JLC Online: One of the things I like about working on a historic home is the challenge of matching new work to old. Last summer, I was hired to do the finish work for a kitchen remodel in a 19th century Victorian home in Winona, Minn. The kitchen had been previously remodeled sometime in the 1960s in a contemporary style incompatible with the home’s period look.
8 comments:
This was perhaps my favorite article yet. Who knew getting to see the process of a carpenter recreating some old trim could be so interesting. Usually with things like this, the article only describes what they were making, not how they made it. Getting to see this carpenters step-by-step process was very fun. I also learned about the existence of a jack miter, which is an interesting style of joinery. It is a joint that I think looks very nice, and that I would absolutely use in my own house. It also looks like if done right, could make the installation process a lot easier. I also appreciated how in-depth the description of their process was. Describing exactly the measurements and process of how they did the stepped casing made me wish I could try to make it myself. I also appreciated the description of jigs used, jigs are one of my favorite things in shops. I want to reach a point where if I run into a problem, I have the perfect jig to solve it.
I have always been fascinated by different forms of molding and how they have been constructed throughout history. The exactness of woodworking is just incredible and produces such beautiful items and knowing they were made by a human hand is just absolutely mind blowing. While a lot of things that are down by hand are not perfect there is something beautiful about its slight imperfections. With the rise of the CNC and other similar machines things have gotten more efficient but they have lost that personal touch through perfection. Reading this article was interesting because it went step by step through creating the molding in modern times. I enjoyed reading the article because it went way more in depth as to how to actually build it and construct it then I was expecting. I really appreciated the draftings and visuals provided since it gave me a much clearer understanding of what they were referring to.
I really liked this article because so often, you see people going into beautiful old homes and absolutely destroying all of the details and history that make them so cool. It was really neat to read an article from the perspective of a carpenter who clearly really appreciates all of the detail and charm of these historic homes and construction styles, creating renovations for the homeowners who also clearly appreciate the history of the style of their home. I really enjoyed the in-depth description of the process, planning, and production of these door casings. Another detail that I think helped make this article a really well written piece and interesting read was the discussion of the pricing of the project, as well as why he decided to do the work himself. The thorough explanation of all of these details help make this article really informational, especially as someone who does not know much about finish carpentry.
Definitely an interesting read. It's often very hard to find explanations or guides for carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc. I think that's mostly due to the fact that most of this work is by hand and transferring and documenting it to be published online is a whole process that a lot of people don't want to take the time to either learn how to do or spend their time writing it up. Thankfully now guides and walkthroughs like this make the work more accessible and easier to understand. It's also very uncommon to see restoration work on old architecture details like this door casing. People either don't have the money to hire someone to do that work or their taste would rather see it covered up in a more modern sleek look which often I find disappointing. It makes it a lot harder for people to afford quality homes and items if the wealth is hoarded by those who already have it.
Victorian molding is a testament to the artistry of carpentry and a love the opportunity to learn about how it is made and reproduced. This article does a fantastic job meticulously walking through every step even the cost of time and materials. This article also gives me a little bit of hope because the move of modern houses and minimalist styles has greatly decreased the want for interesting and artistic carpentry. Old Victorian homes are filled to the brim with precise woodworking that took days to map out and create. While modern houses just have boring white walls everywhere you turn. Theater gives us the opportunity to dive into these aspects of carpentry as the rest of the world leaves this forgotten art in more and more in the past every day. I don't enjoy that many people are using less and less Victorian style door frames but I hope I will get the opportunity to learn more about it.
I love the Victorian style of homes, there is something about that time period that just calls to me. It might be the darker color palette and wood stain that is usually paired with the style that makes it work so well for me. I wouldn't have even known where to start in order to replicate the detailed molding. The dedication to details of the door casing is really nice to see, this is going into a home that someone is going to live in and see it every day. It’s a far cry from a set that is made to be seen from a distance and then discarded. I know that the little details are often the things we notice subconsciously about our everyday environment, and when they are working together to make a cohesive effect, it can bring a lot of unity to a space. Personally, if I was doing this in my own home, I would have chosen a dark wood stain to bring out the textures of the casing.
I chose this article because I have always been fascinated by historical architecture. So many pieces are just so intricate and have so many little facets yet they were all made before the use of power tools or reliable measuring systems. I found the carpenter’s explanation of the process to be interesting. To be honest, I didn’t understand a lot of it, but I got the general idea. I like how the carpenter was committed to creating a historically accurate reproduction of the door casing, which can often be lost in fix up jobs in old houses like these. For example, I am from Massachusetts and so many traditional houses in the area are being altered or torn down altogether to create modern (ugly) styles of housing. Further than that, the town next to mine has been working this last fall on the huge project of restoring almost all the houses on Battle Road for Lexington and Concord’s 250th. Over spring break I walked the trails, and it was very jarring to me. They looked completely different, and it felt as though some of their historical charm had been lost. I could just tell that some of the materials that have been used were different from what they had been before and some of the structure and detailing on window and door units were different. Needless to say, I found this article very interesting and made me think of carpentry in a whole new way.
This is SUCH a cool article. The level of effort this guy exercised to match his moulding properly is so impressive. And the fact this would have cost $600 in labor really shows his dedication. I hadn’t realized how much work really goes into making casings until taking studio craft and hearing how all the individual detail pieces are put together, and that it doesn’t just come from the mill pre-cut into fancy shapes… lol I might have been a little naive. I really appreciate how much working on theatre pushes me to contemplate how the things around me are made and be more conscious of the effort that goes into making our environment look the way it does. The amount creativity and the knowledge of building processes just to build this casing alone is so impressive. Also, as someone really obsessed with home renovations (as my YouTube recommended would demonstrate clearly…) it’s really cool to see people trying their best to recreate cool historical features in order to restore their house, rather than giving up and just ripping the old stuff out.
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