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One of my favorite books is The Workshop Book by Scott Landis. In it, he describes the Dominy Workshops that were located on Long Island, NY. They have since been relocated to the Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.
Oddly enough, one day we moved to Delaware (oddly enough for a prairie boy from Alberta, Canada). Having some spare time on my hands, and remembering the excerpt from Landis' book, we sought out the Winterthur Museum around Christmas in 1997.
Many people in the East take for granted the woodworking heritage of our ancestors, having been exposed to things like wooden planes and treadle lathes and traditional woodworking all their lives. When my grandparents homesteaded the farm my Mom was brought up on near the turn of the last century, these traditions were nearly gone. Thus where we lived there was no living tradition or sources of antique tools. Walking into the Dominy Workshops was a real eye opener for me.
I would have liked to have more pictures for you but I was low on film and many didn't turn out because of the low light conditions. Thus, if you go yourself and want to take pictures, take the highest speed film you can get. The bench area is laid out just as if the master woodworker had only stepped away a minute ago. On the wall there is a shelf with a plethora of different hand planes, all crafted from wood.
As you look across the shop, you can see the way shops were laid out in the past. The shaving horse occupies a place of honor in the center of the room while the lathe is against the back wall. Here is a closeup of the lathe showing how it works.
An excellent trip if you get the opportunity to see it. Christmas time is especially nice as everything is decorated to the extreme. Still, the tour through the DuPont mansion is an excellent way to get a look at some fine examples of period furniture. On their web site you can find the directions and information about the Winterthur Museum, and more information about the Dominy Workshops themselves.
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