I’m Peter Follansbee - for over 40 years I’ve been making furniture with hand tools. For much of that time my focus has been carved oak furniture based on 17th-century New England furniture. My first foray into furniture work was chairmaking and that still continues today. I’ve done a great deal of research into the 17th-century joinery traditions of New England (& old England too) - published numerous articles, videos and two books through Lost Art Press.

What about “Joiner” in the heading? That’s an old term, in 17th century England and New England it usually referred to a person who made household furniture, as well as some fittings for interiors like wainscot paneling. Later, joiners worked more exclusively on things like doors and windows. My use of the term is tied to the making of chests, chairs, boxes, cupboards and more.

My initial training in woodworking was through week-long classes held at Drew & Louise Langsner’s Country Workshops during the 1980s/90s. I took classes in ladderback and Windsor chairmaking, timber-framing, basketry, coopering and spoon-and-bowl carving. In addition to learning a lot from Drew there, I worked with Jennie Alexander, Curtis Buchanan, Jogge Sundqvist and others.

The work I did with Alexander included her iconic chair as well as a study of oak furniture made in New England during the 17th century. That became the principal focus of my work for over 30 years. Twenty of those years I worked in the living history museum then known as Plimoth Plantation, making reproduction furniture with period-style hand tools.

My work is in several museum and private collections around the country. I’ve taught woodworking classes in many places in the US and also in England, Sweden and Australia.