The Inquisitive Woodworker

Exploring the world of woodworking.

Archive for May, 2009

New Dovetail Saw from Rob Cosman

May 21

Posted by TheInquisitiveWoodworker in Tools | No Comments

These days it seems like everyone is coming out with a new Dovetail Saw.  Now Rob Cosman – “The Dovetail Master” has thrown his hat into the ring.  Spending a lot of money on a tool, that I can’t try out first can be a difficult decision.  That’s why I was so lucky to have had a chance to try out a prototype of Rob’s saw earlier this year.

Earlier this year I took a class from Rob, at our local Woodcraft store.  Besides being a very fun day of dovetailing, Rob had a prototype of the Dovetail Saw he was going to produce.  You can find all of the details about the saw at his site, including a video where Rob talks about the saws features.  One feature that might not appeal to people, is the martial Rob chose to use for the handle.  He is using a resin compound, like Corian for the handles.  When he said that in the class, I thought “why did he go and do that”!  Then I used the saw and felt the difference.  I like the wood handles I have on my saws now, but the resin handle on his saw was “fatter/thicker”.  It felt so nice in my hand.  I quickly overcame my issue of the resin handle.  Getting a chance to use the saw, made it even easier for me to decide I wanted one when they started to ship.  The saw has some weight to it and is well balanced in your hand.  It cuts fast and smooth.  It was my birthday a few days ago, and I got some cash as a gift.  So, Happy Birthday to me!
Rob is offering the saw with two different handles, Granite and Bone.  The Granite really doesn’t appeal to me, so I ordered the Bone handle.  At the Woodcraft store he had a Black handle that looked incredible.  I wish he offered the Black handle.  Not sure how soon the saw will arrive, but I will post something as soon as it does.

Update on using the mini-bench

May 17

Posted by TheInquisitiveWoodworker in Benches | 2 Comments

smallbench22

Over the past month or so, I have had a chance to use the mini-bench.  It was well worth the time and effort to build.  Working on a project piece in a more upright stance isn’t just comfortable it’s more accurate.  I’m finding my quality of work has improved.

The face vise is working great.  The hand wheels on the vise are working fantastic!  I’m actually thinking about using hand wheels on my main bench.  The dogs on the mini-bench are also working great.  I’ve even used my holdfasts on the mini-bench, and they worked great!  It’s hard to find anything I would what to improve on this bench.

Design imitation, finding your own design expression

May 17

Posted by TheInquisitiveWoodworker in Design | 2 Comments

As a woodworker, it didn’t take me long before I wanted to design something unique that was my own design/style.  I soon found out, trying to design something new and unique is a very daunting task.  This is especially true, if you haven’t had any formal design training or experience.  I kept trying, but it was like having writer’s block.  I soon realized, I had nothing to build on.  Sure I had seen just about every style of furniture out that, but I really hadn’t “studied” even one style in depth.

A style that really didn’t interest me was Greene and Greene.  That was until I read the article “True Greene & Greene” by Gary Rogowski, in Fine Woodworking #203.  This article opened my eyes to Greene and Greene.  Seeing what Greene and Greene was really supposed to look like, changed my view of Greene and Greene.  I had seen what was being called “Greene and Greene”, but in reality I was seeing watered down, blurry “photocopies” of Greene and Greene.  Which is another reason a study of a style is always needed.  Just seeing a piece that someone calls a certain style, doesn’t mean you are seeing a true representation of that style.

Gary’s article lead me to several important resources, a couple of which are:  The Greene & Greene Virtual Archives and Darrell Peart.  The Virtual Archives is an absolutely amazing collection of Greene and Greene photos, drawings and other documents.  I have spent a few hours just skimming through some of the information.  A more detailed search and exploration of the archive is needed.

Along with Gary’s Greene and Greene work, Darrell Peart is another craftsman that builds in the Greene and Greene style.  Darrell has written a fantastic book on Greene and Greene design elements and how to incorporate them into your design, “Greene & Greene: Design Elements for the Workshop”.  An interesting coincidence, Darrell lives in the Seattle area not too far from me.  I’ve contacted Darrell through email, and he is a very pleasant person.  He welcomes visitors to his shop, and I hope to arrange a visit soon.

Darrell also teaches classes.  I’m currently signed up for 2 of his classes over at The Port Townsend School of Woodworking.  I’m signed up the Greene and Greene Details II in August and the Greene and Greene Details I in December.  The August class is far enough out there, I don’t know I can wait for the December class ☺.

So the point to all this Greene and Greene talk.  For me to develop my own design sense and skills, I feel I need to explore different styles of furniture in more detail.  I plan to start with Greene and Greene, but not limit myself.  That means exploring a wide range of resources and opinions on a topic.  Then reproduce or “imitate” that style.  I want to truly understand a given style and its elements.  From there I feel I can build on my own design sense.  They say there really isn’t anything new, just new arrangements of what has already been done.