This is part 2 of George Lott’s traditional workshop. In part 1 I returned to the Frontier Culture Museum in historical Staunton, Virginia, to visit the men who are responsible for much of the reproduction furniture there: George Lott, Ken Knorr, and David Puckett. In this second video you’ll see George Lott’s amazing collection of antique tool chests, hand planes, hand saws, and workbenches.

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

George gave me a tour of several of his antique tool chests (most were found in Pennsylvania). Two of his tool chests are filled with complex molding planes and also hollows & rounds. In the video George shares his method for choosing molding planes and also cutting moldings.

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

George and his fellow volunteers cut all their moldings with antique molding planes, rather than with power routers.

Henry Disston 1840S-1850S Panel Saw

George has an impressive collection of some very early Henry Disston hand saws. The above and below Disston saws were manufactured around the 1840s-1850s era.

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

The below beautiful brass back hand saw was manufactured by W. Tyzack Sons Shefield, England:

Brass Back Hand Saw W. Tyzack Sons Shefield, England


 George Lott’s Furniture:

In case you missed it, below are are some detailed shots of George’s (and some of Ken’s work) breathtaking historic furniture from this building (much more to come from the other farmhouses)…but first make sure you subscribe so that you don’t miss the upcoming 2 or 3 videos about George Lott’s tools and furniture.

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

The above desk is my favorite piece of furniture in the whole museum (it’s in the 1850’s American farm).

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

Notice the beautiful square pegs that pull the tenons tight into the mortises.

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

Ken Knorr built this walunt school teacher’s desk (above) and George and Ken built the school benches (below).

Frontier Culture Museum

Wedging the tenons keeps the joint nice and tight:

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

George’s very nice walnut corner cupboard:

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

© Joshua T. Farnsworth

About the Frontier Culture Museum

The Frontier Culture Museum is  unlike anything I’ve encountered. The organization has disassembled actual period farms from England, Ireland, Germany, Africa, and different parts of the United States, then reconstructed them on several hundred acres of lush Virginia farmland. Why? To educate Americans on how our American farms were influenced by immigrants from overseas. You can see the different farms here.

What I found particularly fascinating was the woodworking tools and furniture displayed at each of the 10 farms. The staff actually use the respective tools to construct furniture and tools. It is a hands on “museum” so I just helped myself to all the amazing tool chests! The staff didn’t mind. They also didn’t mind that I constantly caressed their reproduction furniture either…although I got some strange looks.

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