Show me furniture that looks totally hand made

[Paul Comi]

Already did :-)

[Paul Comi]

Rob, I just saw your clock with inlay. If I keep looking around that SAPFM site I'm going to end up being too intimidated to do woodworking at all. The level of craftsmanship there is simply amazing. I swear, I feel like I'm qualified only to nail together 2 x 4's after seeing your work. Are you self-taught?

[Rob Millard]

Paul,
Yes, I am self taught. I started building reproductions about 9 years ago. The woodworking part is easy, you just saw, chisel or plane to a line, but the finishing took a couple of years to get to a level where I could be satisfied with my work. It would have taken less time, but I was influenced by a couple of books who’s authors were poor finishers.

The shelf clock was one of my favorite pieces, the dial combined with the veneer work, made for a dramatic appearance. My favorite piece is one I posted on this site back in March, a Seymour tambour basin stand.
Rob Millard

[Paul Comi]

Paul,
Yes, I am self taught. I started building reproductions about 9 years ago. The woodworking part is easy, you just saw, chisel or plane to a line, but the finishing took a couple of years to get to a level where I could be satisfied with my work. It would have taken less time, but I was influenced by a couple of books who’s authors were poor finishers.

The shelf clock was one of my favorite pieces, the dial combined with the veneer work, made for a dramatic appearance. My favorite piece is one I posted on this site back in March, a Seymour tambour basin stand.
Rob Millard

Let's just turn this thread into a Rob Millard shrine When you say you're self taught, do you design yourself or reproduce things from samples and plans? Learning the design aspect of woodworking seems to be as hard as the actual woodworking and I haven't even begun to do any finishing.

[Rob Millard]

Paul,

I have a total lack of design ability, so I must be content with copying (stealing) the designs of some long dead craftsman. I've made only 4 pieces from plans, and of those, I was only happy with one. I much prefer to work from photos of an original and scale from them.
The self taught thing is really a misnomer, because I read everything I could find on period furniture, so I had many teachers.
Rob Millard

[Charlie Plesums]

I'm glad you liked the article. I will be replacing the chest on frame article with one on making an inlaid tea caddy in couple of weeks, so be sure to print it out if you want to be able to refer back to it.

Rob Millard

That will be a shame. I recommend that you post both, not replace the old. It is an excellent article.

[Paul Comi]

That will be a shame. I recommend that you post both, not replace the old. It is an excellent article.

I agree. Clicking around in that website isn't the easiest thing to do either, but there is some nice work to see so its worth it.

[Geoff Irvine]

Originally posted by ALAN TURNER
"Right now I am resizing what I was told by my clients was a late 18th Cen. piece, a table with three drawers, to fit in a place in thier home."

Totally dumbstruck... personally I would resize the house and send the 'clients' to a good shrink. Only upside of this very sad tale is that at least you get to see the original makers techniques and may learn something. At least if someone like yourself is doing the job it will be done in sympathy to the original and it keeps it out of a woodbutchers hands.

[Alan Turner]

Well, as it turns out, I am not the first fellow to remake this table. Perhaps I will be the last. There is strong evidence that the table was resized, or remade, on a prior occassion. When I cannot tell. Maybe the 30's or so? The top was three 11" planks of 6/4 hard maple. My task was to remove the back plank. Upon doing so, I saw that it had been drilled for dowels. But, the dowell holes were empty, and did not match similar holes in the mating plank. What I assumed were breadbaord ends made in the traditional way turned out to be end caps, nailed on. One set of nails were old heavy square nails, and another set were modern nails, round wiht round heads. Some of the square nails were intact, but some had been cut off with a hack saw, and the cut end, on the back side of the end caps, were rusted.

My clients succombed to my passionate pleas and I will now start building a set of three drawers, using the rear plank for the drawer fronts. Thank goodness. The "original" drawers were quite poorly made. The sides were let into rebates on the back of the drawer fronts, and then nailed. I will dovetail up a set of drawers. The opening are so non-square that this will not be an easy task, but it if far better than finding a use for the small stash of tremont nails that I have but rarely use. I am still working through what wood to use for the drawer parts. I have old SYP factory wood that I can resaw. The "original" parts were pine, now quite weathered and grayed. I am not sure how to recreate this look, but may have a finisher do the touch ups, etc., as this is not my favorite work.

Well, I am just about ready to heat the glue pot and put this guy together so I can cut the runners and get after the drawers. This project takes up too much shop space to dwaddle.

[Paul Comi]

Pictures, pictures! All of us armchair quarterbacks are wondering what you're doing.

[Alan Turner]

Paul
I will try to get around to that. I am a poor photographer, and since it is not my interest, I tend to avoid it. But, that said, I do know the cardinal SMC rules. No pix, it just did not happen.

Let me tell you about the fish I almost . . .