81st American Crafts & Historic Homes Tour
I turn functional and art forms on a wood lathe using traditional tools. I use primarily domestic wood but occasionally use responsibly harvested exotic woods. The character and flaws/feature of the wood always dictate the final design and form of the finished piece.
I also make charcuterie boards using multiple species of woods. Some of the designs require up to 6 to 7 hours to make a single piece.
My furniture and carvings are all hand made by myself in my small shop located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have been making museum quality period-inspired furniture for over 40 years. My work has encompassed carved period furniture elements such as ball and claw feet, shells, cartouches, etc,. These skills led to my carving Bellamy eagles and other iconic early American pieces over the past 10 years. My work is historically grounded and has sold to designers, architects, historic preservation sites, and customers for libraries, exterior entryways, halls, mantles, and formal interiors. I pride myself on permanence, symbolism, and the very highest quality grounded in historical authenticity. The majority of my work is oneof-a-kind and my more elaborate pieces can take months to complete. Every aspect of my carvings, from board selection to finishing is performed entirely by myself. I use traditional methods with hand tools for all of my work.
I grew up on a tree farm in Chester County, PA and served an apprenticeship in the shop of E. Townsend who was a curator at the Historic Wintertur Estate and Museum, outside Wilmington, Delaware. He was part of a two centuries long legacy of Chester County fine furniture makers. Chester County furniture developed a unique style that stemmed largely from the 17th century Welsh, English Quakers, and Dutch settlers. Certain unique design features I incorporate in my furniture includes use of line-and-berry holly inlay, paneled chests, and regional William & Mary period detail. Except for painted pine pieces, Federal inlay and veneer work, and my Windsor chairs, I rely exclusively on the abundant traditional local hardwoods: cherry, maple, and walnut. My more recent Bellamy style carvings utilize Linden and Mahogany.
My pieces have been selected for museums and historic sites, including James Madison’s Montpelior and Historic Jamestown. My work has been featured in Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, and Woodwork Magazines and featured in exhibits and galleries from SanDiego, CA to Rockport, Maine. I have won numerous awards including the coveted international ‘Veneer Challenge’ in 2018. I have been selected as a ‘Top American Craftsman’ by Early American Magazine for the past 8 years and have been a featured artist. I am recognized as a leading authority on the 19th century carver, Edward Halley Bellamy, from Kittery, Maine. I use my Windsor chair tools (scorp, drawknives, adze, travisher, spokeshaves, compass plane) for the initial shaping of my carvings. Every aspect of my traditional Bellamy eagles is worked by hand from the roughing out, the finish carving, gold leaf gilding, and painting of shields, flags, and banners. My carvings have sold throughout the world to collectors and museums.
I like to scour museum archives and study originals for furniture and carving ideas, patterns, moldings, inlay designs, & proportions. I enjoy sketching details of the Chester County pieces I see in homes and exhibits in my home area. I think that with time one develops a trained eye. Craft is a combination of knowledge, skill and intuition all working together. It takes time and work to gain this, but it’s what I love.
My appreciation for furniture began at a young age. My parents were antique dealers, and my father, Jack, restored Early American Shaker and period furniture. Through him, I learned about proportion, traditional joinery, and furniture styles, developing skills that would later shape my career.
My career as a furniture maker and designer began after graduating from the University of Vermont with a degree in Art History and Studio Art. I specialize in Period Furniture from Shaker, Hepplewhite, Sheraton and Modern Pieces. Authentic Shaker is a passion and I also make Shaker inspired furniture.
We have been crafting timeless, quality woodcraft furniture and accessories for decades. Using local Virginia Hardwoods and a discerning eye for detail, each piece is thoughtfully designed and made in our Southwestern Virginia woodshop.
Wood
Turning found wood on a lathe is an act of discovery and hope. Each creation was originally hidden within a stick of firewood, a wormy log, or repurposed lumber. Is it solid? A little rotted? A lot cracked? Can I stabilize that knot? The will of the wood and the whim of the turner, the lucky guess and the right sharp tool reveal beauty and utility.
Grains and colors are natural. Highly figured woods are ‘spalted’ by the early stages of decay. Knots, cracks and critter holes are filled with epoxy.
Bowls and utensils are finished with clear, food-safe, boiled linseed oil. Bowls should be used for ‘dry’ foods, such as salads or whole fruit, but not for liquids.
As a third generation furniture craftsmen wood working has always been a large part of my life. I learned this art from my dad and grandfather and have always wanted to put my own vision into the trade. I have been creating pieces of furniture for 15 years and have gained a large amount of knowledge about woodworking. Many different styles of furniture have caught my attention but none that I was drawn towards. I have always enjoyed working with metal and wood and wanted to incorporate metal into my furniture designs. My style closely represents an “Urban and Loft” design. This style appeals to a younger generation and incorporates metal accents in each piece. I never wanted to tie myself to one area of wood working and respect all aspects of the art. I enjoy classic pieces of furniture made from solid wood as well as fresh ideas including epoxy and live edge pieces. Live edge slabs give the opportunity the show off the true lines of a piece and leave everything completely natural. The use of epoxy pours in a piece provides the opportunity to use lumber that might not normally be selected for a quality piece of furniture and gives movement to the design.
As a period formal furniture maker, Kauffman’s intention is to build furniture inspired by the designs of authentic period pieces and to impart to those pieces a beauty that can be admired and enjoyed, and a functionality that can be appreciated for generations. Kauffman’s hope is that his furniture, having been built with time-tested, period joinery and embellished with period carving, inlay, veneer, and other decorations, will emulate the quality, lasting appeal, and value of furniture from the 1700s and early 1800s. Lastly, that his furniture craftsmanship, conscientiousness, humanity, and dignity will be easily recognizable to those who own it.
Jackson Foster is a maker and painter of trade & tavern signs in the tradition of 18th and 19th-century artisans. His research of historic people and places is the rationale for the majority of his signs. His background in history, design, lettering, and woodworking provides the basis for creating authentic interpretations of early American signboards. He uses reclaimed wood–some boards date to the 1700s–and period-style hardware including
blacksmith-forged hanging irons, nails, and hinges—all making for unique signs in which no two are alike. He continues to refine his craft through research of early American artisans, typographic styles, painting practices, and joinery techniques. Each sign purchase comes with a framed, historic description providing research and background information.