Shaker Roundstand Raffle

As I  mentioned in the May post,  the Sabbathday Lake Shakers and Friends of the Shakers are raising funds to upgrade the library vault, storage areas and preservation of important manuscripts.

I’ve donated this reproduction of the rarest of Shaker round stands, a ca. 1830 design.  Only one  is known to exist in the collection of the American Museum in Bath, England.It has been described as “the finest stand  (made) in America.”  Solid black cherry, hand dovetailed, with a tapered and flared post, round support collar, metal spider underneath, and it comes with a 20013 Silver Eagle.

Raffle tickets are $3.00 each, or 4 for $10.00, checks payable to the United Society of Shakers,  707 Shaker Rd., New Gloucester, ME 04260 ,  Attention: Anniversary campaign.  Here is your opportunity to have a chance to own a Becksvoort piece for only $10.,  and  support the Shakers at the same time.  What could be better?  C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

June 2013

Weather wise, June was not so great.  Lots of rain and humidity.  Not the best conditions for woodworking.  In the shop, things were better.  I finally finished the Butler’s Desk, which turned out very well. It was interesting enough to be turned into a FWW article, due out later this year.  As mentioned previously, it was a challenge, fitting the quadrant stays, hinges, catches and lock.  The four small interior drawers and three pigeon holes make this a really useful and efficient desk.   The piece was shot at the 1794 Shaker Meeting House at Sabbathday Lake, ME.

Speaking of the Shakers, the museum director, Leonard L. Brooks retired this month.  The retirement party was a joyous occasion, with delicious food, lots of friends and wonderful speeches.  We were all most honored to have the Portland String Quartet  provide music, finishing up with a wonderful rendition of “Simple Gifts”.  Not even the rain could put a damper on the festivities.

On June 15 and 16 I had a chance to teach at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, in Warren, ME.  We made a white pine Shaker 3- step stool, using only hand tools (except a band saw to cut the arches).  The parts were pre-glued, but had to be planed smooth.  Then we laid out, sawed and chiseled dovetails for the three steps and four braces.  The class was sold out months ago, and all 15 participants worked hard, and enjoyed a weekend of woodworking.  Everyone had their stool ready for gluing and assembly by the time the class ended.  My thanks to Thomas, Deneb, and  Marta for making this a successful workshop.

C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

DVD to Accompany “With The Grain”

The DVD A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood, has finally been released!

“Learn to predict seasonal movement in your stock so that you can build furniture that allows the wood to move without damaging your work. In this DVD, Christian Becksvoort explains the anatomy and structure of wood, the interplay of wood and water, and how to predict wood movement.

Chris then draws upon his 50 years of woodworking experience to offer specific techniques for designing and constructing furniture that will survive seasonal changes: how to allow tabletops to move, how to put a case together, and other day to day tips and hints that you can use in your furniture making.”

This DVD is an ideal companion to Chris’ book, With The Grain.  It is available from me, or from Lie-Neilsen Toolworks http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1320

85 minutes, DVD. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Productions, 2013.    $25.

May 2013

May is always a magic month.  It takes us from muddy April to summertime.  This year was no exception.  We had an actual spring.  After a week of steady rain, the leaves appeared  and  lilacs were in full bloom.

This year I had the opportunity to teach at Haystack, a magic place full of creative people.  There were wonderful projects made,  and after hours I had a chance to visit other studios.  My favorite was the blacksmith shop.  First, it was warm there (it gets chilly on the Maine coast in May), second, several folks brought scotch and beer, but most fascinating was the work being done.  Dereck Glaser, http://www.dereckglaser.com/, the instructor showed us how to forge-weld:  taking two rods, heating the ends, making a curve, then a loop, forging them together, then taking the two rod ends and sliding them through the loops to make a figure “8”, flattening them and riveting them together.  I discovered a whole new craft. Amazing, astounding, and fascinating.  If it didn’t require so many new tools and a new shop, I’d try my hand a blacksmithing.

The following Monday and Tuesday several of us stayed to get the wood shop organized, tuning machines, sharpening tools, and building small project for the rest of the campus.  It’s always a fun and rewarding experience.  The food and scenery are enough to keep us coming back year after year.

May is also the time for Shaker Work weekend.  the Friends of the Shakers get together for a Saturday before the museum opens to weed, cut lawns, install screens, move furniture, cut brush and trees, paint and generally get the Sabbathday Lake community ready for the summer season.  It’s a chance to help out, to re-connect with folks we see but once or twice a year, and indulge in a wonderful noon day meal with the Shakers and Friends.  This year three of us spent the better part of a morning cutting and trimming a partially fallen Mulberry tree covered with Virginia creeper and raspberry canes.  Hot, sweaty work, but the corner behind the library near the orchard looks much neater and cleaner.

Speaking of the Shakers, the Friends are organizing an Anniversary Campaign (230 years since the founding of the Sabbathday lake community, 130 years since the founding of the Shaker library, 240 years since the arrival of Shakers in America, and the 75th anniversary of Sr. Frances Carr) to raise funds for the library.  The document vault will be enlarged and updated, with more storage space, with additional expenditures for conservation projects.  I am contributing a Shaker cherry round stand to be raffled off to raise funds.  Stay tuned for more information and details.

In the shop, I’m working on a Shaker Butler’s desk: the top drawer pulls out, and the front folds down to expose four small drawers and 3 pigeon holes.  The brass quadrant stays were a real challenge to install, as were the hinges and caches.  Neither the maker of the hardware, the internet or any of my books gave any vital details.  So this will be a perfect subject for an upcoming Fine Woodworking article.

C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

April 2013

April is almost over, and spring is definitely on the way.  Each year it’s always such a pleasant surprise: the early sunrises, warmer temperatures, the return of the birds, and the blooming of the first bulbs, first the snow drops and snow flakes, then the early crocuses, followed by daffodils, scillas, and huge patches of violets and the trout lilies.  The “peent” of woodcocks start just after sundown, followed shortly thereafter by the  spring peepers.

This year the Maine Crafts Association had a group booth at CraftBoston.  I was juried in, along with three jewelers.  It was not a great week to be in Boston, with the tragedy at the Marathon, the the lock-down on Friday.  The show was cut short by one day.  But what a show it was, with some of the best crafts-people  from New England and around the country: glass, clothes, baskets, furniture, pottery, jewelry,  mixed media, leather and metal.  There was even a custom shoe maker. In my section of the booth, the wall shelf, music stand and the 15-drawer chest received the most attention. CraftBoston is definitely one of the nicest shows I’ve had the privilege to be part of.

C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

 

2013 Catalog

Finally!  It’s been years since the last catalog.  I finally collected all the new pieces, had last minute photos taken, decided what to include, what to leave out, arranged and re-arranged, made a paper mock up, wrote the copy, sorted and labeled all the photos.  I enlisted the help of a graphic designer who put the 32 pages onto a disc ready for the printer.  Price lists and envelopes will be picked up this week, and the catalogs should start heading for the post office next week.

Past clients will of course get the first copies.

C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

March 2013

We never know what to expect in March.  The temperature can vary from the mid 50s to near zero.  The maple buckets and tubes are out and the snow is receding, although there is more on the way. 

Saturday March 30 from 1-4 pm, I had  an Open House at my shop.  The new book With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood , was well received.   Also a few prototype tables, chairs and even a small cabinet were for sale at reduced prices.  Plus the ever popular Elise cookies and cider. Friends, acquaintances, and clients all had a good time visiting

It’s been busy in the shop.  The bookcase and four Haystack chairs went to Washington, DC.  The DVD which is to accompany the book is getting the finishing touches.  Robin, from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks was here to photograph a few still shots, for clarity.  While shooting, we heard noises in the chimney, and discovered another visitor.  A barred owl had found its way down the chimney and couldn’t get out.  With my heavy duty work gloves I managed to get the big bird out of the ash clean-out door.  Robin got a few great pictures.  None the worse for wear, it flew into a nearby sugar maple, and shook its feathers to clear the soot.  After a bit more shaking, preening and regaining its dignity, it quietly took off into the woods.

You never know who, or what, will stop by the shop.

C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

February 2013

February 2013 turned out to be the “Almost ” month. First, we almost broke the snowfall record.  On the 8th and 9th we had 29″ of powder.  Quite the northeaster, but it arrived on a weekend and almost got us a snow day.  The rest of the month produced another 22″, on three more occasions, the last heavy and wet.

In the shop, I completed a six foot bookcase with a drawer, and almost finished four Haystack chairs.  These will be upholstered in dark green leather and will be going to DC in March.

A set of 3 DVDs that were shot 3 years a go were supposed to be ready,  almost up and running,  in March.  Likewise, “With the Grain”, printed February 20, hasn’t shown up yet, and almost made it in February.  It is being shipped as I write.  For more info, go to http://www.lostartpress.com/With_the_Grain_by_Christain_Becksvoort_p/bk-wtg.htm

C. H. Becksvoort © 2013

With the Grain

 

New from Lost Art Press: ‘With the Grain’ by Christian Becksvoort

(From Chris Schwarz’s blog at Lost Art Press © 2013)

Posted on January 20, 2013 by lostartpress

A little knowledge about trees goes a long way toward improving your woodworking.

You don’t need a degree in dendrology to build a desk. But you do need intimate knowledge of how our raw material grows and – more importantly – how it responds to its environment after it has been cut and dried.

This knowledge allows you to tame the wood into the shapes that you have envisioned in your head. And it ensures that your furniture will endure the seasons and age with grace and aplomb.

That is why I am particularly pleased to announce the latest book from Lost Art Press: “With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood” by Christian Becksvoort. This is the book about wood that I wished I’d had when I started woodworking.

It is, above all, succinct, easy to understand and perfectly suited for the furniture-maker. As important as what is in its 144 pages is what is not. It’s not a detailed analysis of cell growth. It is not a heap of tables and equations for figuring truss loads in residential construction. It is decidedly not a scientist’s approach to the material.

Instead, “With the Grain” contains the facts you need to know at the lumberyard, in the woodlot and in the shop. It gives you enough science so you understand how trees grow. It explains the handful of formulas you have to know as a furniture-maker. And it gives you a hearty dose of specific information about North American species that will inspire you. Becksvoort encourages you to use the trees in your neighborhood and makes the case that just because you cannot find catalpa at the lumberyard doesn’t mean it’s not a good furniture wood.

You’ll learn to identify the trees around you from their silhouette, leaves and shoots. And you’ll learn about how these species work in the shop – both their advantages and pitfalls.

Becksvoort then takes you into a detailed discussion of how wood reacts to it environment – the heart of the book. You’ll learn how to calculate and accommodate wood movement with confidence and precision. And you’ll learn how to design furniture assemblies – casework, drawers, doors and moulding – so they will move with the seasons without cracking.

There’s also a chapter on how to manage a small forest or copse of trees – how to care for them, encourage them to thrive and harvest them. You’ll learn the basics of cutting, stacking and drying the wood, if you should ever have the privilege of harvesting your own lumber.

“With the Grain” is a major revision of an earlier work by Becksvoort titled “In Harmony with Wood.” While a lot of the raw data on trees hasn’t changed, Becksvoort updated the text, drawings and photos to incorporate more details and strategies for dealing with wood movement.

Like all Lost Art Press books, “With the Grain” is printed and bound in the United States on acid-free paper. The binding is Smythe sewn. The book is hardbound with a green cotton cover. The book is $25.

December 2012

Another year over and done with. Quite a year for me:  a new grand-son, teaching in Germany, a TV appearance, and book and DVD to come out early in 2013. As per past experience, December managed to fill up to overflowing without any effort on my part.  Lots of small projects, candle-holders, boxes, counter and a glass-topped coffee table.

A few visitors and lots of happy clients.

Most of the month was rather mild, with a deluge of rain.  Finally, just before Christmas, winter arrived.  There was a pittance of snow for the holidays, and then on the 27th, we got 11″, followed two days later by another 6″.  Regardless of weather, Spirit and I go out twice daily for walks.  Usually just a mile up or down the road.  Sometimes, we’ll cut diagonally across our property, through the woods, along logging roads, and then follow the stone wall back to the house and shop.  There are always deer, turkey and snow shoe hare tracks.  Sometimes moose, and on rare occasions, wing marks, where a great horned owl swooped down to grab some unwary critter.

Hoping that 2013 brings peace, health and happiness.

C. H. Becksvoort © 2012