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''Family Tree of Chairs'' Letterpress Poster
The "Family Tree of Chairs" is an original piece of art made by Lee John Phillips of Wales that was first printed as the endpapers for "The Stick Chair Book" by Christopher Schwarz. The "Family Tree" shows the development of chair forms through the centuries – from a tree stump all the way to the more complex types, such as the high-style Chippendale chairs and a...
Making Things Work: Tales From a Cabinetmaker's Life
By Nancy R. Hiller
Furniture making, once a basic way to earn a living through an arrangement between makers and clients, has been discovered, like a rosy-cheeked girl plucked from a dairy farm in Devon and made over into a London model
For many of us, making furniture and cabinetry is still a way to earn a living, however marginal. We may do what we love every day, to paraphrase the marketing...
Shop Tails: The Animals Who Help Us Make Things Work
By Nancy R. Hiller
In this singular collection of essays, Nancy Hiller relates the ways in which non-human animals – some companions, others wild or raised on farms – have provided warmth and comfort, prompted laughter and offered examples of courage or composure in the face of distressing events.
“Shop Tails” is a loving tribute to the animals whose lives have been intertwined...
The Difference Makers
by Marc Adams
Thanks to the internet, you can see a lot of interesting work with ease. But it’s easy to forget that the vast majority of the images on your screen are of pieces that are derivative, merely acceptable in their craftsmanship and were made by people at the beginning of their journey.
When you encounter true greatness it is shocking, inspiring and a bit humbling. The hair on...
The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke
by Monroe Robinson
Millions of North American TV viewers first met Dick Proenneke through the programme “Alone in the Wilderness,” which documents Dick’s 30 year adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. On the shores of Twin Lakes, Dick built his cabin and nearly all of the household objects he required to survive, from the ingenious wooden hinges on his front door to the metal ice...
James Krenov: Leave Fingerprints
By Brendan Bernhardt Gaffney
James Krenov (1920-2009) was one of the most influential woodworking writers, instructors and designers of the 20th century. His best-selling books – starting with “A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook” – inspired tens of thousands of people to pick up the tools and build things to the highest standard.
Yet, little is known about his life, except...
Hands Employed Aright
By Joshua A. Klein
Jonathan Fisher (1768-1847) was the first settled minister of the frontier town of Blue Hill, Maine. Harvard-educated and handy with an axe, Fisher spent his adult life building furniture for his community. Fortunately for us, Fisher recorded every aspect of his life as a woodworker and minister on the frontier.
In this book, author Joshua A. Klein, the founder of , examines...
Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!
By Roy Underhill
Roy Underhill of PBS's "The Woodwright's Shop" has written what could be the world's firstever woodworking novel: "Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!" It's a screwball comedy set in 1937 about a woodworker who heads the U.S. government's agricultural "Broadcast Research" division.
Along with his staff of four women (all severely...
Edwin Skull Chair Poster, Circa 1865
One of the most delightful images Chris Schwarz has turned up in his research on historical chairs is a broadsheet printed by the Edwin Skull chair company in High Wycombe. The colour image features 141 of the chairs offered by the firm, including the “Skull’s Patent Plectaneum Chair,” a famous folding chair.
The Skull firm traces its roots back to Charles Skull (1780–1851),...
Grandpa's Workshop
By Maurice Pommier
This 48-page book has been translated by Brian Anderson, an American-born writer and woodworker who lives and works in France. It is ostensibly a book for children, though the stories, lessons and drawing style will appeal to anyone who has an appreciation for the natural and the fantastical.
Pommier paints an unbroken line of craftsmen from a French family, and he traces the...
Stanley Catalogue No. 34
More than 100 years ago, Stanley Tools printed handsome catalogues that illustrated the company's woodworking and carpentry tools with detailed illustrations and descriptions of how the tools worked.
Though few of these catalogues survive, they are an invaluable source of information for hand-tool users, offering exploded parts lists of complex tools - such as the No. 45 plane - and advice on...