Spring 1 2012 Meeting Photos

[Bill Minnick]

For the meeting's Show & Tell, Peter Howell brought a walnut jewelry box and explained the techniques used in its construction. He decorated the top with a line & berry inlay design using holly stringing. Peter used a CAD program to create the inlay pattern. Using a router and a circle-cutting jig with a pivot pin, Peter cut the arcs.

 

[Bill Minnick]

David Boeff brought to the meeting an outstanding desk-on-frame that he built in 2011. David used Tiger Maple as the primary wood. He based the design for the desk on one displayed at Yale University. To suit his personal tastes, he also incorporated design elements from other similar pieces. The gallery was based on a desk displayed at Winterthur. David's wife liked the desk so much; she requested that he build a chair for it. Naturally, David responded and brought the finished Boston Queen Anne-style side chair to the meeting.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Steve Arnold shows the group a walnut spice box that he built. He even shows the group the secret compartments that he added to the piece.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Jim Crammond shows the group a spoon, butter knife and spatula that he built while conducting a hands-on class that his daughter asked him to teach. To Jim's surprise, she invited eighteen of her friends to attend. All were first-time woodworkers that wanted to build something out of wood. For the class project, Jim picked wooden cooking utensils. Jim supplied the square blanks, provided the hand tools and instructed the group step-by-step in how to make the utensils. Everyone had a great time, and Jim highly recommends that we all try to get more first time woodworkers involved in our wonderful hobby.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Although not period furniture, John Herrel brought two beautiful pencil holders to the meeting. He segmented different species of wood together, turned the blanks and applied the finish on a lathe.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Paul Sanow discusses how he built a Sheraton field bed out of mahogany and birdseye maple inlay. He brought in one of the bedpost legs and explained how he used a segmented turning process to make the post. He also brought in pictures of his completed bed. He did most of joinery work by hand except for drilling the holes for the mortises on a drill press.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Dick Kammerer brought to the meeting the upper chest from a spectacular Bombay Chest that he recently finished. He used 1/16 inch veneer for the face surfaces of the drawers and sides. Topping the chest is a hand carved Phoenix bird.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Bob Compton shows the group pictures of the southern corner cupboard that he built. He used ash and finished the piece with milk paints followed by shellac. The 1745 original is in the Williamsburg collection.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Allan McNeel explains the process for sharpening a card scraper.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Allan clamps a card scraper in a vise and uses a scrap of wood as a rest for his diamond mini-hone sharpeners. Then he sharpens the edge at 90 degrees to the faces.

 

[Bill Minnick]

With the card scraper resting flat on the bench and extending a couple of inches past the bench's edge, Allan uses a burnishing tool held at 10 to 20 degrees to draw the edge. If the corner is sharp, you don't have to press very hard and only four to six strokes are needed.

 

[Bill Minnick]

When sharpening a gooseneck scraper, Allan attaches a small block of wood to the diamond mini-hone sharpener to help maintain a 90 degree angle. He then sharpens the edge.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Allan uses a slip stone to sharpen the inside radius edges. He also suggests wrapping sandpaper around a dowel to sharpen inside edges.

 

[Bill Minnick]

John Fitzpatrick shows the group a profile scraper that he made from two scrap pieces of wood and a thick, wide, band saw blade. The cutter is held between the two wood sides by two bolts. He filed the bead profile into the metal blade. John used this profile scraper to form an edge around a curved furniture part.

 

[Bill Minnick]

Allan demonstrates using his shop-made profile scraper made from a block of wood with the cutter screwed into the end. The blade was made from card scraper stock. Shown are profile scrapers that others brought to the meeting.

 

[Bill Minnick]

One attendee uses a metal cutoff wheel to remove the bulk of the metal for a scraper profile.

 

[Bill Minnick]

George Walker discusses his best selling videos: Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design and Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design: Moldings.

 

[Bill Minnick]

George draws a cornice and describes its three parts: cymatium, corona (crown) and bed molding (a brace supporting an overhang). On classic furniture molding, the designer would often eliminate one of the three parts like the corona.

 

[Bill Minnick]

George draws three facial angles (60, 45 and 35 degrees) and explains how the molding needs to be tilted, so it can be viewed properly.

 

[Bill Minnick]

George explains proportions by dividing molding into parts to form minor and major parts.