Draw Leaf Dining Tables

Our dining table at home when we were growing up was made of oak. It was a draw-leaf table. There was no concern as to where to store the extra leaves because they neatly disappeared back into the table. The leaves extended by simply pulling from the ends.

It was very practical for our family. The leaves remained concealed for day-to-day use when only the regular size was required. When we had guests the leaves pulled out and there was plenty of space.

This used to be a very popular form of leaf table but it has been increasingly superseded by the spare leaf table. The reason for this may be the apparent option of different lengths when using the spare leaf table. One leaf or two or even three can be used adjusting the table to the desired size. But as the spare leaf table seldom uses boards wider than twelve inches because of the risk of warping then the different size options are not as great as it would seem. One leaf is not enough for extra guests while two is adequate only for two extra places. Three leaves again if it is not enough for additional seating. The draw-leaf table has three sizes: normal and one leaf or two.

The draw leaf table can be made to expand dramatically from a family table with comfortable seating and perhaps space for a couple of extra chairs, to a considerably much larger table when desired. The table I am making at the moment is seven feet long for normal use. It is a wide table (54") so it seats eight for normal use. When expanded the length increases to ten feet.

The leaves of draw leaf tables can be made virtually any size. I have seen an antique table that was eight feet for day-to-day use and could expand to fourteen feet. While the mechanism is simple and tried over time there are specific rules of thumb that must be followed.

The top and the leaves are not fixed in the usual way and must be constructed to remain stable because they are not secured to the table apron. All the draw-leaf tables that I have seen have a parameter of wood framing the table surface for extra stability. The leg system is traditionally a post and stretcher construction but I have seen these tables made with corner legs and also in the style of a refractory table. Actually, the construction beneath the table can be any style as long as there is sufficient support for the table when the leaves are extended so that the table will not tip or wobble.

Julian

Draw Leaf Table

Nautical Themes in Furniture

Last year I made a set of coffee and side tables for a lady in California. The tables were all made of cherry with a carved center sculpture depicting wavy ocean lines and sea creatures. The coffee table has a whale, a dolphin and a small sailing ship while the two side tables each show a dolphin. The design in the side tables are mirrored to one another so that both of the dolphins face inward towards the settee.

This year seems to be another year of nautical themes in furniture. I am currently designing a large round table to seat twelve for a client in Florida. The center of the table will have inlay work depicting a pelican, a lizard and a sea horse. There will be two gracefully flowing lines of "kelp" meandering across the surface.

The second project in the pipeline is a set of eight dining chairs to go with a table that the customer already has. The table has a glass top supported by a base of dolphins. My chairs will be made with the tried and true proportions and dimensions of my regular chairs but with backs shaped similar to a dolphins tail fluke.

Julian

Nautical Themes in Furniture

The Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild

The town of Ashland, Oregon hosts a wonderful woodworker's club called the Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild.

The Siskiyous are a gorgeous mountain range to the south of Ashland on the California border.

The Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild has about fifty members in Southern Oregon and includes boat builders, carvers, furniture makers and wood turners.

Every month the members meet at a different shop and discuss their latest wood project. The last "Shop Chat" was at my friend Tony Scolaro's shop in Rogue River just north of Ashland. Tony had built his own shop as well as an addition to his home and showed the same very high level of craftsmanship in the building construction as he did in his furniture. He also showed us a beautiful oak buffet/sideboard that he recently completed. Every detail was meticulously executed. A very fine piece of work! We ended the shop tour with a BBQ and plenty of good conversation.

Two juried shows are presented yearly by the Guild in Ashland displaying fine woodwork and offering items for sale. One show is in the summer and the other during Thanksgiving weekend.

At one of these shows I met a man called Jay Mullen who is a professor at Southern Oregon University in Ashland. Neither he nor I can actually remember our discussion but over a year and a half later he called me. I made some drawings for Jay and his wife Nancy Jo and a scale model of a possible dining table. The finished piece was a long inlayed dining table of figured maple and purple heart. The table is made in three pieces with a center section used as a separate table in another room when not needed for a dinner party. Jay and Nancy Jo entertain in style and their table comfortably accommodates ten or twelve guests.

Julian

Banquet Table

Oak CD cabinet

I have just completed a lovely custom-made CD cabinet for a couple in Ashland. It is made of quarter-sawn oak with lovely, rippling tiger stripes running through the grain.

The wood combination is red oak and purple heart. Both have an open grain although they are quite different in color they are quite similar to work with. The purple heart is the harder of the two woods and I have used it to accent the piece with contrasting colors for the knobs and for the vine like inlay.

The finished cabinet has ten drawers each holding approximately thirty CDs to house a large music collection.

The entire cabinet is made of solid hardwood including the side and back floating panels and the drawer bottoms. The top has a mitered edge of two-inch red oak surrounding a floating panel of gorgeously figured wood.

Julian

Oak CD Cabinet

Dunsford Church

The vicar of the village of Dunsford in the 1970s and for many years after was a wonderful man called Rev. Gibson Pattison. He was a Second World War hero who, by spying and infiltration had saved the country of Belgium from a coup d'Etat by subversive communists. For his services the Belgium government gave him a Chateau and awarded him an honorary university degree. Gibson then gave the chateau to the Red Cross to care for the flood of European refugees after the war.

The church at Dunsford is very old and has a separate seating area and crypt for the Fulford family who were the local gentry. In the parish of Dunsford is the old mansion of the Fulford family, which has been seated there since the time of king Richard the First. Many of its members have been eminent in their day, some of them having fought in the Holy Land, and others having suffered for their loyalty to their king.

Gibson called me one day and asked if I could carve lettering. I said that I could and he took me over to the church and showed me a large oak panel into which were carved the names of the various church ministers going back for hundreds of years. The carving had been discontinued many years ago and Gibson wanted it brought up to date. I took the panel home and carefully traced out the letters setting to work writing in the several rows of names and painstakingly carving them into the old, old oak. The work turned out well and I am proud to say that I have something of my own work in the old church along with the beautiful craftsmanship of those ancient artisans. Perhaps my three rows of lettering on the panel of oak will also be around for many hundreds of years to come.

The Yreka Post Office Chair

I recently completed a dining table and four chairs for Ray and Julaine Morley in Ashland. (See the story below) One day they dropped by my shop and offered me some oak wood panels that they had found in their parents storage shed. It was obviously very old wood. I asked them to see if they could find out something of the history and this is what they discovered.

"I talked with my father this evening and was able to glean a bit of information. My father began work at the post office in Yreka on July 5, 1948 ( my mother joined him about a month later with babe-in-arms, moi. However, it turns out that the post office was in yet another location, though all three have been on Broadway, progressing about a block southward with each move. In 1948 it was the Warren Building (long gone), which is where the oak originally came from. It moved to the second location in 1950. My father acquired the oak in 1961 when the post office moved to its current address. The wood predated my father's arrival in 1948 and must be at least sixty years old". Julaine Morley.

When I first saw the wood I did not think I could do anything with it. It was heavily varnished, dirty and had "junk" chalked on it. I offered it to a fellow furniture maker but he didn't want it either. I had it leaning against the wall of my shop for a week or two and then one day I decided to plane it and at least see what it looked like under the old varnish. To my astonishment it was really quite lovely with "tiger-striping" rippling through it. I was making a set of dining chairs at the time and decided to make one more along with the others but out of this oak.

The chair turned out very nicely and I carved a rose in the back for fun. The interesting historical background to the Post Office Chair has attracted considerable interest locally. I have decided to show it at the upcoming Woodcraft Guild Show in Ashland, Oregon on Thanksgiving weekend this year. It will also be featured in the regional newspapers during the same week.

Julian

The Post Office Chair

Oval Dining Table - The Rose Dining Table

I have just completed an attractive oval dining table for a couple who live in Ashland, Oregon just a few blocks from our own home. We had dinner at their house last weekend. I had delivered the table a week before and they invited Ellen and I to come over and enjoy a meal with them!

Ray and Julaine Morley were very pleasant to work with and I enjoyed making this fine piece for them. Ray is also a fantastic cook and wined and dined us handsomely.

Good food, great company and interesting conversation!

Ray and Julaine took a number of very nice digital photographs for my web site including this one with some interesting lighting effects. I wanted to include it here because although the colors are not true the pictures are gorgeous and show more than anything the drama of the sculptural center within the oval tabletop.

I have also included a link on this page to some other pictures showing the bleached maple and purple heart contrast in natural light.

Ray and Julaine have now decided that they would like chairs to go with the table and have chosen tall back chairs of the "Somerset Tall Chair" style and including the purple heart inlay in the back of the "Cornish Chair".

Naturally the chair backs will be carved with roses!

Herbert Read

I knew of two woodworking shops in the village of Woodbury in Devon, England. One of them was near the ancient stone church. It was a one-man shop at that time but I do not know the name of the woodworker. His furniture was beautiful, carefully made of the country style, which was becoming increasingly popular in the early seventies.

The other woodwork shop was also very interesting. They were making grandfather and grandmother clocks but with the clock cases made of pine! They were strikingly lovely in that clean white wood. I met the man running the shop who was in the middle of making a welsh dresser or hutch. I was mesmerized by his easy rhythm and effortlessness as he worked. He was clearly a craftsman who had been working with wood all his life and it was an inspiration to watch him. I knew he was busy but I was so enthusiastic seeing him at work that I asked if I could come and help him just for the experience. No pay!

He readily agreed but warned," You'd better go and talk with the boss first. He's through there." And he pointed to a door at the back of the shop.

I knocked and entered the office. Inside there were at least a dozen beautiful tall clocks some open with the workings visible. But it was clearly a bad day to intrude. I explained that I had spoken with the woodworker in the front of the shop and would like to volunteer my help for the experience. He was pretty angry and told me that I would just be a nuisance. But I thanked him for his time anyway.

I was making a small stocky, round side table of four-inch thick lumber. I had worked on the restoration of a three masted schooner at Plymouth docks the previous summer and the block of wood I used for the table had been the piece of solid African teak that had been cut out of the deck to make a hole for the main mast. It was at least eighteen inches in diameter and a single thick piece of wood. The sides were rough and it was not a perfect circle so I needed to cut it round on a band saw. I did not want to go back to the woodworking shop in Woodbury but I knew of another large shop near the town of Topsham nearby that had an industrial band saw.

Herbert Read is a fantastic company, which specializes in ecclesiastical woodwork. There make altars and pews, carved screens and founts for all those beautiful English churches. They have an apprentice system of five years teaching carving, other woodworking skills and stonework. I took my piece of teak along to their shop and asked the lady in the office if I could have it cut on their band saw. She was very pleasant and introduced me to the owner who sent me into the machine shop to ask the man in charge. The man running the shop was friendly but didn't have time to help me. He told me to go right ahead and use the band saw myself and when I had finished he refused payment.

Actually I went back to Herbert Reed some time later hoping to find a job there because it was without a doubt the best woodworking company in the South-West of England. But, although the owner was impressed with my enthusiasm and very kind they had just had an order of large tables for Oxford University canceled and he felt that he couldn't take me on. I suppose if he had I would be working on church restoration in England now and might never have come to America twenty seven years ago.

Mister Hamer of Exeter

In 1974 I lived near the city of Exeter in the county of Devonshire, England.

I was doing all kinds of woodwork in those days including making doors, windows and cabinets. It was expected of a carpenter at that time to turn up with his tools and more or less be able to make anything needed on the spot. A couple of times I made full sized doors right there in someone's driveway in the front of their house, cutting out the tenons and mortises by hand.

I also had a very small shop of my own where I lived. It was more of a shed really, not very large at all.

I had bought a simple wood turning lathe. It was painted red. It was old and very sturdy, the head stock attached to one end of a two inch round steel bar with the tail stock sliding along it to accommodate the length of the wood. It was a very nice lathe, well made and uncomplicated. But the bar was quite short so that I was limited to turning items about one foot long. For fun I was making three legged stools at that time from a wood called Iroko. I tried to sell them but more often gave them away as presents. They were simple to make with three nicely turned legs and a turned seat. Iroko is African teak. It is golden and rich in color. A very beautiful wood, which I finished with linseed oil.

I decided that I wanted to make taller three legged stools and wanted to extend the bed of the lathe to be able to turn longer legs. I dismantled the lathe and removed the 2" bar. I knew that there was a large engineering company at Plymouth about thirty miles from where I lived so I drove down there.

I parked in the large employee parking lot and approached the main gate. I explained to the guard that I need an extension welded to my to the bar of my lathe and that I had brought it with me. He asked my name and I replied that I was Julian Hamer and that I lived in Exeter.

The guard called someone on the phone and presently a shop supervisor came down to the gate where the guard introduced me as Mister Hamer from Exeter. We shook hands and the super took me into the plant. I was shown into an office where I was again introduced as Mr. Hamer from Exeter who needed some work done to extend his lathe. The shop foreman took me along to a machine shop where I was presented as Mister Hamer from Exeter to another man who was in charge of some enormous metal turning lathes and milling machines. The foreman explained what I needed to the machinist and we discussed the best way to go about it.

After a few ideas were explored the machinist said." You know it would be easiest if you made a brand new bed for your lathe from this length of two inch steel" He dragged a six-foot length of round iron bar from the rack, which I could barely lift.

And the foreman nodded adding, "That should do you!"

I asked how much I owed and he replied, "Oh no Mister Hamer. That's perfectly alright".

I thanked them both and headed back the way I had come struggling with my heavy iron rod.

I met the supervisor, thanked him in turn and he replied, "Oh, that's quite alright Mister Hamer" and he opened the door for me and wished me good day.

At the security gate I paused, chatted a little with the guard and thanked him too.

" I'm glad we were able to help you Mister Hamer".

I got home and could hardly wait to rebuild my lathe with the new six-foot long bed and as I was working, I began to wonder if perhaps there was another Mister Hamer a preferred customer from Exeter and I had been unwittingly impersonating him, or perhaps I was just plain lucky!

China Cabinet

I have just completed a very nice china cabinet for a couple in Los Angeles. They have a set of beautiful Wedgwood dishes from England and some fine glassware that they wish to display. The lower section of the china cabinet has adjustable wooden shelves with two grooves cut into the back so that the plates can be displayed standing up as well as stacked.

The top section of the china cabinet also has adjustable shelves but made of tempered glass set into wooden frames. The top section has recessed lighting to show off the glassware.

The woods chosen are my old favorites purple heart and madrone. I have a smaller collectibles and curio cabinet similar to this one displayed on my web site that is made entirely of madrone but with an oil color smoky finish. Bob Horning and his wife Naomi saw my curio cabinet but liked the wood of the curved front buffet sideboard. They needed a cabinet to hold the chinaware that was both deeper and wider.

The china cabinet easily disassembles into two pieces for shipping and fits securely together again on arrival in a matter of seconds.

All the glass in my cabinets is tempered with a polished edge. Not only does it look better it is safer than window glass and also much stronger. This is an important consideration both for shipping and daily use.

I have very much enjoyed making this cabinet for our new friends and now they have ordered a decorative standard lamp of the same woods. The lamp stand will include details of the china cabinet design.

I will write in detail about the standard lamp in a few weeks.

The Cascade Theater - Restoration

Ellen and I recently visited the Cascade theater in Redding, California. Valerie Ing-Miller, the Northern California Program Coordinator for JPR very kindly took the time to show us around and tell us something of the history and the process of renovation.

The following is quoted from the Cascade theater website:

The Cascade theater has always been a special place. In 1935, the year the Cascade first opened, the theater was capable of seating over twenty percent of Reddings total population. In its heyday, the Cascade offered Shasta County residents a place to escape from the daily struggle of life during the depression, a place to experience the wonders of the latest cinema technology and a place for the community to come together for first dates, birthdays and community celebrations.

Today, the Cascade theater is still a special place in the hearts and minds of Reddings citizens. Today the Cascade is special to both longtime residents and newcomers alike because it stands as a proud symbol of Reddings history, serves as a powerful catalyst for downtown economic revitalization and provides a venue for a diverse array of arts and cultural events that celebrate the human spirit.

Thanks to the generosity of over 1,800 community businesses, individuals and organizations and the assistance of Southern Oregon University, the JPR Foundation now operates this fabulous facility as a multi-use performing arts center. Like the Cascade of 1935, the theater once again possesses state-of-the-art sound, lighting, film and theater technology, making it capable of supporting a wide variety of dramatic, musical and film presentations. New to the Cascade is a deeper stage, full orchestra pit, expanded performer dressing rooms, mezzanine lobby, computerized box office, two new concession areas and a quadrupled number of patron rest rooms. In partnership with Jefferson Public Radio, the Cascade presents its own series of events, encompassing music, theater and dance. These new events include the award-winning One World Performing Arts Series, begun by Southern Oregon University and Jefferson Public Radio nearly a decade ago, which presents concerts that connect people and cultures.

Additionally, the Cascade now supports the creative work of Shasta Countys local and regional cultural organizations, providing performing artists a professional space to present their craft and giving patrons a place to enjoy a first class entertainment experience. The Cascade is the home of the Northstate Symphonys Redding performances and is used regularly by a host of local organizations, such as the Jefferson Repertory Company and the Redding City Ballet.

Recognizing that local citizen input is essential to enable the Cascade to fulfill its mission as a non-profit performing arts center, a local advisory committee guides the theaters operations. This committee is chaired by Robert Warren and includes: Diane Gerard, Marianne Johannessen, Sherry Watts, Anne Peterson, Ken Putnam, Shawn Tillman, Paul Westhelle and Jim Wyatt. In 1935, the Cascade theater was a vital element of Reddings cultural and economic life. Today the Cascade once again flourishes as a place that breathes new life into Reddings downtown and brings people of all ages together to be entertained and inspired.

Web Site: http://www.cascadetheater.org/

Cascade Box Office 530.243.8877

The Sculpture of Ernst Barlach

The beautiful sculptures of Ernst Barlach are full of character and depth yet never fall into the realm of caricature. Barlachs work as a playwright and his love of the theater are reflected in his sculpture giving then extraordinary vitality. And perhaps his sculpture gave his plays similar depth and vigour.

Ernst Barlach - The Dancing Woman 1920 - Wood carving

Ernst Barlach - The Singing Man - Bronze

The Sculpture of Barbara Hepworth

The sculpture of Barbara Hepworth fills me with awe. I have visited the Barbara Hepworth Museum at St. Ives in Cornwall, England. The museum is her former home and studio.

Visiting the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden is a unique experience, offering a remarkable insight into the work and outlook of one of Britains most important twentieth century artists. Sculptures in bronze, stone and wood are on display in the Museum and Garden, along with paintings, drawings and archive material.

Barbara Hepworth lived and worked in Trewyn studios, now the Hepworth Museum, from 1949 until her death in 1975, and created many of her most famous works there. The subtropical garden was an essential part of Hepworths creative process, when she died it opened to the public as a permanent setting to exhibit her works. Since 1980 the Tate has managed both studio and garden. Tate, St. Ives.

Three of Barbara Hepworths pieces can be seen on my Art Nouveau Style Furniture website.

Julian

The Sculpture of Barbara Hepworth

• 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, and 1842 Sq. Ft.
• Open Kitchen and Dining Room Are Ideal Areas for Entertaining and Flow Nicely into the Living Room ... Gas Fireplace
• Sun-filled Kitchen Overlooks the Private Rear and Side Yards and Soothing Water Feature with Pond
• Function and Versatility Throughout Including Two Master Suites, Extensive Cabinetry and Built-In Custom Bookshelves Both Upstairs and Down
• Striking Wainscoting Accents the Lower Level
• Oversized Main Level Master Offers Two Separate Closets and Direct Access to the Private Backyard
• Pristine Hardwood Floors throughout the Entry, Hallway, Dining Room and Kitchen
• Upstairs Has Expansive Views of Grizzly Peak and Could Be A Great Secondary Master Suite with Full Bath. There is Also Plenty of Space for Your Hobby Needs, Home Office, Workout Area or Sitting Room
• Covered Rear Patio Provides Wonderful Year Round Enjoyment & Features Low Maintenance Landscap-ing, Raised Garden Beds & Remarkable Privacy
• Completely Fenced Front Yard Features an Intimate Sitting Area And Views of Grizzly

Call or email our agent for further details or to request a showing:

DeAnna Sickler (541) 732-4949
DeAnna@LivingInSouthernOregon.com

Ask DeAnna about 2663 Takelma Way, Ashland, OR

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