Popular Woodworking Magazine » Chris Schwarz Blog

Furniture Hardware from the Automotive Department

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:58:46 +0000

When you build furniture that hasn’t been popular for a century, the hardware can be difficult to find. The Roorkhee chairs I’m building for a fall issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine feature an unusual stud that gave me fits. It’s a simple metal nipple at the top of each leg. The chair’s arm straps wrap Continue reading»

Furniture for the 19th-century Transformer

Christopher Schwarz — Sat, 26 May 2012 21:36:11 +0000

Campaign-style furniture goes by many names, such as “military furniture” and “traveling furniture.” But its most curious name is “patent furniture.” It gets this name because many pieces fold up or transform into another form, and the designs were many times patented. The most famous example of patent furniture is the chair that converts to Continue reading»

More Campaign Furniture Pieces to Explore

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:42:20 +0000

I’m in Charleston, S.C., this week to fatten myself up on grits and explore some of the antique shops for campaign furniture examples to study. First the bad news: Antiques of the Indies, the awesome King Street shop I visited last fall, recently closed. However I found that the owner had taken a booth at Continue reading»

Video: Sharpen the Tricky V-chisel

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 20 May 2012 03:52:12 +0000

I spent Saturday watching and photographing carver Mary May teach a class on ball-and-claw feet at the Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, N.C. Mary, a traditionally trained professional carver, lives and works outside Charleston, S.C., and teaches carving classes all over the country – you can see her at Woodworking in America this year. And if Continue reading»

My Part at Woodworking in America

Christopher Schwarz — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:30:14 +0000

Now that I’m no longer on the staff of Woodworking in America, I get to do three things: 1) Actually attend some of the really great seminars from people like chairmaker Curtis Buchanan, carver Mary May, Yeung Chan and David Marks. 2) Present my own seminars on topics that are a bit on the nutty Continue reading»

Aging Hardware with Jax Chemicals

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:39:32 +0000

I’ve used a lot of different methods to add age to my hardware – everything from a propane torch to ammonia to gun blue to (yes) human urine. Whenever I discuss these methods, I get complaints. So in an effort to garner more complaints, here’s another one: Jax Chemicals. These are the formulas that metalsmiths Continue reading»

Roorkhee Chair: First Look

Christopher Schwarz — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:37:57 +0000

I like Morris chairs – Lord knows I’ve built enough of them to change my middle name to “Morrie.” But this evening I finished up work on a chair that is lighter in weight (less than 10 lbs.), just as masculine (leather!) and is (gasp) even more comfortable. It’s called a Roorkhee Chair, and it Continue reading»

Chair Joinery: Tapered Tenons & Tapered Mortises

Christopher Schwarz — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:14:21 +0000

Because chairs take abuse like a rented mule, the simple mortise-and-tenon joint is sometimes not enough. In traditional Windsor chair construction, the legs and spindles are attached to the plank seat using tenons that are cone-shaped along their lengths. So the mortises have to be the same shape. These tapered joints are clever. The more Continue reading»

My Favorite Band Saw Blade

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:12:39 +0000

While I do most of my work by hand, there are two machines that I refuse to do without: a thickness planer and an old Delta 14” band saw. These two machines remove the drudgery from reducing boards in thickness and long rips. So I baby these two machines. When it comes to band saw Continue reading»

About my Finances, Mr. Gary

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:07:59 +0000

I get this sort of flack below almost every day. I usually ignore it. But in this case I want to be perfectly clear about how I work and how I have always worked. Comment from Gary Smythe on the PW blog: I’ve been following this project from your first announcement. With all respect, your Continue reading»