I am reading Bob Flexner’s book, “Understanding Wood Finishing”, where he states, “In some applications, the evidence of hand-plane work – ridges from the edge of the plane iron or hollows from a scrub plane – add character to a surface, evidence of a personal touch.” (page10)
What are some of types of applications where the above is true?
Thanks,
dlb
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The undisciplined life is not worth examining.
Replies
Period furniture reproductions need the less than mechanically flat surfaces to present the correct image. As the 18th century progressed surfaces became more and more refined, until the high style pieces in the early 19th century became quite refined with the high polish french polish to show of very smooth finishes. Modern factory furniture shows up as being modern across a large room because of too flat surfaces.
Krenov also uses the small irregularities left by planing to add character to his works.
Its about distinquishing the ordinary--mass produced super flat surfaces achieved with wide belt sanders or machine made substrates--from the special, worked by hand with an artists vision.
dlb,
There is an 8' round table at Children's Hospital, Boston(old lobby) that has scalloped tracks(about 1 1/4"wide) that run from the center of the table to the edge, perfectly straight...quite visible but not noticeable to the touch.
I was in a shop with a trestle table whose surface appeared to be finished with a short-radiused scrub plane / very light sanding / BLO. NO one who walked in could keep their hands off the thing. Husbands were calling their wives over to touch it. The scallops and texture were striking, and the scallops were just-barely shallow enough that it wasn't a problem to set a wine glass down without it rocking.
It seems hard to believe there'd be any scalloped pattern that would be discernible to the eye but not to the hand - I find that my hand can almost always detect such things more finely than my eye. Maybe it was finished so thickly that the scallops were buried?
Another place you see these plane tracks is on any non-'show' surface of old furniture. One way to tell a fake antique is the absence of plane tracks on table undersides and the like. In many uses, like Krenov, the plane marks are not at all easily seen, but they give an unmistakeable 'handmade' sense to the work.
It is curious how hard we all work to bring our projects to a level of perfection only a machine could produce, while it is the little marks of human hands, the subtle imperfections, that draw people to hand made furniture. Since seeing all of the truly amazed and happy reactions to that trestle table, I've been thinking about doing some work that revels in the tool marks, rather than concealing them.
Clay
I have very little experience in making furniture (3 pieces this year) but I can tell you that if you use hand tools you do not need to worry about trying to leave marks to indicate that the piece is handmade. They will come naturally. At least this is what I have found.
dlb
,
The undisciplined life is not worth examining.
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