This is a cheat as i write this it is nor January but the end of
December. The workshop is winding down for our Christmas break the
only time we close in the year and i thought if i dont write this
now then, well, it wont get written. This is such a busy time
coming up to a holiday it feels like you have to paddle twice as
fast just to get a couple of weeks off with the family but i know
that it is going to be worse when we get back from vacation.
First there is that bed “The Great bed of Thame” sure M… wanted
to be involved with the design process and yes i have sent her all
the sketches as i have done them but they are in New York for
Christmas and I know that beds are not top of the agenda right now
leading up the Christmas . So i shall send the drawings to Thame
they will see them when they get back and work that could have been
done now will wait till then. Bah. This is fine but I have a chair
to design in January its for an exhibition displaying the creative
process which is nice but they have a deadline of 28th February. I
have Keith Fernley all set up to help me with this chair, Keith is
a wizard maker who comes and works here occasionally when we need
him . He has his own workshop at his home and usually works there
but comes here when I have a project suitable for his skills.
In this case he will be managing the work of two students who are
making for me in the last six months of their course. this is an
arrangement I do occasionally that enables students who are not
going to become designer makers but going to work for established
workshops to get workshop experience working with a designer. In
this case Keith is going to supervise a job that is a matched pair
of cabinets with mirrors above. This is not a terribly complex
piece but there is a lot of it and Keith needs to get hold of the
job the first week back, set them up then he can drop back onto my
chairmaking problem. I have to keep ahead of him with drawings and
ideas for models or maquettes . I have about three weeks to get
this job sorted and settled in my mind before three new students
arrive in February and I am into tool sharpening with them . I like
to work with the new students getting them handling tools
proficiently before handing them over to Daren to do work with the
machines.
STUDENTS
Its like Santas little Grotto in the Workshop at the moment
everyone is busily rushing to finish whatever it is for Christmas:
In the Tables department,Toms mum isnt going to get her English
Walnut Dining table as the veneering had a couple of “issues” to be
resolved, Elliots Maple sunburst veneered low table is galloping to
a finish but without a finish. I cant see how he can get a polish
on that table in the remaining couple of days and its the polish
thats sooooo important. Jon has just finished polishing up and
fitting drawers to his Walnut hall table so thats on target .
Jonathan Piece has also finished a lovely small Oak Cabinet so
thats a hit. If they are all still here in the New Year i will put
a couple in the next Noos Letter provided I can resolve the
technology.
TOOLS
I have just had Alex from C
lassic Handtools on the phone. Classic
are a small supplier of high quality tools that we have been
supporting for a couple of years now. They are the old fashioned
small supplier that I believe in, other websites can give us
slightly cheaper tools but Classic give us good advice and a
personal service. Alex was checking that we would be open to
recieve a delivery from america that had been delayed, [see what I
mean] and he was asking about what tools I would be recommending to
students so he could keep stock available. I dont keep a
recommended list and have never become associated with any tool
maker. We find that everyone has different needs and budgets, hand
sizes and aesthetic requirements. So I will go on not being very
helpful and confusing.
One a positive note we have found lately the Veritas are making
pretty attractive shoulder planes both a large plane and a nice
medium sized plane. The planes are comfortable to handle well
finished and with a clever set screw that locates the sideways
position of the blade, this is a critical adjustment and one that
was always needing fiddling with on other planes. There was even a
workshop custom that bench planes were put down on their sides to
protect the blade but shoulder planes were stored upright because
of this “blade issue.” Now those of us with new Veritas shoulder
planes dont have to bother. Hurray!! another great leap forward.
We have found that ordering tools from Canada can take a couple of
weeks to arrive but sometimes it can be cheaper, even with the high
carriage costs, than U K suppliers. It seems to be dependent upon
whether or not you get hit for 17.5%VAT tax on import. The
application of this seems to be totally unpredictable.
TIP OF THE MONTH
Dont eat too many Mince …… Sorry Im getting de-mob happy.
THE SELLO-TAPE CHRISTMAS TREE
This Tip isnt from Daren this month but from Greame Scott a maker I
trained many years ago that Daren worked with for some time, Greame
like Daren is an expert in veneering. Sucess in making and in my
mind true craftsmanship is in combining speed with quality. Greames
workshop in Bideford is well known for high quality and efficiency,
he does not concern himself with design for he works to
specification, to drawings so his price and efficiency is critical.
Greame was showing a new guy how to tape up a veneered panel
quickly. Two sheets of veneer had been trimmed square and straight
and needed taping up to hold them together so they could be glued
to the ground. Greame uses 2inch wide clear tape and puts one strap
about four inches long across the two veneers in the centre making
sure that the two are aligned correctly. He then tears off about
six pieces of clear tape, each about the same length and sticks a
corner of each to his forearms and shoulders perhaps three on each
side, so he looks a bit like a Sellotape Christmas tree. Having
done that he moves down the veneer another strap goes on four to
six inches away from the first, the veneers are pinched together so
no light is visible between and the tension on the strap is light,
too much tension on the strap and the veneer will pull over the
joint. Strap strap strap, strap strap strap job done.
Now Greame had taken the time to show this new guy a process, one
that had been developed over years to save time without
compromising quality, how did he feel to see that guy a hour later
tearing off one bit of tape……………
THE JAPANESE CONNECTION
I got this is in the post this morning. What a shock, I happily
point cameras at other people but get flustered when others do it
to me. This is a rare shot of me doing something useful the caption
should read “when are you going to finish that ruddy table!!”
This came from a Japanese Publisher who spent some time with us in
February. They are publishing a book, to come out in March on the
subject of Hand Craftsmanship in Wood and Furniture making and
quite rightly wanted a British workshop to be represented. THey
came , as the Japanese do, mob handed with a photographer a
translator two executives and a wild japanese craftsman who I got
on with really well, we didnt know a word of each others language
but understood perfectly, especially after a few sakis [they came
laden with gifts and lots of saki which it would have been inhospitable
not to drink….]
SHORT COURSES
When we get back we shall be mailing everyone about our short courses for 2008 get ahead of the crowd and come and see us for a week in 2008
short course info
Have a great Woodie 2008
David Savage
