Valley Forge — Sandal Woods

September 28, 2010 By Al Navas

A little push for Woodworking in America – 17th century carving

If you are still on the fence about attending Woodworking in America this year, don’t wait any longer. I trust what follows will change your mind.

First, class sessions are sold out – you won’t be able to attend, as you simply cannot register for any courses. Registration closed a while back.

What is still available? The Exhibitor Marketplace, of course! Click here to read an article by Christopher Schwarz – you will get to meet Tommy MacDonald, Rob Cosman, Reto Odermatt, and Don Webber; in fact, they will be “permanent fixtures” for the duration of the Marketplace!

And if you have not considered attending the conference this year, maybe this article will make you want to attend next year. For example, a 17th century carved box by Peter Follansbee, which he shared with us during his hands-on session at Valley Forge, in the 2009 edition of the conference:

Carved box by Peter Follansbee.

If looking at this box still does not sway you to plan to attend, maybe the following video will help change your mind. I extracted 20 minutes from Peter’s 90-minute hands-on session at Valley Forge. This is the value you get when you attend the conference: you get a unique chance to watch, and to work with, the principal woodworkers invited to lead the hands-on sessions. The close-up exchange of ideas, the question – answer environment, is a terrific way to learn during the conference.

Enjoy this video! And Please let me know if you like what you see – details of carving, Peter’s technique to quickly make a tenon using a large chisel, his drawboring technique, etc. — Al Navas

I hope to meet many of you in Cincinnati. Have a safe drive!

January 11, 2010 By Al Navas

Woodworking in America at Valley Forge: The all-powerful joinery planes, with Adam Cherubini

Download this episode in Quicktime format
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Duration: 23:11 minutes

I had never met Adam Cherubini, until the Woodworking in America conference at Valley Forge (October 2-4, 2009). I regularly read his column, the Arts & Mysteries blog at Popular Woodworking magazine; as a result, I looked forward to his presentation at the conference. I was not disappointed; this was a learning experience for me, an experience I brought back to my own, hybrid, power-tool and (incipient) hand-tool shop.

To start the presentation, Cherubini sat in front of the audience and chatted with attendees for a while. His style is totally disarming, and erudite. When he grabbed the hand planes, he became an authority on period tools, and on the techniques. I don’t believe anyone present knew, or grasped, until he mentioned it, that a craftsman of the era typically dealt with as many as 65 hand planes! By last count, he had introduced approximately 20 at the end of his presentation.

I hope my editing skills do not betray the quality of Cherubini’s presentation. It was truly outstanding. It was fascinating to see a tongue and a groove (T&G) emerge from previously flat edges on boards – quite a difference from using my T&G router bits on the router table, and just as fast. As you watch the video, notice how sharp his vintage tool irons are; he even comments about this, from an experience at a session he attended in which some modern premium hand planes were used.

If you ever have a chance, plan to attend one of the conferences, and watch Adam Cherubini in action. I enjoyed it, and I know you will, too.

— Al Navas

October 31, 2009 By Al Navas

Woodworking in America at Valley Forge: A 17th century carved box by Peter Follansbee

I invite you to step back in time. Step back to the 17th century, please, and admire the carving in this little box by Peter Follansbee; the attention to detail in the delicately scalloped edges of the lid; and the joinery, enhanced by the beautiful nails used to assemble the box.

I also recommend Peter’s web site, and his blog. In them he documents his work, and his “Joiner’s Notes”.

Thanks for sharing your work with, us, Peter. I look forward to learning so much from you!

And for my readers: This is intended strictly to whet your appetite. I have video of Peter’s sessions at the conference, both his formal presentation, and the hands-on-session. I think you will like those two!

Update: My thanks to Bob Easton for suggesting in the Comments section that I start including something in the photos, to give an idea of size of an object. Bob, I will find something, I promise! In the meantime, I called Peter and got the (approximate) dimensions for the box shown above: it is 5-1/2 inches high; 12-1/2 inches wide; and 7-1/2 inches deep. He gave these from memory, as he had already made a second one, and he remembered these dimensions as being quite close.

—— Al Navas