Thorsen Side Table Challenge…Who were the Greene’s? …. A short history lesson on these men and the h

oh my goodness. Isn’t that quite the history!
(I’m picturing my mother painting all the wood.. aigh yah yah… but I guess plain wood was a simple of poverty and paint was “rich”.) Oh how thing change.

Thank you for the history lesson. I never liked history in school but that has changed and the story you have painted here really adds another level to that little plant stand.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Dusty, Great overview. I too am a History lover. Of all the past designers they are in my top 3. Simplicy and elegant. Too bad much of the orginial furnishings of the Gamble house are missing. I know they are working to carefully reproduce some of the peices. I can’t wait to see the entries and get a look at other’s interpretations and visions.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Coincidentally I happen to be working in a reproduction of a Greene @ Greene bench.

This is my first attempt at building this bench. I readily admit its not my favorite piece however it has grown on me over the duration of the project.

I found it be be more of a challenge than I had expected. I built it out of spalted maple. I have only hand apply my first coat of a natural stain stain process I use for maple and light hardwoods.

I took several liberties when building this reproduction. I did however remain loyal to all the defining characteristics of this Greene and Greene piece.

I wish I had the time to build the Thorsen piece. I have found some variations that I think would really add to the over all piece with out compromising the original design intent.

-- Dusty

Thanks Dusty For the review of history.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Thanks Dusty. I am not to be credited with this Thorsen Challenge concept. Karson called me and asked about the concept and bounced the idea off of me, and I got pretty excited about the posibilities. This idea is all Karson’s and Obi’s. I just added gasoline to the fire already blazing.

thanks guys, look forward to seeing your Table Dusty.
Mark

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

Thank you for the overview behind the G&G brothers.

Nice bench too.., Sometimes it’s nice to do something outside of what you’d normally do, the results can be surprising. In college I had to do a collage copy of a cubist painting. I did the best I could, I liked my subject, but not the style or how it was coming along. Working up close, I just concentrated on getting each part done. Once complete, I stood it up on my desk and left for a few hours and upon returning (with fresh eyes) I really really liked it.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Mark,

Thanks for clairfying your role.

I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to leave anyone left out. I know it was OBI who started it as a challenge with Karson. A lot of hard work was done by Karson and if it hadn’t been for the fun prodding and cheer leading of Obi I don’t think it would of been as popular as it has become.

I think its great.

I wish I had the time to build the Thorsen Table. However I have a full plate and wouldn’t dare take anything else on at this point.

-- Dusty

Scottb.

Its funny how that works isn’t it. I have had these two pieces in my shop for a while now. As time has gone on they have grown on me.

I learned a lot from building them also.

It certainly took me out of my comfort zone and area that I have some expertize.

This is a good thing.

I will never stop learning nor do I want to.

-- Dusty

Check this out!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Thanks Dennis, very impressive. Thanks for the nice addition to my library I had not run across this one yet.

-- Dusty

I’d like to see a view like that of your house!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

patience buddy I am working on something…:)

I will be posting two more chapters to my blog This Old Crack House” in the next couple days… finally I am getting to the story of the rehab….only 25 chapters later ….sigh

-- Dusty

I HATE Paint. I HATE people who paint. I especially hate people who paint fine furniture… almost as much as I hate pedophiles and rapists. It’s the greatest sin imaginable to a fine piece of wood. I don’t much care for MDF, chip board (OSB) or particle board either.

How could someone… anyone paint over Teak and Mahogany? Have they been dropped on their heads … repeatedly?

I better go take some kind of sedative… this really gets my goat. You can, however, paint the goat, the exterior of the house and the car.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

I agree with you Obi.

I don’t even like paint in my shop. let alone paint a fine hardwood. I get ill just thinking about it. I can’t count how many projects i have turned down that someone wanted me to paint hardwood.

Its just no part of my makeup I guess.

I thought it was a shame to and one of the reasons I added it to the history lesson.

-- Dusty

I’ve turned down three Cabinet Jobs because they want paint. Do it to Home Depot, they have no conscience, but you “WILL NOT GET ME TO PAINT”

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Hi,

A historical correction. It was the Greene’s Blacker House that was stripped of its possessions. Blacker House Photo

The beauty of the Gamble House is that it was given to the city of Pasadena and U.S.C. Architecture School and much of its furniture remains intact.

The furniture in the house was made by John and Peter Hall.

-John

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

I hear you on the painting front… I’m in the process of removing all the paint from all the “original” trim in the house. There is some gorgeous wood under there!

One thing MDF does have going for it is that it is made out of what otherwise would be a waste product. It scores points for green, and making a great replacable zero clearance top for my tablesaw, just not what I’d like to see in my house, or sit on.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

They make presto logs out of sawdust… best use for it since Noah started on his boat Project.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Sawdust can be used to smoke a good piece of meat too, now that I think about it. that’s much better (and tastier) than MDF.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

I’m gonna have to learn to do that, Scottie…

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

gizmodyne

I humbly stand corrected. I neglected to in my edit to name the Blacker house rather than the Gamble house which I had been referring to.

I have made the correction.

Again thanks so much for the correction. I am great full.

-- Dusty

Never mind

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

MDF and the environment: I’m pretty sure that the wood in it is held together with some really “bad for the environment” stuff.
But, since there are no fans so far I guess it is a good product to cover up with paint!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Glue, I thought?... But, where else are you going to put all that paint? Gotta go somewheres.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

There is a Greene and Greene house here in Sacramento. I will try to run by this weekend and grab a few photos….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Debbie is right. MDF has a high content of formaldyhide. Never work with it without a dust mask at the very least. A respirator is safer. Routing is especially troublesome because of the very fine dust it creates.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

MDF - probably the best substrate one can use for veneer. It’s dimensionally stable and dead flat. Let’s not fall into the trap of being elitists.

What makes me cringe is snobby woodworkers who dismiss MDF and use solid wood as the substrate under a sheet of veneer.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

Don I’ve done that when I wanted to dovetail the IE Drawer Front but wanted the veneer for enhancement.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I’d rather use solid wood.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Caliper-

Timely comment thanks, I was just about to rout some key slots in a project I am working on in MDF - I will wear the mask – maybe do it outside… Thanks.

-- John

I would like to learn more about John and Peter Hall. I think that in another topic Obi had a link to a furniture maker called Darrell Peart; on his site he has links to a few G&G resources.

-- John