Here's Underhill last week at Williamsburg. The 5-book revolving stand is at right.
A few year’s ago on his PBS show, the Woodright built the same Jefferson bookstand he recently demonstrated at Colonial Willamburg’s Working Wood in the 18th Century conference, and you can watch that TV episode for free.
It is a clever revolving stand that holds 5 books open at once. Jefferson used it to read multiple books at once on a single topic, turning from source to source quickly. Cool idea.
He covers a lot of great techniques in this episode, all with hand tools of course, including cutting breadboard ends.
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Here's Underhill last week at Williamsburg. The 5-book revolving stand is at right.
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This photo is a little grainy, but this is the way the bookstand is displayed at Monticello.
Comments
Although it doesn't get as much "ink" as the cabinet shop at Williamsburg, I found the Joiners' Shop to be a much better opportunity to get up close, chat with the craftsmen, and watch them work. At the time I visited the cabinet shop, we stood over at one edge of the workshop and heard a good description of what was done there, but nothing was happening and there was no "up close" opportunity as with the Joiners' Shop. My hunch that it had more to do with my timing than with differences between the shops.
Bottom line: don't miss the Joiners' Shop! The toolmaking shop about which much is said and written was completely off limits--a big disappointment.
I hope to visit Williamsburg again and try to make my visit coincide with the Period Furniture Society meeting.
Does anyone know if a plan is available of this bookstand? I have wanted to build since seeing at Monticello several years ago.
While Jefferson was a brilliant person, this idea is not his own as the short article seems to imply. Stands in this style were fairly common at the time for musicians. While the addition of a 5th stand is new to me, these style stands were popular for string quartets especially, where the instrument's volume isn't as directional as it is on a trumpet. It was also convenient because string quartets typically played at private venues and could be tucked away in a tighter corner with this type of shared stand.
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