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Happy 4th of July (B. Meinke)

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As the nation celebrates its birthday, I am taken back to one of my favorite years-1976! The Bicentennial was a very important year for all kinds of handcrafts and especially the art of scale miniatures. Dollhouses and the myriad of items that go with them were at one of the first peaks in their history. There were miniatures available at all kinds of places from the major catalogs which many of us remember as “Wishbooks” to roadside venues such as Nickerson Farms…I remember traveling with my family and looking at the rows of little things displayed at my eye level…all … Continue reading →

Words of Inspiration from: Bradley L. Meinke

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Let me introduce myself, my name is Bradley L. Meinke, I am an IGMA (International Guild of Miniature Artisans) recognized creator of fine-scale miniature items. I have been active/ interested in the hobby since I was quite young. I love the history of the hobby and I actively try and promote and preserve the past at every step. The Scale Cabinetmaker has played an important part in my life for about 25 years or so. I was introduced to the publication from one of my mentors and devoured the knowledge in the first group of issues she gave me. I … Continue reading →

Pecan Pie

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There ain’t nothing that can fire up a tired brain and energize your body like a big mug full of coffee (preferably with chickory) and a nice sized piece of Pecan Pie. There’s been many an argument as to whether or not pecan you should use dark or light corn syrup for your pie. My family always preferred the light because it showcased the taste of the pecans better. The dark corn syrup seemed to overwhelm the subtle pecan flavor to my taste buds. I’ll go ahead and admit now that I use frozen pie shells. I buy them and store them … Continue reading →

The TSC Reading List

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The TSC Reading List Over the years, Jim Dorsett and the writers and modelers of The Scale Cabinetmaker drew on a wide range of sources for inspiration and information. The Scale Cabinetmaker Reading List is the list of sources quoted or cited in the 20 years of TSC. In addition to being the publisher and primary author of The Scale Cabinetmaker, Jim Dorsett had an undergraduate degree in English (Wichita City College, now University of Wichita) and was a former Presbyterian minister (trained at McCormick and preached in Montana, his home state, and Missouri) and a Sociology professor at Virginia Tech (PhD from Missouri), where … Continue reading →

The Illusion of Difficulty: Understanding Scale

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One of the most common comments about The Scale Cabinetmaker and The Cabinetmaker’s Guide is that they are “too difficult,” that they are not written for folks who are not already experts in the use of tools. The second most common comment is that we use a “weird measurement” system that requires the use of a scale or architectural rule. While we can’t really address the first set comments other than to ask folks to take a look at the index; the second set of comments go to the heart of both TSC  and the Guides–the issue of scale. In his closing essay “Why Scale,,,and … Continue reading →

Helen Dorsett & The Art of Place

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Perhaps it would come as no surprise to the folks who knew Jim and Helen Dorsett that their daughter would be able to tell the difference between Victorian, Arts and Crafts, Haywood-Wakefield, and that “gawdawful veneered stuff from the 1950s” (Helen’s assessment of the stuff that started pealing veneer not long after original acquisition) by age four. Helen was an ardent fan of Arts and Crafts, of Shaker, of Cushman, and of Cottage Victorian. She liked the simple, clean lines and the lack of adornment. She also liked furniture made of solid wood. On vacations, Helen could spot an antique … Continue reading →

Inveterate Tinkerers All: TSC’s Product Review

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Jim Dorsett loved tinkering and Heathkits, which most folks have probably never heard of unless they had inveterate tinkerers in their homes between 1946 and 1980. For nearly the entire length of the electronics revolution between the end of “the war” and the beginning of the digital age, Heathkit taught a wide swath of American tinkerers how to tinker with circuit boards. While Jim would have probably cited the color television as his crowning accomplishment (at least in the world of electronics), the rest of us often pointed to something far less high tech. Christmas trees always presented a challenge. … Continue reading →