Category Archives: In the Interim

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 →

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 →

Welcome to The Scale Cabinetmaker: A Journal for Miniaturists

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To paraphrase Mr. Twain, “reports of The Scale Cabinetmaker’s demise have been greatly exaggerated…” After nearly 17 years, it’s back in print. All 20 years….. All 80 issues— All 800+ articles… And you don’t have to wait for an issue to appear on Ebay to get  your copy. At a recent miniature show, a young woman came up to the Dorsett Publications booth, took one look at the display and at some of the old back issues of The Scale Cabinetmaker and the TSC index, and announce that the journal was legend. While we can’t attest to its legendary status, … Continue reading →