We look at some of the best lots from a Bonhams auction of Asian art Bonhams’ Fine Japanese Art and Fine Chinese Art auctions were held at the London salerooms in May. Each auction included a range of fine art, such as netsuke carvings, silk screen prints, ceramics, textiles and bronzes. Here we take a closer look at some of the furniture that went under the hammer. Huanghuali ‘Huanghuali’ means ‘yellow flowering pear wood’. It is a member of the rosewood family and its botanical name is Dalbergia odorifera. Its colour ranges from reddish-brown to golden-yellow, antique pieces made from this wood have generally mellowed to a yellowish tone. It is characterised by a shimmering surface, figured patterns and a sweet fragrance. Further Reading
We head to America’s West Coast to find out how this award-winning designer combines traditional and modern techniques to create stunning bespoke pieces. Woodwork runs in the family for San Diego – based Craig Thibodeau. His father always had a ’shop at the eir family home in California and the young Craig had access to a variety of standard tools – not that he used them! “I don’t recall ever working on anything when I was young,” he admits, “but I’m sure that having the early exposure to tools helped form my understanding of how to build things and influenced me enough so that even after leaving home I always found a way to have a woodshop… once it was in the living room of my apartment.” After graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in mechanical engineering, he undertook consumer product design work while learning how to
Edward Wild shares his technique for creating deceptively simple but perfectly stunning sunburst panels from plain veneers. The Burnett Table originated from a client’s request, “I would like a side table similar to your Hall Table, but a little different”. This set the gears in motion. I attempted to create a table that looked clean and sleek; it has slightly tapered black walnut (Juglans nigra) legs, which angle inward from the top to the base. These form a framework into which the top sits, in a similar way to a frame and panel construction. The table top is elevated from the frame by 3mm, giving definition with a shadow line – this is accentuated with ebony (Diospyros crassiflora) string lines and beading. The table is square when looked at from above, with the side view being repeated on each side. The overall table height is 730mm, the width at the
Mike Darlow turns a chess set based on a trumpet-shape design. The set shown above is my attempt to design a set which, while superficially resembling the Staunton design, is more integrated. I have: Workpiece chuck Screwchucks are excellent for faceplate work, but a workpiece that is small in diameter and smooth can be difficult to unscrew off. You can remove a stubborn workpiece by gripping it with a piece of fine-grained abrasive paper. One alternative is to instead use a chuck that has been neglected in recent years, the loose pin chuck. Manufactured versions are typically around 25mm in diameter, but this is obviously too large for most chessmen. My ‘fixed’ pin is here a length of ½in diameter steel bar held in a scroll chuck. The loose pin is just over 2mm diameter, and is cut from a wire coat hanger – this is handy because you can
Frustrated with the lack of inexpensive options, yet with a pressing need to have a vacuum chamber, the author pursued his own design and construction – with impressive results. In this article, he shares his experience on how to build a vacuum chamber with readily available materials and components, and easy-to-follow instructions. What is a vacuum chamber? A vacuum chamber is a unit that removes the air within an airtight space. It’s essentially a form of pressure treatment, whereby wood can be saturated liquid-state treatments. If, in our example, a porous material is submerged in a liquid, the low pressure forces the liquid into the porous material top replace the removed air. Then the liquid sets within to add strength and density to the material. Why do you need a vacuum chamber? For those unfamiliar with the concept of stabilising wood, or perhaps why we might want to do so,
Richard Findley explores common catches, why they happen and how to avoid them Catches are the bane of a woodturner’s life. All can be going well and, seemingly without reason and usually without warning, bang. Your work has an unsightly scar in it, which will call for minor adjustments at best and a major design change, or even scrapping the work entirely at worst. In this new series I intend to explore these catches, looking at why they happen and how to avoid them, beginning with the most common catches that occur in spindle work. I will use the three main spindle turning tools – the spindle roughing gouge, the spindle gouge and the skew chisel – and hopefully will be able to shed some light on the issues that are commonly encountered. Often, as with most things in turning, a little knowledge and some tiny adjustments to how the
In this extract from Pocket Hole Joinery, Mark Edmundson makes a blanket bench with a handy shelf. The tops of benches always seem to accumulate stuff, so adding a shelf below this blanket bench should help to alleviate that problem. Adding the shelf also hides some pocket holes, so it’s a win-win as far as furniture details go. The benchtop planks are the biggest pieces required at 53⁄4in wide and 38in long, but the rest of the pieces are either narrow or short. The machining is basic, and it’s possible to build this bench with just a tablesaw, jigsaw, and pocket screw jig. A chopsaw or sliding crosscut sled to cut multiple parts to the same length would be helpful to ensure tight joints but is not essential. Overall, this is a very simple project for the beginning woodworker that illustrates how versatile pocket hole joinery can be. Stock preparation
This nest of tables was made some years ago to complement a client’s existing furniture. Designed around the requested size of the large table, they were made from Brazilian mahogany (Plathymenia reticulata) timber and veneer. Recently, however, the client decided to refresh them and have the tops veneered. I did this by hand, but as veneering is an extensive subject, I will endeavour to explain the different methods you can use depending on the equipment you have available. Veneer plan What you will need • Table saw• Planer/thicknesser• Bandsaw• Squares • Spokeshaves – flat and round• Mortiser or mortise chisel• Router and table with straight cutter• Profile gauge• Sash clamps• Chisels• Cabinet scraper• Abrasives• Straightedge• Veneer cutter• Card for templatesFor hand veneering• Glue pot with animal/hide glue• Veneer hammer• Gummed brown tape• Rule and knifeFor press veneering• Bag press – more than one make is available• Cold press glue for
Bridle joints are common in frame construction because of their strength. The wide mortise and tenon provide plenty of glue surface for a rock-solid joint. Randy Maxey shows how you can make a bridle joint with a band saw and table saw.
To buy Randy’s book: “Wood Joints by Machine & by Hand”
Randy Maxey shares a project design he used to teach woodworking to local residents in El Salvador through the non-profit organization “Tools for Opportunity” @toolsforopportunity7242 The simple design allowed the woodworkers to become familiar with power tools and woodworking design principles. It is a popular design that will not only look good in your home, but it serves an important function in keeping your outdoor gear handy and organised.
Every once in a while, someone comes up with a radical new method or tool that knocks tradition for a loop. Tooley Park scribes are a new take on a centuries-old method of scribing a workpiece. For example, fitting a cabinet filler strip against a wall that’s less than plumb and even. Or scribing an inset door to fit the cabinet opening precisely. Or scribing the bottom of a chair leg for cutting it to eliminate wobble. Many craftsmen and carpenters would use a compass or a crude shop-made tool to do the job. Tooley Park offers another option for scribing that is worth a look.
Stanley Bedrock planes were first introduced in the late 1800s. Their design is a little different, some say better, than conventional bench planes of the era. Randy Maxey disassembles the Bedrock plane to clean all the components before reassembly.
Learn more about Stanley Bedrock Hand Planes:
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan15.htm
https://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/1314
Stanley Bedrock hand planes were designed and manufactured to be different than conventional Bailey-style hand planes. But were Bedrock planes better than the common bench plane? Randy Maxey compares the two styles of hand planes and points out the differences between them.
These planes were first introduced in the late 1800s. Their design is a little different, some say better, than conventional bench planes of the era. Randy Maxey was fortunate enough to get his hands on a couple of Bedrock 605 bench planes when a technical school decided to get rid of them. After a few years in storage, he pulls one off the shelf to learn more about Bedrock planes and bring this old hand plane back to life in the workshop.
