Announcements
The world lost a great woodworker this week when Ronnie Young, one of SAPFM’s greatest members and Cartouche recipients left this earth to meet his maker and many lost a dear friend and mentor. Ronnie lived a full life, graduated from Tennessee Tech as a Electrical Engineer, and went to work for TVA building nuclear power plants all over the South Eastern United States. He met his wife, Marcia, in college and they had two daughters, Sarah and Laurie.
Ronnie followed his lifelong passion of building traditional American Period Furniture and sharing his knowledge of woodworking with anyone who would listen. Being an engineer, Ronnie loved working on and solving harder and harder woodworking issues. He was a master of paterae inlays and taught many classes on the subject.Ronnie was not content to just build furniture in his basement shop but wanted to share his knowledge with other woodworkers, be it through talking to friends and neighbors that passed by the open doors of his shop or at any SAPFM meeting. He loved designing, encouraging, always improving. Those are the things that he taught his students and friends. He was both a mentor and friend to countless woodworkers of all skill levels. Ronnie built hundreds of pieces of furniture based on the best elements of period furniture.
Ronnie had just moved to Pelham Alabama to be closer to his daughters and grand kids. He will be greatly missed by many.
SAPFM 2025 Phil Lowe Makers Challenge — Winners
Annually, since 2021, the Society of American Period Furniture Makers have sponsored The Phil Lowe Maker’s Challenge. This furniture making contest is open to all SAPFM members who wish to display their wood working talents. Members submit entries and must first classify their woodworking skills as Novice, Intermediate, or Expert. One winner is chosen from each of these categories by a popular vote and the winners receive a brass and wooden plaque for their accomplishment.
This year’s contest had thirteen contestants: two in the Expert Category, eight in the Intermediate Category, and three from the Novice Category. Nearly one out of every three SAPFM Members casted their vote as to whom they thought were the best in each category.
At this time, we are proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Phil Lowe Maker’s Challenge. In the Novice Category, with his Seymour Ladies Table, the winner is Phil Fallin. In the Intermediate Category, Austin Chandler won by submitting his Chippendale Garvan Carver Dressing Table. And William Thomas won the Expert Category with his Kirkpatrick Desk.
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View all entries:
https://sapfm.org/makers-challenge-2025
We need to address and correct an omission in the 2024 edition of American Period Furniture, the SAPFM annual journal: recognization of a sponsor.
Winterthur Museum is accepting registration applications until March 31st for their Craft and Conservation workshop.
The Yale University Art Gallery has made this wonderful 500-page book available for free download at the following link:
The MESDA Journal(www.mesdajournal.org) has published groundbreaking research on early southern decorative arts and material culture since 1975. Articles in the MESDA Journal are available free of charge through its website, as are digital versions of past issues published over the last forty-three years.