David Conley
Well-known member
Society of American Period Furniture Makers
Ohio River Valley Chapter
2009 Spring Meeting
Woodcraft Store, Columbus, OH
Ohio River Valley Chapter
2009 Spring Meeting
Woodcraft Store, Columbus, OH
We had another wonderful chapter meeting in Columbus, OH. Everyone enjoyed the presentations and camaraderie. We had approximately 45 people attend from IN, MI, WV, VA, KY, PA and OH.
A Very Special Thanks to Ruth and Jim Bumgarder for being such wonderful hosts and opening up their store to us!! Special Thanks to Charles Murray who took care of all the logistics including lunch, dinner, and the hotel.
As always, I would like to thank each presenter for stepping up and doing a great job!! In addition, we had a lot of lively discussions during the presentations with other methods and tips being discussed. A BIG THANK YOU to all of the presenters and to all those who added to the discussions.
We started our meeting with Show & Tell, we had some very fine and unique pieces including a Child’s Windsor Chair and a carving chisel cabinet by Bob Compton, Bread Tray by Russ Tipton, highlights including carved rosettes and the prospect case from a Secretary that Brooke Smith is building for himself, Spice Box by John Herrel, a Bible Box by Glen Jewell, Dressing Mirror by Dick Kammerer, and a Blanket Chest by Allen McNeal.
Before we started our demonstrations, Jim Bumgarder treated us to a Saw Stop demonstration in which he attempted to run a hotdog through the saw. “I Believe” (See pictures)
The demonstrations started out with Glen Jewell doing a very interesting talk about the Federal Period, and what influenced the design. First, we had just won the Revolutionary War and there was a patriotic euphoria for anything Americana. A second major influence was moving the meals out of the kitchen and into their own separate room (a formal dinning room). Third, the High Style of the day being influenced a prominent architect, Robert Adams. Robert Adams built buildings using a neoclassical styled and then contracted out furniture to some of the more famous furniture makers including: Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton. Thus, Robert Adams helped to bring in the neoclassical style to furniture. The remainder of Glen’s talk was about how he makes a highly stylized leg for a Federal Card Table. This included how to shape the leg, make the inlay string. From there, he talked about how to cut the straight lines and arcs for the inlay. Because the center point of the arcs is not on the leg itself, Glen showed us the jig he used to swing these arcs. He also talked about how to cut and inset berries and bell flowers.
During the Fall meeting, Dick Reese brought in a really nice Spice Box for Show and Tell. This demonstration was on how he made that Spice Box. Dick started out talking about the design and layout of the intricate door panels and what to watch out for. He also showed us several rejected panels and why they were rejects. The layout of these panels is extremely precise. Everything has to be within 1/64-in tolerance or it really become obvious on the completed panel. Also, many of the techniques that Dick used were similar to those that Glen demonstrated. So, Dick concentrated on what he did differently. This contrasts in methods is one of the things that really makes these demonstrations (and audience participation) so valuable to the membership. Dick had several neat modifications to his inlay tools. First, he added a miniature LED light to a Stuart-McDonald router base. Second, was replacing the Stuart-McDonald aluminum router base with a clear lexan plate on his circle jig. Finally, he kept his glue syringe for drying out by placing it into his glue bottle (see pictures).
I gave the third demonstration on making a Scraper Spokeshave and other tools. These Scraper Spokeshaves are a very useful tool when you are working on a convex or concaved surface and are worried about tearout. I started off the demonstration by showing several different styles of these scrapers that I have collected. After making several of the shave, I showed how to make them with a few simple cuts, threaded inserts, adding a wear surface (boxwood). Next, I talked about the difference between a hard scraper blade versa a soft (fileable) scraper blade and how that changes the design. I also showed a different styled scraper used to thickness inlay stringing and a cabinet scraper.
The fourth demonstration was by Bob Mustain on how to make complex molding using molding planes. Bob started off with a good discussion about how to sharpen complex plane irons, including how bevel the sides of the irons and the slips (sharpening stone) he uses. Next, Bob showed us the jig he uses to hold the molding steady when he is working the molding plane. A nice feature of this jig is the adjustable bench dog (wood screws) for holding the molding and finally, this jig is reversible for when you have to plane in the opposite direction. Finally, Bob demonstrated how he makes a complex molding.
The final demonstration was by Jim Crammond on using Profile Scrapers for irregular molding. Jim started off by showing a few scrapers that he uses. He starts with a simple block and cuts a slot in it. The scraper is then pressed into the wooden block and adjusted with a few taps. Jim then talked about shaping and sharpening the scrapers with hand files. Next, Jim talked about how to make the molding profile for the inside of something like a pie crust table. The first step is to rough in the shape with carving tools and/or spokeshaves. The final step is to clean up the molding profile with the scraper, By removing the bulk of the material before using the scraper, you prolong the life of the scraper.
As with all of the Chapter meetings, I am continually impressed with the accumulated knowledge and talent we have in our group. The quality and educational value of these demonstrations are on par with the best conferences out there. Our size allows us to get up close and personal with the presenters. It was truly another wonderful experience sharing knowledge and fellowship.
The next meeting (Fall 2009) will be at the University of Rio Grande in Rio Grande, OH on September 25 and 26th, 2009.