Online Extras for the February 2009 issue include a slideshow of extra pictures of the Hay Rake Table, the SketchUp 3d model of the Hay Rake Table, and the video, “Throw Away Your Tape Measure.” Read more
Tag Archives: February 2009
Out of the Woodwork: A Puzzling Beginning
How one woodworker got over her fear of dismemberment: more fear. By Micaela R. Evans Page: 80 From the February 2009 issue #174 Buy this issue now Industrial Technology. That was the name of the course I took in the autumn of 1993. Beats me as to why it was entitled thus, because anyone with … Read more
Great Woodshops: Using Wood to Make Waves
Reuben Margolin uses scraps to explore science, nature and math. By Raphael Rosen Pages: 74-77 From the February 2009 issue #174 Buy this issue now At this moment, Reuben Margolin is building a gigantic wooden sculpture that moves. It’s titled “Yellow Linear Wave,” and is one of his many creations – usually built out of … Read more
Flexner on Finishing: Finishing Cherry
Some straight talk about cherry and blotching. By Bob Flexner Pages: 70-72 From the February 2009 issue #174 Buy this issue now When I opened my furniture-making and restoration shop in 1976, the woods considered best for high-end furniture were walnut and mahogany. Of course, oak and maple were also used, and sometimes cherry. As … Read more
D.L. Barrett & Sons Planemakers
Meet the young (he’s just 18) and skilled hands behind a near-perfect tool. By Christopher Schwarz Pages: 66-69 From the February 2009 issue #174 Buy this issue now While modern carpenters might show off at the jobsite by driving up in a fully loaded pickup truck, the 19th-century cabinetmaker did the same thing when he … Read more
The Barnsley Hay Rake Table
Inspired by the agricultural tools of rural England, this massive oak table is awash in hand-worked details.
By Don Weber
Pages: 60-65
From the February 2009 issue #174
Buy this issue now
As a young fellow growing up in the countryside of Wales, I clambered over many a farm wagon, climbed into many a loft in barns that were jointed and pegged, and tripped over many a hay rake on my adventures.
I have always appreciated the simple, utilitarian, yet pleasing design of the vernacular woodworking of the countryside. My inspiration for furniture forms has always been the work of the wheelwright and coach maker. And the inspiration for how to build things came in part from Sidney Barnsley and Ernest Gimson.
Barnsley and Gimson were men of the Cotswolds school of craft architects. They were part of a group of London architects who moved to the countryside in the 19th century and set up what is known today as the English Arts & Crafts movement (along with William Morris at Kelmscott Manor).
These free thinkers broke away from convention and began to design not only the buildings, but the furnishings as well. And they turned to the rural countryside for their inspiration.
The hay rake table built for Rodmarton Manor was an example of how Gimson and Barnsley adopted details from farm wagons, carts and farming implements that were still in use in the Cotswolds.
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Four Ways to Make Tapered Legs
We explore methods to help you find the one that works best. By Keith Neer, Glen D. Huey, Robert W. Lang & Christopher Schwarz Pages: 55-59 From the February 2009 issue #174 Buy this issue now It’s true! From working with hand tools, to powering up stationary machinery, to any combination of these two woodworking … Read more