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Pagina principale The Table Book: 35 Classic to Contemporary Projects
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POPULAR The TABLE BOOK WOODWORKING Build a table of any style for any occasion Z7128 TABLE BOOK US $26.99 (CAN $32.99) ISBN-13: 978-1-4403-0427-9 ISBN 978-1-4403-0427-9 ISBN-10: 1-4403-0427-0 35 Classic to Contemporary Projects EAN 52699 UPC FROM THE EDITORS OF POPULAR WOODWORKING 9 781440 304279 Z7128 CM THE TABLE BOOK.indd 1 The FROM THE EDITORS OF POPULAR WOODWORKING Need a table? The Table Book is just what you need. It contains 35 projects to choose from, each with complete plans, cutting lists and detailed step-bystep instructions. You can learn new woodworking techniques or improve or update your skills. Here are some of the table styles you can choose to build: • Shaker candle stand • Greene & Greene table • Stickley poppy table • Porringer side table • Prairie-style coffee table • Maloof table • Creole table • Queen Anne side table • Modern occasional table • Nakashima-inspired table • and 25 more! WOODWORKING POPULAR WOOD WORKING BOOKS 3/30/10 8:55:26 AM The TABLE BOOK FROM THE EDITORS OF POPULAR WOODWORKING POPULAR R WOODWORKING BOOKS CINCINNATI, OHIO www.popularwoodworking.com Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 1 4/9/10 12:46:08 PM Read This Important Safety Notice To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind while you work. Use the safety guards installed on power equipment; they are for your protection. When working on power equipment, keep fingers away from saw blades, wear safety goggles to prevent injuries from flying wood chips and sawdust, wear hearing protection and consider installing a dust vacuum to reduce the amount of airborne sawdust in your woodshop. Don't wear loose clothing, such as neckties or shirts with loose sleeves, or jewelry, such as rings, necklaces or bracelets, when working on power equipment. Tie back long hair to prevent it from getting caught in your equipment. People who are sensitive to certain chemicals should check the chemical content of any product before using it. Due to the variability of local conditions, construction materials, skill level; s, etc., neither the author nor Popular Woodworking Books assumes any responsibility for any accidents, injuries, damages or other losses incurred resulting from the material presented in this book. The authors and editors who compiled this book have tried to make the contents as accurate and correct as possible. Plans, illustrations, photographs and text have been carefully checked. All instructions, plans and projects should be carefully read, studied and understood before beginning construction. Prices listed for supplies and equipment were current at the time of publication and are subject to change. THE TABLE BOOK. Copyright © 2010 by Popular Woodworking. Printed and bound in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Popular Woodworking Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963 First edition. Metric Conversion Chart Distributed in Canada by Fraser Direct 100 Armstrong Avenue Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5S4 Canada Centimeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.03 TO CONVERT TO MULTIPLY BY Inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Centimeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.54 Centimeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Centimeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.5 Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 Distributed in the U.K. and Europe by David & Charles Brunel House Newton Abbot Devon TQ12 4PU England Tel: (+44) 1626 323200 Fax: (+44) 1626 323319 E-mail: email@example.com Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link P.O. Box 704 Windsor, NSW 2756 Australia Visit our Web site at www.popularwoodworking.com. Other fine Popular Woodworking Books are available from your local bookstore or direct from the publisher. 14 13 12 11 10 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The table book / from the editors of Popular woodworking. -- 1st ed. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-4403-0427-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Tables. 2. Woodwork. I. Popular woodworking. TT197.5.T3T332 2010 684'.08--dc22 2010006834 ACQUISITIONS EDITOR: David Thiel SENIOR EDITOR: Jim Stack DESIGNER: Brian Roeth PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Mark Griffin PHOTOGRAPHERS: Staff of Popular Woodworking ILLUSTRATORS: Staff of Popular Woodworking Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 2 4/9/10 12:46:13 PM About the Authors STEVE SHANESY, publisher of Popular Woodworking Magazine, is a native of Troy, Ohio, and has more than 20 years experience in cabinet shops. Steve graduated from Ohio University with a BS in journalism and from Los Angeles Trade Technical College with a certificate in cabinetmaking and millwork. He worked as foreman at AE Furniture Manufacturing in Los Angeles —the city's premier commercial and residential furniture maker. CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ, executive editor for Popular Woodworking Magazine, is a long-time amateur woodworker and professional journalist. He built his first workbench at age 8 and spent weekends helping his father build two houses on the family's farm outside Hackett, Ark. — using mostly hand tools. He has journalism degrees from Northwestern University and The Ohio State University and worked as a magazine and newspaper journalist before joining Popular Woodworking in 1996. Despite his early experience on the farm, Chris remains a hand-tool enthusiast. ROBERT W. LANG, senior editor for Popular Woodworking Magazine, grew up in northeastern Ohio and has been a professional woodworker since the early 1970s. He learned woodworking repairing wooden boats on Lake Erie and in a large commercial shop in Cleveland. Along the way he studied industrial design at The Ohio State University. His experience includes building custom furniture and cabinets as well as managing and engineering large architectural millwork projects. He is the author of several "Shop Drawings" books about furniture and interiors of the Arts & Crafts Movement of the early 1900s. Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 3 GLEN HUEY, senior editor for Popular Woodworking Magazine, is long-time professional woodworker, author, DVD host and woodworking teacher. Glen joined the staff of Popular Woodworking in 2006. MALCOLM HUEY, father of Glen Huey. He taught Glen all he knows about woodworking. Well, almost everything. DAVID THIEL has been a woodworker (both professionally and for fun) for more that 30 years. He spent 10 years as a senior editor for Popular Woodworking Magazine and is now the executive editor for Popular Woodworking books. David also appeared as the host of DIY Network's Tools & Techniques series for more than 100 episodes. JIM STACK, senior editor for Popular Woodworking books, is a flat-lander derelict who grew up in south central Nebraska. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston with a Bachelor's degree in music composition. After moving to Cincinnati, he worked in local cabinet- and furnituremaking shops for almost 20 years. He now builds guitars and other contraptions as the mood strikes him. Jim joined F+W Media in 1999. JOHN HUTCHINSON lives in Ohio and is an architect who loves to design and build mildly eccentric furniture. JIM STUARD is a former editor for Popular Woodworking Magazine. He now hosts a website devoted to fly fishing and does woodworking when he can. 4/9/10 12:46:14 PM Table of Contents 8 PORTABLE WRITING DESK 30 MARBLE-TOP ART DECO TABLE 60 RIBBON TABLE 90 STICKLEY SIDE TABLE Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 4 14 CLASSIC SHAKER CANDLE STAND 38 GREENE & GREENE GARDEN TABLE 68 TORNADO TABLE 94 PORRINGER SIDE TABLE 20 THORSEN HOUSE SIDE TABLE 44 GUSTAV STICKLEY POPPY TABLE 78 LIMBERT TABOURETTE 102 COFFEE TABLE 26 ROUND TABORET 52 THE LOST STICKLEY TABLE 84 GREENE & GREENE SIDE TABLE 108 SLIPPER-FOOT TEA TABLE 4/9/10 12:46:14 PM 122 TWO TUB TABLES 150 GREAT DANISH MODERN TABLE 172 FEDERAL INLAY TABLE 212 ASIAN BEDSIDE TABLE 244 QUEEN ANNE DINING TABLE Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 5 128 PRAIRIE-STYLE COFFEE TABLE 154 MALOOF-STYLE TABLE 182 BALTIMORE CARD TABLE 218 QUEEN ANNE SIDE TABLE 254 SHAKER TRESTLE TABLE 136 BUTLER TRAY TABLE 160 GAME TABLE 192 CREOLE TABLE 230 SHAKER DROP-LEAF TABLE 146 PLYWOOD NESTING TABLES 166 NAKASHIMA-INSPIRED TABLE 202 DRAW-LEAF GAME TABLE 238 MODERN OCCASIONAL TABLE 260 GREEK KEY DESK 4/9/10 12:46:19 PM Introduction T he invention of the table is a great idea. The Nowadays, we still eat at a table, we put our overnight first person to realize that stuff could be stuff on a small table by our bed and toss magazines on a put at their fingertips, rather than having to coffee table. All these are projects in this book. bend over to retrieve it, probably had a sore Oh, let's don't forget game tables. We've a few for back and knew there had to be a better way. Also, sitting you to choose from. There's a checkers/chess table, a on the ground to eat was getting old, but that's about the Porringer side table that could be used to play cards and chair, not a table. Hmm, which came first — the chair or it'll hold your drinks without them getting in the way. the table? To keep it simple, this book is about the table. We've We've got round tables, square tables, rectangular tables, glass-topped tables. There's tables with no legs, one compiled 35 projects from Popular Woodworking maga- table with one leg (well, it has one big foot), a table with zine and Popular Woodworking books. Each project is three legs, several with four legs, one with five legs and unique, all are functional and each one serves a specific one with 6 (it could be made with up to 20) legs. A couple need or desire on the part of the original designer. Does of tables are U-shaped, one has a continuous leg (really, a table need fancy curved legs (or in the case of a couple it has no beginning and no end) and one table that is projects — no legs at all) or to be made of wood? Nope, made from strips of wood using only butt-joint joinery. but once a need is fulfilled, it's the nature of creative people to be, well, creative. There's something for everyone in this book. But, You'll have the opportunity to learn how to work with veneers and inlays, how to make Cabriole and tapered legs and how to make a table out of a slab of wood. Some to be fair, most of the projects require intermediate tables have drawers and one has a lower shelf so you can to advanced woodworking skills. The first project is a stash stuff out of the quickly when surprise guests show portable writing desk like Thomas Jefferson might have up at your door. used. Back then, when folks traveled, they took their Start with the first project, start in the middle or work packed luggage and a laptop writing desk. They wrote your way backwards through the book, it doesn't mat- letters, journals and stories as they traveled. When they ter. Each project is unique and stands on its own two (or got to where they were going, they would probably three or whatever) feet. encounter a Queen Anne dining table, maybe a Shaker trestle table or a Shaker drop-leaf table. 6 Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 6 4/9/10 12:46:24 PM INTRODUCTION 7 Z7128i_pg001-007.indd 7 4/9/10 12:46:27 PM PROJECT 1 8 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 8 4/9/10 12:46:32 PM Writing letters longhand is one of life's simple pleasures, as is building this traditional lap desk. PROJECT 1 Portable Writing Desk BY DAVID THIEL The portable writing desk was an integral part of 18th- and 19th-century life, when writing was the only form of long-distance communication. As people spread across the globe in the 19th century, correspondence by mail became much more popular, and so did the writing desk. The portable desks needed to be sturdy and lightweight, hold stationery and writing utensils, and have a place for people to write easily. The desk seen here will do all of the above, plus hold paper clips, rubber bands and more in the simple side drawer. While you might not abandon your laptop computer for this more traditional item, it is an excellent place to write holiday cards, thank-you notes and personal correspondence. Though we all like the immediacy of email, a hand-written letter always is a welcome surprise. 9 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 9 4/9/10 12:46:35 PM PROJECT 1 3/8" 911/16" 2" 3/16" x 3/16" rabbets typ. 7" 3/ 8" 16" 213/16" Magnet & screw drawer catch Shaker knob in 11/4"dia. x 1/4"deep stop hole 133/4" 13" 123/8" 21/4" 11/4" 21/4" Piano hinge 4" Top 15o 13" 3/8" Lid 3/4" 415/16" Center knob on drawer front 3/8" stock 13/4" 2" 5" 23/4" throughout 213/16" 911/16" 163/4" 3/8" 127/16" 15o Right side 5" Left side 19/16" 1213/16" 16" 10 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 10 4/9/10 12:46:37 PM P O R TA B L E W R I T I N G D E S K THICKNESS Cherry 3⁄8 10 (mm) (mm) 4 102 133 ⁄ 4 349 349 COMMENTS STOCK Top LENGTH PART (mm) 1 WIDTH QUANTITY PORTABLE WRITING DESK • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) 1 Lid Cherry 3⁄8 10 13 330 133 ⁄ 4 1 Bottom Cherry 3⁄8 10 163 ⁄ 4 425 133 ⁄ 4 349 1 Left side Cherry 3⁄8 10 5 127 16 406 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" rabbet BE 1 Right side Cherry 3⁄8 10 5 127 1213 ⁄ 16 325 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" rabbet BE rabbet OE 1 Back Cherry 3⁄8 10 5 127 1213 ⁄ 16 325 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" 1 Front Cherry 3⁄8 10 13 ⁄ 4 44 1213 ⁄ 16 325 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" rabbet BE 1 Back divider Cherry 3⁄8 10 5 127 1213 ⁄ 16 325 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" rabbet BE 1 Front divider Cherry 3⁄8 10 13 ⁄ 4 44 121 ⁄ 4 311 2 Interior dividers Cherry 3⁄8 10 13 ⁄ 4 44 2 51 10 3 ⁄4 19 133 ⁄ 4 349 1 Lid lip Cherry 3⁄8 2 Drawer sides Cherry 3⁄8 10 5 127 1 25 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" rabbet BE 2 Drawer front and back Cherry 3⁄8 10 5 127 2 51 3 ⁄ 16" × 3 ⁄ 16" rabbet BE 10 51 115 ⁄ 8 295 dia. 19 5⁄8 16 1 Drawer bottom Cherry 3⁄8 1 Drawer knob Cherry 3 ⁄4 2 BE=both ends, OE=one end LEFT: To avoid making mistakes once you're at the machine, mark each of the pieces as either inside or outside, as well as the ends that will need rabbet cuts. PHOTOS BELOW: Cut rabbets in multiple passes on the saw. The first pass, with the piece pushed against the fence, defines the shoulder of the rabbet (top). The second pass (lower), with the piece moved away from the fence, clears the rest of the waste. A combination blade will leave ridges in the rabbet; a few more passes over the blade will remove those. 11 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 11 4/9/10 12:46:45 PM PROJECT 1 After carefully laying out the angle locations on both sides, use the band saw and cut about 1⁄ 16" wide of the line to allow for accurate trimming. To clean up the band saw cuts and ensure they're identical, clamp the two sides together and use a bench plane to clean them up simultaneously. With the front piece clamped between the sides (without glue) transfer the angle from the side to the front piece. Do the same on both ends, then use a straightedge or rule to connect the lines on the front and back. This defines the waste that needs to be removed. A block plane makes quick work of this angle. 12 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 12 4/9/10 12:46:47 PM P O R TA B L E W R I T I N G D E S K After a dry run, you're ready to add glue. Secure the front and divider between the sides, then glue the back to the left side (left). Next, glue the top in place on the back and divider, leaving 3 ⁄ 8" overhang at the back and two sides. After that's dry, glue the interior dividers in place (above). ABOVE LEFT: Bevel the lid to match the angle formed by the sides and the front edge of the top. Lay the lid in place and transfer the angle to the lid from the top using a ruler. Then use your block plane to bevel the edge of the top. ABOVE RIGHT: Because wood moves with changes in humidity, the bottom needs to expand from front to back — without breaking the box. This is solved by screwing the bottom to the box through elongated screw holes. LEFT: Make the drawer using the same rabbet joints as the desk. The two sides fit between the front and back, while the bottom is glued in place between the four pieces. 13 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 13 4/9/10 12:46:48 PM PROJECT 2 14 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 14 4/9/10 12:46:51 PM While this is one of the most traditional furniture forms, building one of these small tables is not all that complicated. PROJECT 2 Classic Shaker Candle Stand BY MALCOLM HUEY Built by members of the Mount Lebanon community in New York during the first half of the 19th century, this recognizable Shaker form is actually their stylish interpretation of earlier forms. The legs are a derivation of a Sheraton design. The Shakers referred to the leg design as "umbrella" or "spider feet." I first found this table in John Kassay's The Book of Shaker Furniture. The original shown in the book is part of the J.J.G. McCue collection, and resides in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A very similar cherry table is also in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Forgiving Form While I've included detailed patterns for both the pedestal and the legs on this table, the form is actually forgiving. If your turning ends up a little thinner in one area, or the legs end up a hair thinner at the bottom, it's okay. It's a nice-looking project that will allow you to practice your skills and end up with a great-looking table. Everything about the table connects to the pedestal, so let's begin there. I've included a pattern that gives the diameter of the pedestal all along its length. While the turning skills required for the piece aren't taxing, it's not something to attempt your first time at the lathe. Some basic knowledge of turning is required. Start with a 12/4 maple turning blank that is about 20" long. Turn the entire piece to round, finishing out at about 27∕ 8" in diameter. That's the largest diameter dimension used on the pattern, but if you end up with less than that, adjust the rest of the dimensions to match that difference. Turn the rest of the pedestal according to the pattern, leaving a 1"diameter × 3∕ 4"-long stub on both ends. When you're done with the pedestal, the next step is to cut the three sliding dovetail grooves for the legs on the base of the pedestal. The legs are oriented at 120° around the base of the pedestal. You need to mark the locations accurately, but to cut the grooves I've borrowed from a few different books to make a router jig that makes it nearly foolproof. The jig is made from shop scraps and holds the two stubs of the pedestal in place and uses a screw to hold the pedestal oriented correctly to cut each groove. Use two different bits to cut the grooves. Start with a 1∕ 2" straight bit to remove most of the wood, then follow up with an 8° dovetail bit. Stop the groove at the shoulder, 31∕2" up from the base of the pedestal. The next step is to rough out the legs by milling three pieces to 7∕ 8" × 4" × 15". Then use the provided scaled pattern to lay out the shape of the legs in pencil on the pieces. Make sure the grain runs the length of the leg, or your legs could snap. Determine the location of the dovetail pin on each leg and cut the corner from the leg blank at that point. Before shap- ing the rest of the leg, it's easier to cut the dovetail pin first. Set up your dovetail bit in a router table. Attach an auxiliary fence to allow you to hold the leg upright against the fence. Run a test piece on some scrap to see if your offset is correct. You want the fit to be tight at this point. You'll handfit each joint later. When the test piece fits to your satisfaction, run each side of the leg past the bit, shaping the pins. With this important joint complete on all three leg pieces, head for the band saw and rough cut the legs to shape. Then use a spindle sander (or spokeshave) and shape the legs to finished size. On the original Shaker piece, the legs are also tapered slightly in thickness down to the feet. You can achieve this authentic look with a bench plane. The next step is to fit each leg to the pedestal. I re-use part of my router jig as a stop on my bench to hold the pedestal in place while I carefully pare away material with a chisel until each leg slides in place with a snug fit. Once satisfied, trim the lower stub off the pedestal, finish sand the legs and post, and glue the legs in place. You now have a table base. If your joint is well-made, you shouldn't need any clamping pressure. The Shakers used metal plates across the base of the pedestal to hold the legs in place, but our glues are more reliable. Allow the glue to cure and move on to the top. 15 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 15 4/9/10 12:46:55 PM PROJECT 2 THICKNESS maple 3 ⁄4 19 (mm) COMMENTS STOCK top LENGTH PART (mm) 1 20 508 oversized for cutting out top WIDTH QUANTITY CLASSIC SHAKER CANDLE STAND • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) (mm) 20 508 349 371 1 mounting plate maple 3 ⁄4 19 5 127 133 ⁄ 4 3 legs maple 7⁄ 8 22 199 ⁄ 16 497 145 ⁄ 8 1 pedestal maple 31 ⁄ 2 89 31 ⁄ 2 89 24 610 4 wood screws steel No. 9 4.5 11 ⁄ 4 32 1 1 3/4 " 2 1 1/4" 3 1" 4 15 5 7 6 29 7 1 1/16" /16" /8" /32" 14 3/8" 9 8 3 /4" 1" 1 1/8" 10 11 1 7/8" 12 2 5/16" 13 2 5/8" 14 2 7/8" 15 2 13 /16" 2 3/4" 2 1/2" Turning the pedestal is a great way to practice your lathe skills. While there is a pattern to follow, the lines are fluid enough to allow for personalization, slight miscalculations or both. 3 /4" 19 1 1 7/16" 16 1 1/4" 3 /2" 18 17 19 3/8" blank size before turning 20 1" 1 2 3 Pedestal turning & dovetail mortise 4 The dovetailing jig makes it easy to place the leg, run the groove, then rotate the leg to the next position. Note the screw in the diagram (opposite page) and photo (below) that's used to hold the pedestal in the appropriate position. 16 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 16 4/9/10 12:46:55 PM C L A S S I C S H A K E R C A N D L E S TA N D The last two parts are the easiest to make. If you can find a piece of maple that is 20" wide, use it for the top. That's what the Shakers did, and it looks great. If you can't find a board that wide, look for a thicker piece, cut it in half along the width on your band saw and make the top bookmatched. While you're scrounging for wood, grab a piece that's 5" × 133∕ 4" to use as the mounting plate. To shape the top, I use a circle-cutting jig that mounts to my router. With the center of the jig attached to the underside of the top, cut the 197∕ 8"-diameter shape using a spiral bit, making the cut in three or four passes. When the top is round, chuck a 1∕ 2" roundover bit in your router and round over the bottom edge of the top. Then do the same to the top edge with a 1∕ 16" roundover bit (or break the edge with sandpaper). To keep the mounting like the original, both ends of the plate taper to 1∕4" thick within the first 33∕ 8" of each end. I think the safest way to do this is to use a band saw to cut the taper, then use a sander to clean up the surface. With the plate tapered, cut a 3∕16" roundover on all four edges and drill a 1"-diameter hole in the center of the plate. Then drill a few more mounting holes for attaching the top. Now is the time to finish sand the piece. To attach the base to the mounting plate, cut a saw kerf across the width of the top stub on the pedestal, running the kerf with the grain. Slip the mounting plate over the top of the stub, then add glue and drive a wedge into the saw kerf to lock the plate in place. When the glue is dry, cut the tenon and stub flush to the top of the mounting plate. All that's left is to attach the top and add the finish. I use a water-based aniline dye made by Moser that's available from Woodworker's Supply (see supplier's list on page 270). In my shop we traditionally dilute the dye more than the manufacturer recommends. Be sure to make some sample boards to find a color that you like. Next, follow that with a couple coats of orange shellac. I level that with 360-grit sandpaper and then apply a brown glazing stain over the shellac. After I allow that to dry overnight, a few coats of lacquer finish the job. 273/4 " 14" 1×2 router guides 3 /4 " 8" Bit slot 111/2 " 4" Varies measure router base plate Stop block Removable L-bracket Plan Base plate radius 1x2 router guides Stop block 1" dia. hole 1 /2 " 1" dia. hole 4" 3 4" /4 " 3 /4 " End elevation Removable L-bracket 3 /4 " Indexing screw /4 " 3 4" 3 /4 " Section 17 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 17 4/9/10 12:46:57 PM PROJECT 2 To cut the mating pins for the sliding dovetails, a router table works best. By using an auxiliary fence clamped above the table, first one side of the leg is run (left), then the leg is turned around and the opposite side is run (right). The leg shape is created by making a fullsize template from the included scaled pattern, then transferring that to the leg blanks. A band saw makes quick work of the roughed-out shapes. 10 " 5 /8" 3 /8" 2 1 Dashed lines final shape 7 6 5 4 3 A spindle sander makes what could be a daunting task reasonably painless. By using double-sided tape to hold the legs together, all three can be sanded at the same time, reducing work and ensuring uniform shapes. 8 15" 10 9 135º 11 2" 1 2" 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Leg pattern 18 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 18 4/9/10 12:46:58 PM C L A S S I C S H A K E R C A N D L E S TA N D No matter how accurate your machining, there needs to be some hand-work to make the legs fit just right. Don't make the joint too tight, just snug. Taper both ends to 1/4" 3/4" 3 3/8" 1" dia. hole 7 3 3/8" 133/4" 45º chamfer both sides 5" Mounting plate 8º x 11/16" large diameter dovetail mortise 1 /2" 5 /8" 120º 7 /8" A circle-cutting jig attached to my router lets me make a true circle. Take increasingly deeper passes around the perimeter of the top to complete the cut. It's a good idea to drill clearance holes in the mounting plate before gluing it to the base. 19 Z7128i_pg008-019.indd 19 4/9/10 12:47:00 PM PROJECT A small project that's big on details. 3 Thorsen House Side Table BY DAVID THIEL I've always appreciated the look of furniture designed by architects Charles and Henry Greene. Though often equated with the Arts & Crafts movement at the beginning of the 20th century, their furniture designs reflect an Asian influence that softens the often hard lines of Arts & Crafts furniture. While looking for a piece to build, I was talking with Robert W. Lang, senior editor for Popular Woodworking and author of the justpublished Shop Drawings for Greene & Greene Furniture (Fox Chapel). He suggested adapting a small side table originally made for the Thorsen House in Berkeley, Calif. The cutouts on the aprons quickly won me over, but I did make a couple modifications that lightened the look of the table. Rather than a full-width shelf captured between two straight stretchers, I opted to make the stretcher with a top-and-bottom cloud-lift design and make the shelf only half the width of the original. I also added some 1∕ 16" quirk details to the corners of the legs and the edges of the aprons, stretchers and the shelf. These "rabbets" add a simple shadow line to a very pleasant design. 20 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 20 4/9/10 12:47:05 PM T H O R S E N H O U S E S I D E TA B L E 103⁄4" 5" 11⁄2" 11⁄4" 103⁄4" 14" 1 square = 1" Stretcher pattern 11⁄4" 11⁄2" 23⁄8" 23⁄8" 13⁄8" 21⁄4" 43⁄4" 13⁄8" 21⁄4" 163⁄4" Plan 17" 1" 3⁄4" 1" 41⁄2" 1⁄4" 53⁄4" 41⁄8" 2" 213⁄8" 3⁄4" 3" 1⁄2" 11⁄4" 21⁄2" 53⁄8" Elevation Profile 21 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 21 4/9/10 12:47:08 PM PROJECT 3 THICKNESS mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 (mm) (mm) COMMENTS STOCK top LENGTH PART (mm) 1 WIDTH QUANTITY THORSEN HOUSE SIDE TABLE • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) 163 ⁄ 4 425 151 ⁄ 2 394 3 ⁄ 4" TBE 38 17 432 146 121 ⁄ 4 311 3 ⁄ 4" TBE 540 3 ⁄ 4" TBE 2 breadboard ends mahogany 1 25 11 ⁄ 2 4 aprons mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 53 ⁄ 4 32 11 ⁄ 4 32 211 ⁄ 4 4 legs mahogany 11 ⁄ 4 2 stretchers mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 11 ⁄ 4 32 121 ⁄ 4 311 13 13 ⁄ 4 45 111 ⁄ 4 286 10 3⁄8 10 1⁄4 6 1 shelf mahogany 1⁄ 2 32 pegs Ebony 3⁄8 TBE = tenon both ends Start With the Lumber Selecting your lumber for this table is an important step. Because it's such a small piece, wild grain will dramatically change the overall appearance. You want to look for mahogany that is as straight grained as possible. This will become even more critical if you're bookmatching the top piece. And because of the high cost of mahogany, I definitely recommend bookmatching. It allows you to buy 8/4 material and resaw for the top, aprons and stretchers, while still allowing enough thickness to yield the legs and breadboards. Start by selecting the best wood for the top piece. Pay careful attention to the grain orientation as the piece is almost square and it's easy to get the direction reversed, which will yield a funny-looking top. Resaw the top pieces, then surface and join the two boards, trimming to allow the best grain match possible. Now glue the two (hopefully no more) pieces together to form the top. A 3 ⁄ 8" mortising chisel makes quick work of the apron mortises on each leg. One of the stretcher mortises is visible on the leg at the bottom of the photo. While the glue is drying, select the next-best sections of your wood for the aprons and stretchers. Resaw the necessary pieces from your 8/4 material to yield the balance of your pieces. Then surface-plane, joint and saw the stock to final thickness, width and length. 22 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 22 4/9/10 12:47:14 PM T H O R S E N H O U S E S I D E TA B L E Mortise & Tenon Joinery The joinery for the table should start at your mortiser. I chose a 3∕8" mortising chisel for all the mortises on this piece. Mark the locations of the mortises on the legs, paying careful attention to the location for the lower stretchers. There are only two stretchers and they will require mortises on only one inside face of each leg. Orient the legs so those faces are on the inside. The mortises for the aprons are 7∕ 8" deep and 41∕ 2" long. They are centered on the legs and start 3∕ 4" down from the top of the legs. The two apron mortises will intersect one another in the leg, so be careful while cutting the second mortise to avoid damaging the rather thin interior corner left by the two mortises. The stretcher mortises are 3∕ 4" long and start 51∕ 8" up from the bottom of the legs. While you're at the mortiser, lay out and cut the 7∕8"-deep mortises in the breadboard ends. The middle mortise is 43∕ 4" long and centered on each breadboard. The two outer mortises are 21∕ 4" long and start 13∕ 8" in from each end. All the breadboard mortises are centered in the thickness of the breadboards. Remove the top from the clamps and trim it to finished size. I used the table saw to cut the tenons on all the pieces, but you may choose to use a router. In fact, I was a little lazy on the saw and opted to leave the 1∕ 8" blade in rather than switch to a dado to run the tenons. There's also a little logic behind my laziness. By making repeat cuts on the cheek of the tenon my blade leaves slight ridges on the surface. If test fitting my tenon achieves a fit that is too snug, I'm able to come back with a rabbeting plane and trim the tenon to fit. Then, miter the ends of the tenons to fit the legs. Cloud Lifts and Quirks The cloud lifts are subtle curves, not radii. Make a template (bottom) of the curve you like, then transfer that curve to your aprons and stretchers. With the tenons cut it's time to add some of the details. Each of the aprons and the two stretchers have what have been coined "cloud lift" designs. This shaped offset is formed on the lower edge of each apron and on both the top and bottom of the two stretchers. The offset is 1∕ 4". The location of the offsets can be determined from the scaled patterns for the aprons and stretchers. The transition isn't a radius, though you could do it that way if you prefer. Rather, the transition can be drawn using 1∕ 4" radii, but should then be softened to make the transition The tenons are created on the saw by first defining the shoulders both on the thickness (left) and then the width (right) of each tenon. I then made repeat cuts on the tenon, nibbling away the waste. 23 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 23 4/9/10 12:47:16 PM PROJECT 3 To avoid too much filing and sanding, cut as close as you can on the band saw. I cut in close to the line around the curves first (left), then come back and use the cutting edge of the blade to nibble away the waste up to the line (right). The quirk detail is created on the legs using the table saw. Essentially, you're creating a 1 ⁄ 16" × 1 ⁄ 16" rabbet on each corner of the leg. more subtle. I made a few test pieces before I was satisfied with the curve, then used that test piece to mark the cloud-lift transitions on the actual pieces. With your pieces marked, head to the band saw and make your cloud-lift cuts. Use a file and sandpaper to clean up the shapes on all the pieces. To add a little trick for the eye I cut a 1∕ 16" rabbet (or quirk) on the long edges of the legs using the table saw (see photo The bearing guide shown on this trim router allows the bit to follow the curves of the cloud lifts. You could also install a bearing-guided bit in a router table to make the quirk detail. below), and also on the four long edges of the small shelf. To add the same detail to the lower edge of the aprons and all the edges of the stretchers, I set up a trim router with a bearing guide and a straight bit. The guide allows the bit to follow the cloud lifts without difficulty. Patterns & Ebony Before assembly, use your scroll saw or fretsaw to cut out the patterns on the aprons. Enlarge the scaled patterns to full size, then attach them to the aprons using adhesive spray. Cut the patterns and use sandpaper and small files to clean them up. One last step is to make the square holes for the ebony accent pegs. I again used my 3∕8" mortising chisel to make these 3∕ 8"-deep holes. The locations of the dual pegs on the legs are 1∕ 4" in from either side and the pegs are 5∕ 8" apart 24 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 24 4/9/10 12:47:18 PM T H O R S E N H O U S E S I D E TA B L E ABOVE: Use glue only on the center mortise and tenon of the breadboards. The outer tenons are allowed to move freely to compensate for wood movement. LEFT: To make the pegs, carefully rip the accent wood to slightly larger than the mortise size. Round the ends of the "stick" using sandpaper, then carefully trim off the 1 ⁄4"-tall pegs on the band saw. Sand the peg sides at a slight angle (smaller at the bottom) and glue them in place just proud of the leg's surface. from one another. The pegs at the tops of the legs start 3∕ 4" down from the top of the leg. The lower pattern starts 31∕ 8" down from the top. The pegs on the stretchers and breadboards are evenly spaced as shown. Assembly Finish sand all the pieces of the table base and assemble the frame. Start with the sides that have the stretchers. Then glue the last two aprons between the two frames. Before gluing up the top, use a 1∕ 8"- radius router bit to soften the long edges of the top and all the edges of the breadboard pieces. Finally, glue on the breadboards. Screw the shelf in place through two holes in the stretchers that will receive the ebony pegs. The pegs are next (see photo above). I used ebony, but you could also use walnut. I Used my biscuit jointer to cut slots on the inside of the aprons to match the Z-shaped metal mirror fasteners. I then screwed these to the top. The last step is the finish. A coat of boiled linseed oil will leave a lighter finish, allowing the mahogany to darken with age, or you can speed the process by using a stain. A top coat of lacquer and you have a table with unique details that make it stand out. 25 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 25 4/9/10 12:47:20 PM PROJECT 4 This table can be built in a few hours or a leisurely weekend. Round Taboret BY DAVE GRIESMANN Recently my wife put in a request for a small round-top table for our entry way. I did some checking around the internet and eventually saw an Arts & Crafts table that fit the general description, but our house has more contemporary furniture. I thought about it for a while, changed a few features as well as the material (no oak in this one) and came up with a design that required minimal lumber and a chance to use my new trim router. I knew I wanted to paint the base and have a natural finish on top. I got lucky and found some maple boards at a local home improvement center. Then I headed over to the racks with the pine and found what I needed. I cut the maple and pine boards into 22" lengths and edge-glued them together to make two 22" × 22" blanks for my top and sub-top. The butt joint is one of the simplest of all woodworking joints, but when working with material that is already at its finished thickness, it can be a challenge to hold the edges of the pieces level with each other. A simple way to solve this problem is to add biscuits to the edge joints; they make it easy to align the pieces during glue-up. Use three biscuits at each joint, do a little sanding after the glue dries and you're done. If you look at the illustration on the facing page you can see that the legs of the table slant in from the floor to the top. To accomplish this I set my miter saw to cut at an 88° angle and cut the ends of my 3"-wide boards. I slid the boards down 24" and made another cut 26 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 26 4/9/10 12:47:23 PM R O U N D TA B O R E T 3/8" radius top & bottom 3/8" D 211/2" 3/4" 1/ 4" 3/4" 1/ 2" Top plan 211/2" 3/4" 1/2" 20" 163/16" Table edge detail 3" 3/4" 3/4" 88o 2" 4" 3/4" 237/8" Upper stretcher elevation 24" 253/8" 237/8" 111/4" 2" 88o 4" 4" 5" 111/2" 177/8" Lower stretcher elevation Table Elevation 1/2"x1/2" chamfer on bottom D 20" Sub-top plan maple 4 19 21 pine 3 ⁄4 19 20 D 508 2 stretchers pine 3 ⁄4 19 31 ⁄ 2 89 111 ⁄ 2 292 4 legs pine 3 ⁄4 19 3 76 24 610 (mm) 3⁄ 4 COMMENTS LENGTH top sub base (mm) WIDTH THICKNESS 1 1 PART (mm) 3⁄ QUANTITY STOCK ROUND TABORET • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) D 552 27 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 27 4/9/10 12:47:24 PM PROJECT 4 When cutting the half-lap notches, cut to the inside of the pencil lines, then nibble away the waste with successive cuts. A rasp and file will smooth the rough edges. Biscuits attach the legs to the stretchers. While the slot in the stretcher is centered on the end, the slot in the leg is centered 7" up from the bottom. Clamping on a angle can cause the clamps to slip, messing up the procedure. A couple of scrap blocks cut at a complementary angle bring the clamping surface back to 90°. at the same angle. These two cuts give me my four finished leg lengths and the legs slanted perfectly. Next are the two stretchers. Keeping my saw set at 88°, I cut one end of a 4"wide board, then flip it over (end-for-end, keeping the same edge against the miter saw fence) and measure 111∕2" from the tip of the miter cut and make another cut at 88°. The two cuts should be at opposite angles to each other like a picture frame part. Cut the other stretcher. The two stretchers have a half-lap joint at the center so they will interlock. To create this joint, lay out and mark a 3∕ 4" × 2" notch at the center of both stretchers — with one notch at the top edge of one stretcher and the other at the bottom edge of the other stretcher. I then clamp one of the stretchers to my bench and use my jig saw to cut out the sides of the notch (leaving the pencil marks) and start cross cutting to remove the waste in between. Then I use my files and rasp to fine tune the joint to a snug fit. Attach legs attach to the ends of the stretchers using biscuits. Mark and cut the biscuit slots on both ends of the two stretchers. Make the matching slots on the legs centered 7" up from the inside bottom of each leg. To clamp the legs, I cut out four blocks that were 90° on one side and 88° on the other. I used these blocks to counter the slant of the legs, which gave me two parallel sides to clamp. Starting with the sub-top, I used a tape measure and drew an × from corner to corner on the underside of the piece. This located the center point. I then used a long piece of scrap and drilled a hole at one end to accept the 28 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 28 4/9/10 12:47:25 PM R O U N D TA B O R E T Using a ⁄ " high, 45-degree chamfer bit in my trim router, I cut the bevel profile on the underside of my sub-top. This isn't a requirement for any building reason, but refines the underside of the table. 1 2 To finish the edge of the top I used a 3 ⁄ 16"-roundover bit on both the top and bottom edges. A little hand sanding will blend the radius to the top and edge, removing the slight "edge" left by the router. The legs are attached to the sub base using dowels whose locations are determined from below (left). Then holes are drilled and the dowels are put in place from above. tip of a pencil and measured in 10" in on center and drilled another hole for a nail. I used this home-made compass to draw the circle. I clamped the sub-top to my bench and cut out the circle leaving the line inside my cut. Switching between my files, rasps and sander I smoothed up the edge of the top, then added a chamfer to the bottom edge. I adjusted the compass to 103∕4" to draw a 211∕ 2" diameter top, cut it out and added a roundover profile to the edge. I unclamped the legs and sanded them with 120 grit and assembled the two halves. I centered the legs on the sub-top, marked the leg locations, marked an × at each leg location by drawing lines from corner to corner of the traced marks and drilled a small hole through the sub-top at each leg location. I placed the sub-top on top of the legs and drilled 3∕ 8" holes through the sub-top into the center of each leg about 12 ∕ " deep. Then I cut a 3∕ 8" dowel cut into four pieces, applied glue in the holes and the dowels and tapped them into each leg. After the glue dried I cut the dowels flush and sanded the sub-top. I drilled through the sub-top and attached it to the top using four 11∕ 4" × No.8 screws. I applied several coats of wipe-on polyurethane to the maple top. Using flat black latex paint, I painted the sub-top and legs. Finally, apply a coat of paste wax on the top. 29 Z7128i_pg020-029.indd 29 4/9/10 12:47:26 PM PROJECT 5 30 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 30 4/9/10 12:47:31 PM Building this project will give you insights into mitered joinery and a multifaceted column base. PROJECT 5 Marble-top Art Deco Table BY GLEN HUEY Created in the likeness of a piece designed by French designer Maurice Dufrene in the 1930s, this round Art Deco side table has it all. A marble slab is inset into a bold, round top, a strong center column creates shadows in the light and an understated ring-shaped base is slightly elevated. The top is created much like a wagon wheel, using segments to produce the circular element. Other parts are turned on the lathe, and the column has a straightforward design that shouts Art Deco. If you are a student of this style of furniture, you will absolutely have to build this table. 1 To start this piece, you need to determine the size of the segmented top. Create a full-size drawing of the round top and divide the circumference into eight sections. The eight sections determine the 221 ⁄ 2° cut for each end of the sections. Lay back 31 ⁄4" from the intersection of the circle and the section dividing line to ensure space for the biscuit joinery. From that back line, measure out to just past the apex of the circle. To copy my piece, the result is a 41 ⁄4"-wide piece that is 111 ⁄4" on the long side. 2 Mill your segment pieces to size and cut the 221 ⁄ 2° cuts on each end to form a pie-shaped piece. Repeat the cuts on all eight pieces. 31 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 31 4/9/10 12:47:34 PM PROJECT 5 Marble top J Tabletop segments A 221⁄2n 111⁄4" 221⁄2n 41⁄8" Double-biscuit joint Top braces B TABLETOP SEGMENTS A Half-lap center Half lap at ends Grooves for glue squeeze-out Column wing E Column spacer D TOP VIEW 85⁄8" 271⁄4" Table diameter 263⁄8" Routed section for marble Column center C 15⁄8" 31⁄8" Upper base F Base G 11⁄2" Radius 11⁄2" 11⁄2" 55⁄8" Feet H BASE/FOOT DETAIL 32 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 32 4/9/10 12:47:36 PM M A R B L E -TO P A R T D E C O TA B L E STOCK THICKNESS tabletop segments mahogany 13⁄ 4 (45) B 2 top braces mahogany 1⁄ 1 5⁄ C 1 column center mahogany 1 D 2 column spacers mahogany 3⁄ E 2 column wings mahogany 2 (mm) 41⁄ 4 (108) (38) 1⁄ 3 5⁄ 8 (mm) COMMENTS PART 8 LENGTH QUANTITY (mm) A WIDTH REFERENCE MARBLE-TOP ART DECO TABLE • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) 111⁄ 4 (285) 221⁄ 2° cut BE 1⁄ 20 7⁄ 8 (530) (219) 23 3⁄ 4 (603) (79) (41) 8 4 (19) 31⁄ 8 (79) 233⁄ 4 (603) 13⁄ 4 (45) 23⁄ 4 (70) 233⁄ 4 (603) 5⁄ 8 8 5⁄ 2" (13) lapped center F 1 upper base mahogany 1 (25) 9 (245) 9 (245) lathe-turned G 1 base mahogany 11⁄ 4 (32) 135⁄ 8 (346) 135⁄ 8 (346) lathe-turned H 4 feet mahogany 1⁄ 2 (13) 15⁄ 8 (41) 41⁄ 4 (108) J 1 top marble 3⁄ 4 (19) 263⁄ 8 (670) round 8 8 Note: BE = both ends. HARDWARE 8 No. 8 x 11⁄ 4" (32mm) Slotted-head wood screws 5 No. 8 x 2" (51mm) Square-drive deck screws 5 5⁄ 16" x 4" (8mm x 102mm) Lag screw with washers 12 No. 7 x 3⁄ 4" (19mm) Slotted-head wood screws Glue #20 Biscuits 3⁄ 16" 1⁄ 4" 3⁄ 16" (5mm) Dowel pin (6mm) Spacer x 1" (5mm × 25mm) Dowel Aniline dye stain Lacquer, sealer and finish 3 Clamp the pieces with a band clamp. If your measurements were correct, the fit is tight. If you are off a bit, you can make small changes to the angle cuts on individual pieces to arrive at a tight fit. When ready, mark the location for the biscuit slot. 4 On the segments, transfer the layout line for the biscuit slots to both faces of the piece and cut one slot referenced to the top and one to the bottom, creating twin slots on each end. 33 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 33 4/9/10 12:47:43 PM PROJECT 5 5 Glue the ends with the biscuits in place and clamp with a band clamp until dry. 6 Assemble the top braces and mark all four ends with an X. Separate the two and cut a 3 ⁄4" × 1" rabbet on the ends of each brace. Cut only the X-marked ends, so that when joined the braces have the cuts on the same face. 8 7 9 Cut the top braces to size and create the half-lap center joint. Set the brace assembly in place on the underside of the joined top and mark the ends. Remove the necessary areas with a router or chisels. It helps to keep the brace in the same position to match the cuts, so mark one end with the top section location. Prepare your band saw to cut the top section to round. Attach a cleat that fits into the saw guide to a piece of plywood. Square a line from the blade and mark 131 ⁄ 8", or half the diameter of the finished top. Drill a 3 ⁄ 16" hole for a short dowel pin. 10 Before you attach the brace assembly to the top, locate a center in the brace and drill a 3 ⁄ 16" hole. Secure the brace with glue and 11 ⁄4" screws in the center, then attach the assembly to the top in the same manner. 34 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 34 4/9/10 12:47:44 PM M A R B L E -TO P A R T D E C O TA B L E 11 Lay the top section on the pin in the plywood platform with a flat area at the blade. It will be a tight fit. Turn the saw on and slowly rotate the top section, cutting to a circle. 12 Once cut, sand all surfaces of the now round top. Round over both the top and bottom exterior edges with a 3 ⁄ 16" roundover bit. 13 Set up the plunge router with the circle-cutting jig. Place the 3 ⁄ 16" dowel pin in place, then add 1 a ⁄4" spacer to the pin. Set the router to cut 1 ⁄4" deep, and the outside cutting edge of the bit ( 3 ⁄4" straight) to be exactly 5 ⁄ 16" from the outside edge of the top. Hook the circle-cutting jig over the pin and plunge-cut the first pass on the top. With the outer edge defined, move to the extreme inside cut and repeat the process, each time moving toward the outer edge. This process allows the router base to rest on the existing material with each pass, and on the top's outer rim on the final passing cut. Also, notice how I lock the top in place with the plywood pieces. It will need to be secured. 15 Next, mill the pieces for the column. Make the 11 ⁄ 2"radius cut at both edges of the column center and one edge of each of the column wings. It is easy to create a simple jig and use a router and pattern bit to complete this step. 14 When the cutting is complete, clean up the recessed top with a scraper. 35 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 35 4/9/10 12:47:48 PM PROJECT 5 17 16 Use a chamfer bit and router on both edges of the two column spacers. Stay short of the ends for appearance. 18 Attach the wings to the center of the spacers with glue and 11 ⁄4" screws. Use just enough glue to work; a slight excess should be caught in the grooves from the previous step, but too much will still result in squeeze-out. 20 Make the connection in two steps: One side, then the other when the first is dry. At the table saw, cut a shallow groove on the back sides of the spacers and wings. Make the cut on both edges. This will become a reservoir to prevent glue squeeze-out during the assembly of the column. 19 This is how the wing/spacer unit attaches to the column center. Because we are joining face grain, the connection is made with glue only. 21 Insert a short dowel into the base and slide the upper base onto the pin. Mark a line around the upper base onto the base. Remount the base on the lathe and cut a shallow groove just inside the marked line. This is another glue reservoir. 36 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 36 4/9/10 12:47:52 PM M A R B L E -TO P A R T D E C O TA B L E 22 Mill and turn the upper base to profile and the base to size. With the base on the lathe, mark the exact center. Drill a 3 ⁄16" hole at center of the base and at the intersection of the lines used to mount the face plate onto the upper base (this is the bottom side). 23 Attach the upper base to the column with 2" screws, making sure the heads are countersunk. 25 24 Spread glue onto the bottom side of the upper base and inside the groove cut into the top of the base. Using the dowel pin, attach the two and clamp until dry. ABOVE LEFT: Mill the feet to size, cut a chamfer on the ends, then cut the blank into two equal pieces. Locate the feet directly in alignment with the column edges and attach with glue and 3 ⁄4" screws. Countersink the heads. ⁄ " lag screws. Drill a ⁄ " countersunk hole in the top so that the washer and the lag-screw head will be recessed. Finish the hole with a 5 ⁄ 16" bit. Set the top in place on the legs and mark the hole locations. Predrill the column with a 1 ⁄4" bit. Attach the top to the column with the lag screws. 26 ABOVE RIGHT: Predrill the top and column for the 5 16 78 27 LEFT: The finish I selected for this piece is a water-based aniline dye stain with a lacquer top coat. All that is left is to order the marble insert for the top and set it in place to finish the project. 37 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 37 4/9/10 12:47:55 PM PROJECT 6 38 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 38 4/9/10 12:47:58 PM This Greene & Greene Garden Bench looks great on your patio or in your living room. PROJECT 6 Greene & Greene Garden Table BY JIM STUARD A reader from Claremont, California, Everett Vinzant, liked our Greene & Greene Garden Bench so much he decided to build a coffee table to go with it. He sent us a photo of it, and we decided it was such a good idea we tweaked his nice design and built this table. We call this project "Revenge of the Cloud Lifts" because it's loaded with this undulating signature Arts & Crafts detail. Because there are so many cloud lifts, this is a good project to use template routing on a router table to make them all. Making Templates Begin by cutting the parts out according to the cutting list. Then make your plywood templates, scaling from the patterns. Mark a center line across each template. This will help you line up the parts for routing. Finish each template by adding two handles to the templates in the locations shown. Roughing the Parts Mark a center line across parts B, C, D, F, G, K and on two top slats (J). Mark a center line down the middle and across parts E and K. These get a four-hole cutout. Make four copies of the small fourhole cutout and one of the larger fourhole patterns. Cut the patterns to within 1∕ 2" of the holes. Using spray adhesive, attach the small patterns on the end uprights (E) and the large pattern on the center slat (K) lining up the cross hairs on the pattern with the cross hairs on the parts. Drill 1∕ 4" clearance holes in each hole and cut out the squares with a scroll saw. You can't quite cut all of the holes on the center slat but come close and clean up the rest with a chisel. Routing the Parts Mount a 3∕ 8" pattern bit into a router table and set the depth of the bearing to run against the template while cutting the part. After routing the cloud lifts, cut all of the biscuit joints for the base and top. Use a biscuit joiner to cut slots for No. 0 biscuits, which are perfect for joining the base and top parts. The easiest way to lay out the biscuit joints is to dry-clamp the end assembly together and mark the centers of the ends on the apron pieces and legs. The aprons have a 1∕ 4" setback from the outside of the legs, so cut the biscuit slots on the apron assembly first. Then, using a 1∕ 4" spacer, set up the biscuit joiner to cut the offset on the legs. Use No. 20 biscuits on the short aprons (C) and No. 0 face-frame biscuits (or dowels) on the end dividers and uprights (D and E). Before assembly, rout a 1∕4" radius on the legs and the ends of the apron parts that contact the legs. Rout the rest of the assembly after gluing up. One last step before assembly is to drill screw pockets into the upper aprons for attaching the top. Glue up the end assembly. After drying, mark the location of the base stretcher on each end assembly. Take the long aprons and base stretcher and dry clamp the entire base together. The base stretcher should be press fit between the end assemblies. Repeat the same process of cutting No. 20 biscuit slots on the long aprons and end assemblies. Dowel the base stretcher into each end assembly using two 3∕ 8" dowels. After doweling the stretcher, lay out and scroll saw the profile on the ends of the top stretchers using the patterns. Let the top stretchers into the base using half-lap joints according to the diagram. Then glue the entire base together and screw the stretchers into the top edge of the base. Wood Words Pierce Cut: Raising the table saw's blade through a part and lowering it when done. In solid lumber, this works only when making a rip cut. Manmade materials (such as MDF and plywood) can be ripped or crosscut. Climb Cut: Slowly routing backwards from the cutting direction of a router bit. This will give a smoother cut in figured woods and when routing across end grain. 39 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 39 4/9/10 12:48:03 PM PROJECT 6 Begin cutting out the 1 ⁄ 2" Baltic birch templates by drilling holes at the proper corners. Raise the blade on the table saw into the middle of the stock to make the straight cuts. Band saw the rest and clean up the cloud lifts using a disc sander. Use the center lines to index the template on what will be the back of each piece (it will eventually have nails driven into it) and draw the appropriate cloud lift or reverse cloud lift. Cutting close to the line, rough out these pieces on the band saw. Pattern routing the parts is easy using the templates. Nail the appropriate template to a roughed out part, using the index lines for reference. Begin routing with the bit cutting against the wood. When you come to a cloud lift, use a climb cut so you don't burn the rounded corner. Lay out a 5 ⁄ 8"-deep by 3 ⁄4"-wide notch into the top stretcher and the base. The notch is 2 3 ⁄4" in from the stretcher end and 8" in from the joint where the apron meets the leg. Notice the clearance holes drilled into the top edge of the base and stretcher. Begin the top assembly by routing a ∕ " radius on the top long edge of all the slats. Using 1∕4" spacers, clamp the slats together without glue. Dry clamp the ends in place and mark for biscuit joints. Cut the biscuit slots and glue this top sub-assembly together. When dry, place the long top frame pieces against the sub-assembly and mark the inside corner 14 where the short frame meets the long frame. Rout a 1∕4" radius on the inside edge of the long frame piece between the corner marks. With a rasp, finish the radius where it tapers on the ends. Mark and cut biscuit slots, then glue up the top. After drying, cut a profile on each corner using the pattern for the top stretchers. Rout a 1∕ 4" radius on the outside edge of the top. After sanding, center the base on the underside of the top and attach it to the top using 11∕2" screws in the screw pockets and 13∕ 4" screws in the top stretchers. No finish is required. If you leave the table unfinished outdoors, it will turn a beautiful silver color. 40 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 40 4/9/10 12:48:03 PM G R E E N E & G R E E N E G A R D E N TA B L E QUANTITY PART STOCK THICKNESS (mm) WIDTH (mm) LENGTH (mm) 4 A legs mahogany 2 51 2 51 171 ⁄ 4 438 2 B long aprons mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 3 76 32 813 1 C short aprons mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 3 76 14 356 1 D end divider mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 3 76 14 356 1 E end uprights mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 2 51 31 ⁄ 4 83 1 F base stretcher mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 3 76 34 864 1 G top stretchers mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 11 ⁄ 4 32 23 584 1 H top frame long mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 21 ⁄ 4 57 48 325 1 I top frame short mahogany 3 ⁄4 19 21 ⁄ 2 64 19 483 19 21 ⁄ 2 64 43 1092 19 3 76 43 1092 2 J top slats mahogany 3 ⁄4 1 K center slat mahogany 3 ⁄4 COMMENTS REFERENCE GREENE & GREENE GARDEN TABLE • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) All radii are 1/4" Full-size detail of corner profile See detail above Layout for top stretchers 32" 8" 3/4" 14 1/2" 3/4" 8" 2 1/2" 19" 2 1/2" Cut the same notch in both edges. 24" 3/4" 2 1/2" Top dimensions 2 1/2" 3 1/2" 2" Plan 32" 48" 2" 3 1/2" 3/4" 2 1/2" Detail of top stretcher See detail above 3/4" 3" 3 1/4" 2" 18" 3 1/4" 3" 2 3/4" 6" 5/8" 2" Elevation 32" 48" 2" 6" 1 1/4" 3" 3 1/4" 2" 18" 3 1/4" 3" 2 3/4" 1/2" 2 1/2" 3" 3" 2" Profile 3/4" 14" 24" 2" 3" 41 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 41 4/9/10 12:48:06 PM PROJECT 6 Full-Size diagram of both four-hole cutouts, the double radius on the top stretcher and top, the layout for all of the cloud lifts on the table and a scale diagram of the jig used for routing the cloud lifts. Top cutouts Top stretcher End assembly cutouts 3/8" 1/2" 1/4" radius 1/4" 1/4" 3/8" 1/4" radius 1/2" 3/8" Full-size diagram of double radius on the top strecher and top 1/2" 1/4" 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" Full-size diagram of four hole cutouts in the top and end assemblies Full-size diagram of the cloud lifts. Use this to lay out the individual cloud lifts on the jig above. Each square equals 1". 1/4" radius 42 Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 42 4/9/10 12:48:07 PM Z7128i_pg030-043.indd 43 1" dowel handle location 7" CL 7" 7" ⁄2 " 1⁄2" Scale: 1⁄4" = 1" 81⁄2" Note: You can rout all the cloud lifts using this one template. 1 8" 7" 7" CL 1" dowel handle location 4" G R E E N E & G R E E N E G A R D E N TA B L E 43 4/9/10 12:48:07 PM PROJECT 7 44 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 44 4/9/10 12:48:10 PM Before developing the rectilinear Craftsman style, Gustav Stickley experimented with curvaceous Art Nouveau designs. PROJECT 7 Gustav Stickley Poppy Table BY ROBERT W. LANG In 1898, Gustav Stickley took a working vacation. With more than 20 years of experience as a furniture maker, he was ready to change direction, and he headed across the Atlantic Ocean for inspiration. The Arts & Crafts movement was strong in England, while in France the latest thing was L'Art Nouveau. FACING PAGE: Fresh look from an old design. This small tea table was originally made more than 100 years ago by Gustav Stickley. His sense of proportion and design was not limited to straight lines. In 1900 Stickley debuted several new designs marketed as "New Furniture" by the Tobey company of Chicago. This table was one of the most striking of those pieces, heavily influenced by Art Nouveau and a far cry from the rectilinear designs of the Craftsman style furniture he would become best known for. There is a hint of things to come, however. The edges of the top, shelf and legs are all sinuous curves, but the surfaces are essentially flat, and the corners are just barely broken. It also presents an interesting engineering problem. Beneath the carved surfaces and waving edges, the table is based on a pentagon, Following the plan. A full-size layout aids in making the parts and the joints accurately. As the table was assembled, I compared the actual pieces to the lines on the drawing. so the angles between the stretchers, shelf and five legs are at 72˚, not 90º. This "Poppy Table" has been on my to-do list for a long time, and when I came across some good photos from an auction, I decided that the time was right to go ahead. Engineering First When I began working on the design, my first concern was the shape of the pieces. I soon realized that this project would also be a structural challenge. In the original, face-grain plugs are visible on the outside of the legs, centered on the shelf. Usually this means a screw is The hub is the keystone. All of the structural parts of the table radiate from this small piece, so it needs to be precise. This shooting jig lets me trim it down in tiny increments. 45 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 45 4/9/10 12:48:13 PM PROJECT 7 16 7 ⁄ 8 " 2" HUB PLAN 161⁄16" 3⁄4" 513⁄16" 13⁄16" 47⁄8" 1" PLAN BELOW TOP STRETCHER 1 Square =1" LEG PATTERN 1 Square =1" TOP PATTERN 1 Square =1" SHELF PATTERN 46 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 46 4/9/10 12:48:15 PM G U S TAV S T I C K L E Y P O P P Y TA B L E THICKNESS mahogany 13 ⁄ 16 21 (mm) 2113 ⁄ 16 554 225 ⁄ 16 567 429 (mm) 1 shelf mahogany 13 ⁄ 16 21 161 ⁄ 16 408 167⁄ 8 5 legs mahogany 13 ⁄ 16 21 5 127 225 ⁄ 8 575 1 hub mahogany 13 ⁄ 16 21 31 ⁄ 16 78 31 ⁄ 4 83 5 stretchers mahogany 13 ⁄ 16 21 2 51 613 ⁄ 16 173 COMMENTS STOCK top LENGTH PART (mm) 1 WIDTH QUANTITY GUSTAV STICKLEY POPPY TABLE • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) DTBE = dovetail both ends Hidden lapped dovetails. The stretchers connect to the hub and the leg with 1 ⁄ 2"-thick lapped dovetails. They are 3 ⁄4" wide at the hub end and 1" wide at the leg. beneath the plug, but it seemed to me that these joints needed more than a mechanical fastener. I don't really know how the original is held together at the intersection of the leg and shelf. Loose tenons seem the obvious solution to us today, but at the time a dowel or two flanking the screw would have been more likely. I decided to use Festool Dominos for loose tenons, along with a screw to pull the assembly together. It's hard to clamp a pentagon. At the top of the legs, stretchers seemed necessary, but it was a puzzle deciding how to connect them to the legs. There isn't any structure visible in the Never to be seen. These joints won't show in the finished table, but they must be strong. The sockets in the legs were wasted with a small router; the sockets in the hub with wasted with a Forstner bit. I then pared them all to size with a chisel. photo I was working from, so my solution is a best guess. I used a lapped dovetail at each end of the 2"-wide stretchers, and in the center made a five-sided hub piece that holds them all together. Together Twice to Make it Nice All the parts for this table came from a single plank of mahogany about 14" wide and 12' long. I made all the joints and dry-assembled the entire table before doing any of the decorative work. The hub is the piece I worried most about. It is like a keystone that affects the location of the other joints. Any variations in this piece and the legs would twist and throw off the joints at the shelf. Because it was too small to safely cut on the table saw or miter saw, I cut it on the band saw. I then made a small shooting board, as shown in the lower right photo on page 45, and trimmed the hub to size with a low-angle block plane. I made a full-size printout of my drawing and used that to check the parts and assemblies as I made them. I cut a rabbet at each end of the stretchers with a tenoning jig on the table saw, leaving 1∕ 2" thickness for the dovetails. I hand cut the dovetails and used them to lay out the sockets in the hub and the top of each leg. Numbering each 47 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 47 4/9/10 12:48:22 PM PROJECT 7 LEFT: Straight fitting. All the joints were made and all parts dryassembled before doing any of the shaping to the legs and shelf. ABOVE: Rapid layout. Gluing a full-size paper pattern to the shelf blank eliminates transferring the pattern. The paper will stay in place through the cutting process. stretcher and its hub location helped keep the parts in order. Because the hub was so small, I couldn't use a router to remove the waste for the sockets, so I used a Forstner bit at the drill press to establish the flat bottom of the sockets and cleaned up the sides with a chisel. For the sockets in the legs, at the other end of the stretchers, I used a 1∕4" spiral up-cut bit in a small router with a fence to cut a smooth bottom and back for each socket. Again, I cleaned up the corners with a chisel. Then I dry-fit the hub to the stretchers, and test-fit the assembled hub and stretchers to the legs. After a bit of tweaking to the joints, I glued the stretchers to the hub, but left the stretcher-to-leg joints loose. I cut the shelf to size, and made sure that it fit the perimeter of the legs and assembled top hub. I centered a Domino in each edge of the shelf at the maximum depth and at the center of each leg at the minimum depth, with the top of the shelf 71∕ 8" above the bottom of the leg. I glued the Dominos into the shelf only, drilled a counterbored hole and drove a No. 8 × 11∕ 2" screw through each leg and into the tenons in the shelf. After squaring up the shelf and legs, I was ready to cut the parts to final shape. When I was satisfied that everything was tight and square, I took it apart to cut the profiles. The Shape of Things I used spray adhesive to glue full-size paper patterns to the blanks for the shelf and top. I also glued a full-size pattern to a piece of 1∕2" Baltic birch plywood to make a template for the legs. The top and shelf were cut to shape at the band saw. Where the shelf meets the legs, I left a flat area in the curve for the joint. I ended the curves about 1∕ 2" away from the intersections with the legs so I could trim right to the meeting point after the legs were shaped and smoothed. The plywood pattern I made for the legs has the pattern on only one side. After cutting the pattern just outside the lines on the band saw, I smoothed the plywood edges back to the lines with a rasp. I marked one side of each leg, then flipped the pattern over to mirror the outline on the vertical centerline. This saved some time in making the pattern, and it ensured that the legs would be symmetrical. After cutting the outside shape of the legs at the band saw, I drilled holes near the ends of the cutouts, and I used a jigsaw with a narrow blade to roughcut the shapes. I clamped the pattern to the legs, then trimmed the outside edges and the cutouts with a 1∕ 4"-diameter flush-cutting bit in a small router. A Little Carving Before removing the paper pattern from the top and shelf, I traced the lines of the carving with the sharp point of my knife. After darkening these thin lines with a pencil, I used a 60˚ V-tool to establish the depth and sides of the lines. I fol- 48 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 48 4/9/10 12:48:24 PM G U S TAV S T I C K L E Y P O P P Y TA B L E lowed that with a 1∕8"-wide No. 11 gouge. The profile of the lines is mainly the profile of the U-shaped tool, so the only real challenge in carving was getting smooth, consistent lines. The lines that define the lobes were rounded slightly at the top with a skew chisel. The central portion of the carving is slightly domed. This is the only portion of the top surface that isn't flat. After carving, I smoothed the flat surfaces of the top with a plane, following up with a scraper and 240-grit Abranet (a new abrasive on a flexible mesh-like base that's not paper. Abranet cuts fast, leaves a smooth surface and doesn't load up). Living on the Edge The band-saw marks on the edges of the top and shelf were removed with a rasp. The edges were further refined with a modeler's rasp. One of the good things about using a hand-stitched rasp is that the surface left by the tool is a series of tiny grooves. A cabinet scraper quickly removes the high spots between the grooves, leaving a smooth surface. The corners were broken with a few strokes of the fine-cut modeler's rasp, followed by sanding with a small piece of Abranet, folded to make a slight radius. When the top and shelf were complete, it was time to move on to the edges of the legs. Another advantage to using the rasp is the ability to use the half-round side to shape inside curves as seen in the upper right photo on page 50. Many of the curves on this piece closely matched the curve of the rasps, so I believe that the original maker likely used the same technique and tools. I used the same procedure and sequence of tools to smooth the edges of the legs and the cutouts at the top of each leg. The router bit left a decent surface, but there were a few chatter marks on long surfaces, and some burning in the tight inside corners. I wanted these edges to be as nice as the flat surfaces so I planned on it taking awhile. Actually it took quite awhile. Smoothing the edges of the legs took about half the time I spent on this Taking a stab at marking. Cutting through the pattern with the point of a knife establishes the layout lines for the carving. Shape from the tool. After starting the carving with a V-tool, a deep, narrow gouge cleans up the cuts and defines the profile of the lines. entire project. What slowed this step down were the tight corners at the buds on the legs, plus the cutout areas. In these places, the grain direction of the mahogany changes from long grain to end grain and then back again in the span of a few inches. No one area was difficult to smooth, but the number of curves increased the overall length of the perimeter, and each area required a different approach. I found a stool to sit on, and settled in to get it right. When I was satisfied with the rasping and scraping, I went over the entire table with Abranet to obtain a consistent, smooth surface. Together at Last I made one final dry assembly, screwed the legs to the shelf, then tapped the top stretchers into the tops of the legs. I marked the intersections of the shelf and legs, and carefully carved the shelf edges down to these points. The final assembly was quick and painless. With screws holding the legs to the shelf, and the dovetails at the top of the legs, I didn't need any clamps. After applying glue to the end grain of the mortises in the legs, I applied glue to the tenon ends in the shelf, put the legs in place and drove the screws. After making sure the legs were square to the shelf, I applied glue to the sockets at the top of the legs, then pushed and tapped the stretchers into place. 49 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 49 4/9/10 12:48:26 PM PROJECT 7 PHOTOS ABOVE: Rasp to the rescue. The flat side of this rasp removes the bandsaw marks on most of the edge. The round side gets into places the flat side can't reach. Many of the finished tight curves are defined by the shape of the tool. LEFT: A close scrape. The hand-stitched rasp will leave shallow, narrow grooves. A cabinet scraper follows the rasp to remove the high spots between the grooves and leaves a fine surface. Finally, the screw holes were filled with mahogany plugs. After the glue in the plug holes was dry, I pared the plugs flush with the face of the leg using a 3∕ 4" chisel. I then went over the face of each leg with my scraper and Abranet. At the center of each stretcher, I drilled a 3∕16"-diameter hole, and with the tabletop upside down on my bench, I lined up the assembled table base with the top. Each of the legs is centered in a lobe of the top, and the grain and pattern of the top is aligned with the shelf. In each of the five holes I drove a No.8 × 11∕4" washer-head screw. The holes are larger than the shanks of the screws, allowing the top to expand and contract. I've seen original versions of this table in both mahogany and oak. Mahogany is a beautiful wood, and I wanted a finish that would show it off without filling the grain or looking polished. I used dark walnut Watco Danish oil for the first two coats and natural Watco Danish oil for the final three. I applied the oil liberally, let it soak in for about 15 minutes, then reapplied more oil. I wet-sanded the table with a Scotch-Brite pad on the first coat, let it sit for another 10 minutes, then wiped the surface dry. I waited a day between coats, then saturated the surface, allowed the oil to sit for 15 minutes, then wiped the surfaces dry. Gustav Stickley's talent as a designer is often downplayed by those who aren't familiar with his entire career. The straight lines and masculine proportions of his Craftsman furniture can lead a person to believe that his entire body of work contains no curves or delicate shapes. The Poppy Table was one of three similar tea tables produced in 1900. All three are exquisitely proportioned, sensitive designs based on floral forms. The style can be seen as a bridge between Art Nouveau and American Arts & Crafts. These early gems show that Gustav Stickley's tremendous talent for design was not dependent on the direction it was focused. 50 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 50 4/9/10 12:48:29 PM G U S TAV S T I C K L E Y P O P P Y TA B L E Final cut. After shaping the legs and the shelf, the intersection is blended with a No. 1 straight carving chisel. Leaving these small areas oversized until almost the end of the project resulted in crisp detail in a highly visible place. It isn't cheating. The original table had face-grain plugs in the faces of the legs. It is reasonable to assume that there are screws beneath the plugs. A Domino loose tenon reinforces these joints. First coat. Dark walnut Danish oil helps to accentuate the grain of the mahogany. Two color coats were followed by three coats of natural Danish oil. Last tap. The assembled hub and stretchers fit into the dovetail sockets at the top of the legs. When everything is lined up, they are tapped home, completing the assembly without using clamps. 51 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 51 4/9/10 12:48:31 PM PROJECT 8 52 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 52 4/9/10 12:48:35 PM A one-of-a-kind table reappears after 100 years. PROJECT 8 The Lost Stickley Table BY ROBERT W. LANG Most original Gustav Stickley furniture can be easily identified by model number. This was, after all, factory-made furniture and pieces were designed to be made in multiples. When you come across an antique, you can look it up in an old catalog to identify it. However, the only known example of this small table appeared at a Sotheby's auction in late 2004. This uncataloged piece was likely a prototype, never put into factory production. What makes it unique is the front and back splay of the legs. It's this slight angle that gives this table more character than straight-legged versions that were mass produced. It's also the likely reason this piece never got beyond the prototype stage. This table features many of the Stickley design elements that appear in other pieces. There isn't much material in it, but there is a good deal of labor-intensive, head-scratching joinery involved. This probably made it too expensive to be marketed at a reasonable price, but that does make it a great project on which to practice and develop joinery skills. The anonymous cabinetmaker who built this prototype lived when it was a great time to be a woodworker. Handtool skills had not yet been forgotten, and machinery was in use to make life in the shop easier. As I planned how I would make this piece, I realized it made sense to do some of the work with machine methods, while on other parts it would be quicker and easier to make some joints by hand. First Things First Before cutting any lumber, I made a fullsize section drawing on a piece of plywood. This helped me plan the sequence of building, and the sizes of the joints. It also established a reference to the exact size and shape of the parts. While I was building this table, I referred to this drawing rather than relying on calculations, numbers and measuring. My CAD program tells me that the angle of the legs is 3.56˚ and that the length of the bottom edge of the rail between the legs is 1517∕32". Neither of those pieces of information is needed, and trying to build to the numbers instead of referring to the full-size drawing only slows things down and invites mistakes. I made the legs by laminating two 13∕ 16"-thick pieces together, then cover- Using a full-size section drawing is essential; it lets me set angles and shows the exact sizes of parts without any of the risks of measuring. 53 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 53 4/9/10 12:48:47 PM PROJECT 8 THICKNESS QSWO 13 ⁄ 16 21 2 2 top aprons lower rails QSWO 13 ⁄ 16 QSWO 7⁄ 8 3 ⁄4 COMMENTS STOCK top (mm) LENGTH PART (mm) 1 WIDTH QUANTITY THE LOST STICKLEY TABLE • INCHES (MILLIMETERS) (mm) 153 ⁄ 8 391 21 533 108 177⁄ 8 454 11 ⁄ 4" ATBE 133 135 ⁄ 8 346 11 ⁄ 4" TBE 5 127 16 406 113 ⁄ 16" BSTBE 41 17⁄ 8 48 221 ⁄ 4 565 Angle both ends 21 41 ⁄ 4 22 51 ⁄ 4 19 1 lower stretcher QSWO 4 legs QSWO 15 ⁄ 8 QSWO 13 ⁄ 16 21 41 ⁄ 4 108 135 ⁄ 8 346 11 ⁄ 4" TBE 1 back apron 1 rail below drawer QSWO 13 ⁄ 16 21 13 ⁄ 16 21 125 ⁄ 8 321 3 ⁄ 4" 1 drawer front QSWO 13 ⁄ 16 21 31 ⁄ 2 89 111 ⁄ 8 283 Bevel both edges to fit 2 tenon keys QSWO 1⁄ 2 13 5⁄8 16 2 51 taper to fit through tenons 403 TBE 2 drawer sides maple 5⁄8 16 31 ⁄ 4 83 157⁄ 8 1 drawer back maple 5⁄8 16 31 ⁄ 4 83 111 ⁄ 8 283 1 drawer bottom maple 1⁄4 6 101 ⁄ 2 267 151 ⁄ 4 387 2 web frame stiles poplar 3 ⁄4 19 2 51 171 ⁄ 4 438 notch around legs poplar 3 ⁄4 19 2 51 93 ⁄ 4 248 3 ⁄ 4" 17 9 ⁄ 16 14 153 ⁄ 4 400 fit between legs & beside drawer 17 9 ⁄ 16 14 6 152 fit behind drawer 2 web frame rails 2 drawer runners maple 11 ⁄ 16 2 drawer stop maple 11 ⁄ 16 TBE QSWO=quarter sawn white oak; TBD=tenon both ends; BSTBE=beveled shoulder tenon both ends; ATBE= angled tenon both ends 4UPQ 3VOOFST UZQ Lower rails, stretcher & tenon key plan Web frame plan Profile Elevation Section 54 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 54 4/9/10 12:48:48 PM T H E LO S T S T I C K L E Y TA B L E ing the edge seams with 1∕ 8"-thick veneer that I resawed from the same boards I used for the other parts of the legs. This is the method originally used by Gustav Stickley to show quartersawn figure on all four edges of a leg. To keep the thin pieces flat, I glued and clamped all of the legs together at one time. After trimming the edges of the veneer flush with my smoothing plane, I cut the angles at the top and bottom of each leg. I then returned to the fullsize layout to locate the mortises. The mortises in each leg are in different locations, so I marked each leg's position in the table on its top. As I made other pieces, I marked which leg they joined to with a red lumber crayon. The mortises on the back of the front legs, and the front of the back legs are parallel to the top and bottom of the legs. I put an angled block of scrap on the bed of the hollow-chisel mortiser to make these mortises. The Best Made Plans I planned on making the remaining mortises in the legs with the mortiser, but on the second mortise, the machine broke down. Faced with a deadline, I switched to plan B and made these mortises with my plunge router. The through mortises that pierce the lower front and back rails are at an angle to the face, and I'd planned to use an Thin veneers tend to buckle when clamped. Gluing them in a stack applies even pressure to keep them flat. The angled mortises on the lower rails were roughed out with a Forstner bit on the drill press. A tapered block under the workpiece makes the holes at the correct angle. An angled block of scrap wood tilts the leg to cut an angled mortise parallel to the top of the leg. 55 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 55 4/9/10 12:48:49 PM PROJECT 8 angled block on the bed of the mortiser to make them. Instead, I used a similar setup on the drill press. I removed most of the waste with a Forstner bit, then cleaned up the openings with chisels and rasps. I made the straight and standard tenons on the ends of the lower rails on the table saw. I used a miter gauge to cut the tenon shoulders, and a jig that rides on the fence to cut the cheeks. I considered making the angled cuts on the remaining tenons on the table saw, but realized each angled setup would need to be done twice: One to the right and one to the left. I decided to make a guide block that could be reversed for my handsaw, as seen in the photos at bottom left and right. This was a quick and accurate method, and I was able to make all four saw cuts for each joint in sequence. This helped to keep the parts in order, and prevented making any miscuts by machine. I dry-fitted the front and back legs with the top rails, and checked this assembly against my full-size layout. The angles matched, so I knew I could After squaring the corners of the mortise with a chisel, I use a rasp to finish smoothing the inside of the angled joint. The quick and easy way to make the angled cuts for the through tenons is with a handsaw, guided by an angled block of wood. determine the length and angle of the lower stretcher directly from the full-size drawing. The critical length on this part is the distance between the shoulders of the through tenons. The angled parts of these tenons are short, but they need to be exact. I didn't want to risk a miscut on the table saw, so I used another angled block to guide my handsaw. The Key to a Good Fit I did use the table saw tenoning jig to cut the wide cheeks of the through tenons on the lower stretcher, and the band saw to cut the edge cheeks. I made all of these cuts a hair big. Through tenons always demand some hand fitting. I used chisels, rasps and a shoulder plane to fit the tenons, checking the fit frequently as I came close to the finished size. With the through tenons fit, there were only two mortises remaining: Those for the keys that hold the lower stretcher to the lower rails. These look difficult, but are actually the easiest joints to make in the piece. With the tenon fit in its mortise, I made a pencil mark at the intersection. Taking the pieces back apart, I made another line slightly behind the first one. This puts the mortise just behind the intersection, and ensures that the key pulls the two lower rails tightly together. Luckily a repair part for the mortiser arrived, and I could cut these mortises with one stroke of the 1∕2" chisel. I used These angled shoulder cuts would be tricky to make with power tools. 56 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 56 4/9/10 12:48:53 PM T H E LO S T S T I C K L E Y TA B L E After fitting the through tenon, the location of the second mortise is laid out, keeping the back of the hole just behind the face of the rail. The mortise is cut with one plunge of the hollow-chisel mortiser. A piece of scrap below the cut supports the tenon, keeping the wood from breaking on the back side. a piece of scrap under the tenon to support it while the cut was made. In most pieces with a keyed tenon, the mortise is angled slightly to allow the key to wedge in place. Because the rails are tilted back and the stretcher is horizontal, the angle of the rail allows the key to wedge in a straight mortise. To make the keys, I cut a few long pieces of scrap to slightly more than the 1∕2" width of the mortise by 5∕ 8". I cut pieces about 6" long, and cut the taper on the band saw. I used my block plane to remove the saw marks, and bring the keys down to a snug fit. This method let me get a good fit without worrying about the length of the keys. When I was happy with the fit, I marked 3∕ 4" above and below the protruding tenon to get the finished length of the keys. The last parts to be made were the narrow rail below the drawer and the web frame. The rail is thin so that it can be turned 90˚ to show quartersawn figure on its face. It is also beveled to be parallel with the front faces of the legs. The web frame is made from poplar, and is mortise and tenoned together. When I had all the joints fit, I made a dry assembly of the table. Then I took the pieces back apart so I could plane, scrape and sand all of them before gluing the entire table together. I glued in stages, making subassemblies of front and back legs, and the top aprons. I cut some angled blocks and attached them to the top of the legs with masking tape so that the clamps would pull straight on the angled legs. After letting the glue dry on these, I put one of the leg assemblies flat on my bench. I put glue in the mortises, and put in the upper-back rail, the small rail below the drawer, and the lower rails, with the stretcher in place between them. I then brushed glue on the tenons, and placed the second leg assembly on top. Turning the table upright on my bench, I clamped the joints and began to worry about the drawer. Half-blind dovetailed drawers don't bother me, but I'd never made one with the face tilted back at an angle. I decided to lay out the tails with the same angles they would have if the drawer front were vertical. This makes the top and bottom angles of the tails different in relation to the slanted drawer front which made the layout tricky, but it looked right when the joints were completed. After cutting the tails by hand, I laid out the pins on the ends of the drawer front, and removed most of the waste with an upcut spiral bit in my trim router. This speeds things up, and gives a perfectly flat surface where the back of the tail rests on the bottom of the pin. I then used a chisel to pare down to the layout lines. The pull was made from a cutoff piece from one of the legs. I trimmed it down to 11∕ 4" × 11∕ 4" by about 3" long. The pull finishes at 11∕ 8" but the extra length gave me something to hold on to while cutting it to shape. I laid out the shape of the pull on two adjacent faces, and cut it out on the band saw. I didn't 57 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 57 4/9/10 12:48:57 PM PROJECT 8 As the tenon key is fit, the length above and below the through tenon changes. I leave the key long and mark the length once I have a good fit. worry about the exact size of the radius below the pyramid shaped top; that would come from the shape of my rasp. After cutting one face, I taped the scraps back on the block with clear packing tape and cut the adjacent side. With the rough cutting complete, I clamped the extra length in my vise, and finished shaping the pull with a rasp. The finished pull is held to the drawer front with a No. 8 × 11∕4" screw from inside the drawer. I wanted an authentic looking finish, but didn't want to go to the trouble of fuming it with ammonia. I used W.D. Lockwood Dark Fumed Oak aniline dye diluted with alcohol. I brushed on the dye, and wiped it with a rag. I then brushed on two coats of amber shellac. After letting the shellac dry, I attached the top with figure-eight fasteners. I took off the gloss of the shellac with a Scotch-Brite pad and applied a coat of paste wax. After cutting the key to length, I round the edges above and below the completed joint. The assembled web frame is notched around the legs. After fitting the drawer runners between the legs, they are screwed in place, and the drawer stop is also attached with screws to the frame. 58 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 58 4/9/10 12:48:59 PM T H E LO S T S T I C K L E Y TA B L E I laid out the tails with the same angles from horizontal that I would have if the drawer front were vertical. The knob is cut with the band saw and shaped with a rasp. ¡ After routing most of the waste, I use a chisel to pare the pins down the rest of the way. The router quickly establishes a consistent depth. Drawer pull Exploded view 59 Z7128i_pg044-059.indd 59 4/9/10 12:49:02 PM PROJECT 9 60 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 60 4/9/10 12:49:11 PM Here's a table with no square corners to be found. PROJECT 9 Ribbon Table BY JOHN HUTCHINSON If architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto (Finland, 1898-1976) is considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern design, then Eileen Gray (Ireland, 1878-1976), who shared his profession and time on Earth, must be a founding mother. For my ribbon table, I borrowed design elements from his sensuous bentwood stacking stool and her machined glass-top side table. I guess that makes me a modern grandson. The stability and strength of Baltic birch plywood made it my material of choice. Aalto could bend it two ways but I wanted to up the ante by twisting it in the third dimension. Segmented, radiused corners, combined with a variation on finger joinery connecting the straight vertical pieces, proved to be a successful way of pulling off the illusion. The top and bottom are made from two pieces, biscuit-joined together. Careful Layout I can tell you that the outside radius of the arcs is 4", and that the length of the straight finger extensions is 11∕ 2", but I can't give you the exact width. That's something you'll have to measure because the width of the bends must be equal to the thickness of the nominal 3∕4" stock you purchase. I used my dial caliper to come up with the 47∕64" dimension shown in the illustrations. So what's the big deal about a 1∕64" variation from true 3∕ 4"? A lot when you're trying to bring so many surfaces into alignment from so many directions. I printed nested corner patterns on standard copier paper after generating This obligatory "Man Drills Holes In Board" shot is here to remind you that accurate drilling, with a backup scrap to prevent tear-out, is key to a number of forming and glue-up steps. A 17⁄ 64" brad-point bit clears the way for the 1 ⁄4" registration dowels. 61 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 61 4/9/10 12:49:14 PM PROJECT 9 5PQIBMG Top half #JTDVJUT Biscuits -FH Leg $PSOFSBTTFNCMZ Corner assembly #BTFIBMG Base half 62 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 62 4/9/10 12:49:16 PM R I B B O N TA B L E Nesting the patterns for the corner segments produces a minimum amount of waste. Make the cuts just outside the lines. You'll be a band saw master by the time you get to your 36th smiley. Here's the whole story on the pattern-routing jig — one perfected pattern mounted to the bottom of the plastic guard, four protruding registration dowels, three spacers/stabilizers (with UHMW Slick Tape glides) arrayed around the pattern, and a couple handles. them through the CAD software on my computer. The same accuracy, however, is achievable by using a square, a dimestore compass and a ruler. A Whole Bunch of Holes With a 17∕64" brad-point bit secured in your drill press, drill the four registration holes in each of the radial corner segments. Four holes may seem excessive until the segments fall prey to the flush-trimming bit. It's amazing how a little cylinder of metal, with two innocent-looking cutting edges, can exert enough force to bend 3∕ 4" plywood as if it were overcooked spaghetti. I tried to get by with only the two inner holes and ended up with chatter marks at the unsecured extensions of the arcs. Rack of Ribs You know that I'm a band saw guy if you've seen any of my previous projects. There's something about becoming "one With a rough-cut corner segment resting on the router table, and registered to the perfected pattern just below the plastic guard, feed the segment into the cutting edges of the flush-trimming bit. 63 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 63 4/9/10 12:49:23 PM PROJECT 9 Alternately stack short and long corner segments over 7" lengths of 1 ⁄4"registration dowels for a perfectly aligned glue-up. Trim the dowels flush to the outside surfaces after the glue has dried. with the blade" and tracking a cut 1∕32" outside of a line that gives me repeated doses of obsessive/compulsive satisfaction. So much for my problem. Your task will be to rough-cut 36 arcs out of a rectangle. After nesting your patterns on the stock to minimize the waste, start rough-cutting slowly and carefully, staying just outside the lines. You'll have the rhythm in no time. A Passion for Sanding? Pattern routing the corner segments isn't really necessary if your idea of the perfect day in the shop is one devoted to sanding. If that doesn't float your boat, read on. The router-table jig that I made for handling these small parts consists of a rectangle of 3∕ 8" polycarbonate plastic, two purchased jig handles, one finely tuned pattern, four 1∕ 4" registration dowels, and spacers consisting of two layers of the plywood stock. The spacers need to be arrayed around the pattern in a manner that prevents the jig from tipping as you run it over the router table. Remember to always feed the parts against the rotation of the bit, never with it. When the dust has cleared, you'll have a perfectly matched stack of bends. But before you can glue up your corners, 20 of the pieces need to be shorter than the others to form the fingers. You can trim them to size on the band saw, or you can set up a jig and use your table saw (see lower photo, page 66). )BOEMF 1BUUFSOXJUI SFHJTUSBUJPOEPXFMT Corner Glue-up My ingredients for this operation were: 1∕ 4" registration dowels, a flux brush, cup of water, polyurethane glue, paper towels. And if you don't already own gloves, get some. I went macho-gloveless for the first corner glue-up and ended up with Incredible Hulk hands. Nothing but time releases polyurethane glue from your skin. Before applying any glue, I placed the segments on a dampened paper towel, let them sit for a few minutes, and then flipped them. Baltic birch plywood is pretty inert stuff and the moisture absorbed from the paper towel helps to activate the glue. Brush a liberal amount of glue on both sides of 4QBDFSTFRVBMUPUXJDF UIJDLOFTTPGXPSLQJFDF 1PMZDBSCPOBUF 3PVHIDVU XPSLQJFDF 64 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 64 4/9/10 12:49:27 PM R I B B O N TA B L E P 3 My dado sled is nothing more than a scrap of plywood fastened to a couple wood runners. The fence is mounted square to the table and perpendicular to the blade. Here, I'm removing the finger-joint waste from a tabletop half. the five short and four long bends. Next stack them alternately on the dowels. When the sandwich is complete, apply a few clamps. Almost instantly, you'll have a big foamy mess of glue squeeze-out. Don't be tempted to tidy things up by wiping the foam with one of your paper towels. Doing so will lead to the sanding that you avoided by pattern routing. Be patient, let it dry, and then cleanly slice it away with a scraper. Dado Sledding I made a simple table saw sled for the dado cuts in the "legs" and table halves. Although it seems counter intuitive, I don't recommend using a dado stack to make the notches. Because the thickness of plywood varies slightly within a single sheet, I found it best to trace the fingers of the bends on the straight sections and then nibble away the waste with a ripping blade. Start the cuts at the middle of the waste area and work outward, sneaking up to the pencil lines. This method of cutting saves you from fussing with shims and is more forgiving and far less aggressive than a dado stack. tSFRE! tSFREXJUI FYUFOTJPOT t"MMSFHJTUSBUJPOIPMFT EJBNFUFS Getting It All Together I glued up the base in two vertical halves and then glued the halves together, aligning the top and bottom surfaces with biscuits. The only thing you really need to watch is the right-angle attachment of the bends to the flats. I accomplished this by first clamping a flat to my workbench and then pulling the fingers together with a pair of long bar clamps. I intentionally pushed the joint beyond 90° then pulled it back to square with a couple hand clamps. The rubber pads on the long clamps allowed this kind of micro-adjustment. 65 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 65 4/9/10 12:49:34 PM PROJECT 9 Finish Line I knew from day one that I wanted this to be a painted piece. Aalto was a fan of primary colors so I followed his lead with a cheerful cherry red. Your careful measuring and pattern routing in the early stages of the race will pay huge dividends when you near the finish line. A little wood filler, a little sanding, and you're good to go. I usually don't gush over a finishing product, but Krylon's motto of "no drips, no runs, no errors" is no idle boast. It's vital that the paint stays where it's placed when applying the finish in three dimensions simultaneously. Topping it Off You can use any 19"-diameter disc of material for the top (solid wood, stone, metal) but it really deserves a circle of glass to display the undulations of the base. I ordered my 3∕8"-thick top, with pre-drilled mounting holes, from a local glass fabricator. I separated the top from the base with black rubber bottle stoppers. When I can visualize a connection detail, but don't know how to accomplish it, I always head for those mysterious, arcane parts drawers at the hardware store. I'd almost settled for doorstop bumper replacements (have you checked yours lately?) when I stumbled on two drawers of cork and rubber bottle stoppers in every conceivable size. Eureka! To pick up on the machine aesthetic of Gray's side table, I throughbolted the glass to the base with stainless steel machine screws, finish washers and cap nuts. Trace the outline of the fingers of a glued-up corner to the legs, as well as the top and bottom halves, after clamping them in alignment on your workbench. The holes in the fingers are merely "leftovers" from the pattern-routing process. Can't Help but Wonder Some day, someone's going to take a shot at the ribbon table in solid wood. My gut instinct tells me that this is impossible due to expansion/contraction considerations, but I haven't taken the time to evaluate the force vectors. It might work or it might explode. Do I have a volunteer? After starting to remove the straight extensions on 20 of the 36 corner segments on the band saw, I realized that by mounting a few more registration pins on the back of my dado sled I was able to make quick work of another repetitive task. I love it when I can get double duty out of a jig. 66 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 66 4/9/10 12:49:37 PM R I B B O N TA B L E The secret to successfully joining corner pieces to flat pieces is keeping everything flush and square. Keep it flush with the little guys. Pull it together and up to square with the big guy. Inspiration Variation The Aalto Stacking Stool and Eileen Gray Table are available from Design Within Reach, online at www.dwr.com. IMAGES COURTESY OF DESIGN WITHIN REACH If you like the form but need a larger table, make two bases then top them with a long sheet of glass or other flat material. 67 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 67 4/9/10 12:49:41 PM P R O J E C T 10 68 Z7128i_pg060-077.indd 68 4/9/10 12:49:44 PM One afternoon, start to finish, is all it takes — even for a new woodworker. PROJECT 10 Tornado Table BY STEVE SHANESY & JOHN HUTCHINSON If mid-20th-century modern furniture design were as popular as the Arts & Crafts style is today, then thousands of these tables would be turning up for sale at craft shows any day now. Why? Anybody can build this table. And the more tables you build at once, the less time each one will take. In spite of its simplicity and minimal materials, the table is very sturdy, owing to the geometry of the dowel placement. Isamu Noguchi (1904 - 1988), a sculptor and designer recently honored with the issue of U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamps, designed the table in the 1950s using a cast-iron base and chrome-plated steel rods. Wooden dowels, even 5∕16"-diameter ones as used in our model, provide ample strength. Many different materials can be used to make the table. In addition to the wood or steel dowel options, the base can be solid wood or plywood. The top can be solid wood, plywood covered with plastic laminate or even glass with a ring of plywood to capture the top of the dowels and support the glass. Marb