Woodworking In America - Weekend

I spent the weekend at Woodworking In America 2014 in the SAPFM booth helping out.  I had a great time meeting new members of SAPFM. And hopefully inviting a few new members.

Ken Johnson was in charge of the booth.  And I got a picture of him here demonstrating my Sandusky 119 plow plane.

The fellow to his right was from Taiwan, so I don't think he will become a member.

We had some furniture on display.  Freddy Roman's beautiful dresser, and of course my Goddard Card Table.

 Mary May was across the aisle from us and I was able to get her to create a Twitter account this weekend.  So now she is part of the 21st century.  ;-) Watch for her posts.

I am going on vacation for a couple of weeks, so not much going on here for a while.
Catch you later.

Townsend or Goddard Table is Finished

I got tired of waiting for the tung oil to age, so I started rubbing it out yesterday.  It has been a week since I applied the last coat.  I rubbed it out with 0000 steel wool,  applied a paste wax and polished with an old t-shirt.

For those who are interested I clocked the screw heads on the hardware.

I reassembled the table top to the frame by putting the table buttons back in the same holes.

So there we have it all done.

I like it. Now what am I going to do with it.  Keep it or sell it.
Here is today's video:

Starting a New Project - Curved Blockfront Dressing Table

I have decided to make the curved blockfront dressing table that I found in several books.  The best information I located was in New England Furniture at Winterthur.  I have the overall dimensions and a couple of pictures, so I should be able to figure it out.

This is the mahogany one that is at Winterthur.

 This is a walnut table with ball and claw feet in a private collection. Great picture.

I get started by making blowups of the pictures to actual size if I can.  This allows me to take measurements off of the pictures, plus a little guessing.

I have an old HP 36" plotter which allows up to 36" x 44" prints which helps.

I have started to make the full size drawings, it helps me think through the construction and of course the dimensions.

I am going to make the front, side and top view because there is a lot of curves to figure out in this one. Look's like I am going to need some 12/4 mahogany for the legs but I think I have the rest of the material that I need.

So here is today's video:

Looking into a New Project - The Fun Begins

With only having to rub out the current project. It is time to start to look into what to make next.  I started to look through the many books that I have on 18th century furniture.   As well as online like the Yale Art Gallery.  Here is one that caught my eye in Williamsburg this last May.

This is a Philadelphia piece from around 1720, said to be William and Mary style, the turned legs are not all one piece.  They are attached under the apron frame as well as the bottom at the stretcher.  It has exposed dovetails on the sides.  So it is not too sturdy.  Here is another of  similar style from Yale.

Both are Walnut.  Construction is similar.
I like the lines of both pieces but not the construction.  I could improve on the construction by using a one piece leg and mortise the front and sides into the leg but then I think it would change the look a bit.

So I kept looking....  I found this in New England Furniture at Winterthur.

Curved Blockfront Lowboy in mahogany.  Looks interesting.

And from The Cabinetmaker and Carver book

This one is very similar, it is made from walnut with small ball and claw feet.
I think I like the pad foot better.  The two pieces are suspected to be from the same Boston shop but it is all conjecture.  Believed to be from about 1745-1760.
The dimensions are 31H x 33 1/2W x 21 3/4 D.  These are the top dimensions.  The case of course is slightly smaller.   Both are similar in size.  Both are double pinned in leg rail.  I have enough mahogany left over from the last project to make it.   I also have some walnut but would have to get some wide  material for the top.  I will think about it.  Walnut lightens over time and I really like the look of this antique walnut. I could probably make the mahogany this color when I finish the piece.

I have made a block front bureau so I am familiar with the style and construction of the drawer fronts. This is the bureau pictures below.

So the first thing to do is make a full size drawing.  The cabriolet legs in the top picture are thin and do not have a lot of curve.   Do you  think Winterthur would let me come and measure and trace the leg?????  If Yale had the piece I am sure they would.

Waiting for the Paint to Dry or Tung Oil

I have applied all of the coats of Waterlox that I intend to apply.  I am satisfied with the surface as it is right now.  Now I have to wait for the Waterlox to cure before I do the final rub out and then paste wax.

 Usually this takes about a week or more for it to get a little harder.  Some people wait a month.
I am not that patient.  Oxygen is what cures the tung oil so I have a fan blowing near the pieces to help circulate the air.  The finish is no longer tacky so dust is not a problem with the fan blowing.

So, this project is almost complete.  I have the plans that I drew for the table and a couple of pictures I copied from books about the table with the knee carving pattern.

 I have tried to post pdf's here in the past and I have not been able to figure it out.  So, I you want a copy of the pdf's send me an email to dboeff@sbcglobal.net and I'll send them to you.

BTW I think this is a Goddard  table even though I have called it a Townsend table all the way through.  I am told that the way to tell is by the feet but I can not tell the difference.

Now I have to find a new project.