isn’t obvious at first glance, but it makes the chairs inviting and a lot harder to make the sides. One of the lessons this furniture has taught me is the importance of making good parts; how careful I am in the initial milling—getting everything square and the correct size—determines whether the rest of the project will be fun or a nightmare. What can you tell us about fuming furniture with ammonia? I’ve done it some, but it is dangerous and unpredictable. Looking at fumed and dyed pieces side by side, it can be hard to tell the difference. After about 1905, Stickley switched to early versions of aniline dye stains and lacquer. If you fume, you learn to touch up with dyes and colored shellac. What is your preferred method for precise measuring? Do you use calipers? Story sticks? I have a curious mix of methods. I like to make a story stick at the beginning of a project, then put the tape measure away. I’d be helpless without my Starrett combination square, and I use fractional dial calipers a lot when I’m fitting joints and milling parts. Good parts equal good furniture. My background is in production work, so that’s the way I think. I want to be right in the beginning, not patching up at the end. Can A&C furniture look good in other woods or other stains? There’s a lot to be said about getting to know the wood. The clock I’m making is turning into six clocks, because I couldn’t decide on a single color combination. Do you think A&C aesthetics are burned into the American psyche? I think so. It’s something uniquely American, kind of like jazz or rock & roll. It is a big part of the culture, and I think it came back to life in the late 1970s. I also think it’s a good antidote to our current cultural condition. I think our eyes develop with the more pieces we look at. How do you feel about taking liberties with Stickley’s designs? Adaptations are possible and can be excellently done; but, what happens is, designers tend to take the easy way out. Instead of really knowing the style, they pick a few details, like spindles, and slap them on any old thing. I think the original design aesthetic is an excellent starting point for improvisation. If you don’t like dark Oak, make it in Cherry. If it looks too heavy to your eye, lighten it up. Today’s Stickley furniture is very high quality in its manufacture, but a couple of things do bother me. Their line is a mix of authentic pieces and new designs, and they really aren’t clear about which is which. And they have gone overboard with the Harvey Ellis inlays, which are cheap to produce now, thanks to CNC m ????????!???????????????M???????e?????????$????????????? ????M???????e????????????????????????????????????=???????????????????????????????????????????p???????????????e??????????????????t?!?????()?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%????e????????????????????e?????????????Q????e??????????????????????????????????????????????$????????????????$???????????????????????????????????????????'?e??????????????????$???????????????????????????????????%??????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????????????????????????????????????????$???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????5?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???e????????????????I???]??????????e????????????????????????????????????????
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