Woodworking

I have had a life long interest in woodworking. It's been a long and sometimes winding road: gathering tools, equipment, wood, and most importantly skills. I would describe myself as an amateur professional hobbyist woodworker. Amateur in the fact I have not had any formal training in woodworking. It's mostly been trial and error, researching in books, magazines, the internet, antique shops, and furniture auctions. Professional in that I do sell what I make and have a stable client base of repeat customers. Hobbyist because I started this as therapy for myself from my IT career.

I'm still constrained by a fairly small shop, but I can make most of the things on my todo list at this point.

Direction

My interest is in furniture and the tools and techniques used to make from the 15^th Century to the early 20^th Century. Broadly speaking, pre-industrial woodworking and furniture.

I know, this covers a pretty wide range. But, as you'll see, woodworking tools changed very little from Roman times to the late 18th Century. The quality of steel (steel at all) improved over time and the design aesthetic certainly evolved, but the kit of an 18th Century American cabinetmaker would be completely familiar to the medieval cabinetmaker.

For those of you coming here to see my SCA work specifically, just know that there's a fair bit of later stuff as well. I'll label the sections to make it easier to find. But, my house is slowly being furnished with Arts & Crafts and Shaker Style furniture so there's also some support for those activities.

Links

• SCA Projects, Documentation and Articles
  • A&S Project Documentation
    • 15^th Century Ambry Project
    • Medieval Folding Chairs Research Project
  • Pre-Industrial Hand Tool Research (from Antiquity to the 18^th Century)
  • Essays on woodworking (mostly SCA-related, but aren't specific project documentation)
• Woodworking & Historical Furniture Articles, References, and Research Information
  • Random Collection of Woodworking Articles and Links
  • Selected Bibliography of useful furniture references (in progress)
  • Chemistry in the Workshop (cleaning old tools/furniture and making finishes)
  • American Period Furniture Online Resources
• Portfolio and All about Me
  • My Project Protfolio (a Google album containing both SCA & Modern projects)
  • My woodworking History
  • My woodworking Education
• My Vintage Woodworking Tool Resale Business
  • Tool Identification References (Late 18^th Century to Mid-20^th Century)
  • My eBay Vintage Tool Store