic Gustav Stickley/Harvey Ellis No. 700 Bookcase. Marc Adams’ classes are always … Continue reading
I use watercolor pencils to add color to my carving work. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one to do this, but I’ve never seen any step by step description of the process. Here is a pictorial run though … 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
This piece has been sold, but I would love to carve another one just for you. Click Here to send me an email. It doesn’t seem like ten years have passed since I built a reproduction of the Byrdcliffe Sassafras … 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 hundreds of woodworking clubs in the United States, and last week I spent three days + one morning in the company of members of one of the best, the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association. Many of the faces were familiar … 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
A local woodworking club is a great way to connect with friends you haven’t met yet. One of the best organizations I’ve visited is the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association located in the north east corner of Atlanta, Georgia. I was there … Continue reading
This piece is for sale, available for immediate delivery. In the late 1800s, Japanese prints became the “latest thing” in America. Frank Lloyd Wright and Harvey Ellis both enjoyed and collected prints, and the influence of this aesthetic can be … Continue reading
This piece is for sale with immediate availability. In the course of studying Arts & Crafts style furniture for many years, I’ve also had the privilege to see many beautiful works in other media. Glass, prints and pottery are some … Continue reading
There was a discussion last week over at WoodTalk Online about Darrell Peart’s books on Greene & Greene Furniture and my book “Shop Drawings for Greene & Greene Furniture” was mentioned. The question was about what projects are in the … Continue reading
Back in stock, new carving available for immediate shipment! The lines between art and craft have always been wide and fuzzy. I have studied Arts & Crafts period furniture for a long time, and along with the furniture of that … 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
Here is a link to the SketchUp model of the modified Harvey Ellis/Gustav Stickley bookcase that was the subject of a weekend build workshop held April 9-10, 2016. Click and drag with the left mouse button over the model image … 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
The biggest advantage of SketchUp (or any other CAD software) isn’t in making an initial plan. That takes a while no matter what method you use. But if you want to change something, or make new design that is similar … Continue reading
At the Alabama Woodworkers Guild – April 8-10, 2016 In a few months I will be traveling to Maylene (just south of Birmingham), Alabama to present not one, but two workshops for the Alabama Woodworkers Guild. The main event will … Continue reading
This piece is available to purchase – scroll down for information. This is a hand carved, hand painted rendition of the Hebrew word Chai. It means life, now and in the hereafter. The carving is solid basswood, and the frame … Continue reading
Making jigs (and writing about making jigs) is a popular topic. So popular that some woodworkers (and some authors) spend so much time creating jigs that they never accomplish much of anything else. I’m not one of those guys. I’m … 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
I only have a few classes scheduled (at the moment) for the coming year. Space is limited and my classes often fill early. Here are dates, places and information about signing up: SketchUp Weekend at Rockler Denver, January 30-31, 2016 … 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
Bits and pieces of this piece have appeared here for the last month or so. I’m blessed with a talented, lovely and charming wife, and this is a collaboration between Joyce and I. If you don’t read Hebrew, this is … Continue reading
The details that make the difference between furniture that is ho-hum and furniture that is WOW are most often subtle. If all you know about historical pieces is based on second hand information, you might believe that the way things … Continue reading
There was a time when I was snooty about finishes, proudly boasting that I used no stains or dyes, preferring the beauty of the natural grain with a hand-rubbed oil finish. While there is a lot to be said for … Continue reading
It isn’t getting what my dad used to call the “gray hair discount” and it isn’t the fact that almost everyone calls you “sir”. Those things don’t make up for the creaking joints and failing eyesight. It’s the color that … Continue reading
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This gallery contains 21 photos.
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When you reach a certain age you find yourself becoming more careful about some things, but not giving a hoot about others. There are a lot of interesting things I could pursue, but I find myself deliberately avoiding some new … Continue reading
Like a guy who remembers the first girl he kissed, I know exactly when and where my fascination with Byrdcliffe carving began. In the late 1980s I came across one of the best books about the Arts & Crafts period, … Continue reading
A few weeks ago I spent the weekend teaching a class on carving reproductions of the panels from the Byrdcliffe Iris Desk at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking deep in the corn maze of central Indiana. Carving is the … 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
Space is still available for this class August 1 & 2, 2015-Click Here to sign up at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking website. On the weekend of August 1 & 2 I’ll be teaching a weekend workshop at the … Continue reading
I don’t teach classes very often; a few times a year at most. While I really enjoy teaching, I’m not crazy about travel, hotels or unknown sources of food. I don’t actively solicit teaching jobs, but when somebody calls or … Continue reading
Over the last few years it has become obvious that the values we have for the craft of woodworking, creating and marketing content, and relations with the audience are not shared by the management of Popular Woodworking and its parent … Continue reading