The Windsor Chronicles Blog

             An amazing present arrived from Amazon.fr recently.  It was a gift from Sieur Vincent Lavarenne. Many of you know Sieur Vincent. He is le Premier Chevalier de France – The First Knight of France. As such, Sieur Vincent commands all French Knights of Windsor. There aren’t a whole lot of them right now, but that is going to change. The French are very interested in culture and as we accomplish our stated purpose “for handmade Windsor chairs to take over the world” the will soon be an army of chaisiers.

            Any way, my gift was a large full-color reference book titled Les Rabots and was written by Pierre Bouillot and Xavier Chatellard. Rabot is French for plane; as in the category of tools used by woodworkers. I have not yet read the whole book, but I have scanned its entirety. There is no doubt this is a landmark work. I have a huge library of books on woodworking and tools, but this one is full of information I have never seen before.  For example, I own and use lots of English planes. I recognize the foreign shapes  that tool dealers always label “European.”  However, I could never tell you where in Europe they came from. As you probably remember from 4^th grade geography, Europe is a big place with lots of countries. Using Les Rabots, I can tell a foreign plane’s place of origin.  I can identify a generic Asian plane, but it never dawned on me that individual countries in Asia would have their own plane designs. I recognize the difference between Anglo-American 18^th and 19^th century planes. I never imagined that plane design evolved in other countries as well, and even by region. I do now. In fact, this book is so complete it could have been titled “History of Planes of the World.”

            The book begins with the planes of antiquity. You maybe surprised at how sophisticated Roman planes were, and the number of examples recovered by archaeologists. Did you know the Romans used iron infill planes 2000 years ago? Would you recognize a Roman molding profile? The book goes on to chronicle the plane industry. Many of the illustrations (engravings and some early photographs) are French and reveal a highly developed plane industry in that country during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. During the 19^th century when American plane makers were improving their planes and inventing new mechanisms French plane makers were doing the same thing. They worked out solutions I have never seen before reading Les Rabots.

            Bouillot’s and Chatellard’s magnum opus contains lists of plane makers from different countries. These lists are necessarily incomplete, as such lists require books of their own.  These listings of plan makers in The United States and in England exist and a curious woodworker will already own them. Les Rabots also contains similar lists of European iron makers. I love the cutters stamped with a standing Napoleon.

            The book contains chapters on plane use as well as the devices, such as shooting boards – that are used in concert with planes. It has chapters on planes unique to various trades, such as the stair maker. The authors also cover plane related tools, such as spoke shaves and scrapers. The final chapters are for the collector, explaining how to buy and care for planes.

            The book has one draw back for an American.  It is written in French. I am able to read the text quite well, although I do have to look up an occasional term. The result is that I now know a lot more workshop vocabulary than I learned when I lived in France. I do wish now I had paid more attention to the ateliers I passed, but having turned 21 while there, I was more interested in girls, wine, and the great food. While you may not be able to read Les Rabots, you will salivate over the planes in the pictures. The photography is excellent and the planes enough to make any woodworker’s heart palpitate.

            The book is not cheap. It costs Eur. 80.75 which the currency converter on the internet tells me is equal to $103. 36. Of course the exchange rate changes from time to time, but this gives you an idea of how much you will shell out. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.  Here is the link that will take you to amazon.fr and Les Rabots. The site is all in French, but is the layout is identical to  amazon.com.    http://www.amazon.fr/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? _mk_fr_FR=%C5M%C5Z%D5%D1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=les+rabots&x=0&y=0

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                        You probably remember an earlier posting about Freddy Dudak, the 11 year old who took the July sack back. I received this message from his father Sir Freddy Dudak. “Freddy’s chair was entered in the West End Fair which is a local fair in our area that is in its 89th year. The chair was entered under the category of original crafts-junior, and he took home the blue ribbon. I entered my chair and didn’t fare so well coming home with a third. Freddy was consoling me when we picked up the chairs saying that I should be glad I didn’t see what I lost to. I love that kid.” Those of us around The Institute are real proud of Freddy too.

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            I’ll let you in on a secret. When I am figuring out what to use in my eNewsletter, I save the so-so stuff for June, July, and August. Why?  During the summer no one is really paying attention to what comes in as email. Everyone is outdoors enjoying the nice weather. For that reason, I don’t waste the really sexy stuff during the summer. I save it for the fall when everyone’s life has returned to normal. You’ll be seeing some of my better stuff in coming months.

            So, imagine my surprise when August eNewsletter generated a tsunami of response. Not only should everyone been at the beach, the picture wasn’t the best of the material I have in the pipeline. All it was a guy sitting on a curb working on a chair with the title, “Is This a Real Chairmaker?” The accompanying text was my assessment of why I thought the photo was posed and the guy wasn’t really working.

            The eNewsletter was no sooner emailed than responses started arriving in my Inbox. Some emails agreed with my assessment while others disagreed. Some people emailed more than once, augmenting their arguments as they thought more about the picture. I responded to a few emails, but quickly reached a point where answering everyone would take too much time.

            I’ll send out the September eNewsletter around the 15^th of the month. It is the first of the good stuff I have been saving for fall. After August, I’m afraid of what will happen. I fear my web guy’s server will catch on fire.

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              We knighted Sir Mike Wisch during the August 9 Nantucket fan back class.  Sir Mike became the 161^st Knight of Windsor. The class had a surprisingly high number of guys attending their first advanced class.  Thus, they had never witnessed a knighting. Many of them assured me after that the ceremony was very moving. They especially liked the pageantry. I do have admit, we really do up Royal Orders ceremonies. They are a spectacle.

            By the way, Sir Mike is from Wisconsin and brought me a foam Cheese Head – the triangular wedge of cheese worn by Green Bay football fans. It now sits proudly next to my foam Corn Head from Nebraska, as worn by Corn Husker fans. I am unaware of any other such head gear, but if your local team has something similar, bring me one for my growing collection.

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            Because we had such a large percentage of Entered Apprentice chairmakers in the Nantucket class, the Raising was large as well. I always need someone to help me demonstrate the secret passwords and the secret handshake. The pickings among the masters were pretty slim so, I asked Sir Mike to assist me.  Can you believe he only remembered half the response to the passwords of the Entered Apprentice? How do you only remember half of it? If you have half, don’t you automatically have it all? Any way, it made for a lot of laughs in an event whose isignificance is so serious, the dignity can otherwise be overwhelming.

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            Remember the July eNewsletter, the ink blotter advertising the very distinctive Gluck Brothers Windsors? I was watching the made for television version of Death of a Salesman shortly after that email. What do the Lomans have around their kitchen table – a set of  four Gluck #50s, the version with the splat.   I noticed them immediately. 

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            Congratulations to Sir Brian Offutt and his wife Anna. Anna gave birth to their first son, Nathan Ambrose Offutt on Friday August 13, 2010. Sir Brian emailed us, “He was 19-3/4″ and 7lbs - 3.6ozs.  He has already put a spokeshave on his Christmas list and cannot wait to take a Sack Back Class.” Sir Brian and Anna have twin girls who will undoubtedly help their parents care for their new baby brother.  

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             When people are here taking a class they often make remarks or ask questions that reveal to me a misconception on their part.  They are having such a great time; they assume that life around here is always one big great time. Last Thursday I amused myself thinking about this misconception. I was standing on the business end of our Hitachi band resaw passing six foot lengths of red oak log by the blade.  I had on safety glasses and a pair of hearing protectors. The machine has a piercing whine. I was less than excited.

            Don was stationed on the other side of the saw receiving the bolt as it passed through and was severed into two pieces. After the cut, he places one of the pieces of wood out of the way and passes the other back to me. Or, if the cut off is waste, he tosses it aside. Then, the process repeats. After several cuts, we have an oak slab small enough to be sliced into bending blanks. Now, Don starts stacking the finished product against a work bench.  The next person to work these will be a student, either in a class or making a chair at home.

            The process goes on. Today, I am the sawyer, the guy we call the pitcher. Don is the catcher. Before we start one of us always asks, “Do you want to pitch or catch?’ As pitcher, I decide how the wood can best be cut.  Like a baseball pitcher, I seek the catcher’s advice. A non-verbal dialog goes on between us, necessarily non-verbal because with hearing protectors on our heads we can’t hear each other. We do a lot of pointing with our hands and nodding or shaking of our heads. Every now and then, we have to shut down and actually speak to each other.

            With one section of log reduced to bending blanks and scrap, we begin another. We usually split logs down to eighths, but some of these six footers can still be too big for one guy to handle. So, Don comes over to my side and helps me start the cut. Then, he slips back behind the saw to catch the two pieces as they come through. I keep my hand on the bolt as long as possible. I am both guiding the oak and pushing it forward. When the blade gets too close to my hand (I am not comfortable with less than 6 inches) I draw my hand away. Don pulls the two pieces all the way through and once again, sets one aside and pushes the other back to me.

            When the bolts in the truck are all cut, Don drives his pick up to the other side of the main building and we load it with more bolts. He returns to the machine room and backs up to the open double door. Parked this way, we can slide the bolts off the tailgate and onto the saw bed. It saves us a lot of lifting.  The cutting starts again. By the time we begin the second truck load, we are covered with saw dust. It is in our shoes and pockets. It is in our hair and behind our ears. It sticks to any exposed skin as readily as it sticks to our clothing.

            Cutting is semi-weather dependant. We are under cover and do not worry a lot about rain or snow. However, the building is not heated and so, we avoid really cold days. Don and I chose to cut Thursday last week because the weather was predicted to be cool and dry. It was, but we still did a fair amount of sweating. We take regular breaks.  We retreat to the classroom which is air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. There, we catch our breath and rest before returning to the saw.

            At the end of the day we pile the scrap out in the driveway for Kevin, the farmer who helps us split the logs into bolts. He will come by and take the scrap home to burn in his outdoor wood furnace. We shovel up barrels of saw dust that we compost in the tall grass behind the shop. We vacuum the saw and roll it back into a corner where it is draped with a sheet.

            I started out this posting musing about the general misconception that life around here is always lots of fun. During a class it is, but much of what we do is routine, boring, dirty, and sometimes physically demanding. I get to contrast the two circumstances only when standing at a resaw with my eyes and ears covered, doing the part that is routine and boring.   Remind me to tell you some time how exciting it is to glue seat blanks, bag turnings, and collate the sheets for the student information packets.  You’ll understand why we look forward to classes. 

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            The October 4 sack back class will get a treat. Lord Lyndon Gallagher will be helping teach that class as the final step to becoming a Duke of Windsor. We typically schedule Royal Orders ceremonies for Thursdays. Because helping to teach a sack back class is the requirement for Dukedom, only sack back students witness this ceremony.

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I am reporting today on a conversation that warmed the cockles of a father’s heart.  I was driving to school with my son Michael one recent morning. (This summer he is studying journalism at nearby Philips Exeter Academy with Pulitzer Prize NY Times reporter Ralph Blumenthal.) Out of the blue he asked if I would teach him to work wood. I’m sure it seems strange that I have not already taught him to be a woodworker. Afterall, he grew up coming to the shop everyday after school to study until his mother and I were done working. 

However, I have never tried to impose my interests on him.  I have always wanted him to be his own man and to find himself. My strategy  has worked pretty well. He is a good kid with a long line of successes packed into his 17 years. I don’t need for Michael to follow in my footsteps. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want him to work wood.  In fact, I have longed for him to join me in the shop.  I told him I would be delighted to work with him and teach him. 

He explained that he had looked at all the tools on the walls and realized he did not know what they were used for, or how they worked. I observed that countless woodworking tools have ended up on the market because the generations who inherited them did not know what they were or how they worked.  It sounds morbid, but I did tell him that someday I would be gone and if he does not learn what I know from me, he will most likely end up auctioning everything off.  

Michael made a chair when he was 12 years old. He took the class with his cousin and godfather Robert,  and gave his chair to his grandmother as her 80^th birthday present. I told him if he wanted to repeat the experience I would put him into any chair class that interested him.  He explained that by Wednesday of his class he could not absorb any more information. I told him not to feel badly, every adult who takes the class has the same experience. He asked instead to spend weekend time in the shop; one-on-one. He hasn’t brought up the subject since that morning, and I won’t.  I’ll let it percolate, and if he is truly interested, he will raise the matter again.  Meanwhile, I have my fingers crossed. 

I of course, had another thought in mind. Michael has formed a rock band that practices at our house every week. Two of the musicians are tall and strong.  If Michael was spending a lot of time at the shop, perhaps I could get their young, strong backs to help out once and a while.            

 By the way, I mentioned here earlier that Michael had served as a congressional page.   The local newspaper just ran a front page story about him and his experiences. Check it out. Tell me, do I look too proud? http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100720-NEWS-7200319  

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             I regularly get phone calls and emails that go something like this, “I live in Ohio (or some other state) and it’s such a log way to New Hampshire, I can’t get there to take a chair class.”  I never have any sympathy. This week is good example of why I am so hard-hearted. Kim Dongil is a student in the class that we are currently teaching.  Dongil is from Seoul, Korea. Think how far he travelled to get here to take a chair class. His home is about as far away as you can get on this planet from New Hampshire. Perhaps the guys who come here fron new Zealand and Australia actually travel the greatest distance. However, Dongil is one of the reasons the old “I can’t come to a class because I’m from …..” doesn’t cut the mustard.

            Dongil has a PhD in economics and teaches at the university level.  His goal is to make more chairs and I am curious as to what species of trees he will find in Korea that substitute for the species we use. I did a Google search and came up with some candidates for him.  I’ll keep you posted.

            This class also has Freddie Dudak as a student. Freddie is noteworthy because he is only eleven years old. In fact, he is barely 11 years old, his birthday being in May. The previous youngest boy to take a class was my son Michael who made a chair when he was twelve.  So, Freddie sets a new record and in doing so blows the old one out of the water. Freddie’s father Sir Freddie Dudak accompanied him, but the youngster is doing his own work. In fact, he has put a few older guys to shame and they regret being on the same bench as this talented 11 year-old.  Freddie is taking the class very seriously.  He never fools around or gets distracted.  Every demonstration he sits up front with his notebook and takes copious notes. His father tells me Freddie is planning on exhibiting his chair in a local fair this August.

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            Here’s  a story a lot of chairmaker wish would happen to them.  The email tells the whole tale and I have nothing to add. “This week I received the mother of all chair orders. The historic site near buy has ordered 100 chairs to be completed this year under a facilities grant. Over the past several years I have already made about 50 or so for them and this will complete the restoration of the building. The chairs are a simple four spindle rod back with a box stretcher and quite plain turnings except for the rings. The originals (which they still have a few of) were made nearby around 1830. I had anticipated being able to cut back this year when the deposit check arrived in the mail. I have nightmares thinking about the 1400 turnings required. Thanks to Oneway I have a very quiet and smooth running lathe that is a joy to turn on. So, it is a little less painful. As you know I have been blessed with some considerable orders over the years, but I am sure this will be my last big Rodeo!! Hope all is well with you and your family. John Robinson.”  Eat your hearts out. 

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A lot of you have changed your email addresses lately.  If my monthly eLetter is returned I have no choice but to delete your name, as I have no way to get hold of you to ask for your new address. If you did not recently receive the July issue about the Gluck Brothers Chair Manufacturers ink blotter, you need to send me you new address.

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            Don and I stumbled into a miserable job last Thursday; one that should have taken us twenty minutes, but instead lasted all day. We have a DeWalt 13 inch planer. It gets most of its use during classes when students plane red oak stock into chair parts.  Because it  planes mostly narrow pieces of unseasoned wood, it continues to work well, even after the cutters have become too dull for other jobs.

            I discovered the blades were dull when I tried to plane some wood for a project slated for a magazine article. In my mind, this was no problem. Swapping the cutters is a quick job and on this machine — very easy. In no time, I had the top off the machine and had exposed the cutter head.  Each cutter is secured in place by a cover. A row of eight equally spaced screws secures the cover and cutter to the head, and creates even holding power.  I locked the head in position and placed the Allen wrench in the first screw. It wouldn’t budge.

            I tried the next and had same problem. I was actually twisting the wrench without being able to loosen the screw. I tried all eight screws on the first cutter cover. Not a one would budge. I was growing concerned. I wondered if it was possible the screws were left handed and I had forgotten this detail. I tried turning a couple clockwise, but with no success.

            Next, I turned the cutter head and tried the screws on the second face. Again, no luck.  Every one of eight screws was frozen. I turned the head to the third face. Same thing. By now, I was frustrated and perplexed. I heated the screws with a propane torch and sprayed them with penetrating oil. Still, no go. I repeated both steps. Nope. Same as before.

            Eventually, I called Don away from gluing seat blanks to consult with me. I also wanted a witness. I didn’t think anyone would believe  that I couldn’t change the blades on such a simple machine. Don tried and he too was unable to loosen a single screw. We took a break and when we got back I tried again. The first screw made an audible snap as it moved. Joyfully, I withdrew it and put it in the parts tray inside planer’s housing. I worked my way along the first blade cover and managed (with some effort) to loosen and remove all eight screws. I turned the cutter head and accomplished the same on the second side.

            I turned the head again to bring up the third side. I was able to loosen all but four screws. In the process, the Allen wrench cammed out of two of them, striping the hexagonal holes. I asked Don to try his luck. He applied so much torque he twisted the Allen wrench almost 90 degrees without loosening the other screws.

            After some kibitzing we decided to give the four screws a long and intense application of heat and a dash more of penetrating oil. Nope. That didn’t work. We concluded we had to attempt an Easy Out. With two stripped hexagonal holes, we didn’t have much choice anyway. We tried to drill pilot holes into the tops of the screws, but dulled bit after bit. I can’t imagine the screws were hardened, but they sure chewed up a lot of bits without us ever  making much of a hole.

            We gave up on the Easy Out and decided on a new tack. We would grind off the screw heads. This would allow us to remove the cover and replace the cutter. However, that would leave us with only four screws securing the third blade. I would have no choice but to hope that four screws would be sufficient. Don dug out the Dremel and mounted the grinder bit in it. The Dremel did grind away the screw head. However, the grinder attachment disappeared faster than the screw. I kept repeating to Don, “I’m glad you’re here to witness this. ‘Cause no one would believe this story. This is the longest change of blades in history.”

            Being chairmakers, Don and subscribe to the “get a bigger hammer” school of thought. If drill bits and the Dremel couldn’t cut  those screws, it was time to break out the cold chisel. After several whacks I looked at the results. I wasn’t making any progress on the screw, but the chisel was getting chewed up. I half expected Alan Funt to jump out and say, “Smile. You’re on Candid Camera.”

            I tried the chisel again with Don watching. The screw moved under the blow. “It moved,” I yelled. “I saw it move.” Don watched more closely as I took another hit. Sure enough. It moved again. Don grabbed a pair of pliers and with  little effort,  extracted the screw. I moved onto the next.  It took a bit of hammering, but sure enough, it let go too. The same happened with the third.

            One last screw was all that stood between us and completing this blasted job. You guessed it. This one was the granddaddy of them all. To top it off, we were in the machine room without air conditioning and it was now the heat of the day. Sweat was dripping off our faces. We tried heating the screw again and applying a liberal dose of penetrating oil. Our persistence finally paid off. After chiseling around the head from every position that would give me some purchase, the screw finally moved.  Don and I crowed in victory – man over machine. The blasted thing had not beaten us.

            After removing the cutter covers we examined them.  They are protected with a thick black paint, or perhaps japanning. However, under the screw heads was bare metal. I’m wondering if the finish had adhered the screws to the cover, because the threads were as clean as a whistle. Also, once a screw moved, it withdrew easily. Any way, Don and I swabbed each hole with oil before we reassembled. That process took the predictable 20 minutes.

            So, there is our story. A day to loosen 24 screws, and 20 minutes to change the blades.  Remind me to tell you someday about getting the bevel gear with a broken tooth off our monster, cast iron Taiwanese thickness planer.

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            Saturday was one of those “A good time was had by all,” days at The Institute. We hosted the New England chapter of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers and the period furniture group from the New Hampshire Guild.  It was a crowd of about 40 people. They had come to learn about steam bending.  They had a good time because they got to learn something new and do some hand-on steam bending.  We had a good time, because we always do when we have a group of woodworkers  together.  So, a good time was had by all.

            Don Harper and Donny Chesser helped out.  Don teaches with me at the Institute, and Donny has taken classes here. He also works at the Portsmouth Woodcraft Supply store. I began the activities with an involved presentation on bending; touching on its history in general  and eventually sharpening the focus onto our work. I began at the very begining — the tree growing in the woods. I talked about the need to know a log’s history and how we accomplish that. If you read about our splitting parties, you do too. I spent quite a bit of time describing log selection; how to read a log and how to make an educated guess as to what the wood looks like inside. Then, I described how we determine where to cut when bucking the logs into bolts. I explained that we need two, three, four and six foot bolts, as those lengths yield everything we use in our Windsor chair classes.

            I described good bending days vs. bad bending days and noted how they are counter intuitive. I talked at length about techniques for plasticizing wood and the wood’s properties. I explained what happens internally when wood bends — why compression is easy, but tension is a problem.  Because I had all morning to make my presentation, I could get into the real nitty-gritty details; whereas a chair class’

schedule constraints do not afford me the time to talk about the subject in this depth.  I dispelled the erroneous notions that result from the term green woodworking. I explained how the misconception that wood needs to be wet results in lots of people losing all their hard work to decay.

            Next, we went outside to examine the pile of splits we have stickered beside the shop.  I explained why we use our method of stacking as it allows air to circulate between them. The stacked splits are left over from our last splitting party and will be slowly turned into bending stock as we have time. While we were not able to demonstrate splitting, we were able to show the blue stain where wedges were placed in the rpocess of opening a six-footer by hand. We flipped some of the splits so the bark was facing up. This allowed me to better illustrate what to look for when selecting a log. We discussed winter vs. summer cut logs and the advantages of storing logs, bolts, and splits  during a New England winter – they freeze solid. We also touched on the problems of summer cut logs. The sap is up in them, and in the heat of summer, decay sets in quickly. During this time there was a lot of Q&A and interaction.

            Our next stop was the machine room where we spent some time talking about our Hitachi resaw. Most people were amazed to see a three-inch, stellite tipped blade. It does look aggressive.  Last Monday we had purposefully left the large stack of freshly cut bending blanks  propped up against a bench. This way, our guests could touch and feel and examine the wood at the stage when it begins to become a chair. I also left the door open into the catalog building so they could walk in and examine a big pile of spindle blanks on a bench. They also saw our huge chest freezer, that simulates a New England winter for us. by keeping our stock frozen 

            Finally, we went to the bending area. Don and Donny had set up some bending forms and had been tending one of our steam boxes for about an hour. So, we were ready to go. I talked about our steam box design and why we call it the Ultimate Steam Box. Besides being very efficient, it solves most problems woodworkers have with steam boxes. Then, I identified much of  the rampant misinformation about steam bending that has been printed in the magazines; such as why you don’t over bend to allow for spring back. I took lots of predictable questions –such as how long to steam and how long to dry?

            Next, I illustrated what I had said several times during the morning – bending is an art, not a science. Failure is very much an option. We keep a selection of dramatic failures to illustrate what can (and does) happen. We maintain our  failure pile because it does a good job of tempering our students’ enthusiasm and helps them remember the most important point – speed is your enemy. After seeing what can happen, students bend a lot more slowly and deliberately. Fear is a great teacher.

            On Friday, I had made up some chair parts that represented several different types of bends – sack back arms and bows, c-arms, and a crest.  Don, Donny, and I demonstrated bending each type. Then, we turned the bending over to anyone who wanted to try it. It took some coaxing before two guys got up the courage to volunteer. After seeing their success, lots of the others wanted to bend. In spite of it being a so-so bending day nothing broke. The parts were all added to our catalog inventory of pre-bent parts.  They will be sold to chairmakers all over the country and will end up in chairs we will most likely never see.

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We created a new sack back class that begins October 18. I stilkl have space in it. When it is full, there will be no more sack back classes until next spring.

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            We had a splitting party yesterday. Those of you who are just joining this blog may not know what that is. I assure you, it is not as the name suggests — a good time. Several times a year, I go to the log concentration yard and select a bunch of veneer grade red oak logs.  We have a truck deliver the logs. (The May 17 class got to see this happen.) Next, Fred, Don, Kevin, and I get together and turn those logs into material for chair backs. Splitting parties are back breaking. I know the other four go home as exhausted as I do. It is a job for young guys, but two us are in our 60s and the other two are in their 50s.

            In spite of our age, less than two hours after we begin, the logs have been turned into piles of two, three, four, and six foot splits, ready for the next step. Those lengths provide us with the lengths we need for all our parts. The process reminds me of when my parents would put down a steer or a pig. In two hours we had only large parts of the carcass, but nothing that looked like the original animal. Even though the heavy work was done, there was still a lot of work ahead cutting the steaks, roasts, and making the hamburger. Two hours after we begin a splitting party, there is nothing left that looks like a log, but there is still lots of work remaining to get the material we need.

            The day got off to a worrisome start. The first log we opened was ugly. This is the risk you run making chair material. A log may look good outside, but have lots of unpleasant surprises inside. We split that wood into pieces anyway. There was some good areas and at some point we will pick through the splits for whatever they will yield.

            While Kevin and Don were splitting the next bolt using Kevin’s tractor and a four foot log splitter, and Fred was bucking the other logs with a chain saw, I started splitting a six footer.  We need six foot splits for c-arms, bow backs, settees, etc. However, these bolts will not fit on the splitter and have to be opened the old fashioned way; the Abe Lincoln way.

            This was one miserable log. I buried two wedges in the end without making much progress. This is usually an ominous sign, signaling something inside is holding the log together. I worked some wedges along the short spilt in the side of the bolt. As I leap frogged the wedges the split grew longer, but only by inches. Finally, I had a split the length of the bolt and we could look down in. A few strips of wood held the two halves together. I snipped these with a hatchet and the bolt fell apart. The wood was beautiful. Why it gave me such a hard time, I do not know. But in the process I thought about a line I use in classes. You work with wood. It has its own nature, and each piece has its own quirks. You have to work with them.

            By 11:00 Fred and Kevin had begun resawing the splits on our Hitachi resaw. This process reduces the oak down to the size we use in chairmaking. It is a noisy, nasty, boring, and repetitive job. It will take several days to work through as much wood as we split yesterday, but we will pick away at it. The splits they did not get done by 4:30 is neatly piled out of the sun.

            During lunch, a truck arrived with a load of pine for seats. (This is not coincidental. We plan things this way.) Don and I laid out the seat blanks and bucked the pine. We then sorted the pieces according to width, grade, and quality. That way, we do not glue up two clear pieces into one exquisite blank and two pieces with knots into another more challenging blank. I began jointing the pile while Don started the glue up. We have enough clamps to glue 15 blanks at a time (three clamps per blank, three glue ups per day.) So, this job too requires several days to complete and we will pick away at it.

            We knocked off around 4:00. Our work creates so much of a mess it takes all four of to clean. We haul barrels of saw dust into the high grass behind the shop where we compost it.  Kevin came back with three ticks on his legs from the first trip and two the second.

            The final step is to go into the air conditioned shop and have a cold beer. I can see why Chris Schwarz likes beer. It does taste good at the end of a hard day. However, I would have preferred a martini, or a shot of single malt scotch.

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            By the way, our October 4 sack back class is full.  I can’t make people wait until next April to get into a sack back class. So, we have scheduled another that will begin Monday, October 18. The two October sack backs bracket peak fall foliage, which typically happens around Columbus Day.  So, if you want to see the foliage in its splendor, arrive before the new October 18 class, and come make a chair after touring the New Hampshire mountains. I grew up in New England, but fall foliage never grows old. It is always spectacular.

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            Today is my son’s first day at work as a congressional page.  We have C-span on hoping we will catch of glimpse of him.

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My wife and I are out straight getting my son ready for Washington, DC. He leaves June 5 to begin serving as a congressional page. He will leave school several weeks early and has to have all his schoolwork (including final exams) completed before he goes. He is wrapping up his junior year with a strong finish, but we have been doing a lot of running. That is why I am just getting to writing about the May 17 class now. 

The May 17 class included several students I want to tell you about; as I am sure you are curious about them. Popular Woodworking editor Chris Schwarz, his father Paul, and his friend John Hoffman took the class together.  John is also Chris’ business partner in their venture Lost Art Press. I didn’t tell you in advance that these guys would be with us, as I didn’t want Chris inundated with visitors while he tried to enjoy a week of vacation. It was good to have these three guys visit. They are all three fun people and we did a lot of laughing.

It the past month I began to wonder if the May 17 calss had a curse on it. I kept signing up people, but as soon as one enrolled another bowed out. I couldn’t tell those people at the time that they were missing out on the chance to spend a week with Chris. That’s too bad, as he is arguably the most influential person in woodworking today. Popular Woodworking is driving all the other woodworking magazines.  As they struggle to stay afloat in this lousy economy they look at Popular Woodworking’s success and try to figure it out.  I hope Chris won’t mind if I give away the formula. It’s real easy. Like most of their woodwoking readers, the editors and the magazine are down to earth. There is nothing elitist about them. They write about basics and they are eclectic. Rather than rehash the same articles over and over, they surprise readers with interesting and curious topics.

Chris and John came into town a day early and we three spent Sunday shooting photos for a couple of articles I have written for them. I hinted before about one of the articles last year when I was writing it. It is a subject that chairmakers pioneered. I forgot to ask when the articles are scheduled.  So, I have to counsel patience. Meanwhile, subscribe to Popular Woodworking, if you haven’t already. That way, you won’t miss the article when it is published.

I was surprised that several visitors showed up with gifts of bottles of craft beers for Chris. I enquired about this phenomenon. He explained that he writes about his fondness for good beer in his own blog. As a result, people often bring him local beers from their own region. I think that is clever on his part. Have I ever written about my fondness for martinis and single malt scotch?

To receive my eNewsletter of periodic updates, tips, tool reviews, and new sources, that are in addition to this blog, join our mailing list by emailing me at mike@thewindsorinstitute.com Help us spread the word about this blog. Tell others.