Cotswold Arts & Crafts stepped-back bookcase
lat_axe
| Posted in General Discussion on
A search of FWW reveals no article or other info about a Barnsley or Gimson-style stepped-back bookcase, a signature piece of both. Does anyone have any reference or url to a make-it article for such a piece?
I’m not after a plan but rather some greater depth of information about the details, such as the ratios of the step-backs, the carved bits where the sides step-back, the feet and so forth. Such details can be seen in photos but are not easy to estimate from such photos.
This is the piece of interest. I want to scale and otherwise alter the proportions whilst keeping to the overall design and detail.
Lataxe
Replies
I'd try to find a copy of Nancy Hiller's book English Arts & Crafts Furniture. Don't know if it will have the details you are looking for but it covers this type of furniture.
I think with a few more photos and some overall dimensions, it wouldn't be difficult to work out the details. I've done this quite a number of times with other pieces.
I'll buy that Nancy Hiller book to add to my great heap of A&C books. I don't think it has this bookcase in but I'm always interested in the various perspectives on English A&C. Ms Hiller does nice A&C, as we know from the current FWW magazine and a few previous articles.
[Incidentally, a Harold Lebus book is being published on 1st March this year. I hope to have a copy for me birthday].
This bookcase is hard to find on the interweb. The photos I attached to the above post are the best I can find. Nor does this bookcase appear in any of my many A&C books - unless I missed it because of the tired eyes and thumb after going through 14 of them. :-)
I agree that much can be done with just photos. It would be possible to make such a bookcase even from those two above - although I'd be risking a faux pas with the proportions. For example, the two sides look quite thick but this is disguised somewhat by the chamfering of their front edges. It would be important to get that bit right.
Perhaps someone else will notice this thread and post their 27 high res pics of the item? One can hope.
Anyroadup, I pulled the oak to make one out of the wood store this afternoon. It has to fit into a 130cm tall by 70cm wide space and I'd like to scale it to look proper .... so the dimensions of that original would be very useful. Apart from the initial fairing of the planks into flat & square with the jointer/thicknesser and the table saw, I hope to make the item entirely with hand tools. All those through mortises! Aieeee!!
Lataxe
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