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I spent the afternoon with Peter Follansbee at his shop at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts – watching him work for a profile I’m writing about him for Popular Woodworking Magazine.
“The Peter Show” – as some Plimoth employees refer to it – consists of Peter working in his shop as visitors pepper him with questions (“What do you do with the shavings?” “I throw them out!”). Then Peter gently teases some of the visitors to get them engaged in the work at his bench (“OK, you want to learn carving? The first lesson is free – after that, you have to pay.”)
I also received a tour of the site by Peter and we got to see how his furniture – some of it 20 years old – is faring in the reproduction houses. It’s quite amazing how quickly the new oak furniture gets dark thanks to the smoke from fires and some linseed oil.
I have to wrap up this blog entry quickly. Both Peter and I will be at the Lie-Nielsen Open House in Warren, Maine, on Friday and Saturday. So I have to get up with the chickens to make the drive back from Plymouth, Mass., to Warren, Maine.
If you are in New England, the Lie-Nielsen Open House is definitely worth the drive. Lots of toolmakers, demonstrations and fun. Read about it here.
— Christopher Schwarz
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Careful Chris, any shorter depth of field and you’ll miss the whole picture.
Just kidding, beautiful shots. I wish I was there with you two.
I love the attention to detail that Peter puts into his reproduction work, especially his costume (few are aware of the ‘wife beater’s’ significance in 17th century lore).