Classic Hand Tools

View Cart
   HomeShowsVisit UsAbout UsShippingLinksContact Us
Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterRead our Blog
 
 
 
     
   
     

    Secure Online Shopping
   
 

Secure Online Shopping

Books on Furniture Making
Jennie Alexander & Peter Follansbee, MAKE A JOINT STOOL FROM A TREE: AN INTRODUCTION TO 17TH CENTURY JOINERY Ref: BK-MAJSFAT

When it comes to exploring the shadowy history of how 17th-century furniture was built, few people have been as dogged and persistent as Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee.

For more than two decades, this unlikely pair – an attorney in Baltimore and a joiner at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts – have pieced together how this early furniture was constructed using a handful of written sources, the tool marks on surviving examples and endless experimentation in their workshops.

The result of their labour is the new Lost Art Press book “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree: An Introduction to 17th-century Joinery.” This book starts in the woodlot, wedging open a piece of green oak, and it ends in the shop with mixing your own paint using pigment and linseed oil. It’s an almost-breathtaking journey because it covers aspects of the craft that most modern woodworkers would never consider. And yet Alexander and Follansbee cover every detail of construction with such clarity that even beginning woodworkers will have the confidence to build a joint stool, an iconic piece of furniture from the 17th century.

Joint stools are a fascinating piece of British and early American furniture. Made from riven – not sawn – oak, their legs are typically turned and angled. The aprons and stretchers are joined to the legs using drawbored mortise-and-tenon joints, no glue. And the seat is pegged to the frame below. Because of these characteristics, the stools are an excellent introduction to the following skills.

• Selecting the right tools: Many of the tools of the 17th century are similar to modern hand tools – you just need fewer of them. “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” introduces you to the very basic kit you need to begin.

• Processing green oak: Split an oak using simple tools, rive the bolts into usable stock and dry it to a workable moisture content.

• Joinery and mouldings: Learn to cut mortises and tenons by hand, including the tricks to ensure a tight fit at the shoulder of the joint. Make mouldings using shop-made scratch stocks – no moulding planes required.

• Turning: Though some joint stools were decorated with simple chamfers and chisel-cut details, many were turned. Learn the handful of tools and moves you need to turn period-appropriate details.

• Drawboring: Joint stools are surprisingly durable articles of furniture. Why? The drawbored mortise-and-tenon joint. This mechanical joint is rarely used in contemporary furniture. Alexander and Follansbee lift the veil on this technique and demonstrate the steps to ensure your joint stool will last 400 years or so.

• Finishing: Many joint stools were finished originally with paint. You can make your own using pigments and linseed oil. The right finish adds a translucent glow that no gallon of latex can ever provide.

“Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” is also the long-awaited follow-up to Alexander’s 1978 book “Make a Chair from a Tree,” which has been out of print for many years. “Make a Chair from a Tree” inspired generations of woodworkers to pick up hand tools and the skills required to use them. That book was one of the essential sparks that ignited the resurgence of handwork we are experiencing today.

This new book – Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” – is sure to inspire many more and give woodworkers a fuller understanding of how furniture can and should be made with hand tools.

“Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” is printed in the United States on acid-free paper with a sewn binding. This 128-page book is in full colour, with more than 200 photos and a dozen illustrations. “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” is in an oversized 9” x 12” format, covered in dark blue cloth and has a full-colour dust jacket. 


Price: £34.95
Jennie Alexander & Peter Follansbee, MAKE A JOINT STOOL FROM A TREE: AN INTRODUCTION TO 17TH CENTURY JOINERY

Quantity:  


NEW Mark Ripley, MAKING FURNITURE Ref: CHT16387

In this inspirational compilation of projects and plans from Furniture & Cabinetmaking magazine, quintessential British cabinetmaker Mark Ripley offers practical guidance, with some refreshing and innovative approaches and tricks of the trade. Mark’s furniture has classic vernacular lines which give it broad appeal, and his work is achievable and not too challenging for a competent furniture maker. With projects ranging from a simple dining table to a grand, more ambitious Robert Adams-style breakfront bookcase, there is something here for all tastes and abilities. 30 varied projects are each explained fully and complemented with fine photography and detailed plans.

 


Price: £19.99
NEW Mark Ripley, MAKING FURNITURE

Quantity:  


Doug Stowe, RUSTIC FURNITURE BASICS Ref: 18181

Rustic furniture has an earthly charm that evokes cabins in the woods and country hideaways. Easy to make, rustic furniture is also “green” through incorporating reclaimed and found materials. In this step-by-step project book, an award-winning woodworker and teacher shows how to use materials collected from the outdoors or recycled from old buildings to make one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture. Every technique is detailed, from cutting round mortises and tenons to making a webbed seat, weaving twigs, traditional joinery and more. Heirloom-quality projects include a storage chest, chairs, tables and other attractive and useful pieces. Design alternatives show how to apply the basic techniques to other projects. 


Price: £16.99
Doug Stowe, RUSTIC FURNITURE BASICS

Quantity:  


MAKING FURNITURE MASTERPIECES Franklin H. Gottshall Ref: CHT 0162

Step-by-step instructions with isometric drawings and photographs with detailed drawings of parts for 30 projects ranging from: a simple dovetailed box through a gateleg table; refectory table; corner cupboard; four poster walnut bed; treadle loom; Queen Anne hall table to a Chippendale highboy. Skills such as carving, inlaying, veneering, upholstery and finishing are described and related to each piece

350 x 230 mm. 276 pp. 2 pp. colour photographs 75 b&w photographs each accompanied by multiple drawings. Paperback. 


Price: £14.95
MAKING FURNITURE MASTERPIECES Franklin H. Gottshall

Quantity:  


TABLES - Anthony Guidice Ref: CHT 9316

10 classic projects from America's top craftsmen with 10 clasic projects from historic pieces to contemparary styles. Contents include: Table building basics; Shaker candle stand; End table; Hallway table; Shaker sewing table; Oval coffe table; Glass-top display table; Arts and Crafts coffe table; Classic console table; Sturdy kitchen table; Danish farmer's trestle table. There are ste-by-step instructions, including cutting lists,and clear illustrations,

275 x 225 mm. 170 pp. 178 ilustrations both, photographic and drawings, in colour and b&w. pb.
 


Price: £14.95
TABLES - Anthony Guidice

Quantity:  


CHESTS OF DRAWERS - Bill Hylton Ref: CHT 9302

Examples and techniques of drawer and chest-making from some of America's best craftsmen. Plans, cutitng lists,instruction and guidelines for making seven projects from historic pieces to contemporary styles with clear illustrations throughout. There are numerous tips and jigs are described to use for all your projects.

275 x 230 mm. 192 pp. 140 photographs and 50 b&w illustrations. pb. 


Price: £19.95
CHESTS OF DRAWERS - Bill Hylton

Quantity:  


ARTS AND CRAFTS FURNITURE - Danny Proulx - Projects you can build for the home Ref: CHT 0059

Here are 15 different American Arts & Crafts pieces after the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley, Oscar Onken and Charles Limbert. How to choose the wood and obtain the hardware, what tools to use, including modern ones, how to make the joints and how to apply the finish. Included in this range of projects are a Stickley writing desk, mirror and tea tray, a Limbert pedestal and bookstand, a Lloyd Wright print stand and an Onken book stand

280 x 215 mm. 128 pp. Illustrated throughout with both colour photographs and drawings of plans. Paperback. 


Price: £14.95
ARTS AND CRAFTS FURNITURE - Danny Proulx - Projects you can build for the home

Quantity:  


BUILT-IN FURNITURE - Jim Tolpin Ref: CHT 9319

"Built-In Furniture will have you walking from room to room, fantasizing about built-in projects that you could construct yourself" amazon.com. Contents include: Architectural furniture; Designing built-ins; Principles of built-in construction; Foyers and living rooms; Dining rooms; Kitchens; Rooms for reading and entertainment; Home offices; Family rooms; Utility rooms; Bedrooms; Contributors. Illustrations and drawings are instructional.

286 x 234 mm. 224 pp. 150 colour photographs and 70 b&w drawings. pb. with flaps.
 


Price: £19.95
BUILT-IN FURNITURE - Jim Tolpin

Quantity: