Mouseman making

[johnnyb]

I've just had a look at robert thompsons craftsmen. I began to think about how these are made and indeed the oak they use. They imply a single craftsmen makes each piece despite advertising for both cabinet makers(£33000) and woodmachinists. Anyway most of it seems straightforward panels, joints etc. The two things that stand out are the adzed tops and the octagon legs. How are these made? I'm guessing the tops are not as simple as have at it with an adze...polish. I imagine the legs are machined all but one facet which is carved into a mouse.(to me the mouse seems a parody at this point but an effective trademark)
They seem to offer a decent apprenticeship.
They imply the oak used is air dried outside for 7 years. This can't be the only treatment as it would not be dry enough to go indoors. Maybe they dehumidify it down to an acceptable level. They seem to use nice quality wood. I must have a visit there one day. Feels like a good place overall it must be said.

 

[Eshmiel]

I can't say what the current or recent Robert Thompson production is like but if they kept to the traditional methods of making, as did his various apprentices ("The Yorkshire Critters") who set up in business making the same stuff, then just about every surface of every piece will be adzed to shape rather than planed or otherwise shaped. There are some machine-cut (planer/thicknesser) surfaces in the less obvious parts, such as the underside of a table stretcher, but even small parts such as the panels in the frame and panel items were adzed.

In 1966 my parents-in-law bought quite a lot of Mouseman-style furniture made by one of RT's apprentices, Albert Jeffray. Albert's stuff stuck to the traditional adze-making techniques right up to 2013, when I believe production ceased. However, many of the later productions did begin to show flat-planed surfaces, presumably to reduce costs, to please customers or maybe because it became difficult to find enough apprentices willing to learn the adze-shaping skills.

As I recall, my father-in-law, who went to watch the place at work sometime in the 70s, said that the adzed surfaces were lightly hand-sanded as the final step to remove whiskers, sharp arises and the like - but no more. The furniture was sold as unfinished, just-waxed or with some tougher varnish-like stuff, as the customer wanted. My father-in-law bought his unfinished, as it did reduce the price a tad.

I've attached some photos of the Albert Jeffray Mouseman-style stuff we inherited when my parents-in-law died. The adzing of all sorts of parts can be seen, I hope. (If not, I'll take more photos - eventually).

 

[Co1]

It’s sacrilege that the mouse man museum is 10 mins from my house and I haven’t been!

I drive past regularly and there are huge barns full of boules of oak being air dried.

 

[johnnyb]

I'm seeing the adzing as a surface finish rather than a method of manufacture. I'm slightly doubtful that these items would be handmade at all tbh but I am highly cynical! Just handfinished and carved. I guess I'd have to visit there production workshop to see. I have done some adzing as a surface finish and sure enough those irregular hexagons do appear. I didn't swing it just used it like a large gouge with a twist.