Woodworker Manual #3: John
Gerald Shea Intrepid Author of Woodworker Manuals on American Ethnic
Cultures
Biographical Information adapted from
Contemporary Authors Online:
John Gerald Shea was born June
7, 1906, at Rye
, NY
and died in Greenwich
,
CT
,
November 12, 1980.
In preparation for a career
as a professional writer -- which began in 1944 -- with a
focus primarily on woodworker's manuals, Shea attended State University
of New York, 1926-30; and conducted graduate study at New
York
University
, Columbia
University
, and Whitewater
College
.
Before embarking upon a professional writing career, he
did practice runs with Colonial Furniture, Bruce, 1934, and two years
later, Provincial Furniture,
Bruce, 1936 with Paul N. Wenger. (No info on Wenger yet)
But it is with
Woodworking for Everybody, International
Textbook Co.,
1944, evidently that he saw his chance of making it as a writer. 4th
edition, Van Nostrand, 1970. (see below)
Other books are Plywood
Working for Everybody, Van Nostrand, 1963;
Colonial
Furniture Making for Everybody, Van Nostrand, 1964,
reprinted as Making Colonial Furniture
Reproductions: Over 100 Projects with Measured Drawings,
Dover,
1994;
Contemporary Furniture Making
for Everybody, Van Nostrand, 1965,
revised edition as Anatomy of Contemporary Furniture,
Van Nostrand -Reinhold, 1973;
The American Shakers and
Their Furniture, with Measured Drawings of
Museum Classics, Van Nostrand, 1971, reprinted
as Making Authentic
Shaker Furniture, with Measured Drawings of Museum Classics,
Dover
,
1992.
;
Antique Country Furniture of North
America, Van Nostrand Reinhold; 1975,
retitled as
Making Authentic Country Furniture, with Measured
Drawings of Museum Classics ,
Dover
,
1993 -- (hyperlink takes you to Google Print's limited view
of this book )
The Pennsylvania Dutch
and Their Furniture, Van Nostrand Reinhold,
1980, reprinted as Making
Authentic Pennsylvania Dutch Furniture, with
Measured Drawings of Museum Classics, Dover,
1992. He
also contributed articles for American Home,
Better Homes and Gardens,
Living, Popular
Mechanics, Science and Mechanics,
and Mechanix
Illustrated,
1935: John Gerald Shea, and Paul
Nolt Wenger. Colonial Furniture.
Bruce, 1935. 180 pages.
Indexed in Index to Handicrafts
1936
Colonial Furniture begins the half-century-long
tradition of Shea in presenting the woodworking community with measured
drawing of furniture classics. (Given its topic, colonial furniture,
this book also falls into the Colonial Revival
sphere. In the ‘30s, was Shea, as a school official, thinking
that by introducing second-generation immigrant boys to American
colonial traditions, that it was a means of
“Americanizing” them?)
In the ‘30s, Shea
– his co-author was Paul Nolt Wenger, identified on the
volume’s title page as “Manual Arts Supervisor,
Public Schools of Greenwich, CT” – published two
woodworking manuals, this one and the 1938 volume dedicated to French
provincial furniture projects. Since Shea was still an official in
school system, the audience for this book was students in woodworking
classes. A curiosity exists with
Shea’s “official” position in the
‘30s, and maybe later. On the 1935 Colonial
Furniture’s title
page, Shea is identified as simply “Author, Editor and
Designer,” while on the 1938 Provincial
Furniture title page his is designated
“Public Schools of Greenwich, Connecticut.”
In the front matter of the volume on French
provincial furniture, he acknowledges a wider audience, including the
growing interest of amateur woodworkers in broadening their options in
designs for projects to undertake.
The verso side of the title
page of this book shows that while it was copyright in 1935, that this
copy is one of the “Sixth Printing”, in 1949. For
now I am using the following formula as a means of determining the
numbers of copies of a book in existence: 5,000 copies for first
printing? 4,000 copies for each subsequent printing?
FOREWORD
AMONG those sturdy
people who came to colonize the new
America
,
were individuals versed in the craft of wood joinery. These
early craftsmen — versatile in their abilities
— were depended upon to contribute their knowledge in erecting the simple homes in
which the settlers were to dwell, and then they were sought after to
make furniture for these homes.
The character of the makers was expressed inherently
in their furniture. Utility was an essential quality of their
product, and enduring strength was transfused into it seemingly from
the stalwart spirit of the craftsmen. Their handiwork was endowed with
a quaint beauty emanating from the soul of the honest maker and
obviously not affixed thereto as an intentional expression.
So
through the centuries this furniture has come to us, echoing the
staunch principles which gave birth to our nation. And as surely as
they brought comfort to the snug cots of the colonists, these
pieces will lend their quaint charm to our present-day homes and imbue
our surroundings with the calm dignity of their tradition.
How
fitting then that the young people in our schools should endeavor to
emulate the craft of their forefathers. What a splendid
experience to apprentice themselves to the masters of yore. And such
satisfaction may be derived from a tangible expression of the thought,
If I build and build well, I too may have at least this to leave with
posterity!”
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Introduction to Colonial
Furniture:
INTRODUCTION
THE age-old expedient of judging an enterprise
in accordance with its product has been found to be quite applicable in
evaluating the school course in industrial-arts woodworking.
Employing good project ideas as a means of attaining the best results
in a woodworking class is undoubtedly an excellent policy. Yet it has
been found difficult to obtain project material which will
truly tend to enhance the value of the course.
While
considering the product of the shop class we sometimes have occasion to
notice the finest skill being wasted in the making of inferior
furniture. Frequently we see boys who are capable
of making excellent things being permitted to labor diligently on
projects which are poorly designed and totally unsuitable for
association with conventional home furnishings. These
observations are disquieting, for they evidence a shameful waste of
skill and consequently imply that the better aims of the woodworking
course are not being realized.
Although
furniture project books play an important part in the program of the
woodworking class, their value is largely dependent on the type of
furniture they present. If they contain inferior, "homemade"
designs, they may be considered a detriment rather than a help. When
they present a type of furniture which, though good in appearance, is
too difficult for production in the average school shop, they will do
little more than ornament the bookshelf.
Many
teachers of woodworking realize the excellent results which may be
obtained by having the product of their classes conform in quality to
the product of high-grade furniture manufacturers. Undoubtedly
the best inspiration is derived from the best source, and it remains a
logical conclusion that the furniture industry provides the most
valuable ideas regarding furniture. Those who make and sell quality
furniture are well acquainted with the discriminating demands of a
commercial market and realize that their product must conform to a high
standard in order to compete. It has, therefore, seemed desirable to
prepare a project book based on select commercial furniture designs of
definite period.
The needs of both junior- and
senior-high-school woodworking groups were kept closely in mind when
the material for this book was selected. While the majority
of the designs is taken from exact copies of old pieces, it has been
found practical to insert a few wholesome modern-day interpretations of
the quaint old styles. Many articles of furniture which are distinct
innovations of our times, blend well with the work of our forefathers
and by including some of these an increased number of excellent project
ideas is made available.
Most of the working drawings
were prepared from factory plans and, with the possible exception of a
few minor changes in detail, conform exactly to the articles which they
represent. Hidden construction was sometimes left to the discretion of
those who prepared the book. Some of the drawings were prepared from
detailed measurements, and it is altogether possible that a few slight
divergences exist between these drawings and the articles for which
they were made.
No attempt has been made to belabor the
reader with cumbersome technical advice pertaining to the construction
of each article presented. However, a section of the book is devoted to
a consideration of the various old woodworking processes which are
involved in the construction of all these pieces. A few appropriate
wood finishes are also suggested in this section.
A number of
interiors, showing many of the pieces from this book in attractive
settings, are included to give the user an opportunity to visualize
these pieces in actual use. It is expected that these interiors may
also assist in the arrangement of rooms in which this type of furniture
is to be used.
This book is prepared to meet
the existing needs of the industrial-arts woodworking class.
It has been worked out on the contention that the school shop is
entitled to the finest project material available. To complete the
scope of this work other books will follow, incorporating in content
other types and styles of furniture. |
1944: John Gerald Shea and Paul Not
Wenger. Woodworking For Everybody.
International Textbook, 1944.
This splendid woodworker's
manual tells us many things about how woodworking as a hobby was
growing in the 1940s. Early in the decade, an estimated 10,000,000
American men were summoned into military service through
Conscription/Selective Service regulations. However, the top age was
35, meaning that there were many men, older than 35, left at home. What
did these men do? Some, of course, especially farmers had their daily
lives affected by the nation's war effort only in minor ways, -- say,
like the impact of rationing of key foods, such as butter -- but others
-- who lived in cities, were drawn into the nation's deployment into
the War…. FIRST SCHOOL EDITION First
printing, September, 1944 Second printing, January, 1945 Third
printing, August, 1945 Fourth printing, June, 1946 Fifth printing,
July, 1947; Total copies publsihed by 1947, 21,000; by 1952, 27,500.
I don't think it is an
exaggeration to claim that the four editions of this woodworker's
manual make it one of the most significant documents of the woodworking
"movement. Shea, himself, in the "preface" to his 1970 4th
edition, recounts the numerous events of that movement, and
how his manual meshes with it.
PREFACE [to 4th
edition 1970]:
When prefacing a new edition of a book which has been in print for over
one-quarter of a century, the author's first impulse is to
express a resounding thank you to the thousands of people who have made
his work so enduringly popular. But with this expression of gratitude
comes reflection on the changes which both the book and the world have
undergone in the years since the original edition was published. For
the world, this quarter-century spans the advent of the atomic bomb,
many major wars, and the fantastic accomplishment of men walking on the
moon.
And the book, born in the turmoil of World War II, has also changed. At
first, it was designed essentially as a school textbook --
and used in industrial arts and vocational education classes. In this
role, it was adopted by many state boards of education.
Shea -- the author -- claimed that he was gratified by the part it
played -- and still plays -- as a practical educational medium.
Then, during the immediate postwar period, this work was more
generally used by homemakers. Many of its new readers had
only recently returned from the rigors of military
combat and were eager to settle down and apply their creative
abilities to the peaceful pursuits of building and furnishing new
dwellings. Thus, as the book advanced into its 2nd Edition, additional
material was offered to help new home-makers with their domestic
woodworking activities. This gave birth to a tandem "trade edition"
which soon attained circulation equal to that of the original textbook
edition.
Meanwhile, with the dawn of the nuclear age, all
things started to change—even the
techniques, tools, and materials of woodworking. So much so,
in fact, that anybody examining the fourth edition of
Woodworking for Everybody and comparing it
to the first and second editions will find very
little of the text and photographs remain the same. Actually,
about the only original elements are the animated chapter headings and
caricatured tools, which seem to have endeared themselves to readers as
"friendly Gremlins" ever since the book was first published. But aside
from these creepy characters and the "Safety First" sketches and
standard line illustrations, little else of the original edition
remains.
The present emphasis, it will be noted, is on
the many new tools and materials which have appeared in recent years to
facilitate do-it-yourself enterprise. Recent
inventions and modifications of power tools alone demonstrate
the competitive acumen of tool manufacturers to engineer something
safer, lighter, and more efficient. (Indeed, each new edition of this
book had to be "retooled" to keep abreast of constant changes.)
Such advantages as shockproof insulation, unbreakable
casings, and vari-speed control of motors have made power tools --
particularly the portable models -- safer, more durable, and
easier to use. Stationary woodworking machines,
too—especially the combination machines—are now
designed in detail for increased convenience of operation and greater
functional efficiency. Even the cutting blades of hand and power tools
may now be treated with the miracle "Teflon S" to reduce friction and
ease operation.
In order to highlight a few of the new materials and accessories now
available, the first chapter of this edition has been devoted to brief
exploration of these helpful auxiliaries. There are many others to be
found at your building supply dealer.
There have also been minor revolutions in methods and materials of wood
finishing. Some of the new finishes, described in Chapter 7, go on
easier, look better, and last much longer.
Woodworking projects -- whether they be furniture or utility items --
have also changed with each new edition of this book. Thus, with the
exception of a few ageless designs (mostly colonial antiques),
former projects have been replaced in this edition with new designs,
fashioned to meet today's needs.
So, in presenting the 4th Edition of Woodworking
for Everybody, it should be observed that despite
an almost complete revision and updating of contents, the purpose of
this book remains essentially the same. As with the first edition, this
is intended to serve as a practical guide and book of
instructions on woodworking practice. It is hoped that this
up-to-date edition will serve today's readers as effectively as the
earlier editions served in their time.
John G. Shea Greenwich, Connecticut March 1, 1970
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