Thanks for your posting, Adam. In my naiveté, I thought such a formal body or organization must surely exist. When finding none, I posted on the SMC forum (Neanderthal -- hand tool group) asking if folks would like to create a group dedicated to the pursuit of traditional methods and techniques for woodworking in the 18th & 19th centuries. Although several respondents thought it would be of interest, the majority of posters believed that the current hand tool forum was a sufficient venue for such exchange. At least the SMC generated some responses; my query to SAPFM revealed even less interest.
The desire is for more than simply how to use what tools in what circumstances. Rather, it is the desire to understand -- as Adam writes, the Arts and Mysteries of the craft of centuries-old cabinetmaking. What influenced their design decisions? What were the driving economic, political and aesthetic factors that influenced decisions in commerce, material choice, tool availability, etc.?
The fact that, today, we as craftsmen, hobbyists, artists, et al, spend vast sums of money for modern tools (router bits, jigs, etc.) and training (any number of week-long schools) to learn how to build a replica of something like a Secretary is an enormous tribute to the original artisan who produced it under (by today's standards) somewhat primitive conditions. I believe that our technology -- while making such a reproduction easier and within the reach of many -- has wrongly emphasized tolerance and precision at the expense of the aesthetic choices of the original creator. Many of these on-line forums drone on endlessly about tool purchases, or mundane activities like sharpening, etc. Not to say that these aren't useful discussions on occasion, but it's disconcerting when people are unable to differentiate between the desire to learn about period craftsmanship and merely using old tools. For those with little desire for inquiry, the mechanical triumphs artistry every time.
I would hope that the current “net” association – as Adam has described it – of those pursuing these questions would transform into a formal and cohesive body with a purpose more noble and enlightening than just instructing “how-to”.
Allan