1. Name (and nick names)
Rob Millard.
2. Age/DOB
40, 10-8-65
3. Location (present and previous):
Dayton, Ohio, I've never lived more than 10 miles from where I was born.
4. Tell us about your family:
Not married, no kids
5. How do you earn a living, woodworking or other, any interesting previous occupations.
I've worked as an office furniture installer, carpenter, plumber, part time electrician, and production a worker in a machine shop, before turning to woodworking full time.
6. Equipment overview (hand tools and other):
Band Saw ( the most used power tool in the shop), bench top planer ( my favorite power tool), bench top drill press, lathe, shaper ( rarely used, but handy) Table saw (also rarely used), scroll saw, jig saw, RO sander, various routers ( I hate routers, but they are useful), a couple of hand held drills, miter saw.
Stanely 4,5,6,7, 78, 80, 151, 386 ( used once) 923 and a cheap dovetail saw. Clark & Williams Jointer. L-N 4, large shoulder plane, miter plane, block plane, tenon saw and dovetail saw and one chisel. Lee Valley scraper plane, low angle spoke shave. Couple dozen Pheil carving tools. Several Japanese chisels. A few Starrett layout tools. A couple of Marples making gauges. 2 handmade wooden planes. Several Disston handsaws, of varying vintage. I don't have a lot of tools, because it doesn�t take many to make furniture.
7. Describe your shop:
That's easy, too cold in winter, too hot in summer, too small and dusty all the time. Actually it is a one car garage that must house the car a night. I have one work bench that I do most of my planing and joinery on, and it has storage below. I have another bench, again with storage below that I plane large boards on, but most of the time it is stacked high with materials (junk). I do have a small room that I can keep heated 24/7, for finishing, gluing etc. The bandsaw shaper and surface planer are on casters. The other power tools are stored in a closet. I�m not really bothered by the small work space, but I'd like to have more storage room for materials.
8. Tell us about the hand planes you own, and your favorite one(s) to use:
I have two favorites, the Stanley/Bailey No.7, I purchased new in 1979, and the L-N 4. I'm also impressed with the L-N miter plane and shoulder plane. My homemade scrub plane gets a lot of use.
9. You favorite chisels:
I like the inexpensive Japanese chisels I purchased at Woodcraft; they take and hold a great edge and are pretty well balanced. They are a snap to tune because of the hollow ground backs.
10. Your favorite handsaw(s):
My old Disston crosscut saw c. 1925 that was my Grandfather�s. I also like the L-N dovetail saw, and my cheap Stanley dovetail saw.
11. Do you use western tools or Japanese, why do you prefer the ones you use:
As noted above, I like the Japanese chisels, but other than that I use western tools. I learned with western �push� tools and I feel comfortable with them.
12. Do you have a woodworking home page:
americanfederalperiod.com
13. Do you have any influences in your work? Certain styles or designers you follow/prefer:
Yes, John and Thomas Seymour, in particular and Federal furniture in general. I lack any design ability, so it is essential for me to have influences for my work.
14. Do you have any ancestors who were woodworkers that served as inspiration?
Yes, My grandfather was a carpenter, but he died when I was very young; so I never saw him work, but I believe I inherited my interest in woodworking from him.
15. What is your favorite neander project, or part of a project, you have ever done and why:
I have two, a Seymour basin stand, and a Seymour tall case clock. The basin stand with its tambour door and marble top, was a striking piece, showing the genius of the Seymours. The tall case clock, at 112" tall would have been a commanding piece even without all the inlay work. While neither were a total neander project, I did a considerable amount of hand tool work on them.
16. Do you believe there is any spiritual dimension to woodworking with hand tools:
I'm not sure what spiritual means. In my case, furniture making came to me naturally, so that ability came from somewhere. I don't know if you'd call that spiritual or from God, but my guess is the latter.
17. How much of your work is done by hand tools. Do you use whatever is best for the job or do you use hand tools even when they are less efficient:
In order to have my reproductions look and feel like the originals, I often use hand tools, where power tools would be more efficient. I don't hesitate to use power tools to accomplish other tasks such as cutting mortices, or rough planing/sawing stock to size, but every visible surface inside and out is finished with hand tools.
18. What is your single most favorite tool, and why.
My homemade, and somewhat crude veneer hammer, because it is central to the signature part Federal furniture. Of all the aspects of furniture making, I enjoy veneering the most.
Reply With Quote
