LIVING HISTORY SHOP

18th Century Folding Bedstead

18th century design folding bedstead with bedding (tic) contained in a hide covered trunk. The idea to build this piece came from reinactor Jose Lopez Reyes who saw an original in a museum in Madrid, Spain.

George Washington had one that is now at The Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan. This one utilizes a wooden frame, however, Washington's frame was metal.

The bed measures 32 inches wide by 73 inches long. Heavy linen sailcloth laced with hemp cordage provided by Frank Rodrigues. All hardware is hand forged period correct, blacksmithed by Jeff Miller. More than 500 cast brass nails (tacks) secure and decorate the oiled goat raw hide covering. These are the same tacks used Steve Freede of The Trunk Shoppe. The case is lined with green wool baize and fully finished.

This unique piece will be shown for sale at the Pennsylvania Fine Folk Art and Arms Show, October 28, 29, 2011 at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Visit us to see this one-of-a-kind bed (and another surprise or two) at Booth 44 R&R TOONE Field Equipage.

Thank You For Your Service

Warrant Officer Arthur Young is a three time war zone veteran with two tours in Afganistan and one in Iraq.

He grew up in our camps at rendezvous and private trekking excursions with his parents Rick and Sue Young. It was perceived by Bill Harris and me (photo, above) that it would be our privilege to be able to thank Artie's men for their service to our nation.

The order was filled November 10, 2010 at no charge including shipping. Inside of mug lid reads: Semper Fidelis 1775.

Mr. Toone,

I hope this email finds you, Mrs. Toone, and your sons and their families well and enjoying life.

I was curious if you still produce the pine tankards like the one my dad bought for me years ago. I was looking at buying 10 of them as a gift for my Marines. We just returned from our deployment to Afghanistan with Marine Special Operations; for some of us this was our second go round together. I am scheduled to move this winter to another unit and I wanted to show them my appreciation for all they have done. I'm extremely proud of them, they worked hard and accomplished more than I could have expected.

I'm not much into t-shirts, plaques, or mass produced mugs. To anyone outside the team it would be nothing more than a mug. But for my guys, it would be symbolic of my respect of them. I still regularly use the mug you made for both tea and beer (now a days more tea than beer), so I know that it will last them a long time and with this group of guys will frequently be filled with suds.

Again I hope all is well with you and yours Mr. Toone.

Artie

White Oak Wheelbarrows

Garden Wheelbarrow shown less a Splint Basket (available special order) featuring 18” diameter wheel for easy pushing and white oak wood throughout. Note sweep of the rails and chamfer detail. — $475 (painted)

Many other variations possible, including the heavy duty version below. Call to discuss options and prices.

Brazier & Pine Tavern Tankard

Table top brazier with 6” x 6” fire box and removable Walnut turned handle as well as lift off grill sown as it can be used to cook on the finished surface of a table. Design copied from an original in Ford Mansion Washington's Headquarters Morristown, New Jersey, and made in the USA. — $220

Pine Tavern Tankard with flip up lid to keep the flies out of your cider. Hand made by me and lined with West Systems epoxy for permanent sanitary and sealant solution. — $110

Delaware Valley mid-18th Century Sawbuck Table

Delaware Valley mid-18th Century Sawbuck Table with Windsor Green painted legs using Rockler authentic color. Shown also is a correct pine plank bench with split off tapered oak legs that easily knock out for storage/traveling.

• Standard 1” thick 48” X 32” top shown on table — $330
• 48” long Bench — $90

With two benches you have comfortable seating for four people.

Batten (Bread) Boards

Solid wood swells with humidity and shrinks across the grain when dry. This movement of the wood produces cracks if the wide wooden top of a table is secured to the finishing end board (bread board attached to hide end grain) and the batten attached under the top to provide additional strength by multiple fasteners.

Some early furniture builders solved this problem by making the joint that attaches the bread board end and the batten by a long "dovetail" joint. The batten or bread board is kept from sliding off the top by a single peg into the the table top and now the expansion/contraction takes place at will with no constraint.  A 30” wide pine top will contract nearly 1/2 inch from my New Jersey summer shop weather to California or Arizona dryness on even in a heated house in the winter.

You can see this dovetail joint in the picture as well as the pin that secures the stretcher between the "X" legs of my Saw Buck table.

Swan Historical Foundation at Washington's Crossing State Park (NJ)

One of the best collections of Revolutionary War items in one place is in the little known Visitor's Center at Washington Crossing State Park Titusville, New Jersey. 

The Swan Historical Foundation's collection of over 600 pieces are on display seven day a week (except holidays) many with known provenance and some known to been carried in the crossing December 1776. This display reflects four generations Swan collectors!

Included is an original Ferguson Rifle, numerous muskets and rifles, swords, powder horns, eight dog-face pistols, etc. all with information about the item. Kels Swan, President of the Foundation, is usually at the Visitor Center on Saturdays and if you display a knowledgeable interest in an item you very well might get to see it up close and personal. At the very least you will be rewarded with fine discussion from a skilled teacher. Phone: 609-737-9303

The Original Johnson Ferry house is open Wednesday thru Sunday and has been restored and furnished much as it would have been when Washington and his officers visited during the three crossings made prior to and after the Battle of Trenton. Curator Nancy Ceperly is a wealth of knowledge about the Johnsons, the crossings, and the 18th Century garden she tends behind the house. Phone: 609-737-2515

NOTE: Oak wheelbarrow built for Nancy by the Living History Shop.

Scale House Model

One of the interesting projects we've done just for fun has been to create an accurate scale model of our farm house, circa. 1840's. The core of the house was built in about 1740, but it was extensively added to and remodeled throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Scale: 1" = 1'

In the photos below Regina Toone looks over her finished roofing project which required application of over 3,000 cedar roof shingles. The model is designed to disassemble for easy access to the fully finished — and furnished — interior.