Not Shopbot---But wouldn't they have loved one:)

[scottp55]

Just the other day was talking to somebody who's buying a Desktop, who is an Architect. I mentioned that I was heavily influenced by the Greene Brothers back in '95 when I first started designing my house. Figured in this new computer age I should check to see videos available.
With a CNC a LOT of this stuff could be brought back without having to have a crew of Craftsman with years upon years of experience.
We can cut intricate curves and interlocking pieces almost as fast as a straight cut, and inlays don't require a Master anymore for basic inlays(GOT to try some of the "raised" inlays:).
Can't wait to see what the Architect comes up with on his Desktop on scaled models!
Hope somebody likes these, and can incorporate some "Cloudlifts" into his pieces, like I did in my house as well as more "Wedged" stuff.
scott

http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/video/touring-the-gamble-house.aspx

https://vimeo.com/11682343

[gerryv]

Thanks for the great post. I can't imagine the amount of hours that went into these works. I wonder if the bandsaw figured prominently into their process?

[Burkhardt]

That Gamble House is only 15 minutes from here. I knew it was there and supposedly interesting but I never got around to visit. Sometimes one rather looks for special things to see on vacation trips and forgets what is close by. I think I should check it out.

[scottp55]

Funny Gerald,
It got me thinking of exactly what kind of woodworking tools one would have on a Jobsite in the early 1900's:)
24486
Double Funny, Just lost power for second time today, this time for 1/2 hour(2 towns, a wind downed line) and had to run around getting candles/shutting off Desktop and then UPS(Still had Comms:)/and filling water jugs before pressure dropped.
Was just thinking what a difference power makes---Desktop would Barely make a good anchor for a small boat:)
Got pic from this site---interesting what woodworkers had to deal with.
http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=224&tab=6
Reminded me a little of the Amish shop(and wondering how hard it is to start his Diesel engine at -40F this winter)
G,
Check out the wedging on the staircase of the Gamble House, seem to remember you remove a wedge under stairs and it swings open to display a wine storage area. Seem to remember they caught a lot of flack from Oenophiles saying the stair vibration would "Disturb" the wine:)
I envy your visit!! Enjoy
scott

[scottp55]

:(
G,
Wrong about wine storage:( or at least Google can't find.
Must have been a "Greene and Greene STYLE" staircase in one of my old books/mags.
Still jealous you're so close, but probably best 'cause I couldn't go Upstairs--Heck--Maybe not even in?
Hate it when memory plays tricks.
scott

[Burkhardt]

Have not made it to the Gamble House yet but planned for some of the weekends in Summer.

Looking over local woodworking resources I found another interesting place, the Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts here in Alta Loma. I did not even know the guy used to live in California. I might even go their special workshop tour event (http://www.malooffoundation.org/#!about1/c1r5h) in September.

[scottp55]

Still remember how stupid I felt when Andrew made his rocker and I had never even HEARD of Sam Maloof:(
Spent probably the rest of the day watching Maloof Vids, and LOVED the house/studio/(Bandsaw!!).
Another one for my "Bucket List"...and you're within short drive!!!
Jealous:)
scott

[gerryv]

Scott,
Here's a work-in-progress Maloof style rocker that my son has carved out using a right-angle grinder just as Maloof was known to do.

[scottp55]

Thanks for pic Gerry!
Like his seat layup. Is he planning on adding the Walnut(?) into his rocker Lam as well?
Only furniture I'm likely to try is Dollhouse sized:) BUT just last week ran into an old friend who has made a living for 30 years doing just that by hand! And just talking in the grocery store, he got so interested in the Desktop, he's dropping by for a whole day next week to see if it would be useful to him in prep and roughing cuts! His wife wants to come to see if the Desktop can do the miniature carvings on their 4 posters and chests that she does by hand now, but arthritis is making it more difficult by the year:(
Hoping to be able to scan his stencils this week to do a little file/prep work before he shows up. Should be a real interesting day!

Now if your son ever put Wheels on it, I'd be even more interested:)

Just for anybody interested in CNC plans for Maloof rockers...Russell finally started selling his:)
http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=22045

[Ajcoholic]

Scott,
Here's a work-in-progress Maloof style rocker that my son has carved out using a right-angle grinder just as Maloof was known to do.

Gerry,
If he ever does another, I can send you my Maloof rocker seat file. A lot faster to shape the seat and a lot less dust as well! lol I did the grinder way too many times in the past to count... in walnut, there was a layer of dark brown on everything in the shop each time. Never again :) CNC makes that SO much easier/faster/more uniform/etc

[Burkhardt]

So, now I have seen both places....

The Gamble House is of course very impressive with magnificent woodwork taken to perfection. I can barely imagine the skill of the craftsmen dealing with ten thousands of bft exotic lumber without any handheld power tools.
But I have split feelings about it. It is just not my style of architecture. While I love wood, in this house there is wood everywhere and it is very dark inside. Everything is arranged and designed in place by the master architects so it rather feels like a museum from the beginning than a house where people actually lived. That said, I understand this was the winter residence or vacation place of one of the super rich bastards of the time and maybe that is just how they liked it. It did not help that the tour was guided by a friendly but barely English speaking architecture student of USC.

But today I went to the Maloof Foundations "Woodworker's Dream" (http://www.malooffoundation.org/#!about1/c1r5h)event and that was indeed worthwhile (not cheap, though). It was guided by Larry White, who worked for Sam Maloof since the 1960's with a 3 hours tour of the house with very detailed explanation how the style evolved over 60 years, the architecture of the house and the artwork inside and then 2 hours in the shop explaining and demonstrating the methods used to make the furniture (he never had more than 4 employees). The shop is actually still active and takes commissions to build furniture by the same people that used to work for Maloof with the same fabulous design and quality. However, since the master can not sign them anymore, you can buy a signature rocker chair nowadays for only $18,000 instead of $25,000 when Maloof was alive.....If anybody is in the area, I highly recommend a visit!

[Ajcoholic]

But today I went to the Maloof Foundations "Woodworker's Dream" (http://www.malooffoundation.org/#!about1/c1r5h)event and that was indeed worthwhile (not cheap, though). It was guided by Larry White, who worked for Sam Maloof since the 1960's with a 3 hours tour of the house with very detailed explanation how the style evolved over 60 years, the architecture of the house and the artwork inside and then 2 hours in the shop explaining and demonstrating the methods used to make the furniture (he never had more than 4 employees). The shop is actually still active and takes commissions to build furniture by the same people that used to work for Maloof with the same fabulous design and quality. However, since the master can not sign them anymore, you can buy a signature rocker chair nowadays for only $18,000 instead of $25,000 when Maloof was alive.....If anybody is in the area, I highly recommend a visit!

Wow, that is a place I have wanted to go for a while. My wife also wants badly to go to California for a holiday. Some day.. but with the two young ones it is hard for use to travel right now. Some day...

I bet that was an amazing thing to attend.

[Burkhardt]

....Some day.. but with the two young ones it is hard for use to travel right now. Some day...
I understand they are really young but once they are travelproof come along and visit. There are worse places than SoCal for a vacation.

BTW, here a video of Sam's last project when he was 93 years old
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsXPG5v5cro. I find that reclining/low back rocker even more stunning than the well known design. They had a sample in the showroom but we were not allowed to try it out.

Another thing I noticed in a video they showed as introduction: Sam Maloof used a table saw for ripping a few short thick boards. No riving knife, no blade guard, no push pad. He just sawed it up, pushing by hand, reaching over the blade to peel the cutoff.
Not sure how he made it to 93 years and still had all fingers. However, Larry White mentioned he had some accidents and close calls over the years but just kept going. FWIW, the current table saw in the shop is a Saw-Stop.

[mzettl]

I have been building Greene and Greene inspired furniture for around 25 years. Until I got my ShopBot, I used traditional machine and hand woodworking techniques. I have had my ShopBot for almost 8 years, and use it to cut the cloud lifts, plug recesses, tongue/tenons that attach breadboard ends, etc. That being said, there is still a tremendous amount of very careful hand work that needs to be done.

The Greenes and the Hall brothers, who executed most of the Greenes' designs, were true masters of their crafts. Many of the carved panels in sideboards, etc. were actually done by Charles Greene himself. Their work was never mass produced, and all of their furniture was designed for the specific house where it was to be used. For that reason, there are really very few pieces of G&G furniture in existence. Most of their furniture was built for one of the "ultimate bungalows," of which there are less than six. All of them are in Pasadena with the exception of the Thorsen House which is in Berkeley. I had the opportunity to visit the Thorsen House just a few weeks ago during a trip to San Francisco. For a long time woodworker like myself, it was like walking into a dream. The design and craftsmanship is stunning, and that is an understatement.

The largest collection of Greene and Greene furniture is at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. The only G&G home that is officially open to the public, as noted in the original post, is the magnificent Gamble House in Pasadena. The Thorsen House that I visited has been owned by the Sigma Phi fraternity at UC Berkeley since the early 1940's, and is an active fraternity house believe it or not. The brothers take their stewardship of the house very seriously, and do their best to preserve and maintain it. It is not an easy job.

Here are a few photos of a hall/sofa table that I made that was inspired by various G&G pieces. It is sapele with ebony plugs and splines.

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=26020&stc=1http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=26021&stc=1http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=26022&stc=1

I have actually made about a half dozen of these over the past 8 years or so.

Matt

[scottp55]

I'm jealous G. :)
Of course I watched the vid link and sent to Dad, and then watched the second one....found a third.......and currently on George Nakashima:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az014_YkDQ0
Screensucked!:)
But great way to drink coffee on a rainy Sunday instead of working.
Beautiful work Matt!
Only cloudlifts and Ebony are in the Teak bathrooms, But carried the suggestions of cloudlifts in a few other places.
Love the G&G, Maloof,Nakashima mindset...Got me thinking of ways to use my live edge Pacific Maple Quilted slabs now:)
Desktop will make some flowing Butterfly joints much easier if I can figure out how to manhandle the slabs.
scott