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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP

GP UIDE WORKSHO
AND PEGS PULLS SHAKER
PEGS COMM()N SHAKER

FINISHES SHAKER
FINISH A SHAKER REPTICATING of colors, painted in a variety theirfurniture TheShakers y, ellow V ly ll . t r t u a la b,l u e a , n db r o w n ed, orange i n c l u d i nrg in a wash that pieces withthin paints were coated of these grain To replicate this through. to show allowed thewood's paint. Milkpaints leave a youcanusemilkpaintor latex effect, once thesurface orwaxed oiled, thatcanbestained, flatfinish thatis asa powder milkpaintis available is dry.Although your youcanprepare ownby blending the to water, added below. in thechart shown ingredients Totone withvarntsh. f inished were Shaker Some Dieces furnishowy-Shaker tooglossy-and a finish thatwas down Theoilwithpumice. rubbed down thesurfaces turemakers richf inish presented a deep, willimpart below recipe varnish good protection forthe gloss, andoffer toomuch without witha rag,let it sit apply thesolution results, wood. Forbest with thenruboff theexcess for a fewminutes, onthesurface sand lightly, to cure, forthecoat rag. Allow 24 hours a clean anyfinin layers. Complete building upthefinrsh andrepeat, paste wax. of good-qualiiy ishwitha coat

ttmr'Th rV-\rSlel
\lft-'f-l tl-*

r+'h lr-"\"J*

k t l
fl

(lIT.VARNISH FINISH Wood . 1 p a r tl i n s e e o d r t u n go i l


o 2 naric satin varnish

. 3 partssteam-distilled turpentine PAINT MILK (yields 1 quart): about Basic formula . 1r/2 c u p ss k i mm i l k . 1 o z .s l a k e d lime o 8 o z .p l a s t eo r f Paris carbonate orcalcium Procedure 'I . S p r i n k lt e h e l i m ei n t ot h e m i l ka n dm i xf o r 3 m i n u t e s . f aris. S t i ri n t h e p ' a s t e ' oP pigments p r g m e n to sr e a r t h s,u c ha s a r t i s t ' s 2 . A d dc o i o r i n g plece ona scrap f o rc o o r i n g c e m e n tt;e s tt h e s o l u i i o n used a n dl e t i t d r y , it on, t h e nb r u s h 3 . L e tt h e o a i n ts r tf o r t h o u r , frequently. stirring hr s h e l l at co p r o t e ctth e f i n s h , of varntso 4 . A d da t h i n a y e r PAINT LATEX Procedure '| color to seal t h ew o o d . Apply a t h i n f i r s tc o a ti n t h e d e s i r e d a n d l e td r y . f i n es t e e w i ool. w i t hv e r y 2 . R u bt h e s u r f a c e 3. Apply a n o t h etrh i n c o a to f p a i n ta n dr u bw i t hv e r y f i n es t e e w l ool. shellac. 4 . A d da l i g h tc o a to f o r a n g e

THEARTOFWOODWORKING

SHAKER FURNITURE

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

SffiR FIJRNITURE

TIME-LIFE BOOKS ALEXANDRIA. VIRGINIA PRESS ST.REMY MONTREAL. NEWYORK

THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by ST.REMYPRESS PUBLISHER KennethWinchester PRES/DENT PierreLdveill6 Editor Series Series Art Director SeniorEditor Editor Art Directors Designers Picture Editor Writers ContributingWriter Cont r ibuting Illu str ators Administrator Production Manager Coordinator System Coordinator Photographer Indexer PierreHome-Douglas FrancineLemieux Marc Cassini Andrew fones Normand Boudreault, Bourgeois, Jean-Pierre Michel Gigudre HdldneDion, Jean-Guy Doiron, Frangois Daxhelet ChristopherJackson fohn Dowling,Adam Van Sertima fune Sprigg GillesBeauchemin, Michel Blais, RonaldDurepos,Michael Stockdale, Th6rien James Natalie Watanabe Michelle Turbide Dominique Gagn6 Eric Beaulieu RobertChartier ChristineM. Iacobs

THECONSUXIANTS
Ian Ingersoll owns a cabinetmakingshop in WestCornwall, Connecticut,that specializes in Shakerfurniture. GilesMiller-Mead taught advanced cabinetmaking at Montreal for more than ten years. technicalschools A nativeof New Zealand, he hasworked asa restorerof antiquefurniture. ShakerFurniture. p. cm.- (The art of woodworking) Includesindex. ISBN0-8094-9s33-3 1. Furniture making-Amateurs' manuals. 2. Furniture,Shaker-Amateurs' manuals. I. Time-Life Books. IL Series. TTl95.S481995 749.213'08'8288-dc20 95-1022 cIP For information about any Time-Life book, please call l-800-621-7026, or write: Reader Information Time-Life CustomerService P.O.Box C-32068 Richmond,Virginia 2326r-2068 @ 1995 Time-LifeBooksInc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronicor mechanical means, including information storage and retrievaldevices without prior writor systems, ten permissionfrom the publisher,except that brief passages may be quoted for reviews. First printing. Printed in U.S.A. Publishedsimultaneously in Canada. TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time WarnerInc. U.S.A. R 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Time-Life Booksis a division of Time Life Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY TIME.LIFEINC. President and CEO Editor-in-Chief JohnM. Fahey JohnL. Papanek

TIME-LIFEBOOKS
President Vice-President, Director of Marketing ManagingEditor Director of Design Directorof Editorial Operations Consubing Editor Vice-President, Book Production Production Manager Manager Quality Assurance John D. Hall Nanry K. fones RobertaConlan MichaelHentges Ellen Robling John R. Sullivan Marjann Caldwell Marlene Zack King James

CONTENTS
6 INTRODUCTION L2 SHAKERDESIGN 1 8 A galleryof Shaker furniture 24 26 34 38 44 48 56 58 68 78 86 88 90 94 97 104 106 CHAIRS Enfield sidechair Rushseat Shakerrocking chair Thpeseat Meetinghouse bench TABTES Tiestletable Drop-leaftable Candlestand PIE SAFE Anatomy of a pie safe Making the casework frames Raisingthe panels Assembling the safe Shelving Tin-paneldoors 1T6 118 129 135 138 SHAKERCTASSICS Wall clock Stepstool Shakerboxes Pegboard

140 GTOSSARY 142 INDEX 144 ACKNOWTEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

David Lambon

REDEFINING SHAKERSTYLE
enough to liveattheCanterbury ShakerVillage in NewHampshire f *ur fortunate L for 14years, from 1972 to 1986. My parents rantheVillage Museum andwewere given housing in theChildren's House, builtin 1810.I hadtheprivilege of knowing seven Shaker Sisters andlistened to theirbeliefs andmemories of theolddays. While livingthere,lfoundmyself exploring andstudying thearchitectural elements of the buildings, aswellasthefurniture in thecollections. Whilelivingin these unique surroundings, I hadtheexceptional opportunity of apprenticing with anOldWorldcabinetmaker fromMadrid, Alejandro delaCruz. His teachings emphasized tradition, classicism, andintegrity in work,design, and living.Thisapprenticeship provided mewith a direction andfocus for studying Shaker andotherclassic designs. At thesame time,it allowed meto constructively criticize some oldpieces andto rebuild or redesign themby using better construction methods, whilestillretaining theiroriginal charm andattractiveness. Likethearchitectural elements of antiquiry thebeauty andtruthof Shaker design aremostevident in basic forms. Theoverall proportions, lines, andstance canbe piece seen in a simple of furniture likethecandle stand shown in thephotoatright. Details, if theyaredone well,adda further dimension andwill notobscure or clutterthegeneral form. I donotbelieve thattheShakers set outto develop theirowndesigns; rather, their reshaped beliefs forms with whichtheywere already familiar. Shaker design canbe seen asa stripped-down Federal style, withemphasis onHepplewhite andSheraton elements. Federal style was concurrent with thebeginning andthedevelopment of theShaker religious movement. Thekeycabinetmakers of each Shaker village were also free to develop theunique flavor of each community's workwhile taking direction fromthelead community of MountLebanon, NewYork. Whilea good deal of Shaker design charm liesin itsnaivet6, even moredepends on thecabinetmaker's complete mastery of theform.Creating furnituredesigns "get requires athorough understanding process, ofthedesign andbeing able to into theheads" of theoldmasters to understand whycertain design decisions were made. It also requires a good understanding of furniture construction using past andpresent techniques. It isimportant notjustto acknowledge apiece asa masterpiece and copy it, butto findout wltyitisamasterpiece, byasking many questions about it. The answers will provide yourbuilding blocks for creating yourowndesigns in anysryle.

DavidLambwasresident cabinetmaker at Canterbury Shaker Village, NewHampshire, between 1979and 1986. He now buildsShaker-inspired furniture at hisshopin Canterbury.

INTRODUCTION

ELEGANT SHAKERBOX
Handberg in apattern woodenware byEjner Shaker boxes bookonShaker T mu saw Even I was making atLansing Community College. L n 1977 when teaching furniture in gradovalcontainers, crafted fromcherry aslinedrawings, these simple, elegant All boxes holduniversal appeal, butto have themnest uated sizes, were intriguing. inside otherappeals to thechildin allof us. each for 10years, a carpenter in residential construction Up to thispoint,I hadbeen teaching social anthropology. LittledidI knowwhen andhadspent another decade in Shaker thatthey would become theperI began to followmycuriositF oval boxes in wood, interpreting other comfectavenue for expressing those three skills-working Butthatis exactly whathas happened to me munities'life andwork,andteaching. thelast15years. over Byspecializing in Shaker ovalboxes, I was fortunate to takeadvantage of three design, thepopularity of woodworking asa trends: a growing awareness of Shaker in instruction in leisure activities. Thiscombination opened hobby, andaninterest for freelance By1986 I was teaching 30workshops thedoors box-making seminars. parts andEngland. Theparticiayear in many of thecountry, aswellasin Canada pants It is fulfillingto beable to master thetechnique of make a nest of fiveboxes. more it in making five. In thel2yearc since the making abox, andeven soto perfect people firstboxclass, I have taught more than4,000 thistraditional craft. breaking, bringing the My memory of firstattempting to buildthemisof bands project It takes morethanlinedrawings to master technique. to an abrupt end. in NewEngland,I recall to watch boxmakVisiting Shaker sites a rare opportunity Hegave measample tacls er|erryGrant atHancock ShakerVillage. of thetinycopper These thatare thehallmark of theboxlap. areasscarce ashen's teeth, astheexpresAt *re time,Cross NailCompany was theoneremaining tackmanufacturer, siongoes. order. It tooka minimumof 50pounds to order, andmade themonlyon special thatwas anincredible supply. Wth 12taclsneedandwithover 750 taclato theounce, represented a lifetime edto make a box,it also of boxmaking. mylifeandsupplying withqualToday, Shaker boxes have become theboxtrade moreof mytimethaneither making ity materials nowoccupies boxes or teaching. good has leftmewiththeconMorethanjustbeing business, making Shaker boxes isa responsibility each of usmustaccept. victionthatpassing on our skills
at Purduebefore turning taughtsocial anthropology JohnWilson his attentionto teaching Shaker boxmakingfull time in 1983. Hisseminars havebeen heldat theSmithsonian, in Shaker villages throughout America, and in England. He ownsand operates The HomeShop on EastBroadway Highrq,in Charlotte, Michigan.

the Iohn Wilsonperfects

INTRODUCTION

A SHAKERLIFE
hen I waslittle and shared a room with my sisterI yearned to havea room of my own.I was19whenthat dreamcametrue,and oh, what a room it

reflects on |une Sprigg

was, in anearly l9th-Century Shaker building in Canterbury, NewHampshire. My roomwasa classic Shaker interior, with built-incupboards anddrawers, a peg railaround thewalls, andrare sliding shutters. Everything overhead andunderfootwas theworkof Shaker Brothers whohadused pine, local maple, andbirchand a combination of handtoolsandwater-powered machinery in anefficient and sophisticated system of man-made ponds andmillsbehind thevillage. Aftera centuryandahalfof continual use, thepegs were firm in theirsockets. Thedrawers slid smoothly with aslight tugonthesingle pull.Thewhole center effect was oneof spaciousness, airiness, andlightness. Thisroomwas worththewait. BythetimeI arrived at Canterbury in 1972 asa summer guide in themuseum, theshaker s9clety hadlongsince flourished andfaded. Thecanterbury shakers were established in 1792 astheseventh of whatbecame 19principal settlements in America. when I came, thehalf-dozen shakers wholivedthere- all in their70s, (Theother 80s, and90s-wereoneof thelasttwoShaker families in existence. was sabbathdayLake in Maine.) Thesisters were delightful-energetic, humorous, and unstintingly kind.There were noBrothers atCanterbury. Thelastonehaddiedin the joked 1930s andthewomen thattheyhad"worked those poormento death." while woodworking hadpassed into history with thelastof theBrothers, the sisters heldtheworkof the"oldshakers" in highregard. A lifetime of using Shaker desks, tables, workcounters, chairs, andcupboards hadgiven themahands-on appreciation of the-qualities thathave earned Shaker design respect worldwide: strength, lightness, anda simple rightness of proportion. Ergonomic? Youbet.we heldour breath whenever thefragile but unstoppable Eldress wentup anddownthestairs with herbadknee andcane, but thebreadth of thesteps, thegentle rise, andthe sturdy, elegant handrail keptherupright andsafe. "Hands to workandhearts to God," a homilyof Shaker founder MotherAnn Lee, was a roadmapfor goodlife.My Shaker friends aregone now, buttheirwork endures astestimony to thebeauty andwisdom of thatsimple message.

hasbeen studying theShakers lune Sprigg for mostof her life,and shewasCuratorof Collections at Hancock Shaker Village betyveen 1979 and 1994. Her latest bookwithphotographer PaulRocheleau, Shaker Burlt,ispublishedby MonacelliPress. Shelives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

SHAKERDESIGN

'

DESIGN SHAKER

SffiDESIGN
today as arerecognized T h. Shakers mostinteresting I oneof America's Thanks religious societies. communal cropofbooks, articles, to thevigorous thathave sprouted up andexhibitions celebrasince theShakers' bicentennial people most thinkof them tionin 1974, firstandforemost asoroducers of simpleandwell-made furniture. Butin their thevwere hevdav from 1825 to 1845, biend of i<no*n for theiroriginal beiter comcelibacy andcommunalism, adeep pracprinciples mitment to Christian as andaworship ticed byChristtdisciples,
Americafor its service uniquein civilized line or groupdancing, a sort ofsacred that gave all members equal circledance the Holy Spirit. opportunityto express dancescandalized many This ecstatic including Ralph conventional observers, Dickens. WaldoEmerson and Charles

rearlegs With its backward-Ieaning sidechair andcurved sla*,theEnfleld shownat left wasbuiltfor simplicity and comfort. Therushseats on eaily chairs likethisonegradually Shaker gaveway to canvas tapeseating.

shown above wasmqde, By themid-l9th Century, whenthelithograph worship-and gavethemtheir that once marked Shaker thefreneticdancing linedances. As in all Shaker replaced with morereserved name-had been werestrictlydivided.Thewomanin stylishVictoriandress activities, thesexes theirworship. wasprobably invitedby theShakers to observe in theforeground

I3

SHAKER DESIGN

Thedininghall at thePleasant Hill community in Harrodsburg, K

lE

MotherAnn's NewOrder The Shakers tracetheir history in "Mother Americato 1774, when founder Anrt''Leeemigrated to NewYorkfrom Manchester, England, with eightfollowers. The39-year-old daughter of a Midlandsblacksmith, Ann Leewas prompted to come to theNorthAmericancolonies, according to herfaithfirl believers, byavisionof thesecond coming of Christ.She wassickened by the corruption of the Old World,andthe changes wroughtby the Industrial Revolution thatwere altering theconditions ofhuman lifebeyond allprevious experience. She sought to establish anew orderof life in theNewWorld.

Aspreached byAnn Lee andherfollowers, Shaker life wasoneof hardship andself-denial. Being aShakermeantliving a celibate life with no possibility of bearing children, andworkingselflessly andequallyalongside one's Brothers and Sisters. It also meant livingin isolation from theoutside world,renouncing all private property, andtaking solace in the purityof community andprayer. Although Ann dieda scant 10years after arriving in America andhermovementremained relatively small during herlifetime, converts began to join in droves in theyears following herdeath. By17 87,the firstlarge-scale communal Shaker Family hadgathered near Albany

at NewLebanon, NewYork.TheNew kbanon communitywas to become the spiritual capital of the Shaker world through thenefi century. By1800, missionaries hadhelped establish a dozen Shaker communities throughout New England, including onesin Enfield, Connecticut; Harvard, Massachusetts; andCanterbury, NewHampshire. By 1825,19 principal villages wereflourishingfrom Maineto pointswestin Kentucky andOhio.In 1840, anestimated 4,000 putting Shakers were their hands to work andhearts to Godin America's largest, known, best andonly alternative to mainstream lifethatexistedon a trulynational scale.

DESIGN SHAKER

In spite ofefforts to attract newconverts, began to theShakers'numbers decline before theendof theCivil War. In 1875, Tyringham, Massachusetts, was close offithefirstShaker communityto cially.In a centurythat witnessed so in Amermanyrevolutionary changes ican life it proveddifficult for the so little-to Shakers-whochanged maintain themomentum of theirfirst

By1900, haddwin70years. theShakers vildledto 2,000 members asShaker lages closed their doorsoneby one. justonecommunity Today, survives, at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, where fewer members carryon the thana dozen Shaker traditions. Harmonyof Proportion TheShakers were not anesthetic move-

ment or a self-conscious schoolof In fact, liketheir design. theirfurniture, architecture andclothing, wasderided in its dayfor anexcessively utilitarian lackof style. Today, attracted bythesimplicityof theirdesigns, theworldhas begun to recognize theachievements of woodworkers, Shaker such astheclocks made by Brother Isaac Newton Youngs of NewLebanon, andthesewing desks

Thespiritualcenter of Shaker life,themeetinghouse, is asmodest and unpretentious asanyShaker building.

15

SHAKE,R DESIGN

and rocking chairs of Brother Freegift Wells of Watervliet, NewYork. is thequintessential Simplicity hallmarkof Shaker design. with Compared theopr.rlent complexiry of a Queen Anne highboy, for example, a Shaker chairis a paragon ofaLrsterify: fourlegs, three slats, a handfulofstretchers, anda fewyards of canvas tanefor the seat. In a world that seems to growincreasingly more complex and chaotic yearby yearit is not difficLrlt to see whythesirnple, harr.r.ror.rior-rs linesof Shaker ftirniturecontinueto holdtheirappeal. Shaker artisans alsodistinguished themselves by thequality of theirwork. Theyrarelyneeded to hurry andwere in factencour-aged to take thetimeneededto do thejob properly. Thecornmunal ftrmilystructure gaveindividuals fieedomfrom thoughts of purchasing, narketing, sales, andallrelated business coucerns-an experienced business staff took care ofall t[at. Shaker woodworkersreceived freetrainingfrom veryfine craftsmen, olderBrothers who taught them in an apprenticeship system. Shakers generally worked in big,handsome, state-of-the-art workshops with thebest toolsandmachines available; a communal economy, thriftyliving, and an abhorrence ofbuying on credit usuallymeant plenty of capital to invest in thebest. TheShakers'were also capable of irrverrtirrg thebestl thetable for saw, was example, thebrainchild of a Shaker sister. It comes asno sururise thatmanv woodworkers today speak enviously at tinres of theirShaker counterparts. A Lackof Ornamentation The relisious motivation behind the simplicity of Shaker is an obvidesign ousone.The Shakers in everysought

thing theydid to freethemselves from thevainandunnecessary, whichto them meant avoiding gross materialism. This wasno mean featin theGilded Asethat gave birthto Victoriana andconspicuous consumption. TheShakers eschewed the

sort of artisticfreedorn that allowed builders to design and makewhatever theywanted. Theyseldom autographed theirpieces because theytook no pride in beingrecognized asindividual artisans. Reliqious convictions forbade also

Brotlrcr Clutrles Greaves outside the corpetty shLtp, Harrcock Slnker VilLrge, Pittsfield, N'lassaclusetts, ilr theenrly1900s.

SHAKERDESIGN

a license to decorate with carving, inlay, painting, exotic importedwoods, or any othertype of applied ornament. The Shakers traditionally regarded these embellishments asa waste of time and resources. Indeed, the few ornamental touches to be found on Shaker furniture-such asexposed dovetailing and the ubiquitous,neatlyturned drawer pulls and rail pegs-invariablyhad a purpose. utilitarian

Usually madewith bentmaple sides pine tops andquartersawn andbottoms, ovalboxes wereused to store all types Theywereconstructed of dry goods. in graduated sizes sothat each onecould bestored insidethenextlarger size.

Believing that all things visible revealed the stateof the spirit within, Shakers took great care with whatthey madesothat its near-perfection would both honorandemulate theexcellence of God'sown creation. Aboveall else, furnitureanddesign is imbued Shaker with the spirit of its makers, proclaimingtheir optimism and faith in the future. By spending obviouscare and time on humble,usefulthings, the Shakers clearlyannounced their beliefin a futureworth living and in the ability of future generations to keeptheir craft alive. On thefollowingpages is an illustrated gallery of some of themostenduring oiecesof furniture that serveas the legacy Shakers' to modernwoodworking.

A tall clock serves asa boundary between themen's and women's sleeping areas in theCentre FamilyDwellingat Pleasant Hill, Kentucl<y. Clocks alsodividedtheShakers' daily livesinto prescribed segments There were specific times for rising eating working and sleeping.

t7

A GALLERY OF SHAKERFURNITURE
TABTES AND CHAIRS

Dining room benah Euilt to accommodate aeveraldinera around a table

Trestle table (pa6e 5b) Themost, commonetyle of thaker dtntnqroom table. Euilt with 7lueleao joinery and knockdown hardware, f,hte table can be dteaaaembled whenit ia not needed;the leqo,feet, and treetle runninqalon4the top'e undereide are le4room poeitionedto maxtmize

Candle stand Qase78) Thetrtpod deei4n 4iveathie li4htweight.table qood etability

Dropleaf table (page 68) ALtached to the top with rulejoinLo,the Ieavee of thio table can be exLended whenneededor dropped down to gave gpace

SHAKERDESIGN

Revolving chair Aleo called ewtvel etoola or revolverg, thege chaira were uged tn
c)haPer nffirca ahnna

and achoolroome

Enfield aide chair (pase 26) Made with a backward tilt to provide comforL wtthout bendtn4 I;hechatr'e rear leqe.Early ver' a t o n al i k eL h eo n e ahownfeatured rush eeata; the thakers Iater reliedon can' vae Lape,aa tn Lhe rockinqchatr ahown
aL rtghL

Rocking chair

(paqe 3O) Haeeteam-bent


rear legeand aoltd' wood rockere;the tape eeaf,inqie tn a variavailable ety of colors and patterns. Also made tn a ladderback veraion

Meetinghouae bench Accommodated the faithful durinq thaker reltgtoue eervrcee; wtth its eolid ptne aeat., Lhte etmple and lt7htweiqht chatr could be moved out of the way easily when neceaoary

With theirshortbacks, thesplint-seat diningchairs shown above canslide under a tablewithoutanysacrifice of comfort.

l9

SHAKERDESIGN

CASEWORK
Ketractable work aurface

Work etand Featuree a drawer with partitiona and on piqeonholee top for etorinq aewinqauppliee: the rim around the workaurface prevente iteme from fallin7 off

Sewing deak Featurea a retractable work aurface; with drawera on adjacent aidee of the deak, two people could workon it at the aametime

As canbeseen in thisroomat Hancock Shaker VilIage in Massachusetts, theShakers spared no effort toprovidea sense of orderand tidiness in theirliving Floor-to-ceiling spaces. cabinets ensured that there place wasa designated for everything.

Pie safe (page bO) Traditionallyuaed to store bakedqoode:the piercedtin door panelakeptthe contente fresh whilepreventing verminfrom enterin4. Adjuatable ahelveaadded flexibility

SHAKERDESIGN

Waahatand Uaedby thakera for pereonaIhy4iene beforebed:deeiqned to holdan earthenwarepttcher and bowl

Alao known a6 a aecretary' on-cheat;l;heLop aectionfeatured ehelvin7 for organrzed Itoraqe and eeveral ptqeonholeo Workbench Featured a epaciouowork eurface on top and storaqe drawera below:the boardjack olidee alonq front ed4e eide-to-eideto hold a workpiece with the face viae of the benchtn conluncLion

2l

SHAKERDESIGN

HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES
Step atool (pase129) Asaembledwith aturdy throuqh dovetaila,theae mtni-atepladdere enabledthakere
f^ rea.h +ha +^h

Yarn reel (paqeTB) Ueedin textile makinq, this devtce featured a columnand leqdeei4n borrowedfrom Lhe candle eLand

ehelves and doora of floor-to-ceilin4 cagework: threeand four-etep ver9ton9 were aleo common

Oval baekets joinery WiLhtheir awallowLail and coppertacka, theae containerewereoold rn the Lhoueanda Lo the outaide world;aesembledmuch like thaker boxee(page 138)

Footetool Alonq wit.hchaira, footetoole wereproducedin qreat quanLitiea for commercialaale

Drying rack Ueuallymade from pine, racke were uaed Lo dry towelsand to air ouf,beddinq

DESIGN SHAKER

4S "o.

Pegboard (pase138)
opaced With their evenly Lheoe railelinedLhe pe4o, wallaof moet thaker roome, holdtn4 everyfihtnq tc from hata and cloake candleeconcea and clocke, likeLheoneehown

#s
\-

is.i,, 0

Wall clock (paqe 118) Clockalike Lhe one ahown at left. helped t he thakera orqanize Lheir buay workdayo. The thakere ueually bought Lhe mecha' ntame and butlLLhe caeeetoftL:aa clock makero joined Lhe movement, the thakere beqan Lo aeeembleLheir own mechanigms

Likennny nntl Arnericans livingin tlrc l9tlt wheels, the Sltakers usedspirrrting Centrn'y, Village Shaker sltotvrt Iikeonefrortt Hotrcock As selfabove,to rnaketheir owrt textiles, depcntled ort srrclt reliantpeople, the Shakers tlwrt to rrtaittdeviccs and the skillto opernte worltl. tttirttlreirirdepetdence ft'om tlteoutsitle

o
Candlesconces Deetqned eo I;he heighL of Lhe candlea and Lhe li7hLtn4 could be adjueted ae Lhe candlee burned and mell,ed down. The vereion on the lefL fear,uree wooden Lhreada Lo ratae and lower Lhe candle eupporL; Lhe one on l,he rt4hL hae a row of holea LhaL a||owedthe candleaconce to be hunq from a pegboard aL any hei7ht.

o o
a-\

o o

Clothes hanger A typical thaker innoval,ion,Lhe three-armed hanqer was a clever, apace-eavin4 way to Itore clalthinq

LJ

I l l !

i t
I

CHAIRS
advertisnticipatingmodern-day the ersby more than 100years,

promoted proudly theirwares Shakers who of non-believers to a marketplace poised to purchase were nevertheless qualityfurniture. Asoneof theirearly proclaimed, chairs Shaker catalogs "durabiliry andlightsimplicity, offered that Thelevel of craftsmanship ness." themto batkup enabled theyattained chairs sold theirclaims. Shaker-made proving acumen well, thattheirbusiness astheirpiety. was aswelldeveloped reasoned TheShakers hadastutely positioned andsized Withprecisely for were therightproduct thatchairs rail of theShakermortises, thecrest needed relatively First, chairs themarket. above bench shown to case stylemeetinghouse to build-compared littlestock TheShakers isfined ontothespindles. ecobemade furniture-sotheycould to versions of thebench built longer Furthermore, mostmodels nomically. meetings. serve aspewsat religious andthey bebuilt quitequickly, could for easy andlightenough were compact meetinghouse bench purposes, thespindle-backed house- forreligious acommon Finally, chairs are storage andtransportation. on Theversion shown applications. many contemporary All of these factors has required several. holditem;mostbuyers roomfor with ample a solid-wood seat 48features signifi- page enterprise to contribute enabled theirchair-making users. two or three prosperity. to Shaker cantly ofwhich are stillintact examples Each ofthese chairs-early forbuildpresents instructions step-by-step Thischapter belief once setforthby Mother theShaker TheEnfieldsidechair(page today-embodies chairs. ingthreeclassic Shaker "Build youwere to livefor as though of thesect thatbelies thefinecraftsmanship Ann,founder featnres a simple design 26) youwere years, andasyouwoulddo ifyou knew joinery rails, andstretch- a thousand precise needed to buildit. Itslegs, and with to dietomorrow." areconnected onthelathe, andthepieces ers are turned

joints.The chair mortise-and-tenon of slats thatmustbesteambackconsists bent.A traditionalmethodfor forming the chairseat-woven rush-is shown 34.The alternative beginning on page seatstyleillustratedin the photo at far material left, usinga tapeupholstery is called listing, the Shakers that page 45. starting on explained With its turnedpartsand mortisejoinery,the Mt. Lebanonand-tenon many 38)shares stylerockingchair (page Enfield. However, the features with the rocker, which are bent rearlegsof the for comfort, and the rockersthemselves-fixed to the legswith dowelreinforcedbridle joints-are elegant The chairis namedafter refinements. the community in upstateNew York werebuilt. whereprototypes Despite its traditionaluseasa pew

Blueand whiteclothtape,or listing,is beingwoven shown at left,providing therearlegs of therocker between seatback.Thisrocker attractive, and lightweight a strong, with blue-tinted with tungoil, thenrubbed was finished with thecolorof thelisting. beeswax to harmonize

25

ENFIELDSIDECHAIR
t]- h. most striking featureof the I Enfieldsidechairis its backward slantof 98o, asshownin the sideview on page 27.Thedesign allows thechair to conformto theanatomy of thetypicaluserandprovidecomfortable seating without needing steam-bent back posts. Theslant, however, does present a challenge in executing thejoinery.Few ofthe jointsin thischairarecut square; most are assembled at comoound angles. lt is a goodideato referbackto the sideandtop viewsasyou build the chair,usingthe angles to helpsetup your drill whenboringthe round mortises. As a resultof the seat's trapezoidal shape, the front legs arespaced farther apartthanthe rearones. Also,the rear legsaresplayed ouhvardfrom bottom to top by 2o. Consequently, the back stretchers, seatrail, and slatsareprogressively longertowards thetop oithe chair.Refer to the cuttinglist on page 27 for precise dimensions.

ANATOMY OF ANENFIETD SIDE CHAIR

Kear leg

)ide aeat rail

Front aeat rail

Front atretcher

Front. leq

CHAIRS

96'\

Rear

96'

84"

aeat--\ rail \

84"

in thetopview of the Asshown front top), the side chair 1eft, Kear leo buttherear legs areparallel, apart by slightly ones areangled to the arejoined 2". Theslats The angle. rear legs at a slight Side aeat sideview(left,bottod illusrail lean. backward trates thechair's feature Although thisdesign to bend the theneed Front eliminates joints require carethe rear legs, teq ful execution.

SIDEVIEW

1l

\ ,,\ \ 17" \ \
113/u"

\ \

t\
\

\ 18"

ITEM Legs rail* Seat Rear Front Front Back Side Stretchers* Front Back Slats Side Top Middle Bottom

OTY 2
z

t 4r% 19Y^ r8% I4Y, I4 I8Y,

W (lRDIAM. IY4
IY4
I

I 1 2
z

1 1
% 3A 3A

I 4 1 1 I

r3%
T4
I43/4

2%
23/4 274

Y4

Y'
Y4

r4%

*Note: lengths. include tenon Measurements

Enfield sidechairshown Thecherry afiber rushseatand a above features to create tungoilfinish,whichcombine a warm and naturalappearanca

27

CHAIRS

PTANNING THE J()B


FronL le1 9tory pole

E N F I E L . DC I A I R

IEG

S F

' F 5

s a

)lat mortiae mark

Kear le4

pole Using a story you To help size andprepare thechair legs, mark keydimensions andthe location pole. of mortises on a shop-made story pole Made froma stripof plywood, thestory shown above includes the length of thefrontandrear legs, andtheplacement of thestretcher, rail, andslatmortises. Refer to theside view illustration of theEnfield chair on page27 fortheheight

of each element. Themarks onthejig canthenbeused to cut thelegblanks to length andoutline themortises ontheblanks. Note thatthemortises forthefront or back stretchers or rails 1/z areoffset inchlower thanthe mortises forthesideones to avoid weakening pole the legs. Label thestory andkeep it for future chair-making.

PREPARING THE LEGS. RAITS AND STRETCHERS


theslatmortises 1 Routing I intherear legs 0utline theslatmortises onyour rear leg pole blanks using thestory shown above, centering theoutlines ontheinside face of each blank. Then secure oneof the blanks between bench dogs. Install a %i n c hm o r t i s i n bg i t i n a r o u t ee rq u i p p e d guide. withan edge Center thebit over the mortise outline andadjust theedge guide to buttagainst thestock; use the second legblank to support therouter. passes, Make several increasing thecutpass tingdepth witheach untilthemortiseis completed to a depth of %inch. Repeat to rout theremaining mortises in (right),Ihen bothblanks square thecorners of thecavities witha chisel.

28

CHAIRS

r) Turning therearlegs L Place a r e a rl e gb l a n kb e t w e e c ne n t e r so n y o u rl a t h e ,p o s i t i o n the toolrest to the workpiece a s c l o s ea s p o s s i b l e i t , a n dt u r n o n t h e w i t h o ut o u c h i n g go u g e m a c h i n eS . u p p o r t i na gr o u g h i n g o n t h e t o o l r e s t ,c a r e f u l l m y ove the bevel u n t i li t t o u c h ets h eb l a n k a n dt h e c u t t i n g e d g es t a r t s r e m o v i nw g asteC . ontinue working allalong thelength of theblank (left), withthe u n t i l y o uf o r m a c y l i n d e r b e v er l ubbing a n dt h e t o o l p o i n t i n g in the directioo nf thecut.

(above, /eff). Switch chisel thefinial. to a skew to shape Set o f t h e l e g .U s ea r o u g h i ng go u g e at first, onthetoolrest andadvance it untilit cutsinto cylindrica s le c t i o n theblade the g o u g eH . olding making is rubt h e ns w i t c h to a spindle t h e t o o l i n a n u n d e r - stock. Shape thefinial asdesired, sure thebevel h a n dg r i pa n d r u b b i n g t h e b e v eo l n thestocks , l i c ei n t ot h e bing throughout thecut (above, right). Use sandpaper to shape w o o da n d m a k ea s c o o p i nc gu t d o w nt h e m i d d l e o f t h e c o v e t h et i p .T u r n t h eo t h e r e a r l e ga n di t sf i n i atl h es a m e way.

Turning thefinials ontherear legs thatseparates from the Start bycutting thecove thefinial

29

CHAIRS

Turning therails and stretchers Turn t h er a i l s a n ds t r e t c h ea r sy o u


did thc rpar lpos (naop 2Ql rrsino: n:ri\ f e b e 1 J ' '

i n pt o o lt o r : r rtth e t e n o n s a t t h e e n d so f
oach niocp (riohf)
t t t b t t ' / . ' '

Fnc,tvp:
' J v '

c , n r r of i t h v

making t h e d i a m e t eo r f t h et e n o n s equal t o t h a t o f t h e b i t y o uw i l l u s et o b o r et h e
mnriispq (naop
r r qbv v

? / ) Thp ipnnn

lpnoih

s h o u lb d eo n e - h a t lh f et h i c k n e o ss ft h e legs. Finally, turnthefrontlegs.

MAKING THE SLATS

i g . r e f e r r i ntg I S e t u p a s t e a m r njg o t h e b a c ke n d p a p e fr or jigready (step constructio dn e t a i l sA . l s oh a v e a bending 2). T u r no n t h e s t e a ms o u r c e a n d m a r kt h e c e n t e r o f e a c hs l a t . place Once steam begins to escapf er o mt h e 1 i g ' s d r a i nh o l e , a . lose s l a t i n s i d eC t h e e n d c a pt i g h t l y a n d l e tt h e w o o d steam

theslats 1t Steamins -

g u i d es , team u n t i li t i s s o f t .A s a r o u g h u m b ef ro r o n e a i r - d r i e ld h o u rp e ri n c ho f t h i c k n e s s h;a l ft h a tt i m ef o r g r e e n wood. Avoid s c a l d i ny g o u rh a n d s b yw e a r i n w g o r kg l o v e s a n du s i n g tongs .l a c e to handle t h e s t o c k( a b o v e ) P t h e n e x ts l a t i n t h e j i g a n d b e n dt h e s t e a m e s dl a tw i t h o u d t elay.

30

CHAIRS

2 "x 2 " oupportboard

Preparing theslats fortheir mortises Q r-,f Lettheslats dryin thebending form for a c o u p lo e f d a y st,h e n test-ft it hem i nt h e
qnro rear less:nd crrtthcm tn l p '" "n b .o " .i h 'F n r 2

r) Bending theslats L to make thebending form shown above, center themortises fortheoowers along thelength of thesupport boards. Thedistance between thetwooutside dowels should beslightly less than thespan of a slatwhen it is curved. Assoon quickly asyouremove a slatfrom thesteamer, fit it between thedowels. Center theslats against themiddle dowel andpush theends behrnd theoutside dowels. pressure Alternate thedirection of theslats to equalize onthejig.

f i t , s a n dt h e e n d so f t h e s l a t s ona spindle s h a p e rC . a r e f u l ls ya n dd o w n t h e p a r to f t h e (abovd; backfacethatwill fit intothe mortise p e r i o d i c a l l y y o u g o . check t h ef i t as A gouge c a na l s ob e u s e d to cutawav waste u n t i lv o u have a goodfit.

PREPARING THE LEGS FOR THE RAITS AND STRETCHERS


Preparing thefrontlegsfor I thefrontrailsandstretchers T h eo n l yr o u n d m o r t i s ei s n t h e E n ife l dc h a i r t h a ta r ed r i l l e d a t 9 0 ' a r et h o s e i n t h ef r o n t legs f o rt h ef r o n tr a i l s a n ds t r e t c h e rU s. se yourstory pole(page 28) to outline the hole l o c a t i o no sn t h e f r o n tl e g s a n db o r e them . u ta V - s h a p e onyour d r i l lp r e s sC w de d g e o u to f a w o o d b l o c kc , r e a t i na g l i g t h a tw i l l c r a d lt e h el e g s a sy o ud r i l lt h eh o l e sI.n s t a a ll b i tt h es a m e diamete ar st h er a i la n ds t r e t c h e rt e n o n s a,n dc l a m p t h ej i gt o t h em a c h i n e table s ot h eb o t t o m o f t h eV i s c e n t e r e d place u n d etrh eb i t .T h e n t h e l e gi n t h ej i g a n ds e tt h ed r i l l i n d gepth t o s l i g h t lm y ore t h a nt h et e n o n l e n g t h a b o ut w o - t h i r d th se stock d i a m e t eH r .o l d i nt g h e l e gw i t ho n e . e p e afto r h a n d ,b o r et h e m o r t r s e( s/ e f t , ) R t h eo t h e r f r o n tl e g . 'l

CHAIRS

r) Preparing the rearlegsfor L me backrailsandstretchers T h em o r t i s eis n t h e r e a rl e g s f o rt h e b a c k rails a n ds t r e t c h e r m s u s tb e a n g l e d down b y 2 ' t o c o m p e n s afto ert h e s l i g h s t playing
nrri nf tho h:r'k lpsq Spf nnp nf thp lpoc

u p r r g hitn a b e n c h v i s e ,m a k i n g s u r ei t i s r adjust v e r t i c a lU . s ea p r o t r a c t o to a slidi n g b e v eIl o 9 2 " . W r a p a s t r i po f m a s k i n g t a p ea r o u n d t h eb i tt o m a r k t h ed r i l l i n g depth-aboutwo{hirds t h e l e gd i a m e t e r . T o h e l py o u h o l dt h e d r i l l a t t h e c o r r e c t angle a sy o ub o r e thehole, t a p et h e h a n d l eo f t h es l i d i n g b e v etlo t h e l e ga n d k e e p thebit paralle t lo t h e b l a d e of thetool. S t o pd r i l l i n g o n c et h e d e p t hf l a gc o n t a c t s t h es t o c k . R e o e atth e o r o c e sts o d r i l lt h e ,e p o s i r e m a i n i nh go l e s i n b o t hl e g s( / e l t )r l e g i n v i s e tioning the the a n dt h es l i d i n g
hcvpl nn thp lpo 2q np.p(

' '---ssary.

WL

thefront andbackrails,stretchers, andslats to the legs C Gluing r-J Before drillins theholes i n t h e l e s sf o r t h e s i d er a i l s s n df i t t h e p i e c e s and tenons a n d i n t h e l e gm o r t i s e a together. stretchers u,r r . r b l . t h e f r o n tt e g sa n Ot h e nt h e r e a rl e g s . T a pt h e j o i n t si n t of i n a l p o s i t i o n w i t ha w o o d e n m a l l e t .R e p e a t g l u eo n t h e r a i la n ds t r e t c h e r f o r t h e r e a rl e g s g S t a r t i nw g i t ht h e f r o n tI e g ss , pread , luing t h e s l a t si n p l a c ea s w e l l( a b o v e ) .

JL

CHAIRS

Preparing thelegs for rails theside and stretchers


T h em o r t i s eis nthelecs f o r t h e s i d er a i l s a n d s t r e t c h e rm s u s tb e d r i l l e d at comp o u n da n g l e s - t h e y a r ea n g l e d in both . tart the horizonta aln d v e r t i c ap l l a n e sS bysecuring o n e o f t h e r e a rl e g si n a h a n d s c r ea w n dc l a m p i n t gh e a s s e m b l y u p r i g h t o a w o r ks u r f a c eT . h e nu s et h e c h a i rs e a ta n d s i d ev i e w s on page 27, a protractor, anda sliding bevel to determine t h ed r i l l i n g angle a s y o ud i d i n s t e p2 . B u ti n s t e ao df taping t w os l i d i n g bevels pieces t o t h es t o c k , c u t t w os q u a r e of plywood, clamping o n et o t h e l e gt o i n d i c a t e lngle t h e v e r t i c aa a n dt h e s e c o n d to the r a i lo r s t r e t c h efro r t h e h o r i z o n t a aln g l e . F o re a c hh o l e , a l i g nt h e b i t w i t ht h e t o p ( l a b e l eS dI D E gl u i d e edge o f t h ev e r t i c a i n t h e i l l u s t r a t i oa nn ) dt h e s i d ee d g e ofthe h o r i z o n t ag l u i d e( l a b e l e d T0P) (right). A g a i ns , t o pd r i l l i n g when t h ed r i l l i n g depth f l a gc o n t a c t t sh e s t o c k . Using similar methods d , r i l lt h e f r o n tl e ga s s e m b l y .

ASSEMBTING THECHAIR
Gluinu g pt h ec h a i r 0 n c ea l l t h e m o r t i s ea sr ed r i l l e ds , pread g l u eo n t h e t e n o n s o f t h e s i d er a i l sa n d stretcher sn d i n t h e m o r t i s e s a a,n df i t t h e niecet so p e t h e I rJ s e a wooden m a l l ea t nd a w o o db l o c k t o t a pa l lt h ej o i n t s i n t of i n a l (left).Ihen position s e tt h e c h a i ru p r i g h t . T h ef o u rl e g s should a l l b ef l a to n t h ef l o o r . l f n o t ,y o u m a y h a v e t o a p p l yf i r m b u t gentle twisting t o o n eo r m o r eo f t h e c o n n e c t i o nts o coax t h e l e g si n t op o s i t i o n .

RUSHSEAT
likethe Enfield chairs, f, arlyShaker I-.i chair featured on the preceding pages, werefinished with rush seats. Traditionally, therushwasnatural, congrass sisting of marsh twisted into a cord which waswovenin a centerdiamond Dattern overthe frame.Rushseats are anddurable, andcan both comfortable bedonein anhouranda halfor soonce you getthe knack. This section how to rush a shows chairseat with a morecontemDorary ^paper material-tough-grade, fiber into longstrands, knownasfiber twisted rush.Craftsupply or manila dealers are goodsources usually ofidvice for the appropriate sizeand amountof rush project. needed for a particular Before starting, spray theindividuallengths of rushwith waterto keepthem pliable. A fiber rushseatis woven ontoa Shaker-inspired Enfield chair. thk traditional material and thesimple technique Using for installappearance to anystick-style ing it canimparta charming chair.

RUSHING A CHAIR SEAT


rail thefront 1 Bridging I Since therails thatform theseat of a n E n ife l dc h a i r d o n o tf o r ma s o u a r e . youmustuserush to create a square seat frame. Measure rn length thedifference between thefrontandback seat rails and your measurement in half. Measure divide your result railfrom along thefront each of thefrontlegs andmake a mark onthe rail.Tack a length of slightly dampened rushing thatisabout twice thelength ofthe front railto theinside of a side railabout 2 inches from thefrontleg.Loop therush around thefront railfromunderneath, then railfromunderneath. Bring around theside it therush across thefrontrailandlooo around theother siderailandthefront (right). railin thesame manner Holding therush taut, tackit to theside railoppositethefirsttack.

34

CHAIRS

r) Squaring frame theseat L Fasten a length of rush alongside the first one, using t h et e c h n i q u de escribed i n s t e o1 . L o o o i t a r o u ntd h ef r o n t and rails, like side thefirst strands, andfasten i t t o t h eo p p o s i t re ail. Continu ae dding lengths of rush(left)untilyoureach the youmade offset marks on thef rontrail.
^^ +;-L+ ^-r R o c r r r p tLn l \r u pLp eL Ir r w r p n lLh rr ur Jc l lL d J LlBllt dllU

s,tr:iohi :s nnscihlc

Weaving a complete circuit youhave youcanbegin Once squared theseat frame, rushing theseat allaround theframe. Working withanapproximately 20footlengh of rush, it totheside tack railnear therear legs andloop it around alltherails left). Keep working around thechair bbove,

(above, pattern yougetto theendof using thesame right). When a lengh of rush, clamp it temporarily to theseat frame it to keep piece tautandattach it to a new using a figure eight knot. Locate theknots ontheunderside of theseat sothey willnotbevisible.

CHAIRS

,{ f

Checking theweave for square Once every t h i r do r f o u r t h circuit, check w h e t h etrh e s i d e s o f t h e s e a ta r e p e r p e n d i c u lta Holding ore a c ho t h e r . the length o f r u s hi n a c o i lw i t h o n e h a n d ,b u t t a t r y s q u a r e i n o n ec o r n e r o f t h e s e a t( l e f D . I h eh a n d l e a n db l a d e r e s tf l u s ha g a i n s t of thesquare should t h e r u s h i n gl.f n o t ,u s ea f l a t - t i p screwdriver t o s t r a i g h t etn h e s i d et h a t i s o u t p,u s h i n g you of-square t h e l a s tc i r c u i t installea d g a i n stth e a d j a c e no tnes. go r n e r s R e p e aa t t t h e r e m a i n i nc of the seat.

Stuffing the seat f, ,.,1Once isaboutwolhirds therushins padding done, i t i s t i m et o p r o v r O ee xtra prevent by stuffing the seat.To the rush f r o ms l a c k e n i n g u, s ea s p r i n g clamp to y o ua r e i n s t a l l length secure theloose i n gt o a s e a tr a i l .U s ec a r d b o a rfd o rt h e paddrng p c,u t t i n g o n et r i a n g u l a ri e c e for e a c hs i d eo f t h e s e a ts o t h a tt h e t r i a n g l e ' s l o n gs i d ei s s l i g h t l y s h o r t etrh a nt h e s e a t gn d e t r a i l .S l i pt h e p a d d i n u rh e r u s h i n g (righ),Ihentrim the tips if theyoverlap in t h e c e n t e rC . o n t i n ute h e n o r m ac l ircuit as before u n t i lt h e t w os i d er a i l s a r ec o v e r e d .

CHAIRS

Completing the bridge 4i i e l dc h a i ri s \,1 Since t h e s e a to n a n E n f , h er u s h i n b geing d e e p etrh a ni t i s w i d e t i n s t a l l eo dn t h e s i d er a i l s w i l lm e e ti n t h e middle o f t h e s e a tb e f o r e t h e r u s ho n t h e f r o n ta n d b a c kr a i l s . Once t h i so c c u r s , u s ea t e c h n i q uk en o w n a s b r i d g i ntg o fi l l on thefront t h e g a p .L o o p therushing pta t t e r n a n d b a c kr a i l sw i t h a f i g u r e - e i g h p a s s i n g weave, t h e r u s ho v e rt h e b a c k r a i l ,d o w nt h r o u g h t h e c e n t e ru , nder the s e a ta n d u p a r o u n d t h e f r o n tr a i l .T h e n t h e s e a tf r o mt h e f r o n t bring t h e r u s ho v e r r a i la n d b a c kd o w nt h r o u g h thecenter
( r i o h f ) P a c , ei , he rrrsh rrndcr the cp:t
\ t t b t t e ' '

and c o m eu p a r o u n d t h e b a c kr a i la g a i n
ronp:i thp nrnnodrrrp

theiob 7T Finishins -

/ O n c ey o u h a v eb r i d g e d thegap b e t w e et n h e f r o n ta n d b a c kr a i l s , s e tt h e c h a i ru p s i d e d o w no n a w o r kt a b l ea n d t a c kt h e l a s ts t r a n d o f r u s ht o t h e u n d e r sideof the backseatrail (left).Cut off the excess.

SHAKERROCKING CHAIR
he Shakerrocker shown below shares manyfeatures andbuilding techniques with the Enfieldsidechair. For example, the crestrail mortises in therearlegs arerouted(page2|)before the legsareturnedand bent.(ln this chair,the rearlegsarebent from the armsto thetop,instead of beingcanted back,ason the Enfield.) The mortises for thebackstretchers, rail, andslats are then bored with an electricdrill (page 32);themortises mustbe angled 2" to compensate for theoutwardsplay of the legs from thebottomto the top. Drilling the mortises in the legsfor the otherstretchers andrailsis simoler because there areno holes at comoound angles. The mortises for the front rails andstretchers are90o holes that canbe (page boredon the drill press 31).The mortises for theside railsandstretchers canbeboredwith a drill andshop-made "TOP" (page drilling guides 33);adjust the guideto the appropriate angle, and set "SIDE" up the guideat 90". The followingpages present techniquesthat are uniqueto buildinga Shaker rocker,includingbendingthe rearlegs(page 40),and makingthearms (page androckers a1).

ANATOMY OF A SHAKER ROGKING CHAIR Kearlea


Creat rail

Arm Arm butLon

Rail and stretcher to leg joint

Leg to roaker joint \

)tetcher Front le4

tr

CHAIRS

'IDEVIEW

Asshown in theoverhead view of the rocking chak(|eft,top),the frontof iswider theseat than theback and the rear legs farther tops of the are apart TOP at thetopthan thebottom. Asa result, VIEW therails andslats areprogressively longer from thebottom to thetopof thechair. Like therear legs, theslats aresteam-bent for comfort. Thefront Front aeat rail legs rails areparallel soihefront and stretchers all share thesame lengh. (|eft, Asshown in thesideuiew bottom), thesiderails andstretchers areperpendicular to thelegs in the vertical axis. A comfortable angle is achieved bybending legs, therear rather thaninclining them. Forbalance, therockers contact theground \',1" 2 to 3 inches in front of therear legs. Theillustrations andcutting listpro'%' videappropriate dimensions and you your angles thai can transfer to \ 2&. storypole(page \ Kearleq

ITEM Legs rails* Seat front* rear front back Stretchers* side front back side Arms Rockers Slats* rail Crest top bottom

OTY
L

t
zz'/?

W OR DIAM. LY, I% 1 1 1 % % % 3Y,


6

TH

4rv,
22 17Y, t8Y,
lz

1 I
a z

1 4
a L Z

L7

t8v,
19 31 18 17/, t8%

% %

1 1 1

% %

* N o t e sD : imension in sclude t e n o nl e n e t h s .

Built in HancockShakerVillage, the rockershown above features a woven-splintseat.The Shakers made this seatingfrom wood, which they soakedin water for severalweeks,then split into long stripsand wovearound the seatrails.

39

CHAIRS

PREPARING THEREAR LEGS


(page I R o u t h e c r e s tr a i lm o r t i s eis n t h e r e a rl e g s 2 8 ) ,t u r n t h e mo n y o u rl a t h e( p a g e 2 9 ) , t h e ns t e a m t h e l e g s( p a g e 30) r r c ,u s ea s h o p - m a d e for bending T . o b e n dt h e mt o t h e p r o p ea j i g , l i k et h e o n es h o w n a t l e f t .F o rt h e j i g b a s e c , uta piece of plywood l o n g etrh a nt h e l e g s t , h e nm a k e thebending f o r mf r o m a piece o f s o l i ds t o c k slightly thicker t h a nt h e l e gd i a m e t e r 0.n y o u rb a n ds a w ,c u t t h e d e s i r e d c u r v e - a b o u t1 0 " - o n b o t h edges o f t h e f o r m ,s t a r t i n g t h e c u t a b o u th a l f w a y upthe board. T h e ns c r e w t h e f o r mt o t h e b a s ea n d f a s t e n a s t o p b l o c ko n e a c hs i d eo f t h e s t r a i g hp t ortion o f t h e f o r m ;t h e g a p b e t w e e n the blocks a n dt h e f o r ms h o u l d equat l h e l e gd i a m e t e r A . ssoon a s y o ut a k et h e l e g s f r o mt h e s t e a m e rs,e t t h e mo n t h e j i g p o i n to n t h e l e g s b e t w e et n h e f o r ma n dt h e b l o c k sa , ligningthe t h a tw i l l b e j o i n e d t o t h e s e a tr a i l s w i t ht h e s t a r to f t h e c u r v e d c u t o n t h e f o r m .T h e n ,p r o t e c t i ntg h e s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s , i n s t a la l b a rc l a m pj u s t b e l o w t h e s l a tm o r t i s ets o b e n dt h e l e g s snugly a g a i n stth e f o r m .S e c u r e t h et o p o f t h e l e g s a g a i n stth e (/eff). form usinga handscrew

Bendins theless 1 t -

- - a, lFd
r) Preparing the legsfor therockers L Once t h e l e g s a r ed r y , m a r kh o l e s forthescrews t h a tw i l l fasten thelegs t o t h e r o c k e r sl ; ocate a h o l eo n e a c hl e ga b o u tI i n c hf r o mt h e b o t t o m e n d .C u ta V - s h a p ew de d g e o u to f a w o o d blockc , reating a l i g t h a t w i l l h o l dt h e l e g s a s y o ub o r e the h o l e sC . lamp t h e j i g t o y o u rd r i l l p r e s s t a b l es o t h e b o t t o m of t h eV i s c e n t e r eu dn d e r t h e b i t . T h e np l a c e t h e l e gi n t h e j i g p o i n tw i t ht h e b i t . H o l d i n t a n da l i g nt h e m a r k e d gh e l e gw r t h o n e h a n d ,b o r ea c o u n t e r s u nh ko l et h r e e - q u a r t eo rs f theway through t h e s t o c k( a b o v el,e f t ) . f h e no u t l i n ea n o t c ho n t h e bottom e n do f e a c hl e gp e r p e n d i c u lta ort h e h o l e , making its w i d t he q u a t l o t h e t h i c k n e so s f t h e r o c k e ra s n dl t s h e i g h a t bout o n e - h a ltfh e r o c k e h r e i g h tC . u tt h e s i d e s o f t h e n o t c h eo snyour b a n ds a w ,t h e nr e m o v e thewaste betweet nh e k e r f s s , having away t h e w o o di n t h i n l a y e r w s i t h a c h i s e lC . lamp a s t o pb l o c k in place w i t h a n a r cc u t o u t o f o n ef a c et o s t e a d y theworkpiece bbove, right).

CHAIRS

THEROCKERS THE ARMS AND PREPARING


thearmsandrockers 1 Cutting llustration I R e f e r r i ntg o t h e a n a t o m iy for the arms. 38, makea template on page t h es h a p e o n o n ea r mb l a n kt,h e n 0utline t h es e c f l i p t h et e m p l a t e over a n do u t l i n e t h a tt h e t w o a r e o n d a r m ;t h i s w i l l e n s u r e imageo s f e a c ho t h e r O . n e a c ha r m , mirror t h a tw i l l a c c e p t h e a l s om a r kt h e m o r t i s e tenon a t t h e t o p e n do f t h e f r o n tl e g .C u t on yourbandsaw(right). the armsto shape Reoeat the orocess to sawthe rockers.

r) Preparing for assembly thearms Z A t t t r o u sth hetenons a t t h e e n d so f r o u n dp a r t s o f t h e c h a i r - l i k et h e l e g s , rails. s t r e t c h e ra s. n ds l a t s - c a nb e d o n e at the 30), the tenons on the lathe(page t et u r n e d . b a c ke n d o f t h e a r m sc a n n o b l dowec l u t t e ro n y o u r I n s t e a di,n s t a l a able 90" and d r i l lp r e s s t, i l t t h e m a c h i nte w r t ht h e t e n o n c l a m ot h e a r m i n o l a c e S e tt h e e n dc e n t e r e u dnder t h ec u t t e r . a t o n e - h atl h f e l e gd i a m e t e r d r i l l r nd ge p t h then cut the tenon(/eff).

CHAIRS

ASSEMBLING THEROCKING CHAIR

\= /t

'l
l

I Gluing u p t h er o c k i n g c h a i rf o l l o w s procem u c ht h e s a m e d u r eu s e df o r t h e E n f i e l d c h a i r .S t a r tb y a t t a c h i n t gh e c r e s t r a i l .s l a t s . r a i l s .a n d s t r e t c h e rts o t h e t w o r e a rl e p s( n a p c T h e ng l u et h e a r m s ,r a i l s ,a n d s t r e t c h e rts 33,). o thefront

Gluing thefront and rear legassemblies together -

legs. 0nce theadhesive glue has cured, spread onthetenons of theside rails andstretchers andin their mortises in thelegs and (abovd. fit thetwoassemblies together Use a dead-blow hammer position. t o t a pt h e . l o i nitn st o fi n a l

r) Making thearmbuttons L P r e p a rte w ob l a n k s a n dd r i l la m o r t i s e h a l f w at yh r o u g h e a c ho n es i z e d to accept t h et e n o n a t t h e t o p e n do f t h e f r o n tl e g s . G l u ea l e n g t h of dowei l n e a c hh o l e t ,hen u s et h e d o w e t lo mount o n eo f t h e b l a n k s o n y o u rl a t h e . T u r nt h e b u t t o n to shape, t h e ns m o o t h i t w i t hs a n d o a o e wrh i l ei t i s still spinning on the lathe(righil.Remoue thebutton f r o mt h e m a c h i n e a n dd r i l lo u t t h ed o w e l .

CHAIRS

t) Installins thearm buttons < r-,1Once botharmbuttons areready, gluein theirmortises spread andonthe end of the frontlegs. tenons at thetop (/eft). position Then thebuttons onthearms

thelegs to therockers ,{ Attaching 't Settherockers on a flatsurface and positron onthemsotherear legs thechair 2 inches thepoint where sitabout behind Usea therockers contact thesurface. chisel to shaoe thebottom of thenotches flatonthe in the legs sotheylie perfectly rockers, thenmark thescrew holes onthe of the rockers, using the holes in sides asa gurde. Remove thechair and thelegs d r i l la h o l e ateach m a r ks , e tt h ec h a i r down, andreposition therockers upside Now and on thechair. screw the less (right). rockers together

+J

TAPESEAT
Q hakertape,calledlistingby the rJ Shakers, began to supplant other tlpes of woven seat materials after1830. Its rangeof colors, neatappearance, durabilitv. andease of installation made it idealfor furniturebuildersbent on producingqualitygoodsasefficiently aspossible. And unlikecaneor other naturally occurringmaterials, tapedoes not dry out or split;nor doesit pinch or snag clothing. Shownbelowand on the following pages, weaving is fairlysimple. Onelength of tape,called thewarp,is anchored to the siderailsand wrapped aroundthe front and backseat railsin adjoining rows. A second length, called theweft,is wovenalternately under and overthe strands thatform thewarp.Loose ends arejoinedby weaving them backon themselves, ensuringthat the rows alwavs remainoarallel. Shaker tapeisavailable in %-and 1inchwidthsfrom folk-artsuppliers. You canweave the basic tabbystyleshown in this section or create a wide variety of designs that include basic and complexgeometric shapes.

TheShaker rocking chairshown at leftfeatures canvas tapeseating aswellasa tapeback.

WEAVING A TAPE SEAT

Anchoring thewarp rows 1 I Tack a length of tape to theinside of a side railabout theedge seat of thematerial butts against therear legbbove). Wrap 2 inches from therear leg sothatthetape is parallel to therail. thetape around thefront railandpullit towards theback rail Loop thetape around theback railfrom underneath, ensuring fromunderneath.

CHAIRS

r) Stuffing theseat I Conlinue wrapping thewarp around thefront andback rails from underneath, making rows of tape sure adjoining arein Theweave contact. should betight,but notsotautthatthere is noplay forthe weftrows to bewoven between thewarp youareabout halfway rows. Once to the opposite side rail,it istimeto stuff the seat. To orevent thetaoefromslackening, length tietheloose of tape to oneof t h es l a t sB . u ya p i e c e of 1-inch-thick p a d d i nfg foam r o ma c r a f t s u p p lo yr hardware store andcut it witha craft knife to fit within theseat rails. Slip the (left), padding between thetapelayers it between centerine therails.

Completing thewarp Continue weaving thewarprows youreach railand until theopposite side railisentirely wrapped in theback seat Then tape. temporarily tackthe loose length of tapeto thesiderail(below) andcutofftheloose end.

CHAIRS

Starting theweft
S e tt h e c h a i ru p s i d e down ona work

you surface thatwillenable to work comfortably. Starting along theback seat rail youbegan opposite theplace where the warp, slip theendof theweft tape under thefirststrand of thewarp, over thenext, a n dc o n t i n u w ei t ht h i su n d e r - a n d - o v e r youreach weave until thelast warp strand. P u lt l h ee x c e s ts ape through le , a v i n5 g point. inches orsoat thestarting Weave thispart back on itself to anchor thetape (left). in place Flipthe chairupright andcontinue weaving onthetopside of theseat.

Filling thegaps in thewarp f, r-,/ Weave about three rows of weft, then begin filling i n t h et r i a n g u lg aa rps left y o ui n s t a l l e d along t h es i d e rails where thewarp. Cuta length of warp tapelong plus enough to weave tworows of seating, a b o u5 t inches a,n d slip t h et a p e under thelaststrand of weftbeneath theseat andaround thefront rail,butting seat it youwove against the lastrowof warp in passstep 3. Then return to theback rail, ingthetapeunder thelast weft row and over thesecond one(right). Weave another warp rowadlacent to thelast one thesame way. Leave theexcess hanging for now; y o uw i l lb ea b l e t o w e a v ie t into t h es u b sequent weftrows. Weave three more weft process. rows andrepeat thegap-filling

46

CHAIRS

weft rows the trl Completing

weaving theweft, wrapping \,f Continue each rowaround rails theside andweav(left). ingover andunder thewarprows Avoid twisting thematerial. Asyoufinish pullit tightagainst each row, theprevious your onewithyour f ingers. Asyouwork way t o w a rt d h es i d e rail, will t h ew a r p become increasingly tight. Tomake space fortheweft, slide a bluntknife between you thewarp rows as necessary. When have laiddown thef inalweftrow, weave it back on itself Also to holdit in place. weave in anyloose ends of tapeonthe underside of theseat.

tape I Splicing I lf yourunoutof tapebefore finishing thewarp ortheweft, youwill need to jointwoends. You canstitch them together withthread, but a simpler method is to start weaving a new length at a pointabout 6 inches before theendof thefirst

tapebbovd,overlapping thetapes andbinding them together . se b yf r i c t i o n U t h i st e c h n i q u oe n t h eu n d e r s i d oe f t h es e a t w i t ht h ec h a i r upsidd eown s ot h a tn os e a m o s r b u l g ew s ill b ev i s i b l e .

47

N,{EETINGHOUSE BENCH
-[t h. meetinghouse bench served asa I pewfor theShakers. Duringservices, thefaithfulwould sit andlisten to a sermondelivered by an elder.At the would close of themeeting, thebenches bemovedout of thewayandhungfrom (page138). Wth the floor a pegboard ritual dancingcleared, the Shakers' from which they derivetheir namewouldbegin. Although many Shaker communities had benches of the styleshownin this section, the design is believed to have originated in Enfield, NewHampshire. Typically, the crestrail, legs, and spindleswerebuilt from mapleor cherry and the seatfrom pine. Many early remainintact,asa resultof examples hansoundconstruction and careful dlingby their makers. As shownbelow,the bench's legs arerakedto the front andback,but are not splayed Thespindles and sideways. crestrail are taperedand the rail is angled at theends.

Madeof cherrywith a pineseat, at themeetinghouse bench shown Ieft is modeled after those usedby peoBecause Shaker worshippers. ple arelargerthan theywerein the Shakers' time.theseatis wider than that of an originalbench.

ANATOMY OFA MEETINGHOUSE BENCH

CreaD rail

CHAIRS

CUTTING LIST
ITEM Seat Crest rail
Qnind lpc* I poq*

OTY I 1 11 4 2

t 44 44 I4 I7 I4

W OR DIA. I4 4 % LY, %

TH L% %

Stretchers*

* N o t e :D i m e n s i o n sc l u d e in t e n o nl e n e t h s

PREPARING THE SEAT

Drilling thelegholes 1 yourseatblank I Clamp bottom-face up on a work surface andmark a reference lineacross thesurface 5 inches from each end, thenpinpoint the holes forthelegs; theback holes should be 1%inches fromthe back edge of theseat andthe frontholes should be 1%inches fromthefrontedge. Fit a hand brace witha spoon bit thesame diameter asthe legs. y o ud r i l lt h eh o l e s T oh e l p a t t h ec o r r e c t ; s f2 tp s o l em : k c

twoguides froma short wood scrap, mitering theguide for t h ef r o n tl e g s a t 5 " a n dt h eo n ef o r t h e b a c kl e g s at 15". guide Settheappropriate on edge onthereference linea few i n c h e fsr o mt h e h o l e l the mark a n dh o l d t h eb i t p a r a l l e to (abovd, guide. mitered edge of the Thenbore the hole stoppingwhen youareabout two-thirds of thewaythrough the stock-about 1 inchdeep.

49

CHAIRS

Trotractor

a''
/ )

7i_

Keference line

r) Drilling thespindle holes your f- Bore the holes fortheseat spindles using drillpress j ie g .M a r k a n da s h o p - m a d a referenc l ie n eo n i h et o pf a c e of theseatparallel to the back edge and1 inchaway fromit. Then mark t h es p i n d l h eo l e s s,t a r t i na gb o u2 t % i n c h efs rom t h ee n d s a n ds p a c i ntg h er e m a i n i n hg o l ee squally T.oe n s u r e thatthespindles aretiltedback at thecorrect angle, adjust a jig shown protractor to 10"anduse theshop-made tilted table a b o v te o t i l t t h es e a t i n r e l a t i otn o t h eb i t .F o r t h ej i g ,s e ta piece dnt h em a c h i nte o f p l y w o oo a b l ep , lace t h es e a t blank

p d aralle o nt o p ,a n ds l i pa 2 - b y - 2 u n d etrh ep l y w o o wli t hi t s back edge. Holding the protractor base ontheseat andthe next blade to the bit,reposition the2-by-2 untilthe blade is parallel to thebit (above, lefil.fhenscrew theZ-by-2Io theplywood andclamp thejigto themachine Todrilltheholes, table. s e tt h ed r i l l i n g depth attwo-third ses e a t h i c k n e sa th sl,i g n thefirstmark under thebit,andclamp a board to thelig asa fence along theseat front's Then, edge. holding theseat against thefence, bore eachholebbove, right).

to shape theseat's top Q Preparing r.,l Cutthe recess on theseat's topsurfaceonyour table saw. Start bymarking the profile of theseat ontheworkpiece. Referring to theanatomy illustration on page 48, outline theshape of theends on thebottom face andendgrain of theblank. Tooutline therecess, settheseat topfacedown o ny o u r table s a wa n dc r a n k the blade to thedesired depth of cut.Position theseat sothe recess will be centered betwee tn h em i d d l e a n dt h eb a c k edge, e t h e no u t l i n t h eb l a d e o nt h ee n do f t h e stock a n dm a r k a referenc l ie n eo nt h e (righil. saw table along theseat's frontedge Now clamp a board asa guide sothatits edge isaligned withthereference line.

CHAIRS

Cutting therecess in theseattop ,{ -T Adjust the blade to a cuttingheight of '/,u i n c h .S l o w l y f e e dt h e s e a ta c r o s s the table w i t ho n eh a n d w , h i l ep r e s s i nig t g u i d e a g a i n stth e board w i t ht h e o t h e r . s s n e c e s s a ru M a k ea s m a n yp a s s e a yn t i l theblade outline o n t h e e n do f t h e s t o c k (left),raising disappears the blade%u inch a t a t i m e . F o ra s m o o t h f i n i s h ,r a i s e the blade very slightly a n dm a k e a f i n a lp a s s .

Shaping thetopof theseat f, s , / C l a m pt h e s e a tf a c e - u p o n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n d m a r ka guidelina elong y o uc u t a s a r e m i n d e r the length of therecess portion ofwhere t h ec u r v e d o f t h e s e a t o p w i l l e n d .R e f e r r i n g t o t h eo u t l i n e o n t h e e n do f t h e s t o c k , u s ea h a n dp l a n e to fin(above), ish shaping the seatIop removing wastefrom end to . o n t i n uu e n da n da l w a y c su t t i n g w i t ht h e g r a i n C en t i l y o u y o u ro u t l i n e . reach

Cutting theends oftheseat


Followin tg h ec u t t i n g lines o n t h e t o p f a c eo f t h e s e a t , cut t h eendson yourbandsaw(above). Keepthe workpiece flat on t h e m a c h i nte able a sy o uf e e di t , t h e ns a n d t h ec u t e n d s smooth.

CHAIRS

theunderside oftheseat I Shaping I Theends andfrontedge of theseat arebeveled on its underside. Bevel the front edge of theseat onyour table saw, tilting theblade to a 45' angle. Theends arebest shaped by hand witha carver's drawknife. Clamo theseat face-down on a work surface. Then, holding thetoolin both hands withtheblade bevel-down at a 45'anglt eo t h ee n d o f t h es e a tp , u l li t (left). youto shave toward off waste wood youaresatisfied Once withthebevel, sand theends smooth.

THELEGS TOTHE JOINING SEAT


thelegs forthestretchers 1 Preparing I Turnthe legs onyourlalhe(page 28), tapering themto a diameter of % inch atthetopdtldr%o inch at thebottom. Also turnthestretchers intocylinders, forming (page a tenon 29) at each end.Toensure t h a tt h es t r e t c h e hr oles i n t h el e g s will b ea t t h ec o r r e c with atn g l ed , r i l lt h e m face-down theseat on a work surface and t h el e g s d r y -ift t e di n t h e i rh o l e s inthe seatI . n s t a la l spade b i t i n a ne l e c t r i c d r i l la n dw r a p a s t r i po f m a s k i ntg ape around thebitto mark thedrilling deptha b o uo t n e - h atlh f ed i a m e t e orf t h e l e g . Also mark h a l f w au yp e a c h leg a point (see 48).Then theanatomy on page holdingthelegin itshole andthebit parallel to theseat surface, drillthehole at the m a r ks , t o p p i nw gh e n t h em a s k i ntg ape contacts Ihe stock(right).

52

CHAIRS

and Preparing thelegs for wedges stretchers thelegs to Reinforce thejoints connecting legs with andthestretchers to the theseat wedges. Cutthe kerfs forthewedges on youarekerf your ingthe When band saw. l e g sh , old t h el e go nt h em a c h i nt e able hole facing straight up. withthestretcher in the This willensure thatthewedges of the legs areperpendicular to thegrain preventing fromsplitting. theseat seat, Feed into theblade, slicing theworkpiece a kerfto a depthof aboutlz inch (righil. in thestretchers thesame Cutthekerfs making thatthewedges willbe way, sure perpendicular of thelegs. to thegrain

r--)
V.,

stretchers upthelegs and Q Gluing wedges for the kerfs, r.,l To make cut pieces some hardwood on the band saw slightly less than%inchlong and% inch o a pornt. t h i c ka t t h e b a s et,a p e r i ntg to the legs. Start bygluing thestretchers and Spread some adhesive onthewedges in the kerfs aswellason thestretcher in the legs, tenons andthemortises and insert thewedges intotheirkerfs. Fitthe andlegs together, using a woodstretcher into finalposien mallet to tapthepieces protruding tion.Youcanleave thewedges (insef); fromthe kerfs they willsit f lush withtheends of the legs andstretchers youtapthejoints Next, when together. glue thewedges into thelegs, spread adhesiveonthecontacting surfaces between andtheseat, andtapthelegs the legs (/eff,). intoposition

53

CHAIRS

Sawing thelegs to length


T h et e c h n i q us eh o w n above w i l le n s u r e ly t h a t a l l f o u rl e g s a r ep r e c i s e t hesame l e n g t hC . u tf o u rw o o db l o c k s f r o ma s i n g l e b o a r dt,h e n n o t c ho n eo f t h e b l o c k s to f it around a l e g ( i n s e i l .P l a c e the block around t h e f i r s tl e gt o b e c u t . H o l d i n g the l e gf i r m l yw i t h o n e h a n d ,c u t i t t o s i z e w i t ha f l u s h - c u t t i n sg a w .O n c e t h ef i r s t l e gi s t r i m m e dr ,e m o v e thenotched block a n dr e p l a c ie t w i t ho n eo f t h e r e m a i n i n g piece b l o c k sP . o s i t i otn henotched around t h e n e x tl e ga n dm a k e t h e c u t .C o n t i n u ie n this way until all four legsarecut (right). l f y o uw a n tt h e b e n c h to have a backward slant, t a c ks h i m st o t h e b o t t o m s of the f r o n tl e g sb e f o r e trimming the legs.

GTUING THE CREST RAIL AND SPINDLES T()THE SEAT


Preparing thecrestrailfor thespindles I C u tt h e c r e s t r a i lt o s i z e t , h e nm a r k t h es p i n d l e holes o n i t sb o t t o m e d g eu , sing y o ud r i l l e d t h eh o l e s r nt h e s e a t a sa g u i d e . ds a n a u x i l i a r y Clamp a piece o f p l y w o oa table toyour d r i l lp r e s si,n s t a la l brad-point b i t ,a n da d l u st h e d r i l l i n g depth to about 1 i n c h .A l i g nt h e f i r s th o l em a r ku n d e r t h e b i t a n dc l a m p a board t o t h ea u x i l iary t a b l ef l u s ha g a i n s tt h ef a c eo f t h e r a i l . T h i sw i l l s e r v e a sa f e n c e t o o o s i t i o tn he r a i l .B u t t i n g t h e r a i la g a i n stth ef e n c ed , rill the holes (righil. 'l

J+

CHAIRS

r) Gluing and crest rail upthespindles L s"tthe seat face-uo ona work surglue of the face, then spread ontheends in theseat andin theholes and spindles t h ec r e s r t a i l .F i tt h es n i n d l eis n t ot h e each oneinto finalposition seat, tapping (above). hammer Once witha dead-blow arein place, fit therailon allthespindles For additional topand tapit intoposition. yn otu reinforceme , c a np e g t h ej o i n t s thesoindle and theseat andrail between o f t h e b e n c h D . r i l t l h ep e g ateach end through ihe back holes into thespindles and the outside face of edge of theseat procedure following explained therail, the on page 110.

ili l]l] ltil llrJ lllllllllltIIJ illlllilllil illr illt ljiltilJ iliI illJ lllt
1HO?TI?
laperinglhe areEl rail on a planer eo Xhelop edqeio lf you wiehNola?er the crest,railof the bench aae and a bhop-m nirrowe,than tie bott om,usea Nhickneee elaner jiq,tack two woodetriVeIo a board jig. ForNhe and Nhat is longer ehould belwiceas thick as lhe widerthan the rail.Oneof lhe eLrioe than inchlees Nhem ehould be about,1 oIher, and the 4ap beNween ji4 Lo Nhe widlhof the rail,Clamp Nhe plan' Nhe eNrioe extend er table so Lheboardand Nhe lrom eachside of the machine by eeveral J;i, inches. Nowfurn on Ihe planer and make throuahthe machine withIhe a Dao6 bottom edqebfthe rail fluehayainol the Nhicker otripandlhetop edqeproVped uV onlhethinner etriV.lltake ae many?aeoeo Noachieve Lhedesired ao neceleary taper.ThenNurnlh ra e i lo v e r and
repeat,lhe proceee,Nhietime with Lhe rail'e boLIom

edgebuLbed aqainot thinnerelrip,ae Nhe shownabove,

55

"'w*
{

'

TABLES
The squares of 12people. three years he early of Shaker illustrated on 6-footlongtable were far communities page 58seats eight comfortably. from bountiful.As oneresi(page DropJeaf tables 68), village dentof the Hancock "Our tops, with their expandable in 1791, foodwas said laterthantreswere developed Butwhatwehad, veryscanty. tle types, becoming common we atewith thankfulhearts. in the Theywere used by 1820. we Forbreakfast andsupper, or dininghall assidetables livedmostlyuponbeanporas dining tables. occasionally, porridgeJ' By water ridgeand ButthedropJeaf design is so ofthe 19th thesecond decade practical Shakers that the however, the Shakers' Century founda multitude of applicahard capacityfor ceaseless from for it everywhere tions payoffin mateworkbegan to dairy to the infirmary. the prosperiry rial (page Thepedestal table 78), dining tablesare Shaker stand, was verypopor candle mutetestament to the comStrong ularwith theShakers. munities' success in fields, itwas light enough and sturdy, Asincreasbams, andgardens. jig that rests joined Its tripodlegs to move easily. on thebedof Wth help ingnumbers of converts from a shop-built plows The kept it from wobbling. bit sockets router with a dovetail a lathe,a mealtimes the movement, fitted experimented endThe will mate Shakers a candle stand. sockets in thecolumnof saw the Shakers crowded lessly with thisbasic form.The at the top endsof the legs. with slidingdovetails elbowto elbowaroundthe jtg, page was with convex, refer to 81. stand built making this For instructions on eating in solemn dinnertable, legs. Tops concave, or turned silence and, as in most of tops round, or rectangular. Sometimes, the were made square separated. with themenandwomen their otheractivities, lipped, and some featured under(page were simply rounded over or fixtures in most Shaker 58)were common Trestle tables topshadagroove to holdsewing supplies. Some drawers legroom slung legs andunobstructed dininghalls. Wth theirnarrow (Oval packaging or octagonal in lip to help in the of seeds. the were well people together, thetables to sitquiteclose allowing frivolous andtoo however, as being wereexcluded, Tofacilitate thepassing offoodacross shapes ethic. suited to theShaker "squares" fourdin- worldly.) in is but one The candle stand shown this chapter into of tops, settings were divided thelarge popular functional design. of a and tables were builtto seat version Typically 10feet long, Shaker trestle ers.

A wooden supportispivotedundertheleafof thedropJeaftable but shownat left. Overtime, thesupportmay tendto sagslightly, glued to the underside of the leafwill compensate the thin wedge allowing theleaf to sitat thesamelevelasthe top. for the change,

57

TRESTLE TABLE
theirlarge size, trestle tables f-\ espite LJ areeasy to move.This is because the joints connecting the feetto the legs, thelegs to therails, andtherailsto the top are fixed not by glue,but by screws andbolts.Thetableshown below relies heavilyon knockdownhardware, a modernversionof the Shaker Dracticeof assembling tables with boltsthat drewagainst a trappednut, allowingeasy disassembly. frequentlyused Shakers cherryfor their tables; this remainsa goodchoice today. Toprevent thetop from warpingand alsoto hideend grain,a tongueis cut alongeachendto positionthe mating groove ofa breadboard end.The ends arescrewed to the top,with only a little glueappliedat the middle.This allows the top to expand and contract across its width ashumidity changes without beinghindered by thebreadboard ends.

Asshown onpage 59,thefirststep in making thistable is gluing up thetop. Because of itswidth, thetopcannot be passed through most planers thickness glueup.Instead, after startby assembling thetopin thelargest possible sections thatyourmachine can handle and plane themto a uniformthickness. Thenglue thesections together, being verycareful to ensure thattheyare perfectly flush.

ANATOMY OF A TRESTLE TABTE


ToP 1"x41'/a"x7O%"

18"

7"

Trestle 1"x4%"x49"

,.t...Spare and sturdy,the trestle tableshownbelow is a perfect philosoplry. expression of theShaker With the trestle tuckedup underthe top,diners could sitclose together without havingto splay out theirknees or legs. Thenarrow feetat theends madeit easy to sweep thefloor underthetable.

Rail

1"x5"x36"

/----=-% Croaa dowel /

y-----"'-

Drawbolt

TABLES

MAKING THE T(]P

Applying theglue I Once allyour b o a r da s r el o i n t e d a n dr i p p e d to a comwidth y i n c hw i d e t r h a nt h ef i n i s h e d bined t h a ti s r o u g h l 1 e a t c ho f c o l t o p ,a r r a n gte he boards f o r t h e b e s tp o s s i b l m . ominimize , n dg r a i n T o r ,f i g u r e a w a r p i n gl,a yo u t t h e planks s o t h a tt h e e n dg r a i no f a d j a c e nb toards r u n si n o p p o s i td ei r e c t i o n s th , e nm a r ka r e f e r e n cte riangle ontop of theboards T . h i sw i l l h e l py o uc o r r e c t lry ealign t h e mf o r g l u eu p . T o h o l dy o u rb a rc l a m p s u p r i g h tc ,ut notched wood i n t h e b l o c k sS blocks a n ds e tt h e c l a m p s . pace the 2 4 t o 3 6 i n c h e sT . o p r o t e ctth e s t o c k a clamps euery , lso c u t t w o w o o dp a d sa s l o n ga n d a s t h i c ka s t h e p l a n k s . Apply a narrow bead o f g l u et o o n ee d g e o f e a c hj o i n ta n d u s ea s m a l l , stiff-bristle bd rush to spread theadhesive (above). evenly on the boardedges

'l

r) Tightenin cg lamps L t u yt h e b o a r df sa c eu p o n t h e b a rc l a m p s a n da l r g n t h e i re n d s , making s u r et h e s i d e s ofthereferenc te riangle a r el i n e du p . T i g h t e n t h ec l a m p s under t h e b o a r d jsu s t T enough t o b u t t t h e mt o g e t h e r .o balance theclamping p r e s s u ra en d k e e p t h e p a n e fl l a t ,p l a c e b a rc l a m p s across l e t w e et t h et o po f t h e p a n eb n h e o n e su n d e r n e a t A h .s y o u tighten t h e c l a m p sm , ake s u r et h a tt h e b o a r d s a r ep e r f e c t l y f l u s h .P l a c e a scrap o f w o o do n a n y h i g hs p o t s where two b o a r dm s eet a n dh i t i t w i t ha h a m m eu r ntilthe t w o l i ef l a t . Finrsh tnturn(lefD t i g h t e n i na gl l t h e c l a m p s u n t i lt h e r ea r e n o g a p sb e t w e etn he boarda s n da t h i n ,e v e nb e a d of glue s o r e e z eo sr t o f t h e i o i n t sO . nce a l l t h e t o n s e c t i o na sr e glued u p ,p l a n e t h e ma n dg l u et h e mt o g e t h e r .

59

TABLES

Preparing thetopfor Q !,, thebreadboard ends Thebreadboard ends areattached to the joint.Start topwitha tongue-and-groove byrouting a tongue at each endof thetop. Install a piloted three-wing slotting cutter in a router andsetthecutting depth to %-inct hh ; i sw i l le n a b ly eo u t o c l e atrh e waste fromeach side of thetongue in two passes. Secure thetooto a work surface andturntherouter onwiththebitclear of thestock. Make thefirstpass on both sides ofeach e n dm a k i ns gu r e t h eb i t ' s pilot b e a r i nig sbutted agains th t ee n d of thetop.Then reset thedepth of cut slightly deeper to routthe rest of the waste f r o mh a l fo f t h et o n g u et;h e tongus eh o u l d b eo n e - t h i rt d h et h i c k ness o f t h et o p .F i n i s h t h et o n g u ea st bothends//eft).

Making andinstalling thebreadboard ends Plane thebreadboard ends to thesame thickness as thetop,thensaw them aslong asthetop's width. Cutthe grooves along theinside edges of thebreadboard ends on your tablesaw(page 62).fhegrooves should beaswide as yourouted thetongues in step 3 andslightly deeper than theirlength. Fittheends in position andcounterbore three holes through each one andinto thetop,locating onehole at themiddle andanother a fewinches from each end.Use a fileto elongate theholes in thebreadboard ends slightly; eo o d t h i sw i l lf a c i l i t a tw movemen St p . r e ag dl u e o nt h e 1 inch tongues about to each side ofthecenter, thenrepo(right), sition the breadboard ends using a mallet anda wood b l o c ki,f n e c e s s a t ro yt , a pt h e mi n t of i n a lp o s i t i o n . gluewood plugs Drive thescrews to secure theends, over theheads, andtrimthem flush witha chisel. Sand thesurface smooth.

60

TABLES

MAKING THEFEET

,/ // / --r'

,-/

/,,

forthelegs Preparing thefeet r n dt h e in st h e m w i t ha r o u t ea I O u t l i nte h ef e e t o n b l a n ka s n dc u tt h em o r t i s e j ig gs h o w n pins T.h ej i g f e a t u r e tw s og u i d e t h a tb u t t above c o m m e r c im ao l rtisin is centered onthe faces of a workpiece, ensuring thatthemortise against opposite to cutthe mortising bit in a router andsetthecutting depth edge. lnstall a'/t-inch footedge bench mortise in three orfourpasses. Secure one uponyour 1%-inch-deep at one Plunge thebit into thestock andmark thebeginning andendof themortise. pins end, making sure theguide endof themortise, then feed thecutter to theother foot, thecut.Repeat fortheother then bothridealong theworkpiece throughout of themortises witha chisel. square thecorners

'l

r) Sawing thefeet to shape sawL cutthelegonyour bano saw, followed ingthetopedge f irst, bythe bottom edge(above). Sand ihe cut edges smooth.

ofthefeet thetopedges Q Chamfering r-,1Install 45-degree a piloted bit in a router, mount thetoolin a table andset depth fora %-inch-wide chamthecutting fer.Toprevent kickback, a notched clamp guide is in board to thetable soitsedge prlot Reinforce line withthebit's bearing. To inditheguide witha support board. where ends, mark a line cate thechamfer across thetopedge of thefoot% inch from Feed the foot each endof the mortise. riding intothecutter, thestock along the guide board to start thepass, thenpivot theworkpiece away from theguide, makingsure thestock butts against the bearinpSton t h ec l t a t t h ec h a m f e l irn e . Repeat side of the mortise, on theother then turnthefoot over andchamfer the opposite face(left).

TABLES

MAKING THELEGS ANDRAITS


'l Sawing thetenons atthe I bottom ofthelegs C u tt h e l e g s t o s i z et,h e no u t l i n e the t e n o no s n t h e i rb o t t o m e n d su , sing the mortises in thefeetasa guide. Cutthe t e n o no s ny o u r table saw fitted w i t ha dado h e a da ; d j u stth ew i d t h o f t h eh e a d t o s l i g h t lm y ore than o n e - h atlh f et e n o n length-abou 1 ti n c h Y . ou w i l ls a w the tenon sides andedges in twopasses each, eliminating theneed to attach anauxiliary fence. Toposition theripfence, align the shoulde l irn eo nt h e l e gw i t ht h ed a d o head andbuttthefence against theend oftheboard; thefence should bewell clear of theblades. Start bycutting thesides of (page thetenon 71).For theedges, align theendof theboard withthedado head andmake a pass, then turnthelegover andrepeat. Tocomplete thetenon, align theshoulder line withthehead andfeed gauge, withthemiter theboard riding the endof theworkpiece against thefence. (lefil. Turnthe board overandrepeal

r) Preparing thelegs forthetrestle groove L me trestle fits intoa stopped j u s tt h ew i d t h a t t h et o po f t h e l e g . Ad of thedado head andthecutting height to % inch. Center theface of thelegover the dado head a n db u t tt h ef e n c e against theedge. Mark theendof thegroove on thelegs andthepoints onthetable insert where t h eb l a d es st o p cutting th ; i sw i l l y o ud e t e r m i n p o s i t i o n help e the o ft h e dado head when it is hidden bytheworkpiece during thecut.Tosaw thegroove, feed thelegface down, holding theedge (right). against thefence Once thecutting line o nt h el e ga l i g n w s i t ht h em a r k on insert, thetable lifttheworkpiece offthe dado head. Square thestopped endof thedado witha chisel. You cannow cuta two-shouldered tenon at each endof the (page stretcher 71)to fit intothegroove.

62

TABLES

Preparing therails forthelegs


T h er a i l s a r ea t t a c h etd o t h e t o p e n d so f t h e l e g s w i t hb r i d l e j o i n t sS . t a r tb y c u t t i n g t h er e c e s s e is ntherails t h a te n a b l e them to mesh w i t ht h e m o r t i s ey so uw i l l s a wi n t h e l e g s O . utline the r a i lp r o f i l e o n y o u rb l a n k s a n d m a r kt h e s h o u l d e r o sf t h e r e c e s s e s 2 inches t o e a c hs i d eo f t h e m i d d l e oftheboards A . djusthe d a d oh e a d o n y o u rt a b l es a wa s w r d e a s i t w i l lg o a n ds e tt h e c u t tingheight a t % i n c h ,S c r e w a n e x t e n s i otn o t h e m i t e rg a u g e , align o n eo f t h e s h o u l d e m r arks o n t h e r a i lw i t ht h e d a d oh e a d , a n d b u t t t h e f e n c ea g a i n stth e e n d o f t h e s t o c k .F e e d the rail , r e s s i ntg w i t ht h e m i t e rg a u g ep hestock a g a i n stth e f e n c e . Flip t h e r a i lt o c u t a s h o u l d e o rn t h e o t h e r face, t h e nr o t a t e thepiece a n d c u t t h e s h o u l d e ra s t t h e o t h e re n d o f t h e r e c e s s e/s /eff). Move t h ef e n c e o u t o f t h e w a ya n dr e m o v t eh e r e m a i n i nw gaste.

Sawing themortises in thelegs


R e p l a cte h e d a d oh e a d o n y o u rt a b l es a ww i t ha c o m b i n a t i o nb l a d e c , r a n ki t a s h i g ha s i t w i l l g o ,a n dc u t t h e m o r t i s ea st t h et o p e n d so f t h e l e g s w i t ht h e h e l po f a c o m m e r c i t ae l noning j i g ; t h em o d e s l hown above slides i n t h e m i t e rs l o t .C l a m p the n l e gu p r i g hitn t h e j i g , p o s i t i o t h e j i g t o c e n t et rh e b l a d e onthe edge of theworkpiece a,n d f e e dt h e s t o c ki n t ot h e c u t . T h e n move t h e j i g v e r ys l i g h t l y f r o mt h e b l a d e away t o e n l a r gt eh e mortise M . ake a n o t h ep r a s st,u r nt h e l e ga r o u n d i n t h e j r g ,a n d feed it rntothe bladeagain(above). Next,test-fitone of the r a i l si n t h e n r o r t i s e lf . t h e f i t i s t o o t i g h t ,a d j u s t h e j i g t o shave a l i t t l em o r e wood f r o mt h e m o r t i s e a n dm a k e t w om o r e passes c,o n t i n u i nu gn t i lt h e r a i l f i t ss n u g l y in themortise.

therailsto shape f, Cutting r . f T o b r i n gt h e t o p e d g eo f t h e r a i l sf l u s hw i t h t h e t o p e n d of the legsy , o uw i l l h a v e t o n o t c ht h e b o t t o m e d g eo f t h e r e c e s s es de c t i o n o f t h e r a i l s( s e e theanatomy o n p a g e5 8 ) . F i t t h e r a i lu p s i d e d o w ni n t h e l e gm o r t i s e a n dd r a wa p e n c i l along t h e t o p o f t h e l e gt o m a r ka c u t t i n g l i n ea c r o s t sh e r a i l . C u t t h e n o t c ho n y o u rb a n ds a w ,s t a r t i n g w i t h s t r a i g hc t uts along theshoulder so t h e m a r k e d osf t h e r e c e s t l i n e .R e m o v e t h e r e m a i n i nw g aste by making a curved c u t f r o mt h e e d g et o (above) o n es h o u l d e r t, hen rotate t h e b o a r d1 8 0 " a n d s a w along t h ec u t t i n g l i n e .O n c e the notchei sn b o t hr a i l sa r er e a d y , s a wt h e r a i l s to shape a s y o ud i d t h e f e e t ( p a g e 6 1 ) a n ds a n d t h e s u r f a c es sm o o t h .

TABLES

ASSEMBLING THE TABLE


'l
I

Preparing forthetop therails

I T oa l l o w t h et a b l e t o p t o m o v et,h e rails a r ef a s t e n etd o i t w i t hs c r e w s rather t h a ng l u e .M a r k s i xs c r e w holes along the t o ne d s e s o f t h er a i l s - t h r e e o n e a c hs i d e o f t h e r e c e s s e sa n d b o r et h e mo n y o u r . o l d r ntg d r i l lp r e s sH h e r a i lu p r i g ho tnt h e m a c h i nte l c o u n t e r b o rh a b l ed , rrla eo dl e et e a c hm a r k ; through t h e w o r k p i e ca use curved backup b o a r dt so h e l py o us t e a d y t h e r a i l .T h e nt u r nt h e r a i lo v e r and enlarge the bottom o f e a c hh o l e ( l e f t ) , r r s i na p ,/-inch diamete wrll bri t .T h r s f a c i l i t a tw e o o dm o v e m e nD t .o n o t d r i l l r nchoring, h o w e v efro ; r p r o p ea t o od e e p , r e q u i r ea s t l e a s t1 i n c ho f w o o d a screw w i t ha h o l en o l a r g etrh a ni t s s h a n k .

r) Preparing thefeetfor the legs L Ustrgtwo d i f f e r e nb t i t so n y o u rd r i l l n r e s sh o r e a h o l el h r o r r s e h a c hf o o tf o r i t t o t h el e g . t h e b o l tt h a tw i l la t t a c h The i n t oa c r o s s b o l tw i l l b e t h r e a d e d dowel (step4). to provide long-grain support Start b y d r r l l r na gh o l e toconcea al b o l t head w i t ha 1 l - i n c hs p a d e b i t .M a r k a l i n eo n t h e f a c eo f t h e f o o t 1 l i n c h e s f r o mt h e b o l l o m edse l o i n d i c a tte he H o l d i n gh e f o o tu p s i d e d r i l l i nd ge p t h . t d o w no n t h e m a c h i nte a b l eu , s et h e l i n e
a c . : o r r i d pf n r c . p t i i n o t h p d r i l l i n od p n t h

t h e n b o r et h e b o l t - r e c e s s r h no g l e( r r g h f ) . T h e ns w i t c hb i t sa n d b o r e a %-inch-diame t e rc l e a r a n ch eo l ef o r t h e b o l tt h r o u g h the foot.

64

TABLES

clearance holes inthelegs Q Drilling r-,1Use drillto prepare thelegs forthebolts from anelectric andsecure the thefeet.Startbyfittinga footandlegtogether in your vrse. Insert a pencil into assembly upside down bench in thefoot itscenter onthetenon at theend thehole andmark

lefil.fhenremove of thelegbbove, thefootandusethedrill intothetenon fitted witha%-inch spade bitto bore andlegto a depth of about 3 inches. Keep thetoolperpendicular to the (above, righil. endof thetenon throughout theoperation

Clearance hole

Boring clearance holes in thelegs forcross dowels lnstall a 'lu-inch brad-point bit in your drill press andsettheleginside{ace uponthe machin te a b l eA . djus tt h ed r i l l i nd ge p t h t o s l i g h t lly ess than t h es t o c k thickness. T ol o c a t e t h eh o l e f o r t h ec r o s s dowel, mark a vertical linealong the legaligned w i t ht h ep i l o t hole a n da h o r i z o n tl a in le across theleg%inch fromtheshoulder Holding of thetenon. thelegsteady, drill the hole(/efil.

65

TABLES

thefeetto the legs F Bolting . . , 1 N o wv o u a r e r e a d v he t o a s s e m b lt e w i t h t h e f e e ta n d l e g s .F i t t a b l e ,s t a r t i n g the pieces t o g e t h ea r n ds e tt h e a s s e m b l y dowel o n a w o r ks u r f a c eS . l i pt h e c r o s s i n t o i t s h o l ei n t h e l e ga n d i n s e r t h e b o l t so t h e u p t h e f o o t .T o a l i g nt h e f a s t e n e rs b o l t e n g a g ew s i t h t h e d o w e l ,h o l dt h e witha screwdrive ar s d o w e li n p o s i t i o n y o u d r i v et h e b o l t w i t h a h e xd r i v e r or wrench(right).Oncethe bolt catchesin it frrmly. t h e d o w e lt,i g h t e n

Assembling the legs,railsandtrestle 4i f o r t h e c l e a t ,t h e ns c r e w t h e c l e a ti n \ , f N o t c ht h e t r e s t l e p l a c eC . lamp f, it thelegs a n dr a i l s t h e c l e a tt o a w o r ks u r f a c e t h e l e g sa g a i n stth e t r e s t l eT . h el e g s together a, n d p o s i t i o n w i t h b o l t sa n dc r o s s dowels. a n dr a r l s a r ej o i n e d to thetrestle f o r b o l t st h r o u g h To make t h e c o n n e c t i o nd s, r i l lt w o p i l o th o l e s

(above). Locate the each legandrailintotheendof the treslle pass it, in the holes sothey through therail,rather thanbelow portion Next, near each notched of thestock. bore twoholes forcross dowels asyoudidin theleg@age 65), endof thetrestle (inset). andrails to thetrestle thenbolttheless

66

TABLES

Preparing thetop I / Before f a s t e n i ntg h et o pt o t h e r a i l s , r o u n do v e ri t s t o p a n d b o t t o m edges and e n d s .L a yt h e t o p f a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d s t a r tb y r o u n d i n t gh e c o r n e r s slightly w i t ha s a n d i n g b l o c kT . h e ni n s t a l l a piloted %-inch round-ove br it in a router a n d s e t t h e d e p t ho f c u t t o s h a p e the in two passes. top'sedges Press the bit's p i l o tb e a r i n g a g a i n stth e s t o c k a sy o u f e e dt h e r o u t e r c o u n t e r c l o c k wa is en g lo the edges a n d e n d so f t h e t o p ( r i g h t ) . Turnthe top overand repeat the process w i t ha % - i n c h round-ove br itto shape the bottom edges a n de n d s .

Attaching thetoptotherails
Leave the too facedownon the work surface andposition the rail-and-leg a s s e m b lo yn i t . U s ea n a w lt o m a r kt h e screw holes through t h er a i l s o nt h e u n d e r s i d eo f t h e t o p ,t h e nd r i l la p i l o th o l ef o r a screw a t e a c hp o i n t .M a k es u r et h e b i t e d o e sn o t p e n e t r a t t h e t o p ' su p p e rs u r f a c e .R e p o s i t i o ner a i l s th o n t h et o p a n d screw them in place(left).

67

DROP-LEAF TABLE
-l- h. Shakers appreciated theversaI tilityof drop-leaf tables. Theleaves whena widertoDwas could beraised needed. andfolded downafterwird so the tablewould occupylessspace. Shaker dropJeaftables ranged from10foot-long diningtables, sometimes
"harvest referredto as tables," to small just 2 feetlong.At 41 inchwork tables eslong,thetableshownin theillustration compromise. belowis a comfortable Thetop canexpand to a width of more four peoplecomthan 3 feet,seating fortably.With the leaves folded down, thetableis less than20 inches wide.As with mostdrop-leaf tables, the version shownhereuses rulejointsto attach the top to the leaves. To ensure adequate supportfor the leaves, usethe largest drop-leafhingesavailable, which are typicallyll by 2'/,inches.

(lFA DROP.LEAF ANATOMY TABLE

Drop4eaf hinge
t/o"x19'A"x41"

ToP

Leaf t/0"x10"x41" Wood button 3l" x 3l" x'/r"

Groove for wood button End rail


'l"x5t/o"x15"

Drop4eaf auppott Dowel 7/u" x 2" Drawer alide


'/ztt xt/o" x'lB"

Shaker dropJeaftables, like theoneshown below, typicallyfeatureda drawerat oneendand slender, turned legs with a gradualtaper. This tablewasinspired by onemadearound1820 at theHancock Shaker village in Pittsfield,Massachusetts.

Drawer kicker 1 "x ' 1 " x'15"

l+
13/tl

6"

t'
2Q r7.tt

413/ | /16

tt

1"x53/s"x36'/o"

Drawer rail '1" x'1" x'15" Note: Dimenarona includetenon and dovetaillen7tho

l t/u"

TABLES

()FDRAWER DETAIT
Drawer back '/o"x2"1"x13'1"

Drawer aide n/a"x3l"x15%" Drawer front "'/t"x3%"x13%"

tEG.AND-RAIt ASSEMBLY Leg 2"x2"x29%"

Drawer alide groove l" widex'ls" deep

False front '/r"x3%"x13%"

MAKING THELEGS

m
Gutting themortises and turning thelegs illustration, cutthefourlegs to size, Referring to theanatomy mortises by hand, asshown on page 91, or usea thenchop sq u i p p e bg i t .T h em o r t i s e ss hould d r i l lp r e se w d i t ha m o r t i s i n g o ra V i n c h wrde a n d% i n c h d e e pl,e a v i ns p a cf e b e% i n c h at each end.Next, turnthe legs to the shoulder onthetenon youproduce make To help fouridentical legs, required shape. indiof thetaper. Thetemplate should a hardboard template points of thelegs at several different cate thefinished diameter thepommel, orsquare along theirlengths. Start byseparating Mark thepommel line on section, fromthecylindrical section. your lathe. Define leg blanks, then mount one of them on the gouge. at themarked witha roughing Cuta notch thepommel l i n et,h e nr o u n d t h ec o r n e r os f t h eb l a n k below t h ep o m m e l . yi s e ilted u p ,g r a d u a lrla t h eh a n d l e With t h et i p o f t h eg o u gte gg a i n s th t es t o c k a n dt h ec u t t i n g until t h eb e v eils r u b b i na (above, intothe wood left),Work frombelow edge is slicing l wart ug ntil to dh e b o t t o m o f t h e l e g ,c o n t i n u i n t h ep o m m e F t h et a p e w r i t ha i s c y l i n d r i ca an l ds m o o t h .o r m t h eb l a n k gouge, foreach of adjusting a separate setof calipers spindle re m p l a tT check the dny o u t eh . en t h ed i m e n s i oa ns sm a r k eo points right). at theappropriate diameter of theblank hbove, Deepen untilthemeasurements onthe thecutsif necessary fo orf t h ec u t sa r ee q u a lR . epea tr t e m p l a ta en dt h ed i a m e t e t h er e m a i n i b nl g anks.

TABLES

PREPARING THE RAILS


t h ed r o p - l e a sfu p p o r t s 1 Making I T h ed r o p l e a v e s a r es u p p o r t e b dy p i v o t i ns gu p p o r t s H .oused along t h et o p e d g eo f t h e s i d er a i l s , t h e s u p p o r tp sivot ondowels t o h o l dt h e d r o pl e a v e w s hen t h e ya r ee x t e n d e d , e n a l i g nw i t h t h e th r a i l sw h e nt h e l e a v e a s r en o t n e e d e dR . ip a Z - i n c h - w i ds et r i pf r o mt h e e d g eo f e a c h s i d er a i l ,t h e na d j u sy t our t a b l es a w ' s miter gauge t o a 7 0 " a n g l eC . u ta 1 0 % - i n c h - l o n g p i e c ef r o m e a c he n d o f t h e s t r i p ( r 6 l h t ) . T h ep i e c e b e t w e etn h e c u t sw i l l b e t h e drop-lea sfu p p o r tt;h e t w o e n d p i e c e s will b e g l u e db a c ko n t ot h e s i d er a t l( s t e p 2). Make t h e o t h e rs u p p o rtth e s a m e way.

r) Reassembling theside rails L tav fourbarclamps on a work surface andsetoneof the side rails o nt o p .S p r e ag dl u e o nt h ec o n t a c t i n eg d g eo sft h e y o uc u t i n s t e p1 a n dt h er a i l sa o u t s i ds et r i p s , n dp r e stsh e . h er a i ls h o u l e strips i n p l a c eT d x t e nb d e y o ntd h ee n do f t h es t r i p s b ya b o u % t i n c h - t h ew i d t h o f t h es a w c u t sm a d e i ns t e p 1.(The rails w i l lb et r i m m e ld a t e r .P ) r o t e c t i tn hg e

,ighten s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s t theclamps u n t i la t h i n g l u e . b e a ds q u e e z eo su t o f t h e j o i n t s( a b o v e ) l m m e d i a t e lp yo s i t i o nt h e d r o p - l e a sfu p p o r b t etween thestrips to ensure that it butts a g a i n st th e s t r i p ss ;lide t h es t r i p s alongthe r a i l ,i f n e c e s s a rR ye . p e aw t i t ht h e o t h e r s i d er a i l ,t h e nt r i m t h e e n d s o f b o t hr a i l s flush.

70

TABLES

rails forthedrop-leaf supports Preparing theside


of the drop-leaf supMarkthe dowel holes on the top edges p o r t s l,o c a t i n t 4 inches g h e ma b o u t t o o n es i d eo f t h e m i d d l e . i n t h i s w a yw i l l a l l o w t h e l o n g ee r n do f O f f s e t t i ntg hedowels l %-inch bit in under t h e l e a v e sI.n s t a la t h e s u p p o r ttso r o t a t e y o u rd r i l l p r e s s a n da d j u s t h e d r i l l i n g d e p t ht o t h e d o w e l n l e n g t h - a b o u2 t i n c h e sT . h e np o s i t i o t h e s u p p o ro t n i t ss i d e e able w i t ht h e m a r k e d r a i l ,c l a m pt h e a s s e m b lty o t h e m a c h i nt p o i n tu n d e r t h e b i t a n d ,s t e a d y i ntg h e r a i lo n e d g ew i t h o n e . e p e afto rt h e o t h e r s i d er a i l . h a n dd , r i l lt h e h o l e( a b o v dR

Installing thesupports ontherails


g l u ei n t ot h e h o l e s D a bs o m e i n t h e r a i l sa n dt a p a d o w e l i n t oe a c hh o l e . Once t h e a d h e s i vh ea sc u r e d s , l i pt h e d r o p - l e a f (above). Usea chisel to trim the dowsupports ontothe dowels if , necessarr. e l sf l u s hw i t ht h e t o p so f t h e s u p p o r t s

Sawing thetenons on therails f, r.,/ Install a dadoheadslightly wider thanthe lengh of the tenons -% inch-onyour t a b l es a w .( T h e tenon should b e % i n c hs h o r t y o uc h o p p e d i n t h e l e go n p a g e e r t h a nt h e d e p t ho f t h e m o r t i s e o y o u rm i t e rg a u g et,h e n 69.) Screw a board a s a n e x t e n s i otn ence t o n o t c hi t . T o attach a n a u x i l i a rfy a n dr a i s e t h e d a d oh e a d c u t t h e t e n o nc h e e k sb , u t to n eo f t h e r a i l sa g a i n stth e f e n c ea n d a n d f e e di t f a c ed o w n .T u r nt h e r a i l o v e ra n d t h e m i t e rg a u g e r e p e atth e c u t o n t h e o t h e r s i d e ,t e s t - f i t t i ntg h e t e n o ni n t h e I e g m o r t i sa e n dr a i s i n t g heblades u n t i lt h e f i t i s s n u g ( . A loose tenon s h e nf i r s t i s d i f f i c u l t o c o r r e c ts , o e r r o r t h e s i d eo f t i g h t n e s w t f t h e b l a d e s .N ) extc , uttenon cheeks at a d j u s t i ntg h e h e i g ho t o r e a c hr a i l .T h e nl i n e u p t h e t h e o t h e re n d ( l e f t )a n d r e p e a f l e gw i t ht h e r a i la n d m a r kt h e f i n a lw i d t ho f t h e t e n o n , using themortise a sa g u i d e . F l i pt h e r a i lo n e d g e a n da d j u s t h e s a w r e i g htto t r i mt h ew i d t ho f t h et e n o nA blade t o t h e p r o p eh . gain, fitssnugly in themortise a n dt h e t o p so f test-fit u n t i l t h et e n o n e h e d r a w er ra i la n dt h e t h e r a i la n d l e ga r ef l u s h .N o wp r e p a r t kicket rh e s a m e w a y .B e f o r e assemblrn th ge l e g s a n dr a i l s , remember to prepare the railsfor the woodbuttons(page93) t h a tw i l lh o l d t h et o o i n o l a c e .

TABLES

Preparing thesiderailsfor thecross rail 4i t o t h e s i d er a i l s w i t hs l i d i n g \,f Joined dovetails, t h ec r o s s r a i la d d ss t r e n g t t h o t h et a b l e s t r u c t u ra en da l s oa n c h o rts h e c o r n es r trips t h a t h o l dt h e d r a w es ruooorts W . i t ht h e e n d s o f t h e s i d er a i l s a l i g n e dm , a r ka c u t t i n g line a c r o st sh e m i d d l e oftheinside faces of both r a i l sC . u tt h e d o v e t a s i lo c k e tw s i t ha r o u t e i rn twosteps. Startby installing a %-inch straight b i t i n t h e t o o la n ds e t t i n g t h ec u t t i n g depth y o u rf i n a ld e p t h - % i n c h - i n t w oo r to reach . e to n eo f t h e s i d er a i l si n s i d e m o r ep a s s e s S f a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c e ,l i g n a the bitwith igyour cutting linea , n dc l a m p a T s q u a r je guide anedge w i t ha f e n c e f i x e dt o i t a t 9 0 ' plate a g a i n stth e r o u t e r ' b sase s ot h e j i g f e n c eb u t t sa g a i n stth e e d g e o f t h e r a i l .R o u t t h es l o t , t h e ni n c r e a ste h ec u t t i n g d e p t ha n d . witch make a n o t h ep r a s sS to a %-inch dovet a i l b i t ,s e tt h e d e p t h a I t / , i n c h ,a n d m a k e a . e p e ao l a s tc u t ( / e f f )R t nt h eo t h e r s i d er a i l , making s u r et o p r e s s therouter b a s ep l a t e gulde a g a i n stth e e d g e f o r e a c hp a s s .

ASSEMBLING THELEGS ANDRAITS


G l u i nt g h el e g s t o t h ed r a w erra i l , 1 I k i c k e ra . n de n dr a i l Sand theinside faces ofthelegs a n dr a i l s , g l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i ns t h e ns p r e a d gu r faces b e t w e etn h e k i c k e rd , r a w erra i la n d o n ep a i ro f l e g s F . i tt h e l o i n t s togethe a rn d secure t h e mw i t ht w o b a rc l a m p sa , ligning thebars w i t ht h e r a i la n d k i c k e rU . sing w o o dp a d st o p r o t e c t h e s t o c ka n d d i s pressure tribute theclamping t i,g h t e n the g r a d u a l luyn t i la l i t t l e clamps adhesive squeezes out of the lotnIs(right).Repeat t h e p r o c e d u rte o a s s e m b lte heremaining t w o l e s sa n dt h e e n d r a i l

72

TABLES

Gluing thesiderailsto the legs eh e ,emovt L Once t h e g l u eh a sc u r e d r a d h e s i vte o t h e l e gm o r clamps a n da p p l y a n d s i d er a i l t e n o n s F . i tt h e j o i n t s tises to l w o b a rc l a m p s t o g e t h ea r n d i n s t a lt with h e a s s e m b la y l,i g n i ntg h eb a r s s e c u rt e as longasthe the siderails.Usewoodpads w i d t ht o d i s t r i b u tc el a m p i n p gr e s tenon both s u r e .A s s o o na s y o u h a v et i g h t e n e d o check the c l a m p su , s ea t a p em e a s u rte for square(left),measuring the assembly the two between opposite comers; distance m e a s u r e m e nst h so u l d b e e q u a l .l f n o t , sh e l o n g e r i n s t a la l n o t h eb r a rc l a m pa c r o s t etting theclamp o f t h et w od i a g o n a l s , j a w so n t h o s ea l r e a d y in place. Tighten ag s t h ec l a m p a little a t a t i m e ,m e a s u r i n y o ug o u n t i lt h e t w o d i a g o n a la sr ee q u a l .

r)

) ,---1'

rail Making andinstalling thecross router used to cutthesockWith dovetail bit in your thesame
72), mountthe tool in a table.Setthe ets in the siderails(page t h e d o v e t a i lssl i g h t l s y h o r t etrh a nt h e cutting d e p t ht o m a k e d e n t ho f t h e s o c k e t sP o s i t i otn s o t h a t o n e - h a lo ff the h ef e n c e railon end across its face.Feed the cross cutterprojects beyond to t a g a i n stth e f e n c e T . u r nt h e r a i la r o u n d t h e t a b l e ,p r e s s i n ig (abovdand repeat the cutsat the other the dovetail complete a n da d j u stth ef e n c e a n dm a k e e n do f t h e r a i l .T e s t J i t h ej o i n t s glue spread clu t s ,i f n e c e s s a r0 yn . c et h e f i t i s s n u g , additiona s n ds l i d et h e r a i li n t op l a c e , o n t h e d o v e t a i la sn d i n t h e s o c k e t a t o p r o t e ctth e s t o c k i t w i t ha m a l l e t u ; s ea w o o db l o c k tapping ( r i s h f )f h e e d s e s of ihecross l i e f l u s hw i t ht h o s e of r a i ls h o u l d t h e s i d er a i l s .

73

TABLES

MAKING AND INSTALLING THE DRAWER


thedrawer forthebottom 1 Preparing I Cutthefront. back. andsides of the drawer to fit into theopening in thetable. Theback is narrower thantheother oieces to allow thebottom to slide intoplace after thedrawer is glued up.Cutthethrough joining (page dovetails thepieces 130, grooves panel thencutthe forthebottom pieces in thefront andside onyour table saw. Position thefence sothegroove will pass through themiddle of thebottommost tails onthedrawer sides andsetthe blade height to one-half thestock thickness. Use a push stick to feed thepieces facedown across thesaw table, while pressing thestock against thefence. pg ieces , en Repea otnt h er e m a i n i n th move thefence away f romtheblade by thethickness ofthekerf andrepeat onall (right). threeboards fesl-fit yourbottom panel-typically plywood-in %-inch the grooves andwiden them, if necessary.

a)4' ' ,Vt:'

thedrawer J Assembling glue Z- Spread onthecontacting surfaces of thepins and tails, then tapthefourboards together using a wooden mallet (above). posrtioning Clamp thedrawer, theclamps to push (page thetailsintothepins. Check thedrawer forsquare 73). Once theadhesive hascured, remove theclamps andslide panel thebottom intoplace. Then drive a fewfinishing nails through thepanel andintothebottom edge of thedrawer back to f ix it in oosition.

Preparing thedrawer fortheslides


I n s t a la l d a d oh e a d o n y o u rt a b l es a wa n da d j u s t i t sw i d t h

youwilluse-typically to accommodate thedrawer slides Tu inch thick. Set thecutting height at % inch andposition therip fence t o c u t t h eg r o o vie n t h em i d d l e o f t h ed r a w es ri d e s . Feed t h ed r a w e sri d e - d o wh no , l d i ntg h ee d g e f sl u s h against thefence. Turn thedrawer over to cutthegroove in theother sidehbovd.

74

TABLES

r trips .'1 ir:lillilg il* coines t-', :i::i :iifles d:'i,;lnl i t , . t f i i l s f r i : , . r ;r qp ; l : o s i t i oin n t h et a b l e ':r2:iiilr, p,t:;tion in its 1.1''r,r of the grooves a n dr a i l s C . u ta c o r n e r s ' i - . . : , i il r e i e g s of Ihe drawer(page st,'t';ir,i .;r;h ccrrter 'rh,.: 10,i),-",4x:ng dadoes as wide as the g r r . r . : . . " . . w oc o r n e s r trips flush o g a i , 4 ': i r es i c er a i la n d l e ga t t h e d r a w e r f ror, - ; r r i l r : i i c l a m p st o h o l d t h e t w o i , ; , r . ' i o sf l r r s h rem; apains t es i d er a i l th r ackt ;he a n d . ' . . . ; r i la t t h e d r a w eb n r l l f o u rs t r i p s s h o u l dl i n e u p d a d o e -i . marks. C u tt w o d r a w e r w i t h t i : : :j i r c o v e slides i , : ' a nt h e s a n h e t w e et n h ed a d o e s along t l ' . i d er a i l s . l e s sZ " i n c hf o r c l e a r a n c e .N i . c h t h e f r o n te n d t o f i t a r o u n d 'hen theles. s l i nt h e s l i d e s i n t ot h e dadoesi-,ght).

thedrawer ti Installing (/eff). ,.,f Slide intoposition thedrawer move It should smoothly andsitcentered i f .n o t ,l o o s e n a n dl e v eiln i t so p e n i n g t h ec l a m ph s o l d i ntg h eb a c k - e n cd orner strips andadjust theheight of thestrips, asnecessary. When thef it is f ine,screw theback endstrips to thecross rail.

75

TABLES

Attaching thefalselront fi \ , , S e tt h e d r a w efra c e - u p o n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d d r i v et w o b r a d si n t ot h e f r o n t , protruding leaving the heads T.h e ns n i p o f ft h e h e a d s w i t hp l i e r sI.n s t a ltlh e d r a w e r i n t h et a b l e , c u tt h e f a l s e f r o n tt o s i z ea n d place i t b e t w e et n h e d r a w e r a i la n d k i c k r ss h i m s e r ,u s i n g slips o f p a p ea to hold ye n t e r e a i t p r e c i s e lc dn dl e v e lS . teadying t h ef a l s e f r o n tw i t ho n eh a n d , s l i d et h e drawer towardthe board(left)and firmly press the brads a g a i n sitt ; t h e p o i n t e d e n d so f t h e n a i l s w i l l p u n c hi m p r e s s i o n s y o ut o r e p o s r t i o n in thewood, allowing t h e f a l s ef r o n ta t g l u eu p . S p r e a d adhes i v eo n t h e b a c ko f t h e f a l s ef r o n ta n d c l a m pi t t o t h e d r a w ew r i t ht h e t w o b r a d s resting i n t h e i ri m p r e s s i o n s .

ATTACHING THE T()P


Shaping thetopandleaves 1 I T h el e a v e s a r ef a s t e n e d t o t h et a b l e t o p w i t h r u l ej o i n t s , i n w h i c ht h e t o p ' s rounded-over edgemates with a covecut alongthe edgeof the leaf (lnsef). Startby rounding over t h ee d g e s o f t h et o p ,u s i n g a p i l o t e dr o u n d - o v e bri t i n a r o u t e r T .o s h a p et h e I e a v e si,n s t a l la p i l o t e d cove bitwhose d i a m e t ea r n d p r o ifl e m a t c h the round-ove brl t , t h e n m o u n t h e r o u t e r in a t a b l e .( T h et w o b i t sa r eo f t e ns o l da s a s e t . )T o s u p p o rtth e l e a v e d s uring t h ec u t , c l a m pa f e a t h e r b o a t ro dt h e f e n c e above thecutterA . l i g nt h e f e n c ew i t ht h e b i t ' s p i l o tb e a r i n g s o t h e c u t t i n gw i d t hw i l l e q u ao l n e - h at lf h ec u t t e r diameter S . e tt h e d e p t ho f c u t t o r e a c h t h e f i n a l d e p t hi n passes. several Feedone leaf intothe bit, bracing its edgeagainst Ihe fencetight). , e s t - f i t h e p i e c e sc ;onA f t e re a c hp a s s t t i n u ec u t t i n gu n t i lt h e t o p a n d l e a fm e s h g a pb e t w e e t w r t ha s l i g h t n h e t w o .R e p e a t the process on the otherleaf.

76

TABLES

r) Attaching theleaves to thetop I lointhe leaves to thetopbyinstalling rule-joint hinges ontheunderside of the oieces. Setthetooandleaves facedown ona work surface, thenmark lines along theedges of thetopin linewiththestart of each round-over cut,known asthefillet.Install hinges foreach leaf: three one in themiddle ofthejoint one 5 inches and from With inserteach end. a paper shim ed between theleafandtop,position a hinge leaf against thetopandtheother against theleaf at each hinge location so t h ep i ni sa l i g n ew di t h t h ef i l l e t l i n et,h e n o u t l i n te . hise h eh i n g eC ol u tt h em o r t i s e s ,u s i n g a w i d e r - b l atd oe o lt o c u tt h e mortises forthe hinge leaues 113) @age anda narrower chisel to cuttheslots for Screw thehinges in place. thepins(right).

rails thetoptothetable Q Attaching r-,1Thetop is fastened to therails with wood buttons; screwed to thetop,the buttons feature lipsthatfit intogrooves providing cut into therails, a secure connection while forwood allowing movement. Make sure thedrop-leaf supports arein place ontheside rails, thenplace thetop face down on a work surface andclamp nn t h el e g - a n d - ra as i ls e m biln y p o s i t i oo top.Make a button for every 6 inches of (page rail length 101). Spacing them about 6 inches apart andleaving a l|-inch gapbetween the bottom of the grooves andthelipped ends of thebuttons, screw (lefil. the buttons in place

77

CANDLESTAND
before electriciry theShakers f n anera I depended on candles to see them though thehours of darkness. These diligent workers couldnot allowlatesunrises or early duslato interfere withtheir labor. were light,stable, Candle stands andeasy to transport. Although candle stands were nota Shaker invention. the makers in theircommunities furniture elevated thiscommonplace itemto its mostrefined expression. Theelegancebf thecandle standt tripod design sacrifices some strength. Because of theangle atwhich theysplay out,thelegs are subjected to a great deal of racking whichpulls stress themaway from thecolumn. TheShakers compensated for thisweakness in several ways. Themost important was attachingthelegs to thecolumn withsliding dovetails-very strongand durable joints. Some Shaker candle have stands survived I 50years andareassturdy as the daytheyweremade. To givethe
legsaddedstrength, a metal plate, "spider," known asa is naiiedtc ti:r: base of thecolumnandlegs. Thedesign of thelegs alsofortifies thestand. They are3/a inch thickerat the top, which makes the dovetails that muchstronger. Also,the Shakers cut the legsso the grain runs alongtheir length,helping them resist stress.

ANATOMY A CANDTE OF STAND


Top -

7/u" x 19"

diameter Wed6e

DETAIT OF D()VETAITS
Column 19 incheelong

4" x 15";5/a" thick at bottom and 1"thick at top

Despite thesimple appearance of the candle standshownabove, thetable joinery.Positioned relies onprecise 120"apart,thethreelegs exactly are anached to thecolumnwith sliding dovetaik, cut with angled shoulders to sit snugly against thecolumn.

TABLES

EUILD ITYOUREELF

CIRCLE-CUTTING JIG T o c u t t h e c i r c u l atro p o f a c a n d l e stand on yourbandsaw,usethe shopj ig gshown b u i l tc i r c l e - c u t t i n at right. R e f et ro t h e i l l u s t r a t i ofn orsussesteddimensions. R o u ta % - i n c h - d e e dp o v e t ac i lh a n n e li n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e1 i g b a s et,h e n usea iablesawto rip a thin board with a bevel alongbothedges to produce a b a rt h a ts l i d e s m o o t h liy n t h ec h a n n e l .( S e t h e s a wb l a d e angle bymeasuring the angle of the channel edges.) C u t o u t t h e n o t c ho n t h e b a n ds a w , t h e ns c r e w t h e s u p p o ra t r m st o t h e u n d e r s i do ef t h e 1 i gb a s e s , pacing t h e mt o h u gt h e s i d e s of theband s a wt a b l ew h e nt h e j i g i s i n p o s i t i o n . D r i l lt w o h o l e s through the bottom of thedovetac i l h a n n eiln t h e j i g base1 , i n c ha n d3 i n c h e s f r o mt h e u n n o t c h ee dn d ;a l s ob o r e twoholes through t h e b a ra s s h o w n . To prepare the workpiece, markthe circumferenc ae n dc e n t e r o f t h ec r r cleon itsunderside T.h e nu s et h e b a n ds a wt o c u t o f f t h e f o u rc o r n e r s o f t h e p a n e lt o k e e pi t f r o m h i t t i n g

Jig baoe

'/,"x20"x24"

Notah /'"x7"

9crew holes

?upport arm 1"x3"xB" 9liding pivot bar '/," x 24"

theclamps thatsecure thejig.Next, make release a cut f romtheedge o ft h ep a n etlo t h em a r k ec di r c u m fprcncp ihpn vcer nff in iho odop

Screw thepivot barto thecenter of theworkpiece through one ofthebar's holes, leaving thescrew loose enough to pivot thepanel. Turn theworkpiece over and mark the point where the blade contacte d t h ec i r c u m f e r e n d cu er i n g the r e l e a sc eu t .C l a m p t h ej i g b a s e to

t h e b a n ds a wt a b l e , making sure the s u p p o ra t r m sa r eb u t t e d a g a i n stth e table's e d g e sS . lide t h e p i v o tb a ri n t o t h e c h a n n eiln t h e b a s e a n dp i v o t h e p a n eu l n t i lt h e m a r k e d point contact touches the blade. Screw through o n eo f t h e h o l e s in thejig base to l o c kt h e p i v o tb a r i n p l a c e( b e l o w . bfil. f urnon the sawand pivotthe w o r k p i e ci e n t ot h e b l a d e ina clock(below, wisedirection righil, feeding
i h p n i p ep r r n i i l t h p n r r t i c n n m n l o t c d

79

TABLES

PREPARING THE T()PANDRAIL


Preparing thetop has stand I 0 n c et h et o po f t h ec a n d l e itscircumference been cut (page 79),shape table in twosteps. Start by installona router 1/z i n ga p i l o t e d i n c hr a d i u s bit ina router h et o o li n a t a b l eA . lign the a n dm o u n t i ntg w i t ht h eb i t ' sp i l o t b e a r i na gn dc l a m p fence to thefence to support the a featherboard h et o pf a c e - u p t o pd u r i n g t h ec u t .H o l d i ntg press the edge against andflaton thetable, i n t ot h eb i t a n dr o t a t e t h es t o c k t h ef e n c e ( / e l f )C . o n t i n up h et o p u n t i lt h e ei v o t i ntg ss th , e ns w i t c h entire c i r c u m f e r e ni c eh a p e d 1/a-inch radius bit,turntheworkto a piloted piece itstopside. over, andrepeat to shape 'l

r) Making therail illustration L Referringto the anatomy 7 8 , c u t t h e r a i lt h a tw i l l c o n n e c t on page t o t h e t a b l e t o pt,h e nb o r e a thecolumn o f t h e r a i lt o a c c e p t mortise in thecenter y o uw i l l t u r n a t t h e t o p o f t h e t h et e n o n or l ei s t y p i c a l . c o l u m na ; 1 - i n c h - d i a m eh te o f t h e r a i lo n B e v etlh e e n d sa n de d g e s y o u rt a b l es a w .A t t a c h ence a n a u x i l i a rfy t h e f e n c et o t h e l e f t o f t h e and position b l a d ef o r a ' / u i n c hc u t t i n gw i d t h .R a i s e s e t t i n ga , djust the blade to itsmaximum 7 5 " , a n dc l a m p a guide t h ea n g l e to about block t o t h e r a i lt o r i d ea l o n g t h et o p o f t h e f e n c e .M a r ka l i n ea c r o s t sh e f a c eo f t f the above t h e h e i g ho t h e r a i ls l i g h t l y y o u rh a n d s blade a s a r e m i n d etro k e e p Feed t h e r a i li n t o w e l la b o v e the blade. i t f l u s ha g a i n s t theblade o n e n d ,k e e p i n g it forward w i t ht h e t h e f e n c ea n d p u s h i n g guide b l o c kR . epea tt h ec u t a t t h eo t h e r . h e nb e v e t lhe e n d o f t h e r a i l ( r i g h t )T l o n ge d g e s by adlusting the blade angle t h e r a i ls m o o t h . t o 4 5 " .S a n d

80

TABLES

MA KI N G T HE C O L U MN
'l Turning thecolumn I Mount a 3r/z-inch-square blank onyour lathe gouge and turnit witha roughing folgouge, lowed bya spindle leaving a lipand enough stock near thebottom fortheleg youproduce sockets. Tohelp theproper (page shape, refer to theanatomy illustration yourself 78)and fashion a template, asyou would to turna drop-leaf table leg(page 69). Use a parting tool toturn therail tenon at periodically thetopof thecolumn, checkingitsdiameter withoutside calipers tight). Smooth thecolumn withprogressively finer
bi

o r i' t c n f J cua n'd nanor !v vPuvu, v' '

r) Routing thedovetail sockets I Unplugthe lathe andcutthesockets, using a router anda shop-made plywood consisting of a'/uinch box clamped to lig t h el a t h e bed. Make t h ei n s i d w e idth o f t h eb o x a sw i d e a st h e plate, router base attaching therunners sotherouter bitwill cutthesockets plate withits base sitting onthem. Next, mark t h et h r e e socke t cation lo os nt h ec o l u m n s,p a c i n tg hem 120" apart. Also mark thetopends of thesockets, 370inches from thebottom of thecolumn. Transfer thesocket marks to the lathe faceplate, thenrotate thecolumn byhand untilone of themarks onthefaceplate is vertical andimmobilize thedrive

( a b o v el,e f t ) .C u t e a c hs o c k e ti n t w o s h a f tw i t h a h a n d s c r e w ' / u i n c hs t r a i g h b steps, starting witha t i t . A d j u s tt h e c u t t i n g d e p t ht o a b o u t t / izn c ha n d ,a l i g n i n g t h e b i t w i t ht h e s o c k e t e n d m a r k ,b u t t a s t o pb l o c ka g a i n stth e r o u t e r b a s ep l a t e . Screw theblock to thejig. Holding therouter i n b o t hh a n d s , f e e dt h e b i t i n t ot h e c o l u m n at the bottom a n dg u i d et h e t o o l along therunners u n t i lt h e b a s ep l a t ec o n t a c t t sh e s t o pb l o c k . R e p e aw t r t ha % - i n c hd o v e t a ib l i t ( a b o v er,i g h t ) . T oc u t t h e t w o r e m a i n i ns go c k e t s r,o t a t e thecolumn u n t i lt h e s o c k e t m a r kf o r e a c hc u t i s v e r t i c a l .

TABLES

THELEGS MAKING
for ne l o wf,a s h i o n a template o t h e i l l u s t r a t i ob I R e f e r r i ntg should follow t h es l o p e o f t h e l e g .t h e t o p t h e l e g sT . h eg r a i n , dt h e s p r e a d of the arn andbottom e n d sm u s tb e p e r p e n d i c u l a rf t h p t n n O n c e l e s sm r s t b e l e s s t h a nt h e d i a m e t en t h et e m p l a t ei s c o m p l e t e t h e t o p e n do f t h e l e go n t h e b a n d s,a wa l o n g the n t h e l e g si n t w o s t e p sc , utting , u t t h e d o v e t a i lis s a w .N e x t c Adjusthe sy h a n d . cheeks o n y o u rt a b l es a wa n dt h e s h o u l d e rb s o uc u t i n blade angle to match t h a to f t h e s o c k e t y t a b l es a w ' s h e i g htto s l i g h t l l ye s s t h a nt h e t h ec o l u m n a n ds e tt h e c u t t i n g t h e d o v e t a i lo sn t h e e d g eo f o n e d e p t ho f t h e s o c k e t sO . utline o n e n do n t h e s a wt a b l e a , lign l e gb l a n k a n d ,h o l d i n t gh e b l a n k a g a i n stth e m a r kw i t ht h e b l a d e B . u t tt h e r i p f e n c e a cutting . lamp f e a t h e r b o atro d a shimmed stock a n d l o c ki t i n p l a c e C Make a pass to cut to theblank. t h e t a b l ea n da g u i d eb l o c k t h e b l a n ka n d f e e dt h e o p p o s i t e o n ec h e e k( l e f i l ,I h e n r o t a t e go v e . heck t h e r e s u l t i nd f a c ea l o n g t h ef e n c e t o s a wt h e o t h e r C yd , justhe l f n e c e s s a ra t a i l a g a i n sa t s o c k e it n t h e c o l u m n . t n dm a k e a n o t h es r e to f w i d t ho r b l a d e angle o r h e i g ha cutting passes . e p e afto r t h e r e m a i n i nd R go v e t a i l s .
v I L | | v L v Y . \

thedovetail cheeks 1 Cuttins l "

'".}.

r) Cutting shoulders theangled L m e s h o u l d e ro sf t h e l e gd o v e t a i l s m u s tb e c u t a t a n a n g l e s o t h e yl i e s n u g l y ( s e e o n n a g a i n stth e c o l u m n theillustratio page 7 8 ) . 0 n c et h e d o v e t a c i lh e e k a s r ea l l t o a w o r ks u r f a c w e ith c u t .c l a m oa b l a n k Then t h ec h e e k s e x t e n d i no gf f t h e t a b l e . st a u s ea b a c k s a w t o c u t t h e s h o u l d e ra s li g h t l y s h a r p ea r ngle t h a nt h e c u r v a t u r e f esllit the dovetail of the column(ilghD. i n i t s s o c k ea t n dt r i m t h e s o c k e ti,f n e c e s fit. Repeat sary, u n t i ly o ug e ta s u i t a b l e f o r t h e r e m a i n i nd so v e t a i l s .

TABLES

Shaping thelegs Cutoutthe legs of thecandle stand on your band saw, thensmooth their surfaces using a sanding block or a spindle (right). sander

thedoveta ils / Trinming -TTrim off thetop% inchof each dovet a i lo nt h el e g sT . his w i l lh i d e t h et o p s of thedovetails fromview when theyare p u s h ea d l l t h ew a yi n t ot h e i rs o c k e t s . Clamp thelegupright in your bench vise andmark a lineonthedovetail % inch fromthetopend.Then holda'/o-inch chisel vertically to score thedovetail on your marked line, cutting to theshoulder. Next, holding thechrsel bevel upandparpush allel to thedovetail shoulders, the blade along thesurface to pare away the (left).Periodically woodin thin shavings test-fit the legagainst thecolumn until theshoulders rest flush against thesurface.

83

TABLES

Tapering the legs f, r - , f T o g i v et h e l e g sa n e l e g a n a t ppeara n c ew i t h o u s t a c r i f i c i ns gt r e n g t h t, aper plane t h e mw i t ha b e n c h f r o ma t h i c k n e s s o f 1 i n c ha t t h e t o o t o % i n c ha t t h e b o t t a p e rl i n e s along theinside t o m .M a r k guide. of eachlegas a planing Then edges using secure the legfaceup on yourbench, woodblock to fix the bottom end a notched . oavoid i n p l a c eT d a m a g i ny go u rp l a n e b l a d em , ake sure thebench dogs a n dt h e woodblockarebelow the levelof the top near t h et o p o f t h e l e g , t a p e rl i n e .S t a r t i n g f e e dt h e p l a n e ncreasalong t h e s u r f a c ei , pressure ingthe downward as youapproach . ontinue t h e b o t t o m( / e f f ) C u n t i ly o uc u t t o t h e t a p e rl i n e ,t h e nt u r n t h e l e go v e r onthebench a n dr e p e atth e p r o c e s s .

TABLE ASSEMBLING THE

K a i l6 Q e

'l Attaching therailto thecolumn holes the I Start bydrilling sixcountersunk screw through rail;it willbe less cumbersome to prepare therailforthetop joining Locate onehole in each corbefore therailandcolumn. flat face rail's underside and one on each side nerof the of the Then ona work surface of themortise. setthetopface down g r a i n m a k i n g o f t h et w o a n dc e n t etrh er a i lo nt o p , sure the pieces perpendicular. rail is Mark thecorners of the onthetop withan awl(above, left). witha pencil andthe screw holes p r e p a r e To f o rt h er a i l ,u s ea b a c k s atw oslice t h ec o l u m n fora wedge in thecenter of thetenon to a depth of about a kerf

three-quarte tr hs e length of thetenon. C u tt h e k e r fa t a r i g h t l o c k e t s o t h e r a i lw i l l b e p a r a l l e l angle t o o n eo f t h e d o v e t a is . u tt h e w e d g e f r o mh a r d w o oa db o u t1 i n c h t o o n eo f t h e l e g s C it to a point. Tofasl o n ga n d % i n c ht h i c ka t t h e b a s et,a p e r i n g g l u eo n t h e i rc o n t a c t i ns t e n t h e r a i lt o t h e c o l u m ns , pread gu r faces a n df i t t h e p i e c e s t o g e t h ew r i t h t h e k e r fi n t h e c o l u m n t e n o np e r p e n d i c u l ta o rt h e g r a i n o f t h e r a i l .T h e n , holding the g l u ei n t h e k e r fa n d column u p r i g ho t n a w o r ks u r f a c e a ,p p l y w i t ha w o o d e n mallet o nt h ew e d g e a n d h a m m e irt i n p l a c e r i g h i l . f r i m w e d g e f l u s h w i t h o f t h et e n o n . the theend hbove,

TABLES

r) Fastening the legsto the column g l u ee v e n l y L Spread on the dovetails a n di n t h es o c k e t s T .h e n , setting therail f l a t o n a w o r ks u r f a c es , l i d et h e l e g si n t o place n ith a n dt a pt h e mi n t of i n a lp o s i t i ow a woodenmallet (rrght).To strengthen theassembly a,d d a t h r e e - a r m e sd pider cut from sheetmetal @age 78).

r.,l Tocomplete t h e t a b l e ,s e t t h e t o p upside d o w no n y o u rw o r ks u r f a c e and you d r i l l p i l o th o l e s i n t oi t a t t h e p o i n t s marked i n s t e o1 . P o s i t i otn h e r a i la s s e m b l yo n t h e t o p ,a l i g n i n g i t s c o r n e rw s ith t h e m a r k so n t h e s u r f a c e and itsscrew holes w i t ht h o s ei n t h e t o p .S c r e w therail in place(left).

Screwing therailto thetop J <'

PIE,SAFE,
the intrusion tesares wereoncecommonm sidethat discouraged American kitchens. The one of vermin.For maximumventilapie safes shown at left reflectsthe Shaker tion, Shaker traditionally devotion to utility. The cabinets featured tin oanels on the sides as wereessentially largebreadboxes, wellasin thedoors. goods made One of the charmingelements designed to store baked pieces is the holepattern. and consumed by Shaker families. of these The designs were sometimes That the cabinets areelegant and pineappleattractive is,in a sense, coincidental, abstract andsometimes for it is a reflection ofthe Shakers' shaped or floral,asin the example soare and utilitarianethicrather shown on page 86.But again, these details werenot primarilyintendthanan exoression ofesthetics. in Shaker All propirty andgoods edto beornamental or flamboyant. Thepanels hadto beperforated, communities wereownedcollecso tively, to be usedasneeded. Since the Shakers choseto ounch the puncha holethrough priholessymmetrically belongings werenot considered A nail setandhammer to avoidan Toensure vate, latches andlockson the doors a tin panelfor a pie safe. that all the unnecessarily ornateor otherwise panels wouldhave superwill beidentical, each blankisplaced on distracting appearance. of a piesafe been paneland a papertemplate fluous. Doorssported wooda backup with the Piesafes weretraditionally made simple panernis tapedin placeon top. desired from cherry, althoughcommunien knobsand matingrabbets cut tieswherehardwoods werescarce alongthe inside faces of theirstiles Themostclever frequently resorted to pine.This chapter provides sotheywould close flushandtightlytogether. detailed The instructions for buildinga Shaker-inspired feature of the safe liesin thedesign of thetin door panels. step-by-step safe, from getting inside beginning with cuttingtherails,stiles for thecabcabinets had to keeprodents and insects andpanels (page whileallowing enough air to circulate to prevent thefoodfrom inet (page 90)andcontinuing throughgluingup the case (page panels, Wth the use of tin door Shaker fur97),makingand installing the shelves 104), and assembecoming stale. niture makers at once.The smallholes blingthe doors(page 106). Althoughrootedin the Shaker solved both problems trapunching pie panels permitted passage And, dition, a like in the the of air. by the safe thisonewouldbea perfect additionto any modern,country-style kitchen. holes from theinsideout, theycreated sharpedges on theout-

With itssturdy construction, adjustable shelving, and frame-and-panel perforated tin doorpanels, thepie safe shownat left is idealfor storing goods. baked In a modern incarnation, thesafe couldbeused asan entertainment center, with plentyof space for audioor videoequipment.

87

ANATOMYOFAPIE SAFE
CONSTRUCTION DETAIT OFCASEWORK
ToP
Oroove for wood buttons

Crown molding Gluedto caaework frame Wood button


c)erttrea f nn

Lo caae; aits in groovenear the top edqeof caaeworkraila

Eack panel A veneeredpWood panel LhaLsits flueh with the outeide face of the frame

Coakbeading Glued tn rabbeta routed

Support board lnaerted into dadoeain corner eLripoto hold up ehelf

aroundinside of frame front

Corner atrip Dadoedat evenly apaced intervals Lo hold ehelvrn4 1upport boardeat variableheiqhta; 4luedto inoide cornergof caseworkstiles

Ledger atrip 9ecuree bot' tom Lo caae: fasLenedLo


botLom casework raile

thelf Cornere notched ta fit around corner oLripa

?t'ile

Rail

PIE SAFE

FRAME SIDE
Median rail

tl- h. pie safe featured in this chapter joinedat the fourframes I comprises Eachframeis madewith rails corners. connected with mortise-andandstiles Thesideframes aregrooved to tenons. The back house floatingwood panels. frameis dividedin halfby a mullionand to is rabbeted aroundthe insideedges The accommodate fixed backpanels. wayasthe front frameis madethesame with two hinges holdingeach door sides,

To assemble theside to its stiles. thesafe, framesare built first and then glued together with thefront andbackrails. Thetop andbottomaresolidpanels Thetop is heldin ofedge-glued boards. andthebottom olace bv woodbuttons is fastened to ledger strips.The solidthat woodshelves sit on support boards areheld by cornerstrips.The inside to edges of the front framearerabbeted cockbeadine. accommodate

CUTTING LIST
PIECE Frame stiles rails* Frame (sides) (front andback) (front andback) (side, top,andbottom) (side, median) OTY t 4 4 4 4 6 1 8 1 1 4 (top andbottom) (median)
4

w
2%
?il

TH
'/ou
3/^'

60' 60' 3ry,' 1A%', I4Y,'


6nu

2%' 2%' I3/4' 2%u

3/4u 3/ou 3/4u t/ou

Mullion* panels Wood Top Bottom Door stiles rails* Door Crown molding Gorner strips Shelves panels Back Shelf support boards Gockbeading *Note: lengths. Measurements include tenon
wood oanel

r3'/,'
40' 34', 48Y,"
16u

I2Vo 20'
l6r/q'
z
^il

Y,' %u
3/ou
i/ n

7/au 7/a' 7/au

6 I 2
Z Z

I2' 7s%',
54Yo' 33%', 49Ya'

IY"' I/"'

1" rr/o' I6Ye' ,/", I4%e" yi' V;'


You

4 I

r6/,'
161'

r/ou

IoatinO

r:::i";'::,'f
draw attention ornamentation

9ide frame atile

89

MAKING THE CASEWORK FRAMES


tI- h. firststep in buildinga piesafe is J. to cut andprepare the framestiles, asshownbelow,andjoin them in pairs to form the corners of the cabinet. All of themortises arecut in thestiles. then thetenons arecut at theends ofthe rails. As shownon page 92,thebestmethod for cuttingtheblind tenons isby handwith a backsaw and a miter box. Next, the frames are dry-assembled and grooves arerouted alongtheir inside (page edges for thefloatingwood panels 93).Finally, thetop railsaregrooved on thetablesawto accommodate thewood buttons thatwill secure thetop.

A hollowchisel mortiser drillsa mortisein a pie safe framestile.Themortisewill accommodate a rail tenon. AlthoughtheShakers wouldhave painstakingly chiseled out their mortises by hand,asshownon page91, using a powertoolisquickandaccurate.

PREPARING THE STILES


thestiles 1 Tapering I Referring to thecutting liston page 89,cuttheframe stiles to size, thentaper t h e i rb o t t o m e n d sT . h et a p e r w s i l lg i v e the bottom of the stiles anelegant, leglikeappearance. Clamp one of thestiles faceup on a work surface andmake one cutting mark on its bottom end1%inchesfromtheinside edge andanother mark ontheedge 5 inches up from thebottom. Join thetwomarks witha line, thenuse a ripsaw to cutthetaper along Iheline(right). Use thetapered stileasa template to mark cutting lines ontheremaining stiles, then taper them thesame way. Sand allthecut edges smooth.

90

PIE SAFE

r) Gluinu g pt h es t i l e s L Clue t h es t i l e s t o g e t h eirn p a i r s to formthe corner of the piesafe.Remember willbe used on t h a tt h e f o u rw i d e r stiles w h i l et h e t h e f r o n ta n d b a c ko f t h e s a f e , w i l l f i t o n t h e s i d e st;h i s narrowe srt i l e s w a y ,t h e c o r n e jro i n tw i l l o n l yb e v i s i b l e g l u eo n t h e f r o mt h e s i d e s S . pread some c o n t a c t i ns gu r f a c eo sf e a c hp a i ro f s t i l e s : o f t h es i d es t i l e s a n dt h e t h eo u t s i d e d g e s inside faces o f t h e f r o n ta n d b a c ks t i l e s . Withthe sidestilefacedownon a worksurf a c e ,s e c u r e t h e j o i n t ,s p a c i n g t h ec l a m p s p r o t e ctth e s t o c k a b o u t1 2 i n c h e s apart; ei t h a n dd i s t r i b u t e h ec l a m p i np gr e s s u r w w o o dp a d s . Tosecure t h e j o i n tw h e r e t h e s t i l eh a sb e e nt a p e r e du , s ea c u t - o f f f r o mt h e t a p e rc u t sy o um a d ei n s t e p1 t o square the clampon the stock(/eft).

the mortises in thestiles n Cuttins r-,1 Eachstile needs a mortise at the top and bottom to accommodate ; o ua l s oh a v e a r a i l t e n o ny t o c u t t h r e em o r em o r t i s e s i n e a c ho f t h e s i d es t i l e s f o rt h e m e d i a n r a i lt e n o n sY . o uc a n r o o l s u c ha s a h o l l o w rp a g e 90)to u s ea p o w e t c h i s e lm o r t i s e( make t h e c u t ,o r c h i s e t l h e mo u t b y h a n d , a ss h o w n above. i l l u s t r a t i oo nn p a g e Referrrn to g theanatomy 88, outline the m o r t i s eo sn t h e e d s e s o f t h e s t r l e st.h e nc l a m no n eo f t h e glued-us pt i l e s t o a w o r ks u r f a c eS . tarting a t o n ee n d o f t h e

o u t l i n eh , o l da m o r t j s c e h i s es l quare to theedge of thestile a n ds t r i k e r t w i t ha w o o d e n malletU . s ea c h i s e t lhesame wrdth a st h e m o r t i s e a n d b e s u r et h e b e v e l e s di d eo f t h e b l a d e isfaci n gt h e w a s t e M . ake a n o t h ec r u t % i n c hf r o mt h e f u s t h b o v e , / e f i l .C o n t i n uu en t i ly o ur e a c h t h eo t h e r e n do f t h e o u t l i n et,h e n lever out the wasteto a depthof about'/^inch (above, right). R e p e atto c u t t h e r e m a i n i n m g ortises th , e ns m o o t h the bottom o f t h e m o r t i s ew s i t ha l o c k - m o r t i s ce hisel.

9l

PIE SAFE

PREPARING THE RAILS


I Outline t h et e n o n s a t b o t he n d so f t h e r a i l sm , a r k i na gshoulde l irn ea l l a r o u n d will t h e e n d ss o t h e l e n g t h o f t h et e n o n s l e s st h a nt h e d e p t ho f t h e beslightly m o r t i s ey so uc u t i n t h e s t i l e s S . ecure one o f t h e r a i l su p r i g h itn a v i s ea n dc u t a l o n g the lines o n t h e e n do f t h e b o a r d w i t ha backsaw u n t i ly o ur e a c h t h e s h o u l d elr ine (right).Repeat for the tenonat the other e n do f t h e r a i la n da t b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nrg ails.

thetenon cheeks 1l Cuttins -

Sawing thetenon shouldels Toremove thewaste from thetenon cheeks. secure a miter (above, Ieft);Iurn overthe stockand repeat the operation on
b o xi n t h e v i s e , t h e ns e t t h e r a i lo n t h e b a s e o f t h e b o x ,a l i g n i n gt h e s h o u l d el r i n ew i t ht h e 9 0 " s l o t . T i g h t et nh e c l a m p s in . l i pt h e b a c k s a w t h e b o xt o h o l dt h e r a i l i n p o s i t i o nS into blade t h e s l o ta n d c u t a l o n g t h e s h o u l d elri n eo n t h e f a c eo f t h e w h e ny o u r e a c ht h e k e r fy o u c u t i n s t e p i boards , topping t h e o t h e rs i d e .T o c u t a w a y thewaste ontheedges of the tenon, secure t h et h e r a i lu p r i g h t i n t h e v i s ea n d s a wt o t h e i n eo n b o t he d g e s s h o u l d el r o f t h e r a i l .F i n a l l yc,l a m p therail nf e d g eu p a n d c u t t h r o u g h t h e s h o u l d elr i n eo n [ p i h o d o a c
thp r:il /ahnvp rioht)

PIE SAFE

Preparing thetop railsfor woodbuttons Q r.,l Once a l l t h et e n o n s a r ef i n i s h e dy ,ou will need to cut a groove along thetopframe railsof the safeto accommodate the wood buttont sh a tw i l l s e c u r e t h e c a b i n etto p . n s t a la in placeI l d a d oh e a do n y o u rt a b l e saw,adlustrtswidthto % inch,andsetthe cutting height at aboul'/o i n c h .P o s i t i o n t h e r i of e n c e a b o u t% i n c hf r o mt h e b l a d e s a n d i n s t a lt l w of e a t h e r b o a rt d ss u p p o r t o therailsc , lamping o n et o t h e f e n c e above t h e d a d oh e a da n da n o t h etro t h e t a b l e . Brace f e a t h e r b o aw rd thesecond i t ha suooort board. Feed the railsintothe dado h e a di n s i d e - f a cd eo w na n d w i t h t h e t o p e d g ep r e s s e d a g a i n s tt h e f e n c e ( r i g h t ) . Finish e a c hp a s s w i t h a p u s hs t i c k .

PREPARING THEFRAMES F()R FLOATING PANELS


grooves Routing thepanel l r o o v ea sl o n g C u tt h e p a n e g the inside edges o f t h e s i d ef r a m e s witha router a n da p i l o t e d t h r e e - w i nsg lotting cutter. Dry-assemb ec hs i d ef r a m ea n dc l a m p ela oneof them facedownon a worksurface. A d j u s t h e r o u t e r 'c su t t i n g depth to centerthegroove on theedges of the stock. W i t ha f i r m g r i po n t h e r o u t e rt,u r n o n t h e t o o la n d l o w e r t h e b a s eo l a t eo n t o t h e s u r f a c eG . uide t h e b i t i n t ot h e s t o c k n e a ro n ec o r n e r o f t h e f r a m e .0 n c et h e p i l o tb e a r i n g b u t t sa g a i n stth e e d g eo f t h es t o c k c , ontinue t h ec u t i n a c l o c k w i s e d i r e c t i o nR . e p e at h e o r o c e s f so r t h e l penings o t h e rp a n e o r, e p o s r t i o n itn hg e clam0s asnecessarv.

93

RAISINGTHE PANELS
panels, with their distinctive T) aised asa practical l\ beveled edges, evolved problems faced solutionto two common how to fit thick cabinetmakers: by Shaker panels madeof thinner stock into frames for wood moveandhow to compensate allowed them ment.Beveling thepanels in the insideedges of to fit in the grooves wasused, No adhesive sothe theframes. panelscould swell and shrink with in humidity. lhanges Cut the panels'A inch longer and in the frames. wider than the openings ways Thereareseveral ofraisingpanels. builderslikely did the job by Shaker planes, as hand,usingpanel-raising shown in the photo at left. A more shownbelowand commonapproach, involves bevelon the followingpages, ing the edges ofpanels on a routertable or tablesaw. otherthan the Most furniture makers with the haveinstalled thepanels Shakers raised, centralportion facingoutward, to their pieces. addingvisualinterest in the Western Although Shakers whereGermaninfluence communities, might have admittedsomedecoration, frowned theShaker creed donethe same, on extraneous ornamentation.As a pie safes wereoftenbuilt result,Shaker facingout, with the flat sideof the panels faces arehidattractive, raised whilethe from view on the inside. den

I I

planebevels handtools oneendof a woodpanel.These A panel-raising models and right-hand a panel Usingleftmustbeused in pairs to raise of thegrain at all times. in thedirection allowsthepanelto bebeveled

TABLE A ROUTER RAISING PANETS ON


panel witha router Making a raised router Install a panel-raising bit in your Position thetoolin a table. andmount bearin line withthebit'spilot thefence depth at % inchso ingandsetthecutting your in two finaldepth thatyoucanreach Lower the guard over the or morepasses. To minimize bit andturnonthe router. of thepanel cut theendgrain tearout, before firsi,beveling thetopandbottom flatonthetable Keep thepanel thesides. the facedown andflushagainst inside Lhe biI (righl. fence asyoufeedit across endandalong Repeat thecut at theother router andtest-fit Turn off the both sides. groove. lf the panel in a frame oneend in thegroove, liesless Ihan% inchdeep slightly and increase the cutting depth in all around. Continue make another oass panel properly. fits the thisfashion until

94

PIE, SAFE

MAKING RAISED PANELS ONA TABLE SAW


Beveling the ends I T o d e t e r m i nte heblade angle forrais, r a wa % - i n c h i n g t h e p a n e l sd square at thebottom c o r n eo r f o n ep i e c et,h e nm a r k a l i n ef r o mt h e i n s i d e f a c eo f t h e p a n e l through the inside corner o f t h es q u a r e to a p o i n to n t h e b o t t o m edge'/" i n c hf r o m theoutside I a c e( i n s e i l . I n s t a la l 6-inchw i d ea u x i l i a rw y ood fence, h o l dt h e p a n e l a g a i n stth e f e n c ea n d a d j u s t h e b l a d e angle u n t i li t a l i g n s w l t ht h e m a r k e d line. Next, a d j u st h e b l a d e heighu t n t i lt h e outside t i p o f o n et o o t he x t e n d s beyond , h e nc l a m p the inside f a c eo f t h e p a n e l t l o r i d ea l o n g a g u i d eb l o c k t o t h e p a n et t h et o po f t h ef e n c e . Feed thepanel into the blade, keeping i t f l u s ha g a i n stth e f e n c ew h i l ep u s h i n g it forward w i t ht h e g u i d eb l o c k( r i g h t )T e s t -ift t h e c u t e n d i n a f r a m eg r o o v el.f l e s st h a n % i n c h l nters , ove of the panee t h e g r o o v em the fence a l i t t l ec l o s etro t h e b l a d e a n dm a k e . e p e atth e c u t a t t h e o t h e r a n o t h ep r assR e n do f t h e p a n e l . 'l

Beveling thesides
Beveling t h e s i d e sa f t e ry o u h a v e

bevele td h ee n dg r a i n helps minimize tearout. Setthe panel onedge andfeed it into theblade, keeping theback flush against thefence. Turn thepanel over to (lefil. cuttheremaining edge

PIE SAFE

A PANEL.RAISING JIG F()R THE TABTE SAW Toraise a panel withonthetable saw outadjusting theangle of theblade, jig shown use theshop built at right. Refer to the illustration forsuccesteddimensions. Screw the lip along the bottom edge of theangled fence; make sure youposition thescrews where they will notinterfere withtheblade. Prop theangled fence against theauxiliary fence at thesame angle asthe (page cuttinglinemarked on a panel 95),using a sliding bevel to transfer theangle. Cuttriangular supports to f it precisely between thetwofences, thenfix themin olace withscrews. C o u n t e r s it nh kef a s t e n e r ss ot h e panel willslide smoothly along the angled fence. To use thejig, position it onthe sawtablewiththe jointbetween the lip andtheangled fence about % inch fromtheblade. Buttthetable saw's ripfence against thejig's auxiliaryfence andscrew thetwotogether. Turnonthesawandcrank uothe blade slowly to cuta kerf through the lip.Next, seat thepanel in thejig and adjust theheight of theblade until protrudes a single tooth beyond the frontof thepanel. Make a testcut in a scrap board thesame thickness as thepanel andthencheck itsf it in thegroove; adjust theposition of the fence or blade, if necessary. Then cut (rghf, the panel, beveling theends bottom)before sawing ihe sides.

[f,t
il l ,

l
\\

i
\

Auxiliaryfence 9" x 30"

96

ASSEMBLING THE SAFE


nceallthefloating panels areready, f\ V it is timeto gluetheframes together. Startby fitting the panels into their frames, asshownbelow,then glueup the railsand stiles, formingthe sides of the cabinet(page 98).The nextstep involves installing thebackpanelon the frame(page 99). Thepie safe featured in this chapter includes nvoof thefewdecorative touches found in Shaker furniture:crown moldingand cockbeading aroundthe inside edges of thedooropenings in the front frame.The moldingprovides a smooth visual transition from thefront andsides to thetop ofthe safe. Although moldingmight appear to be an extraneous embellishment, the restrained, unadorned design shownis entirely in A ledger strip isfastened to thebackbottomrail of a pie safe. keeping with the Shaker ideals of simOncestrips have been attached to allfour bottom' rails,thi plicity and harmony. panelwill bescrewed bottom to thetopedge of thestrips.

ASSEMBLING THESIDE PANETS


thepanels into their frames 1 Fitting I Test-assemble theside frames. lf a jointistootight, disassemble thepieces andusea chisel to pare away some wood. you 0nce aresatisf iedwiththef it, sand any surfaces thatwillbedifficult to reach glued when theframe hasbeen up,and spread adhesive onallthecontacting surfaces of therails andstiles. Donotapply glue any in thepanel thepanels frooves; must befree to move within theframe. Set oneof thestilepairs on a work surface, f it therailtenons into their mortises, then (left), sliptheframes intotheirgrooves tapping themintoposition witha mallet, if necessary. Fittheopposite stilepair on therails andclamp theframe 2). Gtep

97

PIESAFE

frames Clamping theside


eo w no n a S e tt h e f r a m ei n s i d e - f a cd themortise-andw o r ks u r f a c e a n ds e c u r e joints A he w i t hb a rc l a m p s . l t g n t ntg tenon until w i t ht h e r a i l st,i g h t e n t h ec l a m p s bars a g l u eb e a ds q u e e z eo su t o f t h e j o i n t s (rrght). Protect the stileswith woodpads. t h a tt h e f r a m e U s ea t r y s q u a r e to ensure t h ec l a m p s . r e m a i ns q u a r e a s y o ut i g h t e n remove the hascured, Once the adhesive smooth, a l l t h ew o o d clamps a n dt h e ns a n d

SAFI GLUING UPTHE


o f t h e f r o n ta n d b a c k I P r e p a rte herails o f t h e p r es a f ea s y o uw o u l df o r t h e s i d e s (nape Q 2 la n da l s o c r r ta m u l l i o n f o rt h e
tFsbv J4'

and back tothesides Gluine thefront 1 t -

. u tt e n o n s a t t h e e n d so f t h e b a c kf r a m e C r o u t o r c h i s eo l u tm a t c h i n g mullion and m n r t i s en sn t h e e d p e s o f t h e b a c kf r a m e
railc Thpn olrrp thp nipepc inopfhor rrc,ino'

. et t h ej o i n t sS a l o n gb a rc l a m p to secure y o ur i n s i d e f a c u e p o n t h e s i d ef r a m e s g l u e a l l some on the s h o pf l o o ra n ds p r e a d surfaces between the side contacting frames a n d t h e f r o n ta n d b a c k .F i t t h e i n t ot h e i rm o r t i s eis n b a c kf r a m e tenons o n eo f t h e s i d e s( / e f f )t,h e n i n s t a ltl h e w a y .F i n a l l ys,e tt h e f r o n tf r a m e t h es a m e r e m a i n i ns gi d ef r a m e ontop.

98

PIE SAFE

r) Clamping thesafe I Carefully setthecabinet upright, working witha helper, if necessar ys .e U f o u rm o r e b a rc l a m p t so s e c u rte h es i d e s to t h ef r o n t a n db a c ka , l i g n i ntg w oc l a m p w s i t ht h et o pr a i l s of thefront andback and theremaining twowiththebottom rarls. Besure to protect pads. thestock withwood Assoon asyou have t i g h t e n ea dl l t h ec l a m p s u, s ea t a p em e a s u r echeck to

thesafe forsquare measuring thedistance hbove), between opposite corners; thetwomeasurements should beequal. lf not,install another barclamp across the longer of thetwo jaws d i a g o n as ls e,t t i ntg h ec l a m p o nt h o s e a l r e a di y n place. Tighten theclamp a little at a time, measuring asyougountil thetwodiagonals areequal.

panels Installing theback S e tt h es a f e down w i t hi t sb a c k facing u p ,t h e ni n s t a a ll prloted %-inch rabbeting bit in a router andadjust thecutting depth to %e inchmore panels thanthethickness of theback youareusing. Rout therabbets around theinside edges of the panel back openings, pressed keeping thebit'spilotbearing against thestock throughout thecut (above, /eff), thensquare

thecorners witha chisel. Cuttwopieces of plywood to fit s n u g l iyn t ot h eo p e n i n g as n da p p l y a t h i nb e a d ofadhesrve (above, along the rabbets right)andonthecontacting surfaces of theplywood. Spread theglue evenly, setthepanels in posit i o nt ,h e n use s m a lfli n i s h i n g n ails t o s e c u rte hem a t6 -t o B inchintervals.

99

PiE SAFE

NG C()CKBEADI INSTALLING
forcockbeading thesafe 1 Preparing of edge around theinside I Cuta rabbet thesame using frame of thesafe, thefront panyoufollowed procedure fortheback time,install a'l-rnch els(page 99).This p i l o t er da b b e t i n rn d bg i t i n y o u r o u t ea to about %inch. thecutting depth adjust pilot butted against Keep bearing thebit's Ihen asyoumake thecut (right), thestock witha chisel. square thecorners

Auxiliaryfence

Featherboard

r) Milling thecockbeading from/"cockbeading L tuaxe enough 1, cutin step thick-stock to fit therabbets ona table it withmolding cutters shaping (Donotusenarrow instead, stock; saw. 4 inches wide cutpieces thatareat least from them.) andthenripthecockbeading a n dr a i s e the I n s t aa l l na u x i l i a f re yn c e into fence to notch molding head thewood theworkit. Use a featherboard to secure piece; it to a shimsothe pressure screw ef t h e w i l lb ea p p l i ea dg a i n t sh t em i d d l o of thecut,center anedge stock. Toadlust a cutter, thenbuttthefence theboard over Hold the against thefaceof thestock. andthe workpiece flush against thefence (/eff). table asyoufeedit intothecutters the edge of theboard Shape theopposite hasbeen way. 0nce allyour stock same o nt h es a w and m i l l e di . n s t aa l l r i ob l a d e makfrom theboards, cutthecockbeading by%inch ingit wide enough to protrude in thesafe. fromtherabbets

100

PIESAFE

r - , 1C u t t h e c o c k b e a d i n tg o fit inside t h e f r o n tf r a m e ,m i t e r - s e c u r e t h e c o c k b e a d i na gl o n gt h e t o p a n d b o t t o mo f t h e i n gt h e e n d s . C u t a n df i t o n e p i e c e a t a t i m e ,a l i g n i n t gh e o p e n i n gp , r o t e c t i ntg h e s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s ; forthe sides, mitered e n d sw i t h t h e c o r n e r s o f t h e r a b b e t sS . pread a little wedge t h i n w o o ds t r i p ss l i g h t l y l o n g et rh a n t h e g a p b e t w e e n (above). g l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i ns gu r f a c e s U . s ea n ys u i t a b l e c l a m pt o the cockbeading

Gluing down thecockbeading J <'

FASTENING THE T()P PANEL


Making thewoodbuttons 1 wood I l f y o ua r eu s i n g b u t t o nt so i n s t a l l y o uw i l l n e e d t h e t o p o n t h e p i es a f e , to makeenough buttons to space themevery 6 inches along t h e e n d sa n de d g e s of the p a n e lY . o uc a n m a s s - p r o d utc he ebuttons f r o ma s i n g l e board o f a t h i c k n e se sq u a l to the gapbetween the top edgeof the top so uc u t i n t h e f r a m er a i l sa n dt h e g r o o v ey rails(page 93), lessZoinch.Cut a %-inch r a b b ea t t e a c he n do f t h e b o a r dt,h e nr i p i t i n t oi - i n c h - w i d s et r i p s a n dc u t o f f t h e buttons a b o u t1 %i n c h e s f r o mt h e e n d s (inset).fo make holes in the buttons, screw i n s t a la l lo-inch bitinyour d r i l lp r e s s and plywood fashion a c o r n e jri g f r o m% - i n c h and L-shaped support brackets. Clamp the j i gt o t h e m a c h i n e t a b l ea n ds t e a d t yh e buttons w i t h a p u s hs t i c k .D r i l lt h r o u g h the center o f t h e u n r a b b e t ep do r t i o n of eachbutton(/efu.

101

PIE SAFE

thetop O Installing facedown onthe L Set thetoppanel flooa r n dp o s i t i o tn h es a f e upside shop of the down ontopof it. Align theback withtheback edge of thetopand cabinet between thepanel edges. center thesafe near thecorners, fit therabbeted Starting buttons intothegrooves ends of thewood thebuttons about in thetoprails; space e % - i n cg ha p 6 i n c h ea s p a ra t n dl e a v a the bottom of thegrooves and between ends o f t h eb u t t o nts oallow t h el i p p e d movement. Drive screws to fasforwood (right). in place tenthe buttons

INSTALLING CROWN MOLDING


themolding 1 Cutting I Fita moldins head withbevel cutters your mount head on table saw. and the notch an auxiliary wood fence Install and (page 100),andpositron thefence for you profile. the stock thedesired Secure with willuse to make themolding two featherboards, clamping one to thefence anda second to thesaw above theblade, a suppor bto a r d ata 90' t a b l eC . lamp featherboard. Raise angle to thesecond thetable; do thecutters % inchabove u t i n o n ep a s s . n o tm a k e a fu l l - d e p c th asyou Press thestock against thefence f inish slowly feed it into thecutters; the stick. Reverse theboard cutwitha push (left). edge andrepeat thecutontheother passes raisMake asnecessary, asmany you at a time, until ingthecutters % inch deoth of cut. have reached thedesired Install a ripblade onthesaw andcutthe molding fromboth sides of theworkpiece, lines in the asrepresented bythedotted illustration.

r02

PIE SAFE

r) Installingthe side molding I FasIen one side molding f irst, then piece, thefront andf inally theremainpiece. pieces ingside Cutthemolding to length, mitering their ends. Spread glue some onthecontacting surfaces piece between thefirst side andthetop railof theside andsettheoiece in position. Toallow forwood movement, glue do notapply any between the molding andthetopof thesafe. Clamp piece thefront to thefront rail-without glue-tohelp youalign piece theside properly. Install twobarclamps along piece thetopto secure theside in place, gradually tightening theclamps until a thinbead of glue squeezes out pads fromthejoint;use wood to protect both themolding andthetop(above).

thefront molding Q Installing r.J 0ncethesrde molding hasbeen secured, remove theclamps holding the piece glue front in place andapply to it and railof thepiesafe. to thefront Also spread some adhesive onthe mitered ends of themolding. Use handscrews to clamp thefront molding to thecabinet, spacing theclamps about 6 inches apart (left). Finally, install theremaining side piece asyoudidthef irst one.

103

SHELVING
would nodoubt shelvins A diustable A ttuu. appealed tishakerfurniture Thefeature gives flexmakers. a cabinet needs ibiliry adapting to changing and theuser to organize space most enabling Theshelves canbeheldin efficiently. place withshelf supports thatfit in holes asshown at right. drilledin thestiles, Another is shop-made wooden option (below), whichare corner strips dadoed andattached to theinteriorcorners of thepiesafe to holdup theshelving.

pin is beingscrewed into a threaded sleeve in A metqlshelfsupport intervals a pie safe stile.Inserted into drilledholes at evenf spaced thesleeves allowthepinsfrom thebottomto thetopof thecabinet, at virtuallyany heightinsidethesafe. and shelves-tobeinstalled

STRIPS USING CORNER

thecorner strips 1 Making I You canmake fourstrips, one foreach corner of ihe pie froma single 4-inch-wide board thatis long enough to safe, fromtopto bottom of thecabinet. Install a dado head extend saw andsetthewidth equal to thethickness of onyour table youwilluse. Determine thedesired spacing theshelf supports about 2 inches-and cuttwodadoes of the notches-typically gauge in a miter Align the thatdistance apart extension board. withthe blades to the left-hand dado andscrew theextension

gauge withtheother dado offset to the right. Cuta 2-inch piece andf it it intothatdado, where it of shelf support stock (inseil. willserve f irstdado asan indexingkey Cutyour about youwantyour fromoneend-or at whatever height 8 inches lowest shelf. Cutthesecond andsubsequent dadoes by movingthepiece to theright andfitting theprevious dado over the key(above). When thedadoes areall cut,rip the board intofour1-inch-wide corner strios.

104

PIESAFE

r) Installing strips thecorner L and shelf supports glue o n t h ec o n t a c t i n g S p r e as do m e and surfaces between thecorner strips s f t h ep i es a f ea , n dp o s i t i o n t h es t i l e o making sure thatthedadoes each strip, Toclamp ofthecabinet. face theinterior in place. use thinwood scraps thestrips the slightly longer than thegapbetween (above). For supports strips theshelf (represented lines in theillusbydotted measure thedistance between tration), stiles of thesafe and thefront andback c r r t h en i e c ets o f i t E n s u rte h a tt h e e n o u gth ohold the suppora ts r ew i d e shelves securely.

theshelves Q Preparing shelf must be \, Allfour corners of each n o t c h etd o f i t a r o u ntd h ec o r n es rt r i p s . it Measua re n dm a r k each shel , fc l a m p face down to a work surface, andcutout (lefD. witha backsaw thecorners

TIN-PANELDOORS
h. doorsof the pie safe arejoined I with the openversion of the mortise-and-tenon loint usedto assemble the cabinet. The reinforcing pegswill preventthe joints from racking,even undertheheaviest As shownbelow, use. you canmakethejoint on yourtable saw jig. Once with a shop-made thedoors are assembled, theyarerabbeted to accept (page the tin panels l0B). As shownon pageI I 1, a varietyof special punches are available for piercingthe panels themselves. Once thepanels areinstalled, the doorscanbe mountedto the safe with simplebutt hinges(page114). -f

MAKING THE D(IORS

Thedoorsof thepie safe areassembled with mortise-and-tenons, reinforced by woodpegs. Thetin panelssitin rabbets alongtheinsideedges of thedoors and areheldin placebystripsof molding.

thetenon cheeks in therails 1 Cutting I Cutopen jigshown mortise-and-tenons onyour table saw using theshop-made in theinset. Refer to thedimensions suggested, making sure thethickness of thespacer andwidth of thebrace enable thejig to slide along theripfence without wobbling. 3/uinch Cutthe body plywood andbrace from andtheguide andspacer fromsolid wood. Saw anoval hole fora handle in thejig body andattach theguide to thebody in front of thehandle. Screw a wood block to thebody below thehandle andattach a toggle clamp to theblock. Finally, fasten thespacer andbrace in place. Tocutthetenon cheeks in thedoor rails, butttheworkpiece against theguide andclamp rt in place. Setthecutting height position to thetenon length, thefence to align oneof thecuttingmarks ontherailwith theblade and slide thejig along thefence to make thecut Turn therailaround bbove). to cuttheother cheek, thenrepeat thecutsat theother endof therailandat both ends of theremaining rails,

106

PIE SAFE

r) Cutting thetenon shoulders Z- Screwa board to the mitergauge as holdino g n eo f t h ed o o r a n e x t e n s i oT nh . en, rails agains tt h e e x t e n s i oa nd , l u stth e b l a d e h e i g h t o t h e d e p t ho f t h e t e n o ns h o u l d e r . Align t h es h o u l d e w r i t ht h e b l a d eb , u t ta notched s t o pb l o c k a g a i n stth e s t o c k a , nd clamp t h eb l o c k t o t h ee x t e n s i otn h;e n o t c h in the stopblockwill prevent sawdust from it andthe workpiece. accumulating between Holdint gh e r a i lf l u s ha g a i n s tt h ee x t e n s i o n feedthe stock with the andthe stooblock. m i t e rp a r r p ie n c r r it h e f i r s ts h o u l d e T r .o s a wt h e o p p o s i ts eh o u l d etru , r nt h e r a i l over(right). Repeat to cut the tenonshould e r sa t t h e o t h e r e n do f t h e r a i la n d i n t h e : l a d eg u a r d remaining r a i l s .( C a u t i o nB for clarity.) removed

-) Cuttins themortises inthestiles <' r.,l Use thetenoning themorligto saw tises in thedoor stiles. 0utline themortises o nt h ee n d s o f t h es t i l e su ,s i n g a Then completed tenon asa guide. clamp
nnp nf the stiles tn thp iio resetthe hladp

h e i g h t o t h e t e n o nl e n g t ha , n dp o s i t i o n the fence to alignoneof the cuttingmarks w i t ht h e b l a d eS . lide t h ej i g a l o n g the fence t o c u t o n es r d e ofthemortise t, hen t u r nt h e s t i l ea r o u n d t o c u tt h e o t h e r side ( / e f f )R . epositio tn h ef e n c e a n d m a k ea s manypasses necessary as to clearout the wastebetween the kerfs.Repeat the cuts a t t h e o t h e re n d o f t h e s t i l ea n d a t b o t h ends o f t h er e m a i n i n ss tiles.

t07

PIESAFE

upthedoor frames Gluing


D r y -rft t h e r a i l sa n d s t i l e s of thedoors and en yi l l u s ea c h i s e l i.f n e c e s s a rt y o,f i n e - t u na j o i n t sS . pread g l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i n g fitting s u r f a c eo s f t h e m o r t i s ea s n d t e n o n st,h e n u s e , l i g n i n tg b a rc l a m p s tosecure t h e j o i n t sa he b a r sw i t ht h e r a i l s . U s ew o o dp a d s t o p r o t e ctth e stock a n dt i g h t e n theclamps u n t i la l i t t l eg l u e squeezes out of the lotnIsbbove).

Preparin framef so r p a n e l s tg h ed o o r f, r - , 10 n c et h ea d h e s i v h e a sc u r e dr.e m o vte h ec l a m p s inside-fac a n ds e c u r e t h ef r a m e s ue po na w o r k surface. T o c u t t h e r a b b e t is n t h ef r a m e s f o rt h et i n panels , staa in l l p i l o t e d ' / a - i nrc ah bbetin bg i ti n a yh our router A .l t h o u g final depth willequa th l ec o m s n dt h em o l d i ny os f t h ep a n e la go u bined thicknes ry / ei n c h a d j u stth eb i t w r l lb e r n s t a l l i n g typicall passes .o u t h e n t w oo r m o r e R t o c u t t h e r a b b e tis r a b b e tm s o v i nc gl o c n w i s ae r o u nt d h ei n s i d e d g e s l p e n i n gk o f t h ep a n eo se , e p i ntg h eb i t ' sp i l o tb e a r dg a i n stth e s t o c k i n gp r e s s ea throughou et a c hc u t (right) . nce y o ur e a c h your f i n a ld e p t h s , quart eh e O c o r n e ro sf t h e r a b b e tw s i t ha c h i s e l .

108

PIE SAFE

Preparing for thefalsemullion the doorframes 4i pie To enable the safedoors to closeproperly, cut a rabbet \,1 i n s i d e f a c e along the o f b o t hd o o r s a t t h e i rc o n t a c t i ne gd g e sa ; wood strip, known a sa f a l s e m u l l i o nw , i l l b eg l u e d intothe rabbet of the left-hand d o o rs o t h e d o o r s w i l l r e s tf l u s hw h e nc l o s e d (page gap between l10.fhe t/e-inch the right-hand doorandthe edge of the mullion will prevent the doors frombinding whenthey in the end-on viewin the inset. Forthe rabareclosed, as shown

install head itswidth bets, a dado onyour table saw andadjust 1/z 5/ro inch its heightto inch. Attach to and anauxiliaryfenceto your position ripfence, forthecutting width, table saw thefence andnotch thewooden fence withtheblades. Tosupport thedoor frames. clamo a featherboard to thefence above thedado head. (above), Feed each frame inside-face down with bothhands keeping it flatonthetable andpressed flush against thefence.

109

PIE SAFE

mortise-and-tenons J Peggingthe pegholes guide. / Mark at all fourcorners of each frame, it in place asanedge door cen- clamp Then, holding theframe against (above, guide, tering them onthefront face oftherails lr/z inches from theside the drillthehole left). Bore theremaining holes edge of thedoor. lnstall a 5/ro-inch brad-point in both frames bit in your drill thesame way. Cuta peg foreach hole from a piece press, place panel a backup onthemachine table to minimize of solid stock, making it slightly shorter thanthedepth of the tearout, andsetone of thedoor frames ontop,centering Thepegs should a drilling holes, becutsquare, tapered at thebottom end pegintoits hole mark under thebit.Adjust thedrilling depth to about chamfer at thetop.Tapeach two-thirds andwitha slight 1/ro (above, thethickness of theframe. Butta board against witha hammer right),lelling theframe and it protrude about inch.

MAKING THE TINPANETS


thepattern to thepanel 1 Securing I Tinpanels and thetools used to punch holes in them areavailable fromfolk-art supply houses. Thebest way to punch the holes in thepanels sothey areallthesame is to usea pattern asa template. Several patterns common areillustrated on page 111;usea photocopier withanenlargement feature to oroduce a version of the pattern desired thatis thesame size as your panels. Then setoneof thepanels inside-face upona backup board, center thepattern onthepanel, andfixthepaper to thetin withmasking Tosecure tape. the panel push pins, to thebackup board, use tapping themintothe board every few inches around theperimeter ofthepanel.

110

PIE SAFE

TRADITIONAT TINPANEL PATTERNS

TINPUNCH COMMON TOOLS AND THE THEY CUTS MAKE

Basbpunch ldealfor makin4qeometric patterna becauae tL holeaof uniform producea erze; thts punchleavee a amooth edqeon both eideeof the panel

Lamp maker'achisel Froduceaa emooth,elon4aLedhole;traditionally uaedin lanLernmaktnq

Curvedchiael Makea creacent moon-eha ped cute; tradittonally ueed when ti4htinqwaopootttoned behtnd the panele

Star punch Traditionally one of the moat commonlyuoedohapeo

Diamond punch ldeal for Lhe edqee of patterne; a traditional choice when Iiqh'Ltn4 wao uaed behind Lhe panele

Pineapplepunch Froduceethe burra on pineapple paLterno

Courteey of CountryAccents.MonLoureville. 7A

lll

PIE SAFE

r') Punching the holes r n dt h e a p p r o p r i a t e L tJse a h a m m ea p u n c ho r c h i s e f l o r t h e t y p eo f h o l ey o u . olding w i s ht o p r o d u c eH vertithepunch h o l e ss , trike c a l l yo n o n eo f t h e p a t t e r n the tool with the hammer(righil.A minim u ma m o u n t to punco f f o r c ei s n e e d e d ;h e h a r d e y r o us t r i k e t u r et h e p a n e l t the p u n c ht,h e l a r g etrh e h o l e w i l l b e .P u n c h a l lt h e h o l e s t h es a m e w a y ,c h a n g i ntg oa p u n c h o r c h i s e a l s n e c e s s a rly f. different y o ua r e u s i n g m e t a l o t h e r t h a n t i n f o r a t h e p a n e l ss, u c ha s m i l ds t e e ly , o uw i l l n e e dt o f i l e t h e s h a r p edges of the holes p a n e l sW . ith on theoutside f a c eo f t h e t i n , f i l i n gi s n o t n e c e s s a r y .

,ob;000-06"00"

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Installing thetinpanels and molding p a n ea l sy o uw o u l d n a i l s gn di n t o Make f o u rs t r i p s o f m o l d i nfg o re a c h t h r o u gth h em o l d i na t h ef r a m e e v e r2 y inches, for the glassdoorsof a wall clock (page125). fhen set the t h e nd r i v e t h en a i l s using a brad d r i v e rT . o u s et h ed r i v e r , d o o rf r a m e s o u t s i d e - f a cd eo w no n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n d p l a c ea i n s e ra t n a i li n t oa p i l o th o l et,h e np o s i t i otn h ej a w s and panea l n dm o l d i n g . h es h a r p in position T t h el o c k i n n g u t .H o l d i ntg h ef r a m e steady s,q u e e z e edges of thepunched tighten holes f o r f i n i s h i n g thelaws s h o u l db e f a c i n gd o w n .B o r ep i l o th o l e s to setthe nail(above).

PIESAFE

INSTATTING THEDO()RS

ili,llljlltliiliillllllillllllilljltllj ljJllitlll rill ltlliiliijjjilll


1HO?Tt?
M aking butterfly hingee WiLh Lheirwing-shaped leaves,butLerflyhinqee were commonly ueedon 3hakerfurniture. Tod ay, they are exVeneive anA ditricult Lo find. l, ow ev er, t ranof orming a eNandard butlhinqe inho a buLterfly hinqe io a oimple malter, Grind the lopo and bollomsof butt hinqe leaveo qrinder onyourbench unLilyou cuI awayenough melallo Vroduce the characterieNic ehape.

the hinges on thedoors 1 Installing I Secure o n eo f t h e d o o r s hinge-edge upina bench vise.Outlin oe n eh i n g e l e a fa b o u t6 i n c h e s f r o mt h e t o p o f t h e d o o ra n da n o t h e6 r inches f r o mt h e b o t t o m .T h e n . h o l d r na g c h r s ev lertically. score t h eo u t l i n e a n dc u t i t s l i g h t l d yeepe r t h a nt h e t h i c k n e so sf t h e h i n g e leaf. H o l dt h e c h i s e l b e v eu l pto pare the wastefrom the mortise(above). Once y o u h a v ec l e a r e d outthe remaining m o r t i s eo s n b o t hd o o r ss , e tt h e h i n g e s i n t h e i rm o r t i s e s d,r i l lp i l o th o l e sa , nd screw ihemin place.

I IJ

PIE SAFE

onthesafe thehinges O Installing Z- Position o n e o f t h e d o o r si n t h e t w o o r t h r e es h e e t s of c a b i n e ts , lipping paper U , s ea under t h e d o o ra s s p a c e r s b a rc l a m p t o h o l dt h e d o o ri n p l a c et,h e n m a r kt h e t o p sa n d b o t t o m o s f thehinge o f t h ef r o n t l e a v eo snthe inside edge . emove f r a m es t i l e s( a b o v e )R the door, , n do u t s l i pt h e p i n so u t o f t h e h i n g e sa
linc thp frpp hinsp lp:vpc nn thp s:fp

y o um a d e to determine using themarks sure the t h e h e i g ho t f t h e o u t l i n e sM . ake p i n sw i l l p r o t r u dfe a re n o u g h from hinge t h e s a f es o a s n o t t o b i n d a g a i n stth e wg h e nt h e d o o ri s o p e n e d cockbeadin mortises l u tt h e h i n g e a n dc l o s e dC . h i s eo a s y o ud i d o n t h e o n t h e c a b i n es t tiles doors(pageI 13) and screwthe hinge . e p e atth e p r o c e sw sith n p l a c eR l e a v e is t h eo t h e r door.

Hanging thedool i t, i s t i m et o h a n g t h ed o o r . L i f to n eo f t h e a l l t h eh i n g e l e a v ea sr ei n s t a l l e d Once (above). Slip on the doorandthe safeengage doors intoposition sothe hingeleaves p i ni n p l a c e door t h es a m e way. H . ang t h eo t h e r e a c hh i n g e t o j o i nt h e l e a v e s

TI4

PIE SAFE

Installin tS h ef a l s e mullion ,{ T C u tt h e m u l l i o n f r o ml - i n c h - t h i c k stock, making i t a s l o n ga s t h e d o o r s . Size t h ew i d t ho f t h e m u l l i o n e q u atl o t h e gap between the shoulders of the rabbets you cut in the doors(page 109), less'/" i n c h .T h eg a pb e t w e etn heright-hand door a n dt h ee d g e o f t h em u l l i o n w i l lp r e v e n tt h e d o o r s f r o mb i n d i n g w h e nt h e y a r ec l o s e dS . pread some a d h e s i vie n the rabbet i n t h e l e f t - h a n d o o ra n do n t h e c o n t a c t i ns gu r f a c eo sf t h e m u l l i o n a , nd . lamp s e tt h e s t r i po f w o o di n p l a c e C the mullion a g a i n sb t o t hc h e e k a n ds h o u l d e r t h i l et h e g l u ec u r e s( / e f t ) . o f t h e r a b b ew

pulls Installin tg h ed o o r R r . / M a k ea p u l l f o r e a c hd o o ro n y o u r l a t h et,u r n i n g a round tenon a t o n ee n d , o r b u yt h e p u l l sr e a d y - m a dM e .a r ka p o i n t inthemiddle o f t h e c o n t a c t i nd go o rs t i l e s aboutwo-thrrd o sf t h e w a yu p t h e d o o r s a n dd r i l la h o l e t h es a m e diamete arst h e glue tenons a t e a c hm a r k . Spread some on thetenons t a c hn r r l li n t o a n di n s e re tls hole (right).

115

,.!l

wi

"-*sF.3

SreRCLASSICS
i

feature was an 80-pound principles that ffi he same $ guidedthe Shakers bellthatsoundin brass engine edloudlyon thehour. their daily lives-purity, wholesomeness, Oval boxes,like those and usefulin everyshownat left,wereusedto ness-arereflected store a variety ofdry goods. thingtheybuilt.Each of the With theirdistinctive swalsrnallShakerprojectsfealowtailfingers, straight sides, turedin thischapter-a wall finish, theboxandsmooth clock,a stepstool,an oval eswereelevated by Shaker box, and a pegboard-is a from mere craftsmanship classic example of this singlevessels into thingsof beaumindedphilosophy. ty. That the Shakers made TotheShakers, no housethese boxes by thethousands hold item, no matter how whileholdingto a highstansmall,couldbe considered is remarkfrivolousor simpleadorndardof excellence "knickknack" able-and typicalof their menl Theterm andcraftsrnanship. in their lexicon. creed hadno place Thetall cabinets built by Whatever theymadehad to theShakers created theneed the bandfor the durable, andwithMadefi"ontquartersawn cherryverteer, bestrong, to access high shelves. The It also hadto beperbox shownaboveis bett oroLffid a dryingfonrr after first ou[ [ault. stepstoolshownon page The band is fectlysuitedto the purpose ltehrysonked in hot water nnd softerrcd. I 2 9 r n s w e r etd h i sr e q u i l e for which it wasdesigned. seuu'ed in its bentshnpeby coppertacks. nent, becoming a mobile Wall clocks, like the one its treads were grandfather staircase. Although oftendovetailed shownon pageI I B,andtall,freestanding clocks but sturdy justified lives, strength, rather thanappearance, the wereessential to theShakers'disciplined but theShakers into thesides, "wag-ondesigned othertypes for special needs. Thehomely attractive ioinerv. (page Thepegboard 135) isan example ofhow theShakers clockhad no case, but onlya smallframeto prothe-wall" of a hurnble itemuntilit became an andsimply hungfrom a peg. Theyalso stretched theusefulness tectthemechanism, part of theirlives. Pegs linedthe wallsof most for theirbarns made basic clocks thathadonlyan hourhand. indispensable "tower from bookshelves Lake, Shaker homes, hanging everything and Evenless ornatewasthe clock"at Sabbathday had no face kitchen imolements to clocks andchairs. Maine. Thistimeuiece or hands at all.Its main

The rttils,stiles, and divider of thef'urrc for a Shnkerwnll clocknre beingglued ttp,seared by bnr chmtps The rails while and stiles showttat left orc joitretl with rabbets, the divider sirrrylylrtsitto dndoes aff across tlrc stiles.

WALL CLOCK
led verydisciplined, T h. Shakers I structured lives. Theyrose at 4:00 a.m. in thesummer, allowing themselves to sleep in anhourlater in winter. They stopped workingat7:30 p.m.on summerevenings p.m.in the andat 8:00 winter, one-half hourbefore evening worship. They also ate theirmeals atprecise times. A Shaker from Ohio elder "The once said, clockis an emblem of theShaker community because everythinggoes ontime.Promptness, absolute punctuality, quanonof a sucis a sine cessful community." In theearly,lean years of theirmovement,Shaker communities considered themselves fortunate to ownoneworking "alarum" clock. Asthesect prosjoined pered, andasclock makers the movement, theavailability of thetimepieces spread. TheShakers never carried pocket watches, however. These were considered unnecessary indulgences. Themechanisms of original Shaker cloclswere made frombrass or wood. A les mstlyandmore reliable modem alternative istobuyaquartz clockmovement. These can beordered complete withmetaldialandwithorwithoutapendulum frommany hobby supply stores. Thefollowingpages howto assemble show a for a Shaker-style case wallclock.
Isaac NewtonYoungs wasone of thefew Shaker clockmakers to design and construct cases to house his timepieces. Theclock shownbelowwasinspiredby onethat hebuib in thespring of 1840 at theNewLebanon communityin New YorkState.

ANATOMY OF A WALL CTOCK


Caee top panel 5" x 9%"

Toptrim 4" x 1O3A"

Top-door etile Top-door rail (2) 1%" x 10"


'lt/o" x 10"

Baakboard 9%"x 32t"la"

Divider 1'/o" x 10" Eottomdoor


rail (2) Caae aide panel 3" x 3O"

2" x 10" preciThewallclock is assembled withthesame sion thatShakers brought to their daily routines. Thefourpanels of thecase areglued together withrabbets, andtherails andstiles of thedoors joints. arejoined withopen mortise-and-tenon Thebackboard fits intoa rabbet cut along the panels, back of thecase andis nailed in place. glued Thetrim pieces aresimply to thetopand panels bottom of thecase. Thedivider is glued panels intostopped dadoes in theside of thecase. Use %e-inch-thick stock forall butthedoors and divider, which aremade from%-inch-thick wood.

Eottomdoor atile 2" x'19%"

Bottom ,iTtr;?;f

SHAKERCLASSICS

B UIL D I N TH GE CASE
Rabbeting thesidepanels 1 f o ra s s e m b l y I P r e p a rte h e c a s ep i e c e s b y r a b b e t i ntg h e e n d so f t h e s i d ep a n e l s l d a d oh e a do n o n y o u rt a b l es a w .I n s t a la i t s w i d t ht o % u inch. t h e s a wa n d a d j u s t S e tt h e c r r t t i n p h e i p ha t t I i n c h .S c r e w ence a wooden a u x i l i a rfy t o t h e r i pf e n c e To help a n d n o t c hi t w i t h t h e d a d oh e a d . y o u f e e dt h e l o n gs t o c ka c r o s s the saw a t a b l ea n dt o m i n i m i z e t e a r o u ts ,crew board a s a n e x t e n s i otn o t h e m i t e rg a u g e . l g a i n stth e T h e n ,b u t t i n g o n es i d ep a n e a fe f e n c ea n dt h e e x t e n s i o n , e di t a l o n g w i t h t h e m i t e rg a u g e t o c u t t h e f i r s tr a b beI (right). Repeat at the otherend of the board a n d a t b o t he n d so f t h e s e c o n d . o p r e p a rt e for s i d ep a n e l T h e s i d ep a n e l s the backboard c,u t a r a b b e t along the b a c ke d s eo f e a c hb o a r d

r) Preparing thesidepanels L torthedivider 0utline t h e d a d oo n t h e f r o n te d g e of each s i d ep a n etl h a tw i l l a c c e p tt h ed i v i d e r . T h el e n g t h o f t h e d a d os h o u l d beabout one-hat lf h e w i d t ho f t h e d i v i d e rl.n s t a la l s t r a i g hb t i tt h es a m e d i a m e t ea r st h e d a d o l na w r d t hi n a r o u t e rb , u t to n es i d ep a n e o worksurface board, against a backup and align the bitover t h e o u t l i n eB . u t ta b o a r d guide a sa n e d g e a g a i n stth e r o u t e b r ase plate . ith a n dc l a m pt h e s e t u pi n p l a c eW plate guide, the base flushagainst the edge plunge the brtrnto the backup board and guide , t o p p i ntg i t i n t ot h es i d ep a n e ls he . out hedado c u t a t y o u re n d l i n e ( / e f t ) R in thesecond s i d ep a n e lt,h e ns q u a r e b o t hd a d o e s w i t ha c h i s e l .

n9

SHAKER CLASSICS

Preparing thedivider for installation Q r - , 1L e a v i n g t h e a u x i l i a rf ye n c ea n d m i t e rg a u g e e x t e n s i oo nn y o u rt a b l es a w , notch t h e e n d so f t h e d i v i d etro f i t i n t o t h ed a d o ey s o uc u t i n t h e s i d ep a n e l s . P o s i t i otn h ef e n c e to cuta %u-inch-wide notch a n d s e tt h e c u t t i n g h e i g ho t f the d a d oh e a d t o % i n c h .H o l d i n g thedivider o n e d g ea n df l u s ha g a i n stth e f e n c e and extension fe , e dt h e m i t e rg a u g e i n t ot h e b l a d e sT . u r nt h e b o a r d around a n dn o t c h the other end (right).

Rounding over thedivider Round over t h ef r o n t edee ofthe


d i v i d eo r n a r o u t et ra b l e .I n s t a la l piloted %-inch round-ove br i t i n a r o u t e rm , ount t h e t o o l i n a t a b l e ,a n d a l i g nt h e f e n c e w i t ht h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n g T . o s u p p o rtth e d i v i d e ru , s et h r e ef e a t h e r b o a r d , mpcs la i n gt w ot o t h e f e n c e o , n eo n e a c hs i d eo f t h e b i t , a n d o n et o t h e t a b l e .B r a c e this second featherboard with a support board : h ef e a t h e r s e c u r et d o t h e t a b l e .( N o t e T b o a r do n t h e o u t f e e d s i d eo f t h e f e n c e h a sb e e nr e m o v e f do r c l a r i t y . N ) o wu s ea p u s hs t i c kt o f e e dt h e d i v i d e a r cross the table (left). Maketwo passes to round o v e re a c hf a c eo f t h e s t o c k ,s t a r t i n g with a shallow gh e b i t s l i g h t l y c u t a n dr a i s i n t
fnr ihp cpennd n:cc

r20

SHAKER CLASSICS

thebackboard Cutting f, r - , / U s ea p i e c eo f s o l r dw o o df o r t h e S h a k eb r u i l d ew r ould typibackboard-a c a l l vh a v e rrsed n i n e T o m a r ko u t t h e di , rst a r c ha t t h e t o p o f t h e b a c k b o a r f ne ear mark a centerlin t h et o pe n do f t h e a cirstock a n d u s ea c o m p a sts o outline i n c h e s i n w i t h a r a d i u o s f 2 l t h em i d cle from d l e o f t h e s t o c kc , e n t e r e2 d1 , i n c h e s l ine N e x t , m a r k a s t r a i g h t t h et o p e n d . ' f r o m i n c h e s t h e t op a c r o st sh e s t o c k 3 p e r p e n d i c u l a r l i n e s a s e n d .D r a w two n o t c h e s in ee shown t o a c c o m m o d atth t h p t n n n a n p l I l q pv n r r b a n ds a wt o c u t onthesaw o u t t h e a r c h .S e tt h e s t o c k w i t hb o t hh a n d s , a n df e e dt h e p i e c e table making t h e s t r a i g hc t u t sf i r s ta n dt h e n sawing t h es e m i c i r c l( e/ e f t ) .

n t h eb a c k b o a r d Drillint gh ep e g h o lie f, t h e c l o c kw i l l h a n gl e v e l , L , l T oe n s u r e - h e n e sh o l em r r s t de t w e e n h ec e n t e r eb t h ee d p e s ofthebackboard M. a r ka t ny o u r centerlin 1e Z inches drillinp g o i no the f r o mt h e t o p o f t h e a r c h ,t h e nb o r e i /-inch hole o ny o u r d r i l lp r e s sI.n s t a la e n dc l a m p b r a d - p o ib nr t tr n t h e m a c h i n a pp a n etlo t l ' e t a b l e t o h e l pn i n i a bac'<u no u rm a r kd i r e c t l y m i z et e a r o u tP . o s i t i oy in thebackboar d u n d et r h e b i t ,c l a m p place, and drrllthe hole(rrght).

SHAKERCLASSICS

Preparingthe top panelandtop J I ttimpiece for thebackboard Y o uw i l l n e e d t o c u t a n o t c hi n t h e b a c k e d g eo f t h e t o p p a n e l a n dt o p t r i m p i e c e o f t h e c l o c kc a s et o a c c o m m o d a t e he b a c k b o a r0 du . tline t h en o t c h i n t h em i d d l e of the edgeof eachpiece.Leave the dado h e a da n d m i t e rg a u g e e x t e n s i oo nn y o u r t a b l es a w ,b u t m o v e t h e f e n c eo u t o f t h e w a y .T o c u t t h e n o t c h e sa , l i g nt h e d a d o head w i t ho n ee n do f t h e o u t l i n er,a i s e the blades t o t h e t h i c k n e so sf the backb o a r da , n d u s et h e m i t e rg a u g e to feed the panel intothe cut.Then, slide the workpiece along t h e e x t e n s i ob ny t h e w i d t ho f pass(/effl,conthe kerfand makeanother tinuing u n t i ly o ur e a c h t h eo t h e r e n do f t h e o u t l i n eU . se t h es a m e setup t o p r e p a rte he t o pt r i m p i e c e f o rt h e b a c k b o a r d .

Assembling thecase
Smnnththc casp nier^e5 3pl llg

ye rs a n d backboard u, s i n gp r o g r e s s i v e f iln p a p e rf,i n i s h i n g w i t h2 2 0 - g r i t A . ssemble t h e c a s ei n t w o s t e p s s , tarting w i t ht h e s n dt h ed i v i d e rS f o u rp a n e l a . p r e ag d l u eo n a l l t h e c o n t a c t i ns gu r f a c eo sf t h e p i e c e s a n dc l a m p t h ej o i n t s securely a,s s h o w n i n t h e c o l o rp h o t o o n p a g e1 1 6 . C h e c k t h e c o r n e rf so r s q u a r e b y m e a s u r i ntg he distance b e t w e ed ni a g o n a lo ly p p o s i tc eo r n e r so f t h e c a s e T . h et w o m e a s u r e m e n t s s h o u l db e t h e s a m e ; i f n o t ,a d j u s t h e p r e s s u ru en t i lt h e ya r e . clamping 0 n c et h e g l u eh a sc u r e d , remove t h e c l a m p ss , et the assembly facedownon a worksurface, a n d f i t t h e b a c k b o a rid n p o s i t i o nl.t i s secured withnails; d o n o t u s ea n yg l u e , since the board m u s tb e f r e et o m o v e as t h ew o o d swells a n dc o n t r a c tw s i t hh u m i d i t yc h a n g e s B . o r ep i l o th o l e s forf inishing nails through t h eb a c k b o a r d a n d i n t ot h e rabbets along t h e b a c ke d g e s of thecase n a n e l sS n a c e thehnles about 4 inches a p a r tt , h e nd r i v e t h e n a i l si n p l a c e( r i g h t ) .

t22

SHAKER CLASSICS

MAKING THE DOORS


i n t h er a i l s h et e n o n s 1 C u t t i ntg I U s ey o u rt a b l es a wt o c u t t h e o p e n mortise-and-teno th na st j o i n t h e r a i l s a n ds t i l e s o f t h e d o o r sS . a wt h e p i e c e s to s i z et , h e ni n s t a la l c o m m e r c it ae lnoning l r g o n t h e s a wt a b l e ;t h e m o d e ls h o w n i n t h e m i t e rs l o t . o n eo f t h e slides Clamo r a i l se n d - u p to thejig, using a w o o dp a d
in nrntpnt tho ctnrk l\/l:kp thc rrrttino

height e q u a lt o t h e s t o c kw i d t ha n d p o s i t i o nt h e i i p s o t h e o u t s i d e faces ofthe blade a n dt h e w o r k p i e ca er ea l i g n e d . P u s ht h e j i g f o r w a r d t o f e e dt h e r a i l i n t o t h e h l a d e( r i p h t )t h e n t u r n t h e s t o c k around a n dr e o e at h e c u t o n t h e o t h e r edge. Move the jig toward the blade slightly t h e t h i c k n e s o s f t h e t e n o n w i l l b e eoual so t o a b o u to n e - t h i r t d hestock thickness . e p e atth e a n d m a k et w o m o r ep a s s e sR p r o c e st so c u t t e n o nc h e e k s ontheother e n d o f t h e r a i la n d a t b o t he n d so f t h e ails. r e m a i n i nrg
\ r r b , r ! / t ! ' i v i i

r) Sawing the mortises I Clamp oneof the doorstiles end-up to t h e j i g ,p o s i t r otn h ej r gt o c e n t etrh e e d g e withthe blade, of the workpiece andfeed the stockinto the cut (left).Thenmovethe away f r o m t h e b l a d et o 1 i gv e r ys l i g h t l y e n l a r gt e h e m o r t i s eM . ake a n o t h ep r ass, i n t h e j i g ,a n df e e di t t u r nt h e s t i l e around i n t ot h e b l a d e a g a i nN . e x tt , e s t - f io t n eo f i n t h e m o r t i s el . f t h ef i t i s t h e r a i lt e n o n s tootight,move the jig away fromthe blade slightly and maketwo morepasses, continuing untilthe tenon f i t ss n u g l iyn t h em o r t i s e .U s et h e s a m ep r o c e d u rte o cut the m o r t i s ea st t h e o t h e r e n do f t h e s t i l ea n d a t b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i ns gt i l e sY . ou
^^- ^r^^ ,,^^ ^ ^L^^ *^rp iio fn nrrithic LdI dt5u u5tr d 5ilup-il tdu- r ,o .-

j o i n t ,a ss h o w n 106. onpage

SHAKERCLASSICS

Gluinu g pt h er a i l s a n ds t i l e s Q r - , 1 D r v - a s s e m btlh ee t w o d o o rf r a m e s t o c h e c kt h e f i t o f t h e joints.lf theyaretoo tight, usea chiselto pareaway excess wood;if anyof the tenons extends beyond the outside edges of g l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i ns t h e s t i l e ss , a n di t f l u s h . T h e ns p r e a d gu r faces of therailtenons a n d s t i l em o r t i s e s a,n d a s s e m b lte he

f r a m e sU . s et h r e e clamps t o s e c u r e a c ha s s e m b l y a, ligning one w i t he a c hr a i la n dc e n t e r i na g t h i r db e t w e etn h es t i l e sp ; rotect . ighten t h es t o c k w i t hw o o dp a d s T t h ec l a m p s a l i t t l ea t a t i m e until a thin gluebeadsqueezes out of the loinIs(above), checki n gt h e f r a m e f o rs q u a r e a s y o ug o .

/t -

Preparingthe panels door frames for glass panet l hat E a c hd o o rw i l l h a v e a glass s i t si n r a b b e t s cut along the inside edges of t h e f r a m et ;h e g l a s s i s h e l di n p l a c e b ys t r i p s o f m o l d i n gO . nce t h e g l u eh a sc u r e d r ,emove theclamps a n dc u t t h e r a b b e t s on a router l ' / . i n c h t o p - p i l o t es t a b l e .l n s t a la dt r a i g hb t it r na r o u t ea r n d m o u n tt h e t o o l i n a t a b l e . A d j u s tt h e b i t h e i g htto t h e c o m b i n etd hicky o uw i l l b e ness o f t h eg l a s s a n dm o l d i n g using. Remove the fenceandset a doorframe o n t h et a b l e T . u r no n t h et o o la n dp r e s s the inside edge o f t h ef r a m e agains tt h eb i t n e a r onecorner, thenrotate the stockclockwise to cuttherabbets along t h e r a i l sa n d s t t l e s ( r i s h f l 'K e e nt h e f r a m pf l a t o n t h e t a b l ea s \"b"'/' youfeedit intothe bit. Square the corners of t h e r a b b e tw s i t ha m a l l e t a n da w o o d chisel. R e p e atth e p r o c e d u r fe o rt h e o t h e r door.

124

SHAKER CLASSICS

hinges on thedoors f, Mounting r - , 1T h ed o o r s a r eh u n go n t h e c l o c kc a s e w i t h b u t t h i n g e st:h e hinge l e a v ea s r ec o n c e a l eid n recesse cs u t i n t ot h e i n s i d e faces o f t h ed o o r s a n dt h e f r o n te d g e s o f t h ec a s e . P o s i t i oe n a c hd o o r i n t u r no n t h e c a s e a n do u t l i n e thehinge l e a v eo sn t h ed o o r s and t h ec a s eT . oc u t t h er e c e s s e is n t h e d o o r sc , l a m pt h e f r a m e to a w o r ks u r f a c e inside-fac ue p .C u te a c hr e c e sw s i t ha c h i s e i ln two s t e p sS . t a r tb y h o l d i n g t h e c h i s ev l e r t i c a l lo yn y o u ro u t l i n e with t h e b e v efl a c i n g t h ew a s t e a n dt a p t h e h a n d l e w i t ha m a l l e t , moving t h e c h i s ea l long to score theentire o u t l i n eT . h e np a r e i n t h i n l a y e r sh away t h ew a s t e ,olding t h ec h i s eh l orizontally, periodically, bevel-side up (left). TestJita hingeleafin the recess s t o p p i nw g hen therecesi ss a b o u t% o i n c hd e e p etrh a nt h e t h i c k , a r kt h e s c r e w ness oftheleaf. W i t ht h e h i n g e l e a fi n p o s i t i o n m holes intherecess b ,o r e a p i l o th o l ea t e a c hm a r k , a n ds c r e w the procedur hinge l e a ft o t h e d o o r .U s et h e s a m e te o c u tt h e r e c e s s es in the frontedges of the case.

Tuahetick

glass-stop the molding tri Making

\ , f C u tt h e m o l d i n g t h a tw i l l s e c u r e t h eg l a s s i n t h ed o o r s from a single %-inch-thic bk o a r dS . t a r tb y r o u n d i no gv e rb o t he d g e s of the piece a s y o ud i d f o r t h e d r v i d e( rp a g e J 2 0 ) ,t h e nr r pt h e y o u r molding f r o mt h e b o a r d on t a b l es a w ,f e e d i n g thestock . a wt h e m o l d i n g w i t h a p u s hs t i c k( a b o v e ) S t o f i t i n t ot h e r a b b e t si n t h e d o o r sm , aking 4 5 ' m i t e r c u t sa t t h e e n d s of each p i e c eC . u ta n df i t o n ep i e c e a t a t i m e ,m a k i n g sure to align the m i t e rc u t sw r t ht h e c o r n e ro sf t h e r a b b e t s .

Securing theglass I glass panels prepared I Have for the door,cuttingthem % i n c hs h o r t ea r a nt h e i ro p e n i n g s r n dn a r r o w e th T.h i sw i l l l e a v e a % o - i n cg ha pa r o u n d theglass t o a l l o wf o r w o o dm o v e m e n t . A p p l yy o u rf i n i s ht o t h e d o o rf r a m e s l,e t i t d r y ,t h e ns e tt h e door frames a n dg l a s s o n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n dp l a c e themold. ore p i l o th o l e s i n gi n p o s i t i o n B f o rf i n i s h i n g nails through the molding a n d i n t ot h e f r a m ee v e r y 2 i n c h e st,h e nd r i v e thenails using a b r a dd r i v e rT . o u s et h e d r i v e ri,n s e r a t n a i li n t oa p i l o t n hole, t h e np o s i t i o t h e j a w sa n dt i g h t e n nut. the locking Holding t h ef r a m e s t e a d ys , q u e e zte h e j a w st o s e tt h e n a i l (above). Usea pieceof cardboard to protect the glass.

ltJ

SHAKERCLASSICS

FINAT ASSEMBLY
Gluing onthetrimpieces I Cutthetopandbottom trimpieces to size, thenround over one face of their side andfront edges ona router tableusing a 9%-inch round-over 120. To inbit @age stallthepieces, settheclock case on its glue back ona work surface andspread on thecontacting surfaces of thetrimpieces panels. andthetopandbottom Position thetrimpieces sotheirback edges are flush withtheback of thecase andsecure them withbarclamps spaced every 4 to 6 (right) inches. Tighten theclamps unlila glue little squeezes outof thejoints. 'l

r) Preparing forthedialand thecase clock mechanism L me dialandclock mechanism areattached to a thinplyglued wood backing board, which in turnis screwed to cleats to theinside of thecase. Cuttwocleats to f it along theinside face panels of thecase side between thetoppanel andthedivider. C u ta t h i r d one t o r u na l o n e t hie n s i df ea c e o f t h et o oo a n e l

youmark between thesidepanels. Tohelp thepositions of the cleats, test-fit theclock in thecase, remembering to allow for position glue thedoors. Once thecleat is certain, spread onthe contacting surfaces between thecleats andthecase, andclamp (above). thecleats in place

126

SHAKERCLASSICS

Assembling theclock mechanism (lnsef), Assemble theclockmechanism following the manufactur- the board's edges. Toattach theclockmovement insert position er'sdirections. Forthe model shown, the dialon theshaft through theshaft hole andthedial, thentighten the provided the backing board andoutline theshafthole on the nut on the shaftby handhbovd. lf the shaftprotrudes toofar board. Remove thedialandbore theshaft hole through the fromthedial,loosen thenut,remove themovement andslip . i xt h ed i a lt o t h e b a c k - oneor more b a c k i nb go a r d o ny o u r d r i l lp r e s sF washers between the movement andthe backing ingboard withepoxy, making sure thedialis centered between board. A number of washers aresupplied withmost models.

Securing theclock assembly to thecase Position thebacking board in theclock case anddrilloilot holes for%-inch No. 6 wood screws through the board and intothecleats. Bore a hole at each cor(/eff). ner,thendrivein thescrews

r27

SHAKER CLASSICS

r - , / S e tt h e c l o c ko n r t sb a c ka n d p o s i t i o nt h et o n d o o r o n t h ec a s eW . r t ht h e
h,noo nin noniorpd hcirnrepn ihp pdooc

r\

thedoors fl Hansins

m a r kt h e h i n g e o f t h e d o o ra n d c a s e , l e a fs c r e w holes i n t h ec a s e . Bore the holes t, h e nr e p e a t a n dd r i v e thescrews the nrncess for ihe hottnmaoor(above). l r e i t h ed r oor binds agarns th t ed i v i d e r , r a i l N o wa p p l y t r y s a n d i ntg h eb i n d i n g t o t h ec l o c k case. a finish

Installing thependulum
M o s tp e n d u l u m weights have a brass
fini.h rh^r ;^ ^^",1,, ^^,^+^hod. lllll)ll LlldL l) Ud)lly )LldtLilLu, ic rrc'r:llv ino Dn nni nrntontod rpmnrip hv ihp 2 iL hrp ob hri r vr yo ui r r Lu an\/Arrrnlil lhp nl:ctra

envprins

pendulum h a sb e e n mounted S .lide the pendulum r o du n d e t rh ec l o c k f a c es o i t s sn t h e h o o ku n d e r t o n e n d r - a t c h en the m o v e m e nT t .h ec l o c kc a n n o wb e h u n g r ego n a w a l lf r o ma h o o ko r a S h a k e p p a g e l i k et h eo n es h o w n on 138. board

128

STEP STOOL
for orderandefficienry, f n theirquest I theShakers built chests of drawers and cabinets that madegooduseof available space, oftenstretching from floor to ceiling.Step stools liketheoneshown below evolved to enable household members to gainaccess to the uppermost shelves. Depending on individualneeds, the stoolsweremadein two-, three-,and four-step versions. Thetallerstools often featured steadying rods screwed to the sideto providea handhold. Althbughthese stools appeal to the moderneye,usefulness wasthe Shaker builder's soleconcern. Throughdovetailswerechosen to attachthe treads to joints thesides because the interlocking gavethe stoolsstrength and stability. Step-by-step instructions for cuttingthe joints by hand,muchasa Shaker craftsman might havedone, are provided starting on page 130. Thestools weretraditionally cut from %-inch-thick cherryexcept for theX-inchthickcrosspieces. youhave Once cutyour stock for thesides ofthe stool, usea pencil to mark the top,bottom,and front andbackedges piece. of each Thiswill helpyou avoidanyconfusion whenyou come to cutthepinsatthesides'top ends.

ANATOMY OF A STEP STO(IT

r29

CLASSICS SHAKER

THE DOVETAILS CUTTING


I T h es i d e s a r em a d ef r o mt w o b o a r d s plrred t n p e t h ea r f t e rt h e n o t c h e a snd t h e p i n so f t h e d o v e t a ij lo i n t a r ec u t i n ontheedges the notches t h e m .O u t l r n e o f e a c hs r d eo i e c e t. h e nc u t t h e mo n y o u rt a b l es a w .I n s t a l a l d a d oh e a do n h e i g htto t h e t h e s a wa n ds e tt h e c u t t i n g to the miter a board n o t c hw i d t h .S c r e w passes gauge Make several as an extension. feeding the t o c u t e a c h n o t c h( r i g h t ) ,
ctnnk rrn nn odop rnrith thp mitpr s:ttoe l l c p t h o r i n f p n c p , r c: , q r r r d pf o r c r r t t i n o
i v i v v ! ! i I b

forthecrosspieces thesides 1I Notching "

e n dl i n e . u pt o t h en o t c h

r) Laying outthe pins gauge a line t o t h es t o c k t h i c k n e sa sn ds c r i b e L S"ta cutting p i e c e ine m a r k t h e s h o u l d el r to t h e t o p e n do f e a c hs r d e around p i n s t h e o n eo o u t l i n e Nextu , s ea d o v e t as i lq u a r t o f t h et a i l s . p a r t p i n s b e o n t h e i n s ide ofthe should e n d ;t h ew i d e t h es a m e e d g e a n d a d d at each S t a r tw i t h a h a l f - p i n f a c eo f t h e s t o c k .
orronlv cnaned ninc in hoturppn Tn cnmnlptp thc m:rkino spattrp

the a n dp e n c itl o e x t e n d i n a v i s ea n du s ea t r y s q u a r e t h ep i e c e M a r k t h e i n e sh b o v e ) . e n dt o t h e s h o u l d elr lines ontheboard q o . waste s e c t r o nw s ith Xsas vou

pins Q Cutting sl a wt o c u t r.J Leave i n t h e v i s ea n d u s ea d o v e t a i thepiece f r o mo n es i d eo f t h e o f t h e p i n s ,w o r k i n g along theedges F o re a c hc u t , a l i g nt h e s a wb l a d e board to theother. l u s tt o , v e ns t r o k e s , s i d eo f t h e c u t t i n gl i n e .U s es m o o t he thewaste (above) .ontinue C t h e s a wt o c u t o n t h e p u s hs l r o k e allowing is l irn e ,m a k i n g sure t h a tt h e b l a d e r r g h t o t h es h o u l d e sawing o e r o e n d i c utl o a trh e l i n e

SHAKER CLASSICS

Chiseling outthewaste
S e tt h e s i d ep i e c e inside f a c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c e a n dc l a m po n a g u i d eb l o c k , aligning i t s e d g ew i t ht h e s h o u l d elri n e . Using a chisel n ow i d e r t h a nt h e n a r r o w s i d eo f t h e w a s t e sectionb , uttthe flat s i d eo f t h e b l a d ea g a i n s tt h e g u i d eb l o c k . H o l dt h e e n do f t h e c h i s es l quare to the f a c eo f t h e p i e c e a n d s t r i k ei t w i t h a wooden mallets , coring a l i n ea b o u t% i n c hd e e p T . hen t u r nt h e c h i s etlo w a r d the l b o u t% i n c hb e l o w e n do f t h e p a n e a the surface of the woodand shaveoff a thin layerof wasle(abovd.Continue shaving away t h e w a s t ei n t h i s f a s h i o n u n t i ly o u areabouthalfway through the thickness of the piece, then move on to the nextsecyouhave tion.When removed all the waste f r o mt h i ss i d e . t u r nt h e p i e c e o v e ra , nd workfromthe otherside(left)until the p i n sa r ec o m p l e t e e l yx p o s e d .

131

CLASSICS SHAKER

did not have Abhough the Shakers jigsat their routers and conmtercinl disposal,the tools'efficacy for cutting dovetailjoittts quickly nnd precisely to thent. would certainlyhavenppealed of two The jig shown at right consists backup boards. to tenrplates fastened The workpieceis seun'edto the jig and a stop block helpswith positioningfor Here, a routerfitted with repe(ltcLtts. in and out of the n dovetailbit nroves slots of the tail board template.

outthetails f, Laying Hold oneof surface. upona work bottom-face r,l Seta tread pieces pins with the its inside face aligned with down theside p e n c i l at o u t l i n t e h e t a i ls a to l ir n eo f t h et r e a dU . se shoulde on the the lines thenextend each endof thetread hbove), withXsandrepeat Mark thewaste a try square. board using p r o c e s s t rg ead. w i t ht h er e m a i n i n the

waste removing thetails and f, Cutting youcut way thesame to cutthetails a dovetail saw V Use (above), rather than the board the pinsGtep2). Angling n de v e n l y , S s m o o t ha ly o re a s i e cru t t i n g .aw , a k efs t h es a w m You c a na l s o cut l irn e . s t o p p i nl g t f t h es h o u l d e u s ts h o ro w i t ha c h i s e l te h ew a s t e s a wR . emov o ny o u r band t h et a i l s as in steo4.

IJ/.

SHAKERCLASSICS

thefit ofthejoints 7 Testing gluing / Before upthestool, assemble it to check thefit of allthejoints. Stand pieces one of theside onend, then align a tread withit. Press thejointtogether by hand asfar as it willgo (right), thenusea mallet to tapthetread therest of theway intoplace. Theboards should f it snugly, requiring only a light tapping; avoid using jointisclearly force. excessive lf any too tight, mark thespot where it binds, then disassemble theboards anduse a chisel to pareaway a littlemore wood, Testf i t t h ej o i n ta g a i n a n da d j u sitt f u r t h e r , asnecessary.

GLUING UPTHE STEP STOOT


Gluing upthesides I Seta pair of barclamps ona work surface andlaytwoboards thatmake up piece a complete side onthem. Spread glue onthecontacting edges of theboards, align their bottom ends, and tighten the clamps until there arenogaps between theboards anda thinbead of adhesive squeezes outof the joint(left). Glueup theother sidepiece thesame way. 'l

r33

SHAKERCLASSICS

r) Relieving pieces theside L g Vc u t t i n g a s e m i c i r co le u to f t h e , a v i ntg s i d ep i e c e s le w ol e g s o ne a c h thestool will be more stable on side, surfaces. Adjust a compass to a uneven r a d i uo sf 3 %i n c h ea sn dm a r k a semicirpieces, placing the cleononeof theside pornt compass at thebottom endof the midway sides between theedges. Cutthe semicircle onyourband saw(right), feedingthestock across thetable withboth hands T .h e n make t h es a m e c u to n t h e Youcanthensmooth other sidepiece. leftbythesawblade away the marks on
e qnindlo candpr

Croeapiece

thetreads ? Installing r-,1Spread an even layer onthecontacting of glue surfaces between thepins andtails, thenassemble thestool, setting (abovd. thetreads onthesidepieces with Secure thejoints pieces barclamps, aligning thebars withtheside andusing pads wood width aslong asthetread to distribute theclampingpressure.

Attaching thecrosspieces glue Setthestep stool on its back edge andapply to the contacting surfaces between thecrosspieces andthesides andtreads. Place thecrosspieces in their notches andclamp them securely in place. Near each endof thecrosspieces, drill hole fora wood screw through thecrosspiece a counterbored andintothefront edge of thesidepiece. Drive a screw into holebbovd.Fora perfect match, each use a plugcutter on your fromthewaste wood leftbyrelievdrillpress to cut plugs pieces glue ingtheside 2).Spread ontheplugs andtap Gtep into holes, them their ensuring thatthegrain direction of each runs in thesame direction asthecrosspiece. Use a chisel to trimtheplugs flush withthesurface, thensand them smooth.

r34

SHAKE,RBOXES
BUILDING A B()X KIT
Firstproducedin tlrc 1790s, Slnker ltoxes werertnde irr grnduntedsizes to hold houseltold goor/s; wherrurrpty, they cotildbe rtested irrside The orre nrrotlrcr. ovsl boxes rentoirtpoptrlar todcry, atul cortbe nnde easily corrtttterciol .frottr kits. The box showtrut right wosrrrttde by craftsnratr Johrt\\lilsortoJ'Chnrlotte, Michigarr.He trddeda.fewhmrn'iotrs refulenrcttts to tlrc utilitsrintt yet elegnttt Slnker desigtt, srtch ns usingltird's-eye qrul n wsltuft trraple the box ltorrds Jbr burl verrcer.fbr tlrc top.

I Tomake a S h a k eb r o xf r o ma c o m m e r c i a kl r t ,f r r s tp r e p a r e the stock for the two bands-onefor the boxandonefor the top. T h eb a n d s a r et y p i c a l l y resawn f r o mh a r d w o os dt o c k to a thickn e S SO f / , 0 i n C h . F O f [ 9 5 { l o c r r l t c r r c o c t r a i o h t - o r r i n o r l , q g 3 ; [ g ; 5 2 y y 1 1

Cuttins thefinsers 1 t -

stock a i r - d r i etd o a m o i s t u rc eo n t e no t f 15 to 20 oercent O . nce the bands have been cut to size,usethe proper-sized finger templateto outline the fingers on the boxband(above), then mark t h e t a c kh o l e s w i t ha n a w la n dd r i l lt h e mw i t ha X , , - i n cb hi t .

SHAKERCLASSICS

Beveling thefingers board L Cla p the bands to a backup s i t ha u t i l i t y knife. a n db e v etlh ef i n g e r w w i t hb o t hh a n d s , H o l d i nt g heknife firmly c u ta t a na n g l e of 10"around t h ef i n g e r s faceof hbovd. Thentaperthe outside a t h e o p p o s i te en do f e a c hb a n du s i n g the taperaboutIY, beltsander, starting i n f r o mt h ee n d .T h i s w i l le n s u r e inches a smooth o v e r l aa on du n i f o r m thickness oncethe bands arebent.

r)

M a r k i nt g h ej o i n t Q r-,f Soak in boiling t h e b o xa n d l i d b a n d s w a t e ru n t i lt h e ya r es o f t - t y p i c a l l y about 2 0 m i n u t e sR . emove t h e b o xb a n df r o m t h e w a t e ra n d w r a pi t a r o u n d the properlap b o xc o r es o t h e b e v e l e d fingers sized over thetapered e n d . M a k ea r e f e r e n c e m a r ka c r o s t sh e e d g e s o f t h e b a n dw h e r e (right). Keepthe beveled the endsoverlap p r e s s etd fingers a g a i n stth e c o r et o rghtly preven tt h e mf r o ms p l i t t r n g .

r36

SHAKER CLASSICS

Tack-nailing thebox
q u i c k l ys , l r pt h e b a n do f f Working thecore, rebend i t s o t h a tt h e p e n c i l marks l i n eu p , a n dt a c k - n a i lt t h r o u g h y o ud r i l l e d theholes i n s t e pI u s i n g the a p p r o p r i ac te o p p etra c k s T . oclinch the t a c k si n s i d e theband, u s ea l e n g t h of i r o np i p ec l a m p e d t o y o u rb e n c h a sa n anvil (above). 0nce the box bandsare p, lace tack-nailed t w os h a p e - h o l d e r s inside t h e b a n d - o n ea t e a c he n d - t o maintain t h e o v a lf o r ma s i t d r i e s .

h el i d b a n d f , S h a p i ntg r - , 1S h a p e a n dt a c k - n a t il h e t o p b a n df o r the boxlid as described above, but usethe drying f o r ma n d b o xb a n da s a b e n d i n g shape-holder as it dries(lef). fhe f ingers f o r t h e t o p a n dt h e b o xs h o u l d l i n eu p evenly. Allow twodays for the bands to dry. T o c o m p l e tte hebox, c u t a l i d a n db o t t o m f r o mo u a r t e r s a w sn tock to fit inside the b a n d sb , e v e l i ntg h ee d g e s at 5" to provide a t i g h tf i t l i k ea c o r ki n a b o t t l eT . h e nd r i l l \ r t n c h p i l o th o l e s a n d u s et o o t h p i c ka ss oess to secrrre the nieces. Theboxes can be finished w i t h m i l k p a i n to r a c l e a rl a c q u e r .

r37

PEGBOARD
'A place and everyfor everything thing in itsplace"werewordsthe Shakers livedby,and manyhouseholditems in Shaker homes hung pegs. assigned from

-|a h. pegboard is a fittingsymbol of I theShaker's approach to bothdaily lifeandcraftsmanship. Aswith other Shaker-made items,the clean,unadorned lines reflected ofthepegboard itshumble rather function thananyconcernwith appearance. Butthesimple design belied thepegboard's versatility. Theboards did notjustholdhats and coats. Lining thewalls of Shaker homes, partof household they were anintegral life-convenient, organized, andtidy, hangers for everything from bookpipeholders, shelves, andtowel racks to candle sconces, chairs, clothes hangers (a Shaker invention), andwallclocks (page 118).

For the modern woodworker,the pegboards alsoreveal the Shaker devotion to craft.The simplemushroompegswereaccorded shaped the same attentionto detail asthe finest cabinet. For this reasonperhaps, Shaker pegboards wereremarkably consistent in design andconstruction no matter when or wherethey weremade.The pegsweretypicallyfashioned from mapleor cherryandaveraged 3 inches in length.Theyweresecured to 3-inchwide back boards usually mount-

ed 6 feetabove the floor. The spacing of the pegsvaried according to the board'suse. In New Lebanonand Hancock,the pegswere sometimes threaded and then screwed into the backboard.Normally,however, they wereattached with a friction fit, as described in this section. You can buy pegsready-made or turn them on your lathe.In eithercase, the baseof the pegswill needto be kerfedto accommodate the wedges that secure them in place.

MAKING A PEGBOARD
theback board 1 Shaping I Cutthe backboard to sizefrom%inchthick stock; make itswidth 3%inchesanditslength dependent onthenumber youwill mount. of pegs Shape the board on a router tableusing twodifferent bits. Start by rounding over thefront faceof the board at the edges andends(page 120,Ihen switch to a piloted bead bit. Align thefence withthebit'spilotbearing andadjust thecutting height sothebeads willbeabout % inchfrom theedges of the youfeed board. To help theworkpiece, clamp a featherboard to thetable, braced witha support board. Feed theback board intothe bit on edge, keeping thefront facepressed against thefence. Then turn the board over andrepeat theprocedure to (righil. routthebead ontheopposite edge

138

SHAKERCLASSICS

r) Preparing theback board forthepegs


Z- Starting near o n ee d g e oftheback b o a r dm , a r kt h e p e gh o l e s along themiddlp nf f hp qtnnlr (Thc nooa nn tho hnarrJ .a ^,

shown a t l e f tw i l l b e s p a c e d 5 inches a p a r t . l)n s t a la l Y - i n c hb r a d - p o i n bti t i n y o u rd r i l lp r e s s panel a n da t t a c h a backup to themachine t a b l et o m i n i m i z t ee a r o u t . l ot h e S e tt h e b a c kb o a r d o n t h e p a n es f i r s tm a r ki s d i r e c t l y under thebitand c l a m pa b o a r d a sa g u i d e fence to the t a b l ef l u s ha g a i n stth ew o r k p i e c e T.h e n , butting t h e b a c kb o a r d a g a i n stth e f e n c e , d r i l lt h e h o l e s //eff).

Driving in thewedges
Tapping in the pegs Q r - . f T o m a k et h e p e g se a s i e t ro i n s t a l l u , s ea s a n d i n g block to shape a s m a l lb e v e a l round the base o f e a c ho n e .T h e ns a wa k e r ff o r a w e d g e across the base o f t h e p e g ;t o a v o i d splitting t h ew o o d w i t ht h e w e d g em , a k et h e c u t a t a r i g h ta n g l e to the grainO . nce g l u eo n t h e i rb a s e s , pread thepegs a r er e a d ys and tap the pegsintothe holes(above). F o re a c hp e g ,c u t a Z , - i n c h - l o nw ge d g e f r o ms c r a p wood g l u ei n t h e k e r f s Spread a n d o n t h e w e d g e ss ,e tt h e p e g b o a r d f a c ed o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c et,h e nt a p t h e w e d g e s i n w i t ha ) .v o i d hamme( r a b o v eA using t o o m u c hf o r c e t ; h i s m a yc a u s e a p e gt o s p l i t .T r i mt h e w e d g e f sl u s hw i t ht h e b a c kf a c eo f t h e b o a r dF . asten t h e p e g b o a rtd o t h e w a l lb y c o u n t e r b o r i n gr e w sc holes a n dd r i v i n g t h es c r e w s i n t ow a l ls t u d s C . oncea th l ef a s teners with woodplugs(page134).

r39

GLOSSARY
Counterbore:Drilling a hole that perA-B-C Auxiliaryfence A wooden attachment mits the headof a screwor bolt to sit to a tool's rip fencethat serves asan anchor for accessories and prevents accidental damage to the metalfence. Blank A pieceof solid or glued-up wood usedto create a furniture part, suchasa turned leg. Bridle joint A type of openmortiseand-tenonjoint in which the tenon is aslong asthe width of the mortise pieceand the mortiseextends across the entirewidth of the board. Candlesconce: A candlestick holder. Chamfer:A bevelcut alongthe edge of a workpiece. Cheek The faceof the projecting joint. tenon in a mortise-and-tenon hole:A hole drilled in a Clearance workpiece to accommodate the shank of a screw. Cleat:A strip of wood fastened to one furniture part to supportanother, such asa shelfor a tabletop. Cockbeading: Narrow proj ecting molding surroundingthe insideedge of the door opening of a cabinet. Compound-angle hole: A hole drilled into a workpiece with the bit presented at angles other than 90orelative to the faceand edgeofthe stock. Corner strip: A notchedwood block fastened to the stileof a cabinetor the rail of a tableto hold up a shelfsupport or drawerslide. Crown molding: Decorativetrim installedaroundthe perimeterof a pieceof furniturejust belowthe top; alsoknown ascornicemolding. D-E-F-G-H-r-l Dado:A rectangular channel cut into a workpiece. Edgegluing: Bondingboardstogether edge-to-edge to form a panel. End grain:The arrangement and directionof the wood fibersrunning across thethe endsofa board. Fiber rush: A naturalfiber madefrom the twistedleaves of cattails usedto for seating materialin chairs; a more is made commonlyusedalternative from twisted kraft paper. Finiah An ornament-usually turned and carved-projecting from the upper cornersof a furniture piece suchasa chair. Glass-stop molding: Decorative strips of wood usedto hold a paneof glass in a door frame. belowa wood surface so that it canbe concealed by a wood plug. Countersinlc Drilling a hole that permitsthe headof a screw or bolt to lie flush with or slightlybelow a wood surface. Cross-doweftAwooddowelor metal cylinderthreaded across its axisto accommodate a screwor knockdown fastener; usuallyusedto providelonggrain strengthwhen screwing into end grain. Half-blind dovetail A dovetailjoint in which the structureof the ioint is concealed by oneside; commonly usedto join drawerfrontsto the sides. K-r-M-N-O-P-Q Kerf:A cut madein wood by thewidth of a sawblade. Kickback The tendencyof a workoieceto be thrown backin the directionof the operatorof a woodworking machine. Kicker:A board fastened across a draweropeningand positioned above the drawerto keepit from tilting down when opened. Knockdown hardware:A fastener that allowsthe quick assembly and disassembly of a pieceof furniture. LeafiA panelthat is extended to increase the sizeof a tableand retracted when not in use:it can be hingedor sliding. kdger strip: A short, narrow piece of wood usedto supportthe top or bottomofa cabinet. Listing: Canvas or wovenwool cloth tapeusedfor weaving chair seats; also known asShaker tape. Miter gaugeA device that slides in a slot on a sawor router table,providing supportfor the stockasit moves pastthe bladeor bi! canbe adjusted to differentangles for miter cuts. Molding: Decorative stripsof wood usedto embellish a pieceof furniture.

140

Mortise A hole cut into a pieceof wood to receive a tenon. Mortise-and-tenonjoint: A joinery techniquein which a projectingtenon cut in oneboard fits into a matching hole,or mortise,in another. Mullion: A slim verticalmember dividing sections of a frame;also known asa muntin. Panel-raisingplaneA hand plane with an angledsoleusedto bevel the sidesof a panelin frame-andpanelconstruction. Pilot hols A hole drilled into a workpieceto preventsplittingwhen a screw is driven;usuallymadeslightlysmaller than the threaded section of the screw. Pilot bearing:A free-spinning metal collar on a piloted routerbit that followsthe edge of a workpiece or a templateto guidethe bit during a cut. Pommel The square sectionleft on a turned furniture leg;allowsroom for mortises needed to receive rails. Pushblock or stick A device usedto feeda workpiece into a bladeor cutter to protectthe operator's fingers. Quartersawnlumber: Wood sawnso the wide surfaces intersect the growth rings at angles between 45oand 90o; alsoknown asvertical-grained lumber when referringto softwood. R-S joint:A method of joining Rabbet wood in which the end or edgeof one workpiecefits into a channel, or rabbet,cut alongthe edgeor end of another workpiece.

Rail In a table,the railsjoin the legs and supportthe top; in a chair,one of four boards that framethe seat. Also the horizontal memberof a frameand-panel assembly. See stile. panel In frame-and-panel Raised construction, a cabinetor door panel with a bevelcut aroundits edges, a "raises" decorative effectthat the center and allowsthe panelto fit into the groovecut in the frame. Rakeangle The angle at which a chair leg deviates from the vertical when viewedfrom the sideof the chair;seesplayangle. Rocker: The curvedrunnersof a rockingchairjoined to the chairlegs. RoughinggougeA turning tool usually usedto shape a square blank into a rylinder. Rulejoint A pivotingjoint commonly usedin drop-leaftables; features mating convexand concave profilescut into the edges of the tableleafand top. Shoulder: In a mortise-and-tenon joint, thepart ofthe tenonthat is perpendicularto the cheek. Sliding dovetailjoint Similar to a joint, except tongue-and-groove the slide,shaped like the pin of a dovetail joint, is held by a mating groove. Splayangle: The angleat which a chair leg deviatesfrom the vertical when viewed from the front of the chair;seerakeangle.

Stile:The verticalmemberof a frameand-panel assembly. See rail. Stoppeddado:A dadothat stops beforecrossing the full width or thickness of a workpiece. Storypole:A shop-made measuring gauge usedto determine the dimensionsandthelocation of thejointsin a project,suchasa chair. T-U.V-W-X-Y-Z Tearout The tendency of a bladeor cutterto tearwood fibers. Template A pattern usedto guidea tool in reproducing identical copies of a piece. Tenon:A protrusionfrom the end of a workpiece that fits into a mortise. Through dovetail joint A method of joining woodby means of interlocking pins and tails,which pass entirely through the matingpiece. joint A joinery Tongue-and-groove methodfeaturinga protrusionfrom the edgeor end of oneboardthat fits into the grooveofanother. Tiestle:In a trestletable,a board running alongthe underside of the top to which the legsareattached. Wood button: A small,square-shaped blockwith a rabbetat oneendthat fits into a groove; usedto secure the top of a pieceof furniture. WoodmovementThe shrinkingor swellingof wood in reactionto changes in relative humidity.

I4I

INDEX
Page references in italicsindicatean matter. Page illustrationof subject references in bold indicatea Build It project. Yourself A-B 10, 15,17 Architecture, Band saws IigS g jigs,79 circle-cuttin Baskets,22 Benches l8 Dining room benches, 19, 25,48 Meetinghouse benches, crestrails,54-55 cutting list,49 legs,52-54 50-52,54-55 seats,4& 50,54-55 spindles, Blanketchests, 2l joints,90, Blind mortise-and-tenon 91-92 137 Boxes, 8-9,17,117, 135Build It Yourself Band saws g jigs,79 circle-cuttin Piesafes jigs for the panel-raising tablesaw,96 Butterfly hinges Making butterfly hinges (Shop Tip), 1lj C-D Cabinets,20 23 Candlesconces, l& 78 Candlestands, 78,81,84-85 Columns, Legs,78,82-84,85 Rails,Z& 80,84,85 Sliding dovetailjoints, 57, 78, 81-83 Tops,79,80 Canterburycommunity, 10 Chairs.25 l8 Dining room benches, Enfieldsidechairs,12, 19,25, 26-27 i0-i1, 32,33 backslats, cutting list,27 joinery,26,28,31-i2, 33 legs,27, 28-29, 31-33 railsand stretchers, 30,32-33 rushseats, 34-37 Listing,24,44-47 Revolvingchairs,19 Rocking chairs,19,24,25, 38-39 arms,41, 42-43 assembly,42 backs,24 cutting list, 39 legs,40,43 rockers,4l,43 tape seats,44-47 Rushseats, 34-32 19 Splint-seat dining chairs, See alsoBenches Circular cuts g jigs,79 Circle-cuttin 117,118 Clocks, 17,23, 116, 126-128 Assembly, Cases,119-122 Dial and clock mechanisms, 126-127 Doors,123-125 Pendulums, I28 Clotheshangerc,23 100101 Cockbeading, Crownmolding,102-103 Cupboards Cabinets,20 Sill cupboards,2l See alsoPie safes Cutting lists Enfieldsidechairs,27 49 Meetinghouse benches, Piesafes, 89 Rockingchairs,39 18 Dining room benches, Dovetailjoints Slidingdovetails, 57,78, 81-83 Throughdovetails, 129,130-133 Drawers Drop-leaf tables,69, 74-76 l& 56,57,68 Drop-leaftables, Drawers, 69,74-76 Legs,69,72-73 Ptails,69,70-73 Tops,76-77 Drying racks,22 E-F.G 12, 19,25,26-27 Enfieldsidechairs, Backslats,30-31, 32,33 Cutting list,27 33 foinery,26,28,31-32, Legs,27, 28-29, 31-33 Railsand stretchers, 30,32-33 34-37 Rushseats, aper Finishes, /ront endp Footstools,22 Greaves, Charles,l6

H-r-l-K
Hinges Making butterfly hinges (Shop Tip), 113 IigS Bandsaws circle-cuttingjigs,79 Pipe steamers, backendpaper, 30 Rocking chairlegs,40 Routers dovetailjigs,1j2 5Z 8l sliding dovetails, Thblesaws jigs for the table panel-raising saw,96 foinery joints, Blind mortise-and-tenon 90,91-92 26,28,31Enfield sidechairs, 32,33 joints, 106Mortise-and-tenon 107,110 Slidingdovetailjoints, 57, 78, 81-83 Through dovetailjoints, 129, 130133

t42

L-M-N-O-P-Q Lamb,David,6-7 Lee,Ann, 10,14 Listing,24 Rocking chair seats, 44-47 Meetinghouse benches, 19, 25,48 Crestrails,54-55 taperingcrestrails on a planer (Shop Tip),55 Cutting lists,49 Legs,52-54 Seats,4& 50-52,54-55 Spindles, 50,54-55 Milk paint,/ro nt endpaper joints, 106Mortise-and-tenon 107, 110 Ovalbaskets,22 Ovalboxes, 8-9, 17,117,135-137 Paints, front endpaper Panels Glass,124-125 Raised,94-95 jigs for the table panel-raising saw 96 Tin,87, 110-112 Pantries. See Piesafes Pegboards, 23, ll7, 138139 Pegs, front endpaper Piesafes, 20, 86-87,88-89 Assembly, 97-103 joints, Blind mortise-and-tenon 90,91-92 Cockbeading, 100101 Crown molding,102-103 Cutting lists,89 Doors, 89,106 frames,106-110 installation, 113-114 making butterfly hinges(Shop Tip),113 mortise-and-tenon ioints,106107,110 pulls,l15 tin panels, 87, 110-112 Floatingpanels,93, 97 jigs for the table panel-raising saw 96 raisingpanels,94-95 Framestiles.90-91

Rails,92-93 Shelving, 104-105 Pipesteamers, 30,backendpaper Planers Thperingcrestrails on a planer (ShopTip), ss Pulls,front endpaper R.S Raised panels, 94-95,96 Revolvingchairs,19 Rocking chairs,19, 24, 25, 38-39 Arms,41,42-43 Assembly,42 Backs listing,24 Cutting list, 39 Legs,40,4j Rockers, 4I, 43 Tapeseats,44-47 Routers, 94 IigS dovetailjigs, I32 sliding dovetails, 57, 8I Raisingpanels,94 Rushseats, 34-37 Sewing desks,20 Shaker boxes. See Boxes Shaker culture,I0, 13-17 Shaker style,6,16-17 See alsoArchitecture ShopTips,55,113 Sill cupboards,2l Slidingdovetailjoints, 57 Candlestands, 57,78, 81-83 Spinningwheels, 23 Splint-seat dining chairs,l9 Sprigg, fune,10-ll Stepstools, 22, lI7, 129 Gluingup,133-134 Through dovetailjoints, 129, 130-133 Stools Footstools,22 Stepstools,22 gluing :up,133-134 through dovetailjoints, 729, 130133 Storypoles, 28

T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z Thbles. 57 DropJeaf tables,I & 56,57, 68 drawers, 69,74-76 legs,69,72-73 rails,69,70-73 tops,76-77 Trestle tables,18,57, 58 feet,61,64,66 legs,62-63, 65,66 rails,63,66, 67 tops,58, 59-60,64,67 See alsoCandlestands Tablesaws, 16 Raisingpanels,95 jigs for the table panel-raising saw 96 Tapeseats,44-47 Through dovetailjoints, I 29, 1i0- 133 Tin panels, 87, 110-112 Tin punches, lll Tools,16 Band saws circle-cuttingjigs,79 j0 Pipe steamers, backendpaper, Planers, 55 Routers dovetailjigs, 132 sliding dovetailsjigs,57,81 Storypoles, 28 Table saws, 16,95,96 Tin punches, 111 Trestle tables,18, 57, 58 Feet,61,64,66 Legs,62-63,65, 66 Rar7s,63, 66,67 Tops,58, 59-60,64,67 Yarnish, aper front endp Washstands,2l Wells, Freegift, 16 Wilson,John,8-9, 135 Workbenches,2l Work stands,20 Yarn reels,22 Youngs, Isaac Newton,16,118

143

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Theeditors wish to thank thefollowing SHAKERDESIGN MA; Village,Pittsfield, HancockShaker Fitzsimmons, Lexington,KY; Elizabeth famesArchambeault, MA Pittsfield, Richmond,MA; JuneSprigg, PaulRocheleau, CHAIRS AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools, CT; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterTowson,MD; ConnecticutCane& ReedCo., Manchester, Co.,Inc., NH; General ToolsManufacturing Cable, Guelph,Ont.; Mike Dunbar,Portsmouth, Village,Pittsfield,MA; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; New York, NY; HancockShaker Montreal, Que.;RyobiAmericaCorp.,Anderson,SC; Masse, Ian Ingersoll,West Cornwall,CT; Jean-Pierre Works, New Britain, CT Tools,Division of the Stanley and Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Stanley SandvikSaws TABLES AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, Montreal, Que.; (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; LesRealisations Loeven-Morcel, Tools, PA; Stanley and Tools Co., Scranton, AmericaCorp., Anderson,SC;SandvikSaws Ryobi ' Works, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont. Division of fhe Stanley PIE SAFE AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; RobertBourdeau,Laval,Que.; Guelph,-Ont.; Montouriville, PA; Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, Country Accents, Masse, Montreal,Que.; GreatNeckSawMfrs. Inc. (BuckBros.Division),Millbury, MA; Jean-Pierre Works, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Tools,Division of the Stanley Stanley Troy, MI Wainbee Ltd.,PointeClaire,Que./DE-STA-CO, SHAKERCLASSICS Guerin Enr., St-Rdmi,Que.; R6jean AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Atelier d'Ebdnisterie Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable, CA; Murray Clock Division), Millbury, MA; The Home Shop,Charlotte,MI; David Keller,Petaluma, Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont. Craft, Willowdale,Ont.; Sears, ofthis book: in thepreparation alsoassisted Thefollowingpersons Laberge, Monette,Tim Reiman, Lorraine Dor6, Solange Genevidve David Simon.DianaVon Kolken

PICTURE CREDITS
Cover RobertChartier 6' 7 SteveLewis 8,9 Ed Homonylo Lewis 10,ll Steve Archambeault 12 James Village 13 CourtesyHancockShaker (both) 14,15 James Archambeault Village 16 CourtesyHancockShaker Village (rop) 17 CourtesyHancockShaker Archambeault(boxom) 17 James Photography 19 PaulRocheleau Village 20,23,39,4 CourtesyHancockShaker

r44

WORKSHO GP UIDE
A SHOP-MADE PIPE STEAMER
Use thejig shown below to steam chair parts, legs. Theecosuch asslats or rear illusnomical anddurable wood steamer trated canbefashioned fron 2-by-4s AtB eS ro i o e a n d4 - i n c h - d i a m e a n df i t Thedevice features support racks tings. inside thepipe anda removable capat Thesteam each endfor easy access. is a water source canconnected to the steamer bya length of plastic hose; the water in thecanis heated bya propane(This fired cooker. setup should only be used outdoors,) Thesteam source should have a removable, screw-type cap. To build witha thesteamer, start pipe length longer of Schedule 80 ABS youwish than thepiece of wood to bend. Cutit in half andbore a series of holes through bothpieces to accommodate %inch zinc-coated machine bolts andnuts These willsuooort wood asshown. bolts inside thesteamer andorevent it from (The lying in condensed water. zinc coatingwillprevent thebolts fromstaining thewood.) Drill theholes below thecenterline of thepipe to provide room forthe wood. Install thebolts, using both steel
(DETA|L) 1TEAM ?OURCEF|TT\NG
Machine nul,
(inai,.le afeam

water can)

Tlasttc hose to gteamer

Kubber 4aeket. washers andrubber o n b o t hs i d e st o m a k ea n a i r t i g hs t e a l .N o wg l u eb o t h halves of the pipeto an ABST-connector. D r i l la % - i n c h d r a i nh o l ea t o n ee n dt o t xcess release moisture a n d p r e v e ne pressure. pipecut Thengluea connector f r o m1 % - i n c h A B S p i p et o t h e s p o u to f t h eT c o n n e c t o r N . ext, cut a length of plastic hose thatwrllconnect the steamer to the water can;the fittingsrequired for the watercan end areshown above. ( T h ef i t t i n g s f o r t h e s t e a m ee r n do f t h e hose a r ei d e n t i c a e l ,x c e ptth a ta n A B S end cap is usedinstead of the water can

cap.) Make sure thef ittings areairtight. Lastly, build a 2-by-4 f rame to support thesteamer. Nail a small support block at one willrest endsothesteamer ona s l i g hitn c l i na en d w a t ew r i l lr u no u to f thedrain hole. Touse thesteamer, carefully connect thegas cooker to a propane tank. Fillthe w a t ec ran, s e a il t t i g h t l y a , n ds e ti t o n thecooker. Secure the removable end caps on thesteamer, light thecooker, a n dl e tt h es t e a m e bru i l d u os t e a m . (Caution: Donotletthesteamer or steam pressurized.) source become

9chedule 8C AES.ptpe F.anctabie and ca,t:)

T connector Kemovable end cap

ConnecLor PiPE 2 x 4 frame

Fropane-fired 4ae cooker

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