THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9601310203
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
COMPARING THE COLONIAL reproduction furniture hand-crafted by Virginia Beach master firefighter Ray Journigan to that made by major furniture manufacturers is somewhat like comparing an original work of art to a paint-by-number piece.
While the machine-tooled mass production pieces are turned out with cookie cutter precision by the hundreds, Journigan's are individually crafted using only the tools which were available to the original 18th and 19th century cabinetmakers.
``It's the carvings which will set you apart,'' Journigan explained as he fingered the intricate designs of a quartet of 7-foot-long, solid mahogany posts in varying states of completion. Embellished with fine beading and masses of tobacco and ceanothus leaves, the posts will be the focal point of an 18th century bed he has been commissioned to make.
Indeed it is the carving which sets hand-crafted furniture apart from machine made and Journigan himself apart from other craftsmen.
When he looks at a piece of wood, it is as if he's looking not to see how he can change its shape to come up with a product, but rather how he can make just the right cuts to bring the design held within to life.
He said his wife Carolyn claims that she is the only wife around who is more jealous of a piece of mahogany than she is of another woman.
His finished products are small - or large - gems of the woodcarvers' and cabinetmakers' trades as practiced in the early days of this country. They are fashioned by hand from fine woods (mahogany and poplar are his favorites), using only the tools that were available to the craftsmen who made the originals which he's copying.
So respected is his work that he was among 200 craftspeople throughout the country chosen to be listed in Early American Life magazine's 1995 Directory of American Crafts.
Four experts on early American crafts, including J. Roderick Moore, director of the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College, chose those who would be listed based on photographs of their work.
Like most who craft fine period furniture, Journigan works from photographs of museum originals.
``Give me one measurement and I can project it from there,'' he said of the intricate mathematical process which he uses to scale a full-size piece from a small photo.
His workshop is in the garage of his Windsor Woods home. And, depending on which stage the product is in, in the dining room, family room and upstairs workroom as well.
Samples of his work are also found throughout the house. A tea table, fashioned after one owned by Paul Revere's daughter, Mary, holds a place of honor in the dining room. Its surface is smooth as satin, almost soft to the touch. ``That comes from adding shellac to the finish,'' Journigan explained. ``It was a favorite technique back then.''
The softness comes from something else, as well. Journigan's special touch. No machine tools touch his designs, no belt sanders, no high speed drills. Journigan gets his results with handmade shaping tools and the chisels, knives, calipers and saws that could have been found in the shops of the master craftsmen of the 18th century.
Many of his designs come from his collection of books on Williamsburg, Winterthur and other restorations and museums known for their quality craftsmanship. He also fashions pieces to replace old ones damaged beyond repair or to add pieces to an existing bedroom or dining room set.
He considers himself fortunate to have two jobs which he loves. His primary one, as a firefighter, gives him the time he needs to pursue his second job as a craftsman.
Almost. ``We're on for 24 hours, off for 48,'' he said. ``I try to take one of those to work on furniture, but the other one has to be used to mow the grass and do maintenance around the house.''
The maintenance became a major item after the Journigans moved into a fixer-upper in Windsor Woods last year. He's already used his woodworking skills to add a front porch, fine moldings and hardwood floors but there's still more to be done.
In the meantime, there's also that mahogany four-poster to be finished and other smaller pieces to keep him busy. His prices range from under $1,000 for some of the smaller, simpler pieces to $1,500-$1,800 for an elegantly simple pencil-post tester bed like the one in his own master bedroom to $10,000 and more for very elaborate chests and dining room sets. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
Ray Journigan shows off a series of three ball-and-claw table feet
in varying stages of work. Like most who craft fine period
furniture, Journigan works from photographs of museum originals.
by CNB