In several threads I have read others comments directed at the lack of “plans” presented in FWW magazine. In some cases, I think the feedback is accurate. I have been with FWW from the first edition of the magazine. I’m up on the history of the magazine and I don’t want to invite a debate on the degradation of the magazine on this post, I want to direct Knotheads that like to work from plans from time to time to a source I believe will help to improve the quality of the furniture they build. The plans from Carlyle Lynch will surely help with planning and executing the process of building a fine piece of furniture.
I have built 6 pieces using his plans. C. Lynch passed away a few years back and Rodale Press has given the rights to his plans to other suppliers. The plans are still the same — top quality and very readable and extremely accurate.
In my example, I made the desk/bookcase from the Single Brothers House at the Old Salem Museum. The first time I saw the piece I was struck by the austere simplicity of the piece and the “un-english” influenced construction and proportions. I had to make that thing. Note: I was married a mile from the museum before shipping out to Europe and I wanted a piece of home to work on in my absence. C. Lynch’s plans were just fantastic.
If anybody out there wants info on this guy’s stuff, just google Carlyle Lynch plans or go to his grand-daughter’s site at:
There are countless suppliers that carry his stuff. If you would like a photo or 2 of the stuff I made using his plans I will be happy to post something. If you want to make a blanket chest/toolbox, his plan is as good as you could want. Lots of dovetailing, good dimensions and the details are very clear. Lynch was an illustrator with a passion for 18th century pieces mostly from the surrounding area of where he lived: Virginia.
Take a look, it might get you fired up if you’re looking for a project to get you going. If you’re the type that likes to drink a cup of coffee and study plans before you go out to the shop, this might be just what you need.
dan
Edited 11/30/2007 9:50 pm ET by danmart
Edited 12/1/2007 8:07 am ET by danmart
Edited 12/1/2007 8:09 am ET by danmart
Replies
dan,
I just got a note from Carlyle's grand-daughter, who sells the plans. There is a new website, http://www.CarlyleLynch.com that she has just got up and running. I got to know Carlyle back in the early 1970's, he was quite a gentleman, in the true sense of the word. Gloat: I have an autographed copy of his book, and his Liberty Bell Disston. You know, the one with the rosewood handle. Heh,heh.
Carlyle prided himself on including in his drawing, everything one needed to build that piece. Full size details of moldings, carvings, and interesting joints. The prints are worthy of framing, they are so beautifully drawn.
Ray
Ray
I hope curious readers will see the web address and give her some business. He was very nice to me with a letter and some guidance at an important point in my journey.
People write about the "old days" quite a bit in Knots. They weren't all great. There were some arrogant jerks back in the late 1970's like there are today. In C. Lynch's case, he was someone you wanted to go to for an answer or recommendation. Everyone I have ever talked with who had any dealings with him had good things to say about his illustrating and his woodwork. Additionally, people clearly remember his gentility and demeanor when they had dealings with him. Makes you wonder??
You were lucky to know him, seems like a little something might have rubbed off on you.
dan
Ray,I purchased all those plans years ago through Rodale or whoever it was that distributed them. None of the pieces drawn are anything I would be interested in making -- I bought them just to have. I had done some reading about Carlyle Lynch, and he just seemed like one of those guys whose stuff would be worth having -- so I have them all and I'm glad that I do. From what I know about the man, you are fortunate to have known him.Mike
Thank you for the post!
I hardly ever work from plans. BUT I think I may start with one..
The Loom..
But it is really hard to deside on the least cost one! All under $20.00! Or was that all at $17.95?
WG
I have not built the loom. All of C.L's plans are impressive. As someone else said, "you could frame the plans" when you're done.
I have built several pieces from his plans and I have gone to see the originals in the museum. They are very accurate and detailed down to the last line.
If plans are in your schedule, you won't go wrong here.
photos:
desk gallery of stacked drawers- very common with the Moravians
candlebox with mitered dovetailed corner. explained very well in CL plans.
later
dan
DAN! I loved the dovetails in the second picture! But the joints seem a bit loose! LOL.. I loved the pictures!
Mr. Lynch’s articles in the FWW of old were wonderful. I built a walnut chest on chest for my mother just from his article, (the plans would have helped..). Also his home built lathe in issue #57 page on 44 is great. As one might expect, his drawings were spot on. I had three sets of parts machined when I built one just in case I wanted to duplicate it. His small highboy is a great piece as a gift.
Napie,
After leaving his job as draftsman for Virginia Craftsmen Reproductions, Carlyle taught Industrial Arts at Broadway (VA) High School until his retirement. (I have heard many stories from his former students, involving his running the length of the shop, all the while berating an unruly student for over-revving the hand cranked grinding wheel.) After he retired he was able to spend more of his time traveling and drawing many of the antiques that he sold as blueprints. His book, Furniture Antiques Found in Virginia, however was printed by Bonanza Press back in the late 50's. It is much sought after here locally, by his admirers, as are the reproduction Eli Terry mantle clocks, and tall clocks he made. One set of blueprints I have from him includes a recipe for "the pancake", by his wife, Jane.
Ray
"Furniture Antiques Found in Virginia, however was printed by Bonanza Press back in the late 50's. "
I have that book. It's a wonderful book. I picked it up somewhere in the late 60's (no idea where). I used the Queen Anne Highboy in the book as an instructional project for a woodworking class I was teaching at the time. I got all the pieces and joinery for the base cut and finished to the point where they could be dry-assembled -- cherry and pine. I used it to demonstrate various joinery methods in carcass construction to the class. Never finished it -- I still have all the pieces in my shop 35 yrs. later! All it needs is some sanding and glue, and it's done.
I'm just waiting for the "right" moment to finish it. ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Mike,
That is a nice piece. I built one of those for a client some years ago. Wish I'd had time to build two.
Ray
Mike,
I thought I told you to get busy and finish it! :-)
Go ahead, and write an article on it and we'll get it sent to Taunton. Besides, we all would like to see it.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Right now, it's sitting in a pile at the end of my bench, disassembled. Since it's only the base section, I suppose it's really just a "lowboy". LOL
The piece was done using only hand tools, since at the time I was teaching woodworking with handtools in the woodshop of a museum. The worst part was, back when I was working on this, there was no Internet and handtools were impossible to find locally. I had to rough cut the cabriole legs using a bow saw I made using a tree pruning saw blade, since that was all I could find at the time.
If you wanna see it, it's just over the shoulder of My Lovely Assistant in the attached pic. You can see the tops of the cabriole legs sticking out of the pile on my bench up against the rear wall of the shop. ;-)
I would finish it, but then I'd have to put it somewhere, and it wouldn't really fit in with the rest of my current furniture, which is pretty much all A&C of late. Still, I suppose I may put it together some day. (I may have to break down and use a plug-in to sand it though!)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
"...sitting in a pile at the end of my bench..."
"...back when I was working on this, there was no Internet..."
I take it you don't clear off your workbench all that often?
-Steve
"I take it you don't clear off your workbench all that often?"
Yep. Once at the beginning of each project. And sometimes once in the middle of a project -- if I can't find something. ;-)
Actually, I just put the pile of furniture parts there recently when the shelf in another room where it was stored had to make way for some renovations. The bad part is that I had cleaned it off pretty well just the day before that pic was snapped. At the time, I was making some A&C railings for my porch that made quite a mess. My shop has been doubling as a furnniture shop and a construction site shop, so it' been a bit, er, "eclectic" of late. I spent a full day yesterday cleaning up from my latest construction project, and I only got about 1/2 way done. ;-(
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Hey you folks! Take a look at Mikes post. Don't you all think there's a bunch of stories he could tell?
How to make a bowsaw.
My experiences teaching woodworking.
How the Internet has changed woodworking. BIG UN!
Making a Highboy with all hand tools.
How I found My Lovely Assistant! :-) You'd sell a ton of these Mike!
Come on folks, let's cheer him on!
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 12/3/2007 11:34 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
"How I found My Lovely Assistant!"
Can't claim credit for that -- she found me. Don't know WHAT she was thinkin'!
As for how the Internet has changed ww-ing, I think that IS a big deal. I thought of that as I was typing that post. When I started, Sears was pretty much the only "tool store". I got my handplanes at flea markets during summer vacations to New England. Woodcraft was a one-store operation in Mass, and their catelogue was pretty thin, IIRC.
Even finding wood was really difficult. I got my wood from a lumber yard, only one of which sold any decent hardwood -- and not a lot of it at that! I remember driving around to various hole-in-the-wall places literally for months to find 3"X3" cherry stock for those cabrioles, picking up one here, one there, from WW-ers "private stocks".
Now, we have lots of on-line tool sources. Many of which probably wouldn't be around if not for Internet commerce. I'll bet L-N would't be in business if not for the Internet. Guys like Knight Toolworks, too.
You have Woodfinder.com. Thanks to Woodfinder, I discovered a supplier with a treasure trove of wonderful hardwoods being sold by a guy in WV -- well within driving distance. Just bought another 100 bf of white oak from him on Saturday -- some of it is 20" wide. NO chance I'd have found that without the Internet. For some reason, HD just doesn't carry the stuff! ;-)
You have forums like this one. Lots of new resources that we can thank Al Gore's Internet for!
;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Mike,
Lots of new resources that we can thank Al Gore's Internet for!
Gufffaaawwwwwwww!
I'll bet he was still in diapers when I first worked on/with the Internet! You mean the green Gore that has an electric bill 10 times the White House, Senate and House of Representatives combined!?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Did you know that if it wasn't form Tommy Edison, we'd probably still be sitting around watching television by candlelight....................
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I'm just waiting for the "right" moment to finish it. ;-)NOW is a good time.. Your thinking of it and sure you have picked up more and more skills after 35 years.. But then again you may get upset because you could do better now.Maybe just glue it up and put it under the holiday tree as a gift to yourself and attach a check for what you will need for finishing.Don't put it off!EDIT: You could ask help from your lovely assistant with the hard parts! :>)
Edited 12/3/2007 6:48 pm by WillGeorge
"NOW is a good time."
LOL!
Well, now is definately NOT a good time!
I have 7 drawers to make this week for a bathroom vanity, and two doors to mount in the same unit. (See pic.) Then finishing.
I then have about 200 bf of rough sawn white oak to turn into parts for A&C wainscotting, bookshelves, window seat & trim, base and crown in my living room, and a wonderful 20" wide white oak board with a curley ribbon grain to turn into an A&C trestle table. Then it's on to new base & trim for a bedroom.
Then, if something else hasn't come up (and so far, for the last 35 years, it always has), I'll glue the lowboy together and let My Lovely Assistant sand and finish it for me.
;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
What is that big square thing on the bench top in the right hand corner with the cones? GPS receiver for for exact positioning of the cabinet?I'd tell the client that the walls changed due to a recent earthquake and will have to study a correction for this.. Say.. I'll be back in early January if the snow is not to deep!
"What is that big square thing on the bench top in the right hand corner with the cones?"
Why, that's my Bosch Bluegrass Box. Thought everybody had one! How can you get anything done unless there's some good pickin' in the background?
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Mike,
Hell glue up the Lowboy, that shouldn't take you too long. I'll bet there's some real memories in those pieces too.
Yeah I know, we're a bad influence on ya ain't we!
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 12/4/2007 8:31 am ET by KiddervilleAcres
Mike,
It looks as if that vanity cabinet is floating 6" or so above the floor. What gives?
Lee
It *is* "floating". It's hung about 1' off the floor. I didn't want to have the cab all the way to the floor due to moisture, and I thought doing it this way might make it easier to keep the floor cleaned up and the cab dry. Also, since there's radiant floor heat in this room, it allows more heat to go into the room instead of the bottom of the cab.
Since this is my own house, I thought I'd have some fun with it and try different things. Kind of a test project home. ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
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