Videogames as well.

I didnt like WOW, I am waiting for AGE OF CONAN, I think thats going to blow WOW away.

I also like cats (big ones, and little ones) but espicially the furry hairball that's chewing on my ankle as I write this (he thinks its cat-playtime).

I get outside with my rifle whenever possible. I don't know what it is, but I can sit there and go through boxes of ammo. The unfortunate part is that ammo and gas to get to the range costs money, and I'm a poor teen.as Though...the neighbors dog has gone on a barking binge and hasn't stopped...and I've got a few left-over turkey loads....

Originally Posted by Missileer

I can't really lump all pieces from one period as a favorite.

I can understand why Shaker furniture would appeal to a maker.

Fine antique furniture is my game, or has been for nearly 50 years, now my hobby. Not as a maker, you understand. but as a searcher, a discoverer, a turner- up , a researcher, of the best. i have been involved with a lot of restoration , but usually i had staff. We did all our own. I used to have shops in Camden Passage and Kings Road, London, as well as in my home town. Only antique, of course, the periods you mention.

In the Louvre, The Musee D'orsay, Paris is a the most wonderful 19th century library table I have seen. It is Paris, with fabulous signed marquetry by the greatest 19th century marqueteur, Joseph Cremer. It is often on display, and is represented as the best of marquetry in the best reference books. I discovered the table, unrecognised until then, and no expert authority knew who Cremer was at the time. Difficult research required, and in doing so I realised that this table established the fact that Cremer made the finest of marquetry panels etc for the great New York furniture makers to incorporate into their pieces.

Some years later I did it again with an overlooked and rejected rare cabinet which to my eye was fabulous. Although the cabinet was New York, I recognised the marquetry decoration as Cremer, and it ended up in the Houston museum, to the best of my knowledge. This also is represented in reference books as the best of its genre.

Marquetry, Italian furniture, & the great American and English makers were part of my speciality, and only last week i was at the museums on advanced and detailed research into an item by George Bullock , the most innovative British cabinet-maker and designer of the 19th century . Quality second to none, he was given the job by Britain of producing the complete furnishings of the new home for the exiled Napoleon on St Helena. This involves, of course, the Regency period, maple with brilliant ebony marquetry , and superb cabinet-making. Duncan Phyffe (spelling?)is another of my favourites, as well as the great American 18thc. makers of Boston, Charleston, Newport etc.etc. I also loved the QA periods, English and American, including the 19th c. revivals in fantastic burr-walnut veneers. Sets of 8 and 10, fabulous elbow and open armchairs, wing-back armchairs ; oh Yes! Double-dome top Bookcases! I have seen the museums of Washington and Charleston, and scanned through the plantations to familiarise myself. Love it. And few people would know where one of the best collections of 18th c. furniture in America is held. I do not think I am at liberty to say, but TI may well know.

England used to be an absolute treasure chest of great things, because in the 19th century we were great finders and importers of antigues from all over.

Keep up the good work, so brilliant to be a maker.

I dunno if it qualifies as a "hobby", perhaps more a pastime, but for the last two years I have been kept busy cannibalising and refurbishing old cast off computers to be donated to the needy. My customers range from 7 years old to 93 with the latter being quite a prolific writer of local history books. I also do internet setups and basic lessons for the elderly, there's few things more rewarding than enabling a pair of great grandparents to see their latest family addition in real time, who was born 2000 miles away.

The local recycling service drops off one to three units a week, I give them a quick test and reformat the drives then load the basics, with further loading once the users needs are known. The units not suitable for re use are cannibalised for handy bits 'n' pieces and returned to the recycler. He also has two of my units in his office.

I've also built several cheap but efficient file servers out of excess hard drives for the local history group. And next time you drop and lose that weeny little screw out of your DVD burner, give me a call, I've got squillions of them.

I've got some old computers I'd like to tinker around with and get to work...

Originally Posted by senojekips

squillions of them.

How much is a squillion?

Originally Posted by tomtom22

How much is a squillion?

10 zillion.

Originally Posted by Del Boy

I can understand why Shaker furniture would appeal to a maker.

Fine antique furniture is my game, or has been for nearly 50 years, now my hobby. Not as a maker, you understand. but as a searcher, a discoverer, a turner- up , a researcher, of the best. i have been involved with a lot of restoration , but usually i had staff. We did all our own. I used to have shops in Camden Passage and Kings Road, London, as well as in my home town. Only antique, of course, the periods you mention.

In the Louvre, The Musee D'orsay, Paris is a the most wonderful 19th century library table I have seen. It is Paris, with fabulous signed marquetry by the greatest 19th century marqueteur, Joseph Cremer. It is often on display, and is represented as the best of marquetry in the best reference books. I discovered the table, unrecognised until then, and no expert authority knew who Cremer was at the time. Difficult research required, and in doing so I realised that this table established the fact that Cremer made the finest of marquetry panels etc for the great New York furniture makers to incorporate into their pieces.

Some years later I did it again with an overlooked and rejected rare cabinet which to my eye was fabulous. Although the cabinet was New York, I recognised the marquetry decoration as Cremer, and it ended up in the Houston museum, to the best of my knowledge. This also is represented in reference books as the best of its genre.

Marquetry, Italian furniture, & the great American and English makers were part of my speciality, and only last week i was at the museums on advanced and detailed research into an item by George Bullock , the most innovative British cabinet-maker and designer of the 19th century . Quality second to none, he was given the job by Britain of producing the complete furnishings of the new home for the exiled Napoleon on St Helena. This involves, of course, the Regency period, maple with brilliant ebony marquetry , and superb cabinet-making. Duncan Phyffe (spelling?)is another of my favourites, as well as the great American 18thc. makers of Boston, Charleston, Newport etc.etc. I also loved the QA periods, English and American, including the 19th c. revivals in fantastic burr-walnut veneers. Sets of 8 and 10, fabulous elbow and open armchairs, wing-back armchairs ; oh Yes! Double-dome top Bookcases! I have seen the museums of Washington and Charleston, and scanned through the plantations to familiarise myself. Love it. And few people would know where one of the best collections of 18th c. furniture in America is held. I do not think I am at liberty to say, but TI may well know.

England used to be an absolute treasure chest of great things, because in the 19th century we were great finders and importers of antigues from all over.

Keep up the good work, so brilliant to be a maker.

Wow! You really know your stuff it seems.

Thank you Sevens. It is a just a question of having been so long at it. I guess it has been my life. That and my family. It enabled me to afford to bring up my five children, who were tots when i started and times were hard. These days it would be almost impossible to go the same route. Two of my sons have followed in my footsteps, but have carefully avoided my fields of interest and specialise in their own areas of interest, one in antique ceramics and one in ancient Islamic design, 19th c. Arts and Crafts etc. In their expertise I would be an amateur, having not been able to keep up over the years; hard to teach an old dog new tricks. And funnily enough, in reality antiques is very much a young man's game, a lot of mental and physical strength and energy required to make a satisfactory living with integrity and high reputation.

Among my grandsons are 5 young brothers, and 3 of them have a great hard rock band, but also are developing their interest in antiques, with the benefit of their father's great fund of expertise.

I have become an old dinosaur now, both in antiques and in rock! But at least I know I led the way!

I liked the older computer games with good editors which you could tinker around with. Added so much replay value.