Research and recreation of medieval furniture
Some furniture forms are so practical that they exist from antiquity through to today. Set a three-legged stool before an Egyptian of the third millenia BCE, a citizen of the first century Han Dynasty, and any person of today and they will immediately recognize the form and function. But other mobilier fit niches in time... Continue Reading →
I'm in the midst of a long project which began with a tree felled in my backyard, which I then split into more manageable lumber. Since then, I've been further processing the lumber into planks, and the planks into boards and beams approximating the dimensions of the pieces I'll need for the strycsitten I am... Continue Reading →
I am certain that I'm not alone in the challenge of cleaning up a space when faced with the discovery of unfinished projects. Yesterday I was cleaning the shop and found the pieces for several repair jobs had been set down (and forgotten) on my workbench. Do we find new "homes" for these items (and... Continue Reading →
Dedication In A.S. LIV I was honored to be asked by Their Majesties to steward Collegium. Any event, of course, is a team effort. Kingdom events add more complexity. Collegium had the added labor of creating and managing a large on-line database and repository of scholarly works. This last part was well beyond my skill... Continue Reading →
The Oseberg 178 chest was one of four pieces I made based on extant examples found in ninth century Viking Age burials.
Preface As my interest in vernacular furniture has grown, so has my curiosity about the processes which went into making household items. What tools were used to shape and join them? What were the materials and how were those materials prepared? What methods of production did cabinetmakers practice? Inspired by the late Jennie Alexander, author... Continue Reading →
I haven't posted in nearly a year, but that hasn't been for lack of productivity. Writing about what I have been working on took a back seat to working on the next project, and the next one, and the next one... So this post will condense the work done in learning to make carved-front boxes. ... Continue Reading →
"Would you like to go in together on a project for a charity auction?" my friend Alasdair Mac Roibeirt asked me one day in January 2018, "We have a whole year." Foolish me, I tempted fate and replied "Sure, sounds like fun!" Out of this project came hours of practicing the carving of panels, lessons... Continue Reading →
In March of 2018 I was fortunate in acquiring a large pile of red oak beams salvaged from a rail yard. These beams had been used as dunnage in the transport of train and rail parts from the East. Ten feet long and heavy as sin, they were ugly, blackened, marred, stained, and dominated the... Continue Reading →
A good project for anyone with a little more than Beginner's level woodworking skills.
The resulting table is suitable for a meal for two, doing on-site illumination, or keeping any number of smaller items off of the ground.
