GPU I D E WORKSHO FINISHES SHAKER
ANDPEGS PULLS SHAKER
FINISH A SHAKER REPTICATING of colors, painted in a variety th...
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GPU I D E WORKSHO FINISHES SHAKER
ANDPEGS PULLS SHAKER
FINISH A SHAKER REPTICATING of colors, painted in a variety theirfurniture TheShakers i n c l u d i nrge d ,o r a n g ey ,e l l o wb,l u e a, n db r o w nV. t r t u a lal yl l withthin paintsin a washthat werecoated of thesepieces grainto showthrough. To replicate this allowed thewood's a effect,youcanusemilkpaintorlatexpaint.Milkpaintsleave oncethesurface oiled,orwaxed flatfinishthatcanbestained, thatis asa powder milkpaintis available is dry.Although yourownby blending the addedto water,youcanprepare shownin thechartbelow. ingredients Totone withvarntsh. weref inished SomeShaker Dieces furnishowy-Shaker downa finishthatwastooglossy-and Theoilwithpumice. rubbeddownthesurfaces turemakers presented a deep,richf inish willimpart below recipe varnish forthe withouttoomuchgloss,andoffergoodprotection witha rag,let it sit applythesolution wood.Forbestresults, with thenruboff theexcess for a fewminutes, onthesurface a cleanrag.Allow24 hoursforthecoatto cure,sandlightly, anyfinComplete building upthefinrshin layers. andrepeat, pastewax. ishwitha coatof good-qualiiy
PEGS COMM()N SHAKER
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. 3 partssteam-distilled turpentine MILKPAINT Basicformula(yieldsabout1 quart): . 1 r / 2c u p ss k i mm i l k . 1 o z .s l a k e dl i m e o 8 o z .p l a s t eor f P a r i so r c a l c i u mc a r b o n a t e Procedure 'I . S p r i n k l teh e l i m ei n t ot h e m i l ka n dm i xf o r 3 m i n u t e s . S t i ri n t h e p ' a s t e ' oPf a r i s . 2 . A d dc o i o r i n gs,u c ha s a r t i s t ' sp r g m e n tosr e a r t hp i g m e n t s o n a s c r a pp l e c e u s e df o r c o o r i n gc e m e n tt;e s tt h e s o l u i i o n a n dl e t i t d r y , 3 . L e tt h e o a i n ts r tf o r t h o u r ,t h e nb r u s hi t o n , frequently. stirring h r s h e l l a tco p r o t e ctth e f i n s h , 4 . A d da t h i n a y e ro f v a r n t s o PAINT LATEX Procedure '| c o l o rt o s e a lt h e w o o d . A p p l ya t h i n f i r s tc o a ti n t h e d e s i r e d a n d l e td r y . i ool. w i t hv e r yf i n es t e e w 2 . R u bt h e s u r f a c e 3 . A p p l ya n o t h etrh i n c o a to f p a i n ta n dr u bw i t hv e r y f i n es t e e w l ool. shellac. 4 . A d da l i g h tc o a to f o r a n g e
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THEARTOFWOODWORKING
SHAKER FURNITURE
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THE ART OF WOODWORKING
SffiR FIJRNITURE
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TIME-LIFE BOOKS ALEXANDRIA. VIRGINIA ST.REMYPRESS MONTREAL. NEWYORK
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THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by ST.REMYPRESS PUBLISHER KennethWinchester PRES/DENT PierreLdveill6 SeriesEditor SeriesArt Director SeniorEditor Editor Art Directors Designers Picture Editor Writers ContributingWriter Cont r ibuting Illu strators Administrator ProductionManager Coordinator SystemCoordinator Photographer Indexer
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Time-Life Booksis a division of Time Life Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY TIME.LIFEINC. Presidentand CEO Editor-in-Chief
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TIME-LIFEBOOKS President Vice-President,Director of Marketing ManagingEditor Director of Design Directorof Editorial Operations ConsubingEditor Vice-President,Book Production ProductionManager Quality AssuranceManager
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THECONSUXIANTS Ian Ingersoll owns a cabinetmakingshop in WestCornwall, Connecticut,that specializesin Shakerfurniture. GilesMiller-Mead taught advancedcabinetmakingat Montreal technicalschoolsfor more than ten years.A nativeof New Zealand,he hasworked asa restorerof antiquefurniture. ShakerFurniture. p. cm.- (The art of woodworking) Includesindex. ISBN0-8094-9s33-3 1. Furniture making-Amateurs' manuals. 2. Furniture,Shaker-Amateurs' manuals. I. Time-Life Books. IL Series. TTl95.S481995 749.213'08'8288-dc20 95-1022 cIP For information about any Time-Life book, pleasecall l-800-621-7026,or write: ReaderInformation Time-Life CustomerService P.O.Box C-32068 Richmond,Virginia 2326r-2068 @ 1995Time-LifeBooksInc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by any electronicor mechanicalmeans,including information storageand retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior written permissionfrom the publisher,exceptthat brief passages may be quoted for reviews. First printing. Printed in U.S.A. Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada. TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time WarnerInc. U.S.A. R 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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CONTENTS 6 INTRODUCTION L2 SHAKERDESIGN 1 8 A galleryof Shakerfurniture 24 26 34 38 44 48
CHAIRS Enfield sidechair Rushseat Shakerrocking chair Thpeseat Meetinghousebench
56 58 68 78
TABTES Tiestletable Drop-leaftable Candlestand
86 88 90 94 97 104 106
PIE SAFE Anatomy of a pie safe Making the caseworkframes Raisingthe panels Assemblingthe safe Shelving Tin-paneldoors
1T6 118 129 135 138
SHAKERCTASSICS Wall clock Stepstool Shakerboxes Pegboard
140 GTOSSARY 142 INDEX 144 ACKNOWTEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
David Lambon
REDEFINING SHAKERSTYLE enoughto liveattheCanterbury ShakerVillage in NewHampshire f *ur fortunate L for 14years, from 1972to 1986. My parents rantheVillageMuseum andwewere givenhousingin theChildren's House, builtin 1810.Ihadtheprivilege of knowing seven Shaker Sisters andlistened to theirbeliefs andmemories of theolddays. While livingthere,lfoundmyselfexploring andstudying thearchitectural elements of the buildings, aswellasthefurniturein thecollections. Whilelivingin theseuniquesurroundings, I hadtheexceptional opportunityof apprenticing with anOldWorldcabinetmaker fromMadrid,Alejandro delaCruz. His teachings emphasized tradition,classicism, andintegrityin work,design, and living.Thisapprenticeship providedmewith a directionandfocusfor studying Shaker andotherclassic designs. At thesametime,it allowed meto constructively criticizesomeoldpieces andto rebuildor redesign themby usingbetterconstruction methods, whilestillretaining theiroriginalcharmandattractiveness. Likethearchitectural elements of antiquirythebeautyandtruthof Shaker design aremostevidentin basicforms.Theoveralllines,proportions, andstance canbe seenin a simplepieceof furniturelikethecandlestandshownin thephotoatright. Details, if theyaredonewell,adda furtherdimension andwill notobscure or clutterthegeneral form. I donotbelieve thattheShakers setoutto develop theirowndesigns; rather, their beliefsreshaped formswith whichtheywerealready familiar.Shaker designcanbe seenasa stripped-down Federal style,withemphasis onHepplewhite andSheraton elements. Federal stylewasconcurrent with thebeginning andthedevelopment of theShaker religious movement. Thekeycabinetmakers of eachShaker villagewere alsofreeto develop theuniqueflavorof eachcommunity's workwhiletakingdirection fromtheleadcommunityof MountLebanon, NewYork. Whilea gooddealof Shaker designcharmliesin itsnaivet6, evenmoredepends on thecabinetmaker's complete masteryof theform.Creatingfurnituredesigns requires athoroughunderstanding process, ofthedesign andbeingableto "getinto theheads" of theoldmasters to understand whycertaindesign decisions weremade. It alsorequires a goodunderstanding of furnitureconstruction usingpastandpresenttechniques. It isimportantnotjustto acknowledge apieceasa masterpiece and copyit, butto findout wltyitisamasterpiece, byaskingmanyquestions aboutit. The answers will provideyourbuildingblocksfor creating yourowndesigns in anysryle.
DavidLambwasresidentcabinetmaker at CanterburyShaker Village,NewHampshire,between1979and 1986.He now buildsShaker-inspired furniture at hisshopin Canterbury.
INTRODUCTION
Iohn Wilsonperfectsthe
ELEGANT SHAKERBOX in apatternbookonShaker woodenware byEjnerHandberg boxes T mu sawShaker Even Community College. L n 1977whenI wasteaching furnituremakingatLansing ovalcontainers, craftedfromcherryin gradaslinedrawings, thesesimple,elegant appeal, butto havethemnest uatedsizes, wereintriguing.All boxesholduniversal insideeachotherappeals to thechildin allof us. for 10years, in residential construction Up to thispoint,I hadbeena carpenter teaching socialanthropology. LittledidI knowwhen andhadspentanotherdecade in Shaker thattheywouldbecome theperI beganto followmycuriositF ovalboxes othercomfectavenue for expressing thosethreeskills-workingin wood,interpreting Butthatis exactly whathashappened to me munities'lifeandwork,andteaching. overthelast15years. Byspecializing in Shaker ovalboxes, I wasfortunateto takeadvantage of three design, thepopularityof woodworking asa trends:a growingawareness of Shaker Thiscombination opened hobby,andaninterestin instructionin leisureactivities. By1986I wasteaching 30workshops thedoorsfor freelance box-making seminars. andEngland. Theparticiayearin manypartsof thecountry,aswellasin Canada pantsmakea nestof fiveboxes. It is fulfillingto beableto masterthetechnique of it in makingfive.In thel2yearcsincethe makingabox,andevenmoresoto perfect firstboxclass, I havetaughtmorethan4,000peoplethistraditionalcraft. bringingthe My memoryof firstattempting to buildthemisof bandsbreaking, projectto an abruptend.It takesmorethanlinedrawings to master technique. VisitingShaker sitesin NewEngland,Irecalla rareopportunityto watchboxmakHegavemeasample er|erryGrantatHancock ShakerVillage. of thetinycoppertacls thatarethehallmarkof theboxlap.These areasscarce ashen'steeth,astheexpresAt *re time,CrossNailCompany wastheoneremaining tackmanufacturer, siongoes. order.It tooka minimumof 50poundsto order, andmadethemonlyon special thatwasanincredible supply. Wth 12taclsneedandwithover750taclato theounce, a lifetimeof boxmaking. edto makea box,it alsorepresented mylifeandsupplying Today, Shaker boxes havebecome theboxtradewithqualmoreof mytimethaneithermakingboxesor teaching. ity materials nowoccupies hasleftmewiththeconMorethanjustbeinggoodbusiness, makingShaker boxes eachof usmustaccept. victionthatpassing on our skillsisa responsibility at Purduebefore turning JohnWilsontaughtsocialanthropology his attentionto teachingShakerboxmakingfull time in 1983. Hisseminarshavebeenheldat theSmithsonian, in Shakervillages throughoutAmerica,and in England.He ownsand operates The HomeShopon EastBroadwayHighrq,in Charlotte,Michigan.
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|une Spriggreflectson
A SHAKERLIFE hen I waslittle and shareda room with my sisterI yearnedto havea room of my own.I was19whenthat dreamcametrue,and oh, what a room it
was,in anearlyl9th-CenturyShaker buildingin Canterbury, NewHampshire. My roomwasa classic Shaker interior,with built-incupboards anddrawers, a pegrailaroundthewalls,andrareslidingshutters. Everything overhead andunderfootwastheworkof Shaker Brothers whohadusedlocalpine,maple,andbirchand a combination of handtoolsandwater-powered machinery in anefficientand sophisticated system of man-made pondsandmillsbehindthevillage. Aftera centuryandahalfof continual use,thepegswerefirm in theirsockets. Thedrawers slid smoothly with aslighttugonthesinglecenter pull.Thewholeeffectwasoneof spaciousness, airiness, andlightness. Thisroomwasworththewait. BythetimeI arrivedat Canterbury in 1972asa summerguidein themuseum, theshakers9cletyhadlongsinceflourishedandfaded.Thecanterburyshakers wereestablished in 1792astheseventh of whatbecame 19principalsettlements in America. when I came,thehalf-dozen shakers wholivedthere- all in their70s, (Theotherwas 80s,and90s-wereoneof thelasttwoShaker familiesin existence. sabbathdayLake in Maine.)Thesisters weredelightful-energetic, humorous, and unstintinglykind.TherewerenoBrothers atCanterbury. Thelastonehaddiedin the 1930s andthewomenjokedthattheyhad"workedthosepoormento death." while woodworking hadpassed into historywith thelastof theBrothers, the sisters heldtheworkof the"oldshakers" in highregard. A lifetimeof usingShaker desks, tables, workcounters, chairs, andcupboards hadgiventhemahands-on appreciationof the-qualities thathaveearned Shaker designrespect worldwide: strength, lightness, anda simplerightness of proportion. Ergonomic? Youbet.we heldour breathwhenever thefragilebut unstoppable Eldress wentup anddownthestairs with herbadkneeandcane,but thebreadthof thesteps, thegentlerise,andthe sturdy,elegant handrailkeptheruprightandsafe. "Hands to workandheartsto God,"a homilyof Shaker founderMotherAnn Lee,wasa roadmapfor goodlife.My Shaker friendsaregonenow,buttheirwork endures astestimony to thebeautyandwisdomof thatsimplemessage.
lune SprigghasbeenstudyingtheShakers for mostof her life,and shewasCuratorof Collections at HancockShaker Villagebetyveen 1979and 1994.Her latestbookwithphotographerPaulRocheleau, ShakerBurlt,ispublishedby MonacelliPress. Shelivesin Pittsfield,Massachusetts.
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SffiDESIGN todayas arerecognized T h. Shakers mostinteresting I oneof America's Thanks religious societies. communal cropofbooks,articles, to thevigorous thathavesproutedup andexhibitions celebrasincetheShakers' bicentennial mostpeople thinkof them tionin 1974,
rearlegs With its backward-Ieaning andcurvedsla*,theEnfleldsidechair shownat left wasbuiltfor simplicity and comfort.Therushseatson eaily Shakerchairslikethisonegradually gaveway to canvastapeseating.
firstandforemost asoroducers of simpleandwell-made furniture.Butin their hevdav from 1825to 1845,thevwere beiteri<no*nfor theiroriginalbiendof celibacy andcommunalism, adeepcomprinciples mitmentto Christian aspracandaworship ticedbyChristtdisciples,
serviceuniquein civilizedAmericafor its groupdancing,a sort ofsacredline or circledancethat gaveall membersequal the Holy Spirit. opportunityto express dance scandalized many This ecstatic including Ralph conventional observers, Dickens. WaldoEmersonand Charles
By themid-l9th Century,whenthelithographshownabovewasmqde, thefreneticdancingthat oncemarkedShakerworship-and gavethemtheir linedances. As in all Shaker with morereserved name-had beenreplaced werestrictlydivided.Thewomanin stylishVictoriandress activities,thesexes theirworship. to observe in theforegroundwasprobablyinvitedby theShakers
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t t I I Aspreached byAnn Leeandherfolat NewLebanon, NewYork.TheNew lowers,Shakerlife wasoneof hardship kbanon communitywas to become the I andself-denial. BeingaShakermeantliv- spiritualcapitalof the Shaker world ing a celibatelife with no possibilityof throughthenefi century. By1800, misI bearingchildren,andworkingselflessly sionaries hadhelpedestablish a dozen andequallyalongside one'sBrothers and Shaker communities throughoutNew I Sisters. It alsomeantlivingin isolation England,includingonesin Enfield, from theoutsideworld,renouncing all Connecticut; Harvard,Massachusetts; I privateproperty, andtakingsolace in the andCanterbury, NewHampshire. By purityof communityandprayer. 1825,19principalvillageswereflourI AlthoughAnn dieda scant10years ishingfrom Maineto pointswestin afterarrivingin Americaandhermove- Kentucky andOhio.In 1840,anestiI mentremained relatively smallduring mated4,000Shakers wereputtingtheir herlifetime,converts beganto join in handsto work andheartsto Godin T drovesin theyearsfollowingherdeath. America's largest, bestknown,andonly By1787,thefirstlarge-scale communal alternative to mainstream lifethatexistI Shaker Familyhadgathered nearAlbany edon a trulynationalscale. Thedininghall at thePleasantHill communityin Harrodsburg, K
MotherAnn'sNewOrder The Shakerstracetheir history in "Mother Americato1774, whenfounder Anrt''Leeemigrated to NewYorkfrom Manchester, England,with eightfollowers.The39-year-old daughterof a Midlandsblacksmith,Ann Leewas promptedto cometo theNorthAmericancolonies, according to herfaithfirl believers, byavisionof thesecond coming of Christ.Shewassickened by the corruptionof the Old World,andthe changes wroughtby the Industrial Revolution thatwerealteringtheconditionsofhumanlifebeyondallprevious experience. Shesoughtto establish anew orderof life in theNewWorld.
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In spiteofeffortsto attractnewconverts,theShakers'numbers beganto declinebeforetheendof theCivil War. In 1875,Tyringham, Massachusetts, was first close offithe Shaker communityto cially.In a centurythat witnessed so in Amermanyrevolutionary changes ican life it proveddifficult for the Shakers-whochangedso little-to maintainthemomentumof theirfirst
By1900,theShakers haddwin70years. vildledto 2,000members asShaker lagesclosedtheir doorsoneby one. justonecommunity Today, survives, at Sabbathday Lake,Maine,wherefewer carryon the thana dozenmembers Shaker traditions. HarmonyofProportion TheShakers werenot anesthetic move-
ment or a self-conscious schoolof In fact,theirfurniture,liketheir design. architecture andclothing,wasderided in its dayfor anexcessively utilitarian lackof style.Today, attracted bythesimplicityof theirdesigns, theworldhas begunto recognize theachievements of woodworkers, Shaker suchastheclocks madeby BrotherIsaacNewtonYoungs of NewLebanon, andthesewingdesks
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Thespiritualcenterof Shakerlife,themeetinghouse, is asmodestand unpretentious asanyShakerbuilding.
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and rockingchairsof BrotherFreegift Wellsof Watervliet, NewYork. Simplicityis thequintessential hallmarkof Shakerdesign.Comparedwith theopr.rlent complexiry of a QueenAnne highboy,for example, a Shaker chairis a paragonofaLrsterify: fourlegs,threeslats, a handfulofstretchers, anda fewyards of canvas tanefor the seat.In a world that seemsto growincreasingly more complexand chaoticyearby yearit is not difficLrltto seewhythesirnple,harr.r.ror.rior-rs linesof Shakerftirniturecontinueto holdtheirappeal. Shakerartisans alsodistinguished themselves by thequalityof theirwork. Theyrarelyneededto hurry andwere in factencour-aged to takethetimeneededto do thejob properly. Thecornmunal ftrmilystructuregaveindividuals fieedomfrom thoughtsof purchasing, narketing,sales, andallrelated business coucerns-anexperienced business staff took careofall t[at. Shaker woodworkersreceived freetrainingfrom veryfine craftsmen, olderBrotherswho taught them in an apprenticeship system. Shakers generally workedin big,handsome,state-of-the-art workshops with thebesttoolsandmachines available; a communal economy, thriftyliving,and an abhorrence ofbuyingon creditusuallymeantplentyof capitalto investin thebest.TheShakers'were alsocapable of irrverrtirrg thebestlthetablesaw,for wasthebrainchild example, of a Shaker sister.It comesasno sururisethatmanv woodworkers todayspeakenviously at tinresof theirShaker counterparts. A Lackof Ornamentation The relisiousmotivationbehindthe simplicityof Shakerdesignis an obviousone.The Shakers soughtin every-
BrotlrcrClutrlesGreaves outsidethe corpettyshLtp, Harrcock SlnkerVilLrge, Pittsfield, N'lassaclusetts, ilr theenrly1900s.
thing theydid to freethemselves from thevainandunnecessary, whichto them meantavoidinggrossmaterialism. This wasno meanfeatin theGildedAsethat gavebirthto Victoriana andconspicuous consumption. TheShakers eschewed the
sort of artisticfreedornthat allowed buildersto designand makewhatever theywanted.Theyseldomautographed theirpiecesbecause theytook no pride in beingrecognized asindividualartisans.Reliqious convictions alsoforbade
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a licenseto decoratewith carving,inlay, painting,exoticimportedwoods,or any othertype of appliedornament.The Shakerstraditionally regardedthese embellishments asa wasteof time and resources. Indeed,the few ornamental touchesto be found on Shakerfurniture-such asexposeddovetailingand the ubiquitous,neatlyturned drawer pulls and rail pegs-invariablyhad a utilitarianpurpose.
Usuallymadewith bentmaplesides pinetopsandbottoms, andquartersawn ovalboxeswereusedto storeall types of dry goods.Theywereconstructed in graduatedsizessothat eachonecould bestoredinsidethenextlargersize.
Believingthat all things visible revealedthe stateof the spirit within, Shakers took greatcarewith whatthey madesothat its near-perfection would both honorandemulatetheexcellence of God'sown creation.Aboveall else, Shakerfurnitureanddesignis imbued with the spirit of its makers,proclaimingtheir optimism and faith in the future. By spendingobviouscare and time on humble,usefulthings, the Shakersclearlyannouncedtheir beliefin a futureworth living and in the ability of future generationsto keeptheir craft alive. On thefollowingpagesis an illustrated galleryof someof themostenduring oiecesof furniture that serveas the legacyto modernwoodworking. Shakers'
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A tall clockserves asa boundarybetweenthemen'sand women's sleeping areasin theCentre FamilyDwellingat PleasantHill, Kentucl