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Notes and Comment (COUIiIlIll'ti)rise of the architect-designer in the furnitureworld, said Stritzler, an assistant curator atthe American Craft Museum in New YorkCity. Represented in the show were twoprominent figures in tllis development: EileenGray and Charlotte Perriand, botl1 of whomstudied in Paris and London. Gray, considereda visionaty, integrated furniture designs intotile concept of "new architecture"; Perri andis now recognized as an innovator in the useof metal for furniture design.As tile center of design shifted from Europeto tile United States, Florence Knoll contributedto me development of a distinctly Americanvision of modern furniture, SU-itzler said. Ashead of tile planning unit of Knoll Associates,which later becan1e Knoll International, shedesigned complete interiors to complementInternational-Style architecture.Also prominent in the exhibit was work bypioneering women makers and designerwho emerged in tile aftermam of me women'smovement in the late 1960s and early 1970sand moved from the role of designer intome more traditionally male role of maker.Included were Kristina Madsen, Gail Fredellmith, Rosanne S merson, Wendy Maruyama,Judy Kensley McKie and Wendy Stayman."Their work, although highly individual innature, shares a mastety of technique, materialsand methods of construction," she said.In discussing the two modern piecesshown on the previous page, Stritzler saidboth Madsen and Stayman design and createfu rniture that demonstrates an allegianceto tradition. She praised Madsen's windowseat as one of her most distinctive pieces,which is "decorated with inlay in the mostsubtle manner and executed with elegentlydefined proportions." She described Stayman'schest of drawers as "richly embellishedwith delicately textured veneers. Thispiece possesses a unique grace and distinctrefinement of form .... "-Terrie Noll, San Francisco, Calif.Photo: ElaineEldredeDavid Eldridge is shown here measuring a piece of wood on the workbench made by hisfa ther. His younger brother, Michae tries out his hammer.A bench for childrenOur son David made it clear that he had his4-year-old heart set on receiving a workbench,"just like yours, Dad," for Christmas. Ihad built mine several years ago followingTage Frid's plans for a European model (seeFWW on the Small Workshop), but of course,it is too big for David.I decided to scale the Frid bench down totwo-thirds its original size. At 4 ft. long, 2 ft.high and 1 ft. wide, it would be a good fit forthe little man. And, I figured I could alwaysadd blocks under the legs to keep the benchuseful as David grew.Construction proceeded fairly quickly,following the Frid game plan, until I got tothe vise. None of the commercially availablehardware was small enough, so Imade a vise screw from 3/4-in. threaded rodand nuts. For brackets, I welded the nuts toa Ik in.-thick steel plate and drilled a holein the center for the mreaded rod. I completedtlle job by drilling and countersinkingscrew holes in tlle corners and attaching thebrackets to the bench. I made me benchdogsfrom hardwood.The bench was completed in time forChristmas, and David and his brother reallyenj yed it. They quickly discovered an innovativeuse for it: The bench's end vise is theideal tool for cracking open tlle nuts theyreceive in their Christmas tockings.-Bradley Eldredge, Idaho Falls, IdahoF urniture conservationtra ining programThe Smithsonian Institution's ConsetvationAnalytical Laboratoty is accepting applicationsfor its furniture conservation program,which is scheduled to begin in August 1989.The program is intended for experiencedand skilled woodworkers interested in thepreservation and restoration of historic furnitureand otller artifacts in museums andprivate laboratories. The program can istsof 12 two-week-Iong courses, which are offered sequentially at three-month intervals.tudents can maintain their current jobswhile enrolled in the program.The application deadline is Feb. 1, 1989.For more information, write FCTP Application,CAL/MSC, Smithsonian Institution,Washington, D.C. 20560AA W Symposium '88Philadelphia, Penn., was tlle place to be forwoodturners last fall. The City featured theopening of the International Turned ObjectsShow (ITOS), a major traveling exhibit, turningshows at two local galleries-the Swanand the Snyderman-and tlle American Associationof Wooclturners' (MW) second annualsymposium. The MW's theme at the mid­September show was "Form, Function andFantasy," and tlle show drew an impressivelist of turners and enmusiasts to a packedschedule of exhibits and demonstrations.The symposium's location at the PhiladelphiaHoliday Inn was ideal, providing comfortablefacilities for the inevitable off-hourcamaraderie and a cluster of rooms for thewide range of exhibits and demonstrations.At me hub of it all was the "trade show,"where tons of wood, tools and equipmentwere offered for sale. The demos ran thegamut, from Dennis Stewart's demonstrationof his innovative line of turning tools to themore esoteric, such as Michael Mode's use ofstrobe lights to provide stop action whileturning (see FWW #73, p. 71 ).There were several conference rooms,each equipped with a lathe, near the tradeshowarea. Scheduled demonstrations weregiven by such turning luminaries as Ray Key,Dale ish, Robert StOcksdale and DelStubbs. With demonstrations, slide showsand exhibitions happening continuously andconcurrently, mere was more going on thanan individual could reasonably absorb.One large room was set up with tables andbecame an "instant gallety," a nonjuried displayarea where symposium partiCipantscould show off their latest work. The scope116 Fine Woodworking