A lot to offer
Steve Lash and Mickey Callahan don’t just like period furniture, they love it.
Steve Lash and Mickey Callahan don’t just like period furniture, they love it.
In 1999, the two men happened to meet at the annual Working Wood in the 18th Century Conference at Historic Williamsburg. The event – only a few years old itself – attracted a couple hundred woodworkers who all shared a passion: American period furniture.
In talking with others at the conference, it became clear that there was no group devoted to the subject. Lots of guilds, clubs and even budding websites (the popular WoodCentral.com appeared just one year earlier) discussed all forms of woodworking, but nothing devoted specifically to period makers.
Lash and Callahan set about to fix that.
The result was SAPFM, the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, which held its first gathering in 2000. I’ve talked about the organization before and make no secret of how much in awe I am of the members’ outstanding work.
The organization grew quickly and currently numbers around 1,000 members. If you enjoy making period furniture – or even if you’re merely a fan of it and not a maker yourself – you might be surprised about all they offer members – an annual print journal, quarterly e-magazine, local chapters, networking, events and numerous online resources as well as a member forum. Of course, they also bestow the annual Cartouche Award that recognizes an individual for excellence.
This year’s award winner is Marion Smith of Atlanta, and you can read more about him and the award in the current issue of Woodshop News (as well as two other stories on SAPFM). The group is currently in the midst of a membership drive, and specifically hope to attract younger members. They have a lot to offer, and I highly recommend that you should check them out.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
