Every year I have a number of lectures, presentations, and demonstrations booked. Here are the events for 2016.
April 2nd – 3rd Northeastern Woodworkers Association Annual Showcase in Saratoga Springs, New York
I will be presenting two workshops on both Saturday and Sunday. Between sessions, I will be at my booth with M&T merchandise talking about building furniture with hand tools and conserving our furniture heritage. Below are the workshops I will be presenting:
1. “Conservation in Practice: Restoring Antique Furniture" – This workshop is a discussion of conservation theory, the relationship to “restoration”, determining “what to do” for a given project, and is a demonstration of executing some of the most common repairs without jeopardizing historic integrity. This is an introductory workshop designed for those with no prior experience. If you’ve had an heirloom piece passed down to you that needs help but you’ve been nervous about doing the “wrong” repair on such a special piece, this class is for you.
2. “Restoration of Historic Finishes” – Aged and worn finishes on antique furniture have been prized for their beauty for a long time so when a surface has seen many generations of wear and use, that patina deserves to be preserved. This workshop covers ways to treat damaged finishes without stripping them or using damaging methods. White rings, paint flecks, and scratches are all common occurrences in antique furniture that can be sources of further damage if not treated properly. Attend this session to learn how to address these issues with minimally invasive (and simple) methods. No experience necessary.
June – “Wrought by Hand: Furniture Making Before the Industrial Revolution” at the Wilson Museumin Castine, Maine
Before the adoption of machinery into furniture production in the 19th century, all furniture was made completely “by hand”. Starting from a log all the way through to a finished piece of furniture, axes, saws, planes, and chisels were the tools employed by furniture artisans. But don’t believe the myth that building by hand is slow or arduous. Based on my experience building furniture without any “power” tools I can vouch for the fact that period makers were efficient workers. Come and watch a live demonstration and discussion of the efficiency and viability of pre-industrial furniture making methods. Far from merely anachronistic curiosity, this presentation is a lively and interactive opportunity to see hand-tool-only furniture making.
July 8th-9th - Lie-Nielsen Open House in Warren, Maine
This event is a staple for woodworkers. There are always loads of awesome demonstrators and so many tools to try out. I will be there in a Mortise & Tenon booth demonstrating and discussing period furniture making methods. Make sure you stop by. This one shouldn’t be missed.
August - Jonathan Fisher Antique Show in Blue Hill, Maine
This show I’ve been doing for a while now. Each year, in the sea of antique dealers, I’m the one guy planing boards and chopping mortises at a workbench. It is always draws attention and helps contextualize the pieces sold at dealer’s booths.
Sept 16th-18th – Woodworking in America
Plan to drop by my booth at WIA this year. Workbench and tool chest in tow, things are guaranteed to be fun. I will have examples of actual period joinery available for close inspection and will be demonstrating efficient pre-industrial methods of working wood.
Oct 1st-2nd – Living History Days at Leonard’s Mills in Bradley, Maine
The Living History Days are two days of historic interpretation of a 1790s Maine frontier logging camp. If you’re into watching folks demonstrate historic trades in period dress, this one’s for you. I always bring my workbench and tool chest to demonstrate historic woodworking. My wife and kids come along for this one and it is always a special weekend that we look forward to every year. There are hay rides, bean hole beans, and tons of other historic crafts demonstrated.
Oct 29th-Nov 1st - SAPFM Peach State Chapter Presentation in Alpharetta, Georgia
The Society of American Period Furniture Makers chapter in Georgia has invited me to do two presentations on furniture restoration this fall. Stay tuned for details…
- Joshua