Peter Galbert Chair Notes, Windsor Chairs

Friday, November 30, 2012

Oh Snap!

My pal Ray Duffy sent me this link to a blog posting.

For some reason he thinks it has something to do with me!?

In case you missed it, I am on the back and inside cover of Fine Woodworkings Shops and Tools issues. Jon Binzen also made this video slideshow of my work that my mother simply adores!

Here is the link to the video.

Thanks Jon, sorry to have led you so terribly astray with the shavehorse!

32 comments:

Anonymous said...: Is Mike the new Ian Kirby? :-); November 30, 2012 at 12:02 PM
Anonymous said...: ...."The shave horse divides chairmakers. The two groups are the guys that are serious and those who are quaint. Guess which group I belong to."

I'd guess he is in a group of one, the group that reigns judgement on everyone else from a comment free blog. Blah blah blah.; November 30, 2012 at 12:36 PM
john jesseph said...: I saw that last night, immediately thought Dunbar must be referring to Peter Galbert. I am afraid next generation of Windsor chair makers are leaving Mr. Dunbar behind.; November 30, 2012 at 1:30 PM
john j. said...: ok, bad grammar. next generation is leaving...lol. i should proofread my comments.; November 30, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Anonymous said...: I think Mr.Dunbar should be more concerned about his high horse and less about your shave horse.And thank you Peter for posting and not hiding behind the "comments closed" button. Corky; November 30, 2012 at 2:42 PM
Andrew Jack said...: Hahahahahahahahahah

Watch out, Pete. The future is coming for you.; November 30, 2012 at 4:35 PM
Steve Kirincich said...: Wow? Could he possibly undue many years of good work with such a narrow minded comment? I have been duped into believing that their might be more than one good way to accomplish a particular task! Even though I have not yet built a shaving horse, I will make sure to set it on fire, after it is completed, and pray for my soul.; November 30, 2012 at 6:33 PM
Patrick Tipton said...: Pete, ya big trouble maker.

I love the anonymous comment about "high horses". Too damn funny.

Keep up the great work.

Regards, Patrick

www.patrickbtipton.com; November 30, 2012 at 6:54 PM
Anonymous said...: Galbert, Buchanan,Langser, Boggs, Bizzari,Underhill...yup, quite a "quaint" little group of hippie dabblers.; November 30, 2012 at 7:33 PM
Anonymous said...: Add Alexander to that list of quaint hippies; November 30, 2012 at 8:40 PM
R Francis said...: Guess you must be the court jester and will never be Lord Peter of Sterling.
There are vices and vices of course.; November 30, 2012 at 8:52 PM
John Scott said...: http://www.stuartking.co.uk/index.php/samuel-rockall-last-of-the-chair-bodgers/

Pic and blog post about Samuel Rockhall: the "last of the chair bodgers", apparently another "quaint" hippie; November 30, 2012 at 8:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Forehead slap as soon as I posted hippie list without Alexander. But really the list could go on and one. This shave horse fad has become an epidemic.; November 30, 2012 at 9:17 PM
seth weizenecker said...: Those beaded, bearded, braless, hippie, chairmakers!!
They have all the fun!; December 1, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Peter Galbert said...: Thanks for all the comments, I had a feeling that this one was red meat, Enjoy!; December 1, 2012 at 3:05 PM
Bern said...: Wow! And this bloke's been teaching chair making for years?!?!
What a way to write yourself into obscurity! I HOPE!!
He must have enormous forearms from all that vise handle wrangling!; December 1, 2012 at 6:18 PM
Glen Rundell said...: Oh, absolute gold! I knew I cut my dreadlocks off way to early Pete! Having been in the unfortunate position of not having a 'horse' at hand, I've used a vice and draw knife......once. Of course we all remember those photos of England's original chair bodgers, with their workbenches and vices they'd carried into the forrest! Kiss my ring Mike!; December 2, 2012 at 4:47 AM
Harry said...: Hi Pete. You may remember my using a vise at Kelly's last year. It was certainly not because I was afraid of looking "quaint" nor was it in any way because of this "dipstick". My back just doesn't like sitting.
Harry; December 2, 2012 at 8:40 AM
Peter Galbert said...: Glenn,
I've been accused of many things, many times correctly so, but a HIPPIE! Really, that's hitting below the belt.

Harry, I hope your back is feeling better.; December 2, 2012 at 8:55 AM
Anonymous said...: And guess which blog post has comments turned off.; December 2, 2012 at 2:49 PM
Brian Boggs said...: I hope you all realize how much we need Mike Dunbar. Like Rush Limbaugh, he can help unite us against the tyranny of a rigid mind.; December 3, 2012 at 10:58 AM
greg said...: So it was the first day of class at the Windsor Institute when it was time to start shaving spindles and rails, I took my red oak stock outside and set up the shaving horse in the parking lot. The rest of the class showed a lot of interest, and some admitted to having a shaving horse at home in almost conspiratorial tones. Mike came out and rather grumpily told me that I needed to sweep up the shavings when I was done.
Dan Faia, who was at the time a newish instructor at WI, came over to watch me when Mike went to town to do some errands. Now if the truth be known, part of the reason I took the shaving horse to class was to “convert” the WI crowd over to the dark side of chair making. So naturally I waxed prolific on the joys, wonders and convenience of working on a shaving horse.
But as it turned out Dan didn’t need any convincing. He mentioned that he’d been meaning to make a shaving horse- for home, for he knew what Mike thought about them. That gave me an idea how I could fertilize this schismatic seed. I told Dan that the shaving horse was an extra for me, and that it was for sale. He asked me if I would take a trade for it. What I wanted at the time was a longish plane that I could clamp upside down in the vise and use for joining small pieces like the hand grip extensions to chair arm bendings. The next day Dan produced a Millers Falls #18. It was a deal.
Now I knew that the going market prices of a used 18” hand plane and a shaving horse gave Dan by far the advantage in this trade. But to me it was very much worth it to advance this apostasy among the Windsor Institute faithful. (I read a short while later an article about Dan Faia giving a shaving horse demonstration at The North Bennett Street School. Mission accomplished.)

I enjoyed my classes at the WI, and will probably go back.; December 5, 2012 at 5:23 PM
Shannon said...: I am by no means an accomplished windsor maker seeing as I have only made 4 chairs (2 from kits) but I have tried the vise method and the horse method and the horse wins hands down. Maybe I'm doing the vise method wrong but I was shocked to read Mike's post. What gets me is the closed comments section. Everyone is entitle to their opinion, but to post and discourage interaction is just cowardly.; December 6, 2012 at 12:55 PM
Scott -- said...: Guess there's a bunch of us that won't be kissing Mike's ring... [rolls eyes]; December 7, 2012 at 9:27 AM
mitchwilson said...: Hold on a moment. I've seen older photos of you. You used to have a beard. And didn't your live near where that hippie music festival and love-in was held in the mud back in 1969. You can't fool me. Next thing you know, you'll be quitting your day job and starting a think tank with Patrick Leach. Shave horses, indeed.; December 7, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Dean S said...: When I saw Mike Dunbar carving a seat by swinging a gutter adze between his feet, I was extremely nervous about chairmaking.

After a great week spent with Pete it was obvious that high quality chairs can be made safely (and sitting down!)

I've seen both Mike & Pete's end products up close. Mike's chairs are good. Pete's are amazing.

Not so much "quaint" - I would call it "refined".

I'll stick with the horse - thanks!; December 7, 2012 at 11:54 PM
Unknown said...: I feel totally lost. Who is this Dunbar guy? Never heard of him before. Can someone fill me in? I have only been making chairs for several years so maybe I am too new. Thanks; December 10, 2012 at 12:19 PM
john jesseph said...: Hi Greg-

I stubbornly used a metal Stanley spokeshave there at the Windsor Institute. Mike did not care for it, but did not say much about it. Kind of funny you would taunt him with the shavehorse.

Dan was there when I took a class there. I seem to recall that there was a plan for Faia to take over the WI. There was a rumor of a falling out between him and Dunbar. I think Dan landed on his feet pretty well after that.

Looks like things have really slowed down there, only 8 classes at the WI next year.; December 10, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Tee said...: Peter, you are way too young to be a hippie. What's with the closed comments over at Dunbar's blog? I suppose the shave horse has been a miserable failure for hundreds of years. Huh?

Great video of your chairs. I understand why Mom loves it. You and Sue are living exactly where you are suppose to be, how wonderful that you are in the middle of all that history of chairmaking region. I bet all those chairmakers used shave horses.; December 12, 2012 at 7:59 AM
Kerry said...: Sounds like to me Dunbar has missed his calling shuffling his feet around the vice, perhaps he should audition for "Dancing with the Stars". I have two shaving horses, one of which I use at a historical house in Jonesboro and we have more comments about that piece than anything else in or around the house. Keep up the great work.; December 12, 2012 at 8:06 AM
Peter Galbert said...: Tee and Kerry,
what can I say about Mr.Dunbar, heavy is the head that wears the crown!
I hope you are well and have a great holiday,
Pete; December 13, 2012 at 5:21 PM
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Friday, November 30, 2012

Oh Snap!

32 comments:

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