Society of American Furniture Makers chapter to meet

The Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking in Manchester, Conn., is hosting the Society of American Furniture Makers New England chapter meeting Feb. 27. The presenters for this meeting include Robert Mussey, Nickolas Kotula and Will Neptune.

Mussey, author of "The Furniture Masterworks of John & Thomas Seymour," will give a presentation on the Seymour's of Boston - concentrating on their unique styles, ornamentation and methods of joinery. Mussey is the founder of Robert Mussey Associates, a nationally recognized leader in the museum-quality conservation of furniture, architectural woodwork, historic finishes and upholstery. He is a leading authority on the Seymour's of Boston and curated the recent Seymour exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.

Kotula, a noted New England furniture conservator and authority on period furniture, will give a presentation on "A Deeper Look into Period Furniture." Kotula will discuss the evolution of American period styles and will illustrate the psychology and significance of furniture and its ornamentation.

Neptune will speak on "Construction Details in Federal Furniture" which will be a series of demonstrations showing common techniques and methods of work. Federal furniture often includes veneer over curved surfaces. These curves are formed using a variety of techniques including stack laminating, brick laying, kerf-bending, bent lamination and coopering which will be shown. Methods using traditional hand tools and their modern machined equivalents will also be covered. Several different methods for the layout and cutting of reeds on turned legs will also be demonstrated.

Contact: Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking. www.schoolofwoodworking.com.