C.H. Becksvoort - Around The Shop

AROUND THE SHOP

Here in Maine we have “nine months of winter and three months of poor sledding” Well not really, it just seems that way. However, as a gardener, I will say that over the past 30 years, July has been our only frost-free month.

So, I spend a fair amount of time in the shop. Have a look around...

Here I am at the bench, planing a back to fit into the slant top desk.

Gluing up a small panel at the clamping table. I spend a lot of time matching the grain. With just two boards, there are 16 different options for gluing.

I hand saw all my dovetails. In a large case piece, that can be 300 dovetails or more. Each dovetail requires four saw cuts.

Custom keepsake box with hand carved monogram. I like to individualize each of my client's pieces.

I inventory around 1,000 board feet of black cherry in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 8/4, 12/4 and 16/4. I also keep a good supply of 4/4 quarter sawn and figured cherry.

It’s surprising how much time I spend on the business of keeping my shop operating: phone calls; finding the right hardware; ordering supplies; working with the photographer, the web-master; bookkeeping; maintenance; new designs, drawings, and estimates; writing for Fine Woodworking magazine; unloading lumber; sending out catalogs; and answering e-mails. The list seems endless.

View from the back side of the shop. Spirit III, our husky, is paying close attention to my picture taking.

All my hardware is organized in these 40 recycled library card catalog drawers.

The window next to my lathe, with a variety of knobs sitting on top of the lower sash. The garden shed is in the background.

Stop by the shop if you're cruising the back roads of Maine. Open by chance or appointment

The Shaker Village at Sabbathday Lake. It's right across town, and a good place to visit if you're interested in the Shaker religion, history, or their furniture. Open Memorial day until Columbus day. 207-926-4597.