LA Times Profiles Cabinemaker

Jeff Spurrier of the LA Times profiles Master craftsman Patrice Pinaquy, an LA area cabinetmaker who specializes in restoration with the use of all period tools. All of Pinaquy's creations are crafted in a true 17th century manner without the use of power tools or modern adhesives. Many wish to apprentice with this master craftsman. The LA Times profile is good piece with insight into how period masterworks were created.

Spurrier states Pinaquy makes furniture the same way, using no power machinery, no modern adhesives -- just antique hand implements and a commitment to 17th century technique. The ethic is not some Renaissance fair gimmick but rather what this craftsman in L.A.'s Garvanza neighborhood sees as a logical approach to replicating or repairing period furniture. It's why the Getty Center calls when an antique needs restoration. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens and Hearst Castle call too.

Spurrier continues His expanded collection of antique tools is museum-quality in its breadth and depth. He believes it's one of the largest in the world and perhaps the only one in use. If a piece breaks, there's a good chance he can make a new one, like his predecessors did in 1700. The exceptions are hand-pulled bow saws that slice a half-inch per stroke (difficult to find blades) and massive wooden clamps (which have hand-turned wooden screws). As part of his training, he made his own workbench, an 800-pound, double-tongue-and-dovetail behemoth that was sawed entirely by hand. He uses animal glues, preferred because they're easier to dissolve and furniture can be disassembled without breaking the joinery. He brings up the gloss with the time-consuming French polish method, applying scores of thin layers of shellac and alcohol that are rubbed in with circular motions.

To read the LA Times article, click HERE.