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To be honest, I don’t get overly ebullient about every DVD we produce – but about this one, well, I’m awfully enthusiastic. Charles Bender (period furniture maker extraordinaire) recorded “Cabriole Legs Simplified” in just one day in our video studio, and almost all the retakes were for what he was saying, not for what he was doing. If we subtract the time spent talking, lunch breaks, etc., Chuck had his sample cabriole leg carved in what I think is less than one hour.
That gives me some hope…that with his instruction I might be able to make a cab leg in less than a day. And that eventually, when I’ve carved hundreds of them like Chuck, I might have it down to two to three hours. I think I see a tea table in my future.
On this DVD, Chuck shows you step by step how to lay out, cut and shape a cabriole leg with a traditional pad foot, using just a handful of tools (both power and hand tools). Plus, in his introduction, he shares a history of the cabriole leg (which I find fascinating).
The copy I got was shipped to our office straight from the duplicator, so right now, “Cabriole Legs Simplified” shows up as “pre-order” at ShopWoodworking.com – but it should be in the warehouse (and shipping to buyers) any day now!
p.s. Chuck was in town for two days of filming – and because he’s so fast, we were also able to get “Carve a Ball & Claw Foot” done in one day – I’m pretty jazzed about that one, too. But the claws kinda scare me…
p.p.s. ALL our videos are available with a subscription to Shop Class on Demand – six months of access to everything for $49.99 (and right now, the featured preview is for Chuck’s cabriole leg video). It’s a great option if you enjoy watching a ton of video woodworking instruction (or live overseas and want to avoid shipping charges for the DVDs).
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
To Chuck Bender and the staff of Popular Woodworking Magazine, great job on the video! You have a wonderful teaching style Chuck. This right where I am at. I am working on a lowboy finally and this video gives me the confidence to tackle the cabriole leg. I enjoyed the background information, your simple approach to layout, and then the straightforward style of cutting and shaping. Also, I appreciated the economy of tools used.
Jim Paulson
Windsor chair maker
I saw part of this DVD at the Lie Nielsen event last Friday. Chuck was playing his “directors cut” copy and it was really good. Having taken a few classes from Chuck I can personally vouch for his teaching style and extreme level of skill. His approach is very no nonsense and gets you past all the analysis and trepidation of tackling a new skill. I’m really excited that his knowledge will be more accessible to the masses through these videos.
Oh and Megan, to prepare for ball and claw carving, dig up some old connect the dots activity books. Once you get the foot laid out, it really is just connecting the dots. My first couple of feet were almost disappointing when I realized there really isn’t any mystery to it.
Chuck Bender kicks ass. It’s not often that you get a guy with Chuck’s ww skill who also has his artistic eye. On top of that, he’s one heck of a nice guy. I enjoy his articles and look forward to this DVD.
Adam Cherubini