Art & Craft of an Unplugged Woodworker

By Ron Aylor

The collected projects of an Unplugged Woodworker are presented here in one volume. With more than 175 photos and drawings, Ron Aylor walks the reader through building a mini-Roman workbench PLUS nine 17th-century style woodworking projects with minimal hand tools in his unplugged workshop.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ron Aylor
• Release date: Oct 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005464752

Ron Aylor

Ron Aylor, a resident of Lilburn, Georgia, is an unplugged woodworker. Without electricity and using traditional edged tools, he specializes in 17th-century mannerist carving and Colonial American furniture. The bulk of his work is of 17th-century style joined stools, carved boxes, tables, and bookstands. This work follows techniques and methods from the period. Ash, cherry, pine, poplar, maple, and walnut are his timber of choice.

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Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Evolution

Building a mini-Roman workbench

Carved Box

Building a carved oak box

Six-Board Chest

Building a six-board chest in cherry & poplar

Boarded Boxes

Building a boarded box in pine

Building a boarded box in walnut

Building a boarded box in walnut & linden

Stools

Building a joined stool in ash & oak

Building a board stool in walnut

Gateleg Table

Building a triangular gateleg table in red oak

Bookstand

Building ratcheting bookstands

Bibliography

About Author

Copyright

Copyright © Ron Aylor 2022

Cover image © Ron Aylor 2022

ISBN: 9781005464752

The moral right of the author is asserted. All rights reserved. This book is subject to the condition that it shall not be re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please visit your favorite eBook retailer to purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I thank Connie, my bride of twenty-five-plus years, for being my best friend, editor, and my number one cheerleader. Without her, none of this would have been possible. Thanks to Peter Follansbee for inspiring me to start 17th-century mannerist carving. Many thanks to David Walton and Christopher Schwarz for the inspiration to build a Roman workbench. I thank Paul Fitzsimmons (Marhamchurch Antiques), Keith Hockin (Keith Hockin Antiques), Paul Rosenberg (Moorabool Antiques), and Henry Baggott (Leslie & Baggott Antiques) for allowing the use of photos from their websites for inspiration. Special thanks to furniture historian Robert F. Trent for his expert opinion and advice. And last but not least, a heartfelt thank you to all the followers of my website and those following me on Facebook and Instagram for the constant encouragement. It is the appreciation for what I do that keeps me doing it. Thank you!

Introduction

My foray into woodworking some thirty-plus years ago resembled a black hole, absorbing everything readily available about the subject. I read articles and watched videos until my eyes bled. I amassed a library of information, from hand tools, jigs, and how to use them to shop set-up, wood movement, and application of finishes. I was somewhat schizophrenic until I settled into the unplugged approach. Perhaps I should say unplugged once I obtain my lumber. I do not rive or mill lumber myself. I rely on the local lumberyard for that. Besides, I do not want to be a sawyer as much as I want to build things. I use lumber that has been surfaced on one face and squared along one edge. I pretend a team of sawyers is laboring away to provide me with the perfect boards. I need only to pick them up.

Even unplugged woodworking had me pulling out my hair, especially when I tried to establish a historical style. My first workbench is a prime example. Early on, my focus was quite blurry, trying my hand at many different periods and styles of woodworking! My bench remained in lockstep and seemed to evolve right alongside. On one side, it resembles a Nicholson bench (1), with the characteristic deep front apron drilled to facilitate holdfasts and pegs to support the workpiece vertically. On the other side, it is somewhat Roubo-ish (3). There's a leg vise, a Moxon-style vice, and a small wagon vice for securing work. It even has pivoting saw stops (2) at one end that allow for off-the-bench sawing. There are two covered wells to store wedges and an open well for bench dogs and various tools. It seemed as though my bench spanned at least two centuries. My workbench has served me well for many years, and although it will never adorn the cover of a woodworking magazine, it has performed its duty, holding workpieces! It has seen the construction of tables, desks, book and candle stands, and an untold number of boxes and chests, all without complaint.

Over the years, I noticed that I was using different aspects of my bench less and less. A few benchtop accessories had all but replaced the Nicholson side. The Moxon vice lent the leg vise virtually useless, except for helping to secure my carving platform. Those nifty pivoting saw-stops are no longer needed as I have a dedicated saw bench. Those wells need constant cleaning as they fill up with chips and dust. And, I believe there is an unwritten rule that all horizontal surfaces must accumulate stuff! With everything I have piled on my bench, only about a quarter of the surface area is used for woodworking. Perhaps my workbench had seen better days and was becoming a mere obstacle.

A few years ago, I fell in love with 17th-century mannerist carving. As a result, I now focus on carved boxes, chests, joined stools, serving boards, and bookstands almost exclusively. So, having learned to manage a much smaller workspace, not to mention that I've started sitting on a stool while working, I thought, why not try a low bench (4)? Having a work surface to accomplish necessary tasks designed for sitting on seemed like a win-win situation, especially since my aging back was starting to feel the strain of leaning over all the time. Join me as I use my mini-Roman workbench, building some 17th-century style furnishings.

Evolution

While having provided an efficient work surface for some 2,000 years, the Roman workbench is by far not the first workbench. Earlier cultures had rocks with notches cut into them used for bracing workpieces, which I am sure count as workbenches somehow. But the Roman bench is undeniably dominant in art