Popular Woodworking 2008-08 № 170, страница 47

(there are limes when I wish I hadn't heard of this tool), surface planer or random-orbit sander. My respect for those craftsmen and their furniture only deepens and I find the shoes don't really fit - they are too big. PW

Rob builds Federal-style reproductions in a one-car garage shop. Also, he has written for the journal of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers. Visithis web site at americanfederalperiod.com.

When the Queen Anne style was supplanted by Chippendale designs, the change was minimal and fairly gradual; the types of furniture remained constant and only the surface ornamentation and perhaps the boldness changed. In contrast, the Federal/Neoclassical style changed everything, and quickly. Characterized by symmetry and lightness, Federal furniture must have been a shock when first

period, became a focal point of the dining room, and were often imposing pieces with complex curved facades, adorned with a full range of Neoclassical details. The prol i ferat ion of worktables reflected the increased influence of women in the home. Card tables certainly existed before the Federal period, but they reached their zenith during this period, with nearly endless variations of shapes and levels of ornamentation.

In the end, the thing 1 enjoy most about Federal furniture is putting myself in the shoes of the original craftsman and trying to imagine the "how" and "why" of their techniques and designs. They worked without good lighting, having never heard of the band saw, router

Skill and expertise. Details of this desk, originally built by well-known Federal furniture makers lohn and Thomas Seymour, illustrate the exquisite craftsmanship of the period.

Slimmer legs. Cabriole legs (found on many Queen Anne and Chippendale pieces) were cas aside and replaced with delicate, tapered legs at the advent of the Federal period.

article were built and photographed by Rob Millard, the author.

shown, and even today it looks quite modern, rivaling current studio furniture.

Gone for the most part is carving, and what carving remains is more delicate. The cabriole leg with ball and claw feet that dominated the Chippendale period aren't found on Federal pieces; instead, delicate tapering legs and later, turned and reeded legs dominate the style.

Gone too are the bold mouldings, replaced with more rectilinear shapes. That does not mean complex shapes are not to be found. Indeed, many pieces display an abundance of curves yet are still refined and delicate in appearance. There are pieces of Federal furniture that when stripped of any surface ornamentation, are quite simple and similar in design to Shaker furniture.

In addition to the new style, some new furniture types appeared at the beginning of the Neoclassical period, or became more prevalent. Sideboards, unheard of before this