Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fine Woodworking's
e.
FOR
~-rru'-"'-
W O
- ---~-re
O D W O R K E R S
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READER SERVICENO. 1
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READER SERVICENO. 41 READER SERVICENO. 67
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W IN T ER 1 9 94 3
hGme
IlfUf lliture
WINTER 1994 N O.1
Departments Features
Hom e Furnit ure (ISSN 1076-8327) is published quarterly, Winter, Spring, Summ e r, Fall, by Th e Taunt on Press, Inc., Newto w n, cr 06470-5506.Telephon e (203) 426-
8171 Appli cation to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at Newtown, cr 06470-5506 and at additio na l mai ling o ffices. U.S. newsstand distribu tion by lCD,
Th e Hearst Cor p., 250 West 55th Street , New York, NY 10019and Eastern News Distribu tors , Inc., 1130 Clevela nd Road, Sandusky, OH 44870. GST #RI23210981.
Furniture Collection
Writing Desk
BY JOHN G A L LA G H ER 82 Marble Top Accents 46 A Shaker-Inspired
80 Japanese Floor Lamp
BY HAR LA N M ATHEWS
Oak Sideboard Cupboard
52 Details Make New BY GARY I . W . SPYKMAN BY AAR ON HIL TEB EI TE L
Table Look Old
BY MARIO RODRIGUE Z 54 Painted Blanket Chest BEDROOM
CHAIRS BY HA RRY L . SMITH FURNITURE
56 Curly Oak Sideboard
BY ROBBIE ST A PL ES 34 Side Chair 63 Entertainment Center 65 Craftsman-Style Bed
and Armchair BY lAMES D ESA LV O
BY ROBERT ERFLE
58 Desk 's Ge ntle Curves BY DAVID MARGONELLI
Give it an Asian Feel 74 Carved Details
BY AN T H ONY KA HN 50 Chippendale Enliven Bedroom Set
Dining Chairs BY MICHAEL AND
60 Chess Table BY ROB WIGGENHORN REB EC C A JESSE
Shows off
Contrasting Veneers 78 Rocker Designed
BY G REG O RY GUENTHER for Comfort
BY TIMOTHY CLA RK
Postmaste r: Send add ress changes to HOllie Furnitu re, Th e Taunton Pre ss, Inc., 63 s. Main St., P.O . Bo x 5506, Newtow n, CT 06470-5506. Printe d in the USA
letters
hGme't-11~
PHOTOGRAPHS potential to do justice to a powerful
CAN TELL THE STORY and neglected part of woodworking.
Your new magazine may address
areas that have been missing in your
All of us want to underst and our
brethren , to know why the classicist is
. rurrulUJ.e
MANAGING EDITOR
othe r publi cations, es pe cially in repulsed by the co ntemporary style, Scott Gibson
utilizing ph otos or drawings of the wh y the conte mpo rary maker is FOUNDING EDITOR
pieces them selves, inside and out. uninspired by the architectural grace William Sa mpson
Woodwo rke rs, part icularly of classicism and wh eth er "public ART DIRECTOR
j odie Delohery
profession als, rely up on o ne ano ther taste" is an imp ortant consideration or
A SSOCIATE EDITOR S
for assistance and inspir ation , and we just a contradiction in term s. Hom e Vincent Laure nce, Alec Waters,
wo uld rather not wade through Furniture will meet the challenge if it Cha rley Robin son
len gthy text wh en a photo speaks looks beyond blade s and glue and the A SSISTANT EDITOR S
j onathan Bin z en, Zacha ry Gaulkin
quite eloque ntly itself. A "sound-bite" drafting table to find the desire,
COPY /PRODUCTION EDITOR
form at see ms to be in keeping with dreams, folly and madn ess that lie at 1110mas C McKenna
the current inform ation evolution, the heart ofreal design decision s. I EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
and it is one that I prefer, given the look forwa rd to its success. David Roman
increasing dem ands for my attention. -J oseph Bea ls, Marshfield, Mass. DESIGN DIRECTOR
Furthe r, sources of supply for hard-to- Susa n Edelman
find hardware and materials, not the THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN EDITOR -IN -CHIEF
john Lively
execution, is often o ne of the most I wa s happy to hear abo ut the laun ch
CIRCULATION MANAGER
difficult aspects of a project. of Hom e Furniture. It seems like an Brenda Hamilton
Because the inform ation-highway excellent venue to highlight so me of PUBLIC RELATIONS
idea has been broach ed , how about the be autifully designed and crafted Do nna Pierpon t
offering a ge ne ric CAD-base d furniture currently being made . I also PUBLISHER
blueprint service for those wh o use envision this publi cation as a place james P Chiave//i
co mputers to facilitate their projects? both to receive and to offer ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER
Your pion eering efforts in this area inspiration , and to share ideas and Dick West
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAG ERS
may o pe n new dimen sions to the approac hes to furniture des ign. And I Barney Barrett, Norman Sippel
entire woodworking field. hope to see in-depth features by and SENIOR ADV ERTISING COORDINATO R
-Spider Johnson , Mason, Texas about individual furnitur e artists, as I Kath ryn Simo nds
think there is a great need for this.
TO CONTACT THE TAUNTON PRESS
LOOKING BEYOND Once a person 's techni cal expe rtise TELEPHONE: (800) 283-7252
SAWBLADES AND GLUE in woodw orking and finishing (203) 426-8171
FAX: (203) 426 -34 34
Metho ds of joinery and finish in fine evo lves to a certain level, the design SUBSCRIPTIONS:
woodwork are always of interest but process itself becom es one of the Orders: (800) 888-8286
Custome r Serv ice: (800) 477 -872 7
typically receive more attentio n than most exciting aspects of ADVERTISING SALES: (800) 283-7252 x 51 2
the mechanics of design-the form , furnituremaking. The challenge is to RETAIL SALES: (800) 283 -7252 x 238
function, intuition and inspir atio n that achieve the ability to craft the visual
Copyright 1994 by The Taunt on Press, Inc. No rep rodu ction
drives a maker toward a part icular language, to direct the eye of the witho ut permission of The Taunto n Press, Inc. Subscription
aesthe tic goa l. Because there is never beh old er and to create emo tional rates : U. S. an d possession s, $20 for one year, $38 fo r two
years, $54 for three years; outside the U. S. and possess ions,
enough roo m in four or five magazi ne respo nses within the viewer. $25 for o ne year, $48 for two years, $68 for three years (in U.S.
dollars, please). Single co py, $5.95. Single co pies o utside the
pages to discuss both me tho ds of Furniture design can be as simple or U. S. and possession s: $6.95. Add ress all co rrespo nde nce to
work a nd meth ods of design , a as co mplex as you wish . Profound the appro priate dep artment (Subscription, Editorial or Adver-
tisin g), The Taunt on Press, 63 South Main Stree t, P. O. Box
desig n-focused magazine has the impac t can be achieved throu gh 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506.
6 HOME FURNITURE
constantine' S ,.........
\'l'l1-'l~ _\,:\; ~
i6fIj...........iiAiMilllIlliii~
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Here's the one thing
, '.: " BUILD, REPAIR,
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anything made of wood!
Belgiam don't waftle on
It's the catalog woodworkers rely on-120
pages jam-packed withfinewoods, veneers,
. " tools, finishing supplies and much more-all
, top quality, all reasonably priced, all with
our GO-day no-questions-asked guarantee.
'e -
Foryour2-year subscription send $1.00 to:
WINTER 1 9 94 7
letters (continued)
simple as we ll as co mplex means. I have reservatio ns whether design craft-is indeed not adequately
And yet trivia, or whimsicality, or jest, can be effectively addressed in a represented, and amateur
or any number of other effects also magazine. Even peopl e presum ably woodworkers, as we ll as
may be rendered in either great we ll-grounded in design-architects professionals (I fit so mewhere in
complexity or great simplicity. like Frank Lloyd Wright an d between), would, in fact, profit from
And of co urse, if it is a chair, we Mackintosh-produ ced furniture such a pu blication.
must still be ab le to sit in it. (And it designs that are just (I think) awful Addressing the topic of design and
must be comfortable!) If it is a table, because they are unusable. Some of the "whys" behind it make it
the to p shou ld be flat and of proper the best design innovations- like Sam especially valuab le to many skilled
dining heigh t. And it sho uld work Maloof's chair-bac k detail-arose craftspeople for whom that aspect
within its environment. In short, from fiddling with sticks of wood, not represents a major hurdl e.
furniture design in its many aspects from pap er designs. It takes so me The furniture produced toda y
turns out to be quite a juggling act sensitivity to recognize these things. ranges from classic reproductions to
and something worth delving into. But I wo uld agree that exposure to a all-out modern. While avant-garde
So whether o ne is working within wide variety of desig ns is a great designers and furniruremakers knock
already established furniture-design stimulus, Aesop said it: "Example is out o ne-of-a-kind artsy pieces-no
traditions, such as Queen Anne or the bes t precept." quarrel with that as we need these
Chippendale, o r is bent on pursuing -Bill Krase, Mendocino, Calif. agents of change-there is also the
one's own artistic vision, there is need for some unifying agent that
plenty of room to let the soul fly, to be FIELD NEEDS wo uld give the movement a se nse of
creative and to have a good time. A UNIFYING AGENT direction. That is where I see the
- Gene McCall, Englewood, Fla. Whe n I first heard about Hom e potential of your magazin e.
Furn itu re, I thought, "Oh, no. Not - Voicu Marian, Alliance, Ohio
DESIGNING BY EXAMPLE ano ther woodworking magazine."
The magaz ine is to deal with furniture The newsstan d has nearly a dozen
Submitting an article. Home Furniture is
desig n by prece pt and exa mple. Why various publi cations on the subject, written by its readers, and we welcome
is it not called Furniture D esig n or and I already subscribe to four of manuscripts, photographs and suggestions.
Fine Furniture Des ign, the reby the m. But that was o nly my first We'll acknowledge submissions and return
capitalizing on your tradem ark titles? reaction . I think the subject of hom e material we can't use. We pay for articles
That would be mo re descriptive and furnishings- rep resenting a major we publish. For details, give us a call or
drop us a note.
not necessarily restrictive. slice in the pie of the woodworking
8 HOME FURNITURE
It's our feeling that every piece different scroll saws, nine table everytoolwe make. Without com-
of wood is a project waiting to hap- saws, five band saws-the listgoes promise.
pen. Andthat inside every wood- on and on. The toolsyou see here have
worker is the urge to turn that We've spent our entire history the same heft and precision we put
plank of cherry or maple or walnut satisfying the most demanding into our professional tools. Yet
intosomethingbeautiful, if onlyhe craftspeople- buildingquality into they're priced to fitnicely into any
had the right tools. shop. You don't have to be a pro to
That's where we enter the worklike one.
picture. At Delta,we've So before you start
been building pro- whacking away at that
fessionalquality beautiful piece of cherry
woodworking tools witha less than beautiful
for 75 years. The tool, call forthe name of
mostextensive line the nearest dealer, home
ofstationaryand center or hardware store
benchtop tools in carrying Delta tools. Delta
the industry. For International
the professional, ~~ Machinery
the do-it- Corp.,
yourselfer 800-438-2486.
and everyone in In Canada, 519-836-2840.
between. Which is Deltais a Pentair
why we make five Company. DIE
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A shopful of quality Delta 14" Drill Press,
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hosted by Norm Abram and 12"Portable Planer and 16" Scro ll Saw Type II. FOR 75 YEARS
The American Woodshop
with Sco tt Phillip s.
READER SERVICENO. 31
. the
drawing
board
If you've got a question about and a sharpener, plus a operated clam ping be used to position the
furniture design, The Drawing vinyl eraser and an mechan ism in its tip to template over your
Board is the place to get it an- arc hitect's sca le. For grasp the drawing lead. drawing.
swered. Drop us a note, and
drawi ng a circle or a rad ius, The leads are sharpened (RobertFerencsik designs
we'll try to help you. If a photo-
graph or a sketch helps illustrate you will need a co mpass or eas ily with a sma ll, rotating computerized woodworking
your dilemma, send it along. a circle template . This kit sharpe ne r and form a machinery and teachespart-time
Mail your queries to The Draw- w ill cos t about $50. high er quali ty point than a at the North Bennet Street School
ing Board, Home Furniture, The The board can be made pencil. Leads are gra ded by in Boston, Mass.)
Taunton Press, P. O. Box 5506,
New town, Conn. 06470-5506.
from a smooth piece of hardn ess and range from
plyw ood or medium- 9B (very soft) to 9H (very STICKLEY-STYLE LEGS
BASIC DRAFTING KIT density fibe rboard (MDF), hard). Something around H I'm thinking about
J don 't have room for a and altho ug h it can range or 2H w ill produce a crisp, building a Stickley-sty le oak
large drawing boa rd in my in size , it sho uld have dark line that copies well lounge chair, and J want it
shop, but J want to draw sq ua re co rne rs so that its and won't smear easily. Use to look authentic. I've
clear and accurate p lans opposite edges are pa rallel. a whi te, vinyl eraser for noticed that on many
f or my furniture p rojects. The short reference edge corrections; it's easy on origina l Stickley cha irs, all
What drawing supplies do J of the T-square will ride paper an d resists smearing. four sides ofthe chair leg
need to get started? along one edge of the An arc hitect 's scale is have a quartersawn look,
- B. Blake, Bowdoinham, Maine board and is used to draw requ ired if yo ur board is that is, displaying the oak's
Robert Ferencsik replies: At parallel horizontal lines. too small for full-scale ray flake. What are the
a minim um , you w ill need The triangle slides along drawings. It's a simple different ways J can
a drawing board, vellum the horizontal edge of the device with six scales that ach ieve this effect, and how
(a type of pa per), masking T-squa re and is used to allows yo u to make sca le was it achieved originally?
tape to sec ure the vellum, a draw parallel vertical lines. drawings. -F. Thomas, Cambridge, N. Y.
'l-square, a triangle, a lead A lead holder looks like a Drawings are usu ally
ho lder with draw ing leads pencil but has a button- done o n vellum. Vellum is Mark Taylor replies: The
substantial eno ug h to make answer rea lly depends on
permanent drawings that which Stickley piece you
co py and blu eprint we ll are referring to and the
bu t is transparent enough year in w hich the chair was
for overlays. The two most made. With five brothers
popular grades are 916 and and an uncle involved in
920, with 920 being slightly the trade, the Stickleys
heavier and less were a veritable dynasty of
transpa rent. furnituremakers.
A co mpass can be used For Gustav Stickley, the
for drawing a circle or a o riginator and philosopher
radius, but you can also use behind the Craftsman style,
a circle templ ate , which is a it was enough to lamin ate
transparent plastic pattern two pieces of qu artersawn
of vario us circle sizes , oa k together and ven eer
ranging in diam eter from over the seam. (In a
1/ 16 in. to 3 in. The patterns qu artersawn board, the
have ce nte rlines that can ann ual rings are
- ----
1 - - --
---
1-- - -
- .. - - - - -- -_ ,
- - --4 - - _
seemingly indiscriminately,
often on the same piece of
furniture.
I recomme nd that you go
spirals, ellipses and
other curves.
1\ French curve can
be used to crea te a
that in. Then shift the
curve until it
corresponds to the
next portion of the
-~-
----
-- ----
---- -- plans are available in
co ntempo rary publication s,
it is worth while go ing back
to the source. Stickley
that angles away from a
straight line. It can also be
manipulated to blend one
curve into another or to
costs und er $10.
(Seth Stem designs
and builds furnitur e in
Providence, R. I., and
Quartersawn oak veneer provided sho p drawings create reverse curves o r teaches at the Rhode Island
laminated over seam
for much of his furniture ogees. In furnitur e applica- School of Design.)
WINTER 1994 11
~n\!n's ~OOOs , JJnr.
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( E~!:'~~'~I!M~R )
If you require immediate information,
"...for overall fea tures
the Excalibur T-Slot use a FAX machine to call
210 Eighth St., So ., Lewiston, NY 14092 fen ce com es out first..." 1-905-887-5798 .
(416) 291-81 90 -Fine Woodworking Magazine Enter extension 700 whe n requested
FAX (416) 293-2076
READERSERVICENO. 73
Questions on finishes? Our experts will help. effect is sho rt-lived and fades quickly and stains are toxic when ingested;
Let us know what finishing problem you 're due to its expos ure to ultraviolet light. others are not. Using federa l Food
trying to solve. We'll get a veteran finisher to
My colleague also has attempted and Drug Administration (FDA)
provide the information you need. Send your
questions to The Finish Line, Home Furni- aging che rry with lye, but results have certified food dyes in your
ture , The Taunton Press, P. O. Box 5506, been poor. The one system he woodwo rking business will ensure
Newtown, Conn. 06470-5506. approves of is a solution of one that your projects are safe. The FDA
teasp oon of potassium dichromate in has evaluated and certified severa l
MATCHING 3 oz . of water. Apply liberally to the dyes and pigments as safe for use in
NEW WOOD TO OLD surface and allow to dry. The foo ds, drugs and cosmetics. One
As a person who restores period potassium dichro mate, a strong source for these FDA-approved dyes
American furniture, / am frequently oxidizing age nt, reacts with tannic and pigmen ts is Pylam Produ cts Co.,
faced with matching wood that has acid naturally present in the wood to Inc., 1001 Stewart Ave., Garden City,
ga ined a ha rd-to-match patina over result in a lasting, darkening effect. N. y. 11530; (516) 222-1750.
years ofuse. / am interested in This techn ique wo rks only with These approved dyes are only
techniques that can age new wood to woods that have tanni c acid in their available as primary colors (yellow,
match old wood. / am particularly fibe rs. Woods that do n't contain blue, etc.) with catchy names like Red
interested in techniques for aging tann ic acid, such as pine, can be #3 or Blue #1. Intermediate shades
cherry to simulate the darker patina treated with a solution of tannic acid and wood tones are not normally
ofold cherry. Ca n you recommend prior to the application of potassium available but can be obtained by
some treatments to create this effect? dichrom ate. Allow to dry and then mixing primary dye colors.
- David Bushey, Hopewell j unction, N. Y. use the recipe previou sly mention ed . Naturally occurring vegetable dyes
(Bruce M. Schuettinger is president and also may be useful as wood stains.
Bruce M. Schuettinger replies: Patina is wooden -artifacts conservator for Beet juice will turn light-colored
not on ly the changing color of the Antique Restorations, Ltd., of New woods blood red. Red-cabbage juice
wood itself but also the subse quent Market, Md.) yields a lovely purple. Yellow stains
layers of po lishes, cleaners , dirt and can be made by boiling onion skins in
grime , as well as the original coat ing. LOCATING NONTOXIC water, then concentrating the
The finish appearance can change DYES AND STAINS resulting liquid by evaporation.
du e to ultravio let-light degradation, / hope you ca n help me a nd a lot of Finally, a nice brown dye can be
surface crazing that red uces light other woodworkers. We are always extracted from walnut husks. Deeply
reflectability and the darkening of one looking f or ways to produce brighter- colored fruit juices like grape or
or more of the coa ting compo unds. colored items to sell but are mindful of cranb erry also may stain wood .
All of these factors need to be taken safety, especiallyf or children. Are Identifying a nontoxic stain for your
into account when trying to dupli cate a niline dyes a nd other stains safe for projects is only half the battle. The
an appearance. I try to use old wood ch ildren who m ight chew on the finish coa t must be equally nontoxic.
and veneers for patches in veneer and things we p rodu ce?Also, are there a ny She llac is probably the best choice in
replacement parts. This eliminates the safe dyes we may use? this case . Shellac has been used for
need for add ing foreign materials, - Andrew Puskas, Bentonville, Ark. years as a shiny glaze coa t on so me
such as acids or alkalis, which can candies, cookies and other food
change color at a different rate than Chris A. Minick replies: It is impossible, items. It is also used as a time-release
the original finish. or at least very foolish, to make coa ting for certain drugs.
A colleague of mine has tried blanket statements regard ing the Finish films of pure tung oil also are
solutions of potassium pe rmanganate toxicity of an entire class of finishin g considered safe to ingest. Tung oil
to darken cherry or mahogany. This materials. Some woodwo rking dyes does not require the addition of
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should I get professional help? sand too far, or you will compound the
2 3 -James R. Gettys, York, Pa. problem by sanding into the wood.
Both types of lacquer can be sanded
Mitchell Kohanek replies: A down, but one obviously is easier than
professional touch-up artist will get the other. A coarser-grit sandpaper is a
the job done quickly. If you want to consideration, but use it carefully.
tackle the job, you must determine Option #2 is to reflow the existing
how thick your finish is, how deep lacquer with another lacquer. You will
into the lacq uer those scratches are, not be able to use this option with
and you must match the sheen of the catalyzed lacquer. If it is not a
existing table once the scratches have catalyzed lacquer, reamalgamation
been removed. can be accomplished with a padding
Commercial lacquers are basically lacquer, such as the one sold by
of two types. The first is an alkyd- Behlen's Finishing Products (H.
nitrocellulose lacquer. It is fairly Behlen & Bros., 4715 State Highway
Dyes and pigments safe for use in foods durable and can be reflowed. Repairs 30, Amsterdam, N. Y. 12010; 518-843-
also can brighten up woodworking projects: are usually not too difficult. The 1380). Lightly dampen a lint-free soft
(1) raw basswood, (2) grape drink, (3) orange second type of lacquer is hardened cloth (such as cheese cloth) with the
dr ink, (4-6) food color ing. Although food with a catalyst and is very durable. padding lacquer and carefully rub in a
coloring produces bright colors, it will fade But it cannot be reflowed, and repairs circular mo tion (about the size of a
quickly when exposed to ultraviolet light. are more difficult. Removing scratches silver dollar) . In essence, you are
can sometimes be easy, but matching reflowing the lacquer while taking the
the sheen on the repair to the sheen scratches out. You may also use a
around the repair is the challenge. If pendulum motion if the circular
metallic dryers to polymerize the it is imp o rtant for the sheen to rema in motion is too aggressive for the finish.
finish. But check the label. If you're in exactly the same, a professional Option #3 is to fill the scratches.
doubt, call the manufacturer. Raw sho uld be called. If it doesn't bother This can be done with either type of
linseed oil, tho ugh it dries slowly, you that the sheen on the entire table lacquer. This wo uld be more of a
likewise does not co ntain metallic can be modified either up or down, professional technique using a hot
dryers and will also produ ce nontoxic then go for it. You have three options. knife and a clear shellac stick. The
finish films. Incidentally, boiled Option #1 is to remove enough object is to melt the clear stick into
linseed oil co ntains meta llic dryers finish until the scratches are gone. If the scratch and remove the excess.
and therefore is considered toxic. you merely have surface scratches, Earlier I mentioned the problem of
(Chris A. Minick is a finishing chemist the n Scotch Brite pads or steel wool sheen control. The professional has a
and woodworker in Stillwater, Minn.) with water and dish soap may do the variety of padding lacquers and
trick. Pumice and mine ral oil with a felt aerosols of different sheen lacquers to
REPAIRING SCRATCHES pad may be perfect for what you need. match the repair to the surrounding
IN LACQUER Simply rub in the direction of the grain sheen. More than likely you will have
I have a solid-pine din ing-room table until the job is done. If this does not do to modify the ent ire sheen of your
finished with lacquer on top ofstain. the trick, then an abrasive paper such table , meaning that you will have to
The top has a few scratches that as a 600-grit wet-dry sandpaper rub the entire table out yourself.
penetrate the lacquer but not the stain wrapped around some felt, or a (Mitchell Kohanek is a wood-finishing
or the wood. Can these scratches be chalkboard eraser with some water, instru ctor at the Dakota County
repaired?Is this a do-it-yourselfjob, or will cut the lacquer a lot faster. Do not Technical College in Rosemount, Minn.)
16 HOM E FUR N I T U R E
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WINTER 199 4 17
Designing a Small Cabinet
Photos: Author
WINTER 1994 19
knobs, and I took no te of the different SHOP PLANS THE NEXT STEP on the door-all of the elements that
molding profiles I saw. Back in the sho p, the design began to wo uld determine the look or character
Before I left, I had roug hed out the take shape . I had a list of specifics-the of the cabinet.
basic req uireme nts with the client. The cab inet's max imum height and width, I starte d wit h the biggest surface
cabinet was to be painted (co lor to be for insta nce, and a good idea of what area , the doors. We had agreed on flat
determined), mo lding sho uld be in- had to fit inside. I tried to distill desig n pa nels with 1/4-in . quarter-round mold-
sta lled along the o utside edge of the elements I had seen in the hou se into ing applied to the inside edge of rails
cabinet to p, and the cabinet sho uld a list of features that I wo uld use in the and stiles. The first question was the
have two flat-paneled doors with new cabinet. num ber of pa ne ls in each of the two
mushroom knobs. A bracket base I started by firming up the dime n- doors. I wanted the cab inet to look as
wou ld add visua l interest to the bot- sions. Figuring on two rows of CDs per tall as possible, so I ruled out a center
tom of the cabinet, with the exact drawer, two liz-in. drawer sides and a rail, which wo uld have added a hori-
shape of the cutout to be determined center divider plus the spacers to hold zo nta l ba nd to the doors and dimin-
later. I agreed to have an initial ske tch the CDs, the total drawer width wo uld ished their vertical impact.
in a few days . be 1311z in. The 3J4-in. cabinet sides and The thought struck me tha t I might
center divider added up to 2 1/ 4 in. To ge t an eve n more vertica l loo k to the
that, I added the 17-in. width of the doors by dividing the sing le panel in
electro nic co mponents plu s 314 in. on eac h doo r into two narrow pan els. I
each side for ve ntilation. Allowing ske tched it out. With three 23J4-in. stiles
Purpose dictates asymmetrical back. The
7/8 in. for mo lding o n eac h side of on a 17-in. door, eac h of the two pan -
size of the CD d rawe rs and the dimensions of
the case, the total cabine t width came els would measure on ly 41/ 4 in. wide.
the electronic components resulted in an
to 36 in. This co nfiguration wouldn't work be-
asymmetrical frame-and-panel cabinet back.
In de term ining the height, I had a bit cause it made the stiles appear too
Missing pan els in the upper right-hand corner mo re flexibility because I antici pa ted wide and the door ap pear too busy. It
allow air circulation. lots of open space in the lower section was not the look I was after. The single
of the cabine t to allow for future ex - door pan els won, and I decided to
pansion. No net heless, I had to keep leave the stiles and the top rail 2314 in.
the height be low a light switch and at a wide. The bo ttom rail wo uld be 3314 in.
reasonabl e height for a diction ary wide to make the doors stronger visu-
stand I had been asked to make for the ally and structurally.
top of the cabi net (photo facing page). Originally,I intended the knobs to be
I tried for the maxi mum height to large mus hrooms roughly 2 in. in di-
avo id a square, boxy appearance. Us- ameter and 1 1/ 4 in. deep. Obviously,
ing a scale ruler and some scrap pa per, you can 't put a 2-in. knob on a 2-in.
I ske tched a few optio ns and thou ght door stile because you wo uldn't be
that 451/ 2 in. looked like a good co m- able to ge t your fingers between the
promise for the height. An inch in ei- knobs. So in ad dition to increasing
ther direction probably wo uldn't have the stile width slightly, I decreased the
mattered mu ch , but 2 in. wo uld have knob size to 1314 in.
made a big differen ce to the eye .
The cab inet depth was the easiest di- CHOOSING OVERLAY
mension to se ttle o n. It co ns isted of DOOR STYLE
door thickness, 17 in. for the compo- I had deci ded early o n that the doors
nents, 2 in. for wiring an d 1/2 in. for the wo uld be overlaid instead of inlaid,
back. In all, that was about 20 in. mea ning that the doors cover the front
of the cabinet instead of being set in-
DOOR PANElS side a face frame or the cabinet sides.
FOR A TALL LOOK Whe n using butt hinges (the style of
Once the crucial dimensions had been hinge more in kee ping with the look
established, I had to fill in the de tails. of this cab inet tha n Euro pean hinges
Those included mo lding profiles, the wo uld have been) it's a real advantage
sha pe of the cutout o n the bracket to use an ove rlaid door. First, the hinge
base, widt hs of the stiles and the rails ba rrel ex tends out to the side of the
Nos ing and bead Shaker curve Wall Nosing Og ee ba se Bed m olding
piece , no t to the fro nt, whic h keeps Ordinarily, I build in che rry. But I just
the look cleaner. Second, there's a real couldn't bring myself to cover up che r-
advantage in the function of the door. ry with paint. I also wanted a light-col-
It only has to be opened 90 to pull out
0
o red interior (to p ph ot o , p. 19) to
the drawers. An inlaid door must be offset the black electro nic co mpo-
opened 180 for the drawers to be
0
nents, some thing with no co lor strea ks
opened. For closures, I used 1/ 4 -in. bul- and so me thing that wo uld have mini-
let catches. I like the positive engage- mum seasonal movem ent. The wood
ment and commandi ng click these had to be readil y ava ilab le because I Color suits the location. Aforest-green paint
catches make when the door closes . didn 't want to travel a long distance for helps the cabinet blend with the house and
The on ly othe r co nsideration for the it or pay high shipping cos ts. Soft complements a cherry dictionary stand and
doors was what to make the pan els mapl e met all of my criter ia, and I cherry knobs on the cabinet doors .
from. I ordina rily use so lid wood, but picked throu gh my supplier's pile to
beca use this cab inet was to be painted , find pieces that wer e e ntirely sa p-
I settled on 1/4-in. birch plywood . The wood, not the darker heartwood.
plywood is dimen sionally stable, so
the door pan els won 't shrink and PAINT AND FINISH
sho w paint lines during the wint er as CONSIDERATIONS se ttled o n a molding just like the o ne
solid panels might. When I sent the ske tch and the paint o n a side board I had design ed and
co lor card to the client , I recommend- built for her. The paint co lor blended
BASE, MOLDING ed Stulb 's Old Village Paint , a satin well with the roo m and with the che r-
AND WOOD CHOICES sheen oil base in w hat I co nsider au- ry knobs o n the doo r and the che rry
The bracket base for the cabinet was thentic colors for period and repro- diction ary stand.
fairly simple. I decided to use 1 1/4-in. du ction work. The paint is ava ilable When the cabi ne t was built, I fin-
stock with a %-in. cove cut out of the fro m most paint and hardware stores ish ed the back, the inte rio r surfaces
top edge. The cuto ut section feature d in my area o r from the Stulb Company and the drawers with a 60-40 mixtur e
two intersecting curves at the corner (P. O. Box 597, Allentown, Pa. 18105; of satin polyur ethane and citrus thin-
that resulted in a sma ll poi nt. The 215-433-4273). ne r. Citrus thinner is an alternative to
shape was not too plain and not too Whe n I sto ppe d by the client's hou se p etrol eu m- b as e p a int t h i n n e r o r
busy, in kee ping with the rest of the a few days later, we look ed over the turpentine. It's a pleasant-smelling
furniture in the client's house. area whe re the new cabinet wo uld be product mad e from citrus fruit, and it
I gave the client six o ptions for the placed. Behind it would be a w hite wo rks well.
molding profile (d raw ing above) that wa ll, and ab out 6 ft. away was a fire-
wo uld cap the cabine t. I thou ght any place sur rounde d by gray tiles with Chris Becksvoort is a furn ituremaker in New
of them wo uld be suitable, so I left the just a suggestion of gree n. She chose Gloucester, Ma ine, and a contributing editor
final choice to the client. forest gree n for the cabinet co lor and at Fine Woodworking magazine.
b iedermeier furniture has a direct step they substituted ingenuity for ex-
appeal to the modern eye. Its line ar pensive and exo tic materials until the y
shapes and e lega nt proporti ons, su- had developed an entire style around
perb but unfu ssy craftsmanship and wh at was available and what their pa-
lack of flashy hardware give it a pres- tron s could afford.
ence as potent as any furniture built to- Most prominentl y, Biedermeier fur-
day. And yet the day of Euro pea n Bi- niturem akers made a virtue of venee r-
ede rmeier furn iture, which took its ing. Inste ad of seeking ex otic solid
name from a fiction al German charac- wood and veneer, they used wh at they
ter satirized for shortsightedness, end- co uld find loc ally and became skilled
ed more than a century and a half ago . at staining and finishing it to imitate
The spare , geometric style of Bied er- sca rcer materials. They built cabinets
meier furniture was a sharp departure in architec tur al forms that best suited
from the more sculptural and orna - being veneered and dispensed with la-
mented furniture that preced ed it. But bor-inten sive carv ing, with marquetry
the shift wasn't simply a matter of taste; and with exp ensive hardware. in the
it was one of necessity.The Napoleo n- process, they developed a style that
ic wa rs deprived Bied ermeier crafts- see med purer the more strippe d down
men of resources and raw materials. In it became. Bied ermeier furniture does-
resp on se, they crea ted furniture re- n't all look the same. Case pieces can
duced to the barest minimum. At every be rec tilinear, w hile beds, chairs and Making a case for wild veneer. Biedermeier
eve n desks can incorporate flowing craftsmen cut veneer from local woo ds and
curves and co mplex shapes. de signed ca binets that wou ld best show it off.
Veneers we re book-ma tc hed and applied
ORIGINS OF A PURE STYLE
symmetrically around a central axis, often
Early Biedermeier furniture was pro- yielding eerie imag es.
du ced while Napo leo n ruled . Life was
Striking sim plicity in a n a ge of
difficult for man y, and the new style
orna mentatio n. Created when carved and of furniture reflected that adversity.
gilded furnitu re was the norm , Biedermeier Napo leo n's empire included present-
work is notable for its flat surfaces and lack of day Euro pe, and the cos t of the war
decoration. This waln ut desk is typically spare . was borne by these co untries. Mon ey
Photo this page: Rob ert Marsala; furnitur e co urtesy of Ritter Antik
WI N T ER 1 9 94 23
was in sho rt supply, and much of Eu-
rope was cut off from imported mate-
rials. England, one country Napoleo n
co uld not co nque r, contro lled ocean-
go ing trad e and squeezed tradition al
cabine tmaking supplies, suc h as ma-
hogany, ebo ny, ivor y and probably
shellac. High tariffs within Euro pe lim-
ited trade further. With no real alterna-
tive, cabine tmakers turn ed to native
wood s for their veneers and stained
pearw ood to imitate ebo ny.
Although the trade in goods was
pinched, the exchange of design ideas
continued. Biedermeier's smooth, classi-
cal lines have their roots in English fur-
niture of the late 18th century. Bieder-
meier cabinetmakers were expose d to
English design in part through books
on furniture styles, espe cially those by
George Hepplewhite and Thomas
Veneer was the lifeblood of Biedermeier Sheraton. These eng ravings were re-
furniture. Specialized two-man saw teams, peatedl y co pied and reprinted across
likethe one in the drawing above , could cut Europe, becoming more linear and
uniform sheets lf1 6in. thick. simpler in the proc ess.
Bied erm eier design was influen ced
as well by French Empire furniture, de-
signed by Napo leo n's court architect,
Charles Perci er. Percier 's wor k was
also derived from English furniture
forms and reflects architectural ideals
of classical antiquity. Percier ran an ar-
chitectural school, and his ideas and
de signs were spread abroad by stu-
dents who took assignments in royal
courts throughout Europe.
EMPLOYING
ARCHITECTURAL FORMS
In its purest form, Biedermeier is dom-
Biedermeier craftsmen were experts in inated by flat surfaces. Rather than at-
ebonizing . With supplies of exotic woods tracting attention with carving or mar-
scarce, craftsmen found various ways of qu etry, cabinetmakers relied on the in-
imitating them . Pulls,escutcheons and
herent beauty of figured veneers (see
ph otos on preceding pages). Bied er-
drawer dividers on this desk were pro bably
meier case pieces were often large and
stained originally (and have been repainted).
blocky, but by running the grain of the
venee rs vertically and cove ring the en-
tire face, the craftsman co uld make a
heavy, mon olithic piece look lighter.
Like much of the furniture of the
time, from Chippendale to American
Fed eral, Biedermeier echo ed the de-
24 HOME FURNITU RE Phot o this page: Rob e rt Marsala; furn iture courtesy of Ritter Antik
sign elements of classical architecture. puddle of ink and termed it Kleckso-
Painted faux-eb on y columns co uld graphie-splotchography.) Biedermeier:
flank the sides of a fall front desk, and Veneered surfaces in Biedermeier
anything from a miniature rotunda to a furniture dominated eve n the smallest What's in the name?
gabled or arched form rem iniscent of details. Typicall y, no draw er handles
ancie nt Greek or Roman buildings or escutcheon plates protrude. Keys Monarchs and designers are
could. crown the piece. The armo ire served both to unlock and open doors usually first in line when it's
in the ph oto on p. 26 was clearly de- a n d drawers , and ke yh ol es were
signed with a Greek temple in mind. framed by flush inlays of faux ebony, time to pick someone's name
But eve n in pieces wh ere the archi- bon e, or when available, ebony or for a style of furn iture. Not in
tectural imitation isn 't ex plicit, the ivor y. Biedermeier furnituremakers
squared-o ff, vertical forms of Bieder- used locks that disappeared into a the case of Biedermeier furni -
meier case pieces are often suggestive mortise in the edge of a solid drawer ture, though. Gottlieb Bieder-
of buildings. front or desk front instead of being
flush-mortised or screwed to the face. meier was a poet and village
MAKING A VIRTUE This enabled both sides of schoolmaster, and a fictitious
OF VENEER the door or fall front to
Venee r was the primary be veneered completely, one at that. Appearing in the
orname nt in Bieder- leaving the face unin- satirical German weekly
meier furn iture. To terrupted. With fully
maximize the veneer's mortised locks, a key F1iegende B/aetter in the 1850s,
impact and give the could be used to open he was a caricature of the sim-
face of a cabinet an ar- and close even heavy
chitectura l symmetry, drawers with no danger pleminded, gullible, law-abiding
veneers we re usually of tearing out the lock.
citizen in the period before
book-m atched aro und
the central vertical axis of JOINERY AND 1848. His last name was a play
the piece. Ideally, the ve- CONSTRUCTION
on words, implying that he
neer was figure d in some Early Biedermeier furniture
way-crotch, quilted , ribbon was made with veneers sawn cared for noth ing beyond the
stripe or burl. by hand. Sawing veneers was
comforts of home, hearth and
In a distinct break with tradi- a highly specialized job per-
tion , Biedermeier craftsmen ap- formed by two-man teams garden. When Biedermeier was
plied veneer over the entire (drawing facing page) capable
first used to describe the era
face of a piece, so the grain ran of sawing veneers to a thick-
co ntinuo usly over rails and ness that rarely exceeded from roughly 1810 to 1848, the
stiles, dr aw er front s and 1/16 in. By the late 1820s, ve-
meaning was derogatory, and
doors, and even over neer-cutting machines
moldings, as show n in, began to appear, mak- the furniture of the time was
the photo on p. 22. ing it easier to cut wide
The images created logs , figured woods seen as plain and unstylish. But
Elegance without ornament.
by the book-matched and burls and thereby as time passed, the comfortable
veneers were carefully This cherry veneer and ebony expanding even fur-
contro lled. Some pat- ' freestanding shelf shows the ther the possibilities preindustrial life seemed more
tern s we re abstract, sinuous side of Biedermeier. for creating wide and appealing, and the furn iture
others formed fantastic unusual sh apes and
or gho ulish figur es, images with veneer. more impressive. - 0. U.
heads or eyes, ee rie precursors of the Beneath the veneer, Biedermeier
Rorschach test of modern psychology. case pieces were usuall y constructed
(In fact, it was during the Biedermeier of so ftwoods, such as spruce, pine or
era that ]ustinu s Kerner, a ph ysician , fir. The fall front desk in the photos on
writer and occultist, developed the pp . 22 and 23, made in southern Ger-
idea of folding a piece of paper ove r a man y around 1810, is typical. Its top,
26 HOME FURNITURE Photo thi s page: Robert Marsala; furni ture courtesy o f Ritter Antik
Geometric forms with architectural
overtones. Like many Biedermeier case
pieces, this cherry-veneered Viennese writing
desk uses pure geometric forms. Here, they're
curved rather than rectilinear. The elliptical
desktop has a leather writing surface.
28 HOM E FUR N I T U R E
MAKING A SPECIALIZED SCALE To divide the distan ce evenly, I held
ot too long ago , a client came in with an architect's scale diagonally o n the
a book showing a Qu een Anne drop- paper and found a set of reference
leaf table. "Can yo u make me o ne of marks that let me divide the distance Finishing the new scale . At left, parallellines
these?" she asked. The ph oto sho we d evenly into 29 parts (botto m photo, drawn through each of the 29 tick marks
most of the elem ents of the table: the facing page). For this tab le, the lis-in. extend the l-in . divisions to the paper 's edge
elliptical top, two drop leaves, cabriole scale worked fine, so I marked off 29 and make the scale easy to use.
legs en ding in a slippe r foot, two legs equal spaces along the diagona l line .
that swing on a knuckle joint to hold Then I drew a horizontal line through All dimensions can now be found . With the
up the open leaves and o ne d rawer, eac h of the marks (left ph oto , ab ove). sheet of paper refolded (above), th e aut hor
possibly two . But the boo k gave o nly Now, folding the paper back along has an accurate scale with which to measure
three dimen sion s: height , width and the crease, the sca le can be applied to furniture components.
depth. My first step was developing the picture . Each line on the scale rep-
the scale so that I could take measure- resents 1 in. By applying the sca le to
ments directly from the ph oto. The on- different parts of the ph otograph (right
ly tools I needed we re pencil and ph oto, above), eithe r vertically o r hor-
pap er and the kind of architect's sca le izont ally, I can get all of the measure-
you can buy in most station ery sto res. ments I need for my drawing.
I stan by foldin g a piece of paper in
half and aligning the fold line with a YOU AY NEED
known dimension in the ph oto. In this A SECO D SCALE
case , I knew the he ight of the tabl e On e thin g to keep in mind is that
was 29 in., so I lined up the pap er pieces in the background of the ph oto
against the front left leg (to p p ho to , will look small er than the y really are.
facing page). I made two marks o n the You may need to make a second scale
fold line to indicate the floor line and to meas ure parts in the background,
the height of the table. I unfold ed the but you wou ld use the same technique
paper and drew ho rizontal, par allel that I've just described .
lines across the pap er thro ug h these For instan ce, let's say you are making
two marks. The distan ce between full-scale drawin gs for a chair. It might
these two points represe nts 29 in. be imp ossibl e to get all of its dim en-
WIN T E R 19 9 4 29
A simple trick fo r drawing ellipses. To make
a full-scale d raw ing for one qu arter of the
elliptical top, the auth or lays ou t half th e /
major axis and half the m inor axis on /
centerlines, then uses a woode n batten to
mark the perimete r. /
/~
sions with a sing le sca le if the cha ir is actua lly fo r o ne qu arter of the to p, Once the ellipse has been drawn , I
was photographed only from the front. but because this tab letop is symme tri- can add a line dividing the top and the
The height of the seat from the floor is cal alo ng its ce nter line , that was all two leaves. On this table , I used three
the same at the front and back of the I needed . solid pieces of waln ut for the top, and
chair, but the two dimensions would- For any elliptical sha pe, I lay out one the width of my stock had some bear-
n 't look the same in the photograph half the major axis o n the hori zontal ing on where these lines would be
because o ne was farther from the cam- line and one half the minor axis on the drawn . I dev iated somewhat from the
era. One sca le co uld provide dim en - ve rtica l line. The n I mark out the el- measurements I had taken with my
sio ns at the front of the cha ir. If a lipse with a thin woode n batten that sca le from the photograph. With the
seco nd scale were made to represent has half the major and min or axes to p d rawn and the leaves planned, I
the height of the seat at the rear leg , marked on it. The outline of the ellipse co uld lay ou t the frame for the table
o ne would be able to use it to deter- is traced by kee ping the mark for the using the dimensions I cou ld gather
mine the dimen sions of the upper por- major axis o n the ve rtical ce nterline from the photograph and my scale.
tion of the chair back accurately. and the mark for the min or axis o n
the ho rizontal ce nterline (left photo , DUPLICATING A lEG PROFilE
lAYING OUT above). The ellipse is developed by To draw the cabriole leg on this table,
AN ELLI PTICAl TOP mak ing a series of mark s at the end I started with a rectangle that repre-
To draw the tabl e 's elliptical top, I of the batte n at evenly spaced inter - se nted the finish dimension of the
needed tw o ce nterline s, o ne vert ical va ls b et w e en th e h orizont al a n d stock I was going to use. I started with
and one horizontal. The pattern I made vertical ce nteriines . 12/4 walnut stock and knew that when
30 HOM E F UR N I T U R E
the wood had been milled, I wo uld be tise and ten on for the frame, and dove- designer were to choose % in. as the fi-
work ing with material 2% in. thick. tails in the drawers. So I chose to use nal thickn ess of a to p , however, the
The gen era l rule is that roug h thick- pinned morti se and ten ons for the cost of the piece co uld be reduced. It's
ness minus 1/ 4 in. will yield the finish back rail, the inside rails, the swing leg an o ption worth co nside ring.
thickness. This rule should be applied rails and the bottom front rail. Dov e-
to all parts that are drawn on the deta il. tails were used o n the top-drawer rail THE BID WILL BE
Withi~ the rectangle I had drawn to between the tops of the legs. The ACCURATE, TOO
rep rese nt the size of my finish stock, I swing leg rail was drawn with a knu ck- In the case of the Queen Anne tab le I
began to draw in the curve of the leg le joint , which is a wood hinge with a was asked to make, I felt co mfortable
and the slippe r foot, mak ing sure my wood o r metal pin o n wh ich the extra giving a written proposal to the client
. line didn't wand er outside the 2%-in. leg and rail can swing. after I had completed the drawin gs. At
wide box. When drawing the curve for Another detail that needs evaluation that point I had all the information I
the leg , I had to rem ember that the is wheth er some stoc k dimension s can need ed to determine the len gth of
ph oto showed the leg from an angle, be altered for econo my without sacri- time it sho uld tak e to build the table
and the curve appeared greater than it ficing the overall appearance of the and the cos t of materials. The planning
actually was. So whe n trying to repro- de sign. This tab le, for instance, ha s a process can take anywhe re from a
duce the curves, it's a good idea to use top 1 in. thick in its finish ed state. To co uple of hours to a co uple of weeks,
some restraint and keep the curve flu- yield a I-in. thick top, I had to start depending o n the magn itud e of the
id and free of facets . Rem ember, pat- with 5/ 4 lumber. The lumber yard p roject. I cha rge fo r the design work
terns will be taken from the drawing. cha rges by the board foot, which is the se parately. The result of all that prelim-
Once the drawing of the leg was fin- equivalent of a piece of wood 12 in. by inary work, thou gh, is a piece of furni-
ished, I transferred the profile to a ply- 12 in. by 1 in. thick , o r 144 cu. in. tur e very nearly identical to the o ri-
wood pattern that I wo uld use to cut There 's 1.25 bd . ft. of lumber in a piece ginal (photo below).
the legs from the walnut stoc k (right of 5/ 4 stock 12 in. squ are , and the yard
ph oto, facing page). To do this , I charges more per board foot for thick- Philip C. Lowedesigns and builds furniture in
placed the d rawin g ove r a piece of er lumber because it uses more of the Beverly, Mass. Photos by Susan Kahnexcept
1M-in. plywood and stippled through resource and may be harder to ge t. If a wherenoted.
the pap er into the wood. Then I co n-
nected the dots on the plywood with a
pencil and cut along that line, smooth-
ing the co nto urs with planes, files or
sandpaper. Then I had my leg pattern .
Clean lines and gentle curves distingu ish this table . The dark earlywood in the curly red oak
aprons and the top panel complements the walnut legs.
~-j-
the line. I also wanted to use up so me
of the material that had been accumu-
lating in my sc rap bin over the past
year. The result was this table, as we ll
as a couple of othe r sho rter ones like it
but with solid top s. IE 14 V2 in. I % in.
The size and clean lines of this table 1 EO 12 % in. I )
34 HOM E FUR N I T U R E
To create soft, flowing lines, the author
rounded over the inside corners of the legs.
designing a chair is time-consum- The armc hair retains the clean, flow-
ing. Mypartners, Scott Conrad and Rob ing lines of the side chair, and the low, SPECIFICATIONS
Nicoll, and I found this to be true even sweeping arm slides easily under a
DIMENSIONS
though we started with just three goa ls. dining table . A han d-cut dovetail at the (Side chair) 17 in. w ide, 15 in. deep,
First, we wanted a chair with the look arm- to-front-leg joint provides maxi- 40 in. high; (armchair) 19 in. wid e,
and feel of our other furniture. Second, mum strength at this critical juncture. 15 in. deep, 40 in. high .
we wanted the arm chair to fit under Each chair is made from a single 8-in.
MATERIALS
the apron of a standard dining table. wide by 12-ft.long piece of 8/ 4 cherry.
Chenyand olefin-nylon weave upholstery.
And third , we wanted to make each We were ab le to ge t all of the neces-
chair from a single board to ensure sary curved shapes for the chair parts FINISH
consistent grain and color. from 2-in. thick stock, and we used a Blend of tung oil, linseed oil and
The legs and the aprons look like shaper to cut angled tenons. Barbara polyurethane topped off with a coat
many of our other tables, desks and Meyer was the up ho lsterer. of satin wax.
36 HOM E FU R NIT U R E
Macassar ebony pulls (above) complement
the clare-wa lnut drawer fron ts. Routed
recesses on the und erside of th e pulls provide
a good finge r g rip.
SPECIFICATIONS
A sing le black -walnut board makes up
DIMENSIONS
the back of the carcase (above right ),
60 in. long, 20 in. deep and 36 in. high.
showing the ca re that we nt into even th e
MATERIALS
hidden port ions of th is buffet.
Primary woods : claro walnut, eastern
black walnut, Macassar ebony. Seconda ry
Simple lines and subtle decorative touches,
woods: mahogany, maple, clear pine and
such as the crisply beveled edge on the to p birch plywood.
(rig ht), keep the focus on the wood .
FINISH
Sam Maloof's Oil/Wax Finish
and paste wax.
Photos: Ro b Vanmarter
WINTER 1994 37
Crisp ca rvings give the au thor's corner
cabinet a st ro ng presence. This was the first
major carving the auth or had attempted. The
block-front d rawers were carved from 12/4
walnut, the cockleshellfrom stack-laminated
basswoo d.
38 H OME FURNITURE Photos: Geo rge Beck er, Becker Stud ios
COCKLESHELL CORNER CABINET
Cornice
mOldin:J
~~:7
Cockleshell
I'
Frie~
molding
Quarter
column
84 in.
~ Waist
molding Drawers to fit the case. The author joined
the che rry sides of his six-sided d rawers
~~~~~~~~&) with mitered dovetails. The half-blind
do vetailed walnut d rawer fronts were
,?>--,~';:---'-: Block-front
carved with a safety planer, a plunge router,
ls~1 d rill bits and chisels.
Drawer
dovetails
Bracket
foot
For the upper case, I drew o n a china working with, I substitut ed an un- suited from using so lid wood. I cut my
cabinet by John Hallam , a co nte mpo - adorned bonnet. own lis-in. ve neers and laid them up
rary furniture make r in Californi a. I I made the lowe r case from solid o n plywood .
liked the quarter co lumns and the pal- wood, but I used ven eered panels for I did the draw ings with co mputer-
ladian mullion s o n his china cabinet the upper case. I wanted vertical grain- aid ed design (CAD). I used AutoCAD
for the classical flavor the y added. Hal- ing on the curved rail over the doors, (Autodesk, Inc., 2320 Marin ship Way,
lam 's cabinet had a broken pediment but I didn't want the problems of sea- Sausalito , Calif. 94965; 800-228-3601).
with heavy molding and three flame sonal wood movement and sho rt- As an enginee r, I use CAD all the time.
finials. Because of the low ceiling I was grain weakness that would have re- When I started using it for furniture
\
Drawing s. Author
WINT ER 1994 39
OVERLAID PLAN SECTIONS
OF CORNER CABINET
Lower case
51 in.
~f- -- Cockleshell
circumference
LOWER CAS E
~ Baseframe
Drawerside
)
29 in.
Btacke: foot ~
40 HOM E FU R NIT U R E
Cabinet for aWall
B Y MATT KI RBY
hen I began design ing din ing- Greene brothers and the Craftsman
roo m furn ishings and trimwork fo r period. This wa ll-hung cabine t be-
so me friends who were finishing a ca me mu ch like the upper part of a
house in eas tern Kansas, I fretted over hut ch , with the lower part mod eled af-
Translating Arts and Crafts-style lines into just what style would be appropriate. te r the dining-ro om se rve r in a 1907
a wall-hung cabinet. The author combined Quite frankly, this hou se was designed Gree ne brothe rs' hou se.
clean lines with straightforward joinery for an by its owner to emphasize efficient en- The center cabinet is deep enough to
elegantly practical cabinet. Handmade ebony ergy use and traffic flow rath er than stac k plates o n she lves and to place
pulls highlight surrounding woods. stylistic co nce rns. two tall Wright candlesticks in front of
I thou ght about the design of the the shelves. The doors ride on cup
hou se and how it eme rges from a ge n- hin ges , and the pull s are handmad e
tle hillside with lon g, hori zontal lines fro m ebony. The hard squareness of
and low, wide overha ngs. The struc - the ebony o rnaments balances the ran-
ture look s like a Frank Lloyd Wright do m black strea ks of the spalted-
Prairie hou se. I began to por e over mapl e doo r panel s.
books on Wright , Gustav Stickley, the
TI
1 0 0 0 0
f- >--
;..! ;..!
lilll Uil
I-------!- ---=-
U[
I - - "-- I I ~ 22 '/2
in.
37 in.
c;;:'"
0
u u ~
. ~ " ~
fJ
-----i
II '"
0
N
f---- 6 ~ in.
~ .
I
'" . B
0
1
~ 7 4 in.~ f-- 77 in.::r
76 in. IE 86 in.
/
/
JJ U U U UU -,
-U'V
SPECIFICATIONS
DIMENSIONS
16 in. deep, 31 in. tall and 86 in. wide .
Crown molding coved on a table saw. The
MATERIALS shallow caving and the large overhangs of
Cherry, spalted maple, walnut and ebony. crown molding fo r the cabinet help give it the
FINISH Prairie-house look th e aut hor intended .
Oil and wax.
42 HO ME F U R N I T UR E Dr aw ing: Au thor
Walnut Jewelry Box
BY JON F RANCIS
SPECIFICATIONS
\
DIMENSIONS
16 ~8 in. lon g, 11% in. deep
and SY4 in . high.
MATERIALS
Walnut, cherry and maple .
FINISH
Tung oil and varnish.
I wanted a place for writing long- I used curve s in the legs and the edg-
hand. I didn't need a lot of space for ing of the top to moderate the straight
co mputer eq uipment or storage, just lines in the desk. With the bowed-out
room enough on top for a few sheets legs, I hoped to give the piece a plant-
of paper and to spread my elbows. I al- ed feeling. I bandsawed the legs from
so need ed some shallow drawers be - large blanks of solid stock, with the
low for stationery. I made the desk in growth rings running diagon ally from
w hite oa k because I wanted to use the inside corner to the outside corner
readily available wood instead of turn- of the leg. That wa y I avo id ed c u t-
ing to something exo tic. ting through any growth rings when I
I hoped to give the desk an intimate sawed the curve. The grain app ears to
feeling, the sense of privacy that many follow the leg as it curve s.
desks achieve with so lid-pa ne l sides. The desktop is a veneered panel. I
But I wanted to avoid the boxiness and had intended to mak e a so lid-wood
the heaviness solid sides create. I did- top, but I didn't have eno ugh stoc k
n't wa nt the piece en tirely open like a with good figure. So I sawed the
table, either. So I used vertical slats on plank' s nicely figured section into ve-
three sides, which gave me an enclo- neers and glue d them onto a piece of
sure witho ut add ing mu ch visual lumbercore plywood. I rimmed the ve-
we ight. I had been looking at pho tos neered panel with solid edging and
Chamfering the slats lightens them of Craftsman furniture before I de- gently rounded its underside to give
visually. The author made his desk's slats signed this piece, and I liked the wide the top a lighter appearance.
d iamond-shaped in section to make them slats I saw there. But I'd also been ad-
appear lighter. The center slats on both sides miring James Krenov 's wor k, which is
are slightly wider than the flanking ones to much lighter, more delicate and plays
curved lines off against straight ones. SPECIFICATIONS
un ify each side.
When I sized the slats, I kept the
DIMENSIONS
breadth but lightened them visually by
38 in. wide, 22 in. deep and 31 in. high.
milling rea lly wide chamfers on the
faces of the boards. The chamfers are MATERIALS
so wide that sections through the slats White oak, maple drawer sides
are elo ngated diamon ds. The facets al- and bottoms.
so crea te a nice pattern of highlights FINISH
and shadows whe n light strikes the m Chapham's wax and Bartley's Gel Coat
side long. for the top .
W I N T ER 1 9 9 4 45
A Shaker-Inspired Cupboard
BY AARON HILTEBEITEL
CUPBOARD WITH SHAKER ROOTS
I designed this cupboard in a Shak-
erish style but added some decorative
detail s, suc h as raised panels, and
UPPER-DOOR DETAIL
: Gla ss
curved lines for a little flair. The curves
and the large, ope n serv ing area help
~u"ml"'''
CROWN-MOLDING DETAIL
-I ligh ten the ove rall appearance of the
piece. The two wide d rawe rs at the
Door fra me j' ~ Glass
retaining bead
bottom of the cupboard provide stor-
age for table linen s.
I selec ted solid che rry for all exposed
SE TOP DETAIL surfaces o n the basis of its figure and
color match. The interior of the cabinet
is mad e of cherry-veneered plywood
so that wood movement would not be
CORNER-POST DETAIL a problem . The top and the base were
bu ilt as two se parate units so that the
LOWER-DOOR DETAIL Panel cupboard wo uld be eas ier to move .
European hard ware was my choice
for hanging the doors and the drawers.
This hardware works we ll and imparts
a quality fee l to the piece. Also, this
style of hardware is easy to install and
Doo r frame
adjust. But the thing I like most about
Euro pean hardware is that it doesn't
show on the fron t of the cab inet, leav-
SPECIFICATIONS ing an ultra-clean loo k with uninter-
rup ted lines.
DIMENSIONS
741;2 in. wide, 24 in. deep (base),
16 in. deep (top) and 76 in. high .
MATERIALS
Cherry and cherry-ven eered plywood .
FINISH
Low-luster polyurethane.
46 HOME FURNITURE O riginal dra win gs: Autho r; renderin gs: Rosalie Vaccaro
PhOIO: Jay E. Reed
WINTER 1 9 9 4 47
Dish rack has European influence. Racks like
this one are commonly used in Europe. The
author styled it with Art Nouveau details .
Shelves and racks for drying dishes The end panels are surrounded by
are co mmo n in Euro pe an kitchens and 1-in. thick frames, which are joined to- SPECIFICATIONS
pant ries. This dish rack is pattern ed af- gether with dowels. The top and bot-
DIMENSIONS
ter a rack that was designed to accom- tom rails, both front and rear, are
36 in. wid e, 10 in. deep and 17 in. high.
pany an Arts and Crafts-style buffet. joined to the end stiles with biscuits
The original rack was finished so that it and wood screws. The screws are MATERIALS
would match the patina of the buffet, co unte rbo red and capped with hand- White oak.
wh ich had see n years of service. Simi- tooled square pegs. FINISH
larly, this rack is mad e of wh ite oa k Because cylindrical elements, such Lightly fumed with ammonia and
and was lightly fumed (see How The y as dowels, turnings and plugs, were then lacquered.
Did It, p. 96) with ammo nia and then not co mmo n in the Arts and Crafts pe-
lacquered to achieve the co lor. riod , I mad e the ve rtical dish dividers
In des igning this dish rack, I had to square in section. I used a single row
co nside r the height of the plates that of divid ers at the front, between top
wo uld be stored in the rack, and I had and bottom rails, to eliminate the busy
to think abo ut the size of the dinner appearance that dividers on the front
set to be stored. This rack accommo - and rear would have created. Along
dates a reaso nably sized plat e and the back , the top of the bottom rail is
holds a decent -sized set of dishes, in- angled to receive p lates and saucers.
cluding cups, sauce rs and salad bowls. Dom ed pegs (buttons) prevent the
The rack's end panels are co mprised dish es from pivoting. The cup hooks
of 5/ 16 -in. thick slats pierced with motifs are made of cast stainless steel.
derived from the Art Nouveau style-a The rack is suspended on a French
late 19th-century to early 20th-century cleat, whi ch co nsists of two interlock-
Fren ch ada ptatio n of the Arts and ing pieces that resemble a sort of half-
Crafts movement . (For more abo ut the sliding dovetail. One piece is anchored
Art Nouvea u influen ce o n furniture, to the wall framing, and the other, at-
see America n Arts & Crafts-Virtue in tached to the back of the shelf, hooks
Design by Leslie Gree ne Bowman, Los over the first. This arrangeme nt allow s
Angeles County Museum of Art, in as- the dish rack to be rem oved easily
socia tion w ith Bullfinch Press/Little, from the wall for clean ing.
Brown & Co.)
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 49
Chippendale
Dining Chairs
B Y RO B WIGGENHORN
The steam -bending of the back splat, glued up , when there is no turning
done with a unique setup of furnace back. The crea tive sculpting, smooth- SPECIFICATIONS
pipe, camp stove and PVC plumbing, ing and blending of the crest-rail con-
DIMENSIONS
actually was quite fun (for more on tours into the back posts was a very
20 in. wide, 18 in. deep
the steam box, see How They Did It, rewarding fee ling, like no other pro-
and 39'12 in. high.
p. 96). However, the task that proved ject I have completed since.
to be the most interesting was the The upholstery work was straightfor- MATERIALS
hand-shaping of the crest rail and the ward. Seat frames of eastern maple Walnut and woven cotton upholstery.
leg posts. There is something qu ite un- were fit into rabbets in the cha ir, leav- FINISH
settling about taking a wood rasp to ing about liB-in . clearance all around Sam Maloof's oil/wax.
the back of a chair and aggressively re- for the upholstery. In spite of my bes t
moving material. Much of this work efforts to make all chairs identical, I
cannot be done until everything is had to custom-fit each seat frame .
WIN T E R 1 994 51
Re-creating an old look. The maker needed
a table for his 18th -century farmhouse, so he
built this William and Mary table, which fits
comfortably in his Colonial dining room .
SPECIFICATIONS
DIMENSIONS
26 in. wide, 17 in. deep and 28 in. high.
MATERIALS
Box stretcher
Quartersawn red oak and pine.
FINISH
Stain, button lac and raw umb er glaze.
Willia m and Ma ry
penda nt pull
2 -in.
hoof foot
MATERIALS
White pine.
FINISH
Oil-base paint and varnish.
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 55
Curly Oak Sideboard
BY ROBBI E S TAPLES
56 HOM E FUR N I T U R E
BEVELED AND TAPERED LEGS
Adjoiningrails
The second thing I did to relieve the curly red -oak boards. I face-jo inted
rectangularity of the piece was to cut and planed the boards to a thickness SPECIFICATIONS
curves on the bottom side rails and the of % in. Joi nery for all of the frames is DIMENSIONS
bottoms of the doors. Even the vertical mortise and tenon. Inside the case are 43 in. w ide, 18 in. deep and 43 in. high.
face-frame member that divides the adjustab le shelves sup po rted by shelf
doors has a small curve at the bo ttom. MATERIALS
pins. The turned walnut pu lls contrast
Curly red oak wi th walnu t pulls.
To get the book-matched panels for nicely against the oak.
the case and the doors, I resawed 5/4 FINISH
Polymerizing tung oil.
I designed this desk fo r a 1992 show its nam e whe n one of the guys work- face is medium-den sity fiberboard
at the Terce ra Gallery in Los Gatos, ing fo r me at the time said the legs (MDF) topped with a curly maple ve-
California . I want ed a desk that was looked like samurai swords. neer. The bottom has a popl ar veneer.
large eno ug h for an executive office The desk is made of so ft map le with For this desk , I edged the MDF
yet sma ll eno ug h for a hom e office . ebony accents (the pin s and the mid- sa ndw ich with a 3/ 16-in. wide ba nd of
And I wante d the piece to have a de- dle layer of the pulls) and we nge (the we nge and then biscuited on a 11/4-in.
tailed loo k wit h a tightness and im- band all around the work surface and wide edging of so ft maple. Then I ran
probability to the structural eleme nts. the trim cleat betw een the top and the the who le pan el th rough a wide -be lt
I call the piece the samurai desk. It go t desk's base rails). The desk's work sur- sander to ge t everything perfectly flat.
-
J----J [ , J
Back rail is slightly
-) 'As-in. curly
maple veneer
lower than front.
Rail
// 72 in. ---------------;~ ~I
Wenge trim cleat
r~I~I-
edg;ng \
30 in. Leg
T
l ~ in.
2'/2
in.
~
t 1
r-,
1/
~----- ~I
36 in.- - - - - - - - - ; ; -
Veneer
surface
Wenge
band ing
60 HOME FURNITUR E
Chess,Table Shows off
Contrasting Veneers
BY GREGORY GUENTHER
4% in.
~ Legs, 1 1/ 2 in . square
on top, taper to % in.
square just above the
Hepplewhite feet.
64 HOME FURNITURE
Craftsman-Style Bed
BY ROBERT ERFLE
Blending old forms with new t ech niq ue. his bed started out as a chair. In the w ide eno ug h to hold a plate o r an
The maker drew many details from Craftsman months just before I designed the bed, o pen book. On the o rigina l Morri s
furniture in designing his bed but departed I mad e several reproduction s of Gus- chairs, the arms were either straight or
from tradition in joinery and finishing. He tav Stickley'S Morris arm chair. I liked formed ve ry shallow inverted Vs, but
used router -cut loose-tenon joinery in the the lines, the detailing and the heft in so me later versions, the arm s were
headboard and the footboard to speed and of the Morris chair, and the design of arch ed ge ntly. This long, sweep ing
simplify construction and a light stain to give the bed followed. curve wa s the inspiration for the
the piece a bright appearance. The Morris is an easy chair with arch ed cap pieces o n the bed's head-
squa re leg s, large cus hions, slatted board and footb oard .
sides and back, and long, flat arms
Slat
49 'h in.
Corner post,
2 J/< in . by 2 Y< in.
RAIL-AND-BRACKET DETAIL
My bed's wide vertical slats , square the spacing of the slats and the place- the left half one way and the right half
legs and long corbels under the ends ment of the corbels. Instead of doing a the other.
of the arched cap pieces also are de- lot of laborious drafting , I sketch free- I decided to make the arches in a
rived from the Morris chair. In fact, the hand on graph paper. The paper is bent lamination, resawing solid planks
headboard and the footboard can be inked with lis-in. squares, enabling me into thin pieces and gluing them back
seen as enlarged, adapted versions of to draw to scale quickly. I don't bother together in sequence. This way I go t
the side elevation of a Morris chair. drawing every version completely, ei- continuous face grain along the top s of
I made quick sketches to decide on ther. To compare the look of a head- the arches. I made the cap pieces a
the amount of arch for the cap pieces, board with evenly spaced slats to one couple of inches narrower than the
with grouped slats, for instance, I drew
DIMENSIONS
73 in. wide, 85% in. long
and 49 V2 in. high.
MATERIALS
Redoak.
FINISH
Lightoak stain and polyurethane .
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 67
Strength without bulk. The laminated
arches that link the legs are only % in. thick by
1 in. wide, adding strength and rigidity to the
table without adding mass.
68 HOME FURNITURE
A Hall Table
Inspired by a Bridge
B Y DAVID ERNST
I made this table while I was a stu-
dent of architecture at the Univers ity o f
Michigan. At the time I was studyi ng
the work of b ridge designe r Robert
Maillart. The tab le's design brou ght to-
gether my interests in both arc hitec-
ture and furnit ure design.
Maillart's elegant bridges we re well-
known throug hout Switze rland . One
particular bridge, tile Salginatobel Bridge
in Schiers , Switzerland, led me to this
design. Maillart's bridge, built in 1930,
is essentially a concrete slab supported
by an arch that spans tw o mountain
ranges in the Swiss-Austrian Alps. I
wanted the table to have a similar feel,
so it is co mprised of tw o ma jor ele -
ments, the to p and the legs, linke d by
delicate, arched supports. The pure
whiteness of Maillart's br idge contrasts
sharply with the green mountains
aro und it. To mimic th is co ntras t, I
Dovetailed leg connections. Dovetails
paired the wa lnu t top of my tab le with
connect the ash legs to the walnut top
ash legs.
The arched rails on the two long for a clean design the author says is
SPECIFICATIONS surprisingly strong.
sides of the tab le are made from four
V8-in. thick pieces of wa lnut 1 in. wide DIM ENSIONS
that are lam inated together. The tw o 49 in. long, 12% in. deep and 34 in. high.
arches were slightly sprung when they
MATERIALS
were set in the mortises, so they exert Walnut and ash.
an outward force on the legs and help
stabi lize the structure , FINISH
Oil.
Photos; Autho r
WINTER 1994 69
Curly Maple Secretary
BY PA UL ZEN AT Y
70 HO M E FUR NIT U R E
Richly figured wood and skillful
execution create a harmonious whole.
SPECIFICATIONS 32 in.
DIMENSIONS
45'1'8 in. wide, 20% in. deep st wt
and 81 Va in. high .
tr
Minwax colonial maple and red
mahogany stains; nitrocellulose lacquer
81 ~ IC - ~ ....
]~
and lemon oil.
25 in.
11 te1 $ ]
* ~ ]
~ $J
~
;. " ,.... ;"" -
~ 2 0 % in.~
I"
.------- - 45 'is in.
2 in. by 4 in.
by 8 in.
SPECIFICATIONS
DIMENSIONS
24 in. wide, 12 in. deep and 36 in. high.
MATERIALS
Walnut.
FINISH
Side-elevation
pattern Front-elevation pattern Tung oil and wax.
Before he could carve the contours of his blanket stand, the author had
to make up a blank from straight stock. Pieces were assembled in two
separate gluing operations.
O ur clients as ked us to design a This bedroom se t includes a king- II2-in. deep by I-in, wide mortise cut
bedroom set that wo uld be in keeping size bed, two nightstands with draw- into the corner post. The headboard
with the clea n, co ntempo rary look of ers, a dresser and a che st with lots of and the footb oard are held in place by
their new hou se. They also wa nted the dra wer space, all made of oak stained three 5/ 16 -in. by 5-in. lag bolts wh ose
set to match the built-ins and the trim- to match the existing built-ins. We heads are countersunk into the post
work in the hou se. The result was a chose wenge as the accent wood to and covered by a seco nd piece of oa k.
co llaborative effort, involving us and co mple ment the grain patterns in the Allowan ce for wood movement is ac-
a third craftsma n who carved the flo ral oak and the color of the granite tops co mplished by the use of elongated
mo tif that deco rates the pieces. o n the nightstands. The solid-wood holes and washers for the bolts.
headboard and footb oard are set into a
% -in.
washe r ---<.c,' "
Outside
piece is
pinned and
spot-glued
to post. lh in.
SPECIFICATIONS
MATERIALS
Oak, wenge and holly.
FINISH
Medium walnut sta in, Watco oil and
polyurethane.
The drawers run on bottom-mo unt, ton, Oregon, mad e and installed the
self-clos ing slides . There is a jewelr y intarsia decoration s, whic h are shaped DIMENSIONS
tray in a top drawer of the dresser. The pieces of holly, wen ge and w hite oa k King-size bed :
door chest features adjustab le shelves that fit togeth er like a jigsaw puzzle. 85 in. long, 83 in. wide, 42 in. tall.
for sweater storage and doors with We ofte n work with other wood- Nightstand :
hidden hinges for a clean look. All of wo rkers, and we think it provides ex- 22 in. wide, 16 in. deep, 26 in. tall.
the pieces have finished backs. citing o pportunities that broaden the Small chest:
The dogwood flower des ign sculpt- clients' visions as we ll as our own. We 54 in. wide, 20 in. deep, 42 in. tall.
ed in the headboard and the footboard also think it results in better wo rk. Door chest:
was chosen by the clients from among 60 in. wide, 21 in. deep, 58 in. tall.
several options. Tom Allen of Silver-
in the
and eight maximum. I also wanted the
table to have drawers because I like to
have the cutlery at hand when I'm set-
ting the table. I placed a drawer at each
3 /4 in.
'
Flexibility fo r com fort. The arms are independent of the back in the author's elegant
ash-and-cherry Windsor rocker, leaving the back free to flex.
78 H OM E FUR NIT U R E
" d bee n making Windso r side chairs and I think using hand too ls makes for
and armcha irs for so me time before I a nicer job . SPECIFICATIONS
finally desig ned a rocke r. One of my I glue up thin strips of che rry in a
DIMENSIONS
ob jectives was to retain the flexible bending form to make the roc ker's 30 in. wide, 33 in. deep and 41 in. high.
bac k of a Windso r side chair even curv ing crest rail. When the piece
though I was adding arms. The rocker co mes out of the bending form, it is MATERIALS
Cherry and ash.
I came up with has arms that float: square in section. Before shaping the
They 're not connected to the back crest rail, I drill the throu gh-mort ises FINISH
spindles, giving the chair the comfort for the back spi nd les. Then I use a Oil, citrus thinners and paste wax.
of a flexible back as well as an appear- hand plan e to give the co nvex side a
.ance that I like. half-round profile.
The rocker's tapered spi nd les and I make my own oil finish, using lin-
legs are of ash. Instead of using a lathe see d oil and citrus thinners. I apply
to make the spindles and the legs, I use three coa ts of my oil finish , then rub
a tenon cutter, a hand plane and a spoke- on a coat or two of paste wax and send
shave. I don 't like using a lathe for the the chair out into the wo rld.
turnings because it's noisy and dusty,
Photos: Author
80 HOME FURNITURE
LAMP ASSEMBLY
FINISH
Watco oiland Watco paste wax.
LATTICE PATTERNS
I I I I I I I I
Side A Side 8 Side C Side D
Drawings : Autho r
WINTER 1994 81
Marble Top Accents
Oak Sideboard
BY GARY I.W. SPYKMAN
I 've been wre stling with a blanket-
chest design fo r quite a whil e. I had
enormous attic for the Met's American
Wing. In row after row of floo r-to-ceil-
the options I'd been mulling over for
my ches t: so lid-plank sides vs. frame-
ripped thro ugh magazines and books ing cases, you can see eve rything from and-pa ne l with co rner posts; a plinth
on furniture, lookin g for anything that teaspoons to tester beds. Some 10,000 base vs. fee t and so me clearance be-
might offer an interesting pattern , tex- objects are on view that wo uld othe r- neath; o ne big, o pe n box vs. a box
ture or structural so lution. But noth ing wise be locked in deep storage. The with a drawer or two below. All were
sparked until I walked into the Henry furnit ure section co mma nds about a right in front of me in beautifully exe-
R. Luce Center in the American Wing third of the facility and includes more cuted ve rsions. It was a feast of ideas
of New Yor k City's Metropolitan Muse- than 500 pieces of furniture . and inspirati on. What I design proba-
um of Alt . The third case I look ed into was bly wo n' t end up looking exac tly like
The Luce Cente r, a publi c storeroo m brimming with lidd ed ches ts (p ho to any of the ch ests I saw, but I filled a
for fine an and decorative art, is like an p. 86). There, in fron t of me, were all few notebook pages with drawings of
86 HO M E FURNITURE
Comparing pieces by a single maker. These
scroll-back saber-leg side chairs from Duncan
Phyfe demonstrate how he took a design
through a series of permutations. These
chairs, made between 1805 and 1815 , share
the same structure but show variations in the
splat, the crest rail and the leg.
a cabriole leg. The re is furniture in all has a flat-bottomed ball, and its talo ns
states of repair and at all levels of sprea d far aro und the side of the ball
craftsmanship, and the mixture makes (p ho to left).
the display dynamic. Details hidd en ben eath a piece of
furniture also are in full view. For a fur-
A NEW PERSPECTIVE niturem aker, that's irresistible. Look
ON CONSTRUCTION up , an d yo u can see w hic h way the
You see the pieces o n lower she lves gra in runs o n a chair 's corner blocks,
Chair legs at eye level let you see details. from a familiar point of view -just as how we ll the blocks are holdin g up or
These Chippendale chair legs, both made you wo uld in any display are a. But up - how a tabletop is fastene d to its frame.
between 1760 and 1790, are easy to per shelves provide a different van- Fro m be low, yo u can ins pect how
compare. The leg on the left, in mahogany tage. Seeing pieces there is like having drawers we re hun g. The dressing tab le
with carved acanthus leaves on the knee, them on your bench. The lower half of in the top ph oto on p. 88, with a wid e,
has a claw with retracted talons clutching a a piece of furniture is up near eye lev- shallow drawer between two narrow-
flat-bottomed ball. The leg on the right, in el, so the detailing and the wo rkma n- er, deep er ones , has high and low run -
walnut with simpler carving, has a claw with ship are easy to inspect an d compare. ne rs ten o ned into the front and back
less widely spaced talons and a nearly I'd never closely inspected ball-an d- aprons. The maker left a gap between
spherical ball. claw feet before, for instance, but here the o utside run ners and the side
dozen s of them co mpe ted for my at- aprons, pr esumably to keep the run -
tention . I found one ball-and-claw foo t ners fro m showing th rou gh the high
with a round ball and moderately scallop in the side apron. On the same
spread talons; ano the r, right beside it, piece , you ca n see that the elegant
WIN T E R 1 9 94 87
can see eac h piece from the back as
well as from the front. Positioning my-
self behind the Gustav Stickley linen
press in the ph oto o n p. 84, I was sur-
prised to find it had a back co mposed
of ton gu e-and-groove boards, each
finish-n ailed in place.
In the same case I found that a bea u-
tifully painted 17th-century kast, or
large wardrobe, had a very rough , un-
painted clapboard back, so met hing I
had never see n befo re (bottom photo,
left). Knobby-headed cleat nails pene-
trate adjace nt pairs of boards where
they ove rlap. At the lower ends, the
clapboard s run past the case bottom
and we ren' t cut off eve nly-anyw here
within a co uple inc hes of whe re its
nei ghbor ende d was OK, evidently.
And wh o's to argue? Will anyt hing I
make hold up as lon g?
From behind you also can often see
The view from below is eye-opening. This the exact cross section of moldings that
Queen Anne dressing table stands on an wrap the front and sides of a piece and
upper shelf, inviting a view of its underside
the way a co mplex molding was built
and the arrangement of its drawer
up out of seve ral smaller mold ings.
dividers and runners. The difficulty of
WHAT'S UNDER THE
applying a decorative bead along the radical
UPHOLSTERY?
curves of the scalloped apron is evident from
A number of the upholstered pieces in
the number of nails the maker used.
the Luce Center are stripped, so you
can see just how they were pu t togeth -
er and how they've been re paired.
One Philad elphia came lback sofa
bead mo lding following the tight strippe d to its frame really opened my
curves of the sca llope d apron was eyes . I was asto nishe d to see the
It's rough around back. The Colonial mad e by nailing a narrow strip to the rou gh , pieced-togeth er co nstruction
craftsman's priorities are obvious when his apron's bottom edge. From above, the that underlies one of the most graceful
work is seen from behind: He didn't fret over molding follows the scallops flawless- fo rms in furniture (photo facing page ).
something that wouldn't be seen. This rare ly, as if it had been carved right out of The back of the sofa was made as a
clapboard back and rough frieze molding are the apron. But fro m below, you see se parate, re movable frame , and the
on the unseen side of a 17th-century kast, or that the strip doesn 't even cover the stre tchers are significantly bowed to
wardrobe, that is finely painted on the sides thickness of the apron an d was frac- allow the seat to sag in use. On several
and the front. tured in many places whe n it was bent chai rs stripped of their upho lstery, I
and nailed in place. That kind of infor- noticed that the outside co rne r on the
mation is usu ally hard to co me by in top of their front legs was left high .
furnitur e books and styled displays. These horn s, I learn ed, we re left to aid
the upholsterer in securing the seat.
A CASE FOR SEEING THE BACK It surprised me how perforated many
Most of the furniture cases in the Luce of these pieces are from reupholster-
Center are deep eno ugh to hold pieces ing. But the holes can be instructive.
on both sides, but several are shal- One balloo n-frame side chair stripped
low-onl y o ne piece deep-and yo u of upholste ry bears a pattern on its
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 89
Designing for Success
Self-taught furnituremaker Anthony Kahn
moves from craft fair to gallery
BY JIM TOLPIN
90 HOM E FUR NI T U R E
Lena dressing table. Curly maple and
ebony; 22 in. deep, 40Y2 in. long
and 29 Y2 in. high.
a nthOny Kahn makes furniture in made these commitments: to make fur- WORKING SMARTER
Arcata, California, a small town 250 niture a full-tim e living; to work for AND HARDER
miles north of San Franci sco. That himself and build his own desig ns; and Kahn suspected that the easie st way
see ms unremarkable enough until you to make decent mo ney. He refused to ou t-raising prices-wasn't going to
co nside r that Kahn makes an exce p- let his lack of professional woodwork- do the trick. He sensed that his market
tionally good living creating fine furni- ing experience stop him. on the nort h coast of California, sepa-
ture for custo mers up to 2,000 miles Kahn learned from Amaral and read rated from urban centers by a 250-mile
away. He has done so with increasing voraciously, then taught himself how wide "redwood curtain," could not ful-
success since 1979, and he now sells to design and build furniture . By the ly underwrite a fine furnituremaker.
an ave rage of 65 pie ce s of furniture time of the first local craft fair of the Kahn knew he had to learn how to
a year. Kahn has a few secrets: an seaso n, he had made several small end make furniture faster without compro-
un failing ability to produce durable tables in white oak and a chest of mising quality or style.
and appea ling pieces of furnitur e effi- drawers. Not only did the pieces sell at It did not co me easy. "I found 1had to
cie ntly an d an un canny ability to de- the fair, but he also took an order for a give absolute disciplin e to the work it-
sign furniture even for fussy clients. large armo ire. self, in the earl y days sp ending un -
It's what o ne ga llery o wne r calls the Although he had barely begun, Kahn counted hours getting every line of the
"Kahn Phe no meno n." felt the exhilaratio n of instant success. piece right visua lly and working o ut
He was making furnitur e full-time (and the kink s in each phase of the co n-
EARLY SUCCESS AFTER then some), he was working for him- struction procedures." Rath er than
A CRASH EDUCATION self, and he was building his own de- making each piec e of furniture more
On the day he decided to leave hou se signs. Unfo rtunately, reality settled in complex and more difficult, Kahn
construction and borrow woodwork- along with the bills at the end of the soon learned he had to simplify his
ing space from the accomplished fur- month. Kahn realized he was working de signs and streamline construction.
nituremaker Joseph Amaral, Kahn for peanuts. It paid off. "To my delight, the be st-
WIN TE R 1 9 9 4 93
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READER SERVICE NO. 72
WI N T E R 1 9 9 4 95
. how they
did it
Some furnituremakers have developed unusu- After two hours of stea ming, I sprang back, it was just right. After
al or innovative techniques that are important removed the splat and clam ped it overnight clamping in the form , the
to the success of th eir projects. When we spot imme diately in a form made from sp lats wer e read y for carving. I could
such an approach, we'll share it with you in
this column. If you have comments or sugges-
2x6s. The radius on the form was do one splat at a time , so the bending
tions on techniqu es you 've read about here or tighter than what I wanted on the for all four chairs took four eve nings.
elsewhere in th e maga zine, let us know. Send finished splat to allow for a little -Rob Wiggenhorn
your comm ents to How They Did It, Home spri ngback after the wood came out
Furniture, The Taunton Press, P. O. Box 5506,
of the form. The deflection on eac h FUMING OAK WITH AMMONIA
Newtown, Conn. 064 70-5506.
finishe d sp lat neede d to be 112 in., so I White oak has a yellowish hue, which
cut out the 2x6s for the form with a can be compounded by applying a
A SIMPLE STEAM BOX deflection of 7/ 8 in. Whe n the wood clear top coat. To diminish this effect
I decided to steam-bend the bac k
sp lats of my Chippendale chairs (see
p. 50), rather than make the sp lats
from glued-up laminatio ns, because I STEAM BOX FROM STOVEPIPE
didn't wa nt layers of wood to show in
Removable 2x4
the relief carving. The splats we re
wooden end p lug
made from 1/2-in. thick wa lnut. I cut
o ut the profile before putting the
splats in my shop-ma de steam box,
Back splat
but I didn 't do any carving until later.
The steam box was easy to make.
The box itself is a sec tion of sheet-
meta l stove pipe that I fo rced into a
rectangular shape with the help of 2x4
plugs at eac h end (drawing right). I
also needed a good gas camp stove,
two new l -gal, paint cans, one with a
lid, and about 6 ft. of %-in. dia. PVC
pipe . The lid has a hole in the top for
the PVC pipe and goes on the paint
can over the cam p stove . The pipe
sho uld fit snugly.
Drain tube
Inside the box, the chair splat reste d
on two 112-in. thick blocks so that
Water level New paint
steam co uld flow freely aro und the
can with hole
wood. The steam-inlet end of the box cut in lid
was propped up slightly to allow
water condensing inside the box to
dra in down to the other en d. Duct
tape keeps the box from leaking
stea m, and I added water periodically
to the can over the camp stove.
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 97
how they did it (continued)
in the top layer of veneer. Once the with a cork block, starting with 150 the table by two %-in. bolts that grip
glue has dried, I use my template grit and ending at 220 grit. Don' t the T-slots milled in the top of my
again and cut strips in the other forget to veneer the bottom side of the table saw (drawing below) The jig
direction, across the grain . By tabletop to balance the forces that are makes it easy to adjust the angle at
staggering these strips by one square, exerted on the substrate. which stock is cut, and the bolts
I create the checkerboard pattern. -Gregory Guenther ens ure that the jig won 't move during
The strips are taped together and cutting. If your table has square slots
glued to the substrate. After A TABLE -SAW JIG instead ofT-slots, you could attach the
completing the surface, I squared and FOR CUTTING COVES jig with the same kind of expanding
trimmed the top with a router and a The hanging wall cabinet I designed plugs that hold down featherboards.
straight guide, using the checkerboard (see p. 41) is reminiscent of the Prairie Or you could make your own
face for alignment. school of architecture and the work of expansion plugs from wood or
The checkerboard top is surrounded Frank Lloyd Wright. One element that aluminum stock that is split so that it
by a border of walnut burl veneer, gives the cabinet that feel is the broad widens as a screw is inserted.
which is also glued to a layer of crown molding. I cut the cove on my Coves are created by running stock
backer veneer, and the edges of the table saw using an adjustable jig. over the saw blade at an angle . A cross
top are banded with veneer. I cut The design for this eminently simple section of a cylinder at an angle
rabbets on the upper and lower edges jig grew out of a system I had devised greater or lesser than perpendicular to
of the top for boxwood strips . After for Clttaching featherboards to my the vertical axis will appear as an oval.
allowing the surfaces to dry for at least table saw. The jig consists of a board This means that if you run the stock
24 hours, I leveled the top with a with a 12-in. wide slot cut down the perpendicular to the blade (or parallel
hand-held cabinet scraper and sanded midd le. This fence is held tight against to the shaft), you will get a section of a
%-in. bolt
brazed to
washer _==----limm::=~;::;::::::=~llIL---..L.
Table-saw -------t~+-----
top
I
l- in. washJ I
ground to fit
T-slot in table I,
circle. At an ang le, o ut of para llel with eas ier to cut angled tenons on the
the shaft, the sec tion will be ova l. The GLUING UP shaper. Using a pair of shaper cutters
shape of the cove can be varied by A CABINET SHELL shimmed apart by the thickness of the
adjusting this angle. You can use SECTION OF SHELL 4/4 face fram e ten on , I can cut both cheeks in one
different -size blad es to put a tighter pass. That's the process used for the
curve in a smaller area . chairs pictured on p. 34.
-Matt Kirby I make the cut with the workpi ece
clamped to the shaper's sled. The hard
MAKING A HALF-DOME part is locating and securing the
FROM SQUARE STOCK wo rkpiece in just the right place. I
The blank fo r the carved she ll in the accomplish this by hot-gluing an
Radius of shell
cabi ne t pictu red on p. 38 is made by 75 '/2 in.
ang led support to the sled for the
stac king co nce ntric half-rings, eac h I workpiece to rest on . The support is a
I
with a progressively smaller diameter. t 7'l's in. block 6 in. lo ng or so and several
The inside steps of this half-do me ~ inches wide , with its top face beveled
struc ture are then reduced to a ~ Concentric half-rings glue d to match the tenon ang le. When
spherical surface on which the flutes and screwed together making the chair, I ripped the 10
can be drawn and carved. I used bevel on the support block with the
basswood because it has excellent table saw just after crossc utting the
carving qu alities. Rou ghly 42 bd . ft. of apro ns to len gth , so I knew the angle
8/ 4 stoc k we nt into the she ll. gluing all of them togeth er. Once the wo uld be correct.
Before drawing the ring profiles, I glue had dried , I rem oved the screws, Before gluing the suppo rt block in
drew the front view of the shell turned the asse mbly up side down and place, I clamp a scrap to the shaper's
co mplete with carved flutes. I drew an clamped it to my ben ch. To rough out infeed fen ce well away from the
arc just outside the flutes to indicate the inside of the shell and remove the cutters to act as an end stop for the
the ope ning in the cab inet and the stair-step pattern , I used a rotary wo rkpiece. The front face of the scrap
visible portion of the she ll. The end of chainsaw attachme nt on my grinder. piece is set back from the plane of the
eac h rib between flutes represented To smooth the inside of the she ll, I cut by the len gth of the ten on . With
the inside radius of the she ll, 15 11z in. made a sanding block by mounting a the sled's fence set at 90, I move the
The n I d rew the side view of eac h 12-in. wood disk on the lathe and suppo rt block until the wo rkpiece lies
ring (d rawing above). The top inside turning a spherica l surface with a flat agains t it, with one end butted
edge of eac h ring was placed o n the rad ius slightly tighter that the one on agai nst the scrap piece. Then I glue
arc. The location of the outside edge the she ll. I glue d 40-grit cloth sanding the support block to the sled. Once
of the ring was n' t imp o rtant as lon g as strips 2 in. wide to the surface, leaving I've set up the support block, I can cut
the re was eno ugh surface contact for l/ s in. between strips for dust removal. the ten ons without any further
eac h ring to be screwed and glued to After an hou r of stren uo us sanding , adjustme nts. I clamp the workpiece in
the one be low it. It took 10 rings to the she ll was smooth inside. place with a cam clamp directly above
co mplete the half-dom e. By arrangi ng - Mark Stebbins the support block and a C-clamp
the half-rings carefully, I co uld ge t all somewhere along the sled's fence . To
but o ne of them from a single glued- ANGLED TENONS ON minimize tearout , I score the
up plank 17 % in. wide by 102 in. lon g. THE SHAPER shoulde rs with a marking gauge and a
The rings were carefully aligned, Cutting angled ten on s o n the table razor knife befo re cutting the ten ons.
clampe d and drilled in pairs before saw is a headache. I find it much - Scott Conrad
READE RSERVICENO. 70
~~~~~~!!!!!!!!HARDWARE
READ ERSERVICENO. 27 With the Fein " Tr ia n gl e " Sander, time consuming,
s or efi n g er, bloody knucklesanding, sawing, scraping
and polishing are a thing of the pa st.
Ima gin e u sing a p ow er tool t o san d all t hose areas
The Tool That Your where before, yo u had to f ol d up a p iece of paper
and " fi n g er san d ." Wi th the F ein " Tria ngle"
Workshop Needs ... Sander, y ou ca n sa n d r ight up to, into a n d along
ed ge s & corners witho u t dulling the edge or
altering t he prof il e. Plus , th e F ein S ander won 't
With 208 pages of full-color, our Free Catalog is the biggest r un away fro m or b ounce off of the edge li ne .
in the business. Wealso think it's the best. But It Will Do More Than Ju st Sand
We have the high quality woodworking suppliesand rools You can r emov e t he triangle p ad and re p la ce it with
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ing rools, Chisels, Carving rools, Turning rools, Sharpening NEW Scraper Blade
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Send us a POSt cardor letter with ca u l k . You won 't h a v e to t ape yo ur knu ckles t o
your name and address ro the sc rape w ith the F ein Scrap er Blade .
address below. Or Call roll-free NEW Polishing Pad
800-221-2942 ro receive your P ut a mi r r or p olish on chr ome , buff a lo ng edges
Free 1225 Garrett Wade Catalog. a n d into co r ners . . vy ou n ame it and the F ein
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It's easy to get more
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And It's Free, (800)441-9878
FEIN Power Tools Inc .
From Garrett Wade 3019 W. Carson St.
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READER SERVICE NO. 71 READER SERVICE NO. 37
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 101
sources
FISCHER
n ou ca n feel th e purr fro m th e
moment you turn it on - but
you wo n't hear it! Heavy cast
iro n construction a nd a timber bed
absorb a ll vibration an d noise.
This is no ordinary lath e!
GlASSWhy use ordinary glass?
Imagine a glass pallet of over 500 colors of
authentic German blown glass ranging from
We've refin ed the woodturning
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finest design qu alities wi th mod ern colors to enhance any door , window or cabinet.
a lloys a nd pr ecision man ufac turing . A.C. Fischer RealAntique Glass Isentirely mouth-blown
The resul t is a rob ust but elega n t 16" and fashionedby hand. This 1000 year old process gives
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Gua ra ntee d to please a nd com ple me nt depth of color that a machine-made process can never
the craft of eve n th e m ost discerning match. Eachsheet contains provocativeelements ofcolor
of cra ftsmen . and textural variations seen only in real antique glass.
The Cono ver La th e. A lon g With it's distinctive surfaceappearancesandcolors,A.C.
Fischer Glass is the finest available lor use in any glass
tradition of pride in Ame rica n-made application, whether it beauthenticrestoration, remodel
quality. Call for your fre e catalogue . or contemporary to modern architecturalsettings.
Send $7 for a catalog and two 4"x 5" framed
samples of glass . VISA and Me accepted.
1:CoNOVER 800 -996-3939
800-433-5221
P.O. Box418 7785 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060
FAX 216-942-6790 C&R LOO, IN C.
1085 Essex Ave. Richmond . CA 9480 1
W I N T ER 1 9 9 4 103
sources (continued)
Advertising Department
MODEL HomeFurniture
hGlTIe
. ruflliture
014
63 S. Main St., P.O. Box 5506
Newtown, CT 06470-5506
SQUARE
TAPERED
LEGSlWO
SIDE &
FOUR
SIDES
I TABLE BASE I
J2
~ ~ g~TM LrYq). > L~
974 Forest Drive, Dept F-32, Morristown, TN 37814
Phone 615-587-2942 Fax 615-586-2188
READER SERVICENO. 46
WIN T E R 1 9 9 4 105
marketplace
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVEt! THE SMART SWITCHING SYSTEM We Manufacture & Service
OCS-100Gives You Wireless Control Of Your SHAPER KNIV ES
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The DeS-, 00 system allowsyou to sWitch your
13 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE OF 12 DUST COLLECTION SYSTEM from any location in the shop
W illiam s & Hussey Pro file Knives
with pocketTRANSMITIER. FO LEY BELSAW MOULDER H EADS
DELIVERED FROM ENGLAND TO YOU . SEND $51 CHECK TO:
The Basic starter kit requires no additionalwiring ~ r-; RBI & WOODMASTER KNIVES
WISE OWL PUBLICATIONS. 4314 W . 23BTH ST., TORRANCE.
components - plugdirectlyinto standard outletsso it ~ ... '\ LOCK EDG E CO LLARS
CA 90505; OR CAll 310 .375.6258 TO ORDER 8Y CC.
only takes minutes to install. ROSETTE CUTTERS
Extra transmitters available. CUSTO M ROUTERS &
SIARDR..IIII
I~
~
for 1101220 VAC Collectors, Q:%~\~~';~~~;'
~ ~ $87.50 VlSA/MC .... T op Q uality Products
"NEW" 1995 90-PAGE at Co mpetitive Prices
FERNBROOK 704 5146115
WOODWORKING TOOL & W. Moore promes LTD.
SUPPLIES CATALOG READER SERVICENO. 26 17 Montgomery St.
Send $ 2 , Refundable on Your Middletown, NY 10940 ~
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r.Mr:A:::cB;o;E"AIliTi!':H~ r.H~A"R"D"
W"'D"D=D> 930 Ashby Ave . (914) 341-1924 - Serving the IndustryjorQfJer 10 YearJ- Fax (914) 343-7056
Berkeley , CA 947 10
READER SERVICE NO. 32
,., C O M' A NY (5 10)843 .4390 .a\
READER SERVICENO. 15
M ESQUITE WOOD PRODUcrS
FLOORING U l tFURNITURE
Traditional supplies for finishing, restoration & LUMBER TURNING
conservation . .4 grades dry shellac flakes, anil ine dyes , BLANKS
hide glue . & Behle n products. Excellent brush selecti on. Mesq uite Prod uction Co.
Touch-Up Kits. French Polishing suppl ies. Milk Paint.
Satellite City Glues & more. Technical support to answer B lake Wernette ~~~db: ~~x7~~~ 210-426-3000
all finishing questions. Call or write for free catalog.
READER SERVICE NO. 25
11929 Abbey Rd. Un;! G. N . Royolton. OH ~~133 216/582.8929
READERSERVICENO. 55
Riven Green Wood
for Windsor C ha irs.
CHESTNUT LUMBER READER SERVICENO. 402 Oak , M apl e, S tea mbent Backs.
wormy or clear FREE brochure.
Furnit ure Grade Antiqu e Woods 1.800490-7722
. . ". 1/ 4" to 8/4 " th ickness.
MERCURY VACUUM PRESSES Heritage Woodworks
Create perf ectly ve neered panels
T & G, Custo m Millwork & bent laminati o ns wit h vacuu m! 702 Dalton Rd. , Sk andia, MI 49885
Call for Samples and Prices membrane presses vacuum bags 906-94 2-7585
(203) 567-3491 vacuum purnps - venturi generators
READER SERVICENO. 53
CHESTNUT WOODWORKING "'=" Call: 800-995-4506 ~
READER SERVICENO. 34
Box 2232 ForI Bragg. CA 95437
707-964-7557 Fax 707-9'=-64-=--=76"":06='---J CARPENTRY BLA CKSM ITHING
' FURNITURE CABINETMAKING
I GENERAL JWOO DWORKING EQUIPMENT READER SERVICENO. 185
J OINERY CARVING COACHBUILDING
QUA LIT Y AN D PERfORM ANCE f EAT URES REQ UIRED HlR
STEAMBENDING FOR WOODWORKERS!
SE RIOU S WOODWO RKING MADE IN CANA DA.
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" '1I1'.'H1 ~1 ~"I-':lt2 :t, 'J ~~....
special pricing More titan 300 titles to choose from. Hard to find
To order your ow n copy of the books on all fields of woodworking. Create a working
....
GENE RA L WOOllWORKI NG reference library. Send $1.00 for two year subscription.
EQU IPMENT CA TA LOGUE
I' I I
50 pages of illustrated eq uipme nt detailed . write to:
FURNITURE PLANS
COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
PROMPT SHIPMENT ' CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
FREE CATALOG' REPLACEMENT PARTS
Fine Cabinetmaking FULLSIZEDETAILS & MATERIAL LIST
Build this beautiful & functional piece
HARTFORD CLAMP CO P.O. BOX 280131
EAST HARTFORD. CT06128-0131 203-528-1708 with James Krenov, Di recto r A Shaker Style Adaptation
and Michael Burns Pivoting Pocket Door s
READER SERVICENO.1 3 VCR & Stereo Compartments
SELF- ADHESIVE
700faWOOL
FE IL 'T Apply March
for jUrthu information:
1 - 31
CD & T ape Storage Drawers
Pull-out TV Shell
Max TV Dim. 32.5"WdO"H
~ "U' N
[!l!JJtJI.~
3905 W. 64TH PL ACE
CHICAGO, IL 60629
707 . 964 . 7056 Arrowood Design Co.
P.O . Box 680968 Franklin. Tenne ssee 370680968
PR ODUCTS. INC . 3 12735-23 44
READER SERVICENO. 24 READER SERVICENO. 12 READER SERVICE NO. 36
$>
Quartersawn in Bees-Wing, Cur ly & St riped
Keller Dovetail Systems 17
UBERONTM/sta/"TMSupplies Laguna Tools 7
Fax your needs: 912-236-3341
~ for Finishing, Refinish ing Lane Imp ort Co.
Leigh Indu stries
107
15
Lane Import Company Touch-Up & Restoration Lie-Nielsen Toolwo rks 7
444 Drayton St Savannah. GA 3140 1 Carnauba & Beeswaxes Lignom at 94
Linden Publishing 106
READER SERVICENO. 39 BLACK BISON Cabinet Makers Wax Lobo Pow er 15
Aniline Dyes, Stains , Lacquers MacBeath Hardw ood 106
Prair ie Style Ad Glass Mercury Vacuum Presses 106
Hide Glue , L1BERONTM Steel Wool MLCS 7
Windows and Lamo s
based on desi9ns of Frank Lloyd Wri9ht HOT STUFF instant Glues, Brushes W. Moore Profiles 106
Northland Woodw orkin g 95
~ ~ touch-up & repair supplies No rthwoods Canoe 106
pdtterns
Old Fashioned Milk Paint 95
lamp bases P.O. Box 86, Mendocino, CA 95460
finishe d art glass Order Desk: 800 -245 -5611 707-937-03 75 Oneida Air Systems 12
Osborne Wood Produ cts 3
cat d/09 $2 .00
READER SERVICE NO. 14 Paxton Hardware, Ltd. 106
pdtte rn boo k $ 1 J . 50
Phantom Enginee ring 15
pra irie DesigQs of Californ ia Pow ermati c 105
Box BB6 Brisbane. CA 94005 Prairie Designs 107
4 15-46B-5J19
Qu ality Vacuum Prod ucts 15
READER SERVICENO. 54 Ever cursed a hand plane because its Quicksand Constructio nwea r 95
free-wheel ing Bailey adjustment was sloppy? Spray-On Wood Stain 3
Curse no more . E.C.E. planes offe r.
AUTHENTIC REPRODUCTIONS St. james Bay
Sunhill Ente rp rises
15
Quality handcrafted European Hardware. Patented positive adjustment 99
Perfect for restoration or recreatio n of Sta r/ Libe ro n 107
fine cabi netry , furniture , doors , and Sturdiness and dependability Wayne' s Wood s, Inc. 12
windows. Many hard to find iron,brass,
WCW Mesquit e 106
wood, and porcelain olde worlde Plus shop accessories to treasure. Wesley Too ls 94
pieces . Beautiful cata log, nothing
~ 107
else like it! Over 1000 items pictured Wetzler Clamp
at actual size . 200 pages with brief For booklet on all E.C.E . WGB Glass 17
history of Europea n Styles . quality products, write to: Whitechap el Ltd. 95
Send $25.00 to: David Warren Direct Williams & Hussey 95
~ ~ HARDWARE CO. P.O. Box 542 Wise Ow l Publicatio ns 106
1047 N. Allen Ave . Dept. F93
Since
Pasadena, CA 91104
Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0542 WoodTex 12
1916
Wor cester Center for Crafts 7
READER SERVICE NO. 17
WINT ER 1 9 94 107
about the
furniture makers
W I N T ER 19 94 109
Send us your bestwork
We hope that the collection of
furniture featured in this issue of
Home Furniture will inspire you to
start that special project of your own.
We also hope that you'll be inspired to
have your own project featured in a
future issue.
hGme
- rurruture
Pop -Up Speakers in Hom e Theatre
~~ ~
IeJ
-. _
"" ''' '' ' /1
" n l i l / N l tA
. #"" "" , 111'" ,..
~" """ I I I " ' I I I~
.,, ,, , , , , , 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1
""IIIIIII"/ ~
--
r ll" I II I ,,~
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Motorized Variable Height
Swivel Base Panel Lift Table Pop-Down Projector
Auton does not manufactur e furniture. Mad e in USA. US and Foreign Patent Pending Pop -Down Ceiling TV
READER SERVICENO.6
hGme
IIllirruture
A sampling of the more than 30 pieces featured in this issue:
36