Description
This biannual publication celebrates the preservation, research and restoration of historic furniture. Its multi-disciplinary approach brings together the perspectives of furniture makers, conservators and scholars to span woodworking past and present, with focus on pre-industrial tools and methods.
A highlight of this issue is an interview with Roy Underhill of "The Woodwright's Shop", touching on his social and environmental concerns, his thoughts on the future of hand tools, and the practical uses of dynamite for everyday projects. Editor Joshua Klein writes about the experience of raising a wood-framed blacksmith shop together with the international Charpentiers Sans Frontières – fifty carpenters using hand tools to build the structure in just nine days.
It also features articles by guest writers and artisans: Amy Umbel shares her journey to find her craft heritage, Harry Bryan writes about the challenges and benefits of running an off-the-grid boat building shop and homestead, Michael Updegraff discusses how tool marks can help determine how antique furniture was built, and Cameron Turner enlivens a high school English class by taking his students to the workshop to craft a replica of Henry David Thoreau’s writing desk. Other content includes a photo-essay examination of a 19th century chest over drawers, an excerpt from a 1908 essay on the benefits of wood shops in schools, and an investigation into the mysterious origins of the "Jimmy Possum" style of chair.
More like a book than a typical magazine, it is printed on heavy stock paper and richly illustrated with color photos. Sold as a single issue, not a subscription.