Susquehanna Business Life

Gene Landon: Master Cabinetmaker

Gene Landon pursued his undergraduate work at Lycoming College and his master's degree in biology and chemistry at Cornell. His professional career, industrial chemistry, and his hobby, furniture making, seem diverse yet they are similar. "I like to see how things are put together," he explains.

His preparation for producing an item of furniture includes photographing every detail and measuring each element of the piece. Landon then produces a penciled profile or template of each major component. Then the carving begins. Except for the roughing out of a component with a power-driven tool, Landon accomplishes all his work with hand tools, selected from his extensive collection of 18th and early 19th-century molding planes and carving tools, neatly placed on shelves in close proximity to glue pots, cage drill bits and chisels. "As they would have done, I use handmade nails and old glues in the production of furniture," he explains.

Landon's workshop is impressive. His dogs, appropriately named Queen Anne and Chippendale, greet visitors as they approach the entrance. He is currently working on the carving of an impressive life-sized bald eagle. The block of wood is tulip poplar, salvaged from the last remaining Liberty tree, which was located on the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis, Md., a silent witness to the historical drama unfolding on this continent for approximately 600 years. The tree was felled by a devastating windstorm. Once carved, the eagle will be painted in naturalistic colors and will grace Constitution Hall in Philadelphia.

Standing nearby is a beautiful mahogany desk and bookcase, faithfully reproduced from a Goddard and Townsend desk of Newport, R.I.. A forlorn 18th-century Philadelphia tall-case clock sits in one corner with broken glass, rotted-off feet and missing elements, yet Landon envisions it restored to its former glory. Photographs on the wall depict the Bible boxes which have been presented to Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. Landon's talent and expertise have opened the doors for his examination of items within virtually every major collection in the United States.

Landon is particularly proud of his work on a side chair, reproduced from a chair in the collections of Stratford Hall (Robert E. Lee's boyhood home) in Virginia. Many furniture experts have labeled the original chair "the finest Queen Anne chair ever made." That statement presented an irresistible challenge for Landon. The beautifully executed chair, indistinguishable from the original, sits in his living room. In December 2003, the original was deaccessioned from the Stratford Hall collection and sold at Christie's Auction for $699,000.

Landon says that his next challenge is to reproduce a bombe chest. He will continue to teach courses at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and in conjunction with the Olde Mill Carpentry Shop. His dedication to faithfully reproducing the finest American furniture is evident. His extensive knowledge of 18th-century cabinetmaking techniques is graciously and easily shared with willing students. The skill of 18th-century cabinetmakers, the extraordinary talent of Landon and the inspiration of master cabinetmakers, both then and now, present themselves not only in Landon's cabinet-making shop, but also in the items produced under the SEDA-COG project.