I often hear the expression, "They don’t build them the way they used to
. . . !" Hand tools connect the craftsman to a project. The craftsman
of yesteryear developed proficiency with the tools and created
exquisite details; however, the labor cost added significantly to the
price of custom furniture.
Modern tooling is a labor saving step.
Although the aesthetic appeal of hand cut dovetails bring an individual
charm to a drawer, machine cut dovetails are just as strong and will
withstand the rigors of time. Early artisans would use a molding plane
to make numerous passes along the length of a board before reaching the
desired depth. The routers and other shaping equipment available today
enables many profiles to be cut in one pass. A wide assortment of
cutters are available in stock profiles. Additionally, massive crowns,
elaborate trim, and intricate details can be created by combining the
stock shapes or by having cutters ground to unique specifications.
One of the undesirable effects of modern machining is the repetitive
marks left by the rotation of the cutter. In the industry, such
patterns are referred to as mill marks. Careful scraping and hand
sanding can remove these mill marks and prepare the wood surface to
reveal the natural beauty. Production furniture often relies on heavy
pigmentation and speckled patterns to disguise the mill marks. Bayne’s
Quality Custom Furniture takes pride in our ability to enhance the
beauty of the wood through the removal of mill marks and the finishing
process.
A custom designed project enables the careful integration of hand and
machine work. The select use of modern equipment enables us to achieve
high end results while controlling cost and making our work more
affordable. |
