Thumbs Up!
Woodezine's Furniture Builder from the March issue, Joe Flikkema, introduced a new chair at the Philly show last month. It is executed in African mahogany. The photo is a bit fuzzy because Joe couldn't hold the camera properly - he joined the Damaged Digit club in March when he injured his thumb in the shop.
"With my thumb not feeling so good," he says, "the mahogany was easier to carve than walnut."
Joe does a lot of final forming with rasps and files, following scale drawings which his commission clients approve ahead of time. The back slats are somewhat of a signature to his work, as is the beautifully formed and very comfortable seat. A former student of Sam Maloof's, Joe's work has evolved rapidly over the past few years and he has certainly found his own voice. His furniture is becoming more recognizable at every show.

Antique Planes and
Seasoned Wood for sale

Reader Bob Whitman is retiring, and he's having a sale! Bob has been collecting antique planes for forty years and he has decided to break up the collection and sell a few. At left are his Stanley 55 plane (top), and a Steiner plow plane from 1859 (bottom). Bob also has broad axes, Sheffield wooden braces, slicks, barking spuds, Coopers Howell and Croze, and more. Prices, he says, are a matter of email correspondence (Bob @vac-u-shield.com).

In addition to the tools, Bob also has some very special wood for sale at his Pennsylvania home, all seasoned under cover for more than 30 years. It had the ends sealed at the time of cutting, and was originally stored to be used for mallet and chisel sculpture material, which was his hobby. Included are poplar, walnut cut logs (all debarked, random sizes, in lengths from 16" to 42"), Polonia (empress tree), Sumac, birch, locust, mulberry, cherry and more.

For more info, call Bob at 215-331-0242 or 215-698-7049, send him a Fax at 215 676 7669, or e-mail him at the address above.

The Guild of Oregon Woodworkers, founded in 1982, is a non-profit volunteer organization comprised of approximately 40% professionals and 60% amateurs and hobbyists of various skill levels. Guild members have a variety of woodworking interests, including furniture design and construction, cabinet making, antique furniture restoration, turning, carving and sculpture, including some beautiful intarsia pieces by Duane Taylor, one of which is shown at right.

Last month we received an e-mail from one of the Guild members who just wanted to share that he had built a new shop but, due to arthritis, he couldn't do the drywall. A fellow member volunteered to do the job, refusing to accept any form of payment. The e-mail closed with the thought that "there are some wonderful people in this world".

We agree. And woodworking just seems to bring out the very best in them.

Boxer Dog is an intarsia piece created by Guild member Duane Taylor, who owns and operates Taylor-Made Intarsia