Issue 451

Impressions

I love this PBS TV show where people bring in furniture that they own and find out it is worth a pile of money. (To be clear, not a single piece of furniture I own would make the cut to be shown on TV … but a guy can dream.)

What I love about the show is that I get to see antiques I would normally not get a good look at, and the experts often describe the piece and how it was made — which gets me to my question this time out. Often, the antique furniture is carved … sometimes just small accents, but oftentimes, large areas of a desk or table will have been beautifully carved. Generally, carving has fallen out of favor in modern furniture making, unless we are making an historic copy. But recently I have seen a few young woodworkers doing a good deal of carving (texturing surfaces, carving with power grinders, etc.).

So what about you? Are you looking to add more decorative carving or shaping to your woodworking? Is it the reason that waney-edged slabs are a hot trend … because they bring more shape into our furniture? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal