Hand Tool Project (mostly anyway)

[Jim Neeley]

Truly awesome, Dave.

[Matt Owen]

That is absolutely beautiful. You got skillz!

[Bob Warfield]

Dave, that's absolutely beautiful. And I was proud of myself for makeing a shooting board!
Bob

[jamie shard]

Not just a great build, but the details are wonderful. I've been doing some searches for the cubbyhole design, and this is the nicest I've seen. The different layers of carving and detail really make the piece. Is all of the design a copy or is some of it your own creation? Either way, it's a masterpiece.

[Dave Diaman]

Wow, that is some piece of work. I'm still working on a jewelry box, haha. Very impressive, thanks for sharing all the great pictures.

Let me ask you, when it comes to making the swan's neck pediment crown, is it done mostly by hand carving and scraping? Or did you use a router on some of that. Just curious.

Joe

Joe,
A lot of materialwas roughed out with a router just to get the bulk of the waste removed. Afterthat I used a combination of carving tools and custom profiled scrapers I madeto get the shape right.

[Steve Branam]

Absolutely gorgeous! My parents just got me John Townsend, Newport Cabinetmaker for my birthday, and the lower half of your secretary is a dead ringer for #17, his fall-front desk from 1765, just some different details to the shells. Yours would fit right into this book. Outstanding job!

[Dave Diaman]

Jamie, that is all from the original. I was able to use photos and rubbings I got from Bob Whitney reproduce it. It was a very standard design for Newport pieces. There was a little variation between desks but not much.

[Mark Maleski]

...I still spent a little over 250 hours on this piece...

sigh...that's the part of the post that fills me with the most envy. Dave, we met over at Fred Walker's shop, and I'm pretty sure I'll spend that same number of hours on the Benj Randolph chair repro. Can't imagine building a piece like this so quickly.

Who made the brasses? Love their design. Did you have to bend the center one in the top drawer?

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Dave

It is an understatement to say that piece is simply amazing. There is not one section, not one panel, not one joint .. that does not examplify the art of the craftsman and the goal of being a craftsman.

Sadly for you we have come to expect such high work from you ... work at rediculous heights ... and as a result you garner less praise than you should as we go "oh, another of Dave's pieces". Either that or most are sitting around like stunned mullets and unable to move.

I am very much looking forward to your detailed images of the work and its progression.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bill Moser]

Either that or most are sitting around like stunned mullets and unable to move.

I'm definitely in the "stunned mullet" category. Thanks for that, Derek -- great name for a band, actually. And Dave, your work is exquisite. I hope you get paid very, very well.

[Dave Diaman]

sigh...that's the part of the post that fills me with the most envy. Dave, we met over at Fred Walker's shop, and I'm pretty sure I'll spend that same number of hours on the Benj Randolph chair repro. Can't imagine building a piece like this so quickly.

Who made the brasses? Love their design. Did you have to bend the center one in the top drawer?

Hey Mark, how is your chair coming along? All the brassesfor this piece came from Optimum Brasses. They are almost identical to the oneson the original. For the top drawer brass yes, I did have to bend it. I made apositive and negative mold and heated the brass to soften it a little andslammed it between the molds. I actually ordered extras incase I messed it upbut managed to get it right the first time. I guess I will save my extra brassfor my next one.

[Chris Griggs]

Dave, your work is truly amazing. I'm curious - where'd you learn to do this stuff? Did you go to school for it (e.g. North Bennet St. or the like), did you apprentice, do you come from a line of furniture makes, or perhaps you are self taught woodworking genius. Once again, just curious.

[john jesseph]

I was able to use photos and rubbings I got from Bob Whitney reproduce it.

Was it Bob Whitney or Bob Whitley? Looks good, satisfying to complete I bet!

[Ed Looney]

Dave

That is absolutely fantastic work. You are a lucky man to be able to labor at a craft you enjoy. Keep up the good work. Pictures like you posted belong under the definition of made by a craftsman.

Ed

[Dave Diaman]

Chris,
About three years ago I decided I wanted to build furniture. I picked up a few of Glen Huey’s DVD’s and read everything I could get my hands on. From that base I just figured things out and taught myself. Every day is still a learning process and I think it will probably always be that way