Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ED EVAL
U NITU
27"
PLANS
and
INSTRUCTIONS
with
STORICAL NOTES
Daniel Diehl
Qonstructing
Nlrdirual Furniturr
Daniel Diehl
STACKPOLE
BOOKS
Published by
STACKPOLE BOOKS
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries
should be addressed to Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.
Printed in the United States of America
109876543
FIRST EDITION
Diehl, Daniel.
Constructing medieval furniture: plans and instructions with historical notes / Daniel
Diehl. - 1st ed.
p.
em.
ISBN 0-8117-2795-5
1. Furniture-Drawings. 2. Furniture-Reproduction. 3. Furniture, Medieval.
4. Measured drawing. I. Title.
TTI96.D54
1997
684.1-dc20
96-28404
CIP
To my mother,
who had great faith in me throughout her life,
but did not live to see this book published.
qontcnts
Acknowledgments
ix
81
Introduction
xi
12. Candlestand
91
1. Woodworking Notes
101
2. Metalworking Notes
111
3. Finishes
17
119
4. Fifteenth-Century Bench
19
131
25
141
35
151
7. High Table
43
161
8. Oxford Chest
51
173
9. Vestment Chest
63
73
177
Index
179
vii
acknowledgments
ix
Introduction
Xl
xii
{ijoodmorkjng notes
MEDIEVAL WOODWORKING
Most of the furn iture made dur ing the Middle Ages
was made from freshly cut, or green, wood. The process
of aging and curing wood was unknown , and working
with freshly cut wood was labor efficient . Because the
wood was worked green, the methods of const ruction
differed from those used when working with air-dried
or kiln-dried wood. For example, during the Middl e
Ages, sections of furn iture th at were to be joined with
dowel pins were drill ed so th at the holes were sligh tly
out of line. As the wood dried and sh rank, the pieces
were pulled tightl y together. Today, because the wood
will not shr ink with the passage of time, pieces to be
doweled are clamped together and holes are drill ed in
a straigh t line.
Medieval woodworkers often set up temporary manufacturing communities in the forest, where the y could
fell trees and immediatel y turn them into lumber and
then into furniture. Woodsmen would fell the trees,
and sawyers would cut them into boards either with
saws or by splitting them off the logs with wedges and
sledgeha mmers. Craftsmen of all types would immedi ately go to work turning the fresh lumber int o useful
items, coopers making buckets and barrels; carpenters
producing furniture and construct ion timb ers; and
wright s building carts and wheels.
Working the wood in its green state was easier for a
variety of reasons. Freshly cut wood may foul modern
power tools, but it is much easier to work with primi tive hand tools. By manufacturing the pieces of lumber
or finished furnishings at the locati on where the trees
REPRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
Though it may not be practi cal to set up shop in some
remot e forest to make copies of med ieval furni ture,
some of the period techniques can be adopted by the
modern woodworker. Most of the furn iture in th is
book will look better- or more authent ic-if the work
is executed with hand tools wherever possible. For
example, ch amfering th e edges of a board with drawkn ives and spokeshaves , rather th an with an electric
router, will give you not on ly a more accurate looking
finished product, but also a far better appreciation for
the way the original pieces were made.
If you are not famili ar with hand too ls, it will
require some practice to get th e han g of using them.
Practice on scrap lumber, not on th e custom milled
oak you just ordered for a project.
GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
Most of th e construct ion techniques in thi s book are
extremely basic. Because of th e limit ed ran ge of too ls
and technology available to the woodworker of the
Middl e Ages, it was essential th at construction be
quick and simple. The on ly procedure th at would not
be considered elementary is the use of dovetail joints
on a few of these pieces.
Doweling
Regardless of the type of wood used in making any
piece of furniture in thi s book, I recommend the use of
birch or maple dowels to hold it together. Maple is by
far the strongest wood for thi s purp ose, and it is the
um-
WOOD
During the Middl e Ages, th e woods most commonl y
used for the con stru ct ion of furniture were oak and
pine, which still holds tru e to day to a great exten t.
A ny wood othe r th an oak or pin e used in th e furn iture
in th is book is not ed on an indi vidual basis in the
materials lists.
If a project calls for oak, 1 stro ngly suggest using
white oak rather th an red . Although it is more expen sive, whit e oak has a much finer and straigh ter grain ,
will cut smoo ther, and is a better cho ice if carving is
involved. The unevenness of the grain in red oak makes
-----I
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MORTISE AN D
TENON JOINT
.+
- _---JI
SPLINE JOINT
----------- ----------
~----
- - - --- -
~--
---
DOVETAIL JOINT
ways. The simplest is by gluing the edges and clamping as described above. The boards must be not only
clamped tightly together, but also held absolutely flat
while the glue dries. The seam where the boards are
joined will never be as strong as the boards themselves,
and they may fracture along this seam as they age or if
subjected to stress. To strengthen this seam, the boards
can be joined with dowels or splines. This is not particularly difficult, but it does require the proper tools
and a bit of practice. Refer to a guide on basic cabinetry to learn the procedure, and then practice a few
times before using it for your project.
~ttalmorking
l10tts
TOOLS
The type of metalwork used for medieval furniture
would have been executed by a blacksmith working
with forge and anvil. Although it is certainly possible
to reproduce this hardware by the original methods,
most of us do not have access to a forge. The same look
can be achieved with the aid of modern tools, however.
All of the metalwork in this book can be executed
with just a few simple tools. For cutting the metal, a
band saw with a metal cutting blade is ideal. A jigsaw
or reciprocal (saber) saw with a metal cutting blade
also will work. In addition to a saw, you will need a
heavy vise and two shaping hammers. The shaping
hammers should be ball peen hammers rather than
claw hammers. One should have a 10- to 12-ounce head
and the other a 16- to IS-ounce head. For finishing the
metal, you will need coarse and fine steel files in each
of three shapes: flat, round, and triangular. Having
both medium and small sizes of each shape will also
be a great help.
To heat the metal so that you can work it into
shape, you will need a welding torch. There are two
types that can be used for these projects. By far the
best is a combination oxygen-acetylene torch. It will
MANDREL
,...
< Vz"
/
2" (51mm)
(l3mm)
W'(6mm) ~
K
v
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I" (25mm)
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4" (102mm)
1" (25mm)
W' (3mm) /
"
MATERIALS
FORGING METAL
If you are unfamiliar with forging metal, make several
practice pieces before you attempt any of the finished
hardware . A good place to begin is by bending a piece
of flat stock 11;4 inches (32mm) wide and Ya inch (3mm)
thick into a right angle . This is a stock size common to
many of the hinges and bands on the furniture in this
book. I suggest bending a right angle; this is a simple
procedure, and you will have to execute it every time
a hinge or band goes around a corner on a piece of
furniture .
, ,
1
1
1
,
,
, ,
,, ''
,
-<,
<,
,
\
3Yz" (89mm)
,,,,
,
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f- -
.....
3. Finished strap
6" (l S2mm)
OXFORD CHEST
HARDWARE
10
3. Finished curl
.....
......
-,
~II
II
II
I'
II
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"
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12" (305mm)
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....-
3" (76mm)
",
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4Yl" (l l-lmm)
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11
Banding
When makin g hinges or band s th at extend around
several sides of a piece of furniture, allow several extra
inches of stock, as some of th e length will be lost in
the process of bending the met al at th e corners.
The heating and bending process will slightly alter
th e len gth of th e metal stock in unpredictable ways,
so do not try to make more th an one bend before
fitting the band onto th e furniture case. Bend one
corner, fit it into place, and mark the position of th e
next bend.
Making Hinges
Most of the chest lids and doors shown in thi s book
are held in place with lon g strap hinges, many of them
int egral to the banding that holds th e furniture together.
Most are made of V8-inch (3mm) thick flat stock.
In most cases, the two halves of the hinge are joined
together with a hinge pin passing through three interlocking loops, one loop being on th e sho rte r end of the
hinge and two loops on th e lon g end . This section of
th e hinge is called the spine . Using a band saw (or
other saw), cut out th e tangs, the metal fingers th at
are used to form the loops, as shown in th e drawings.
Remove th e burrs from th e sawn edges, th en sha pe
th em into loops on th e mandrel as described above.
There are slight variations in the len gth of the tangs
and positioning of th e loops, described as nece ssary for
each project. Follow the dir ection s closely so th at th e
hinge will operate properl y.
Two types of hinges are used on the furniture in thi s
book: butt hinges and flat hinges. They differ slightly
in the sha pe of the spine, but the basic construction,
including the basic arrangemen t of th e tan gs on th e
hinge stock, is th e same.
To make hinge pin s, use a length of round stock
that will fit snugly, but not tightly, into th e holes in
the hinge spine . Cut th e pin about 1 inch (25mm)
lon ger th an th e hinge. C lamp the pin tightly in th e
vise so th at on ly about 1/8 inch (3mm) protrudes above
th e vise. Heat the exposed end of th e pin. When it
becomes hot, strike the end with th e flat end of th e
sma ll forging hamm er until it flares out sligh tly, like
th e cap of a mushro om. Then use th e ball end of th e
hamm er to round th e edges. When th e pin has cooled ,
fit it into th e hinge. Ab out Y! inch (6mm) sho uld protrude beyond th e end of the hinge; cut it if necessary.
Assembl e th e hinge and invert it on a forging surface
12
HINGE CONSTRUCTION
,-:
-- - - --
~----u~
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========
13
.....
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Forming the hinge pin
14
NAILS
Fairly large quantities of nails are required for th e
application of hinges and hardware. Simple cut nails
do not have th e large heads necessary to hold th e hard ware in place. Rather, use hand -forged nails with large
15
Finishes
For a deep penetrating oil finish, begin with a mixture of four part s boiled linseed oil to one part spirits
of gum turpentine. Do not use min eral spirits, as th ey
will dry out the wood . For th e best penetrati on , warm
thi s mixture sligh tly; do not allow it to boil. For safety's
sake, warm it on an electric stove, not gas.
If you want to darken th e natural color of th e wood
to make it look older, you can add a bit of tinting color,
of th e type used to tint paint, to th e oil and turpentine
mixture. Use thi s sparingly; it will require on ly a few
drops to make a sign ificant ch an ge in th e color of a
pint of finishing oil. Appl y a second coa t of plain oil
on top of th e penetrating coat .
Ap ply additiona l coats of oil periodi cally to keep
th e wood from drying out. For th e first year or two , oil
sho uld be applied at three- or four-month intervals.
Subsequently, once or twice a year sho uld be sufficien t.
Between times, clean and polish your furniture with
good-quality furniture polish . One containing lemon
oil is best, as th e lemon oil helps th e polish soak into
th e wood. Do not use a polish th at contains wax. If
you want to continue darkening th e piece, use th e traditi on al formula of Genuine Old English brand polish.
It has a dark brown color th at will soak slowly into th e
wood and add a richness to th e finish slowly over successive applications.
CLEAR FINISHES
The mellow surface tones of surviving pieces of furni ture from thi s period are th e result of cent uries of use
and clean ing. Most of thi s cleaning was done with a
sligh tly oily rag, which, over th e cent uries, invested
the surface with a vast quantity of natural moisture.
By keeping th e wood from drying out, th is also helped
prevent cracking and splitt ing.
If you want your piece to have a trul y period look, do
not finish th e surface with sandpa per. The finish given
by the use of a good cabin et scraper is far more authentic looking, and adapts much better to an oil finish.
For a clear finish in keeping with th e origina l treat ment, use oil alone. C oat th e finished piece with either
tun g oil or boiled linseed oil. Appl y light coats until
the wood ceases to absorb the oil, and th en polish to a
low sheen with a soft cloth.
17
18
Fifteenth~qentury
:Bench
Lumber
The five boards used in the construction of this stool
are all l-inch (25mm) thick white oak. The leg boards
are quite wide for such a small piece of furniture and
could easily be made by gluing two boards together
(the materials list reflects this approach).
Setting Up
Before beginning assembly, cut the legs, side rails, and
seat to size and shape according to the plans . If you
wish to cut the chamfer on the bottom edge of the side
rails with a router, do so before fitting the seat into
place; once the seat has been fitted onto the frame, the
bench cannot be taken apart again.
Legs and Side Rails
The legs and side rails of the bench interlock with
each other. The primary carrying grooves are in the
legs, and there are also small grooves in the side rails
to ensure that the pieces do not shift once the stool
has been assembled. Cut the leg pieces first, making
sure that the side rails fit snugly into the grooves. The
legs and side rails should fit together snugly enough
that they can be pushed together with the pressure of
two fingers. Note on the drawings that the tenons are
shown 1/ 8 inch (3mm) wider at the top than they are at
the bottom. They must be cut in this manner to hold
the seat onto the frame . An easy way to do this is to
square-cut the tenon to the wider dimension, and then
finish it to a slight dovetail shape with a knife or rasp.
For the side rails, you can enlarge the drawing on
a photocopier until it is the proper dimension and use
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This finely crafted little bench is simple in construction and is made without metal fasteners or glue. Only
four small dowels hold the structure together. It is a
testament to medieval craftsmanship that after more
than five centuries, the bench is still in good condition.
This piece is an excellent choice for the beginner.
Although one end of the original bench was sawn
off and a notch was cut out of the other end, the plans
19
20
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is o ak, except maple dowels.
PART
NUMBER
O F PIECES
top
THICKNESS
WIDTH
LENGTH
1" (25mm)
38" (965mm)
side rails
1" (25mm)
4Yz" (l14mm)
3 7" (940mm)
legs
I" (25mm)
I4 ljz" (368mm)
20 " (508mm)
18" (457mm)
dowel
W' ro un d
Assembly
Final assembly must be completed within a matter
of ten minutes or so, because once th e clamps are
removed from the tenons, th ey will begin to spread
and resume th eir natural sha pe. First, assemble th e legs
and side rails. Then, with th e ben ch in an upright
position , align the morti se holes in the seat board over
the ends of the tenons. Place a scrap piece of wood
across the ten ons on one leg and tap it firmly with a
mallet or hammer. The scrap of wood will protect the
top of the stool from hammer blows. Do not strike too
hard. As soon as th e tenons on one leg begin to move
int o th eir morti ses, repeat th e procedure on th e other
leg. By moving back and forth from leg to leg, you can
tap the seat board into place without twisting th e
structure of th e stool.
If a ten on will not tap into its morti se, do not force
it. You may need to do a little sanding or shavin g, or
you may need to recompre ss the wedges if they have
been out of the clamps for more than a few minutes.
Getting the seat board into place may be a little tricky,
especially for the novice cabinetmaker, but the results
will be worth it.
Doweling
Followin g th e dowelin g instru ctions in cha pter 1, pin
the side rails and legs together. Before drilling th e
holes, ensure that the piece is square by pulling th e
legs snugly against the offset shoulders on the side rails
with a lon g cabinet clamp or bar clamp.
Finish
Although th e origina l bench has been severely weathered over th e centuries, I believe that it had a simple
oil finish, except for the ch amfered edge at th e bot tom
of the side rail, which appears to have been painted
dark green or possibly deep blue-green. The original
paint was probably an egg tempera, as described in
chapter 3, but a simple flat or low-sheen oil paint will
work. If you choose to include this decorativ e detail,
gesso the area to be painted, and apply th e paint before
oiling the rest of the bench. Paint only the ch amfer,
and not the bottom edge of the side rail.
21
SIDE VIEW
END VIEW
5mml
-,r~~~~T
20"
~~
26" (660mm)
38" (965mm)
TOP VIEW
~f------
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2!;4"
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(57~)
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22
r-
t---
5" (l27mm)
38" (965mm)
~-
2Y4" (57mm)
(533mm)
~C 1
5" (l27mm) ) ,
t- 12W Ollmm) -1
12 'A" Ollmm)
9"
(228mm) ~
14'11" 068mm)
-i
LEG
r- w'
~ I" (2smm)
(l 9mm)
1r
3" (76mm)
I" (2smm)
s '/ z"
(l40mm)
20" (s 08m m)
2 'It"
: (s7mm)
I
r %" 0
sYz"
i.;
9" (229mm)
SECTION A
4" (1 20mm)
(I 24mm) (I4 0m m)
+---*---~ ~ ~
6mm
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1
3W'
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2W' (70mm)
(9smm)
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SECTION A
~ ~
I" (2smm)
:\II.
(s 7mm) t ~I ,
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Yz" ( U mm)
23
'"
...___-=-----
4 %"
(Ill mm)
3" (76mm)
painttd {ijalllt\anging
Materials
Because of the nature of this piece there will be no
materials list at the end of this chapter. All necessary
materials are listed below. A medium-weight (l0- to
12-ounce) unprimed artist's canvas approximates heavy
linen and makes an ideal ground. How much you will
need depends on the size of the finished tapestry
desired. To be an effectively impressive and authentic
medieval tapestry, both in appearance and to serve its
function of keeping out drafts, it should be nearly wall
size. I have found that 4 feet (lm220mm) in height by
8 feet (2m440mm) in length gives an appropriately
medieval feel to a room but, basically, the piece should
visually fill a wall. Purchase slightly more canvas than
you need so that you have extra material for hemming
the edges and extra pieces on which to practice your
painting technique. If you are new to painting on canvas and don't want to start with a really large project,
you might try using these same techniques to produce
an armorial banner 2 by 3 feet (600 by 900mm).
A range of paintbrushes will be necessary to cover
the variety of techniques and different sized spaces
involved in the project. Because of the nature of the
painting techniques involved, I recommend buying
inexpensive brushes. The best brushes for this work are
made of hog bristle. They are cheap and durable, and
come in all shapes and sizes. You will need rounds in
sizes 00, 4, 8, and 12; flat brushes, also called brights,
in sizes 1, 4, 8, and 12; and eat's tongue brushes in sizes
2, 4, and 6. You may also want a stenciling brush.
You can use egg tempera, as described in chapter 3,
or standard artist's colors in either oil or acrylic . Oil
paint is a much more traditional medium, and although
it was not developed until the mid- to late 1400s, I rec-
EXECUTION NOTES
Medieval painted wall hangings and armorial banners
(flags bearing coats of arms) were executed on silk and
linen panels and colored with egg tempera.
25
D uc
DE B ERRY, FRANCE,
1413-16.
1380-1416).
GlRAUDON .
26
are essentially stock cha racters th at are more representati ve of social position th an of ac tual indi viduals. It is
on ly hair color, beards, and othe r person al affecta tions
th at distinguish one indi vidual from another. Since
th ese works were often commissioned as van ity pieces,
don 't hesitat e to pain t yourself and your family mem bers in to th e design.
27
Painting
After you have outl ined th e entire picture, it is tim e to
begin laying in the large color areas. Many of th e simplistic painted illuminati on s of the Middle Ages relied
on a three-tone system for creating shad ing and a
three-dimen sion al look. In thi s syste m, th e lightest
tone is created by scrubbing a thin coat of color over
the canvas, allowing th e white canva s to show th rough
the paint, effectively lightening the color. The middl e
tone is the color as it comes out of the tube, painted
onto th e canvas until a solid tone is achieved. The
th ird tone, th e shadow area, is the middle tone mixed
with a bit of black, or a darker version of th e color (for
exa mple, deep blue is a darker version of medium blue).
Always lay in th e lightest tones first. The scrubbing
technique requires some practice. Scrubbing is applying th e paint in a dry-brush technique. With a size 12
round brush or a stenciling brush, pick up just a small
amount of paint, tap th e ends of th e bristle s almost dry
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
~ourteenth,()entury
needing Desk
This int eresting desk is probably of ecclesiastical origin. This can be assumed not on ly becau se of the simplicity of construction, but also because so few people
durin g the Middle Ages, outside of the clergy, knew
how to read or write. The desk's exact function is less
clear. Its height would have made it convenient for
someone of average height to stand behind it while
deliverin g a lecture or sermon. It could have served
dual functions as desk and lectern , so it may have been
in a monastic order's ch apt er house (classroom) or
dining hall, where readings from th e scriptures were
delivered during mealtime.
The sligh t lip, formed where the back boards extend
above the top surface, prevents books and papers from
sliding on to the floor. The interior compartment provided storage space for books, papers, writing utensils,
and parchment when they were not in use. The piece
has been altered and repaired several times over the
cent uries. The design of th e iron banding suggests that
th e desk may have origina lly been con structed so th at
it could be disassembled for easy transportation from
one locati on to another.
This rare and unusual survivor of medieval literary
endeavors can be seen in th e Philadelphia Museum
of Art.
35
COLLECTION OF
THE PHILADELPHIA M USEUM OF ART, COURTESY P H ILADELPH IA MUSEUM OF ART. PHOTOGRAPH BY GRAYDON WOOD ,
the inside face of the wood, they are crimped over for
extra strength (see chap ter 2).
Setting Up
Because the constr uctio n of this piece is so simple, it is
possible to cut all of the lumber to finished dimensions
before beginning any actual construction. Label each
36
with the bottom of th e skid . Turn th e assembled bot tom unit into its upright position .
Side Panels
Cut the Vz-inch (l3mm) offset at th e front and rear of
each side panel so that th e ten on sits in to th e mortise
in the skid. C ut the tenon on ly on th e oute r face of
th e panel. That is to say, the side panel s are 3;4 inch
(l9mm) thick, and the tenon on th ese panel s is to be
Vz inch (l3mm) thick. Remove the necessary l;4 inch
(6mm) entirely from th e side of th e pan el th at will face
th e outside of the desk.
When the ten on s are cut, set th e side panel s into
th e mortises in th e base. If th e mortises and tenons
have been neatly cut, th e side panel s sho uld tap into
place and stand nearly vert ical without additiona l support. Determine th e position of th e interior shelf and
mark its locati on on th e inside of th e side panels.
Remove the side panel s and drill pilot holes for th e
shelf nails.
Reinstall th e side panel s into th e base and drill two
Vz -inch (l3mm) holes through th e skids so th at th ey
intersect th e morti ses as shown in th e drawings. Drive
'/z-inch dowels through th e holes and cut th em off
close to the surface. When th e entire cabinet is assembled, you can come back and level th em with a rasp or
sandpaper.
Shelf
Nail the shelf in place . Be careful when installing th e
shelf not to place too much strain on th e dowel joints
at the base of the side panel s by twisting or pulling th e
sides.
Rear
On the rear of the desk-the side at which a person
would stand to deliver a lecture-at least the three
center boards are replacements, so the widths of th e
board s may not correspond exactly to th e original
ones. Therefore, if yours differ sligh tly from the one s in
the drawing, it will make little historical difference.
Establish the left and right outside boards. The left
board needs to be notched out at the lower left corner
and the right one at the lower right. The notches allow
the boards to fit over the edge of th e skid and extend
'/ z inch (l3mm) beyond the edge of the side panels. All
of the back boards should rise 13;4 inches (44mm) above
the low edge of the side panels. This will allow the
back to rise 1 inch (25mm) above the bottom edge of
the desk top and provide a book lip.
Base
Because the interior shelf cannot be adjusted or
removed from the desk, the entire desk must be built
from the ground up, around the bottom and the shelf.
The first step is to attach the floor boards to the skids.
Turn the skids upside down (so that the mortise for the
side panels faces downward) and seat the floor board
into the mortises in the skids. Pull the assembly
together with bar clamps or a strap clamp. Drill a
li z-inch (l3mm) hole through the center of the open
mortise and the floor board as shown in the drawings.
Tap a maple dowel into the hole and saw it off even
37
Iron Work
Forge the ironwork according to the instructions in
chapter 2. The large, decorative circles on the ends of
the hinges may be formed by using a wider piece of
metal than the rest of the hinge requires and cutting
out the overall shape of the hinge. Alternatively, the
circular end of the hinge and, if desired, the fleur-de-lis
decoration may be cut from a separate piece of metal
and welded onto a hinge body made of the specified
l vz-inch (38mm) stock. In the materials list, these are
listed as though the entire section of hinge were being
cut from wide stock. If the entire hinge is cut from a
single overwide piece of metal, the fleur-de-lis will
have to be split or sawn, and bent into position. In thi s
instance, follow the instructions for making lateral
bends in metal in chapter 2.
After the hinges and straps are forged, attach them
to the body of the desk. Set the door panel into place,
positioning it so that most of the Yl6-inch (Smm) gap
is on the left side of the door (the side that swings out ward), and attach the loose ends of the hinge to the
door panel.
The escutcheon plate and striker plate from the lock
are cut out of lightweight metal as specified in the
materials list.
Top
The top plank may now be fitted into position. With
the plank cut to length, lay it in position on top of the
desk. The book lip will keep it from sliding off the
desk. The top should overhang the sides by Yz inch
(l Imm), making it flush with the outside edges of the
back . The lower edge of the desk top must be cut to
allow it to rest squarely against the book lip. By the
appearance of the original desk, this angle, along with
the corresponding angle on the upper edge of the top,
was cut with a spokeshave.
When the top rests evenly against the book lip, cut
a corresponding angle at the front edge of the top so
that it is on a plane with the front edge of the side
panels. The top may now be drilled and nailed into
position into the side and back panels.
Front Panels and Door
As with the back panels, establish the left and right
panels and notch them to fit over the skids and extend
li z inch (l3mm) beyond the side panels. These boards
should be flush with the upper edge of the desk top.
The top of these boards are square cut and not cut on
an angle.
On the inner surface of these panels, mark the position of the floor and shelf boards. Also determine the
point at which the ends of the hinges will pass through
the front panels. Remove the panels, drill pilot holes,
and cut the holes through which the hinges will pass,
as shown in detail C on the drawings. Be very careful
Door Lock
If you want the door to lock, refer to the section on
locks in chapter 2. This would be an ideal place to
adapt an antique door lock. If you do not wish to have
a working lock, you may still want to cut a keyhole
and make and install an escutcheon plate . Cut the keyhole in the door before nailing the plate into place.
The turn buttons that currently hold the doors shut
were added to the desk in the I920s. Their installation
here is up to the builder.
38
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is oak, except maple dowels.
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
door
THICKNESS
WIDTH
LENGTH
%" (l9mm)
1314" (336mm)
37" (940mm)
%" (l9mm)
12 Yz" (317mm)
37 " (940mm)
3;4" (l9mm)
17" (432mm)
37" (940mm)
side panels
W' (l9mm)
17" (432mm)
29" (737mm)
W' (19mm)
14" (356mm)
32" (813mm)
W' (l9mm)
12" (305mm)
32" (813mm)
back panel
W' (l9mm)
5" (l27mm)
32" (813mm)
back panels
W' (19mm)
6" (152mm)
32" (813mm)
skids
21jz" (63mm)
21W' (552mm)
bottom
WI (l9mm)
17" (432mm)
44" (lm118mm)
top
%" (l9mm)
18" (457mm)
43" (lm92mm)
shelf
W' (19mm)
17" (432mm)
41Yz" (1m54mm)
dowel
(178mm)
24" (610mm)
METAL
All metal is hot-rolled flat stock.
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
WIDTH
THICKNESS
LENGTH
WI (3mm)
2" (51mm)
1714'1 (438mm)
door hinges
YB" (3inm)
2" (51mm)
17WI (451mm)
YB" (3mm)
1Yz" (38mm)
16%" (425mm)
1/16"
5" (l27mm)
10" (254mm)
(Zrnm)
39
FRONT VIEW
33Yz"
(85 Imm)
I!l" (I3mm) \
2" (5Imm)
I
It
..,j '"
I
..:...-:.===:
_,I '.VT
(38mm)
:!"
.
""'
7"
, .r-'
I W' (32mm)
n{
Vz"
(I3mm)
17" (430mm)
I
~ -------i6"(406m;S'" -
YI"
) (I9mm)
1',4" (32mm) ~ .
IJ
f
,..0- 5"
~ 2Yz" (63mm)
- -
_(I27T~)~
H_~
.:
-t--
::-:
~f
I" (25mm)
2'/ z"
W (I9mm) )
(63mm)
40
T
DETAIL B
DETA ILC
\ 1\
2 114" (57mm)
\ ~~
'
II
BACK VIEW
l\T-~~"""'------
1%"
\
(41mm)
--L
\
\~
6"
5"
6"
(127mm) (l52mm) (l5 2mm)
VI{ \
W (6m,; ~
33'/ z"
(S51mm)
Yz" (l 3mm)
39" (991mm)
41
4W'
(l 2lmm)
11jz" (38mm)
-?l
DESK HARDWARE
11 1;'4" (286mm)
W' (l9mm)
2 1;'4" (57mm)
16" (406mm)
4 1;'4" (108mm)
1 I ~" Ir---_~O ~
(44mm)
51;'4" (133mm)
---1<---1/ )
3 1jz" (89mm)
I Ji4" (32mm)
2 1;'4" (57mm)
I VB" (48mm)
121jz" (317mm)
---==-
1'12" (38mm)
~----------
I '12" (38mm)
42
44" (lml18mm)
~1
11jz" (38mm)
lligh Tablr
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
The numb er of components in thi s massive table are
few, but the ir sheer bulk should present all of the challenge any cabinetmaker could want . There are three
pedestal columns under the table, one at the center
43
D. TYLER
COLLECTION OF H A D-
HUFF.
Tools
Because much of the work on th e columns relies on
carving away excess wood , you will need rasps, files,
chisels, carving gouges, and a good, sharp drawknife.
To keep from resting the end of the column directly
against your sto mach while you are working on it,
you will need a bench dog, or stop, against which you
can seat the column. A bench dog is simply a heavy
block of wood that has been clamp ed or bolted along
one edge of th e workb ench. In this case a, l-foot
length of 4-b y-4 (300mm in length and lOOmm
44
Top
The massive tab letop, 2 inches (Sl mm) thi ck, 29
inches (737mm) wide, and 16 Vz feet (Sm29mm) lon g,
might best be constructed by gluing up several boards.
To preven t warping and make the stro ngest possible
top, use two layers of l-inch (2Smm) boards and stagger the joints.
If you are makin g a sho rte r table, it may be possible
to locate a single plank of sufficient width. Plank
doors and old workb ench tops will often make a fine
tabletop.
Once the top has been glued up or cut to th e desired
size, set it aside until the columns are built.
Columns
Because all of th e columns are identical, con struction
direct ions are given here for a single column. Repeat
the process as often as necessary.
O nce again , because of the massive dim en sion s of
th e column, you will probably have to glue together
several boards to obta in an adeq uate-sized base block .
These boards sho uld be th e full width of th e column1O-Y! inches (273mm)-and not less th an l 1/ z inches
(38 mm) thi ck.
The combina tion molding built up around th e base
of the column is not applied work, but is carved directly
from the full-size column base.
O n all four sides of th e column base, strike a line
at the height of th e cent ral foot, at each of the three
elements in the group of combinati on moldings above
the foot, th e 2 1!4-inch (S7mm) wide collar above the
main group of moldings, and th e single, topm ost band
of half-round molding. When the se lines have been
marked, sketch the profile of each section of th e column
base in th e appropriate area . Be certain that the outlines are clean and th e dimension s are accur ate .
Now begin to remove th e excess wood from the
column. St art work on th e largest area at the top of
the column, above the top of th e half-round molding.
With a hand saw or table saw, cut to the depth of the
finished dimen sions of the base of thi s area, 6 Vz inches
(l 6Smm). Then use chisels and a drawknife to carefully
remove excess wood and begin to sha pe th e large top
section of th e column . When working with a drawknife,
it is easiest to remove material from th e corners of th e
block first. Work slowly and carefully, bearing in mind
th e gently curving lines of the column. Do not , however, lose sight of the fact that the column has four flat
sides; it is not round. Be careful not to split the lower
porti on of the block with chisels or drawknife. A more
45
MATERIALS
WOOD
The top and the pedestal column of this table are elm, and the feet are oak. Birch is the best substitute
for elm, but pine or poplar may also be used. Doweling should be maple or birch.
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
top
2" (51mm)
column
feet
WIDTH
LENGTH
29" (737mm)
16'6" (5m29mm)
103;4" (273mm) X
103;4" (273mm)
28'1t" (718mm)
3 'Iz" (89mm)
6" (152mm)
18 31t" (476mm)
column plug
1 'Iz" (38mm)
2 11t" (57mm)
10" (254mm)
riser block
3 31t" (95mm)
12" (305mm)
12" (305mm)
top brace
l'/z" (38mm)
2i1t" (57mm)
26" (660mm)
dowel
W'
(19mm) round
84" (2m134mm)
Note: Materials are given for a single pedestal. The number of pedestals you will need depends on the
length of the table.
46
Feet
Each column has four identical feet, plus a cent ral foot
th at is part of th e column. The feet are not sta ble
enough to support the weight of th e table without th e
aid of the central foot . C ut out th e four feet according to th e drawings, and finish-sand th em. When
arranged in th e rather swastikalike sha pe shown in th e
drawing, th e feet sho uld fit neatl y und er th e edge of
the column base. All of th e feet must rest even ly on
the floor.
Predrill two Vi-inch (l 9mm) dowel holes, from bottom to top in each foot, as shown in th e drawings.
Position the feet on th e bottom of th e column , and
using the holes in th e feet as pilot s, con tinue drilling
the dowel holes into th e column base. Be very careful
not to drill the dowel holes too deep into th e column ,
or th ey might split th rough th e side of th e orna menta l
moldings.
Tap the dowels into place thro ugh th e bottom of
the feet and into th e column. Saw off th e excess so th at
the dowels are flush with the bottom of th e feet.
Attaching th e feet to th e column with vert ical dowels only may seem like inadequate support, altho ugh
the origina l seems to have survived well eno ugh. If
thi s table is int end ed for daily use, you could insert an
add itiona l dowel th rough th e side of each foot and int o
the centra l column foot . By being doweled in two
directions, the feet will be less likely to work loose.
Riser Blocks
If you are using risers cut th em to size, and insert th e
top brace in th e same manner th at th e column plug
was set into th e top of th e column. Int o th e top face of
th e riser, make two saw cut s to form th e sides of th e
rabbet into which the brace will be fitted. The brace
sho uld fit snugly into place. Chisel th e excess wood out
of th e rabbet . Tap th e top brace into place. Not e th at
th e top brace is oriented in th e same directi on as th e
grain in th e riser block. It is th e way th e origina l table
is con stru ct ed, but it is bad enginee ring. The riser
block would be far less likely to break if th e top brace
were seated across th e grain in th e riser block.
Drill two '/2-inch (l 3mm) diameter dowel holes
th rough th e top brac e and on th rough th e riser block,
and two additiona l Vi- inch (l9mm) dowel holes th rough
th e surface of the riser block.
Set th e riser block , with the top brace in place, on
top of the column. Center th e block on the column.
Using th e predrilled dowel holes as pilots, drill dowel
holes, between 11/ 2 and 2 inc hes (3S-S l mm) in depth,
into th e top of th e column. Start with th e larger dowels, and drill and dowel one h ole at a time to avoid getting th e holes out of align men t. Use a mallet to tap th e
dowels into place.
Fin ish-sand as necessary, and apply an oil finish to
th e columns and top. Then simply set th e tab le top on
th e pedestals.
47
16'6" (5m29mm)
32" (813mm)
6 (l51mm)
PEDESTAL DETAILS
26" (660mm)
~
7"
1ljz" (38mm)
2',4" (57mm)
--.... ' - -."'--==I
~--=""-~ 4W'
-r
(I08mm)
r
I
7" ( 178mm)
12" (305mm)
32 " (813mm)
L
-"-
7"
7"
12"
r~~~m)~ ~305mm)
---t(l 78mm)
JW'(95,:m)r~n
26" (660mm)
4 1,4" (I08mm)
48
1
1
21,4" (57mm)
4W'
(l08"~ 1111/
\
T~
PEDESTAL DETAILS
FOOT DETAIL, BOTTOM
18 %" (476mm)
(l9mm)
'"
Ys" (I 6mm)
1" (25mm)
PEDESTAL CO LUMN
-if-
Va" (9mm)
y
Yz" (I3mm)
II
~.
K
r'-+--:h--+--+"-
('"
/
~ 4" ~
(lOZmm)
3W' (89mm)
2 Yz" (63mm)
2 Yz" (63mm)
-+1"
(25 mm)
49
'----..
6 Y1" (l6Smm)
HALF-ROUN D
MOULDING
8Y2" (216mm)
')
J
21;4" (S7mm)
COLLAR
SY4" (l46mm)
-t
,\
'-~
"
71;4" (l 84mm)
lOW' (273mm)
1\
4" (102mm)
PEDESTAL BASE
6" (l S2mm)
I/
\/
I'
50
Oxford qhtst
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This chest's massive plank construction and heavy
banding straps were intended to discourage theft of
Merton College's property. Despite the bulk of the
piece, construction methods are fairly simple. Most of
the work involved in the construction of this chest is
51
.. .
- _,.
~
CHEST, ENGLAND,
c.1276.
OAK;
cut ing th e open foot design, wait to cha mfer th e bottom of th e foot until the chest is assembled. Once
assembled, you will need to work th e top an d bottom
edges of th e front and back panels, and th e legs, to
compensate for th e sligh t inward pitch of the chest.
To use a more modern approach to th e problem,
the legs ca n simply be cut to len gth, as shown, at a
2-degree angle. Be certa in to cut both ends of each
leg at the same angle, and that th e angled cuts are
parallel to each other.
After th e foot designs have been executed, cut th e
mortise slots into which th e front , back , and side panels will be inserted. Not e that altho ugh the mortise
slots reach the level of the bottom of the four panel s,
D. T YLER
H U FF.
th ey stop below th e top edge of th e leg. By not allowing the mortise slots to come th rough th e top of th e
leg, th e joint construc tion does not show on th e inside
of th e finished chest.
End Panels
C ut the end panel s so tha t they have th e sligh t taper
show n in th e drawings. These panels are longer th an
th ey are wide, and th e grain run s vert ically. Leave
enough extra width on the boards to allow for th e tenons. After the end panel s are cut to width, cut the
tenon s. The tenons sho uld run to the bottom of the
panel but stop sho rt of th e top of th e pan el, as shown
in th e drawings.
52
Lid
The basic assembly of th e lid ca n be acco mplished by
position ing th e lid braces ben eath th e outer edges of
th e lid boards as sho wn in th e drawings. Pull th e lid
boards tightly together and nail th em onto th e braces
with large-headed cut nails as shown. The nails are
driven th rough th e lid boards into th e braces and are
visible on the top surface of th e lid.
Final Assembly
The large, 13i4-inch (44mm) lon g nails th at hold th e
chest together are rather unusual. The heads have a
diameter of VB inch (22mm) and are % inch (9mm) in
height. The surface of th e heads are smoo th, as th ough
th ey had been cast, but it is unlikely th at nails were
cast from steel before 1270. Thus, they probably were
forged by hand and finished to a smoo th, rounde d surface in th e same way th at weapons and early bits of
armor were form ed. To make acc urate copies of th ese
nails, th ey must be forged or mach ined on a lathe. To
mach ine th e nails, turn the sha nk of th e nail first,
leavin g it rather thick in th e body, not unlike a turned
version of a forged nail. Then reverse th e nail, placing
th e sha nk into th e chuck and turning the head.
If you do not wish to make your own nails, you can
53
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is oak.
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
legs
2 11t" (57mm)
7W' (l97mm)
32 Vz" (825mm)
1Vz" (38mm)
24" (61Omm)
51 Vz" (I m308mm)
lid
I WI (32mm)
12" (305mm)
69" (lm753mm)
lid braces
I W' (32mm)
I Vz" (38mm)
22 Vz" (572mm)
bottom
1W' (32mm)
19" (483mm)
63 WI (lm607mm)
ends
1Vz" (38mm)
23" (584mm)
PART
LENGTH
WIDTH
METAL
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
WIDTH
LENGTH
,/s" (3mm)
I Ijz'I (38mm)
62" (lm575mm)
,/s" (3mm)
I Vz" (38mm)
28" (711mm)
lid straps
Vs" (3mm)
1'It" (32mm)
25" (635mm)
h asp straps
lfs" (3mm)
1 ~" (44mm)
21" (533mm)
VB" (3mm)
1114" (32mm)
61" (lm549mm)
VB" (3mm)
l ilt" (32mm)
70" (lm778mm)
body straps
Vs" (3mm)
1WI (32mm)
51" (l m295mm)
hasps
VB" (3mm)
2W' (57mm)
6" (l52mm)
lock plat es
V'6" (2mm)
5W' (l33mm)
5" (l27mm)
lfs" (3mm)
1;4" (6mm)
81jz" (216mm)
54
55
FRONT VIEW
69" Om753mm}
32 W' (832mm)
'---
o
8Yz" (216mm)
r-
...:L
7W'
0 97mm)
1>--- - - - -
49 ljz" Om257mm}
7W'
-1
097mm)
REAR VIEW
20" (508mm)
20" (508mm)
--r-o
_ .
.~
0
2\;4" (57mm)
65" Om651mm}
56
25" (635mrn)
- t ---t-+-t---tt---'-fVl
- 0- --------.... . ___
"-
..
---
--- --.-
--
03~nm)
--- ---
----
(12i~m)
.:: ---
--------- ._--
O( / /
)
(/
17Yz" (444mm)
(36 8mm)
7" (l78mm)
6'14" (l59mm)
0 - -'
o ---------
0
I
14 Yz"
0 - ......
I l - t - 9" (228mm)
1 r
1114"
(32mm)
57
_._- -
-~
o
I
7 Y-t" (l97mm)
0
I
o~
o
o
---
..............
IS " (3 8Imm)
1---1 0 __
25" (635mm)
I I/ I" (3 8mm)
6" (l 52mm)
o
i
r
1'14"
(32 mm)
~
/-:- (
W (6mm)
2" (5Imm)
-1
)
f- 2" (5Imm)-1
I
3" (76mm)
58
J~ l
DECORATIVE
STRAP
LID-TOP VIEW
(32mm)
69" (lm753mm)
- , . ,18"
(457mm) -
r.
17 Y2"
17 Y2"
(444mm)
6 \4" (l59mm)
INSIDE
LID
STRAP
HASP
7" (l78mm)
5'11" (133mm)
LOCK PLATE
5" (l27mm)
.... 1111"
(32mm)
59
END VIEW
END VIEW CONST RUCT ION DETA IL
1,......---
I W' (38mm)
23" (S84mm)
--~
~
rr:
I" (2Smm)
8 Yz"
(216mm)
-If-l-'-.......L..-~~_~~
T
8 14"
(209mm)
2114" (S7mm)
1-
1t t--
1Yz" (38mm)
16W (419mm)
----1
CU TAWAY VIEW
I" (2Smm)
~l;--~_----\
.'. "
20" (S08mm)
\'
I.
./
I
~I
jIt----'\__
I\{- " n -
60
19" (483mm)
16Yz" (419mm)
-ill
-;~I
FOOT DETA IL
3" (76mm)
2 Y1" (63mm)
~ 3" (76mm) ~ W ~
(l9mm)
-L ----
3 W' (95 mm )
-1
TOP
VIEWCO NST RUCT ION
CO
RNER
I" (25mm)
Y: "
(l3~m)
rI
DETA IL A
I" (25mm)
11jz" (38mm)
%" (l6mm)
Y1" (13mm)
W' (l9mm)
61
VEstmEnt qhEst
The Roman Ca tho lic church , with its power and pageant ry, was an int egral part of th e fabric of th e medieval world. While th e various feudal sta tes of Europe
and Britain alterna tely threaten ed and made treati es
with one ano ther, th e Holy Church was one of the few
binding threads th at ran throughout th e fragile structure of Western civilization.
Vestments are th e elaborate gowns worn by members of th e clergy. In the Middl e Ages, when th e outward display of wealth was equated with the holding of
power, the costl ier th e clothes, th e more power was
att ributed to the wearer. If an ambitious churchman
was going to advance him self properly, he had to look
the part.
The richl y orna mented vestments of th e politically
powerful clergy were sto red in almost as much grandeur as th ey were worn, in vestmen t chests such as thi s
one. This oak vestment chest belon ged to one of th e
early househ old ch aplain s at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire,
England. The simplicity of th e coats of arms on the
chest suggests th at it is probably from th e mid- to late
fourteenth century. This chest has probably remained
at Haddon Hall throughout its ent ire six-h undred-year
existence, moved only from the chapel to its current
location in the lon g gallery.
such an early piece. Although rudim entary in execution , th ese joints illustrate an important developmen t
in th e art of cabinetmaking.
The feet th at can be seen in th e photo are lat e
additions and for that reason are not included in th e
plan s here.
Materials
This chest is made en tirely of oak including the origina l
dowelin g. The plank s from which it was constru cted
may have been split with mallets and wedges rathe r
tha n sawn from logs, and th en smoo thed with a singleedged broad ax and drawknife. Because of th e size of
th e planks used in th e con stru cti on of thi s piece, you
will have to glue up th e mat erials from sma ller boards
(see ch apt er 1).
Lid
The two planks that form th e lid of the vestm ent
chest are pegged together. The stress placed on th ese
pegs by th e weight of the top lon g ago caused th e pegs
to break. Some of thi s stress could be compensa ted for
by increasing th e diameter of the dowel from % inch
(I6mm) to 314 inch (I9mm).
Place the two board s of th e lid on top of each other
so th at th e edges that will be pegged togeth er are
abutt ed. At intervals of roughly 4 inches (102mm),
mark doweling locati ons across the face of both board s.
Be certain that the dowel markings on the board s are
perfectly aligned with each other. If the holes are not
aligned, the dowels will not line up properly. A doweling jig will facilitate accurately locating th e dowels.
Once you have marked all of the dowel locations, drill
the dowel holes. Keep them straight so that they line
up from one board to the next. To ensure en ough sup-
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This massive vestment chest is monumental both in
size and in the bulk of materials necessary to construct
it. If you do not have the space for a piece of furniture
thi s size, it can be scaled down to two-thirds or half
size for use as a storage chest or tea table. Medieval
chests were constructed in every size, level of ornamentation, and degree of security imaginable.
It is interesting to find dovetail corner joints on
63
D. TY LER
COLLECfIO N OF HA DDON
H U FF .
64
Carving
Enl arge th e drawin gs of the coa ts of arms, by h and
or on a photocopier, to the size ca lled for. The border
design is the same on both carvin gs. Tran sfer the
designs onto the front of the chest, and execu te th em
as relief carvings. Although the ca rvings are relati vely
flat , they are carved on three different levels. The
designs on the coa ts of arms are at the same level as
the face of the che st. The sh ield-sha ped background
is about 114 inch (6mm) below this, and the large circular background is '14 inch (6mm) lower st ill- Vz inch
(I 3mm) below the surface of the chest. The sha mroc ksha ped designs around the edge of th e circle are on ly
sligh tly lower than the face of the ch est, but the center
of each leaf in the shamrock is dimpled into a sha llow
bowl sha pe.
If you executed the carving before assembling the
chest, do th e floor con stru cti on, as explained in th e preceding section.
Straps and Banding
To secure the corners of the chest, forge the hor izontal
corne r bracket s for th e ch est . The straps on th e rear
corne rs of the che st are 2 inch es (5Imm) shorte r th an
those on th e front.
The decorative ends on these bracket s are wider
th an th e flat stock called for in the mat erials list.
Origin ally, these st raps would have been forged from
much thicker pieces of met al so that the width and
thickness of the st raps could be ch an ged as the straps
were forged. If you plan to use co mmercially available
flat stock rather than forgin g th e bands, you will have
to cut out the entire band from a wider piece of metal
than is called for in the materials list, o r weld the decorative ends on to the strap as a sepa rate piece . When
the corner brackets are completed, drill nail holes and
nail them in place with I'/ z-inch (38mm) lon g forged
nails.
The bands that wrap the ches t vertically help support the bottom and also form the back section of th e
hinges that connect the lid to th e chest. The two outside bands have the same decorative end designs as th e
corner brackets and the top ends of the h asps.
The decorative fleur-de-lis sha ped ends of the cen tral band are applied orn amentation. Cut the fleur-delis from flat metal stock, and place the end under the
end of a short, square-ended arm on th e central strap.
Heat the top strap and bend it over the ornamental
fleur-de-lis so that the central band and the decorative
ends lie flat on the face of the chest.
Floor
The fl oor of th e chest is made from two board s of relatively th e same width. It is not known whether th ey
are pegged together in th e same manner as the lid, but
it would seem likely because the bottom is also pegged
to the sides of the chest.
Make sure the che st is square and plumb, then trim
the bottom boards so that they fit snugly into the interior of the che st. Remove them from the chest and peg
them together in the same manner as the lid. Insert the
pegged bottom into the frame of the chest.
Making cert ain th at the bottom board is flush with
th e bottom edges of the side panel s, drill and dowel the
bottom int o place . Using VB-inch (I6mm) pegs, dowel
the bottom at six points alon g th e front and back as
follows: Place one dowel 4 inches (I02mm) on either
side of th e cent ral strap, and two dowels equally spaced
between each outside strap and the che st corner. These
.dowels sho uld reach a depth of 2 Vz inches (63 rnrn)
int o the floor board .
Considering the massive con struction of thi s
chest, these few dowels were probably not intended
as th e only support for the bottom, but merely to
hold the bottom in place until the metal straps were
applied.
65
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is oak, except dowel is maple or birch.
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
2V2" (63mm)
19 W' (489mm)
104" (2m642mm)
ends
21jz" (63mm)
19 W' (489mm)
30 114" (768mm)
bo ttom
2V2" (63mm)
12%" (321mm)
99" (2m515mm)
top
2 114" (57mm)
14" (356mm)
top
2'/4" (57mm)
17" (432mm)
225" (5m715mm)
PART
dowel
LENGTH
WIDTH
METAL
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
WIDTH
THICKNESS
LENGTH
Vs" (3mm)
23 V2" 597mm)
W' (3mm)
25 1jz" (648mm)
bracke t tips
32
W' (3mm)
I Ijz" (38mm)
4" (l02mm)
hasp stra ps
W' (3mm)
2" (51mm)
18" (457mm)
hasps
3132" (2mm)
2"(51mm)
14" (356mm)
lock plat es
V16"
(2mm)
9V2" (241mm)
12" (305mm)
I/ S"
(3mm)
2V2" (63mm)
70%" (lm797mm)
Vs" (3mm)
2 1jz" (63mm)
29" (737mm)
W' (3mm)
3" (76mm)
731jz" (lm867mm)
W' (3mm)
3" (76mm)
30" (762mm)
W' (3mm)
4" (l02mm)
5" (l27mm)
W' (Jmm)
V2" (13mm)
13" (330mm)
66
67
FRONT V IEW
19W' (489mm)
TOP OF LID
3" (76mm)
i - - - 36" (914mm)
36" (914mm)
__
,
-_.--- -
13"
F(330mm)1
~~..~~ . ~
14" (356mm)
31" (787m m)
17" (432mm)
1 -
k--
25" (635mm) ~
106" (2m692mm)
BACK VI EW
...
------
. . . ' -_ '.c
23 Vz" (597mm
. .
.i.,
I- c
?
-.-
-- - "2.-
..
--- - _ . - ~ .
- -
. ..
~ 12"~~
""'"
--- ---
.. .
.,
~ 12" ~
------
----
<-
- .-----.
-------------- - -- - - - .
-..
38" (965mm)
38" (965mm)
(305mm)
(305mm)
68
I Y4" (44mm)
4" (102mm)
v
3 11l" (82mm)
"
y
Ii
,..
12" (30Smm)
17ljz"
(44Smm)
- - - _._ --._---
I-- 1M
' (292mml
3" (76mm)
SO W' (Im289mm)
~1
DOVETAIL DETAIL,
SIDE V IEW
2W (63mm)
DOVETAIL DETAIL,
TOP VIEW
W (I3mm)
Vi" (6mm)
I W (3 8mm)~
-..- ~~~
21 W
(S40mm)
12" (30Smm)
8" (203mm)
=}--v,.
(13mm)
UL......:...-.2::::===.:.-=--....:..==----~~--,.r
30W (768mm)
~63mm)
69
7'14" (l84mm)
CARVING DETAIL
6 ljz" (l65mm)
LOCK PLATE
10" (254mm)
IYz" (38mm)
~
- ; ;(38mm)
~
1'14" (32mm)
0
7 Yz"
(l90mm)
~ 1<.----"------
HASP
o
~ I '14" ~
(32mm)
1:
;"v
-;r
(51,~m)
l4"
(l9mm)
W (l9mm)
ljz" (l3mm)
I " (25mm)
--II--
11;'1" (38mm)
~{:j/
-,,;- ;/7:'/
(5 Imm)
~- 3" (76mm)
lOW (273mm)
o
o
LOCK PLATE
STAPLE
'/ z" (l3mm)
T
6'/ z" (l65mm)
70
III
3"
(76mm)
HINGE ASSEMBLY
SYz" (I40mm)
HARDWARE
4 1jz" (I l-lmrn)
J 1Ys" k
(41mm)
4" (I02mm)
1 (1
2" (51mm)
,. 15hnm), \
~~32mm)
r
__-+-----A-~~~ 4" (102mm)
6 1/.1" (I59mm)
(D
(D
5" (I 27mm)
8" (203mm)
fl)
Yl" ( lIrnm)
-,
--.r-r-
"
2'/1" (63mm)
71
10
t3[rnbry ()upboard
ever, th ere is no evidence of an earlier closure mech anism. It is possible, th ough hardly practical, th at th e
door did not origina lly have a lat ch and was simply
pushed sh ut. The treatment is up to th e discretion of
th e indi vidual cabinetmaker.
Materials
This cabinet is reportedl y made of elm. Elm in any
quantity, or in dimension s suita ble for the construction
of furniture, is almost impossible to find today. Pine,
fir, birch, or poplar would be a suita ble substitute .
Boards of th e dim en sions called for in thi s piece
sho uld be readily available, with th e exception of th e
side panel s, which will need to be glued together.
Because of th e light structure of thi s piece, I recommend th at you have them profession ally joined at a
lumbermill or cabinet sho p.
Setting Up
Cut all of the pieces to size before beginning construction . Mark each board with its final position so
th at you can easily locate it as needed. Make all markings in chalk so th at th ey can be removed from th e
wood.
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This ambry has been alte red at some point in its existence. A piece was added to th e right side of th e door,
and the bead mold ing nearest th e door, on th e left
panel, was cut off. Perh aps the cooks at Haddon Hall
found th e origina l 9-inch (229mm) wide door too
narrow for their needs and had it widen ed. The plan s
presente d here show th e cabinet in its origina l proportions. The wheeled castors at th e corners of the ambry
were probably a nineteenth-century addition and have
been left off.
The turn button closure on the door is almost certainly of much later date than th e cabinet itself; h ow-
Frame Construction
Begin construction by assembling th e case of th e
ambry. First , mark th e relative location s of th e shelves
on both the inside and outside faces of th e side pan els
with cha lk. Drill pilot holes th rough th e side pan els.
Locate the shelf board s into position and nail th em to
th e end panel s with forged nails. The shelf boards
sho uld line up flush with th e rear edge of the side panels but sho uld be l,4 inch (6mm) sho rt of the front edge
of the side panels so th at th e front panel s will fit prop-
73
COLLECTION OF HADDON
HALL, BAK EW ELL, ENGLAND . C OU RT ESY HADDON HALL. PHOTOGRAPH BY D. TYLER H UFF.
74
Top
Now attach the top boards to the body of th e cabinet.
Attach the rear top board first, keeping it flush with
the outer edge of th e back boards and allowing ~ inch
(l 9mm ) overha ng on either side of th e cab inet. Drill
and nail the board into place as shown. Repeat th e
process with th e front board. The top sho uld extend
1 inch beyond the front edge of the side panel s.
Front Panels
Cutting the Rabbets. Rabbet th e two front pan els
along one edge where th ey overlap th e side panel s (see
detail A) . The panel s are sligh tly different widths , so
estab lish left and right panels before cutt ing th e
rabbets. Be certa in th at th e rabbets allow th e pan els to
fit snugly against the side panel s and lay flat against th e
face of the shelf and bottom.
Moldings. The vertical moldings on th e face of th e
front panels are so sha llow th at th ey can no t be
accurately depict ed. The basic sha pe is a convex, halfround, cen tral mold ing surrounded by two concave
half-round moldin gs. In even simpler terms, th e
moldings are rounded, W-shaped depressions in th e
face of the wood. The molding is on ly I/S inch (3mm)
deep and Vz inch (13mm) wide. The moldings are
about ~ inch (l9mm) from th e edges of th e pan el.
They were probably cut with a molding plan e holding
a single, wavy-shaped blade. This is still th e best way
to cut such sha llow moldings. Alternatively, the outer,
concave depressions could be filed or sanded into th e
wood and th e center, convex sha pe sanded into th e
ridge between th e depressions. Whichever approach
75
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is elm. Birch is the best substitute, but pine, fir, or poplar could also be used.
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
front panel
314" (19mm)
11WI (286mm)
29" (737mm)
front panel
WI (l9mm)
11 ~" (298mm)
29" (737mm)
door
~"
(l9mm)
9" (229mm)
20" (508mm)
door braces
~"
(l9mm)
2" (51mm)
8" (203mm)
doorsill plate
WI (l9mm)
1" (25mm)
9Yz" (241mm)
door lintel
WI (l9mm)
3" (76mm)
9 '!zi 1 (241mm)
side panels
WI (19mm)
15 Yz" (394mm)
29" (737mm)
back panels
WI (19mm)
8" (203mm)
29" (737mm)
back panels
WI (l9mm)
8WI (209mm)
29" (737mm)
top
1" (25mm)
8Yz" (216mm)
34" (864mm)
top
1" (25mm)
9" (229mm)
34" (864mm)
bottom boards
1" (25mm)
7 ~" (l97mm)
31" (787mm)
shelf board
WI (19mm)
8" (203mm)
31" (787mm)
shelf board
WI (19mm)
7 '!zil (l90mm)
31" (787mm)
top braces
1" (25mm)
3" (76mm)
31" (787mm)
PART
WIDTH
LENGTH
METAL
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
WIDTH
LENGTH
.32 ga
l WI (44mm)
2" (51mm)
.32 ga
l WI (44mm)
1 ~"
forged nails
72
1'!zil (38mm)
76
(44mm)
Hinges
Precut the butterfly-shaped blanks for th e hinges,
and bend the tangs to form th e spine as described in
chapter 2.
Finish
This ambry has had a great deal of use over the centuries, but evidence remain s that it may have been
painted a rusty ocher, not unlike the color of richl y
oiled wood. Before finishin g, fill the nail holes with
white putty or thickened gesso. When the filler is dry,
finish-sand th e en tire piece of furniture.
. If you wish to paint th e piece, give the top, sides,
and front of th e ambry a coat of gesso to serve as a
primer. When the gesso is dry, sand th e cupboard again,
and th en finish with a coat of egg tempera or flat-fini sh
oil paint (see chapter 3).
77
FRONT VIEW
3" (76mm)
'\
j ,
:.
;.
\ ---r-tttt-+--->
.
fil~~~I~
&
---tttt-+---..:1 0
'r ~~~
. \
1 1 \
-.L-
1 J:
(95mm)
11 '11" (286mm)
9" (229mm)
3 Yz" (89mm)
6 !4" (l7Imm)
i\~
4W
6W' (J7lmml
8 W' (209mm)
3 '","
(I Zlmm) (82mm)
II W (298mm)
32 Yz" (825mm)
DOOR FACE
Yz" (Brnm)
j
I " (25mm)
W (l 9mm)
78
Vi (I3mm)
9" 1229mm)
-1
f-- I 'I!" 4
I (J 2mm) I
HINGE
I
I
<D
w' (44mm)
~ I" .,l
l(2smm)
e
TOP VIEW, CUTAWAY
Y4" (I9mm)
8" (203mm)
I " (2smm)
~....------
---~
34 " (864mm)
RIGHT SIDE
RIGHT SIDE
INTERIOR VIEW
r-- - =:::::
1"---: ""'---:
~
/
3"
(76~~
I"
:\
(2smm)
12"
(JOsmm)
W (I 9mm)
/
30" (7 62mm)
I/ Z" (l Jmm) ./
lOW (267mm)
r'
-1
....
t'\
)
I
1\
I" (Zfirnm)
~-
--- . _ .~
Is yz" (J94mm)
Yz" (l3mm)
4 1;4" (l08mm)
79
W (l9mm)
CARVING DETAILS
6 Y4" (l71mm)
r-
~
oW'
(I71mm)
6W (l7 1mm)
----1
~ 4~"
(121mm)
---l
I ~~
l~~
DETA IL A
I" (25mm)
---._-
---W
80
(l9mm)
W (l9mm)
11
Ourulr Ohair
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
Rough Cutting
Followin g th e cardboa rd patterns, rough-c ut four iden tical leg-and-arm sections, two each of th e arm and
foot sections, and two seat suppo rts.
Work th e rough-cut blanks into th eir fina l un carved
sha pe. Because of th e complex curves and angles on
some of th ese parts, it may be necessary to do some initial sha ping with a rasp or a pad sander. The top and
Materials
This cha ir is constructed of oak, altho ugh I h ave seen
examples of th e same piece made from walnut and, at a
later period, from mah ogany. It is necessary to use fulldim en sion lumber to ach ieve a structurally sound piece
of furniture.
Setting Up
Because there are on ly ten pieces necessary to th e
basic construct ion of thi s ch air, it is possible to roughcut th em all before executing any detail or finish work .
Executing all of th e rough cutting at one time allows
you to conce ntrate on th e detail work later on with out
worr ying about returning to rough work .
81
C UR UL E CHAIR, ENGLAN D,
82
Mortises
C ut out th e mortise open ings in th e foot units and on
the botto m of the arms. The distan ces between th e
mortises on arms and legs must be exac tly lOYz inches
(267mm), the same distance as the length of th e seat
support, excluding the ten ons.
Seat Supports
Mark th e location of th e seat support mortises on th e
inside faces of the leg assemblies. Cut th e mortis es into
th e legs. The tenons on the seat supports should seat
snugly into place with a firm rap with th e palm of th e
hand or a mallet. You sho uld now be able to carry out
a trial assembly of th e ch air frame. At thi s point, th e
frame consists of th e four leg-and-arm sections and the
two seat supports.
Knuckle Joint
Read th e following description of th e knuckle joint
carefully. When th e conce pt is clear, execute and sand
the knu ckle joints.
The mechan ism th at allows th e two leg sections to
interlock is an int erlocking egg-carto n type design.
The X shape of the leg is ach ieved by crossing two of
the leg sections. The left arm support and th e right leg
are a single piece of wood, as are th e right arm support
and the left leg. The point of juncture, where the legs
cross and int erlock, is indicated by th e sha ded circle
on the leg diagram . Half of the thickness of th e wood
is cut away from each leg at the point of intersection .
On one leg of the X, the wood is removed from th e
back side; on the opposite leg, the wood is removed
from the front face. Once this excess wood is removed,
the two sections of the leg unit sho uld interlock so that
they are th e same thickness at the point of juncture
as they are at every other point alon g their length.
Before removing the excess wood, the legs are interchangeable. Decide which leg will be in which position:
left and right , front and rear. In the front X assembly,
the left leg-right arm support sho uld be the top half of
the knuckle assembly; in the X assembly on th e back
of the cha ir, the right leg-left arm support form s the top
half of the X. This arrangement is critical for the ch air
to fit together correctly. When the position of each
leg-and-arm section has been determined, mark each
piece so that th ey can be kept in order throughout the
project.
When you are removing the excess wood from
Carving
It is wise to execute th e carving before final assembly
is begun. C arve the rosettes on th e arms of the cha ir.
Not e th at th ey are carved on both th e inner and outer
surfaces of each arm. You may also carve the acanthus
leaf designs that cascade down th e rear of th e arm s and
th e lion's paws on the front of th e feet. Finish-sand th e
carving.
Foot Assembly
Working on a level surface, trim th e tenons on the
bottom of the legs to fit into th e mortises in the feet.
These joints should have th e same snug fit as the seat
supports. The tenons must be cut square so that the
ch air remains level and th e foot units are in line. Dryfit the pieces one at a tim e, and th en assemble them as
a unit with the seat supports in place . Clamp th e frame
together so that it does not sh ift while the arms are
bein g fitted.
Arm Assembly
Trim th e tenon s on the tops of th e arm supports so
that they fit squarely into th e mortises on th e undersides of the arms. This will include trimming the tops
of the arm supports to fit against the curve on the
und ersides of the arm s. This procedure will require a
lot of careful trimming and fitting.
83
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is oa k , exce pt maple dowels.
PART
NUMBER
O F PIECES
THICKNES S
arms
2Yz" (63mm)
6%" (l71mm)
20" (508mm)
sea t supports
1 Yz" (38mm)
1%" (44mm)
12ljz" (317mm)
feet
2Yz" (63mm)
2 %" (67mm)
20ljz" (521mm)
legs
2" (51mm)
6" (l52mm)
40 " (ImI6mm)
1" (25mm)
4" (102mm)
4" (l02mm)
dowel
36" (914mm)
WIDTH
LENGTH
UPHOLSTERY MATERIAL
Two pieces of fabric an d a liner will be n eed ed for the sea t an d back, unless they are to be mad e of
heavy-weight leather, in which case on ly one layer will be n eed ed .
PART
NUMBER O F PIECES
WIDTH
LENGTH
seat
15" (3 81mm)
30" (7 62mm)
back
9" (229mm)
3 1" (7 87mm)
lining cloth
25" (635mm)
30 " (762mm)
Final Assembly
O nce the pieces all fit snugly together and the chair
sits squarely, disassemble and final-sand . Then fit the
pieces togethe r for final assembly. It is wise to glue and
nail the seat supports int o place, rather th an peg them.
Disassemble the cha ir, glue the mort ise and tenon
joints on the seat supports, and reassemble the ent ire
chair before the glue sets. Pull the seat supports into
position with bar clamps stretched across the outside
surfaces of the front and back arm supports, placing a
pad under the jaws of the bar clamps so th at they do
not bite into the wood of the legs. Workin g from the
top side of the arm supports, drill a pilot hole int o th e
arm support and th rough the tenon on the seat sup-
Doweling
When the glue on th e seat supports is dry, clamp the
arms and feet in place for doweling. To keep the cha ir
level, it is best if one end of a bar clamp is placed over
the top of the arms and th e other end is hooked over
the und erside of the table on which you are working.
In ot her words, clamp the chair directly to the tabletop
84
vary sligh tly. The seat sho uld be lon g eno ugh th at it
can be nailed to the und erside of the seat support rails.
The top of th e seat sho uld be wide eno ugh th at it
extends nearly to th e outer edges of th e arm supports,
abo ut 13 inches (330mm) front to back. The port ion
of th e seat th at wraps around th e seat supports sho uld
on ly be the width of the supports, 101/ 2 inch es (267mm).
C ut and finish th e leather or fabric. If you are using
fabric, sew two pieces back to back so th at th ere is a
finished surface on both sides. Sandwich a piece of
canvas or burl ap between th e two pieces of fabric for
extra support.
Fit th e seat and back int o place, but do not nail
th em to th e ch air. If desired, add trim or frin ge to th e
fabri c or execute tooling on th e leather before final
install ati on .
Attach th e seat cover first. To be sure th at th e cha ir
does not begin to fold together whil e th e seat and back
are bein g attached, clamp th e cha ir onto th e worktab le
once again. Pull th e seat cover tightly around th e seat
supports and nail it into place with barb ed uph olstery
nails, using seven nails on each side of th e seat. Then
nail large-headed decor at ive upholstery nails int o th e
top surface of th e arm supports at the front and rear
corne rs of th e seat.
Stretch th e back panel across th e back of th e cha ir
and approximately 1 inch (25mm) around the sides of
the arms. Nail th e back panel to the rear edges of the
arms, using at least three tacks on each side. Wrap th e
ends of th e back around th e outside edges of th e arms
and tack into place with large-headed uph olstery nails.
Large Rosettes
There are four large rosettes used to cover the faces
of the knuckle joints on th e legs. Lathe-turn four
rosettes to th e profile indic ated in th e drawings.
Finish-sand each piece while still in th e lathe. C arve
the fl orette (flower) design int o on ly one of th e
rosettes . This decorated rosette will be used on th e
front of th e cha ir. The remaining three rosettes are
left uncarved.
It is not known how th ese rosettes were or igina lly
attac hed to th e cha ir. I recommend gluing th em to th e
surface of th e knu ckle joint, takin g care not to get any
excess glue int o the joint , and nailing each one int o
place with two small, modern finishing nails.
Seat and Back
The sling-style seat and back can be made from heavy
leather, tapestr y, or velvet. Take measurements for th e
seat and back from th e ch air frame, as every ch air may
85
FRONT V IEW
n w' (705mm)
23Yz" (597mm)
=if,\\"
(63mm)
3 %" (86mm)
-----------1i~ -----,c;---
2 1;4" (57mm)
SIDE VIEW
2%" (67mm)
--'--1 J
19 W' (502mm)
~-
2Vz" (63 m m ) - t - -
20W (521mm)
25Vz" (648mm)
34 1jz" (876mm)
13W' (349mm)
4 1;4" (108mm)
86
~
I"
,,
I
-
ARM DETAIL
~'
~ "'--",,:>
6W (I7Imm)
:\.
W' (I 3mm)
2"
(5Imm)
-,
2"
{(5Imm)~ .
r ~,
- - , - I \i4"
<,
I (32mm)\_"
5 1/.1" (I33mm)
l<
<,
2"
::-s 55~~m~
,
__ "'~
'>__
W' (I9mm)
lOW' (273mm)
19W (489 mm)
SEAT SUPPORT
( W' (13mm)
I II" 1W
-t
(38mm)t
W (I3mm)
(3~mm) ~ f r-:st::::::--~---.::'
_--:-~
-------"""'s:::::----~~--:;;g"""""" :4 ~ Yz" (I3mm)
f
lOW (267mm)
~ l
TOP VIEW
I" (25mm)
IE-- - -- -12 Yz" (317mm) ~
I ~
END VIEW
-===-.. . . . ......",.__-_.-
l~" (J2~:J U
~ W " mmJ ~
~~ -===--.~
-~
=--= ----~
J r i.. f
Yz" (I3mm)
r--
--1 '\ ~
12W' (317mm)
~ Yz" (13mm)
-,-
SIDE V IEW
I" (25mm)
FOOT DETA IL
W (I9mm)
- -I W'
(44mm)
"
. ' .....
3" (76mm)
P;Wbo,,;~~~-...::::t
--'
2W
(57mm)~
----.>
2Ya" (67mm)
,I
lOW (267mm)
4W (I08mm)
::::::--....
"
8Yz" (216mm)
20W ' (52Imm)
87
0
I
~I _~
----
J--
6" (I52mm)
Yz" (I 3mm)
FOOT CARVING
. ~.- .-
r--
,-------
\'\
~~ 1w r~
3 Vz" (89mm)
r----
4" (I02mm)
Y'B" (22mm)
(I6mm)
VB" (9mm)
2 Vz" (63mm)
LEG LAYOUT
I/ Z" (I3mm)
j ..-'- {jJ-
~,,;.~
7%"
(I94mm) ..
,.,.
/:r~\
.... '?~\
.>
Ifz" (l Imrn)
"
1--+--+-----1I---+--+-----1~+_____P'_.d~:t___=='+__"'_i::~+__+__+,-;l-t-
.. "..
,
28 }-4" (730mm)
KN UCKLE
\""
/)
.- "
\;
,-
,-
26 Vz" (673mm)
88
.... "
114"
( 44mm)
..
.:
KNUCKLE ROSETTE
1 W' (44mm)
Va" (Iornm)
4" (102mm)
Ys" (9mm) i ~
IH---
W' (I9mm)
I"
(25mm)
2Yz" (63mm)
1Yl"
r-(38mm)~
89
12
qandlcstand
steel bar stock, available from machine shops or ironmongers. Three kinds of metal, referred to as stock,
are used for this piece. The legs, decorative ornamentation, and support pieces in the crown are made of
flat stock; the main shaft is made of 3/.!-by-%-inch
(l9-by-19mm) square stock; and the drip pan and
decorative ring in the crown are made of sheet metal.
Heavy wrought-iron candlesticks and hanging chandeliers similar to this were used to bring brilliant, shimmering illumination to the dark, cavernous interiors
of churches, manor houses, and castles throughout
England and Europe during the Middle Ages and into
the Renaissance.
This candlestand is unusual in that the candles are
not held in cups or stuck on spikes; rather, they sit
inside free-standing rings that stand between the drip
tray and the inner decorative ring. Though this candlestand does not hold as many candles as some others
that survive, all of the side candles would have had
to be nearly 2 feet (61Omm) in length and the central
candle would have been nearly 3 inches (76mm) across,
an extravagant use of expensive wax.
The entire piece is forged metal, mostly wrought
iron, and has a rather bulky look. Standing over 6 Yz
feet (Zm) high, it is a most impressive piece of work.
This piece probably dates from the sixteenth century,
but its place of origin is unknown. It is now located
outside of the Fuentiduena Chapel in the Metropolitan
Museum's Cloisters.
Legs
The first step in forging the legs is to make the feet.
Place one end of a piece of leg stock into your vise to
a depth of 1Yz Inches (38mm), and bend it to a 90degree angle. Repeat for the other two legs. Then flatten and splay the ends of the feet by reheating them
and forging them with a forging hammer.
Now bend each leg to a 90-degree arc-a quarter
circle 10 inches (254mm) in height and in width. To
ensure that all three legs arebent to the same arc, first
cut a wooden pattern against which they can be fitted .
Do not try to forge the hot metal against this pattern;
simply use it as a gauge of your progress in shaping the
stock.
When all three legs are bent, the next step is to
join them together. The legs on the original piece were
heat-forged onto a flat iron disk the same thickness as
the legs, at the center of which was a Va-inch (l6mm)
hole. For reproduction purposes, you can weld the legs
to a large, flat metal washer. You may, however, have to
manufacture a washer to the necessary specifications.
Arrange the ends of the legs onto the surface of the
washer, spaced so that the three legs form an equilateral triangle at their juncture. The outer ends of the
legs should be equally spaced. Clamp the legs into
position on the washer using a Cvclamp, and weld the
legs onto the washer. The completed leg unit should
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This room-size candlestand is constructed entirely of
hand-forged iron. Reconstructing it in a home shop
will require a few adaptations and a little time, but
the results will be impressive. To shape and bend the
various parts of this candlestand, use the methods
described in chapter 2. The joints and seams that were
originally heat forged can be welded or brazed together.
Materials
All of the basic pieces of the candlestand are constructed from standard-dimension sheet metal and
91
Main Shaft
The main shaft of the candlestand is formed from a
length of square stock. The bottom of the shaft must
be forged to fit through the hole at the juncture of the
legs. Heat 1 inch (25mm) at the end of the shaft and
forge it to as near round as possible. When the forged
portion of the shaft can be fitted into the washer on
the leg unit, weld it to the top and bottom surfaces of
the washer, first ensuring that the legs are resting on a
level surface and that the shaft is standing as vertical
as possible.
The top of the shaft head holds the drip tray and
crown. To provide a stable seat for the frame of the
drip tray, this end of the shaft must be larger than the
bottom end.
To simulate the heavy forged head on the original
shaft, weld a piece of 13i4-inch (44mm) round stock to
the top of the shaft, making certain that the head is in
a parallel line with the body of the shaft so that the
crown will sit straight on the completed candlestand.
Once the head is welded into place, turn the entire
unit upside down, so that the head is on the ground
and the legs are in the air. To create the wedge-shaped
taper between the shaft and the shaft head shown in
the drawings, build up a l-inch (25mm) high pyramid
of weld around the shaft. When it has cooled, work the
sides of the pyramid smooth with a grinder and files to
simulate the sloped shoulders beneath the head.
At the center of the shaft head, drill a hole '/s inch
(3mm) in diameter and a Vz inch (l3mm) deep. Into
this hole, insert a piece of Vs-inch (3mm) steel rod 1
inch (25mm) in length. If you heat the area around the
hole in the shaft head until it begins to glow slightly,
the rod should tap into place easily and, once cooled,
will never come out. This rod will eventually hold the
drip tray and crown in place.
Drip Tray Frame
The four-armed frame of the drip tray is made in much
the same manner as the leg unit. The frame can easily
be made in three pieces: one main arm that runs the
entire width of the tray and two shorter arms welded
to either side of the main arm to form a cross. First,
bend 1Y4-inch (44mm) tabs on both ends of the main
arm of the drip tray frame. Bend similar tabs on one
end of each of the short arms. Flatten and splay the ends
of these arms in the same manner as the feet. In each
H. 77".
92
Drip Tray
The drip tray is made in two pieces. The bottom is
simply a circle of shee t metal, and th e sides are made
from a band of the same shee t metal.
To make the bottom of th e tray, mark out a circle
of sheet metal1 6-Y-! inches (425mm) in diameter. Mark
another circle 1 inch (25mm) smaller th an th e first,
or 15 314 inches (400mm), inside the first circle. The
smaller circle is th e actual size of the bottom of the
drip tray; th e larger circle will provide tabs with which
to atta ch th e bottom of th e tray to th e sides. C ut th e
large circle out of th e sheet of metal stoc k. At li z-inch
(l 3mm) intervals around th e circumference of th e
large circle, cut V-shaped notches Vz inch (l 3mm) deep.
The inn ermost point of th ese notches sho uld just touch
the in ner circle. If properly spaced, th ere sho uld be
approximately one hundred notches cut around th e
circle. Using pliers or a hamm er, bend th e tabs at right
angles to th e circle. You sho uld wind up with a shallow
tray 15 -Y-! inches (400mm) in diameter and 'Iz inch
(l 3mm) deep.
To form th e side of the drip tray, take a piece of th e
same sheet metal, 3 Yt inches (82mm) in width by 52
inches (lm321mm) in len gth , and form it int o a circle
around the outside of th e sha llow drip tray. Where th e
ends overlap, clamp them together with a C -clamp. Drill
a hole large enough to receive a rivet throu gh the lapped
ends of the circle. Without removin g the C -clamp, slip
the band of metal off the bottom of th e tray. Insert a
rivet int o th e hole and peen th e end of th e rivet until
it is tightly in place. Now remove th e C-clamp.
Fit th e band back over th e bot tom of th e tray and
solder the tabs on th e bot tom tray to th e inner face
of the band . Do not atte mpt to weld th ese pieces
together; th e heat from th e torch may melt th e metal.
93
MATERIALS
METAL
All metal is h o t rolled for easy shaping .
PART
N UMBER
O F PIECE S
THICKNESS
WIDTH
legs
V8" (3mm)
1 1/4" (32 m m)
leg washer
V8" (3mm)
shaft
%" (19mm)
%" (1 9mm)
sh aft head
sh aft pin
LENGTH
X
17" (432 m m)
44 " (Lm l l Sm m)
13;41' (44mm) ro un d
I Ijz'I (38m m)
WI (3 m m ) round
I" (25 m m)
d rip tr ay
.3 2 ga
16" (407mm)
16" (40 7m m)
d rip tr ay rin g
.3 2 ga
3" (7 6mm)
52" (lm3 21 m m)
V8" (3mm)
20 "(508mm)
1 ';4" (32 m m)
9 %" (238mm)
and dri ll 'Is-inch (3m m) holes thro ugh the floor of the
drip tray as marked. Rivet the in ner ring support legs
into place.
Inner Ring
This decorative ring is made in much the same man ner
as the sides of the drip tray. The material is slightly
heavier, beca use it carries the weigh t of twelve decorative loops, but the construction technique is the same.
Bend th e metal into a circle th at fits inside the inn er
ring support legs. Where the ends of the ring overlap,
clamp them with a C -c1amp.
Remove the ring from inside the legs, drill, and rivet
it toget her. Then remove the C-c1amp and fl are out
the top 1!4 inch (6mm) of the ring as you did the side of
the drip tray. Set it into position inside the inn er ring
support legs. Position the riveted joint in the ring so
th at it is located equidistant between two of the
support legs. Mark the locat ion of the rivet holes in
Assembly
At this point you are ready to und ertake the first stage
of the assembly of the crown . Position th e three inner
ring support legs around the inside edge of the drip tray
at equal int ervals. Mark the location of the holes in
the feet ont o the floor of th e drip tray, remove th e legs,
94
PART
NUMBER
O F PIECES
THICKNESS
LENGTH
WIDTH
inner rin g
support legs
W' (3mm)
Ys" (1 6mm)
inner rin g
support brackets
I/ S"
(3 m m)
Ys" (1 6mm)
6ljz" ( 165 m m)
ce ntral ca nd le h old er
Vs" (3 m m)
Ys" (1 6mm)
21ljz" (546mm)
Vs" (3 m m)
Vs" (3mm)
Ys" (16mm)
.32 ga
2'14" (57mm)
39" (99 1m m )
centra l ca nd le h old er
washer
ce n tra l ca nd le rings
3/16"
(5mm) h ol e
12
.3 2 ga
1" (25mm)
6" (1 5 2mm)
ce ntral shaft
decoration
Vs" (3mm)
314 "
(1 9mm)
8" ( 203mm)
bottom sh aft
decoration
W' (3 m m )
W' (1 9mm)
4 ljz" ( Ll -lmrn)
l/ S" (3 m m)
1" (25mm)
7" (1 78 mm)
rivets
50
1;4" (6mm)
I/ S"
(3 m m) d iame ter
Decorative Loops
The twelve loops around the decorative ring appear to
be purely orna mental in nature. They are made from
strips of the same metal as the decorati ve ring into
which they are moun ted (see materials list ). To shape
these loops, cut away enough material from each end of
the strips to leave a pin of meta l 1 inch (2Smm) long
and no more than a '!4 inch (6mm ) wide at the point
where it joins the body of the strip of metal (see detai l
A in the drawings).
Bend the pins at right angles to the strip of metal so
that both pins point in the same direct ion. Then bend
the strips of metal int o rings. You can heat the metal
sligh tly to make the process easier, but thi s is not necessary, as the metal is lightweight eno ugh that it sho uld
bend easily with pliers and a hammer. Do not worry
95
Decorative Work
The decorativ e orna mentation at the middle of the
cen tral sha ft and at the poin t where the shaft joins the
legs can now be form ed. Form th e curls with th e use of
a mandrel as described in ch apt er 2.
The large curling orna ments on top of th e legs are
made from the same bar stock used for th e legs. Sha pe
th e decorati ve curls first, then curve th e body of
thi s piece in th e same way th at th e legs were formed.
Use either th e legs th emselves or th e wooden pattern
against wh ich th e legs were shaped to ach ieve the
correct curve.
The sma ll orna mental curls at th e base of th e shaft
and th e double-curl ed orna men t in the cen ter of th e
shaft are sha ped in th e same way the leg decorations
were formed.
When th ese orna mental pieces have been formed,
clamp th em into place at th e locations shown on the
drawings and spot-weld th em onto th e legs and the
central shaft. File away any excess weld to provide a
smoo th seam where the orna ments meet th e struct ure
of th e candlestand.
Finish
The original candlestand is made of wrought iron and
has a uniform black surface. A similar finish can be
obta ined with old-fash ioned stove polish or flat black
spray paint.
The drip tray would origina lly have contained a bed
of sand about liz inch (l3mm) deep to catch th e dripping tallow or wax from th e candles.
96
CROWN
19" (483mm)
II " (279mm)
TOTAL HEIGHT
77" (955mm)
8 1;4"
(209mm)
~\\"
...
\\, ,\\\\
...'\\\\ '
\\\,\" ,.
o
3" (76mm)
--+--1--+----------;11
21Yz" (546mm)
W' (l9mm)
BASE
W z" (l40mm)
17Yz" (444mm)
11;4" (32mm)
10" (254mm)
I ljz" (38mm)
~W
24" (6IOmm)
97
DECORAT IVE
LOOPS
2" (SImm) L
-)=-
S" (l 27mm)
I" (2Smm)
~
TIIW
IJ,m
m
II
IW'
(J2mm)
~ ~
3" (76mm)
SMALL
CANDLE HOLDER
CENTRAL
CANDLE HOLDER
l'
9" (229mm)
2" (SImm)
Yz" ( l Jmm)
-,,;-
!!.I" (I9mm)
19" (483mm)
II " (279mm)
6"
(IS2mm)
1 I W'
(J2mm)
2',-4" (S7mm)
W (l9mm)
4" (102mm)
II I
7Yz" (l90mm)
S" (l27mm)
1
2"
(SImm)
"\. W (l9mm)
98
3"
(76mm)
3/16"
16" (406mm)
11;4" (3 2mm)
DRIP TRAY
AN D CROWN ,
TOP VIEW
DRIP TRAY
2" (Slmm)
--1
,\\ \\\'"
%" (I 6mm)
f
3" (76mm)
99
13
~onasti(
Ganopy :Bcd
Materials
The monk's bed is made of oak, altho ugh th e pegs may
be maple or birch. Do not use oak veneer plywood for
th e panel s; th e raised surface of th e panel s face toward
th e outside of th e bed, and th e layers of th e ply would
be plainly visible. Most of th e wood called for in th e
materials list will be readil y obta ina ble th rough a
lumbermill, th ough it may have to be specially planed
to width and thickness. The raised pane ls, however,
will probably have to be glued up from two or three
boards. Only th e overall dim en sion s of th e floor of th e
bed are given in th e mat erials list. This is not to say
th at it is one solid board. It would have been construc ted of what ever width boards were lying around
th e sho p. The goal is simply to provide a level floor.
Getting Started
Cut the four upright corner posts, th e lon g bottom
rails, and the long top rails to len gth. Because th e top
and bottom rails are different dimension s, the ten on
positi ons need to be marked out carefully to prevent
making any mistakes in cutting.
Lay two corner posts, a top rail, and a bottom rail in
a simple rect an gular sha pe on a level work surface. The
ends of the top and bot tom rails sho uld fit inside th e
corne r posts. The top rails sho uld be situa ted so th at
one of th e 3-inch (76mm) sides is lying facedown on
th e work surface. The bottom rails are square, so the ir
orien tation does not matter. Viewed from above, th e
surface of th e posts and rails falls on three different
plan es. This uneven face will be th e inside of th e bed
frame. The bottom of th e rectan gle, th e face lying on
th e work surface, will be th e exterior face of th e bed.
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This monk 's bed is no more th an a panel ed box chest
without a lid, and its con struction is approached as
th ough it were a simple chest. This bed is made completely of wood and is put together without th e use of
either glue or metal fasteners.
101
102
103
D. T YL ER H U FF.
Top Rails
Keeping this arra ngeme nt carefully in mind, remove
the top rail from between the corne r posts and mark
the location of the tenon s so that they will in tersect
the corner posts in th e manner show n in detail C in
the drawi ngs. The ten ons sho uld be centered on th e
top rails so tha t th ere is a %-inch (l 9mm) wide tenon
cen tered on th e 2-inch (5 Imm) wide face of th e rail.
T he re shou ld be a Va-inch (l 6mm) wide sho ulder on
eithe r side of th e tenon. C ut th e tenons to thi s width
and trim them to th e heigh t indi cated in details A
and B. Repeat this process on both ends of all four top
rails.
Frame Assembly
When all of th e morti ses and tenons have been cut
and finished to a snug fit, assemble th e frame of the
bed. Because th e bottom rails are wider th an the
corne r posts int o whic h th ey are tied, you will have
to cut a not ch into an inside edge on one of the bottom rails at each corne r (see drawing labeled botto m
rail from above). C ut th ese not ches in th e sho rt rails
on th e ends of th e bed rather th an in th e long side
rails. When th e bed has been assembled, you sho uld
have what is essen tially th e wooden outline of a sixsided box.
Stiles
Set th e bed frame on a level surface, and check th at
th e struc ture is square and plumb in all directions.
Locate th e panel dividers, or stiles, on th e long sides
of th e bed frame. The stiles are 2 by 3 inches (51 by
76mm) and sho uld be positioned so th at th eir exterior
face is 3 inches (76mm) in width. In -this position , the
stiles sho uld be th e same th ickn ess as the top rail, 2
inches (5Imm). Mark th e locat ions of th e stiles on the
top face of th e bottom rail and on the botto m side of
th e top rail. Inside th e outlines of the stiles, mark the
locati ons of th e mortises as show n in detail C. Cut
the ten on ends on all four st iles.
Disassemble th e bed frame and cut the eight mortises that will receive the stile tenons. Again, fit each
st ile int o place one at a time and mark its location ,
with cha lk or on masking tape, so th at you will be able
to easily reassemble th e entire structure.
When th e mortises and tenon s have been cut for
th e stiles, reassemble the ent ire bed frame. There
sho uld now be a tot al of sixteen componen ts, all of
which must join square and plumb with each other.
Bottom Rails
The tenon s on th e bot tom rails are situated off-cen ter.
Here, as on th e top rail, th e ten ons are % inch (l9mm)
wide and have a Va -inch (l 6mm) wide sho ulder on th e
outer face , but beca use of th e width of th e bottom rail,
there is a 2 Va-inch (54mm) wide sho ulder on th e inner
side of each tenon. The tenon s on th e bottom rails
should be the same 1lA-inc h (32 mm) len gth as th ose
on the top rails. Unlike th e tenon s on th e top rail,
however, they are not step ped down from th e height of
the rail and are th e 3 li z-inch (89 mm) height of th e
rail. O nce they have been laid out , cut th e ten ons on
bot h ends of all four bottom rails.
Corner Posts
Into th e top and bottom ends of each corne r post, cut
mortises to receive th e ten ons of th e top and bottom
rails. A ltho ugh th e tenon s on th e top rails are centered, th e mortises in th e corne r posts will be sligh tly
off-center because th e top rails and th e corner posts
are different widths (see detail C ).
Mark all posts and rails as to th eir position, and
also mark th e outside faces (those th at fit flush with
each other) of the rails and posts. It is wise to mark
each mortise and ten on joint as it is finished, as th e
parts will not be interchan geable. If th e parts are not
marked, it ca n take h ours to relocate each piece in
its proper place . Make all markings with ch alk or
on pieces of masking tape so th at th ey can easily be
removed from th e wood.
Be certai n th at th e tenon s fit snugly into th e mortises. You sho uld be able to seat th e tenon int o th e
morti se with several firm taps with the palm of th e hand
or with one or two taps of a wooden mallet. The joints
must also fit squarely.
104
Floor Boards
Now cut th e floor boards. For th e greatest support , th e
floor boards sho uld run across th e width of th e bed ,
rather th an its len gth. The boards need not rest tightly
against th e backs of the panel s, but th ey sho uld be
wide eno ugh th at th ey can not fall off th e bottom rail.
Not ch th em to fit around th e corne r posts and st iles.
There is no need to attach th e floor boards to th e bot tom rail.
To adapt th e bed for a modern mattress, you can
raise th e floor to about 10 inches (254mm) below th e
top edge of the bed frame. To do so, attach 2-by-2-inc h
(51-by-51mm) support rails, th e len gth of th e interior
of th e bed, to th e inside of th e bed frame at th e stiles
and corner posts. These supports are on ly necessary
along th e lon g sides of th e bed. Use modern wood
screws to att ach the se supports. Lay th e floor boards on
top of th ese support rails.
Finish
When assembly is complete, sand th e bed and give it
an oil finish.
Canopy
Frame . The metal ca no py is a simple welded frame
of round steel stock. Working on a level surface,
arrange two long and two sho rt len gths of 1j2-inch
(l 3mm) round stock in a rect an gular sha pe 71 inches
(lm803mm) by 35 1/ 2 inches (90 2mm). At each corne r,
sta nd one of th e 21j2-inc h (63mm) pieces of 1j2-inch
(l 3mm) round stock as a corne r post at th e jun cture
of th e frame members (see th e detail drawin gs of th e
canopy frame) . Check that th e pieces are all at 90degree an gles to each other, then weld th e corners of
th e frame together. At the center of each lon g side
of th e frame, weld an other 21j2-inch (63mm) lon g post
to th e inside face of the frame.
Onto one of the 71-inch (lm803mm) lon g, %-inch
(9mm) rods, slide twenty of th e l-inch (25mm) ch ain
links, and clamp the rod to th e free ends of th e corne r
posts on one of the lon g sides of th e can opy frame.
Arran ge the ch ain links so th at th ere are ten links on
either side of the central divider post. Weld th e rod to
th e corner posts and th e cent ral divider post. Repeat
th is process on the other lon g side of th e cano py frame.
Slide twelve, l-tnch (25mm) cha in links on to one
of th e sho rt, %-inch (9mm) rods, and weld th e rod
between the support posts on one of th e sho rt end s of
th e canopy frame . Repeat th e process on the other end
Final Assembly
As the panels are chamfered and fitted into th e rabbets, begin assembling th e bed. Working on a level surface, assemble one of the sho rt end s of the bed first,
then assemble the lon g sides, and finally th e remaining
sho rt end of the bed. When th e frame and all of the
panels have been assembled, check th at th e bed is level
and square.
Pull the entire structure of th e bed together, using
strap clamps or bar clamps, and begin to drill pilot
holes for the dowels. Do not drill all of th e dowel holes
at one time. First dowel th e top and bottom rails to the
corne r posts. When the corners of th e bed are secure,
drill and dowel th e stiles to the top and bottom rails.
Taperin g th e ends of the dowels will allow them to seat
int o the pilot holes more easily.
105
MATERIALS
WOOD
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
WIDTH
LENGTH
2 11 (51mm)
3 11 (76mm)
68'1211 (lm740mm)
2 11 (51mm)
3 11 (76mm)
34 11 (864mm)
3 1/2 11 (89mm)
3ljz" (89mm)
68'1211 (lm740mm)
3 '1211 (89mm)
3ljz" (89mm)
34 11 (864mm)
corner posts
3 11 (76mm)
3 11 (76mm)
20ljz" (521mm)
stiles
2 11 (51mm)
3 11 (76mm)
16 '1211 (419mm)
side panels
111 (25mm)
15 '12 11 (394mm)
21 '1211 (546mm)
end panels
111 (25mm)
15ljz" (394mm)
31 11 (787mm)
111 (25mm)
32 '12 11 (825mm)
69 11 (lm753mm)
130 11 (3m302mm)
bottom
dowel
106
METAL
NUMBER
OF PIECES
PART
DIAMETER
LENGTH
Y2" (1 2mm) ro un d
71 " (Im803mm)
35ljz'1 (902mm)
ca nopy posts
2"(51mm)
68
71" (Im803mm)
34ljz" (877mm)
FABRIC
Fabr ic is coarse, ope n -weave wool, dye d gray- brown .
PART
side pa ne ls
ca nopy
N UMB ER O F PIECES
WIDTH
96" (2m438mm)
82" ( 2m83mm)
LENGTH
107
SIDE VIEW
72" (lm829mm)
-L-
( -..
......,..
""""
1Ir----.,------~_+_-:___+.
4" (l02mm)
END VIEW
14" (356mm)
20 Yz" (521mm)
72" (lm829mm)
14" (356mm)
3" (76mm ).
- - -1
68" (lm727mm)
35 Yz', (902mm)
31 Yz" (800mm)
.... 2" (51mm)
,~
TOP VIEW
--
V-
--.--
~ u.::::=====~
---
rc. J .l
"------"
72" (lm829mm)
108
-----
3" (76mm)
CL
3" (76mm)
3" (76mm)
DETAILS A AND B,
SHOWING JOINTS
DETAILS A AND B
2Vz"
/ lis" (9mm)
114" (6mm) (
-:--- '
~ -
\jz" (l3mm)
(63mm)
- = 1r - - .,r _
--><--
----.e-"---
I Vz"
0 8mm)
-
JJ ~
lW
\ \\ \
(~32mm-rl--)
o~-"-
2'14"
0 J
(S7mm)
r:=r--\\\'
-
1/ " (6
14
mm
- )\
)-----'T(
--+- 1
3"
(76mm)
'-
~~
---
\
<,
1 3" t
(76mm)
W' (l9mm)
~ 2 Vz" ~
~63mml
2" (Slmm)
l\
%" (l9mm)
1t
' - I W (J 2mm)
109
DETAIL D
BOn-OM RA IL AND
FLOOR BOARD
BOn-OM RAI L
FROM ABOVE
3"
I" (2Smm)
W z" (89mm)
I" (2Smm)
20" (S08mm)
3"
(76mm)
'14" (6mm)
3"
(76mm)
Yz" (Brnm)
'/ z" (l 3mm)
CANOPY FRAME
============:!jJ[=========
f-
36 " (9 14mm)
72" (lm829mm)
FRAME CO RN ER
FRAME CORNER,
CU TAWAY VI EW
ii"i
I" (2Smm)
-...,- ,...,
I" (2Sm m)
Yz" (IJrnm)
;)
2Yz" (63mm)
2 \jz" (6 3mm)
W (9mm)
i
I" ( 2Smm)
II
Va" (9mm)
't"'"
.L
"
FRAME CORNER,
TOP VIEW
"
110
Yz" (l3mm)
14
Fifteenth,Qentury
lijindom Frame
The ornate carving in the trefoil headings of this latefifteenth-century window frame is identical on both
the inner and outer faces, suggesting that the window
was never intended to hold glass. Such a fine window
would only have been made for the house of a rich
merchant, and yet there was no attempt at protecting
the occupants of the home from the elements. There
are rabbets on the inside face of the frame that were
probably intended to hold wooden shutters, but this
only gave the homeowners a choice between exposing
themselves totally to the elements and living in near
complete darkness.
The window also indicates that the ceiling height of
the room from which it came was hardly grand. Even
considering the loss of several inches at the bottom of
the uprights and the elimination of the sill plate on
which they rested, the room cannot have been much
more than 6V2feet (about 2 m) in height. None of
these factors, however, detract from the impressive
workmanship. This beautifully worked window frame
may not serve as much of a window, but it would make
a marvelous room divider or screen-wall.
This marvelous artifact is currently in storage in the
Victoria and Albert Museum.
wall, some provisions will need to be made to accommodate glass. In this case, I recommend that a large,
double-glazed picture window be mounted across
the entire surface of the window so that the lines and
structure of the piece will not need to be altered.
Whether the glass is located on the inside or outside
of the frame is up to you but because the mullions
are set toward the inside face of the frame, the glass
should logically be placed on the outside of the
mullions.
If, on the other hand, you plan to use the window
frame as an interior room screen, feet will need to be
added to allow the piece to become free-standing.
Materials
This window frame is made entirely of oak. Obtaining
5 V2-by-7-inch (I40-by-178mm) oak timbers may prove
challenging. If necessary, glue up the structural members of the window frame as discussed in chapter 1.
Other woods may be used for this project, but do not
use pressure-treated or weatherproofed construction
lumber, which will split and warp in a short period of
time.
Framing
The first step in building this window is to layout and
construct the frame . Note that the sill fits between the
side beams, and the lintel fits across the top of the side
beams. Keeping this arrangement in mind, proceed as
follows.
Cut the tenons on the top end of the side beams
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This window frame bears many scars from being built
into the frame of a house. Since these details have no
bearing on the use or design of the window, we will not
include them in our re-creation. If you wish to use the
re-created window as an actual window in an exterior
111
H. 70",
W.
78", D. 5 1/ 2" .
COLLECfIONOFTHEVICTORIA
112
Cutting Rabbets
Now disassemble th e frame. C ut the rabbets into
which th e trefoil decoration s are seated, into th e mullion s, th e lintel, and the side beams. Not e in th e trefoil
det ail drawin g th at the rabb ets run sligh tly deeper into
th e side rails than th ey do in th e lintel. The rabbets
do not pass through th e mulli ons; each mullion has
separate rabbets for th e trefoil on the left and for th e
one on th e right. The shaded areas in th e section A
drawin g show how the se rabbets line up across th e face
of th e wind ow.
For ease of cutting, th e rabbet in th e lintel can be
run th e en tire width of th e wind ow open ing. It does
not have to stop at each mullion .
Cutting Mortises
C ut th e mortises in both sill plate and lintel at th e
locati ons you marked previously. The rabbets and mortises will overlap each other on th e lintel, but thi s is of
no consequence becau se th e mortises are considerably
deeper th an th e rabbets.
Fit the mullions into th e mortises in th e lintel.
Check th at th e wedge-shaped returns line up with th e
acorn -sha ped bead on the front edge of the mullion ,
and make any necessary adjustmen ts. Marking which
mullions fit best into which mortises may save you time
in relocating th em later. It is unlikely th at th ey will be
fully int erchan geable.
Edge Molding
Now cut th e moldings along th e inside edges of th e
side beams and the lintel. These relati vely simple
moldings can be cut with either a router or molding
plan e. At least two cuts must be made: one on th e
outer surface of th e frame, and th e othe r on th e inner
face of th e window open ing. C ut th e moldings on side
beams first , becau se th ey are a straigh t, uninterrupted
run from the top of th e sill plat e to th e end of th e
beam . Cut th e point where th e molding stops at th e
top of th e sill square with sma ll ch isels or ca rving
kniv es.
Next, cut the molding into th e lintel, using th e
Mullions
Leaving the frame temp orarily, move on to th e mullion
bars. Even before th e decorati ve moldin g is cut, th e
blank mullion is closer to diamond shape th an it is
square. For thi s reason , start with a rect an gular blank
the size of the greatest dimension s of th e mullion , 4 1/ 2
by 3 % inches (114 by 92 mrn), From thi s blank, work
the decorative molded edges first, and later cut the
wedge-shaped back side of th e mullions.
These moldings are complicated and must be executed slowly and with care . Porti ons of them can be
113
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is oak, except dowels, which may be maple or birch.
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
LENGTH
WIDTH
side beams
5Vz" (140mm)
7" (178mm)
67" (lm702mm)
lintel
5Vz" (140mm)
7" (178mm)
78" (lm981mm)
sill
5Vz" (l40mm)
7" (l78mm)
70" (lm778mm)
mullions
4Vz" (l14mm)
3%" (92mm)
51" (lm295mm)
trefoils
1" (25mm)
11 Y4" (286mm)
12" (305mm)
trefoils
1" (25mm)
lIlA" (286mm)
11~" (298mm)
dowel
60" (lm524mm)
dowel
W'
30" (762mm)
(19mm) round
Trefoils
Cut to length the boards from which the trefoils will
be cut, so that they fit between the mullions. Reassemble and square the entire frame with the trefoil
blanks in their proper places. Then draw a line around
the top and side edges of the trefoils, and mark each
trefoil so that it can be returned to the same window
opening after it has been carved. Remove the lintel
and lift the trefoils from the window frame.
Enlarge the trefoil detail drawing on a copier until
it fits properly onto the trefoil board . Using a sharp
knife, cut around the decorative outside edge and the
inside piercing of the trefoil design. Trace the pattern
onto the trefoil board and use a coping saw or a reciprocal saw (saber saw) to cut out the inside and outside
designs. Finish-sand all of the edges. With gouges, a
hand-held grinder, or a router, cut back the inner and
outer faces of the design as shown in the drawings.
These edges are slightly concave and are worked on
both the inside and outside surfaces of the window.
Finally, execute the low relief carvings, shown as
shaded areas in the drawings.
114
Feet
If the window frame will be a free-standing piece, you
need to construct feet. The feet sho uld be th e same
dimensions as the side beams, 5 Vz by 7 inches (140 by
178mm). To support th e height of th e wind ow frame,
they will have to be 38 inches (965mm) lon g. Thus
they will extend beyond th e front and rear faces of th e
window a distanc e of 16 inches (406mm) .
The exposed ends of th e feet can be given decorative treatment, such as the lion's paws on the Curule
C ha ir, or left simple, like th e feet on th e Gothic
C radle. The top edges of th e feet can be ch amfered
slightly to relieve the harsh edges.
The feet will need to have braces running from near
the outer edge of each foot to approxima tely 16 inches
(406mm) onto the side rails. Cut th e bottom 5 inches
(127mm) of each side rail into a tenon 3 inches (76mm)
square. C ut a corresponding morti se in the center of
the foot . The braces do not need to be cut into a decorative sha pe. Attach them to th e feet and legs as
described for the leg braces on th e Gothic C radle.
Final Assembly
If you are building the window frame with out feet, it
will have to be assembled lying down. Repeat the ste ps
for assembly, be sure th e frame is square, and clamp it
together so th at it does not sh ift during pegging. Use
bar clamps or strap clamps, or tie hemp ropes (do not
use nylon ropes, which will stretch ) around th e frame
and tight en them by placing a sho rt stick between th e
11 5
SECT ION B
I
10"
10"
10"
(25 4mm)
(254mm)
(254mm)
9W'
(248mm) . ~
70" (lm778mm)
. I
461jz"
l(l m181mm)
I:'
(lm600mm)
j
!
7"
(l78mm)
7"
(l 78mm)
SECTION A
1" (25mm)
1 r
(254mm)
3 VB" (92mm)
1 0,w
(70mm)
::::!-/
2"
(51mm)
--"-2"
(5 1mm)
M~~~\iN
IF
1" (25mm)
- 1\'\
Ijz" (Hmm)
rJ
'14" (6mm)
1"
(25mm)
11 6
1/I
~I
2" (51mm)
J,
DETAIL A
-,
f --=----
~ 2 Y1"
(63mm)
-r- \~
4" (102mm)
-r - - -
II1
I
W dowel
%" dowel
11/
lOW (267mm)
5"
7"
(l27mm)
(l78mm)
(76mm)
l3 ljz" (343mm)
-- -._--- ---
WINDOW FRAME
CONSTRUCTION
9W' (248mm)
L
r
7"
(l78mm)
JI
5 ljz"
(l40mm)
\
2" (51mm)
I
2" (51mm)
r
(
r-,r - - -
%" (l9mm)
3"
1(76mm)
nr
4 ljz"
(l14mm)
11 7
0
~
---.-
7"
r -
L. _.J
1J 2 ljz"
(l78mm) "---- (63mm)
.u---
=:=---
_ -- - , -
-- -
========...
DETAIL B
1"
(25mm)
1I -
-.., ------,.I
I
IO Y2
(267mm)
Il iA" (2 86mm)
SECT ION B
I"
TR EFOI L DETA IL
(25mm)
SECTION B
7" (178m m)
7" (i78mm)
5 '11" (i 40mm) .
/ I /
/,
. /
/
/,
I VB" (29mm)
I" (25mm)
y
W' (i 9mm)
>f
I W (38mm)
"
11 8
<,
"----
'
<,
-,
15
{{lint qabintt
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
Framing
Lay out th e framing memb ers for th e front of th e cab inet, corne r posts, and top and bottom rails on a level
119
COLLECTION O F
MEDIEVAL MERCHANT'S H O USE, SOUTHAMPTON , E NGLA N D. COURTES Y M EDI EVA L M ERCHA NT 'S H O USE. P HOT OG RAPH BY 0 T YLER H U FF.
120
Panel Rabbets
On the left and right sides of th e cabine t frame, mark
the locations where th e side panel s will be seated (rabbeted) int o the top and botto m rails. The side panels
121
MATERIALS
WOOD
A ll wood is oa k, except dowels, which may be maple or birch.
PART
co rner posts
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
1%" (44mm)
5" (l27mm)
61" (Im549mm)
3,4" (19mm)
21 1jz" (546mm)
46" (lmI68mm)
door
LENGTH
WIDTH
W' (l9mm)
17 1jz" (444mm)
47 " (lmI94mm)
W' (l9mm)
4 1;4" (108mm)
47 " (lmI94mm)
bac k panel
3,4" (19mm)
48" (Im219mm)
bac k panel
W' (l9mm)
7" (l78mm)
48" (Im219mm)
bac k panel
3,4" (19mm)
8" (203mm)
48" (lm219mm)
top pa nel
I Ijz" (38mm)
7 Yz" (190mm)
33" (838mm)
top panel
I Ijz" (38mm)
19" (483mm)
33" (838mm)
l W' (44mm)
2"(51mm)
24" (610mm)
1%" (44mm)
3" (76mm)
23 1jz" (597mm)
l W' (44mm)
2" (5 1mm)
24" (61Omm)
l W' (44mm)
4" (102mm)
24" (610mm)
1%" (44mm)
231jz" (597mm)
1%" (44mm)
3" (76mm)
24" (61Omm)
bottom
I" (25mm)
21" (533mm)
28" (711mm)
2" (51mm)
22 Yz" (571mm)
bo ttom braces
2" (51mm)
frami ng dowel
72" (lm829mm)
72" (lm829mm)
pan el dowel
122
METAL
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
WIDTH
LENGTH
hinge stra ps
VB" (3mm)
2" (51mm)
20 W' (527mm)
h in ge butt en ds
VB" (3mm)
3" (76mm)
8 1;4" (2 09mm)
bolt
VB" (3mm)
W' (19mm)
4 ljz" (114mm)
h asp
Y3Z" (Zrnm)
1lJ4" (32mm)
5" (l27mm)
ca tch
5" (l 27mm)
ca tc h plate
W' (3mm)
3" (76mm)
bolt ba rrel
Side Panels
Trim the side panel s, two wide and two narrow, so
th at th ey drop easily into th e rabbets on th e inner face
of th e side rails. The panel s are loosely tongue-andgrooved together and do not quit e come into contact
with either the front or rear corner posts of th e cabine t
(see side wall cross section drawing).
O n both sides of th e cabin et, th e narrow side panel
is located next to the front and the tongues of th e
tongue-and-groove joints are on th e narrow panel. The
ton gues are lA inch (6mm) wide with a lA-inch (6mm)
wide shoulder on either side.
The space between the side panels and the front
and rear corner posts is about 1/ 16 inch (2mm). This
gap likely was not the result of sloppy cabinetmaking
but a way to allow the wine inside th e cabinet to
breathe.
After th e panels have been ton gue-and-grooved and
set into position, drill and dowel them with -Ys-inch
(9mm) doweling. There sho uld be two dowels each in
the top and bottom of the narrow board, and five dowels each in the top and bottom of the wide board . Drill
the pilot hole s from the inside of the cabinet so that
they go first throu gh the side panel s and extend to a
depth of Vz inch (l3mm) into th e side rail. The dowels
sho uld not come through the outside face of th e side
rail.
I" (25mm)
Top
Next, attach th e top of th e ca bine t. Drill and peg th e
top boards directly into th e top rails at th e locati ons
shown in th e drawings. The narrow board is located at
th e rear of th e cabinet. Overhan gs are as indi cated in
th e drawin gs.
Bottom
The bottom of th e cabinet is made of two, three, or
even four board s of various widths. Because it is not
seen , th e exact width of th e board s is not important.
The front board will need to be notched sligh tly to fit
around th e corner posts. The boards sho uld fit easily
int o place, but they sho uld not be loose or sloppy.
Because th ey cover the bottom of th e side panels, th ey
will help to hold them into place if th ey are a good fit.
Back Panels
The back pan els, as shown in th e rear view drawing,
are attached from th e outside of th e case. There are
sligh t gaps between all of th e boards in th e back, as
there are between th e side panels and th e front and
rear corner posts.
After the panels have been drilled and pegged into
place , merely rough-fini sh th e dowels. They do not
need to be cut flush with th e panel surface. The ext erior surface of the back boards also remain s rough-cut.
123
Door
The origina l doo r is one piece of oak, but you sho uld
have th e piece glued up at a mill. A glued door will be
less likely to warp th an one cut from a single plank.
Trim th e doo r so th at it is 114 inch (6mm) smaller in
both height and width th an the open ing into which it
will be placed.
En large th e door-carvin g design ona photocopier to
th e size called for. Tran sfer th e design to th e face of th e
door at the locat ion indi cat ed in th e fron t view drawing. Then use a coping saw or reciprocal saw (saber
saw) to cut out th e twenty-four tri an gular areas th at
make up the design . The tri an gles sho uld be separa ted
by a 'Ys-inch (l 6mm) wide latticework of wood. Rasp,
file, and sand th e int erior edges of th e lattice to a
smoo th finish, being very careful not to break the fragile latt icework .
Now ca rve th e face of th e finished tr ian gles as
shown in the profile of carv ing drawing. This carving
can be done with a small hand router, such as a Dremel
too l, or with a ca rving gouge. Because th e lattice is
very fragile, I recomm end using a hand router unl ess
you are a very expe rience d ca rver.
Finish the design by carving th e outer circle and th e
sma ll wedges to a depth of about YI6 inch (4.Smm).
Additional Shelves
You may want to install one or more interior shelves.
Attach sma ll blocks to the inside faces of th e corner
posts with mode rn wood screws to suppo rt additiona l
2-by-2- inc h (SI-by-Slmm) braces on wh ich to rest the
shelves. Position th ese braces parallel to th e bottom
braces.
Finish
When th e cab ine twork is completed, finish-sand th e
ent ire piece with sandpaper (glass paper) and give it an
oiled fi n ish as described in th e ch apt er 3.
Hinges
C ut the lon g straps on th e hinges from a section of
2-inch (Slrnm) wide metal stock. On one end of th e
hinge strap, cut I I/ z-inch (38mm) lon g hinge tangs as
describ ed in chapter 2. C ut th e decorative head at th e
other end. The 2-inch (Slmm) wide metal stock will
not quite acco mmoda te th e two outward curls near th e
head end of th e hinge. The tips can eithe r be welded
on to the body of th e hinge or cut straigh t and forged
into th e curled sha pe as describ ed in cha pter 2. If you
heat- forge the curls in th e proper medieval manner,
124
125
G
.
26Yz" (673mm)
33" (838mm)
I /z" (38mm)
{l90mm}1
--,~
"
W' {l9mm}
~_ =-::.
J
B
\\V
3" (76mm }
1\
3 1;4" (82mm)
!
1\ /
12" (305mm)
II'-
.I~
__~
I
H
J1
~.
21 li z" (546mm}--f-----lt
9" (229mm)
---lI...-
---' I L - U
IW (44mm )
{l27mm}
TOP VIEW
7Yz" {l90mm}
33" (838mm)
j T
~ -- ~
~
:=- ~> ~
~
---------_
~ ( 4 83 m m )
~-~ J .l
126
45" (lmI43mm)
I..-
....".
3 liz" (89mm)
REAR VIEW
.. -=
I II
IH-t--- 28" (711mm)
--t+-~ I\I
\
2" (5Imm)
....
I W' (44mm) "-
I W' (44mm) ~
---L
--"'--
.t./
I" (25mm)
--.--
Vi" (l9mm)
. \- I
2" (5Imm)
r_
DETA IL C
2" (5Imm)
3" (76mm)
SIDE ASSEMBLY
BACK ASSEMBLY
inside
outs ide
outs ide
inside
DETAIL D
<,
I W' (44mm)
!===:::::::::;~.:::J
~ 5" (l27mm)
-1 ~
2" (5Imm)
---,.;-
L W'~
(44mm)
127
1 2"
4" (102mm)
\
\ \
(5Imm) ~
k
1 I W' I
(44mm)
DOOR CA RVING
l'
DETAIL B
[Y4"
(32mm)
'/ z"
if
[ V-t"
(44mm)
~v
PROFILE OF CARVING
(W(6mm)
it
~n~ W ( 6mm)
Y8" (22mm)
-.r-~
%" (I omm)
14" (6mm)
CORNER POSTAND
RAIL ASSEMBLY,
TOP VIEW
DETAIL A
TOP CORN ER, FRONT
.-----=----
=-
[ ljz' I
(38mm)
[ WO (44mm)
1
W' (19mm)J
!jz" (l I mm)
[ V-t" (44mm)
128
3" (7 6mm)
HARDWARE
HINGE
W' 0 9mm)
---r--+--t-
~r
I lis" (35mm)
~ I"
1--
(32mm)
(25mm)
0
11/1"
3" (7 6mm)
~ IW ~
CATCH
(38mm)
Iw3
I Vg" (29mm)
3"
(76mm)
-"'-~;r-;--
1_
IW' (29mm)
BARREL BOLT
ASSEMBLY
W' (l 9mm)
8 1,4" (209mm)
4" (102mm)
3 1,4" (82mm)
Vz" (l3mm)
Y4"
(l 9mm)
4" 002mm) 2 W
57mm
HASP
r:
Vl"
Vz"
. 03mm) f
0 3mm)
I" (25mm)
W 09mm)
r
'-------"I" (25mm)
BOLT
BARREL
2W
-:L
I Ijz'I (3 8mm)
4" 0 02mm)
(57mm)
VB" (22mm)
1_
1IW r
(32mm)
129
2 Vz" (63mm)
16
(3othic qradlc
Materials
Although th e origina l cradle is const ructed en tirely of
oak, if you plan to paint it, you may wish to consider
using a wood th at is sligh tly less expe nsive, such as
pine or fir. In either case, th e dowels sho uld be maple
or birch. The end panel s, side panels, and botto m on
th e cradle will probably have to be glued up, and the
braces lam inated from two thinner boards. The side
pane ls in th e cradle at th e Medieval Merch ant's House
are single panels, but th ere is no str uctural reason for
thi s. Because th ey are held in posit ion by the end panels, th ey could just as easily be two boards, and if th e
boards were joined behind th e line of the ce nt ral side
rail, th e difference would not be visible. A ll of th e
other materials sho uld be readil y available.
End Panels
Lay out th e finished sha pe of th e end pan els on th e
end panel blanks, with th e grain running verti cally,
and then cut them to sha pe. Now lay out th e position
of the slots (rabbets) into which th e side panel s are
seated. These slots are lfz by I/ Z inch (13 by 13mm)
square and 14 inch es (356mm) in len gth . Their exac t
position is shown in th e bed construction drawing.
Although th e side panel s are seated int o th e end pan els, th e bottom panel of th e cradle bed is not joined
to other structural memb ers.
C ut th e side pan el slots. Then lay out th e position
of th e morti se joints int o which th e side rails will be
fitted. C ut the mortises in both end pan els.
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
The origina l cradle is made of oak and painted in
yellow ocher and red, but th ere are a variety of options
open to th e craftsman .
While the combina tion of th e fi nest wood and
paint ed orna menta tion is historic ally correct, so is
the practice of using more humbl e woods, such as pine,
and hiding th eir mediocrity benea th a layer of brigh t
paint.
Altern ati vely, you might choose to show off th e
grain of the oak with a simple oil finish .
Rails
C ut th e side and bottom rails to th e dim en sion s called
for in th e mat erials list. Rabbet out th e bottom rail as
shown in th e bed construction drawin gs so th at it will
131
OF M EDIEVAL
M ERCH A NT 'S H O USE, S O UTHAM PT O N , ENG LAN D. COURT ESY MEDI EVAL M ERCH A NT'S H O USE. PHOT OG RAPH BY D. T YLER H U FF.
132
Brace Panels
To cut th e brace pan els, it may be wise to reassemble
th e leg un its and trace around th e pan el open ings in
order to make templ ate s from wh ich to cut th e panels.
Add '14 inch (6mm) around th e tracin g to allow for th e
portion of the pan el th at will be set into th e rabbet.
Cut th e template s from thin plywood or heavy cardboard so th at they can be test-fit into th e frame before
cutting th e final panel s.
Leg Units
C ut the main support posts and feet as described in
the materials list. Cut the tenon on th e bottom of both
133
Chamfer ed Ed ges
Wit h a chise l or ha nd router, cut th e cha mfered edges
on the top of the feet , along th e outside edge of th e
braces, and on th e inside face of the support post above
the brace (see side view drawin g).
Leg Assembly
Sand all of th e pieces, th en assemble th e leg units in
th e same manner as previously. Pull the joints together
with cabine t clamps, being careful not to damage th e
curved surface of th e brace. Drill and peg the support
post into th e foot with %-inch (9mm) dowel. Follow
th e same procedur e with th e mortise joints on both
ends of th e braces.
Stretcher
C ut a l-inch (25mm) long tenon, Y4 inch (l 9mm)
thi ck and 1114 inches (32mm) wide on both ends of the
stretcher. Mark an outl ine for a corresponding mortise on th e interior face of each of the leg unit s. The
stretche r sho uld be in th e center of th e foot, direc tly in
line with th e suppor t post. Position the morti se so th at
th e stretcher will be 1;4 inch (6mm) above the floor. In
cutti ng th e morti se, you may cut int o the edge of the
tenon on th e support post; th is will have no effect on
th e structure of th e cradle.
Insert th e stretcher into the morti ses and pull the
en tire structure together, makin g certa in th at it is
square and plumb . Drill dowel holes into the und erside
(bott om) of th e foot and thro ugh th e stretcher teno ns.
Dowel th e stretcher into place.
Spindle
The origina l rocker spindle would und oubt edly have
been forged by a smith . You can turn th e spindle on a
modern metal lathe. Follow th e diagram of the spindle
in th e drawings, leaving th e spindles slightly longer
th an necessary, to allow for an exac t fit when they are
installed on th e cradle.
Drill eigh t mounting holes around th e outer ring of
th e spindle. Locate th e spindle on th e end of th e cradle
bed. The center of th e spindle sho uld be centered on
th e width of th e end panel and 4lJz inches (Ll-lmrn)
below th e top edge of the pan el.
The origina l spindle is mounted with forged nails,
which are probably all th e support th at will ever be
necessary, altho ugh if I were building a cradle for my
child, I would atta ch it with coarse thread screws.
Before mounting th e spindles, measure the combined len gth of th e bed and spindles, and compare th at
measurement with th e distanc e between th e farthest
points of th e rocker slots. The ends of th e spindles
sho uld just to uch th e outside walls of th e rocker slots.
If th ey are too sho rt, th e frame can wobble; if th ey are
too long, th ey will push th e frame outward, creating
stress on th e en tire structure. If necessary, cut a length
Rocker Slot
O n the inside face of each support post, locat e th e
position of th e slot th at will hold th e spindle. The
open ing int o wh ich th e spindle is dropped is 8 inches
(203mm) below th e top of th e support post; th e lowest
point in th e slot is 1314 inches (44mm) lower on th e
support post. The dim en sion s of thi s slot are show n
in th e rocker mech ani sm drawin gs. The rocker slots
should be on th e same side of th e finished leg assembly
so th at th ey are mirror images of each othe r, not identical. C ut th e rocker slots.
134
MATERIALS
WOOD
Original painted version is mad e of mixed wood s. For n atural fini sh , build of oa k or birch.
NUMBER
O F PIECES
THICKNESS
1314 11 (44mm)
21 11 (533mm)
21 11 (533mm)
side pa nels
14 11 (356mm)
26 11 (6 60mm)
'12 11 (13mm)
18 11 (457mm)
25 11 (635mm)
PART
bo ttom
WIDTH
LENGTH
side rails
2 11 (51mm)
27 11 (6 86mm)
bo ttom rails
2 11 (51mm)
2 '1211 (63mm)
27 11 (6 86mm)
stret che r
1'14 11 (32mm)
2314" (70mm)
3 2 11 (813mm)
feet
2 '1211 (63mm)
3 11 (76mm)
34314'1(883mm)
braces
1Xt'1 (44mm)
5 11 (l27mm)
20 11 (508mm)
brace panels
% 11
8 '1211 (216mm)
13 '12 11 (343mm)
posts
2 '12 11 (63mm)
2314" (70mm)
32 11 (813mm)
finials
2 11 (51mm)
2 11 (51mm)
2314" (70mm)
72 11 (lm829mm)
dowel
11
(19mm)
(9mm) round
METAL
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNES S
(16mm) round
spindle rods
% 11
spind le plates
114 11 (6mm)
LENGTH
WIDTH
2 '12 11 (63mm)
1114" (32mm)
2 '12 11 (63mm)
ends of the cradle. The cradle bed sho uld now drop
int o position.
Finish
Finish the cradle with either a painted or an oiled finish, according to the instructions given in chapter 3.
135
END VIEW
1
27'/1" (698mm)
32" (813mm)
18 Xl" (476mm)
34Xl" (884mm)
SIDE VIEW
28'/1" (724mm)
2 ljz" (63mm)
----
I
32" (813mm)
1Xl" (44mm)
11;4" (32mm)
J"
17q_f
30" (762mm)
136
36" (914mm)
BED CONSTRUCTION
Y2" (l 3mm)
cente rline
2 1A" (57mm)
(
Y2"
(l3mm)
\\
l Yz"
(38mm)
\\
14" (356mm)
21" (533mm)
15 Yz" (394mm)
\
Y2"
VB" (9mm)
1" (25mm)
6'11" (l59mm)
_------eL
(5 1mm)
137
-N)_
I" (25mm)
LEG. COLUMN.
AND FOOT JOINTS
1'IJ" (38mm)
3" (76mm)
\
2W'
(70mm)
W' (I 9mm)
Ir
'
\\
3" (76mm)
I! l" (I3mm)
---- _-...
I W'
(38mm)
(44mm)
~.> E1fl
.
\."'-
ft
;:':-(38"''''1
3" (76mm)
138
SECTION B
2 Ys" (60mm)
l 1fL'
CARVING DETAIL
Va" (l6mm)
:
I
I
I
I
I
I+-..".---
I
I
'A" (6mm)
4%"
2Ys"
(60mm)
(l24mm)
( -n"" (9onon)
2Ys"
'A" (6mm)
(60mm)
Va" (l6mm)
1\ f
W (6mm)
!!.I" (l9mm)
Ys" (9mm)
SECTION B
I" (25mm)
I W (44mm)
16" (406mm)
Ys" (9mm)
2Y4"
(70mm)
I" (25mm)
'/ 2" (l Jmm)
1W (38mm)
5" (l27mm)
--t~
1" (25mm)
139
ROCKER MECHANISM
INSIDE SUPPORT
POST
END VIEW
OF SPINDLE
2Yz"
(63mm)
"
Yz" (l3mm)
W' (l9mm)
\ "
~~J
l W' (44mm)
1 Yz" (38mm)
2Yz"
1Y4"
(63mm)
(44mm)
VB" (l6mm)
1J
1 '14" (32mm)
W'
(I9mm) 1
1W' (44mm)
!l
1,4" (6mm)
2 111" -')
i ;~m)
140
\~
17
Fiftccnth~qcntury
Door
pin s, one each at the top and bottom . These pin s are
in turn set into sockets in th e door lintel and th e sill
plat e, which in medieval buildings usually sat above
th e floor boards. Though having th e sill plate above th e
floor may have been a nui sance when someone moved
from room to room, it greatly facilita ted th e construction of post-and-bea m walls.
Because th ere is no locking mech an ism on thi s doo r,
it may not technically have an interior and an exterior
face; however, judging from its locati on at Mount
Grace Priory, th e flat side of th e door sho uld be considered th e outer side and th e face with th e cross braces
th e inside. C on struction of thi s piece may appear quite
simple, but brace yourself for a real cha llenge .
Materials
The door is made ent irely of oak. The wooden nails
also sho uld be oak, because th ey are such a visible part
of th e structure. The door itself can be made of eithe r
white or red oak, and could conceivably be made of a
different wood, but th e wooden nails must be made of
white oak, because it is much harder th an most other
woods. The hinge pin s, or swing pin s, sho uld be made
of maple or birch, which are more resistant to wear
th an oak.
Nails
Because th e entire structure is held together with
wooden nails, the y sho uld be th e first items made. The
overall len gth of th e finished nails is 3 inches (76mm),
but they will be easier to handle while th ey are being
carved if th ey are worked, one at a time, from lengths
of stock about 1 foot (305mm) in length. You sho uld
be able to carve about three nails from a l-foot (305mm)
len gth of oak stock.
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
An interesting feature of thi s door is th at it is held
together with wooden nails. They are not simply pegs,
as are most wood- to-wood fasteners, but are fully developed nails, with a head on one end, carved from oak.
The door is made even more int eresting by having
no visible hinges. The main carrying timb er (the plank
on th e hinge end of th e door) is set with two large
141
H. 71 1,4", W. 30".
142
143
144
Chamfering
Using a ch isel or router, cut th e decorati ve cha mfer on
the ca rrying tim ber, in th e spaces between th e cross
braces, as shown on th e inside face drawin g. A lso, cut
a lA-inc h (6mm) cha mfer along th e outside edges of
th e carrying timber. This will reduc e th e clearan ce
necessary to swing th e door open and closed.
Latch
C ut th e two latch supports, sho wn in profile in th e end
view drawin g of the latch, and also cut th e lat ch bolt ,
shown in th e straigh t-on view of th e latch mech ani sm.
Finally, make two doorknobs. Although th e knobs
appear fairl y round in profile (side, cutaway view
drawin g), th ey are nearly square when viewed straigh t
145
MATERIALS
WOOD
The door can be red o r white oak , but the wooden nails mu st be white oak. The swing pins should be
either maple o r birch.
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
carrying timber
2 114" (57mm)
8" (203mm)
7 P!4" (l m81Omm)
door boards
I" (25mm)
7 1/ z" (l90mm)
71 W' (Im810mm)
door board
I " (25mm)
7 1/ z" (190mm)
71 ';4" (lm81Omm)
cross braces
I" (25mm)
4" (102mm)
latch bolt
I " (25mm)
1 'Ys" (41mm)
latch supports
I" (25mm)
l '/z" (38mm)
7%" (l 97mm)
knobs
I Vz" (38mm)
1 'lz'1(38mm)
2" (5 1mm)
Vz" (13mm)
Vz" (13mm)
shaft
swing pins
3 '14" (82mm)
PART
WIDTH
LENGTH
146
Finish
Sand the door, then give it a natural oil finish as
described in cha pter 3.
Hanging the Door
The door as originally con structed was hung at the
same time th at th e frame around it was install ed. The
upright posts on either side of the door were morti sed
into the sill plate, and the lintel above th e door was
morti sed int o th e upright posts. The swing pin on th e
bottom of th e door was set int o a receiving hole in
the sill plate, and the post and lintel assembly dropped
into place from above. As the tenons on the door posts
dropped int o the morti ses in the sill plate, the swing
pin on top of the door fitted int o a receiving hole in
the lintel.
The receivin g holes must be sligh tly larger than the
swing pins to allow the door to move easily, but not so
147
n
\rl~
fd;;\?~~..~o-o-l:: : o: ~:~/~~:;tc,\J\tt't=(I:{~m)
!J\1.
IN SIDE FACE
1'14" (32 m m)
2" (5Imm)
~
I"
!(25mm)
..... -
4--><.----/--r-
:1 .1
Vz" (13mm) -/
1\
\\
-+\----++-+-----
3" (76mm)
15W'
Ii
-1\\ (I
.I
3" (76mm)
Lo--o-o.
o ~~ o
Jd 1\ II \ I
) I1//
-...-
SECT ION A
i
17"
(432mm)
71'14"
(I m8 1Omm)
2'14"
'. (5 7mm )
to
n ....
..
o 0.-
4" (102mm)
(400m m)
4" (I02mm)
\
\
I" (25mm)
I )/ \
\
33 " (838mm)
16"
(406mm)
-' "--
lfG=o 0=:=0
// / I
(f
0-> n
7"
(I 78mm0
I. t v:
(I90m m)
(I9~m)
f
r1\ I \
++
7 Yz"
(I90mm)
I"
(I9 mm)
~--~---Jl--~--:-.......Ll...-......:...L_-"T""T.--_--L-
I" (25mm) \
.u
8"
(203mm)
71.~Yz"
148
J/"
14
v, " \
\\
/
\ I
(63m m)
I"
(25mm) (25mm)
I I \
(I9mm)
DOOR MOUNTIN GS
1" (2Smm) \ .
1',4" (32mm)
W]
~;<~,.~/
{~-"_.:"E!--VI{>')'; I~
WOODEN NAIL
'/1" (l I mm)
6"
W
(I9mm)
6"
(IS2m m)
~D
(1' ~
)/
)j
DfDODz/
END VIEW
W' (I 3mm)
VB" (I6mm)
--~,,~
1" (2Smm)
r--~r7Ti:-n::::::::::==:::;::
1" (2Smm)
1
- - ~+-+1I't1-_
...---
1"(2Sm~ f
FRONT VIEW
1" (2Smm)
1_--==:->n~::::f'=tI:~
r--..L....tFFfl' <::rl
-i
149
18
~Iastonbury
Ohair
Framing Members
With th e exception of th e arms, all of th e framing
memb ers of th e ch air pieces can be plan ed down from
mill-dimen sion 2-by-4-inch (51-by-102mm) oak. The
arms require an 8-inc h (203mm) wide board; by interlocking th e narrow ends of th e arms when laying th em
out before sawing , both arm s can be cut from a single
3 Vz-foot (lm67mm) lon g board. The legs and th e side
rails on th e seat and back are all 1 inch (25mm) thi ck,
but th e legs are 2 ~ inches (70mm) wide and th e side
rails are 3 inches (76mm) wide.
Seat and Back Panels
On th e origina l cha irs, th e seat and back pan els were
made from a single ~- i nch (l 9mm) thi ck oak board,
but even in th e centuries-old copy shown here th ey are
made of two board s glued together along th e joining
edge. I recommend gluin g togethe r seat and back
panel s th at are three boards wide, rather th an two, for
reasons of econo my. Do not use oak venee r plywood .
When the panels are cut down to fit into th e rabbeted
grooves in th e frame memb ers, th e plywood would lose
strength , and the layers of th e ply would show on th e
back side of each panel.
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
This marvelous chair may be th e most visually striking
piece of furniture in thi s book. It is also th e most difficult to construct. Not on ly is th e carving ext en sive and
detailed, but some of the joints are trickier than they
151
AND PILGRIM H OT EL, GLASTONBURY, E NGLAN D. COU RTES Y GEO RGE AND PI LGRIM H OT EL P HOTOGRAPH BY
152
COLLECTION OF GEORGE
D. T YLER H U FF.
Use standard mill-dimension l-b y-o-inch (25-by152mm) and l-by-Svinch (25-by-203mm) oak boards.
The seat, because it is wider th an th e back, is made of
two l-by-Svinch (25-by-203mm) and one l-bv- S-inch
(25-by-152mm) board. The back is made from two
l-by-ti-in ch (25-by-152mm) and one l-by-Sv inch
(25-by-203mm) board. All ow an extra Y.t inch (19mm)
in both th e height and width of th ese panels to provide
the tongue th at seats int o th e rabbeted groove in th e
frame th at goes around both th e seat and back.
The cha mfers were origina lly shaped with a drawknife or a plane, but th ey can more easily be cut on a
table saw or router. Using a drawknife or plane will
give th e cha mfers the sligh tly irregular surface found
on the origina l pieces.
The seat and back panel s join together along th e
cross rail located und erneath th e back panel. The seat
panel inte rsects thi s rail at an angle of about 110 degrees
to the back. To allow th e seat board to fit properly int o
the cha mfer in th e cross rail, the cha mfer slot will have
to be cut on a 20-degree angle.
Notch the rear edge of th e seat panel to fit around
the side rails of th e back. To ensure a tight fit, assemble
the back structure, place th e seat board between its
side rails, and slide thi s unit into position over th e back
struct ure. O nce positioned, it sho uld be easy to mark
where the seat will need to be not ched.
Framing Construction
The origina l cha irs were made witho ut th e use of glue.
The large dowels th at extend th rough th e side rails and
int o the cross rails of th e seat and back were held in
place by small dowels, as illustrated in details A and B.
This combina tion of large and small dowels held the
back and seat frames togeth er, which in turn held
the back and seat panels in place. For thi s procedure
to work properly, you must have a good, sn ug fit at all
of the major joints. A snug fit mean s th at th e pieces
sho uld go together with a firm tap with th e palm of
your hand . The small dowels, of which there are eight
(one con nec ting each large dowel on th e seat and back
into the cross members, and one in each of th e two
dowels in th e leg stretcher), sho uld need to be driven
lightl y into place with a mallet . C ut th e small dowels
1 or 2 inches (25-51mm) lon ger th an necessary, and
trim th em off carefully with a knife after the y have
been driven int o place.
If you wish, you can replace th e small dowels with
screws. The heads of th e screws sho uld be countersunk
114 inch (6mm) beneath the surface , and th e hole
153
MATERIALS
WOOD
All wood is oak, except the dowels and wedges, which are maple.
NUMBER
OF PIECES
THICKNESS
arms
1 114 11 (32mm)
8 11 (203mm)
42 11 (lm67mm)
legs
111 (25mm)
2 314 11 (70mm)
27 11 (686mm)
side rails
111 (25mm)
3 11 (76mm)
seat rails
1 '14'1 (32mm)
2 314 11 (70mm)
18 11 (457mm)
1'14 11 (32mm)
18 11 (457mm)
leg stretcher
2'14" (57mm)
2'14" (57mm)
24 11 (61Omm)
panel boards
~ II
(l9mm)
8 11 (203mm)
48 11 (lm219mm)
panel boards
WI (l9mm)
6 11 (l52mm)
48 11 (Im219mm)
wedges
14 11
2 11 (51mm)
36 11 (914mm)
large dowel
72 11 (lm829mm)
sm all dowel
48 11 (Im219mm)
PART
(6mm)
WroTH
LENGTH
154
155
ARM,
TOP VIEW
TOP VIEW
5
H
1:-
---"L-
: - 4" (102mm)
27" (686mm)
156
-----1
FRONT VIEW
II---
----1
-------
DETAIL A
19 W (495mm )
22 'H' (571mm)
24" (61Omm)
---t1
1"
(25mm)
WEDGE DETAIL
2%" (70mm)
2W (63 mm) ~
.[rI" (25mm)
33" (838mm)
2 ",
(63mm)
157
'A" (6mm)
Yl" (13mm)
TOP RAIL, FRONT
15W' (394mm)
CARVINGS
BACK PANEL
SIDE RAILS
3"
I" (25mm) r-(76mm)1
~~~
"-1 t
158
DETAIL B
1
3'/ z" (89mm)
2" (5Imm)
14" (356mm)
LEFT ARM
OUTSIDE
27" (686mm)
159
INSIDE
RIGHT ARM
INSIDE
OUTSIDE
27" (686mm)
160
19
~irror[d
lijall ;8eone[
CONSTRUCTION NOTES
The actual construc tion of thi s interesting and highl y
decorati ve piece is relati vely simple. The orna te carving and the brass mirror, however, add cha llenge to
161
S CON CE, GERMANY, FIFTEENTH CENTURY. IRON, BRONZE, OAK, GLASS, AND EGG TEMPERA;
D. 5
H. 22 3/ 8" , W. 20",
3
/ 8 " . CLOISTERS COLLECTION, METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK CITY. COURTESY METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.
162
:x
Crest Board
The decorati ve crest board in which th e majority of
carving is executed is fairly thin; take care not to break
it. Incise th e rounded edge along th e botto m edge of
thi s board before beginning the carving.
Assembly
The pieces are now assembled with cut nails. Drill
pilot holes for the nails so th at th e wood does not split.
The heads of th e nail s sho uld be countersunk slightly.
Begin by nailing th e side panel s int o place on th e back
panel using 1Vz -inch (38mm) cut nails. Next, position
th e shelf board into place between th e side pan els, and
nail it into place using th e same size nails, first nailing
through th e side panel s into th e ends of th e shelf, and
th en through the top of th e shelf and downward into
th e back board . Finally, with th e sconce lying on its
Carvings
The execution of th e carving on both side panel s and
crest board will be time-consuming and laborious, but
the results sho uld be well worth the effort.
For stability, execute as much of th e carving as possible before cutting away the excess wood around th e
outline, or profile, of the side panels and the crest.
When you do cut th e profile, the board sho uld be lying
163
is sligh tly convex, the center bein g about I.4 inch (6mm)
higher than the outer edge. The decorative ring around
the outer edge is '/2 inch (l3mm) high and % inch
(l9mm) wide.
When the mold has been made, cut a circular piece
of brass .020 inch thick and 14 inches (356mm) in
diameter. The thinner the brass stock, the easier it will
stretch into the mold, but it should not be so thin
th at it tears during the working process or when it is
trimmed around th e edges. Locate th e center of thi s
disk and drill a small hole at th e center point. Tack the
mirror through thi s hole to th e center point of the
mold. Do not pull the brass tight against the mold, but
only tight enough to draw it down sligh tly at th e
center.
Make a forming tool from a piece of l-inch (25mm)
diameter wooden dowel or a l-inch (25mm) square
piece of wood about th e length of a pencil. Sand one
end so th at it is rounded into a half circle . Beginning
at th e outer edge of th e face of the mirror, inside the
decorative outer ring, gent ly rub th e brass int o place
against the surface of the mold with th e forming tool.
Hold th e brass in place with one hand so th at it does
not simply turn under the pressure. The brass is thin
enough that it will slowly stretch into place and take
the form of the mold. As the met al pulls int o shape,
it will become loose on the tack at th e center. As it
loosens, tap the tack down against th e back, never so
much th at it pulls the metal, but just enough for a
sligh t pressure. When th e face of the mirror has been
pulled completely into place, the tack sho uld be tight
against th e face of the mold.
When the face of the mirror has been formed, follow the same procedure to shape the decorative ring
around th e outer edge. This will require making two
more forming tools from smaller dowels, one 34 inch
(l9mm) in diameter and one Y2 inch (l3mm) in
diameter. As the mirror takes shape, th e extra metal
around th e outside of th e mold will twist and wrinkle.
As lon g as the wrinkles do not ext end int o the mirror
itself, do not be concerned.
When th e entire mirror has been shaped, carefully
remove the tack at th e center and take the mirror
out of the mold. Carefully trim off the wrinkled metal
around the outside edge with a small pair of metal
shears.
To polish the face of th e mirror, gen tly press the
mirror, face up, into a bed of sand deep enough th at
th e sand fills th e back of the mirror. This will provide
support so th at you can polish the thin metal without
164
Corner Decorations
The decorati ve painting work in th e tri angular areas at
the four corne rs of th e back panel are th ought to be
late add itions to thi s piece, so th eir inclusion is purely
a matter of taste. The designs on th ese panels are
heraldic coa ts of arms, but th ey are so deteriorated
th at copying th em exactly would be nearly impossible.
They are paint ed in reverse on glass panels, but because
their age is unknown, it is uncert ain whether they are
executed in egg tempera or oil paint. Egg tempera will
adhere fairly well to clean glass, but if you wish to use
oil paint, check at an art sto re for a material that you
spray onto the glass before painting so th at the paint
will adhere properly.
Have a professional glass cutter cut pieces of glass
to fit int o the triangular areas at the corners of the
sconce. Because the tri an gular areas are probably not
quite symmetrical, be cert ain th at you know which
pane fits into which area, and which is th e front and
rear face of each pane.
O n paper, sketch heraldic designs, based on th e
surviving designs shown in th e drawings, to fit th e triangular glass panes. The painting process will be easier
if th e sketches are rend ered in full color. Then lay a
pane of glass face side down on top of th e color sketch
and paint th e design directl y onto th e back of the
glass. Be sure to paint on th e side of th e pane th at will
lie against the back board, not th e surface th at will be
exposed. To paint in reverse, you must first paint any
fine line details, allow th em to dry, then paint the large
color areas over top of th em. The process may sound
confusing, but a little practice will make it clear.
165
Candle Cup
The decorative candle cup is essentially to catch dripping wax as it falls from the candle. The cup is made
from a piece of .020 gauge metal lVz inches (38mm)
high and 6% inches (l71mm) long.
Trace the fleur-de-lls design along one edge of the
metal for the candle cup. Cut out the design with very
sharp metal shears or, preferably, jeweler's shears, and
use pin files to file the edges smooth. To keep from
bending the metal, it must be held in a vise very close
to the area being worked. This will require frequent
turning and repositioning of the metal. If the metal
becomes slightly bent during the working process, it
can be gently hammered flat again.
When the design has been cut out, gently roll the
stock into a cylinder 2 inches (5Imm) in diameter.
This should allow an overlap of approximately Vz inch
(l3mm). Clamp the cylinder together, drill two Vs-inch
(3mm) holes along the overlapped seam, and insert
small rivets into the holes, with the heads on the
inside of the cylinder. Peen the rivets into place and
remove the clamp.
The top of this cylinder must now be flared outward.
The flaring process must done with a mold form in the
same way that the mirror was worked into a mold . Into
a block of wood 2 inches (5lmm) in thickness, latheturn a cup-shaped mold. The mold should have the
same dimensions and curved sides as the exterior surface of the candle cup, as shown in the drawing. Set
the metal cylinder into the mold, decorative edge
toward the bottom. Using a %-inch (l9mm) dowel rod
as a tool, slowly work the sides of the cylinder into the
form of the mold by rubbing the dowel rod back and
forth around the inner surface of the cylinder. The
metal will slowly stretch to the form of the mold.
Cut a disk 2% inches (70mm) in diameter from a
piece of metal the same weight as the sides of the
candle cup . Inside of this disk, draw another circle 2 '14
inches (57mm) in diameter. At 14-inch (6mm) intervals, cut V-shaped notches around the outer edge of
the circle . Cut the notches to the depth of the inner
circle . Remove the cutouts, then bend the remaining
tabs at right angles to the metal circle to form a shallow tray, 2 '14 inches (57 mm) across and 114 inch (6mm)
166
MATERIALS
WOOD
The wood can be pine, poplar, mah ogany, or other straigh t-graine d soft wood.
NUMBER
OF PIECES .
THICKNESS
back board
VB" (22mm)
9" (229mm)
18" (457mm)
back board
VB" (22mm)
10 (254mm)
18" (457mm)
crest board
%" (9mm)
3Vz" (89mm)
soffit board
Vz" (13mm)
4 lfs" (l05mm)
18" (457mm)
end panels
1" (25mm)
5" (l27mm)
21VB" (549mm)
PART
LENGTH
WIDTH
METAL
All met al is bar stock or round stock steel, except the mirror, which is brass.
PART
NUMBER
OF PIECES
LENGTH
WIDTH
THICKNESS
JA" (l9mm)
6 11t" (l59mm)
18" (457mm)
l ilt" (32mm)
3" (76mm)
%" (9mm)
8W' (222mm)
1" (25mm)
V16" (2mm)
3116" (5mm)
3" (76mm)
candle cup
.020
l ilt" (32mm)
tv:
candle base
VB" (3mm)
mirror
.020 (brass)
14" (356mm)
forged nails
12
1" (25mm)
cut nail s
12
1ljz'1 (38mm)
hanger straps
VB" (3mm)
hanger rings
mounting plat e
1/16" (2mm)
%" (9mm)
167
(l90mm)
14" (356mm)
168
FRONT VIEW
SIDE VI EW
rI
1(
5"
%" (9mni.)
(l 27mm)
1
3 1/ z"
(89mm)
~~~~~~~~~~~~-----tL-
3 Yl" (89mm)
18 Vz"
(470mm)
\L
~ 6" (l5'mml
18" 1457mm)
=l
Y4" (l9mm)
\. I" (2Smm)
CROSS SECTION
Yl" (I3mm)
(
1 ~
wI,=r:
----.-
Vz" (l3mm)
Va" (l6mm)
{ \
'I
(3~~~) 1
- -)12mm
(-f-
169
W'
I"
7:
(~~
-:)-+--I/;-z''
(2Smm)
(l9mm).~
"
%" (l9mm)
-
---"'l\'-
rj
7-
--t
5" (l 27mm )
- -- - t
2"
(slmm)
3 Yz" (89mm)
BRACKET CUTAWAY
5" (l27mm)
VB" (9mm)
4 '!4" (108mm )
170
HANGER
"
Va" (l 6mm)
~ 1 '14" (32m m)
J!',
1W (38mm)
W (6mm)
Ijz" (l3mm)
(38mm)
11--- - - 3" (76mm)
5"
(I 27mm)
1w' ~
~ w
(22mm)1
(l9mm)
2Yz" (63mm)
-t---~.-~
CANDLE BASE
~--
2 Ys" (54mm)
) " (76mm)
~ j "" 1
""
PIN
(19mm) (19mm)
6Yz" (l65mm)
lis" (9mm)
l ~ W (3mm)
CANDLE CUP
2Y4" (70m m)
-1
I" (25mm)
/. "
1'14" (32mm)
(l3 mm)
1-L-
Va" (l6mm)
,L
171
~~w (Jmm)
'#
~~
COLUMN BASE
1---"P'~'450
W' (I9mm)
6" (I52mm)
<
W (l Irnm)
1J!4" (44mm)
W (ornm)
SW (216mm)
---.,.--
"VB" (22mm)
------r
I Yz" (3Smm)
j,
~"
1 "VB" r
(I9mm)
"
1)
(22mm)
I" (25mm)
SYz" (216mm)
'Iz" (13mm)
I" (25mm)
6" (I52mm)
172
APPENDIX A
Furniture Locations
Hall. The hall dates from the twelfth through the sixteenth centuries and is one of the homes of the Duke
of Rutland. Haddon Hall, which is open to the public,
has appeared in films such as The Princess Bride and
Jane Eyre. For more information, write to the Estate
Office, Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 lLA,
England.
173
HADDON HALL, BAKEWELL, ENGLAND. COURTESY H A DDON H A LL. PH OTOG RAPH BY D. T YLER H UFF.
O xford Chest
T his chest, in the private collection of Merto n Co llege, Oxfo rd Un iversity, Oxfo rd, England, has been
with th e college since its construct ion . A ltho ugh the
chest is not on public view, a visit to Merton Co llege
and Ox ford University is an experience in histor y th at
sho uld not be missed.
Curule Chair
This fine cha ir is owned by Daniel Mehn, a furnituremaker who produces a variety of medieval copies and
adaptations. For a brochure of h is products, write to
Daniel Mehn, 1820 S. C arrollton Ave., New Orleans,
LA 70118-2830 .
Monastic Canopy Bed and Fifteenth-Century Door
The commun ity of hermetic monks at Mount Grace
Priory lived in virt ual isolation , not on ly from th e outside world, but also from each other, spending most of
th eir lives inside th eir small cells. The furn ishings, like
th e buildings, are recon structi ons. This restored priory,
located in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England ,
was spared the destruction of Henry Vlll's dissoluti on
of th e monasteries and is a remarkable place to visit.
174
Glastonbury Chair
The Gl astonbury ch air copy is locat ed in th e George
and Pilgrim Hotel , # 1 High St. , G laston bury, Somerset,
England . This hotel, located on ly a few hundred feet
from th e entrance to th e ruins of G lasto n bury A bbey,
origina lly served as a hostelry for pilgrims coming to
th e abbey. King Henry VIII stayed th e night here,
watching as his troops sacked and burned th e abbey.
For reservation s, call 1-458-831146.
The origina l Gl astonbury cha ir, owned by John
Arthur Thorne, is located in th e Bishop's Palace,
Wells, Somerset, and is open to public view but was
un available to be photograph ed.
NOTE: Several of the sites from which the furniture was selected for thi s book, including the Medieval Merchant 's House and Mount G race
Priory, are in the care of English Heritage, an organization th at operates over thr ee hundred historical sites in England and Sco tland, many
of which hold re-creationist events th roughout the year. Discount cards and memberships are available. For more information, contac t
English Heritage, C ustomer Services Department , 23 Saville Rd., London WXl lAB, United Kingdom.
175
APPENDIX B
of ~edieoal
accoutrements
~ources
Sanctuary
C ustomer Service Ce n ter
P.O . Box 641129
Los Angeles, C A 90064-6129
A collection of medieval and medieval-inspired
accessories and decorative items assembled by
en terta iner C her. Ca ta log $3.
SOURCEBOOK
Ye Old Pages
c/o Kalligraph ika
P.O. Box 328 102
Farmin gton , MI 48332
A sourcebook for more than two hundred companies cate ring to the medieval marketplace.
or
GIFTWARE
or
Design Toscano
17 E. Ca mpbell St .
Arlington Height s, IL 60005
High-quality stat uary, sculpture, and tapestries.
Catalog $4.
Acorn Alchemy
c/o Melinda Sh oop
1500 West Mead, Apt #3
Yakima, WA 98902
Soaps and scen ts.
177
ORGANIZATIONS
Richard III Foundation Inc.
47 Summit Ave.
Garfield, NJ 07026
These folks are on a crusade, trying to clean up the
much maligned reputation of the last Yorkist to hold
the throne of England .
CLOTHING
Museum Replicas Limited
P.O. Box 840 MK
Conyers, GA 30012
Produces and sells good-quality period clothing,
battle-ready arms and armor, jewelry, and accessories.
Raiments
P.O. Box 93095
Pasadena, CA 91109
Patterns and supplies for the do-it-yourself medieval
tailor.
Chivalry Sports
7718 E. Wrightstown Rd., Ste, 210
Tucson, AZ 85715
Good-quality medieval clothing, patterns, and
accessories.
178
Indo
179
Metalworking, 7
banding, 12
bending right angles, 9
distressing metal, 12
forging metal, 9-12
lock plates, 12
locks, 12-15
makin g hinges, 12
materi als, 9
nails, 15
tools, 7
types of metal used in, 9
using mandrel , 9- 12
Met ropolitan Museum of Art , C loisters bran ch,
19,91,1 61,173
phot ograph of, I 73
Middle Ages, xi
Mount G race Priory, 101, 141, 174
O il
boiled linseed, 17
tun g, 17
Faldstoo l, 151
Finishes, 17
clear, 17
paint ed, 17-1 8
Food and drink, sources for, 178
Ge nuine O ld English brand polish, 17
George and Pilgrim Hotel, 151, 175
Gesso, 18
G ifrware, sources for, 177
G lastonb ury Abbey, 151, 175
Haddon Hall, 43, 63, 73, 173
pho tograph of, 174
Henr y Vill (kin g of Englan d), 101, 151, 175
Hin ges, 12
drawing of, 13-14
Jamestown Distributo rs, 15
Joint s, drawings of, 3, 4
Kilwardbv, Archbi shop, 51
Lock plates, 12
Locks, 12-1 5
Mandrel, 7
drawing of, 8
using the, 9- 12
Medieval market place sourceboo k, 177
Medieval Merch ant 's House, 119, 131, 175
photograph of, 174
Mehn, Daniel, 8 1, 174
Merton Co llege, O xford U niversity, 51, 174
Metal
distressing, 12
forging, 9- 12
types of, 9
Nails, 15
hand -forged, sources for, 15
North Fields Restoration , 2
Old House]ournal , 15
Old House] ournal Supply Catalogue, 15
O rganizations, 178
Paint
art ist's, 18
inte rior, 18
Philadelphi a Museum of Art , 35, 173
Rich , Bob, 25, 173
Roman Catho lic ch urch, 63
Scone, mirrored wall, 161, 173
assembly, 163-64
back panel, 161- 63
candle cup, 166- 68
candl e cup arm, 165- 66
candle cup and arm assembly, 166
candle holder, 166
carvings, 163
corne r decorat ion s, 165
crest boa rd, 163
drawings for, 169-72
finishin g, 164
hanging straps, 168
materi als for, 167
mirror, 164- 65
photograph of, 162
priming wood for, 163
side pan els, 163
Table, high , 43, 173
columns, 45-46
drawings for, 48-50
feet, 47
materials for, 43, 46
phot ograph of, 44
180
riser blocks, 47
too ls for, 44
top, 45
Tapestries, 25
Thorne, John A rthur, 151
Tremont Nail, 15
CONSTRUCTING MEDIEVAL FURNITURE offers you designs for building 16
reprodu tions of furnishings from the Middle Ages. The detailed plans are based on
careful study and measurement of rare originals. and the complete, step-by-step
instructions. materials lists. and notes on woodworking. meta lworking, and finishes
provide you with the means for recreating these pieces accurately in your own home
shop.
Everything you need to furnish a well-appointed manor house is included:
STACKPOLE
BOOKS
$19.95 U.S.
Printed in the U.S.A.