A Successful Weekend in Saratoga

I shared a booth with Raney Nelson of Daed Toolworks this weekend in upstate NY. Raney brought several tools that seemed to catch most people's attention and interest. They always catch mine.

When Raney leaves the booth I get the opportunity to put these planes in many hands. These passersby are always shocked by the seemingly nonexistent mouth. They tell me I do great work. One of these days I'm just going to smile and say 'thank you.' 

Bracket Ogee Foot with Hollows, Rounds, and Jack

From a Pennsylvania Secretary

Plow (or table saw)

#18 round followed by #4 hollow

Jack plane, smooth plane, scrape (this was nearly a 5" radius)

The results...

This Weekend Officially Marks My One Year Anniversary.

This weekend's appearance at the NWA Showcase officially marks my one year anniversary of pursuing customers.

I offer my sincerest gratitude to my customers who showed faith, to the readers of this blog, to my new friends and acquaintances, to the people that send pictures of their work, and to my future customers.

Thank you Lie-Nielsen Toolworks for making the products and hosting the shows that I rely upon so greatly.

Thank you Chris Schwarz, the largest proponent of the craft.

Especially, thank you Larry Williams and Don McConnell for your very early encouragement, direction and coattails.

Thank you Chuck Bender for asking in the first place.

Thank you to my wife, children and parents who have been insanely supportive.

Thank you,
Matt Bickford

NWA Woodworking Showcase

This weekend I will be at the NWA Woodworking Showcase in Saratoga Springs, NY. I will be sharing a booth with Raney Nelson of Daed Toolworks.

If you are considering going I will urge you one last time to make the trip. It's a great show. There is a large vending area but the focus is on the product, not the tooling. There is a professional/amateur competition that gets hundreds of entries that run the range from 14' adirondack boats to 3" william and mary miniatures.

If that's not enough Lie-Nielsen,  Jeff Noden, Chuck Bender of the Acanthus Workshop (where I will be teaching a class in May), Bob Van Dyke of CT Valley School of Woodworking (where I will be teaching a class in July) and many, many more will be there.

Still not enough? Chris Shwarz will be demonstrating.

Ok, ok. I have one last draw...

Rule Joint with Hollows and Rounds

I've been asked a few times about making a pair of rule joint planes. Here's my first attempt at the joint with a pair of 8s.

Here's a quick step by step in making a rule joint with hollows and rounds

The result...

Site Location Has Changed

Big Pink has been replaced.

Wherever Your Interests May Fall...

I've had a functioning set of hollows and rounds for five or six years now. Over those years I initially spent countless hours trying to figure out how to put them to work. Now I spend countless hours each week making them. Sometimes, however, when I'm supposed to be making planes my old planes are still able to distract me and I start playing around with them. This blog encourages that behavior.

Hollows and Rounds excel in the versatility they allow. They give the user the luxury of options, countless options.

Queen Anne Cornice: hollows, rounds and a snipes bill

I've recently showed the work of a few incredible craftsmen. I imagine that the Boules' pieces are things towards which we all work. They are impeccable, A-game stuff. It's the quality which I hope to put my name on some day and the single reason I purchased my table saw. Ted's work is of what dreams are made: A completely different game that most of us (at least me) can not play.

Let's take a look at something we all can do.

I had a chance to take a few measurements of a queen anne highboy recently. The cornice was right in this blogs' wheelhouse. (The actual piece had the swan neck molding, but I haven't the time, experience or scrap.)

City Bench

Ever since I moved to Connecticut I have enjoyed bringing my kids to KidCity in Middletown. The place is exceptional. Let the kids run around while you get lost in the amount of detail in every corner of every room. I have spent hours in the basement sitting on a bench and staring at the walls.

The following pictures were taken in one room and show upwards of 10% of the detail. It's amazing.

Thaddeus hidden on the left. Sheldon on the right.

Right on Schedule

The problem with writing this blog is that I know exactly when I finished carving the third leg for the dressing table on which I'm working. So, after a long hiatus I finished carving the 4th leg over the past two nights. I am right on schedule to have this complete for the NWA Woodworking Showcase in 2012.