Dz

"Dustmaker"

12/05/2004 2:24 PM

Tage Frid Passed Away

The other day I saw in the obituary section that Tage Frid had passed away.
I believe it said that he died at age 88 after suffering for many years from
Alzheimer's.

Very impressive obit. I've never owned any of his books, but I'm tempted to
order his Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking which is out of print. Any comments
on it's value today with all the power tools we now have available.


This topic has 10 replies

cb

charlie b

in reply to "Dustmaker" on 12/05/2004 2:24 PM

13/05/2004 7:15 PM

kees laan wrote:

> Most impressive: his video "handmaking dovetails" Taunton press.

The guy had a gleam in his eye and a sense of humor which he
used often if that tape is any indication. He seemed to take
the craft seriously but not himself - unusual for one with
his reputation in woodworking.

Who do you think will be the follow up examples of woodworkers
to emulate or be inspired by? (Maloof and Krenov aren't
spring chickens and Gary Knox Bennett hopefully won't be
one of The Next Generation)

charlie b

dD

[email protected] (DarylRos)

in reply to charlie b on 13/05/2004 7:15 PM

17/05/2004 2:26 PM

>Who do you think will be the follow up examples of woodworkers
> to emulate or be inspired by? (Maloof and Krenov aren't
> spring chickens and Gary Knox Bennett hopefully won't be
> one of The Next Generation)

Strother Purdy, Garrett Hack, Blaise Gaston, Michael Puryear, Michael Fortune

And if you meniton Gary Bennet Knox (and I'm glad you did), then you should
also thing of Jere Osgood.

cb

charlie b

in reply to charlie b on 13/05/2004 7:15 PM

17/05/2004 11:50 PM

DarylRos wrote:
>
> >Who do you think will be the follow up examples of woodworkers
> > to emulate or be inspired by? (Maloof and Krenov aren't
> > spring chickens and Gary Knox Bennett hopefully won't be
> > one of The Next Generation)
>
> Strother Purdy, Garrett Hack, Blaise Gaston, Michael Puryear, Michael Fortune
>
> And if you meniton Gary Bennet Knox (and I'm glad you did), then you should
> also thing of Jere Osgood.

From what I've found on Jere Osgood via google, having Gary Bennett
Knox name in the same sentence as Jere Osgood puts my teeth on
edge. Mr. Osgoods work clearly show an exceptional design sense
AND the skills to execute them - equisitely. His pieces seem whim-
sical without being gimmicky.

Couldn't find any pieces by Garret Hack - just lots of links to
things related to his book(s) and articles.

Thanks for your list of woodworkers who may be the next
generation of masters/teachers/role models

charlie b

dD

[email protected] (DarylRos)

in reply to charlie b on 17/05/2004 11:50 PM

18/05/2004 3:19 PM

>From what I've found on Jere Osgood via google, having Gary Bennett
> Knox name in the same sentence as Jere Osgood puts my teeth on
> edge. Mr. Osgoods work clearly show an exceptional design sense
> AND the skills to execute them - equisitely. His pieces seem whim-
> sical without being gimmicky.

Don't get me wrong. I consider Jere Osgood the best cabinetmaker in the world.
I was at a symposium in Boston this winter, where both Jere and Garry were
included. Neither had any problem being "lumped" with the other. Both had works
on display, and I assure you, they were exceptional.

I spent some time with Jere, and he of course said his work there (a really
complex series of compound curves) were the result of patience. If you add in
some real talent you might get there.

>Couldn't find any pieces by Garret Hack

Garrett is a member of the New Hampshire Masters (or some similar name). He is
also an exceptional teacher.

Everyone seems to forget about the other two, who do absolutely remarkable
work. Both have websites.

Strother Purdy is at strotherpurdy.com; gaston at blaisegaston.com. I've seen
Strother's work up close, and it is really amazing stuff.

WM

William MacBain

in reply to charlie b on 13/05/2004 7:15 PM

18/05/2004 8:32 AM

http://www.schoolofwoodworking.com/instructors/garret_hack/index.shtml
http://www.rosewoodstudio.com/woodworking_facgallery/woodworking_hack.htm
http://www.furnituremasters.org/catdetail.cfm?ID=37

charlie b wrote:
> DarylRos wrote:
>
>>>Who do you think will be the follow up examples of woodworkers
>>> to emulate or be inspired by? (Maloof and Krenov aren't
>>> spring chickens and Gary Knox Bennett hopefully won't be
>>> one of The Next Generation)
>>
>>Strother Purdy, Garrett Hack, Blaise Gaston, Michael Puryear, Michael Fortune
>>
>>And if you meniton Gary Bennet Knox (and I'm glad you did), then you should
>>also thing of Jere Osgood.
>
>
> From what I've found on Jere Osgood via google, having Gary Bennett
> Knox name in the same sentence as Jere Osgood puts my teeth on
> edge. Mr. Osgoods work clearly show an exceptional design sense
> AND the skills to execute them - equisitely. His pieces seem whim-
> sical without being gimmicky.
>
> Couldn't find any pieces by Garret Hack - just lots of links to
> things related to his book(s) and articles.
>
> Thanks for your list of woodworkers who may be the next
> generation of masters/teachers/role models
>
> charlie b

kl

kees laan

in reply to "Dustmaker" on 12/05/2004 2:24 PM

12/05/2004 11:10 PM

On 12-05-2004 21:24, in article [email protected],
"Dustmaker" <[email protected]> wrote:

> The other day I saw in the obituary section that Tage Frid had passed away.
> I believe it said that he died at age 88 after suffering for many years from
> Alzheimer's.
>
> Very impressive obit. I've never owned any of his books, but I'm tempted to
> order his Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking which is out of print. Any comments
> on it's value today with all the power tools we now have available.
>
>
Most impressive: his video "handmaking dovetails" Taunton press.

kees

pp

patriarch <[email protected]>

in reply to "Dustmaker" on 12/05/2004 2:24 PM

12/05/2004 10:36 PM

"Dustmaker" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> The other day I saw in the obituary section that Tage Frid had passed
> away. I believe it said that he died at age 88 after suffering for
> many years from Alzheimer's.
>
> Very impressive obit. I've never owned any of his books, but I'm
> tempted to order his Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking which is out of
> print. Any comments on it's value today with all the power tools we
> now have available.
>
>

A combined Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, Vols 1&2 as a trade paperback was
available as recently as 18 months ago, when I bought a copy. An excellent
investment, in my opinion. I think there was a copy on the rack at the
local Rockler store recently....

Not to start a religious discussion, but understanding how a Neander would
do something makes a Normite stop and consider, before blindly plugging in
the latest offering from Delta/Jet/General/etc. Not that he/she doesn't
proceed with the power tool, but does so with the understanding that there
are various methods and paths to success.

Sometimes, the proper power tool setup takes so much longer than the hand
tool method, and offers less control. When I'm doing one of something, I
tend more often to use hand tools.

Back on topic: Tage Frid had much to offer, and his books are a refreshing
change from some of the newer fare.

Patriarch

dD

[email protected] (DarylRos)

in reply to patriarch <[email protected]> on 12/05/2004 10:36 PM

13/05/2004 12:47 AM

Frid's books are still timely. In truth, the only innovations since he wrote
them that I can think of are biscuit joiners and carbide bandsaw blades.

Check out his sections on steaming and bent laminations; they are still up to
date. Some things never change.

Ba

B a r r y

in reply to "Dustmaker" on 12/05/2004 2:24 PM

12/05/2004 8:06 PM

On Wed, 12 May 2004 14:24:02 -0500, "Dustmaker"
<[email protected]> wrote:


>Very impressive obit. I've never owned any of his books, but I'm tempted to
>order his Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking which is out of print. Any comments
>on it's value today with all the power tools we now have available.

Are you assuming that the book only covers handwork? It dosen't.

Most of the power tools used today have been available for quite some
time. Routers were in use not long after electricity was available.
Circular and band saws were around before electricity!

Tage Frid wasn't THAT old. <G>

Get the book, many of the methods in it involve a common sense mix of
power and hand tools. In fact, there are some very down to earth, low
buck setup tips in it as well.

Barry

TW

Tom Watson

in reply to "Dustmaker" on 12/05/2004 2:24 PM

12/05/2004 9:06 PM

On Wed, 12 May 2004 14:24:02 -0500, in rec.woodworking you wrote:

>The other day I saw in the obituary section that Tage Frid had passed away.
>I believe it said that he died at age 88 after suffering for many years from
>Alzheimer's.
>
>Very impressive obit. I've never owned any of his books, but I'm tempted to
>order his Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking which is out of print. Any comments
>on it's value today with all the power tools we now have available.
>


I still refer to Palladio's, "Books of Architecture" and his body is
pretty damned cold.

I don't know if Ernest Joyce is still alive, but his "Encyclopedia of
Furnituremaking" gets thumbed by me on a regular basis.

Don't know if Eric Sloane is still with us, but, "A Reverance For
Wood" was and is a tremendous source of inspiration to me.

I wouldn't be the one to put Brother Krenov in a too-early grave, but
a hundred years from now his wisdom will still be current.

There are re-prints on things like Staircases and Circular Work and
Joinery that revivify texts that are over a hundred years old -
because nothing better has been written in the intervening time.

WoodDorking is an ancient craft - what Tage Frid taught is pretty
modern stuff.



Regards,
Tom.

Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1


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