Cushman Woodworking

2009-04-01T18:31:00.000-04:00

My name is Luke Cushman and I am a woodworker from Old Town, Maine. I specialize in custom furniture and cabinetry, staircases, and architectural trimwork. My pieces are built to last many generations using traditional techniques intermixed with innovative technology, keeping quality in all aspects as my priority. Aside from some casework and architectural pieces where engineered wood may benefit, all of my work is completed using solid hard and softwoods, most of which is harvested locally or from sustainable forests.

My products are built in sync with the early American craftsmen: they are crafted, assembled and finished by myself, and personally delivered (within driving distance) to the customer if built in the shop. Components of large projects such as architectural facades are fabricated in the shop, then assembled on site.

Finishes can be specified by the customer; on my furniture I normally use a boiled linseed oil/wax/varnish combination to bring out the beauty of the wood and place a durable and renewable finish on the piece. With staircases and architectural trimwork, a client may have someone in mind to put finish on my work. This is normally fine, but I will always suggest some of my own contacts whose work complements mine. Many times, as in staircases or balustrades, I can pre-finish parts in the shop before delivery to the site.

Quality and craftsmanship are my goals with every piece I complete. I use traditional hand- and machine-cut joinery techniques in furniture and cases to strengthen places that often fail in store-bought pieces. Much of the joinery is allowed to be seen in the wood, which is not only pleasing to the eye, but gives a sense of structure to the piece. My standards for strength and durability will allow my work to sustain the conditions of everyday use.

Every single piece built is unique from the last, custom made to the individuals’ preferences, and built in harmony with the environment it is intended. Every part of my work is set apart from the mass-production of so much woodwork today. It is an investment in tradition and quality that can be appreciated by those who are looking for something different. It is a choice to own a product that will last for many lifetimes.

Clifton Side Chair

2009-04-01T12:45:00.006-04:00

Clifton Side Chair in American Black and European Cherry.

Roughing out the seat pattern with gouges and chisels.

The finish sculpting is done with a pullshave.

Detail of seat front.

Shaping the crest rail with spokeshaves.

The finished chair.

Detail of wedged through-mortise where the leg meets the crest rail.

Detail of sculpted arm.

Duet Music Stand

2009-03-14T17:39:00.002-04:00

This duet music stand is made of black cherry, european cherry, eastern hard maple, and santos mahogany. It adjusts from 32 inches to 52 inches from floor to tray.

The vertical adjustments on the stand consist of inlaid camming pieces made of santos mahogany. Very light pressure is required in the adjustment of the knobs to secure the posts because of the amount of friction produced.

The inlays are hinged on 1/8 - inch hardwood dowels, and taper from 1/2 inch at the top to 1/16 inch at the bottom of their mortise.

The main post is housed with a shouldered and wedged through-mortise.

This piece is finished with a linseed oil/polyurethane mix and topcoated with three coats of carnuba paste wax.

Cherry end tables

2009-02-27T13:02:00.005-05:00

Here are a pair of cherry side tables I built in a Shaker style.

The drawer boxes are hand-dovetailed birch with cherry fronts, and quartersawn pine bottoms.

Every visible surface is finished with smoothing planes.

The tables are finished with five coats of thinned linseed oil, then polished with a paste wax mixture.

Halls Fireplace Mantel

2009-02-19T10:22:00.007-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the 5" crown that I had to form with older moulding planes.

The shape of the crown is roughed out on the tablesaw first, then moulded with different hollow and round planes to true up the profile. Gooseneck scrapers follow and finally fine sandpaper.

The finished mantel. The finish on the cherry is a hand-rubbed thinned polyurethane - about six or seven coats.

Cabinetry

2008-06-23T18:05:00.003-04:00

Cabinet Doors in shop.

Littlefield Kitchen. Beaded shaker-style doors w/ glazed finish.

Detail of crown.

Reproduction of early 1900's shaker-style cabinets. Antique bronze hardware. Cabinet material is Southern Yellow Pine.

M460 - Mitchell

2008-06-22T07:12:00.006-04:00

Flat-lift T.V. Cabinet with pop-up top. Poplar.

Cherry Rocker

2008-06-20T21:00:00.001-04:00

European Cherry rocking chair.

Kale and rocking chair. The rockers are laminated from thin strips glued on a form, then shaped and joined to the chair to produce a very strong element to the structure of the chair.

Detail of sculpted arm.

Contact

2008-06-20T20:55:00.000-04:00

You can contact Cushman Woodworking by sending email to luke@cushman.net, or calling 1-207-827-8644.

Architectural Trimwork

2008-06-20T20:31:00.001-04:00

Here are a few pictures of some reproduction trimwork.

Staircases

2008-06-19T20:49:00.002-04:00

Foster Staircase in Hampden, Maine.

The hardwood is Santos Mahogany, a plantation-grown wood which is very dense.

Baillargeon Staircase, Old Town, Maine. Engineering the framing to construct this staircase was more difficult than the finish work. The balcony is triple-cantilevered with all hidden steel.

Detail of double-bullnosed treads and risers. The bottom tread is scribed around the radius of the second riser.

Entry Door

2008-06-19T17:30:00.002-04:00

Pine entry door. Full mortise and tenon joinery.

The finished door is 3" thick, 38" wide and 80" high.

Finished door hung and trimmed. Oil rubbed bronze hinges and latch.

2008-06-19T16:53:00.001-04:00

1920s reproduction cabinets. Southern Yellow Pine.

Cabinets installed.

Cherry vanity. Hand-rubbed varnish and wax finish.