When the prototype for one of Ron Clarkson's furniture reproductions sold for $3.6 million at Sotheby's in New York last January, Ron wasn't the least bit surprised.
"It was a gorgeous piece", he said. "That desk was a beautiful example of the craftsmanship of furniture makers from the 18th century".
Made from mahogany and adorned with intricate hand-carved shells, "that desk" is a Newport block-front knee-hole desk, 1765-1785, originally made by Edmund Townsend. Ron, who crafts furniture reproductions in his Chestertown, Maryland, studio, was commissioned by the owners to make a reproduction of the piece before it went on the auction block in New York.
"Making any kind of a reproduction is a challenge," Ron said about his work. "It takes a lot of research to get the feel of the piece and to make an accurate reproduction."
Research on the Newport desk began with photographs of the actual piece and measurements taken from the original while the desk was still in New York. Based on the photos and the measurements, Ron made a pattern for the reproduction. His patterns were drawn actual size (The desk measures 33" high, 37" wide and 20.5" deep.) and included detailed drawings of the carved shells on the desk drawers. Working with the combination of power and hand tools, Ron needed almost two months to reproduce the desk. The finished piece now reminds the previous owners of the original piece.
Ron first became interested in furniture reproduction more than 25 years ago when he started doing furniture refinishing and repairs for a small shop in his hometown of Chestertown, Maryland. Gradually, his interests focused in on reproductions of furniture from 18th century America, such as Queen Anne, Chippendale and Newport style furniture.
"I like being able to bring back a form of artistry that I feel has been missing," Ron said. "The furniture makers who were creating chairs and tables and such back in the 18th century were doing so on a commercial level, yet still managed to put artistry and elegance first in their work."
Today, Ron finishes eight to ten reproductions each year. He has made chairs, cabinets, "pie-crust" tables, beds and more, and his pieces have been purchased by collectors as far away from his studio in Chestertown as Washington, Florida, Michigan and England. In addition to carving, Ron also finds time to give lectures and teach classes about antique restoration and reproduction.
Recently, Ron has been working on two Chippendale chairs featured in his new book published by Fox Chapel Publishing, Making Classic Chairs: A Craftsman's Chippendale Reference. In it he discusses researching antique furniture, pattern making, wood choices, power and hand tool uses and finishing techniques.
"I use mahogany wood for the Chippendale chairs," Ron said. "It's a hard wood with a beautiful grain and can stand up to the fine details that need to be carved on the chair back and feet."
Ron begins work on the chairs by first cutting pieces of mahogany wood to size with a bandsaw. Some areas of the chair, such as the chair back, need to be cut from two pieces of wood and then glued together.
Patterns are then transferred to the wood pieces with a pencil. Ron draws detailed patterns for his reproductions based on the dimensions of the actual piece. His patterns are drawn actual size and include many cross-section reference points and shaded sketches of hand-carved details.
Work on the chair begins in earnest. Each piece is shaped and mortises and tennons are made to join the piece together. A dry fit of the various pieces helps Ron to correct the structure of the chair before detail work begins.
The detail work on the chairs is done by hand. Ron uses a wide variety of chisels, gouges and veiners to carve the intricate flowers and the traditional hair-covered ball-and-foot chair legs.
Ron's final step is to glue the chair together and stain it. "Finishing is such a subjective thing," Ron said. Everyone has his own preferences for stains and finishes. I try not to make any recommendations in this area, but just tell people how I prefer to do it."
Ron uses several shades of brown water-based stains mixed together to create the color he needs to stain the chairs. A spray system is used to apply the stain evenly over the chair.
To those carvers interested in making furniture reproductions, Ron encourages them to be patient. "Don't rush through the process. Take the time to understand what the makers of that time period were trying to accomplish and to get a feel for the piece." Many museums have collections of antique furniture and a number of good books are available for additional research.
He also tells his students not to be afraid to make mistakes. "That's how you learn," he said.
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