arts and crafts style greene and greene - who is making quality new furniture?

OK,

I'm a novice woodworker that has the advantage to be working with a real craftsman. Some of the most interesting wood I've ever seen, much of it pulled from floorboards and studs of old homes.

We've completed a few projects together including a 'mission-style' cradle out of wormy chestnut and a cedar chest.

I've really taking a liking to the arts and crafts / mission style and while somewhat blocky it has a nice appeal to me. And theres plenty of work to do to create a piece.

I've got plans for a prairie style settle which will be my first big piece.

I have looked at many books and read many articles, visited some museums to see originals.

I'd be interested in any advice regarding good plans, good craftsmen who have stuff online, "is the new stuff too far away from the original?" type debates, types of wood, quarter vs. plain, etc.

And how many of you have either bought pieces to match built pieces or vice versa? Were you able to match pretty well? I figure with my time I may look to buy some stuff. Any recommendations?

Much appreciated, looking forward to getting back in the shop after Easter.

Bill

Reply to
wcavender
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it out. Darrell has a new book published by Taunton Press (Fine Woodworking).

Reply to
Lowell Holmes

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926 members, some being furniture makers

charlie b

Personally I think it's pretty clunky and the chairs don't look very comfortabble to sit in. All the sharp edges and square corners don't seem to lend themselves to contact with skin.

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

You could check out Thomas Moser's stuff. Not exactly G&G, but pretty nice.

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's got a few books out too, including one with measured shop drawings of some of his pieces. You can check them out on Amazon.com, but I encourage you to support your local independent bookstore.

JP

************************************* Independence Day is overdue.
Reply to
Jay Pique

I'm taking a class at this school later this year, and they also offer this one:

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THE GREENE & GREENE STYLE WITH THOMAS STANGELAND May 8-12 2006 Cost: $675 tuition (Bring your own wood) Class Size: 18 people

During this week long class each student will build a coffee table, side table or sofa table utilizing the design language of the Greene & Greene style.

Thomas starts off the week with a discussion of the Arts & Crafts movement, specific design details and other influences that contribute to its unique signature style.

Students begin by making full-scale drawings to work out any details and to aid in the cutting, joinery and assembly phase. Thomas explores the essentials of the Greene & Greene style by combining various structural and design elements such as cloud lift, floating splines, mortise and tenons, decorative pegs and inlay, all of which will be incorporated into the design of your table.

Throughout the week, Thomas discusses grain matching, wood movement, joinery, edge details, bread board ends, doors, drawers and how to finish your project.

Particular emphasis will be given to weight and balance of design while maintaining a specific focus on the excellence of craftsmanship needed to parallel the Greene & Greene standard.

Reply to
wood_newbie

Looks are deceiving ... actually sitting in some of this stuff can be surprisingly comfortable. The ass-it test is always recommended.

Reply to
Swingman

Jeeezzzus ... and bring your own wood? Damn, just think how much wood the tuition will buy and how much you can learn in your own shop from following a good set of plans. ;)

LOL ... I guess this culture we live in is one that just begs to be formally taught their skills, otherwise they are somehow not legitimately earned, or is it just a "shortcut to success" mentality?

Not ragging you ... just musing out loud.

Reply to
Swingman

Damn...and to think I used to like reading your posts!! :-)

No offense taken, but here's the thing...trial and error is a wonderful teacher, although you have to be careful using that method when dealing with power machines.

But I'm paying the same price for a weeklong joinery course taught by the owner of the school, Marc Adams, and I have a feeling I'm going to get my $$ worth.

Now don't think I haven't considered that this $675, plus the cost of a cheap hotel room for a week, won't buy me a good band saw, or put a nice down payment on something from the Lie-Nielsen catalogue, or even a very short, thin piece of cherry, albeit one with a few defects.

But I've been fiddling around with this hobby for a year now, and made what I feel is decent progress. And now that I've made my own mistakes, this is an opportunity to learn from (I hope) someone who really knows their stuff. Edumacation is the one thing in life that has shown to be a solid investment almost every time.

You're a musician...did you pick-up your craft without lessons? And if you didn't, did you have to pay for those lessons? It's the same thing, just in a shorter time period. In olden times, we might all have learned our craft as an apprentice in a master's shop. But of course, there the payment comes not from cashish or wampum, but from the donation of your time in the master's shop.

My guess is that this $$ is an even better investment than one in, say, a left-tilt-220v-37"-moss-colored-three handled-family-gredunza-mortiser (the one with dust collection). Because it's an investment in knowledge, and knowledge doesn't rust.

Unless you don't use it, but hell, now I'm gettin like charlie b...

(if only that were possible...) ;-)

Reply to
wood_newbie

The location of this school's not jumping off the page at me. Where's it at?

JP

Reply to
Jay Pique

Scratch that - it's in Indiana, I googled the 317 area code.

JP

Reply to
Jay Pique

Just don't shift the subject to something that wasn't on the radar in your posted course description and you should continue to enjoy my stained pearls of wisdom. ;)

It was a serious question regarding the posted prospectus, and as stated, I'm musing at what appears to be a cultural thing in that regard that is hard not to notice, but may not be so obvious if you haven't been around all that long.

Then again, it is also appears to have some regional aspects to it, as the phenomenon seems to start on either coast, and spread toward the middle.

Perhaps the result/mindset of urbanization? ... I say that cuz I am a real provincial who didn't know many folks who were farm raised who had to take lessons to do much of anything. ;)

Irrelevant ... the course description you posted had nothing to do with woodworking safety.

Arguably, you are now arguing to an entirely a different point than what you posted.

"Joinery" is not the subject of the course to which I was musing/remarking upon. I would think that time/$ well spent for the majority of wooddorkers.

Making things "using the design language" of Greene and Greene style is what you posted.

Somehow that sounds more than a bit contrived to me ... but that's just me.

Nonetheless, as long as you benefit, then no one else, or their opinion, matters.

That's all fine and good as long as it works for you.

As it turns out, Yes ... I taught myself to both read and play, no lessons. I agree there are some elements of the "same thing" to some extent, but probably not how you intended:

The music business is famous for its cottage industry of folks who never "made it" themselves, but can certainly teach you how. :)

Bad analogy, take it from one who experienced a wee bit of that apprenticeship thing firsthand in Europe many years ago. That was much more of a comittment than a week long course ... it is most definitely not the "same thing".

In a "joinery" course, more than likely ... in the "design language of..." course, caveat emptor and take P.T. Barnum to heart, IMO. ;)

Reply to
Swingman

Sorry Swingman, I guess I mistook your original reply to be an indictment of all classroom learning...my bad. That _was_ the whole point of my reply to you. I only posted the course description in the first place because it was in the same catalogue as the course I _am_ taking. Just tryin' to be helpful, that's all.

So basically we've both been wasting a lot of balloon juice here??!

Reply to
wood_newbie

While it's never bothered me before, you could do better. ;)

Reply to
Swingman

Hah!

How'd you like that Seussian gredunza mortiser of mine?!

Reply to
wood_newbie

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