"Swingman" wrote in message news:...
> Any good woodworking points of interest in Yorkshire?
>
> I am going to be there next week for about ten days and I can already feel
> my arm bending around a pint of red, and my lungs needing a hit of sawdust
> to feel right.
Good beer (Ward's), but not much of practical woodworking interest that I
could find ... other than an overall higher quality, in craftsmanship and
joinery, in the newer, solid wood furniture than I am used to seeing in this
country.
A relative has a couple of pieces (coffee and end table) that look like
Birdseye maple (but just different enough in grain pattern to make you
wonder ... almost like chestnut) that were handmade for her and are of
stunning craftsmanship ... makes my stuff look like WW101.
Scoured a few open stall markets for tools, but saw nothing worth weighing
down the luggage with. Did bring back a very useable, older model Record
spokeshave, presented to me as a gift from a new in-law who was a grinder in
Sheffield's steel industry for many years.
Notable to my eye, once again, was the ubiquitous use of quarter sawn white
oak in old furniture, interior paneling, and trim in many of the older
structures. One church interior (next to the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth)
was fitted entirely in QSWO, including wall paneling, pews, and all the
various tables used in the services ... very impressive.
Also saw a good deal of furniture wood I was not familiar with and, of
course, the lingering remnants of the vast quantities of mahogany that was
imported during the days of colonial empire.
All in all, and as elsewhere, I'd say that Ikea may be gaining the upper
hand ... at least in that part of the country.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/15/04