Early Access Video: The Only Real Teacher
Added 2021-07-03 11:00:05 +0000 UTCFriends:
I'm (finally) back in action!
I feel about 90% back to normal after weeks of doing very little and concentrating on my health. Thanks to everyone for being patient while I recovered.
This week, I hit the road to do field research on actual period furniture. I've got a video jam-packed with authentic 18th and 19th Century pieces. We're going to study them and learn everything we can about real hand-tool furniture making.
The results might surprise you. (They surprised me.)
Happy Saturday!
--Rex
Comments
Great video! Love seeing the period pieces and how they were made. I and my family recently stayed at the Indian cabins in Cooks Forest, Pa. They were built by the CCC in 1934. The table and benches in the cabins were all built using joinery. They used what appears to be a tusked tenon, but uses a horizontal pin/dowel. I hadn't seen that before. I have pictures, but I don't know how to post them here. Thanks Rex!!!
Roger A Tubbs
2021-07-16 20:41:46 +0000 UTCSo, it is. Time index 7:10. thanks!
Brandon DeYoung
2021-07-10 00:46:07 +0000 UTCHey Brandon! It's right there in the video. Promise!
Rex Krueger
2021-07-09 21:22:33 +0000 UTCHey Rex, glad you're doing better. Quick question: I really enjoyed the "London Pattern" chisel handle video. I was wondering how you got the handles off the Grebstk chisels. You said you might repurpose them, so I don't thing you used the bandsaw, which is the path I'm contemplating right now.
Brandon DeYoung
2021-07-07 11:21:57 +0000 UTC0pl. . P
David Wismer
2021-07-06 18:44:38 +0000 UTC. . 9 V
David Wismer
2021-07-06 18:44:33 +0000 UTC0 .v 00
David Wismer
2021-07-06 18:44:29 +0000 UTCGreat video, nice to see you out and about. Liked the seeing a pattern makers bench not covered in fifteen years of junk like the one in my garage.
Joseph Law
2021-07-05 14:35:54 +0000 UTCgood to see you back mate :)
Darren Malin
2021-07-05 01:46:52 +0000 UTCIt's brill so see you feeling better :) I was wondering, do you have an account on the likes of TikTok at all?
Jim
2021-07-04 14:52:25 +0000 UTCI really enjoy your videos. Thanks for the content and all of your hard work.
Ean Lake
2021-07-04 13:51:35 +0000 UTCGood to hear you're doing better! Now, don't overexert yourself! And thank you for a great video. It was very interesting—and I'm with William Allen on this one: let's see some more pictures!
Thomas Hverring
2021-07-04 13:18:35 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing your experience. I've actually been noticing a lot of small details in the handmade furniture all over the property where I work. Some of it was made by the employees, some was donated, some was bought. I think some even got saved from garbage piles. All of the uncommon and 'loose' techniques (not to be confused as loose joinery. The joints are tight, but the techniques are something that were probably used on the fly) are quite interesting and, even inspiring.
Ash Justice
2021-07-04 06:37:28 +0000 UTCI concur with those above, good to see you feeling better and back getting around to videos. Give yourself some extra time to get that last 10% back. Enjoyed the video and the photos. A lot of early American furniture was pure function. Art came around when you didn't need to fight for survival. I too would like to see some additional Furniture Forensics episodes. And yes, you can always go on all day on a subject and I will enjoy it immensely. Take care and Happy 4th of July.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-07-04 02:59:51 +0000 UTCI have no proof or any reason to think this but: I feel like that half Danish half English bench is more like this: someone inherited or bought or found a euro bench. They used it. The traditional top was damaged or broke. Rather than tossing it out, they put together a larger, sturdier top they were used to. It has the feel of someone salvaging a good portion of something and upcycling the remains.
David Hamilton
2021-07-04 02:38:32 +0000 UTCyou the man Rex!! You inspire us to keep on learning and enjoying the trip!
Paul Mouradian
2021-07-03 19:56:57 +0000 UTCGreat review! I hope you consider building that triangular leg vice and video it. I would love to try a smaller version on a roman style/based bench! Most of us are making relatively small projects and would benefit from constructing a cheap but solid vise around a piece of threaded rod...
Sam Crosby
2021-07-03 19:15:34 +0000 UTCThanks, Rex. I am also fascinated by old pieces when I visit people or antique shops in my area and see how the craftsman made it. Also glad to hear you’re in the mend! Got my Patreon edition of your book the other day and am enjoying it. Take care!
Sean O'Neill
2021-07-03 18:42:03 +0000 UTCAs usual, your videos are instructive and full of usful content that we can all use. I have one complaint, outhwith your control. I ordered your new book last month, I am really gutted that i was unable to buy one one of the limited edition copies. I feel at times we in the UK are being treated as second class. It is not the first time I have missed out, ll be it this is the first time it has been on your page. Anyway, not long to wait for my new book to arrrive.
Gary Meechan
2021-07-03 18:33:47 +0000 UTCI would love more videos like this. Make furniture forensics a monthly or bi-monthly series please!
Nikoloz Petelava
2021-07-03 18:06:40 +0000 UTCLoved the video and I am going to get out more to look over old local furniture like you did. Now that I'm trying to make my own woodworking stuff, I have a greater appreciation for what those folks did so many years ago - with none of the resources we have today. Good to see you on the mend now. Take good care of yourself. Thanks for what you do for us people trying to learn this woodworking craft.
David Kistner
2021-07-03 17:47:46 +0000 UTCLet me look into making those photos available as a folder on the forum. Should be easy.
Rex Krueger
2021-07-03 16:50:32 +0000 UTCWelcome back. This is a great video. I am not interested in making “fine furniture” that is a work of art. I want to make functional items. Learning what is “good enough” is right for me. In the end, it will still amaze those who do not do woodworking. Knowing I made something that my grandchildren or beyond are using is enough. My son-in-law just built a new base to a dining room table I built almost 40 years ago. That is what I am aiming for. Keep it up.
Michael Coolidge
2021-07-03 16:32:25 +0000 UTCerm.mm, is it possible to see all those photos, as photos? So I can zoom in, scroll around. I too love looking at old furniture, in detail. We had that exact folding top table in our farm entry room. It was a "harvest" table. most of the year it was a boot bench, but during harvest times, it was setup as a table for processing harvest: cleaning berries, onions, etc, processing pickles, cooling pickles jams and such as before storing and so on. It got used a lot, in all three functions. We have a saying "git er done". What an awesome video! :D
William Allen
2021-07-03 16:08:03 +0000 UTCGlad you are back Rex! I will be keeping an eye out for interesting finds out in the real world.
Rick Prosser
2021-07-03 15:20:59 +0000 UTCGlad to hear you’re feeling better! This video was perfect timing… I’ve always enjoyed the rustic American furniture and conflated them with the more modern styles and standards. It’s nice to see imperfect pieces and hear someone say “it’s okay”. Great video! Keep up the good work!
Wayland Fincher
2021-07-03 14:44:58 +0000 UTCFound this fascinating , I love going to recycle shops and sometimes see some odd furniture . I was grabbing a coffee the other day and the cafeteria had a Japanese style bench that caught my eye , looked great from a distance but close up I saw it was made with no real joinery and just screwed together.Thank you and glad to see you are better.
Richard Ziewiec
2021-07-03 14:03:37 +0000 UTCGlad to hear you are on the mend.
Ian McElcheran
2021-07-03 13:39:40 +0000 UTCI am glad you are feeling better. Awesome video, thanks much.
Skully Wood and Metal
2021-07-03 13:36:49 +0000 UTCRex, you look well. That's great. When you said, "I could go on all day" I said, "Yes please" I learn so much from your field trip videos. You inspire us with your enthusiasm, knowledge and skill. I'm sure we all appreciate the hard work you do to pass your discoveries on to us. Next book???...call it "My Field Trips". Photos, illustrations and commentary. That would be a valuable book that would fly off the shelves.
John Hiemstra
2021-07-03 13:30:31 +0000 UTCHey Rex, I'm glad to see you feeling better! There is it saying"you don't appreciate good health until you lose it"
Ric Mondelli
2021-07-03 13:29:55 +0000 UTCHighly interesting topic, and well presented. The historical perspective is so important, as we rediscover the craft. This is important work Rex, thank you.
Pete seddon
2021-07-03 13:29:46 +0000 UTCWelcome back! I love seeing those old pieces of real furniture. I would like to see more, and maybe some more in depth examination as in "Furniture Forensics with a 19th Century Table". I, and many of the willing and unwilling recipients of my projects, really like the rustic time-worn look of country antiques. But many can't afford them or don't have access. Maybe Rex could do a video or 2 on making and finishing (with emphasis on finishing) faux rustic antiques. I've dabbled in it, and if Rex has interest I'll share my experience.
Brian Taylor
2021-07-03 13:05:57 +0000 UTC"I could go on talking about these pictures of old furniture and workbenches all day long…" – oh yes, please do! This was a very interesting video! 😁
Daniel Bohrer
2021-07-03 13:05:01 +0000 UTCI find that I can use a lot of small scraps by gluing them up into lathe turning blanks. Rolling pins, pepper mills, etc. Rex made a lathe, but lathe videos may not draw a lot of viewership since it's a bit niche. But I agree, we all tend to have a pile or box of miscellaneous scraps. Maybe we can feed Rex our ideas and he can put together a series on the topic.
Brian Taylor
2021-07-03 12:55:15 +0000 UTCThank you Rex. I am very happy that you are feeling better. Thank you for taking time for you. I saw that because I have family that feel guilty about being sick and will not allow themselves time to recover. Welcome back.
Paul Ladd
2021-07-03 12:48:00 +0000 UTCGood you're feeling better. Nice video, makes me want to visit home. (Ohio)
Kevin S Thomas
2021-07-03 12:45:54 +0000 UTCThanks to you too for being patient (and focusing on the recovery) while you recovered… 🙂
Daniel Bohrer
2021-07-03 12:45:28 +0000 UTCAnother fine video! And I appreciate it! I'll be getting back out in the shop soon, I hope, and some of these ideas do come in handy! Now, if you only had a section on cleaning out the shop, and getting rid of excess "bettersavethisonetoo" tools and "justincase" junk (for, you know, "it might come in handy someday" then I might have room to work on some of this! I do have one suggestion - with the climbing price of all types of wood we're having to use some of our precious "scrap" pile of smaller pieces. How about some projects that use exclusively those shorter, narrower pieces? At any rate, it's good to see you're recovering from &whatever plague you had! And thanks again for sharing your skills with us!
Howard Tuckey
2021-07-03 12:44:13 +0000 UTCGreat video, you should check out Alex Steele's channel. He is a blacksmith but he did a series a few weeks ago about building green wood chairs with his dad who has done it for years. They made a chair from Ash and the series showed the whole process from cutting the tree down to the finished chair
Joe
2021-07-03 12:40:18 +0000 UTCGlad to hear your feeling better Rex
Phillip Kieran
2021-07-03 11:49:43 +0000 UTCGlad you're back and feeling better. Another great video. Interesting stuff.
Amy Holderness
2021-07-03 11:44:16 +0000 UTCHay Rex do you have any other photos of bench’s or articles you have take or written? Would love to see anything else you saw on your trip
samuel
2021-07-03 11:33:26 +0000 UTCwelcome back. Funny how I as a perfectionist am learnimg to be less perfect and gettikg things done. Sometime good enough... well... is good enough. Many thanks to you Rex
Dad Kewl
2021-07-03 11:11:01 +0000 UTCWelcome back.
Ralph Ambrosio
2021-07-03 11:09:30 +0000 UTCGlad to hear you are doing better
Shanni Marmen
2021-07-03 11:06:09 +0000 UTC
