Monthly Archives: July 2012

A George II Virginia Walnut Chest of Drawers – Part Seven

Posted on 28th July 2012 by Jack Plane

The polish eventually hardened sufficiently to be burnished and waxed. I had the handles especially cast for this chest from eighteenth-century originals by Optimum Brasses in Devon. The escutcheons are stock items from Optimum’s catalogue. The completed Virginia walnut chest… … Continue reading →

Posted in Case Furniture | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Sticky Situation

Posted on 26th July 2012 by Jack Plane

ALL SOLD! I have a large quantity 4kg. of animal glue I wish to sell. WordPress’ terms don’t permit me to advertise prices, but the cost will be less than half the local retail price. If you would like some … Continue reading →

Posted in animal glue | 4 Comments

Constructing a Mid-Eighteenth-Century Drawer

Posted on 22nd July 2012 by Jack Plane

Drawers went through several evolutionary phases (more on them, perhaps, in a later post) before arriving at this apotheosis, circa 1725, and continuing with just two changes (a mid-century 90° rotation of the drawer bottoms and a minor change to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Drawers | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Saw Ears

Posted on 19th July 2012 by Jack Plane

I’m not victim to psychoacoustic sounds like fingernails on a blackboard that causes some people to recoil and wrap their lips around their teeth. I am the (seemingly intensely annoying) sort who can merrily use steel to clean glass without … Continue reading →

Posted in Distractions | 3 Comments

Future Proofing My Exploits

Posted on 18th July 2012 by Jack Plane

Since moving to the Antipodes I have been frequently astounded by the number of European tree species growing here and the proliferation of them. Ash, oaks, elms, walnuts (I include black walnut which was also grown in Britain for furniture), drupaceous … Continue reading →

Posted in Furniture Timbers | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Horton Brasses Hardware Finishing

Posted on 14th July 2012 by Jack Plane

Horton Brasses just uploaded this video showing their brass colouring process. Jack Plane

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A George II Virginia Walnut Chest of Drawers – Part Six

Posted on 14th July 2012 by Jack Plane

Stupidly, I decided to polish this chest in a manner commonly employed in the mid-eighteenth-century, using linseed oil (and other natural substances widely available at the time). I say “stupidly” because at this time of the year – with high … Continue reading →

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A George II Virginia Walnut Chest of Drawers – Part Five

Posted on 7th July 2012 by Jack Plane

The day began with dense cold fog, but by mid morning the sun had burnt through it and I had a fine afternoon in which to finish the cabinetwork. I’m skipping over much of the drawer making because I will … Continue reading →

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What Nomenclature is this!

Posted on 2nd July 2012 by Jack Plane

I was watching a video, produced by the Victoria and Albert Museum, on the subject of a Chippendale period chair, when I suddenly found myself hurling verbal abuse at the monitor and slapping my hand on the desk – have … Continue reading →

Posted in Seating | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A George II Virginia Walnut Chest of Drawers – Part Four

Posted on 1st July 2012 by Jack Plane

I prepared all the stuff for the drawers; rebated the sides for the bottoms, grooved the fronts for the bottoms and cut the dovetails. The boards for the drawer bottoms were planed down to 1/4″ thickness and rubbed together in … Continue reading →

Posted in Case Furniture | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments