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.
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