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Private Notes
This week on Rough Cut, host Tommy MacDonald tackles a Trestle Table, perfect for any kitchen. To make the table, Tommy handpicks a piece of local New England black walnut from Artisan Lumber in Lunenberg, Massachusetts, where he catches up with specialty lumber expert Brian Brown to talk about cutting and drying the rough cut lumber. Back in his workshop, Tommy works with woodshop assistant Eli Cleveland to construct the table, demonstrating how to make mortise and tenon joints, spring joints for the table top and bread board ends to prevent the wood from warping.
A Shaker-inspired Step Stool is Tommy’s project on this episode of Rough Cut. This simple piece serves as the perfect introduction to woodworking, and throughout the episode Tommy explores the technique of making dovetails. For inspiration, he travels to Rollingsford, New Hampshire, and meets up with Allan Breed of the Breed School of Fine Woodworking. There, Allan shows Tommy his unique way of cutting dovetails, which involves holding the saw upside down. Upon returning to his shop, Tommy works with local woodworker Al D’Attanasio to explore varied techniques for making dovetails.
Boston’s Old North Church may be most famous for its steeple lanterns, which once signaled the start of the American Revolution, but another standout characteristic of the building is its dentil molding. Host Tommy MacDonald travels to the historic site to gain inspiration for his newest Rough Cut project, a Wall Cabinet. Then he heads to Beverly, Massachusetts, to speak with fine furniture maker Phil Lowe about adding architectural detail to woodworking projects. After his trip Tommy returns to the workshop to build his Wall Cabinet, which features detailed dentil, cove and quarter round moldings.
The Octagonal Lazy Susan featured on Rough Cut this week has a lot of bang for the buck. Not only is the octagonal shape beautiful to look at, but the inlaid veneer of birdseye maple and beeswing mahogany really make the piece magnificent. In this episode, Tommy provides detailed instructions on how to build the initial shape, and then takes particular care with his guidance on how to do the inlay. On a very special Rough Cut Road Trip, Tommy gets a behind-the-scenes peek at Historic New England, a massive warehouse of historic artifacts and furniture that is not open to the public. Back in the shop, fellow North Bennet Street School graduate Eli Cleveland joins Tommy to build the Lazy Susan.
With a reverent nod to Veteran’s Day, this episode of Rough Cut features Tommy building a Flag Box, commonly used for housing the American flag. As a special feature in this episode, Tommy welcomes five retired members of the military into the shop to help him properly fold the flag for the box. In true Rough Cut fashion, the box itself features splines made from live oak taken from the USS Constitution. Throughout the episode, Tommy provides detailed instructions for crafting the flag box, highlighting the techniques for achieving successful splined miter joints. Tommy also goes on location to the USS Constitution to speak with naval historian Margherita Desy and is paid an in-studio visit by fellow woodworker Al D’Attanasio.
The Shaker-inspired Night Stand is one of Tommy’s favorite projects. This particular piece really shows off Tommy’s style in using rough cut lumber and gives Tommy a chance to put a contemporary spin on a traditional piece. In this episode, Tommy explains techniques for mortise and tenon joinery, as well as how to taper a leg. He also heads to the North Bennet Street School in Boston, where he meets up with Steve Brown, the head of the school’s Cabinet and Furniture-making department. Later, Steve lends a hand back in Tommy’s shop.
Tommy is the first to say, finishes are an art unto themselves. That’s why he dedicated an entire episode to this topic featuring two very talented finishers, Christine Thomson, a period finisher from Salem, Massachusetts, and Mark Libby, a local finisher who has worked with Tommy for years. In this episode, Tommy provides detailed project instruction for work requiring a finishing technique. He visits Christine’s shop to see some of her techniques, and later, Mark Libby swings by Tommy’s shop.
The Keepsake Box is a perfect project for anyone who wants to learn simple, small box construction. The box would make a great jewelry box or even a humidor. A special feature of this box is the herringbone inlay – a dramatic embellishment featured on top.
In this episode, Tommy demonstrates how to build the box and then explains how to create the magnificent herringbone veneer pattern for the top. It is a lot easier than it looks! Then, Tommy takes a trip to the John Adams House in Quincy, Massachusetts, to see one of John Adams’s desks, covered in spectacular veneer and banding. Later, Tommy is joined in his shop by Neil Lamens of Furnitology.com.
Though the Serving Tray in this episode may look simple, it involves a complicated compound angle that defeats many woodworkers. But, Tommy has an answer for you – a trick that makes compound angles easy. In this episode, he provides detailed instruction and discusses the technique of creating compound angles. Then he joins Gerry Ward from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts at the First Church of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Later, Tommy returns to his workshop for a visit from the North Bennet Street School’s Steve Brown.
The blanket chest has been around since the Pilgrims came to Massachusetts in the 1600s. In this episode, Tommy builds one that demonstrates basic frame construction as well as mortise and tenon joinery. He also shares his techniques for carving, a special feature of the box that is both dramatic and simple. He also stops by the Whipple House in Ipswich, Massachusetts, to speak with artisan Rob Tarule. Later, his friend and fellow woodworker, Al D’Attanasio, stops by the shop for a chat.
The s-curve legs and ball and claw feet are the standout features of Tommy’s Chippendale footstool. Many furniture makers get defeated by the ball and claw, but in this episode Tommy stops by master carver Will Neptune’s shop to get tips on an incredibly easy way to break it down. Will provides instruction and shares his carving experience and skill with viewers. Tommy then returns to his studio to speak with Steve Brown of the North Bennet Street School.
Who doesn’t want a beautiful natural bread box for their kitchen, especially if it features a fabulous tambour door? The tambour door has been around for hundreds of years, and though it looks like it would be hard to construct, it is made of just a few slats of wood stuck onto a canvas. In this episode, Tommy demonstrates the techniques for constructing the bread box and building the tambour door. He also tours the Peabody Essex Museum with curator Dean Lahikainen, who shows off their wonderful collection of John and Thomas Seymour pieces of early American furniture. Finally, Tommy is paid an in-studio visit by fellow North Bennet Street School alumnus Eli Cleveland.
In the final episode of season one, Tommy guides viewers through the process of building a trellis. Whether for growing roses, creeping vines or clematis, this is an easy-to-make project that will highlight the outside of any home. Tommy also steps outside the studio with Trellis Structure’s David Valcovic as the pair visits the John Adams House in Quincy, Massachusetts, to see a variety of magnificent trellises.
