by Henry Beamer
Replica of the 1765 Newport 4 drawer blockfront by John Townsend in the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. I have been in love with Newport furniture since a visit to the Winterthur Museum in the 90’s where I bought a copy of Master Craftsmen of Newport. This project has been on my “bucket list” ever since. The top and sides are from a single full width board and were hand planed as they were way too wide for my planer. Alan Breed’s counsel and FWW articles were invaluable in the design and execution of this project. Materials: primary wood - Peruvian mahogany purchased from Irion Lumber Co. secondary woods - quarter sawn white oak (drawer sides), poplar finish - tinted shellac hardware - Ball & Ball source materials: Master Craftsmen of Newport American Furniture in the Met John Townsend Newport Cabinetmaker Metropolitan Museum in NYC pictures from their website drawer front profile tracing Allan Breed Fine Woodworking article conversations