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The Bombe Secretary

In the fall of 2006 Tommy was invited to the RISD MUSEUM by the director, Hope Alswang, to look over their collection and decide if any objects struck an inspirational chord in him enough to actually build. Tommy had been looking around other places such as "The Met" in New York, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, the MFA in Boston, MA, the U.S State Department in Washington, Winterthur Museum in Delaware, and the Adams House Collection in Quincy, MA along with several books on period collections around the world.

Finally, Tommy went to RISD where he was introduced to the very first collection of American Art in the history of the U.S. Tommy was blown away by what he had seen! They have a collection second to none anywhere in the world. If you are ever in Providence it is a must see. There you will see, as he did, one of the last remaining Boston icons: the Serpentine Front Bombe Secretary in all its glory. As soon as Tommy saw it he knew in his heart this was it!! This is the one all would be measured against, anywhere in the colonies, or in the world, then and now. Tommy believes this piece is the most aesthetically pleasing with all of its curves and embellishments. The complexity of this entire piece would be the challenge of a lifetime and Tommy was willing to pay the price, and yes, he totally underestimated the time, money, and pain involved with creating such a piece of work.

It was a trying experience to dedicate over a year's time building outside of his comfort-zone. Feeling like he didn't have a handle on any of the daily tasks involved, and like this project was demanding more than he had to offer, but Tommy triumphed and overcame all the difficulties that this project threw at him. Tommy said "I can say without a doubt that this piece of work is the best example ever created, and having it displayed in the museum along with the original for me proved it. The greatest honor in my career to date was the opportunity to give a lecture on the journey of the construction of my Bombe with the director Hope Alswang, Steve Brown, and Christine Thompson." In January of 2009 along with trying to build the "beast" Tommy also had the chance to document the entire process through a podcast called The Rough Cut Show that started on bobvila.com and then moved over to its own site at tchisel.com and now lives here at 207 Woodworking. The podcast took on a life of its own, if you watch all the episodes you should get a feel for the immense pressure involved. Watch the good, the bad, and the ugly, over a year's personal journey of Tommy's efforts in climbing his "personal Mt. Everest."

The Bombe has been on display at The Massachusetts Historical Society along with original documents from our 2nd President John Adams' private diaries and the first printing of Paul Revere's Boston Massacre, The RISD Museum, several weeks in Doric Hall at the Mass State House, and was a featured exhibit at the 2009 Boston Home Show. The piece is available for sale and viewing by appointment only.