. . . 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 →
I spent a little time this morning making a SketchUp model of one of the pieces from Gustav Stickley’s “The Craftsman” magazine. This table has always intrigued me, it was designed by Ernest Gimson in the early 1900s. This was … 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 →
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 →
I’ve never been to Madison, Wisconsin but it is one of my favorite places because it is the home of the University of Wisconsin Decorative Arts Collection. This is an online image resource that I highly recommend, but with 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 →
About a week ago I stumbled across a Facebook post where people were offering up “Get Well” wishes and speculating on my possible demise, in response to a “Weekly Woodworking News” video from Stumpy Nubs. Stumpy was looking for an … Continue reading →
Last evening, Chuck Bender, Glen Huey and I sat down with Dyami Plotke, Tom Iovino and Chris Atkinson and recorded a conversation about our new adventure 360 Woodworking. You can listen to the conversation by tuning in to the Modern … 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 →
It wasn’t long ago that I didn’t know what a Makerspace was. You can think of it this way: imagine that you have a neighbor with a really cool, well-equipped wood shop. Take your conception of “really cool and well-equipped” … Continue reading →
A completed piece of furniture provides a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that people who don’t make furniture miss out on. I suppose it’s like most things in life that take dedicated effort and practice; those who have been there … Continue reading →
