Ron, can you please explain how it works as far as getting the patterns and story sticks for the furniture in the Moser Catalog? It is a very compelling idea. For those who have not checked out Ron's site yet, here is the link to the catalog portion of his cool site.

Moser Catalog

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Cool Site!

Going to have to do some investigation on that "Secretary" shown on the cover. We have one that looks exactly like it that came from Mimi's home.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

Okay, here's the deal on the patterns.  You'll notice that many items in the catalog have the same number; this indicates what the Mosers considered "sets", for example a bedroom set on pages 34 and 35 you'll see seven pieces No. 50, all Sheraton, and all "matching".  Note that the finials, the legs, the hardware, the basic "feel" of the pieces all match; included are the Chest of Drawers, the Dresser Bench, the Vanity Dresser, the Dressing Table, the Bed, the Dresser, and the Sewing Rocker. 

Now theoretically, we have a set of patterns for each of these pieces.  I say theoretically" because we do find that when we go sorting through our hanging patters (see photo) we do not always find the appropriate set...and sometimes we have trouble sorting out exactly how the patterns work.  It is our intention that over a period of time we will actually build each of the pieces, or have one of our collaborators build it, and thereby field test the pattern set, create a set of instructions to go with it, the full scale templates, the story sticks for turnings, etc.  And then when we ship it we will know for sure that the set actually is complete and that it works and that we can help guide the customer through it.   That's our aspiration. 

The reality, at the moment, is that we're just beginning this process so 1) we may or may not have a complete usable set for any given item, 2) we may not exactly understand how the pattern set is used, 3) we will not yet have "field tested" the pattern set and so cannot guarantee their efficacy, 4) if there are pieces missing we may not be ready to fill in the blanks, 5) we will no doubt not have an instruction set to accompany the set.   Obviously there will be a cost difference between acquiring a duplicate set of the "unproven" patterns vs. a set that we know for sure is complete and fully buildable.  Eventually we have it in mind to even perhaps produce materials and hardware "kits" for popular patterns. 

On each of our new pieces, our current designs, (generally much more contemporary in style) we will have a complete full scale patterns and instructions, tips, cautions, etc.   The patterns/templates will be of durable material duplicates of the original patterns, many of which are up to 90 yrs old and very fragile if not falling apart (the paper ones did not survive the move).  Our new pattern sets will, unlike the originals, be annotated with part name, assembly notes, size and thickness of raw blanks to start with, material cut lists, etc. etc.  

So, with those caveats, we are ready to do our best to assemble and distribute patterns from the Moser collection together with as many photos or catalog images as we can find in the files and in many cases the original pencil sketches for the piece, the notes from the duplication research, etc.   Moser never pretended to create original designs, they reproduced the designs of the 17th, 18th and 19th century furniture masters.   They did this by, in most cases we're told, literally finding the pieces in a museum or a home, and spending enough time with them to draft a copy of the design and faithfully reproduce it giving full credit to the original designer.  Most of their work was done in Cherry or Mahogany, some walnut.  Their rough structural wood, carcasses and bracing and such, were usually Poplar but sometimes Oak or Ash.

We're thinking that a complete, proven pattern set with instructions (dvd), full reusable durable templates, story sticks, etc. (including progress photos from our own "field test" project and new photos of the completed piece) will sell for $98, $78, and $58 [for large, medium and small items respectively] postage/freight paid anywhere in the continental US (an adjustment may apply to overseas shipping). 

For the time being though, we will provide sets "as-is" as best we can and with an attempt to assure that they are complete, including the picture from the catalog, full scale templates in durable materials, story sticks and any other helpful documentation we can find in our archives, for $18 plus postage/freight.   And if the buyer is an experienced maker and will agree to be a "Moser Legacy pattern reproduction collaborator", furnishing a complete package when his(her) project is complete (120 day time limit), we will provide the sets for FREE.

We would appreciate your input, pro, con or all in between, on our concept, our pricing and terms.  Thank you!

glad to see I'm not the only one that hangs all their patterns from the ceiling!

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

http://api.ning.com:80/files/ofVqoMLbPfseO4GUgX-DBWht-3JBwZh3YV56JvB05sSqVKoaJ*KUY2-ZvEAkGK157JFEPW8nw-b2BW56w8cQRC7V8spRHrXB/Patterns5.jpg'>

Sorry, I'm stumbling a bit with loading pictures and getting them in with the text, etc. ...but I trust you follow what I'm saying and showing?  Thanks.

I helped ya get the photos squared away Ron.

Ok, here is my take on it. First off, let me tip my hat to you once again for taking on such an enormous task to make this museum a reality. I am getting a better sense of what it's all about now, and your photos are awesome. I absolutely love the whole belt drive set up. Have you contacted any local schools that may want to tour the shop with their kids? Very cool Ron, very cool indeed.

Secondly, about the patterns and such, I think you are on the right track, and the pricing is very fair. Your pricing I feel will get those plans in the hands of many, and you should do quite well with it once you get it rolling along. The patterns, the story sticks, the dvd, that's all great stuff. You are going to have some production costs wrapped up in this so make sure your not under pricing yourself. If those patterns and dvd's and story sticks are ready to go, out of the box, and a woodworker of moderate skills can follow them, I would venture to say you could bump those prices up by another 15 or 20 dollars respectively, and help recoup your investment that much quicker.

Your market is going to be folks like us, serious hobbyist and business owners who would love to add a line of furnishings like this to their portfolio. And personally I would spend 120 dollars for that large furnishing set of plans, dvd, patterns, story stick, and a whole lot of fun. But don't let me influence your pricing, you would know better what you have, and what the market is, that is just my two cents worth.

But for now, I'd love to purchase a set at 18 bucks plus postage, I just need to roll through your catalog and see what is in there within my skill level. I'll be back in few with a request Ron! Thanks again for the great detailed explanation, you have a wonderful story, and a great job ahead of you.

Ron Southard said:

Sorry, I'm stumbling a bit with loading pictures and getting them in with the text, etc. ...but I trust you follow what I'm saying and showing?  Thanks.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Ron, I am going to order the PDF catalog, but I think I may like the Hard Copy too, what does the hard copy look like? Is it a paper back, does it have the same cover on it that is pictured on your site? How many pages? Thanks Ron.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

the "hard copy" is just a paper version of the .pdf, 43 pages plus covers.

John Morris said:

Ron, I am going to order the PDF catalog, but I think I may like the Hard Copy too, what does the hard copy look like? Is it a paper back, does it have the same cover on it that is pictured on your site? How many pages? Thanks Ron.

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Thanks Ron, sent you an email through your site. Let me know how to proceed sir! This is exciting!

Ron Southard said:

the "hard copy" is just a paper version of the .pdf, 43 pages plus covers.

John Morris said:

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John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker

Ron,

Very cool lineshaft setup. I'll have to check out your website.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host