There aren’t many woodworkers that have spent more time examining period furniture than Peter Follansbee. His regular interaction with scholars over 17th century joiner’s work has proved to be a real asset to his critical thinking about recreating period work. Early in his career, Peter spent a lot of time (like we all do) endlessly pondering why every little thing was done a certain way. “Why three legs here and not there?” “Why no mitered mortise and tenons?” “What’s the mysterious backstory to the saw nib?” It seems every opportunity to examine work done hundreds of years ago provides ample opportunity to speculate on these inexplicable characteristics.
No more. Peter has written for Issue Two about his take on this kind of speculation. His matured critical thinking has made him much more open-minded than his early days in which everything needed an explanation. In this article, Peter gives a healthy dose of skepticism that only an experienced scholar develops. As we think together as a woodworking community about our furniture (and tool) heritage, I think we need this kind of experienced voice to inform us.
This final installment in the Issue Two Table of Contents is one I think we all need to hear. Put in your pre-order when it opens in 3 weeks. Starting November 1st, all pre-orders get free shipping. Make sure you get your order in. This issue is going to be incredible. Remember all these articles? Check out the complete contents of Issue Two here. Bookmark it and mark your calendar. November 1st is not far away.