.

16* /1

| '.;"-:
_9
xzr
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WORKSHO
GPU I D E
HARDWARE
ANDINLAYS
Bed bolt covers

Escutcheone

Federal-otyle inlayo

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CATCUTATING
BOARD
FEET
NUMBER
OFBOARD
FEET
()F
IN4 TINEAR
FEET
DIFFERENT
SIZEBOARDS
1"x 12"x 12"= 1otandard board foot
1-by-3=lboardfoot

1-by-6=2boardfeet

1-by-12=4boardfeet

2-by-4 = 22/z board feet

2-by-6=4boardfeet

0rdering
lumber
bytheboard
foot
Because
theboardfootisa unitof measurement
that
offersa standard
wayof totaling
thevolume
of stock
regardless
of dimensions,
it is commonly
usedwhen
dealing
withlumber.
Asshownat left,thestandard
boardfootis equivalent
to a piecethatis 1 inchthick,
12 inches
wideand12 inches
long.Tocalculate
the
pieceof wood,
number
of boardfeetin a particular
multiply
itsthreedimensions
together.
Thendivide
theresult
by I44 if thedimensions
areall in inches,
or by 12 if onedimension
is expressed
in feet.Forthe
standard
board,
theformulais:
I " x 7 2 "x 1 2 "+ 1 4 4= I ( o r1 "x 1 2 "x I ' = L 2= 7 ) .
youwouldcalSoif youhadan8-foot-long
1-by-3,
culatetheboardfeetasfollows:
1 x 3 x 8 + 12 = 2 (or
2 boardfeet).Otherexamples
areshownin theillustration.Remember
thatboardfeetarecalculated
on
thebasisof nominal
ratherthanactualsizes.

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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

CLNSIC
AMERICAN
FURNTTURE

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

CIASSIC
ANAERICAI
FURNITURE

TIME-LIFE
BOOKS
ALEXANDRIA,
VIRGINIA
ST.REMYPRESS
MONTREAL

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THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by
ST.REMYPRESS
Publisher KennethWinchester
President
/ ChiefExecutiveOfficer FernandLecoq
President/ ChiefOperatingOfficer PierreL6veilld
SeriesEditor
SeriesArt Director
SeniorEditor
Editor
Art Directors
Designers

PierreHome-Douglas
FrancineLemieux
Marc Cassini
Andrew Iones
lean-PierreBourgeois,Michel Gigudre
FrangoisDaxhelet,Jean-GuyDoiron
FrangoisLongp16
PictureEditor ChristopherJackson
Writers fohn Dowling, AdamVan Sertima
Contr ibuting IlIustrators GillesBeauchemin,Michel Blais,
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Administrator NatalieWatanabe
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Time-Life Booksis a division of Time Life Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiaryof
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

TIME-LIFEINC.
President
andCEO JohnM. Fahey

TIME-LIFEBOOKS
President
ManagingEditor
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JohnD. Hall
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ConsuhingEditor
Vice-Preside
nt, BookProduction
ProductionManager
Manager
Quality Assurance

fohn R. Sullivan
Marjann Caldwell
MarleneZack
famesKing

THECONSUTIANTS

JonArno is a consultant,cabinetmaker,and freelancewriter who

livesin Tioy,Michigan. He conductsseminarson wood identificationand earlyAmericanfurnituredesign,and is the authorof
TheWoodworkers
VisualHandbook,publishedby RodalePress.

I
I

Mike Dunbar builds fine furniture at his workshop in

Portsmouth,New Hampshireand offersWindsorchairmaking
seminarsacrossNorthAmerica.He is a contributingeditorof
AmericanWoodworkerand author of FederalFurniture and
MakeAWndsor ChairWth MichaelDunbar,bothpublished
by The ThuntonPress.
GilesMiller-Mead taught advancedcabinetmakingat Montreal
technicalschoolsfor more than 10years.A nativeof New
Zealand,he hasworked asa restorerof antique furniture.
ClassicAmericanfurniture.
p. cm.- (TheArt of woodworking)
Includesindex.
ISBN0-8094-9542-2
1. Furniture making.I. Time-Life Books.II. Series.
TTl94.C531995
749.213-dc20
95-2t990
CIP
For information about any Time-Life book,
pleasecall I-800-621-7026,or write:
ReaderInformation
Time-Life CustomerService
P.O.BoxC-32068
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@ 1995Time-LifeBooksInc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by
any electronicor mechanicalmeans,including information
storageand retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior written permissionfrom the publisher,exceptthat brief passages
may be quotedfor reviews.
First printing. Printed in U.S.A.
Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada.
TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time WarnerInc. U.S.A.
R r 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 r

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CONTENTS
6 INTRODUCTION
T2 CTASSICAMERICAN
FURNITURE STYLES
22 PEMBROKETABLE
24 Anatomy of a Pembroketable
26 Making the leg-andrail assembly
30 Preparingthe siderails
4 I Making the drawer
43 Making the top

L04 QUEENANNE SECRETARY

106 Anatomy of a
QueenAnne secretary
109 Making the deskunit
1 1 6 Making the drawers
1 1 9 Building the pigeonholeunit
12T Making the fall-front
1 3 0 Making the bookcase
1 3 5 Making the doors
I4O GLOSSARY
I42 INDEX

48
50
52
59
66

FOUR-POSTERBED
Anatomyof a four-posterbed
Tirrning the bedposts
Making the end boards
Pencilposts

70 WINDSOR CHAIR
72 Anatomy of a sack-back
Windsor chair
74 Making the spindles
80 Making the bow and arm
84 Making the seat
88 Making the legs,arm posts,
and stretchers
94 Assemblingthe chair
103 A milk paint finish

I44 ACKNOWTEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Iohn Kassayon

WINDSOR
FURNITURE
deceptivelywell-engineered
furniturestylewhosepartsareassembled
mainly
fromwoodensticks,
Wndsorrepresents
oneof history's
mostinnovative
and
recognizable
furnituredesigns.
TheWindsorfamilyof furnitureconsists
of stools,
chairs,
cradles,
stands,
andtables.
Chairsarethelargest
categorywith
eightdifferent
basicforms,suchascomb-backs,
step-downs,
andthesack-back
version,
whichis
featured
beginningon page70.Chairsalsospawned
ninederivatives
thatinclude
rockingchairs,
stools,
writingarmchairs,
andchild-sized
chairs.
Theoriginof Wndsorsisancienthistory.Theirantecedents
canbeattributed
to
theEgyptians,
wheretombdrawings
of the18thDynastydepictworkmensittingon
threeJegged
hand-hewn
stoolssocketed
to a plankseat.Thereason
for thename
Wndsoris something
of anenigma,
but themostlogicalexplanation
is thatthey
werenamedduringthefirst decade
of the 18thCenturyaftertheEnglishtown
of Windsotwhosebeechtreesprovideda plentifrrlsupplyof rawmaterialfor legs
andotherturnedparts.
Windsorchairsimprovedon thetraditionaljoiner'schairsof theperiodby
eliminatingtheneedto glue-upseatframes.
In aWindsorchair,theseatis a solid
plankservingasthefoundationfor thelegsandstretchers
andfor thespindleback.
Thatsimplicityandstrenghof designis no doubtoneof thekeysto thechair's
undyingpopularityandlongevity.
Windsorchairmakingstarted
asa cottage
industryin England
duringthe1720s,
but soonbecame
animportantfactory-based
operation,
employing
hundreds
of
workers,
centered
in thetownof HighWycombe.
AlthoughthefirstWndsorsin
Americawerechairsimportedfrom England,Philadelphia
chairmakersalmost
immediately
capitalized
on thispopularnewform of easilymadeseating.
Their
one-manshopsexpanded
intolargefactories.
Englishchairmakerstookadvantage
properties
of thephysical
of differentwoods
for differentcomponents
of thechairs,usingashfor bentparts,beechfor turnings,
andelmfor seats.
TheirAmerican
counterparts
usedhickoryredoakor ashforbending,maplefor turnings,andpinefor seats.
Windsors
weretraditionallypaintedgreen,
butothercolorssuchasblue,mustardandredwerealsoused.Thepaintconcealed
the
differentwoodcolorsandservedto protectthewoodoutdoors,whileconveying
a
unifyingwholeness
to thepiece.ManyEnglishchairsweresimplydip stained.
Nowretired,Dr.JohnKassay
taughtfurnituredesign
for 30yearsat San
Francisco
published
StateUniversity.
HisBookof Shaker
Furniture,
bythe
University
ofMassachussetts
Press,
isconsidered
oneof theforemost
reference
preparing
boolcs
onShaker
style.Heiscurrently
a similarbookonWndsor
publisher.
the
same
He
lives
in SanBruno,Califurnia.
furniturefor

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INTRODUCTION

GregoryWeidmantalksaboutthe

APPEALOF
FEDE,RAL
STYLE
A s a graduatestudentat theWinterthurMuseumProgramin EarlyAmerican
f\
Crliut., I wasprivilegedto work with the country'fpremierecollectionof
of the stylesmostpopularwith
Americanfurniture,includingthe bestexamples
Evenin thissetting,though,
today-QueenAnneandChippendale.
cabinetmakers
Empireeras.As
of thelaterFederaland
I wasalways
drawnto theneoclassicalpieces
curatorof the MarylandHistoricalSocietyin Baltimore17 yearslater,I am still
studyingandwritingaboutthosewonderfulpiecesthat I foundsoappealing.
Thispolitical
from England.
in Americabeganwith independence
TheFederalera
an
changealsousheredin a newperiodin the arts.The Federalstylerepresented
and Rococostyles.The promiestheticrevolutionoverthe popularChippendale
carving,asymmetryin
nentfeatures
of the earlierperiods-florid,naturalistic
in casefurniture-were all derivedfrom
massiveness
ornament,andarchitectural
Federal
furniturereplaced
sources.
ofhistoricalandcontemporary
a hodgepodge
with a clean,linearstylethat lookedbackto jllst onesource
theseartisticexcesses
of inspiration-AncientClassicism.
designerRobertAdamintroducedthe
The greatneoclassical
architect/interior
and
GeorgeHepplewhite
new styieto the Englishgentry,and ftrrnituredesigners
ThomasSheratonpublishedhighlyinfluentialbooksthat popularizedits ancient
motifs.
GreekandRomandecorative
"Hepplewhite"
to as
alsoreferred
In theUnitedStates,
thisnewstyle-sometimes
"sheraton"-was
Althougheachmetropolitheheightof fashionby themid-1790s.
or
style,therewerecertainbasic
form of Federal
its owndistinctive
tanareadeveloped
with attenarelightanddelicate,
in general
thatdefinedit. Thepieces
characteristics
areflat andlinear,relyingon geometsuchastaperedlegs.Surface
uatedelements
woodsto achieve
themainesthetic
ric patterns
of veneerandbandingin contrasting
stringingand pictorial
is primarilyinlaidandpatterned
effects.
Ornamentation
sources:
columns,
elementsarederivedfrom ancientclassical
motifs.Decorative
Americanmotif:thepatrileaves
andvines,with onedistinctively
shells,
urns,swags,
symbolof thenewnation.
oticeagle,
or Empiretaste,
beganto evolveintoLateNeoclassical
Byabout1810,Federalstyle
Actualpieces
of
discoveries.
whichwasevenmorecloselyinspiredby archaeological
"klismos"
andtripod stands
chairs,banquetingcouches,
ancientfurnituresuchas
Not until the lB40sandtheadventof romantic
by cabinetmakers.
werereproduced
in theAmericanhome.
wasthetastefor theClassicalsuperseded
Victorianrevivalstyles

GregoryWeidmanis Curatorof theMaryland

homeofAmerica's
in Baltimore,
HistoricalSociety
largestcollectionof Federal
furniture.

INTRODUCTION

Norm Vandalexplains

QUEENANNE'S
LINE OFBEAUTY
probeautyisbornfrompleasing
f nrnut.riulobjectssuchasfurniture,I believe
I portionandtheharmonious
relationship
between
curvedandstraightlines.
Straightlinesimpartstructure,
mass,andsolidity.Curvedlineslendmovement,
elegance,
andgrace.
Tome,QueenAnne-style
furniturepresents
theperfectunion
of straightandcurvedcomponents.
Simplelines,gracefulcurves,
unpretentious
decoration,
proportionall contributeto someof themostbeautiful
anddelicate
expressions
in Americanfurniture.
in theAmerican
QueenAnneisa namegivento a styleof furniturefirstproduced
Colonies
in theearlyto mid l8th Century.
Assigning
periodsor historicalepochs
to furniturestyles,
however,
issolelyusefulfor discussions
abouttheirorigins.This
stylesawonlyembryonic
development
duringthereignof QueenAnneherself,
yet
it remains
immensely
popularto thisday.Indeed,
whileI amcertainlynotan 18th
Centurycabinetmaker,
mostof thepieces
I'veproduced
in myrural,one-man
shop
havebeenin thiselegant
style,andtheyhaverangedfromfaithfulreproductions
of
periodpieces
to modernadaptations.
Whatarethehallmarks
of Queen
Annefurniture?
Themostprominent
feature
is
thecabrioleleg,a sculptured,
three-dimensional
formbasedonanimalmotifs.Other
essential
characteristics
includethescrolled
apronsoftables,
pieces;
chairsandcase
thevase-shaped
splatsof chairbacks;
pediments
thescrolled
of highchests
andsecretaries;
thearch-panel
doorsofsecretaries
andcupboards;
andtheshellcarvings
on
chaircrests,
dressing
tables,
andothercase
pieces.
Virtuallyallof theseelements
are
"line
dependent
on thecurve,on theS-shaped
so-called of beauty."
In becoming
familiarwith anystyleof furniture,youeventually
recognize
how
styleis evolutionary,
howit develops
andchanges
with theaccretion
of newideas.
All designisin constant
flux at anyof itsstages.
I takegreatpleasure
in examining
furniturefor vestiges
of theQueenAnnestyle,bothin periodpieces
andin new
designs
fromtheshopsof contemporary
craftsmen.
I don'task"IsthispieceQueen
"What
Anne?"
butrather
aretheQueen
Annecharacteristics
of thisparticular
piece,
anddo anyotherelements
contribute
to or conflictwith theeffective
beautyof its
design?"
In thisway,theoldis constantly
blended
with thenew-a stockpot
in the
kitchenof ideas.

Norm Vandalbuildsreproduction
furniture in his
Roxbury,Vermontshopand teaches
literatureat s
nearbyhighschool.
He is theauthoro/QueenAnne
Furniture,publishedby TheThuntonPress.

IlS

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CLASSICAMERICANFURNITURESTYLES
At{NE
OUEEI{
Spanning
mostof thefirsthalfof
the 18thCentury,
theQueen
Anne
stylewasbothinfluentialand
original,
characterized
byrefined,
flowinglineswithoutexcessive
decoration.
Inchairandtablemaking,
thestylespawned
an important
innovation:
thecabriole
leg.Queen
Annedesigns
migrated
to America
afterbecoming
wellestablished
in England.
Thestyleeventually
f o u n da h o m ei n P h i l a d e l p ht ihae,
colonies'
mostimportant
cabinetmakingcenter.
AnnefurniQueen
popular
tureremained
in America
longafterit wassuperceded
in
England
bytheearlyGeorgian
style.

SECRETARY
(page 1o4)
A desk-bookcaae combination
with a veneeredfall-front;
featu rea d ovetailed cornere
and drawera

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Lar6e braaa
baak plate
with bail

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AUEENANNE
CHAIR

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Curved
chair baak
Padded
alip aeat

CARDTAELE
Top folda in half and aide raila
foid inward to move leae cloeer
to1ether

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Cabriole
Ieg

Thehighboyaboveexemplifies
theharmonybetyveen
straight
linesandfluid curvestypical
of QueenAnne-style
furniture

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CLASSICAMERICANFURNITURESTYLES

CHIPPENDALE
CHINE1E
CHIPPENDALE
CHAIR
Feat.ureda clean recLan4ularlook wlLhliqhlt
4eometrtc freLwork

NamedafterBritishmastercarver
a n df r r r n i t r t rdee s i s n eTr h o m a s
C h i p p e n d a lteh,i ss t y l ee m e r g e d
i n t h e s e c o n dh a l fo f t h e 1 8 t h
Century.It is oftenthoughtof as
up withornaQueenAnnedressed
m e n t a t i osnu c ha ss h e l cl a r v i n g s .
piecrust
intricate
fretwork,
edging,
a n do t h e re l e m e n tosf r o c o c o r
Chinese
d e s i s n T h e s t v l ef l o u r i s h e di n t h e A m e r i c a n
cabinetm a k i n gc e n t e r o
s f B o s t o nN, e w
Y o r kN
, e w p o rat .n dP h r l a d e l p h i a ,
w i t he a c hc e n t e d
r e v e l o p i ni g
ts
o w ns i g n a t u r eP.h i l a d e l p h i a
C h i p p e n d aw
l ea st h e m o s te x t r a v a g e n ti n i t s c a r v e dd e t a i lw
, h i l ei n
N e wY o r kt h e s t y l ew a sm o r e
restrained
l n. B o s t o nt ,h e b o m b e shapedchestwaspopular.Newport
h e l p e dp o p u l a r r zaeu n i q u e l y
A m e r i c a fno r m :t h e b l o c k - f r o n t .
FeaLured a tilttnq
top and l,ripod leqe

9ATINWOOD
COMMODE
Thebombbehape
wao typtcal of I;he
DoeLonoLyle

nff$ay\
"ru#

Kosette pull
thell
carving

,EFhr",
-lgr'q<;,^r Cdhb

ELOCK-FRONT
CHE?T
An Americanadaptton
of the Chippendale
atyle

t-)

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CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURE STYLES

FEDERAT
PTRIOD
Afterthe Revolution,
American
furniture
makersbeganto distance
themselves
fromBritishinfluence.
Endeavoring
to
createa newstyle,theyturnedto the
classical
designs
of ancient
Greece
and
Rome.Forthis reason.
Federal
furniMore
tureis oftencalled"Neoclassical."
pieces
austere
thanChippendale,
Federal
typicallymimicked
the linesandfeatures
of antiquity,
suchascolumns,
animal
claws,reeding,
fluting,andthe lyre.
Despite
indepeneffortsto achieve
dence,however,
American
cabinetmakersremained
underBritishinfluence.
Thedesigns
of Englishmen
George
Hepplewhite
andThomas
Sheraton
were
widelycirculated
andcopiedin America,
although
someNewWorlddesigners
attempted
to Americanize
the British
stylesby incorporating
the eagleand
otheroatrioticmotifs.

WORKTAELE
Thou1hdelicate in appearance,
the table waa solid enouqhto
eupport a heavymarble top

CARDTAELE

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Designedtofit belowa recessed

window
theaptly namedwindow seat,lilcethe
oneshownabove"wasa popularFederal
period daign. Thecross-lattice
pattern
of theraisedendsis typicalof thebestknownFednal daigner,DuncanPhyfe.

Fluting

PHYFE ARMCHAIR
Marked by a
theraton-etyle
reatanqular baak
and deliaately
croaaed back alata

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C I , A S S I (A, N 4 E R I C A F
NUI I N I T U I { ES T Y I - I ] S

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MIKROR
iemple'ltke cr:lumns
are typtcal ner:classt
cal infiuenoes
Hinged
writing
eurface

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PEMEROKE
TABLE
2
2
)
Qaqe
litr:t.apered t6:4e
of i.lue
1,.a,ia a r a cha racf.erictl t:
ai' i,.:
r t1.i
c h d eotq ner.
G eo r4 c rl c c p| c.wlt tf t:.:
lor aaaJ at.orede. f irt
tiliqe.) leavaa oen r;a
iroPPt:d dc,ivn

\
Taperedleg

)EYMOUKDE1K
An AmencanadapLattonof
Hepplewhtt.eand 5 herato n et.yleo

Braes feet

Tapered leg

CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURESTYLE,S

AMERICAN
COUNTRY/C()t()NIAt
andunsophisUsinglocalwoodspecies
methods,
ticated
construction
colonial
America's
oioneers
adaoted
traditional
country
designs
fromEngland
to produce
ns
s i m p l ep, r a c t i c faul r n i t u rken o w a
American
Country.
Although
moresophisticated
styles
in prosperous
supplanted
thesedesigns
prevailed
colonial
towns,
rusticfurniture
frontier.
Withits
ontheever-advancing
durability,
andeconomy,
trasimplicity,
d i t i o n aAlm e r i c aCno u n t rfyu r n i t u r e
c o n t i n u et o
s a p p e at lo 2 0 t h - C e n t u r y
particularly
f urniture
makers,
thoselivi n si n r u r aAl m e r i c a .

Four-poater bed
(pase 4O)
For qutckdieaeeembly,
the bedpoatofeature
round mortiee-and'
tenona LhaLcan be
taken aparL; the aide
ratlaare attached to
the poeLawif,hknockdown hardware

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Rueh seat

An ingeniousresponse
to cramped
conditions,
thechairtableshown
aboveservesdoubleduty. With the
tilted-uptopagainsta wall, thepiece
canbeusedasa chair.Loweringthe
top transformsit into a table.

Ladder-back chair
Theeeat in the example
ahownia madeof ruah,
but cane,eplint,and
canvaataPe qeata were
also commonlyproduced

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CUPBOARD
ANDHUTCH
Variatione
on thie
de6qn werecommonly made in
America between
1730and 1B4O

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Wrought-iron
etrap hinge

Taverntable
Lowrectan4ular
or circular table
with atretchere
and t.urnedle7a

Trestle table
A larqe tabletop eupported by le4e and a treat[e; tuak or prnnedtenonojotn le4ato the
treetle, allowin4eaeydreaaeembly

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CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURESTYLES

WINDS(1R
TheWindsorchair(page70) is often
withAmerican
furniture
classified
Country
joinery
itssimpleandprecise
because
harken
andfunctional
elegance
backto
thecraftsmanship
of a bygone
era.But
theWindsor
is neither
American
norrural.
Firstmadein late17th-Century
England,
it is oneof themostenduring
andpopul a ro f a l l c h a i rd e s i g n T
s .h eW i n d s o r
f a m i l ya l s oi n c l u d esst o o l sc,r a d l e s ,
stands,
andtables.
A l t h o u gthh eW i n d s ocrh a i rh a s
spawned
countless
variations,
virtually
feature
a solidseat,which
all versions
anchors
separate
assemblies
of turned
legsanda spindle
back.

9pindle

CONTINUOU9-ARM
CHAIR
Feat.ureaa einqlecontinuoua
arm made of ateamed wood
aupported by turned
epindleeand arm poete

Braaing
atiak

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OVALEACK
CHAIR

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Many of theelements
of thecomb-back
Wndsorchairshownabovewereriven
andshaped
from greenwood.Thechair
wasmadeby North CarolinawoodworkerDrewLangsner.

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CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURESTYLES

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REGIONAL
STYTES
Liketheearlysettlers
fromEngland, addedtheirowninfluence
to thecatnewcomers
to America
fromother
alogof earlyAmerican
styles.
Mixed
partsof theworldbrought
theirunique intotheblendwereNorthAmerican
cabinetmaking
traditions
withthem. versions
of national
stylesbuiltin the
Fromthe Dutchwhofounded
New
former
French
andSpanish
colonies.
Amsterdam
to theZoarite
Germans Thepieces
shownherearea brief
whosettled
in 0hio,thenewarrivals sampling
of regional
styles.
NEWMEXICANCHAIR
Made bv 7paniah
"Carpinier'oo,"
thia
chatr reflecte both
9panieh and naLtveAmericaninfluencea;
extenaivechip carvinq
eerved to li4hten
the lookof the heavy
timber uaedin the
a99empty.

Frame-and-panel
aonatruation

FRENCH
PROVINCIAL
ARMOIRE
A popularconLinental
deei4nfound throu4hout Lheformer French
colonieain America,
particula rly Louieiana

ZOAR
CHAIR
A aimplecountry chair,
baeedon modeleori4inally
made rn Germany,Auetria and
OERMANSAWBUCKTABLE
A typical Oermandeai4nfound in manyreqionoof
Fennoylvania:euch a eturdy deaiqn that.many
2OO-year-oldexampleoremainin uaablecondition

)witzerland; often called a

"Lwo-board

chair"

CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURE STYLES

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SHAKER
TheShakers
werea ouritanical
religious
sectthatprospered
in the
1 8 0 0 sm
, a i n l iyn N e wE n g l a n d ,
NewYorkState,andthe Midwest.
Theylivedin isolation
fromsociety
on self-suff
icientfarms.Shaker
furniture
is practical,
functional,
andaustere-without
extravaga
nce
or ornamentation-but
attractive
in
i t ss i m p l i c i tS
y .h a k edre s i g p
nr i n ciplescontinue
to insprre
modern
funiture
makers.

ROCKINOCHAIR
Hae eteam-bent rear le4aand aolid-woodrockers;
the tape oeatinq ia availablern a variety of colora
and patterne. Aleo made in a ladder-backvereion

BLANKET
CHEST
Foretonn4blanketa
andqutlta

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LikeotherShakerpieces,thedropleaftableshownaboveowesits
beautyto itscleanlinesand completedevotiontofunction.With its
leavesextended,
thetablecanseat
people.
When
theentiresurfour
is
not
needed,
the
leaves
canbe
face
droppeddownand thetablestored
compactlyup againstawaII.
5TEP?TOOL
Aaaembled
withthrough
dovetatla,theae miniatepladdere enabled
Shakere to reach the
top ahelveaand dooraof
floor-to- ceilin4 casework:
three- and four-otep versionawerealao common

PIE'AFE
Traditionally
uaed to atore
baked4ooda;the
pierced-tin door
panelakept the
contents freah
whilepreventinq
verminfrom enterin4.Adjuotable
ahelveaadded
flexibility

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CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURESTYLES

Mlsst0N

TheMission
styleis anoffshoot
of
that
theArtsandCraftsmovement
to
evolved
in England
asa reaction
thestylistic
excesses
of theVictorian
perrod
in craftsandto thedecline
manship
caused
bytheIndustrial
Ledbydesigners
like
Revolution.
American
furniture
Gustav
Stickley,
preindustrial
work
makers
adopted
functional,
unmethods
to create
adorned
f urniture.Mission-style
joints,native
pieces
featured
exposed
(often
woodspecies
oak)anda genfurmorerusticlook.Mission
erally
n i t u r eg r e a t l iyn f l u e n c emda j o r
architects
suchasCharles
andHenry
Lloyd
Wright
Greene
andFrank

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MI)9ION ARMCHAIR
Ouatav )Lickley eoughLto create eimple,durableand comfortable furniture:Lhiopiece
feat urea aLratqhtfo rward, rec'
Liltneardeot7ne,expoeedjotnery
and modeet materiale

OREENEAND
GREENECHAIR
Deoignedby CharleeOreeneaL the turn

^[ rt-- tn+b.-A+,,.,.

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"hte Chair ie

Lypicalof furniture madefor houeeebuilL

by LheOreenebrotherein ?aeadena,California;it
featured ouperbcraf|amanahtpand reaLrained
decorationwtf,ha htnLof )rtent al tnfluence

ARTS AND
CRAFTS
OAKTABLE

|]:

The eolid, handcrafted

atreLcher borrowo iLo deoiqn
from the oturdy undercarrtage of a farm hay waqon

q.-P ll
ll[--..-"-.."---{l

-T

ilu

:1

l t v t l
y--.-_--.------.

ll

l l a D l l

l l - l l

llvll

9TICKLEY
ROCKING CHAIR
Durlt from aoltd
oak, thie chatr feaLurea inlatd floral
mol,ife on the back
slate than enrich
an otherwtgeaus'
tere piece

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h____=_J

ROLL.TOPDE9K
Made of oak and marked
by an abeence of adornment

2l

tl

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PEMBROKETABLE
in a table-mounted
routerto shape
the
hePembroke
tableisthought
Rule-joint
edges
ofthe top andleaves.
I to haveoriginatedin themidintotheunderhinges
arethenrecessed
18thGntury whenLadyPembroke
theconsidesof thepanels
to complete
thegreatGeorgian
commissioned
in
nection.Theleaves
aresupported
cabinetmaker
andmastercarver
their extendedpositionby fly rails
ThomasChippendale
to fashiona
attached
to thesiderailswith knuckle
forher.Theexamsmallcasualtable
joints(page32).
plefeaturedin thischapter,
howevfeaAnotherof thetable's
functional
er,hasmorein commonwith the
turesisthedrawerthatslidesunderthe
and
neoclassical
designs
of Sheraton
top. Perfectfor storingutensilsand
American
Federal
furniture,which
linens,thedrawerismadewith through
flourishedin thefollowingcentuTheendgrainof thesidesis
dovetails.
lines
Is
gracefirl
blend
of
straight
ry.
concealed
by a falsefront, whichis
Thelegsof thePembroke
tablefeature
sharply
andgentlecurvescontrasts
curvedto matchthecurvedrail at the
stripsof dark banding,framed by
withtheintricateandornaterocotable'sotherend.
thin string inlay of a lighter wood.
codesigns
of Chippendale.
In keepingwith thetable'sstraight
versions
of thispiece
Theearliest
lines,thelegsaresimplytapered
on four sides
wasat a premiumin most andelegant
werebuilt at a timewhenspace
26).Narrowstripsof bandingnearthelegs'bottom
homesandfurniturehadto occupyaslittleroomaspossible. (page
touch.
in a coupleof inge- ends(page27)adda decorative
ThePembroke
tablemeetsthischallenge
Thejoineryusedto assemble
thetableis sturdyandrelathat
niousways.First,thetable'stopis flankedby twoleaves
is needed
and tivelysimple.Therailsarefixedto thelegswith blindmorcanberaisedup whentheentiretablesurface
(page33),reinforced
by woodencorner
thenloweredwhenit is not,allowingthetableto bestored tise-and-tenoffi
to the blocks.Thedrawerrailsattachto thelegswith twodifferent
in acorneror hallway.
Theleaves
areattached
compactly
half-laps
atthetopandtwin mortise-andtopwitha hingedjointknownasarulejoint.Asshownbegin- joints:dovetailed
bitsareused tenoniointson thebottom.
ningon page43,matching
coveandround-over

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and maple
Madefrom mahoganywith contrastingwalnut
legs,
the
Pembroke
table
shown
at left is
inlayaroundthe
piece
with
several
useful
an elegant
offurniture
features,
includingdropleaves
on thesidesand a drawerat oneend.

23

ANATOMYOF A PEMBROKETABLE
nyr he Pembroketable consistsof
I threemainsections:
a top,thelegand-railassembly,
and a drawer.The
top is attachedto a leafon eachside
with a hingedrulejoint. Theedgesof
the top areroundedoverandthe mat-

ing edgesof theleaves

areshapedwith
a matchingcove,forminga seamless
joint when the leavesare in the up
position.Theleaves
aresupportedby
fly railsthat swingout from the side
rails on knucklejoints. As shown

opposite,thesejoints featureinterlocking fi.ngersfixed togetherby a

woooenDrn.
Eachsiderailismadeup of fourindividualboards.
First,the knucklejoint
betweenthe longoutersiderail piece

Kule-jointhinge

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Wood
button

Drawer
oide runner
Tnn
'"r
drawer rail

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thort outer
eide rail piece

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Lon4outer
oide ratl piece

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lntay

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PEMBROKETABLE

and the fly rail is cut and assembled.

Then,the short outersiderail pieceis
sawnto sizeand the stationarvDieces
areface-elued
to theinnersideiail.the
is thenjoinedto thelegswith
assembly
Woodencorblindmortise-and-tenons.

nerblocksarescrewed
to adjoiningrails
at thebackendofthe tableto keepthe
cornerssquare.
The top is attachedto the railswith
wood buttons,whichfeaturea lip that
fits into a groovecut alongthe inside

edges
ofthe rails;thebuttonsarescrewed
to theunderside
of thetoo.Asshownon
page47,pocket
holescanalsobe used.
The dovetailed
draweris supported
flushwith
by woodenrunnersscrewed
thebottomedgeof thesiderails.

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LIST
CUTTING
ITEM

OUANTITY

THICKNESS

WIDTH

IENGTH

Gorner
blocks

3"

3"

Dlawer:Flontandback

%'

z%',

1A'/a',

lront
False

rv;'

2'/"',

r4,/;'

Sides

%r

2%',

18'

rails*
Drawer

%'

3"

r6%'

Runners

31,

1'

2I'

Bottom

Y^'

t4'

17Y4'

Endrail*

4%',

3',

r6%'

Flyrails

1"

4%',

L0y,'

lnnersiderails*

1',

4%"

32',

Leaves

,/8,

10"

4t"

Legs

T%'

I%'

29Y4'

Shortoutersiderailpieces*
longoutersiderailpieces*

1"

4%',

7t%'

1"

4%',

1.6%',

Top

v;'

20'

4T'

* N o t eD
: i m e n s i oin sc l u dtee n o no r h a l f - l al pe n g t h s .

MAKING THE LEG-AND-RAILASSEMBLY

tl" h. legsof a Pembroketablehavea
l- delicatelook that beliestheir sturdiness.Theyaretapered,with a simple
bandedinlay aroundeachleg about
3 inchesfrom thebottom.Thebandine
includesa %-inch-wide
dark strip-in this case,walnut-which contrasts
with themahogany.
A thin stripof maple
framesthewalnut.On somePembroke
tables,the inlay wasusedto mark the
transitionto a second,steepertaper
at the bottom of the leg.Traditionally,
legswith a doubletaperweretaperedon
the two insidefacesabovethe banding
and on all four sidesbelowit. Theversionshownin thischapterfeatures
a singletaperon eachface.
Oncethesiderailsareassembled,
they
arejoinedto thelegswith mortise-andtenons(page33).So,too,istheendrail,
but it must first be bandsawed
into a
curvedshapeto complement
thecurved
drawerfront at the oppositeendof the
table(page36).Thedrawerrailsarefixed
to thelegswith twin mortise-and-tenons
and dovetailedhalf-laps(page34).

TAPERING
THELEGS

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A fly rail holds up one of the leavesof

the Pembroketableshownabove.The
knucklejoint that attachestheJly rail to
the siderail is designedto stoppivotirtg
oncethefly rail opensto a 90" angle.A
recesscarved into the curved edgeofthe
lly rail providesa convenienthandhold.

Making
a taperjig
I C u ty o u rl e gb l a n ktso s i z er, e f e r r i nt ogt h ea n a t o mi yl l u s t r a t i o n p a g e 2 4 .
M a r ka l i n ea l l a r o u neda c hb l a n k5 i n c h efsr o mt h et o pe n dt o d e f i n e
t h es q u a r e
section
to whrch
therailswillbejoined.
Thenoutline
a %-inch
square
onthebottom
endof theblankto define
thetaper.
Tomakethecutonyourtablesaw,usea shopd ,a k i n igt l o n g earn dw i d e trh a nt h e
m a d ej i g .C u tt h eb a s ef r o m% - i n cphl y w o o m
blanks.
Seta blankonthebase,
aligning
corresponding
taperlinesat thetopandbott o mw i t ht h ee d g eo f t h eb a s eC. l a m tph eb l a n ki n p l a c ea n dp o s i t i ot nh eg u i d e
blocks
against
it. Screw
theguideblocks
to thebase,
thenfasten
twotoggle
clamps
t o t h el o n g ebr l o c kP. r e stsh et o g g l cel a m pds o w nt o s e c u rteh eb l a n kt o t h ej i g ,
(above).
tightening
thenutsontheclamps
witha wrench
Remove
thebarclamps.

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PEMBROKE
TABLE

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r) cuttingthefirsttaper
thebladeandposition
therip
L eutttheedgeof thejig basewiththeblankagainst
Tosupport
fenceflushagainst
theopposite
edgeof thebase.
theblankduringthecut,
Taper
thefirst
mounttwofeatherboards
to thesawtable,oneoneachsideof theblade.
sureneither
sideoftheblankbysliding
thejigandworkpiece
across
thetable,making
(Caution:
guardremoved
forclarity.)
handis in linewiththe blade(above).
Blade

theremaining
tapers
Q Cutting
r.J Release
clamps,
turnthe
thetoggle
blankto theadjacent
side,andreclamp
it, thistimeusinga wedge
between
the
partof
longguideblockandthetapered
forthecutyou
theblankto compensate
justmade.Markthe location
of the
on theguide
broadendof thewedge
blocksoyoucanreposition
thewedge
properly
forthe remaining
twocuts
(above).
Thentaperthesecond
sideof
the blank.Reoeat
the orocess
forthe
r e m a i n i sn igd e s .

INTAY
BANDING
INSTALLING
ONTHELEGS
'l

Setting
uptheroutertable
I T oc u td a d o eisn t h el e g sf o r i n l a y
banding
ona router
table,install
a Tq-inch
straight
bit in a routerandmountthetool
in a table.Adjustthecutterfora /a-inchdeepcut.Next,attachanextension
board
To ensure
to the mitergauge.
thatthe
dadoes
areparallel
to theendsof theleg,
themitergaugemustbesetto theappropriateangle.Holdthetapered
partof the
legf lushagainst
themitergaugeextenofa try
s i o nw h i l eb u t t i n g
t h eh a n d l e
portion.
square
against
the leg'ssquare
Adjustthemitergauge
sothemiterbaris
(/eff).
parallel
to thebladeof thesquare

27

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PEMBROKE
TABLE

r) Routing
thedadoes
Z. Position
the legagainst
the miter
gauge
extension
sothe bottomendis
3%oinchto therightof thebit.Toensure
allthedadoes
willbealigned,
butta stop
blockagainst
theendof thelegandclamp
it to theextension.
Tocutthefirstdado,
holdthelegflushagainst
theextension
andstopblock,andfeedthelegandmiter
gauge
across
thetableintothebit.Turn
theblankto theadjacent
sideandrepeat
(/eff).
to routtheremaining
dadoes

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Gluing
thebanding
Usinga hardwood
darker
thanthe
pieceof banding
leg,cuta rectangular
for
evei'y
dado.Sawthebanding
sothegrain
willbeparallel
withthegrainof theleg
whenthepieces
aregluedin place;
they
shouldbethesamewidthasthedadoes,
butabout%inchlonger
ood3/rc
inchthick.
glueontwopieces
Spread
of banding,
set
themin dadoes
onopposite
sidesof the
l e ga n ds e c u rteh e mi n p l a c ew i t ha C
clamp(righil.Oncethe adhesive
has
c u r e dr,e m o vteh ec l a m pa n dt r i mt h e
endsofthebanding
flushwiththelegby
running
theadjoining
dadoes
across
the
router
tableagain
asin step2. Gluebandingintothesedadoes,
thensandthebandingflushwiththe legsurface.

28

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PEMBROKE
TABLE

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,'//'
;,

Kerfing
thelegsforthestringing
Toaccentuate
the inlaybanding
onthe legs,installnarrow
stripsof woodcalled
stringing
between
thebanding
andtheleg.Formaximum
effect,choose
a species
that
is lighterthan
you
thewoodyouhaveselected
forthetable.Usingthe
sameprocedure
followed
in step2, cutslotsforthestringing
along
theedges
of thebanding-but
this
time,witha%-inchupcutspiralstraight
bit in therouter.
Cutalltheslotsat thebottom
slnis
edgeof thebanding
first,thenreposition
thestopblockto routtheremaininp

thestringing
f, Installing
r.,l Makethestringing
from%-inchthick,%-inch
widewoodstrips.
Usinga
b a c k s aiw
na mini-mite
b ro x( l i k et h e
k i n du s e di n d o l l h o u s e - b u i l dci nugt ) ,
thestrips
to fit in theslots.
Cutandfit
onepieceat a time,mitering
theends
at 45'. Applyglueto thepiece,insertit
intoitsslothbove)and
tapit intoplace
w i t ha w o o d em
n a l l e tO
. n c ea l l t h e
stringing
is installed
andtheadhesive
hascured,
sandthepieces
f lushwith
the legsurfaces.

Insteadof beingcut to fit into a

dado in a leg,the commercialinlay
veneersshownat left areglued to
the sidesof a taperedlegblank.

29

PREPARING
THE SIDERAILS

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MAKING
THE
SIDE
RAILS

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joints
theknuckle
1l Marking
-

I B u t tt h e m a t i n ge n d so f t h e f l y r a i l
a n dt h e l o n go u t e rs i d er a i l p i e c et o g e t h e r . m a k i n gs u r et h e b o a r de d g e sa r e
a l i g n e d .U s er e f e r e n c e
l e t t e r st o l a b e l
t h e p i e c e st ,h e nm a r ka s h o u l d el irn eo n
e a c hb o a r da b o u t1 i n c hf r o mt h e i rm a t i n ge n d s ;u s ea t r y s q u a r et o e n s u r et h e
linesareperpendicular
to the boardedges
T o c o m p l e t teh e j o i n to u t l i n eu, s ea t a p e
measure
t o d i v i d et h e b o a r d si n t o f i v e
e q u a ls e g m e n tasc r o s st h e i rw i d t h ,c r e a t i n ga g r i do f f i n g e r sa n d n o t c h e o
s nthe
boardends.Markthe wastesections-or
n o t c h e s - w i t hX s ( r i g h t )s o t h e f l y r a i l
w i l l h a v et h r e en o t c h e a
s n dt h e m a t i n s

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nipnp turn nntnhpc

r) Sawing
thefingers
L To cutthefingers
at theendof thefly
railonyourbandsaw,startbysawing
out
thewasteat bothedges
of thepiecewith
twointersecting
cuts.Toclearthewaste
between
thef ingers,
nibble
at it withthe
b l a d ep, i v o t i nt gh ep i e c ea s n e c e s s a r y
to avoidcuttingintothe fingers(left).
Onceall thefingers
arecut,test-fit
the
jointandmakeanynecessary
adjustments
w i t ha c h i s e l .

30

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PEMBROKETABLE

thepinholes
Q Drilling
joints,
r./ Assemble
eachof theknuckle
thenmarkthecenter
of thefingers
onthe
topedgeof the longrailpiece.Borethe
pinonyourdrillpress.
holeforthewooden
I n s t aal l % - i n cbhi ti n t h em a c h i naen d
c l a m pa b a c k u p a n etlo t h et a b l eS
. et
t h eb o a r dosnt h ep a n e la, l i g n i nt gh e
centermarkdirectly
under
thebit.Clamp
a boardagainst
thebackfaceof thestock,
thensecure
rt to thebackuo
oanelasa
fence.Drillrightthrough
thestock(/eff,).
lf the bit is notlongenough
to penetrate
to theotheredgeof theboards,
turnthe
s t o co
kvea
r n dc o m o l e tteh e h o l ef r o m
t h eo t h esr i d e .

joints
Fine-tuning
theknuckle
lf theshoulders
andfingers
of theknuckle
wereleft
lornts
s q u a r et ,h e f l y r a i l sw o u l db i n da g a i n stth e s i d er a i l sw h e nt h e y
, a r ka l i n eo n t h e
w e r ee x t e n d e dT.o p e r m i t h e j o i n t st o p i v o t m
p
i
e
c ep a r a l l et lo t h e
i n s i d ef a c eo f e a c hf l y r a i la n d s i d er a i l
s h o u l d elri n ea n d o f f s e t% i n c hf r o mi t . C l a m po n ef l y r a i l
inside-face
up on a worksurfacewith a backupboardbetween
t h e r a i la n dt h e t a b l e .S t a r tb y u s i n ga c h i s e l t h es a m ew i d t ha s
t h e f i n g e r sa n d n o t c h e st o r o u n do v e rt h e e n d o f t h e f i n g e r s .
T h e np o s i t i o tnh e t i p o f t h e c h i s e b
l l a d eo n t h e o f f s e tl i n e ,c e n t e r e do n a n o t c h ,a n g l i n gt h e t o o ls o t h e c u t w i l l e n d a t t h e
o r i g i n aslh o u l d el irn e .H o l d i ntgh ec h r s ewl i t ho n eh a n dt,a p i t
w i t h a w o o d e nm a l l e t o b e v etl h e s h o u l d e rR. e p e afto r t h e
remaining
notches(right).Beuelthe notchesthe samewayon
t h e l o n gr a i lp i e c e b, u t l e a v et h e f i n g e r s q u a r e .

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TABLE

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Cutting
thefly railsto lengh
R e f etro t h ea n a t o mi vl l u s t r a t i o n
(page24)to marktheS-shaped
cutting
lineonthef ly rails,thendesignate
the
wastewithXs.Feedthestockacross
the
certain
bandsawtablebbovd,making
n e i t h ehra n di s i n l i n ew i t ht h eb l a d e .
Makematching
cutsonthemating
ends
of theshortouterrailpieces,
ensuring
t h a tt h e r ew i l l b ea s u f ifc i e n t llya r g e
gap-about% inch-between
theiwo
boards
fora handhold.

Routing
fingerrecesses
in thefly rails
pivoting
Tofacilitate
intotheunderside
thefly rails,cutfingerrecesses
of their
curved
ends.Install
a piloted
covebit in a router,
mountthetoolin a table,andsetthe
cutting
depthat %inch.Toprovide
a bearing
surface
fortherails,fashion
a fenceforthe
stockto rideagainst
ontheinfeed
sideof thetableanda guardforthebit froma plywoodblockandclearacrylic.
Attachtheguardandfencetogether
andclampthemto
thetable.Press
thestockagainst
thepilotbearing
asyoufeedeachrailacross
thetable
maketherecess
about4 inches
longandcenter
it ontherail'scurved
end.
bbove);

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upthesiderails
] Gluing
joints,
insert/ Assemble
theknuckle
inglengths
of %-inch
dowelintotheholes
through
thefingers,
andcuttheinnerside
r a i lp i e c etso l e n g t hF. o re a c hs i d er a i l ,
glueonthecontacting
spread
surfaces
of
theboards
andclamptheouterrailpieces
t o t h e i n n e r a i l ;d o n o ta p p l ya n yg l u e
o n t h ef l y r a i ls i n c ei t m u s tb ef r e et o
pivot.Makesureto leavea %-inchgap
between
thefly railandthe shortouter
siderailpiece.
Alternate
theclamps
across
thetopandbottomedgesof theassemb l y ,s p a c i ntgh e m3 t o 4 i n c h e as p a r t .
Tighten
theclampsevenly(right)until
adhesive
squeezes
outof thejoints.

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thor| outer
eide rail piece

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TABLE

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Cutting
therailtenons
Thenextstepin making
therailsis to cutthetenons
that
w i l l f j t i n t ot h e l e gm o r t i s e S
s .t a r b
t yd r i l l i n a
g t e s tm o r t i s e
(page
3 7 ) ,t h e no u t l i n e
t h et e n o n os nt h ee n d so f t h er a i l s ,
usingthetestmortise
asa guide.Cutthetenons
onyourtable
sawfittedwitha dadohead;adjustthewidthof the headto
3,4
slightlymorethanthetenonlength-about
inch.Setthecuttingheight
at onethird
thestockthickness.
Attach
anauxiliary
fenceto thesaw'sripfenceandanextension
boardto themiter
gauge.
Toposition
thefence,
aligntheshoulder
lineontherail

withthedadoheadandbuttthefenceagainst
theendof the
board.
Feed
therailfacedown,holding
thestockflushagainst
thefenceandthemitergauge
extension.
Turntherailoverand
repeat
thecutontheothersidebbove),
fittingthetenonin the
t e s tm o r t i saen dr a i s i ntgh eb l a d eus n t i tl h ef i t i s s n u gC
. ut
tenoncheeks
at theotherendandreoeat
foreachsideand
endrail.Next,fliptherailonedgeandadjust
thebladeheight
t o t r i mt h et e n o ntso w i d t hA. g a i nt ,e s t h et e n o nu n t i li t f i t s
snugly
in thetrialmortise.
Preparing
therailsforthetop
Q
you
J Onceallthetenons
arefinished,
willneedto cuta groove
along
theinside
faceof therailsto accommodate
thewood
buttons
thatwillsecure
thetabletoo
in
place.
Leave
thedadoheadonyourtable
saw,adjustitswidthto %inch,andset
jnch.Position
thecutting
height
at aboul%
t h ef e n c ea b o u t %
i n c hf r o mt h eb l a d e s .
Feedtherailsintothedadoheadinsidefacedownandwiththetopedgepressed
against
thefence(left).Alsocuta groove
in
t h ee n dr a i lb l a n ka t t h i st i m e T
. h i sw i l l
e n s u rteh a ta l lt h eg r o o v easr ei d e n t i c a l .
(Caution:
Bladeguardremoved
forclarity.)

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PEMBROKETABLE

PREPARING
THEDRAWER
RAILSANDENDRAIL
'l

Cutting
thetopdrawerrail
I C u tt h e t o p d r a w erra i lt o l e n g t ht,h e n
o u t l i n et h e d o v e t a i l ehda l f - l a otsh a t w i l l
. 1 o i tnh e e n d so f t h e r a i l t o t h e f r o n t l e g s
o f t h e t a b l e .O f f s e t h e o u t l i n et o w a r dt h e
il ill
b a c ke d g eo f t h e r a i ls o t h e d o v e t a w
b e c e n t e r eodn t h e l e gw h e nt h e r a i l ' sb a c k
e d g ei s f l u s hw i t ht h e b a c kf a c eo f t h e l e g
( s t e p2 ) . C u t o u t t h e d o v e t a i l so n y o u r
b a n ds a w ,m a k i n gt w o i n t e r s e c t i ncgu t s
a l o n ge a c he d g eo f t h e o u t l i n e s( / e f f ) .
T h e n u s ey o u rt a b l es a wf i t t e d w i t h a
d a d oh e a dt o c u t a w a yo n e - h a ltfh e t h i c k n e s so f t h e d o v e t a i lfsr o mt h e i rb o t t o m
Iace (inset).

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Cutting
thedovetail
sockets
in thelegs
in a bench
vise
Secure
a frontlegupright
a n du s eo n eo f t h ed o v e t a i l ehda l f - l a p s
y o uc u t i n s t e p1 t o o u t l i n teh em a t i n g
s o c k eot n t h e l e g ' st o ne n d .M a k es u r e
t h et o ne n do f t h el e si s f l u s hw i t ht h e
therouter
base
benchtop;
thiswrllsupport
plateasyoucutthesocket.
Alsoensure
is butted
against
thatthedovetail
shoulder
t h ei n s i d e d g eo f t h el e ga n dt h er a i l ' s
backedgeis f lushwiththe backfaceof
t h el e ga sy o um a r kt h el i n e sI.n s t a al l
/ " - i n c hu p c u t - s p i rsat rl a i g hbti t i n t oa
router
thecutting
depthto the
andadjust
Routthesocket
thickness
of thedovetail.
withinthemarked
outline,
thensquare
the
corners
andpareto thelinewithstraight
a n ds k e wc h i s e l sa ,sn e e d e d
R.e p e at ot
cutthesocketin theotherfrontleg(right).

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twintenons
in
n<' Cuttins

r-,1 the bottomdlawerrail

T h e b o t t o md r a w e r a i l i s j o i n e dt o t h e
l e g sw i t h t w i n m o r t i s e - a n d - t e nj ooinn t s .
C u tt h e t e n o n sa t t h e e n d so f t h e r a i lo n
y o u rt a b l es a w .I n s t a lal d a d oh e a d% i n c h
w i d e ,t h e ns e t u p a t e n o n i njgi g i n t h e
m i t e rs l o t .M a r ka t w i nt e n o na t e a c he n d
o f t h e r a i la n ds e tt h e c u t t r n gh e i g h at t
% i n c h .L a yo u t t h e t e n o n ss o t h e b a c k
edgesof the railand legwill align(step4).
C l a m pt h e r a i le n d - u pi n t h e j i g , p l a c i n g
a s h i m b e t w e e nt h e t w o t o p r e v e ntth e
d a d oh e a df r o mc o n t a c t i nt gh e j i g .S h i f t
t h e j i g s i d e w a ytso a l i g no n eo f t h e t e n o n
m a r k sw i t ht h e d a d oh e a d T
. o m a k et h e
c u t , p u s ht h e j i g f o r w a r df ,e e d i n g
the
s t o c ki n t ot h e b l a d e sS
. h i f tt h e j i g t o
l i n e u p t h e d a d oh e a dw i t h t h e w a s t e
a d l o i n i ntgh e t w i nt e n o n sm
, a k i n gs e v e r a l
p a s s e su n t i l y o u h a v ec l e a r e da w a yt h e
excesswood (right).Repeatthe cut at
t h e o t h e re n d o f t h e r a i l .

0utlining
thedouble
mortises
inthelegs
S e t o n eo f t h e l e g si n s i d e - f a cuep o n a
w o r ks u r f a c et,h e n p l a c et h e b o t t o m
d r a w erra i lo n i t , a l i g n i ntgh e b a c ke d g e
o f t h e r a i lw i t ht h e l e g ' sb a c kf a c e .W i t h
t h e e n do f t h e r a i la t t h e a p p r o p r i a t e
h e i g h ot n t h e l e g ,o u t l i n et h e t w i n t e n o n s
w i t ha p e n c i l( l e f t ) .P r e p a rteh e e n d r a i l
@ a g e3 6 ) a n d d r i l lo u t t h e r a i lm o r t i s e s
i n t h e l e g s( p a g e3 7 ) b e f o r ec h i s e l i ntgh e
doublemortisesin the legs(page3&.

35

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PEMBROKETABLE

thecurved
faceoftheendrail
f, Cutting
r-,f Outline
thecurved
outside
faceof theendrailontheedges
sothelegswillextend
%inchbeyond
therailwhenthetableis
a s s e m b l eTdh.e ns, t a n d i nagt t h es i d eo f t h eb a n ds a wt a b l e ,
justto thewaste
settheraildownonedge.
Aligntheblade
side
of thecuttinglinenearthecenter
andholdthetwoendsto feed
handis in Iinewith
thestockacross
thetable;makesureneither
piecefallsaway,
theblade.
Onceonewaste
turntherailoverand
cut the opposite
end(right).

Veneering
theendrail
r n dr a i l w a m
l f y o ue
s a d ef r o mg l u e d - uspt o c ky,o um a y
needto applya pieceof veneer
faceto conceal
to theoutside
anyglueslinesthatmightbevisible.
Follow
thesameproced u r e sy o uw o u l du s eo nt h ef a l l - f r o notf a s l a n t - t odpe s k .
patternandsetup a vacuumpress(page123).
Maketheveneer
F o rt h em o d esl h o w ni n
, s e rt th eh o s ei n t ot h en i p p l e
i nt h e
bottomof the pressbag.Thenplacetheplatenin thebagand
i n t ot h ep l a t e snl e e v e
s l i d et h en i p p l e
S.e t h ee n dr a i lo na
worksurface,
applytheglue,andlaytheveneer
ontherail.
Place
a pieceof waxpaperovertheveneer,
restthecaulontop,
andplacetheassembly
atoptheplaten.
Sealthebag,turnon
thepumpandleave
theassembly
underpressure
fortherecpresses
ommended
lengthof |ime(below).
Mostvacuum
will
pressure
shutoffwhentheappropriate
hasbeenreached,

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TABLE
PE,MBROKE

ANDRAILS
GLUING
UPTHELEGS
inthelegs
therailmortises
1t 0utlining
-

I U s eo n eo f t h e r a i lt e n o n sy o uc u t
( p a g ej 3 ) t o o u t l i n et h e l e n g t ha n dw i d t h
nf ihe mnriisoc

\l:rl

hv hnldrno thp e hppk

i

o f t h e t e n o nf l u s ha g a i n stth e i n s i d e
f a c eo f o n eo f t h e l e g s ;m a k es u r et h a t
d i t ht h e
t h et o pe d g eo f t h e r a i li s a l i g n e w
t o p e n do f t h e l e g .M a r kt h e l e n g t ho f t h e
e i d t h ,h o l d
m o r t i s eT.o o u t l i n et h e m o r t i s w
t h p p d o p n f i h p t p n n n f l r r c . h: s : i n s t t h c

i n s i o ef a c eo f t h e l e ga n d m a r kt h ec h e e k s
of the tenon(rtght).ExIendthe linesalong
i n t h e i l l u s t r a t i oans d o t t h ef a c e( s h o w n
t e d l r n e s )R. e p e afto r t h e r e m a i n i nsgi d e
a n de n d r a i lm o r t i s e sR. e m e m b et hr a t
t h e o u t s i d ef a c eo f t h e l e g ss h o u l de x t e n d
b e y o n dt h e e n d r a i lb y a b o u t' l i n c h .

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r ) D r i l l i ntgh er a i lm o r t i s ei sn t h el e g s
/ , ,
g a c h i n ea s s h o w n
4 - U s ea m o r t i s r nm
o r i n s t a l l am o r t i s i nagt t a c h m e on nt y o u r
drill nrcqs Clamn nnc nf lhp lcqsto thc

f e n c ec e n t c r i nt ph e m o r t i soeu t l i n eu n d e r
t h ec h i s eal n db i t .A d l u stth ed r r l l r ndge p t h
t o % i n c h m o r et h a nt h e t e n o nl e n g t h .
M a k ea c u t a t e a c he n d o f t h e m o r t i s e
h e f o r ed r i l l i n po r r tt h e w a s t ei n b e t w e e n
( l e f t ) R e o e atth e n r o c e d u rteo c u t t h e
r e m a i n i nm
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37

PEMBROKETABLE

thedoublemortises
for the bottomdrawerrail
n Chiselins
r - , f C l a m pa l e gi n s i d e - f a cuep t o a w o r ks u r f a c eT. h e n ,s t a r t i n ga t o n ee n do f t h e d o u b l em o r t i s o
e u t l i n eh, o l da m o r t i s i n g
c h i s e sl q u a r et o t h e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e l e ga n ds t r i k et h e h a n d l e
with a woodenmallel(left).Usea chiselthe samewidthas the
m o r t i s easn d b e s u r et h a tt h e b e v e l e sdi d ei s f a c i n gt h e w a s t e .
C o n t i n um
e a k i n gc u t sa t i n t e r v a losf a b o u t% i n c h u n t i ly o u
r e a c ht h e o t h e re n do f t h e o u t l i n eU
. s et h e c h i s etl o l e v e o
r ut
) .h o po u 1t h e r e m a i n i n g
t h e w a s t et o t h e r e q u i r ed e p t h( a b o v eC
d o u b l em o r t i s etsh e s a m ew a y .T e s t - f itth e j o i n t sa n dw i d e no r
d e e p e nt h e m o r t i s ew
s i t h t h e c h i s e l a, s r e q u i r e d .

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Gluinethe legsto the siderails

T e s t - a s s e m bt hl ee l e g sa n ds i d er a i l s ,
f i n e - t u n i nagn yi l l - f i t t i njgo i n t sw i t ha
c h i s e l ,i f n e c e s s a rS
y .a n da n ys u r f a c e s
t h a t w i l l b e d i f f i c u l t o a c c e s so n c et h e
glue
t a b l ei s a s s e m b l e N
d .e x t s. p r e a d
o n t h e c o n t a c t i n sg u r f a c e sb e t w e e n
one
o f t h e s i d er a i l sa n di t sc o r r e s p o n d ilnegg s ,
t h e nf i t t h e j o i n t st o g e t h e rt a
, p p i n gt h e m
n i t h a w o o d e nm a l l e t ,
i n t of i n a lp o s i t i o w
i f r e q u i r e dU. s et w o b a rc l a m p st o s e c u r e
t h e l o i n t sA
. l i g n i ntgh e b a r sw i t ht h es i d e
r a i l ,l a yt h e a s s e m b loy n i t s s i d eo n a
w o r ks u r f a c ew i t h o n ec l a m pu n d e rt h e
r a i la n do n eo n t o p . P r o pt h e t a p e r e dp o r t i o n o f t h e l e g so n w o o db l o c k st o k e e p

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w i t h w o o dp a d s t, i g h t e nt h e c l a m p se v e n l y u n t i la t h i ng l u eb e a ds q u e e z eosu to f
the joints0ight).Repeatfor the remaining
s i d er a i la n d l e g s .

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rails
theendrailanddrawer
f, Gluing
thelegsto thesiderailshas
r,/ Oncethegluebonding
f latona
cured,
remove
theclamps
andsettheassemblies
facingup.Test-fit
worksurface
withtheirmortises
and,if
jointsanddoanyrequired
necessary,
anyillJitting
correct
glueonthecontacting
sanding.
Spread
surfaces
between
railsandthelegs,
thenfit thebottom
theendanddrawer
railandendrailintooneof thesiderailassemblies
drawer
(above).
Position
assembly
ontop
theotherleg-and-rail
fit the
andsettheframework
upright
onthefloor.Finally,
topdrawer
railintoplaceandclamptheassembly
GtepO.

Installing
theclamps
thejointsbetween
the
Usethreebarclamps
to secure
endanddrawer
railsandthelegs.Protecting
thestockwith
w o o dp a d si,n s t a o
l l n ec l a m pa l o n g
t h ee n dr a i la n dt w o
morealong
thedrawer
rails.Tocheckwhether
theassembly
is square,
measure
thediagonals
between
opposite
corners
(/eff).
immediately
aftertightening
theclamps
Theyshould
is out-of-square.
Tocorrect
beequal;if not,theassembly
installa barclampacross
the longer
of the
theproblem,
t w od i a g o n aT
l si .g h t etnh i sc l a m pa l i t t l ea t a t i m e ,m e a suring
asyougountilthetwodiagonals
areequal.

39

PEMBROKETABLE

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/

Making
thecorner
blocks
Attach
a t r i a n g u l caor r n ebr l o c kt o

e a c hi o i n tb e t w e etnh c e n d r a i la n d t h e
s i d er a i l s t; hr sw i l l r e i n f o r cteh e b a c kc o r n e r so f t h e t a b l ea n dk e e pi t s q u a r eT. o f i t
t h e b l o c k si n t ot h e t a b l ec o r n e r sm, a k ea
4 5 " m i t e rc u t a t e a c he n do f t h e b l o c k s
a n d m a r kf o u rp o i n t so n t h e l o n ge d g e .
t w o n e a re a c he n d . N e x t ,b o r ep o c k e t
h o l e st h r o u g ht h e b l o c k sf o r t h e s c r e w s
t h a tw i l ls e c u r teh e mt o t h e r a i l s I. n s t a lal
F o r s t n ebri t i n y o u rd r i l lp r e s sa n d
Z,-inch
c l a m pa b a c k u pp a n etl o t h e m a c h i n e
t a b l e .S e c u r e
t h e b l o c ki n a h a n d s c r e w
a n d d r i l la s h a l l o wh o l et o r e c e s tsh e
s c r e wh e a d R
. e p o s i t i ot h
n e b l o c kt o b o r e
t h e n e x th o l e t, h e nt u r nt h e b l o c ka r o u n d
i n t h e h a n d s c r etw
o d r i l lt h e h o l e sn e a r
s i t ha
t h e o t h e re n d .R e p e atth e p r o c e sw
s m a l l ebr r a d - p o i nbti t t o b o r ec l e a r a n c e
. i n a l l yw, r t ht h e b l o c kt o p h o l e s( / e f f )F
f a c ed o w no n t h e t a b l e ,d r i l la c o u n t e r b o r e dh o l et h r o u g ht h e m i d d l eo f t h e
s u r f a c et :h r sh o l ew r l le n a b l ey o ut o f a s t e n t o t h e b l o c kt o t h e t a b l et o p .

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lnstalling
thecorner
blocks
S n r p : d o l r r pn n i h o n n n i : r ' i i n o c r r r -

f a c e sb e t w e e tnh e f i r s t b l o c ka n dt h e
r a i l s h, o l dt h e b l o c ki n p o s i t i oang a i n s t
. epeat
t h e r a i l sa n d s c r e wi t i n p l a c e R
for the secondblock(rrght).

40

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MAKINGTHEDRAWER
f) uild thedrawerfor your Pembroke
D tubl. as you would for a Queen
AnnesecretaryQage116)usingthrough
UseZ-inch
dovetailsto join the pieces.
plywoodfor the drawerbottom. The
Pembroke
tabledraweralsogetsa false
front which is curvedto match the
shapeof the endrail anddrawerrails.
To install the drawer,start by fastening runnersto the side rails, as
shownbelow.Slidethe drawerinto its
openingand clampon the falsefront,
then tracethe curveofthe top drawer
rail ontothetopedgeof thefilsefront
(page42) and cut the profile of the
front. You can applywax to the runnersto help the drawerride smoothly
asit is openedandclosed.

table
Supported
by runnersfastenedto thesiderails,thePembroke
with throughdovetails.Thefalse
drawershownaboveis assembled
front curvesto matchtheprofileof theendrail and drawerrails.

THEFRAME
REINFORCING
runners
thedrawer
1l lnstallins
I S i z et h ed r a w erru n n e r sc ,u t t i n g
thanthedrawthema fewincheslonger
theedges
er. Drillthreeholesthrough
oneholeneareach
of eachone,locating
e n da n do n ea t t h em i d d l eH. o l d i nagn
thesiderail
edgeof therunner
against
andoneendagainst
the bottomdrawer
rail,screwit in place(left).Thetopface
b ef l u s hw i t ht h e
o f t h er u n n esrh o u l d
rail.
toofaceof thebottomdrawer

PEMBROKETABLE

r) Sawing
thecurueofthefalsefront
I gtaethedrawer
intoits opening
t n t h et a b l ea n dc l a m ot h ef a l s ef r o n t
blankto thedrawer
front.Holding
the
position,
drawer
at itsfullyclosed
use
a pencilto tracetheprofile
of thetop
drawer
railontothetopedgeof the
blank(lefil.Cutthe curveof the false
frontonthe bandsawasyoudid the
e n dr a i la n dg l u ev e n e et o
r t h ef r o n t
face,if desired(page36).

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thefalsefront
? lnstalling
\ - t W i t ht h ed r a w esrt i l li n t h et a b l e ,
glueon thecontacting
spread
surfaces
between
thedrawer
frontandthefalse
f rontandclampthetwotogether,
using
woodpadsto protectthe stock(right).
T i g h t et nh ec l a m pesv e n luyn t i l ag l u e
beadsqueezes
outof thejoint.

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MAKINGTHETOP
With the sidesdown, the top of the
Pembroke table appears to be circular.
Once the leavesare raised,however,
the top's distinctive shape, with elliptical endsqnd sides,becomesapparent. Similar - shaped t abletops w ere
used on Federal-period card tables.
The leavesare hinged on a rule joint,
which is shapedon the router table.
Once thejoint is completedand the
hinges located, the curved profile of
the leavesis cut on the band saw.

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THET()P
SHAPING

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theedgesofthetabletop
1 Routing
withtheedgeto be
depthin at leasttwopasses.
Asyoumakethecut,press
the
I Clampthetabletop
to a worksurface
Fora
off thesurface.
Installa pilotedround-over bit pilotagainst
thestockthroughout
thepass(above).
shaped
extending
finish,makeyourfinalpassa slowandshallow
one.
depthto allowyouto reach
thefinal smooth
bitandadjust
thecutting

43

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PEMBROKETABLE

t
r) Routing
the covein the leaves
L l n s t a l la p i l o t e dc o v eb i t i n t h e
r o u t ea
r n d m o u n t h e t o o li n a t a b l e .
A l i g nt h e f e n c ew i t ht h e b i t p i l o tb e a r i n g
s ot h e w i d t ho f c u t w i l l e q u a o
l n e - h a lt fh e
c u t t e rd i a m e t e rC. l a m pa f e a t h e r b o atrod
t h e f e n c eo n t h e i n f e e ds i d eo f t h e b i t t o
h o l dt h e w o r k p i e cfel a t a g a i n stth e r o u t e r
t a b l e .S e tt h e d e p t ho f c u t s h a l l o wt o
start;makeseveralpassesto reachyour
f i n a ld e p t hg r a d u a l l yF.e e dt h e l e a fi n t o
t h e b i t , p r e s s i ntgh e e d g eo f t h e w o r k piecefirmlyagainstthe fence(left).After
e a c hp a s s t, e s t - f i t h e p i e c e su n t i lt h et o p
a n dt h e l e a fm e s hw i t h a v e r vs l i s h ts a n
betweenthe two.

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Attaching
theleaves
to thetop
J o i nt h e l e a v e st o t h e t o p b y i n s t a l l
i n gr u l e - j o i nhti n g e so n t h e u n d e r s i doef
t h e n i e c e sS
. e tt h e t o n a n d l e a v e fsa c e
d o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c et,h e n m a r kl i n e s
a l o n gt h e s h a p e de d g e so f t h e t o p i n l i n e
w i t h t h e s t a r to f e a c hr o u n d - o v ecru t ,
k n o w na s t h e f i l l e t ( i n s e t ) I. n s t a l lt h r e e
h i n g e sf o r e a c hl e a :f o n e i n t h e m i d d l e
o f t h e j o i n ta n d o n e 5 i n c h e sf r o me a c h
e n d .W r t ha p a p e rs h i m i n s e r t e db e t w e e n
t h e l e a fa n dt o p , p o s i t i o n
a h i n g el e a f
a g a i n stth e t o p a n dt h e o t h e ra g a i n stth e
l e a fa t e a c hh i n g el o c a t i osno t h e p i n i s
alignew
d i t h t h e f i l l e t l i n e ,t h e no u t l i n e
t h e h i n g eC
. h i s eol u t t h e m o r t i s e su,s i n g
a w i d e r - b l a dteo o l t o c u t t h e m o r t i s e s
f o r h i n g el e a v e sa n d a n a r r o w ecrh i s e lt o
c u t t h e s l o t sf o r t h e p i n s ( r i g h t ) .S c r e w

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ihp hinopc in nl:nc

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PEMBROKETABLE

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0utlining
theprofile
ofthetop
E n l a r gteh e g r i ds h o w ni n t h e i n s e t
e c u t t i n gp a t t e r nf o r s h a p i n g
to produca
t h e p r o f i l eo f t h et o p ;o n es q u a r e q u a l s
2 i n c h e sT. r a c et h e p a t t e r no n t oa p i e c e
o f % - i n c hp l y w o o od r h a r d b o a radn d
c u t o u tt h et e m p l a t e
o n y o u rb a n ds a w .
Thensetthe top face-down
on a work
surface
a n de x t e n dt h e l e a v e sM. a r ka
l i n ed o w nt h e m i d d l eo f t h e t o p a n d
p o s i t i o tnh e t e m p l a t eo n i t ; a l i g nt h e
s t r ai s h te d s en f t h e n a t t e r nw i t ht h e
c e n t e r l i naen dt h e a d j o i n i ncgu r v e d
e d g ew i t ht h e e n do f t h e t o p . U s ea p e n -

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cil fn trarp tho nrrrvod nrnfilp nn ihe tnn

R e p e aat t t h e r e m a i n i ncgo r n e r (sa b o v e ) .

Cutting
theprofileof thetop
f,
r-,/ Unscrew
the leavesfromthe top and
u s ey o u rb a n ds a wt o c u t t h e c u r v e dp r o f i l e i n t oe a c ho f t h e t h r e ep i e c e sC. u tj u s t
to the wastesideof yourcuttingline (left),
f e e d i n gt h e s t o c kw i t h b o t hh a n d sa n d
y o u rf i n g e r sc l e a ro f t h e b l a d e .
keeping
S a n dt h e c u t e d g e st o t h e l i n e .

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45

I
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PEMBROKE
TABLE

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--4
.,

t
T
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T
%..-

----------liD

b I
@'

=--[9
f-f6-j

l.--t-'-...-/i

vt=-/

llitlljlllil
llii{llJ
tilJljljllililijillliliJlli iltilllilljJjlliillJlJjJ
5HO7Tt?
Uoingoteel tabletop faetenere
Commercial
eleelIableNopfaotenere worklikewoodbutf,one:They
are
ecrewedto LheIoV from underneath
a n d g r i pa q r o o v ec u Xa l o n q l h e
ineideface of Ihe raile.Secauee
fasNeners
commercial
arethinner
Lhe
than lippedwoodbutLons,
qroove does noNhaveLo
be cuL wilh a dado blade

' ,,.'1:,
t

(pa4e33):you can uoea

etandardsaw bladeor a
Lhree-winq ololLi n4 c utt er
in a table-mounled
router.
enattrc
nrnncr
f-e n a, ', - t o n ,
make ihe qroovea liLile

Tn

farLherfrom lhe Lopthan you

wouldwith lhe woodbuttono,

H-frb'P
1"@w

Installing
thetop
A
to the tablerails
L,f Thetop is fastened
with woodbuttons:screwed
to the top,
t h e b u t t o n sf e a t u r el r p st h a t f i t i n t o
grooves
cut intothe rails(page33), prov i d i n ga s e c u r ec o n n e c t i ownh i l ea l l o w i n gf o r w o o dm o v e m e nR
t . e i n s t atlhl e
r u l e - j o i nhti n g e si n t h e t o p a n d l e a v e s ,
and placethe top facedownon a work
surface.Makea buttonfor every6 inches of rail lenglh (pageJ33,).Spacing
t h e ma b o u t6 i n c h e sa p a r ta n d l e a v i n a
g
% - r n c hg a p b e t w e e ni h e b o t t o mo f t h e
g r o o v easn dt h e l i p p e de n d so f t h e b u t tons,screwthe buttonsin place(above).
0 n c ea l l t h e b u t t o n sa r ea t t a c h e dd,r i v e
a s c r e wt h r o u g he a c hc o r n e b
r l o c ki n t o
t h et o p .

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P()CKET.HOLE
JIG
Youcanusepocketholeswith
screws
asan alternative
to wood
buttons
forattaching
a tabletop
to
thesideandendrails.
Theholes
are
drilledat an angle,anda pocketholejig (left,tofl, shop-built
from
plywood,
%-inch
makes
simplework
o f b o r i n tgh e h o l e so n y o u rd r i l l
press.Forthejig, screwthetwo
sidesof thecradle
together
to form
a n L . T h e nc u t a 9 0 ' w e d g e
from
eachsupport
bracket
sothatthe
widesideof thecradle
willsitat an
angleof about15"fromthevertical.
Screwthe brackets
to thejig base
andgluethecradleto ihe brackets.
Tousethejig,seata railin the
c r a d lw
e i t ht h es i d et h a tw i l lb e
drilled
facingup.Drilltheholesin
twostepswithtwodifferent
bits:Use
a Forstner
bittwicethediameter
of
thescrewheads
fortheentrance
holesanda brad-point
bit slightly
larger
thanthediameter
of thescrew
(Thelarger
shanks
fortheexitholes.
brad-point
bitallows
forwoodexpansionandcontraction.)
To beginthe process,
installthe
b r a d - p o ibnitt a n d ,w i t ht h ed r i l l
pressoff, lowerthe bit withthe
feedlever,thenposition
thejig
andworkpiece
to centerthe bottomedgeof theworkpiece
on the
bi| (inset).
Clampthejig to the
tableandreplace
the brad-point
bit withthe Forstner
bit.
F e e dt h e b i t s l o w l tyo d r i l lt h e
holesjustdeepenough
to recess
thescrewheads.
Then,installthe
brad-point
bit andborethrough
the
workpiece
to complete
the pocket
holes(/eft,bottom).

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47

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FOIIR-POSTERBED

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't T t ,'
| h. four-posterbedis a dramatic
I and imposingpieceof furniture
that descends
from the canooybedsof
the Byzantineand medieval'periods.
Once,onlyheadsof familiescouldoccupy a bedwith a full canopy;otherscontentedthemselves
with half-canopybeds,
or unadornedbeds.
Theuseofa canopied
bed,then,was
a
mark
certainly
of status,but it alsoconveyedsomepracticalbenefitsaswell.
The heavilyquilted draperythat hung
from the frameworkof boardscalled
testersprovidedprivacy,a rare commoditvin a daywhenbedroomsserved
asfamilyliving andentertainingspaces.
Thefoldsof fabricalsoshutout the cold
Twosections
of a bedpostare
winterdraftsthat werecommonand.in
beingfitted togetherwith a long
summer,the drapeswerereplacedby
mortise-and-tenon
knownasa tang
joint. Locatedto coincidewith decoralight nettingto keepinsectsat bay.
Statusand utility aside,Americans
tiveelements
on theposts,thejoints
havealwayssimplylikedthe look of the
arevirtuallyinvisible.Thisoneis
four-poster.
In its undrapedform, the
notgluedtogether,
but assembled
stylehasbeenan Americanfavoritefor
dry so the bedcan beeasilydisasalmost200years.
sembled
and transDorted.

asmuchas3 inchesthick.Boxsprings,
however,
couldbelaidon narrowcleats
fastened
to theinsideof therails,sothe
railsthemselves
couldbereduced
to a
mereI inchthick,astheyaretoday.
Themostprominenifeature
of the
well
bedareitsfourposts,
eachstanding
feet
over6
tall.Giventhe36-inchcapacityof thetypicallathe,
turningthepbsts
prospect.
canseem
tobeanintimidating
page
But,asshownon
50,youcandivide
eachpostintofourmanageable
segments
Byintroducandturn themseparately.
ing decorative
elements
likebeadsand
covesadjacent
to the joint linesthe
breaks
arenot noticeable
andtheoosts
appear
to besolidturnings.
Likemostbeds,theonefeatured
in
thischapter
hasrailsthatareattached
to thepostswithknockdown
hardware
for quickdisassembly.
Youcanusebayonetbrackets(page63)thathookthe
railsontothepostsor bedbolts(page59)
to drawtherailsandpoststogether
by
means
of a boltandtappednut.Since
Theonlyrealchange
in four-poster
thepostsaregluedto theheadboard
and
relatively
recently,
withtheadvent
design
occurred
ofboxsprings footboard,
allbutoneof thetangjointsconnecting
thepostsegBefore,
andspringmattresses.
a mattress
wasplaceddirectly mentstogether
areleftdry.Thisallowsthepoststo betaken
onaplatformof ropestretched
tightlybetween
thebedrails.To apartwithout
compromising
thebed's
structure.
Withthetesters
resistthetensionof thecords,therailshadto bequitestoutin placeon theposts,thewholeassembly
isveryrigid.

Whethertheyaregracedby a canopyof hanging

draperyor left bare,theuprightsand testers
of a
Themahoganybed
four-posterbedareimpressive.
shownat left alsofeaturesa sunriseheadboard.

49

BED
ANATOMYOF A FOUR-POSTER

Poat
Turnedin four indivtdualeectione
connecLedby tan4 jointe; vaee
aectionaare qluedLoqeLher,but
other tanq jointa are left.dry for
dieaooembly.Gluedto end rarl
and to either headboardor foot'
board;joined to aide rarla with
knockdownhardware.Hole ia
drilled inLo top end to accept
Lenonat bottom end of finial

Side tester (paqe 65)

1"x1%"x 86". Keataon
top end of poot: has halflap at each end Lhat
acceptaa matchtn7cut
in end teetera. Holedrilled
through eachend for tenon
at bottom end offinial

I
Headboard
(pase61)
1"x213/o"x5B";
tenona at both
endeare qlued
f,o Poe'e

Footboard
1"x 11%"
x 58": tenon
at eachend ia qlued
into a poet morDige

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Tenon(page 59)
3/a"x 1%"x 3"; 7lued
int;o morLiaern poot

Cleat (page 62)

1"x 1%"x BO". )uppor-to box
epringand mattreaa; faatened to inaideface of atde
ratle flush with boLtomedqe

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End tester
'1"
x 1%"x 63". FiLaover aide teatera with
half-tapathat are not qlued,but drilledand
held in place by tenon at bottom end offinial

End rail
'1"
x 5%"x 58"; haa a
Lenonat each end
whichis gluedto poot

Bayonet braaket
Qaqe 63)
9ecurea side
ratle to poete

1ide-rail
1"x5'/r'xBO";
joined to poete wrth
knockdownhardware
for easy dieaeeembly

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FOUR-POSTER
BED

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FINIAT-TESTER-BEDPtlST
ASSEMBTY
Finial ienon;
t/o"diameter

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End tester

AITERilATE
DESIGN:
PE1{CIt
POST
(page
66)

FOOTBOARD
P(IST
Finial

(pase57) A

Ll )
T

Vaae

.=:

Bead
(pase 54)

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Top vaae eection;

3/+"diameter mortiae

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ATTERNATIVE
FINIAT
DESIGNS

HEADBOARD
POST
(bottom
section)

3"
Tan6joint,
@ase56)

13/o"

II
12"

Urn finial

Z3/^tl

Pommel
(pase 52)

.-l

16v"
Acorn finial

3 % "x 3 % ' !

F l
I
i

6%"

TURNINGTHE BEDPOSTS
urningthebedposts
of a four-poster
I bedmayappearto be a daunting
challenge,
but theprojectis manageable
ifbrokendowninto itscomponentparts.
Thedesignof thepostsis simple;each
onecomprises
onlya fewrecurringelements,suchaspommels,beads,vases,

Thepommel,or bottomsection,of a
is turnedwith the
four-posterbedpost
helpof a storypoleand calipers.
A story
polecanseryeasa shop-made
turning
guide.Cutfrom a stripof plywood,it
includes
keydimensions
and diometersaswellqsthelocationof decorative
elements
likebeads.
A Frenchcurveis
a gooddesigntoolfor drawingon the
pole.Thecalipersareusedto checkthe
sizeof theblanksasturningproceeds.

and tenons.Seethe anatomyillustrationson page51for detailsof theposts'

diameters
andthelocations
of thevariouselements.
Each6-foot-longpost
is turnedin four individualsections,
allowingfor the 36-inchlimit of most
lathes.Sincethe sectionsareioinedbv
tangjoints,remember
to allowfor the
2-inch-long
tenonswhencuttingyour
blanksto length.
Althoughthebottomsections
ofthe
footboardandheadboard
oostsaredifferent,thefourpostsareotherwise
identical.To helpkeepthem uniform,turn
theirmatchingsections
oneafteranother,ratherthanproducingan entirepost
beforemovingon to thenextone.Start
with the bottom sections(below),and
moveup,turningthevasesections(page
55) next and the fintals(page57)last.

MAKING
THEPOMMET
SECTI()NS
?ommel

, Lowerpommelhne

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Defining
thepommels
I C u tt h ef o u rp o m m e l - s e c tbi loann ktso s i z et,h e no u t l i n e
the pommels-the
transitions
between
theturnedandsquare
segments
of the posts.Setthestockon a worksurface
and
c l a m pt h ep i e c etso g e t h ewri t ht h e i re n d sa l i g n esdoy o uc a n
m a r ka l lt h ep o m m e al st t h es a m et i m e A
. l t h o u gt h eu p p e r
pommels
postsarehigher
onthe headboard
thanonthefootboardposts,
the lowerpommels
areat thesameheighton all
fourpieces.
Holding
theedgeof a carpenter's
square
against

theoutside
of theblanks,
runa pencilalongthearmto mark
(above,
thelowerpommels
/eff).Mountoneof theblanks
between
centers
onyourlatheandadjust
themachine's
speed
to slow.Starting
about%inchoutside
thelowerpommel
line,
turna V-groove
intothecorners
of theblankwitha skewchisel (above,
right).Deepen
thegroove
untilit runscompletely
around
theworkpiece.
Toavoidkickback,
cutwiththepoint
of thebladewiththebevelrubbing
against
thestock.

52

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BED
FOUR-POSTE,R

r) Shaping
thepommel
. a ^
Z - O n c ey o u h a v ef i n i s h e dt h e V - g r o o v e .
, t t i n gw i t ht h e l o n g
w i d e ni t g r a d u a l l cy u
p o i n to f t h e c h i s e lp o i n t e df o r w a r dR
. oll
t h e c h i s e fl r o ms i d et o s i d ew h i l er a i s
i n s t h e h a n d l es o t h e b e v ecl o n t r n u e s
r u b b i n ga g a i n stth e e d g e so f t h e g r o o v e
w a l l sa s y o u c u t t h e m ( l e f t ) .T u r n o f f
t h e l a t h ea f t e re a c hc u t t o c h e c kt h e s h a n e
o f t h ep o m m e l .
' ' ' b .

. -

partofthepost
Turning
thecylindrical
Onno tho nnmmpl
Y " " " " " '

rq finichod

rrsc:

na<l (ahnvc

rnrrohins-nrrisnrroo

t o t u r n t h e c y l i n d r i c ap lo r t i o n
o f t h e p o s tb e l o wt h e p o m m e l .
H o l d i n gt h e g o u g ew i t ha n o v e r h a ngdr i p ,b r a c ei t o n t h e t o o l
r e s t .C u tv e r yl i g h t l yi n t ot h e b l a n k m
, a k i n gs u r et h e b e v e il s
r u b b i n ga g a i n stth e s t o c ka n d m o v i n gt h e g o u g es m o o t h lay l o n g
t h e t o o lr e s t A s t h e p o u p eb e p i n rso r r n d r nt hs e c o r n e rosf t h e

lpff)

mzkp crrnnpqqivplv dponpr

L^
n 2 q ^ ^ ^ d^ rl ^u-l ^l B +
Lllc
r*-)c)

b l a n k ,r a i s i n g
t h e h a n d l eo f t h e t o o ls l i g h t l yw i t h e a c hp a s s ,
u n t i lt h e e d g e sa r ec o m p l e t e lryo u n d e d
a n dy o uh a v ea c y l i n d e r .
Adjusthe position
o f t h e t o o l r e s ta s y o u p r o g r e st so k e e pi t
c l o s et o t h e b l a n ka n d p e r i o d i c a lcl yh e c kt h e d i a m e t eor f t h e
bottomsegmentof the postwith calipers(above,ilghil.

53

F O U RP O S T E R
BED

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Turning
thebead
U s ea p e n c i tl o o u t l i n et h e b e a d
b e t w e etnh e l o w e rp o m m eal n dc y l i n d r i n:l

cpnfinn n
u rf tLhr rpL n
p vnJsL t,

+h^-

-^r,^

Llltrll llldnU

V - c u ta t e a c hl i n ew i t h a s k e wc h i s e l .
S w i t c ht o a s p i n d l eg o u g et o f i n i s ht h e
b e a d .B e g i n n i nagt t h e c e n t e r - o rh i g h e s t p o i n t o f t h e b e a d ,h o l dt h e g o u g e
f l a t a n d p e r p e n d i c u ltaort h e p o s ts o i t s
b e v e il s r u b b i n gR
. a i s et h e h a n d l ea n d
m a k ea d o w n h i lcl u t - w o r k i n gf r o ma
h r g hp o r n t o a l o wp o i n t - r o t a t i n tgh e
t o o l i n t h e d i r e c t i o no f t h e c u t a n d
a n g l i n g t h eh a n d l ea w a y( a b o v d . f h e
g o u g es h o u l df i n i s ht h e c u t r e s t i n g
on
i t s s i d e .R e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e
b e a da, n g l i n a
g n dr o l l i n tgh et o o li n t h e
o p p o s i tder r e c t i o nR. o u n dt h e s h o u l d e r s
o f t h e b e a db y b l e n d i n g
i t i n t ot h e t u r n i n g .O n c et h e b e a di s f i n i s h e dc.o n t i n u e
t u r n i n gt h e b o t t o ms e g m e not f t h e p o s t
u n t i lr t h a st h e s h a p es h o w no n p a g e
5 ' ] . R e n e atth e n r o c e stso t u r n b e a d s
a t t h e u p p e rp o m m elli n ea n df o r b o t h
p o m m e los f t h e r e m a i n i npgo s t s .

jllifiltfiijittltrtltilfiiifii]fiIjfillilll
ttiltllllljtuljlllJfillfii1

Using preeetcalipero
7inceyouareIurninqthe variouE -

'... . jl j
opeedup f,he
.
\.. N
?roce6sby adjue|inqoeVaralecalipere \
for eachteature of Ihe
blanks.ForIhe Iurninqehown
at righl,onepairie adjusledfor
the thickerparLof Ihe cylindrical
eeq'
menl,anolheris selfor lhe beadbelowit,

\if,

and a third io adjueLedfor Nhenarrow seclion

near the bottom of Nheworkpiece,Thiswill save

youthe lroubleof coniinuallyreadjuetinq

a oinqlepair
of calipero.To
avoidconfueinqlheeetlings,attach a
numbered
sLrioof LaoeLo eachinsNrumenl.

54

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I

1HO?TI?
secttons of lhe
bedVooboto differenLdiamelero,you can

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FOURPOSTERBED

THEVASESECTI()NS
TURNING
cuts
sizinq
1t Makins
-

sf
I 0 n c et h e l o w e rp o m m esl e c t i o n o
t h e f o r r rn o s t sa r ed o n e t. u r nt o t h e v a s e
cpniinnc.

nnc.l h2s thrpp

v2qp qtro-

m e n t s o: n ea t t h e t o p o f t h e p o m m esl e c t i o n a n dt w o m o r ea b o v ei t . A l t h o u g thh e
b o t t o m m o sotn e i s t h e w i d e s ta n d t h e
n e x to n er r ni s l o n p e s t h e v a s e sa r eo t h e r w i s ei d e n t i c aaln d h a v es i m i l a cr o n t n r r r sT h e va l s nf e a t r r r ae t e n o na t t h e
g ortise
atthe
b o t t o me n da n da m a t c h i n m
tnn

Tn nrndrrep e v:sp

irrrn iho qpompni

i n t oa c y l i n d e (r p a g e5 3 ) ,t h e nm a k ea
s e r i e so f s i z i n gc u t sw i t h a p a r t i n gt o o l .
H o l d i ntgh e p a r t i n tgo o lw i t ha n u n d e r h a n d
s r i n p d o p - r r n n n t h. p- t. n- , nl r -I v^ )^1 +, l- d^l ;) ^c ^ +L lLl ^t r

h a n dl e s l i g h t l sy o t h e b l a d ec u t si n t ot h e
c y l i n d e rC. o n t i n uteo r a i s et h e h a n d l eu n t i l
tho eut rp:ehcc

ihp rpnrrirpd d'onlh (lpft)

E a c hc u t s h o u l dp e n e t r a tteo t h e f i n i s h e d
diamotpr nf thp nnct :t th:t

nnint

nhpek

y o u rp r o g r e swsi t h c a l i p e r p
s eriodically.
T w i s t h e t o o ls l i g h t l yf r o ms i d et o s i d ea s
y o um a k et h ec u t t o m i n i m i zfer i c t i o na n d
t o p r e v e ntth e b l a d ef r o mj a m m i n g .

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F:r'h

Planing
thevasesmooth
r) Roughing
outthevase
. a ^

a l l t h e s i z i n gc u t s .u s ea r o u g h i n g
Z - O n c ey o ur a v ef i n i s h e d
g o u g et o c l e a ro u t t h e w a s t eb e t w e e nc u t s .F o l l o wt h e s a m e
p r o c e d u ryeo uw o u l du s et o t u r n a c y l i n d e rh, o l d r n tgh e t o o l
s o r k i n ign a d o w n h i d
l li r e c w i t ha n o v e r h a ngdr i pa n da l w a yw
t i o nt o a v o i dt e a r o u (t a b o v e J) .o i n i n gt h e s i z i n gc u t sw i l l c r e a t e
a t a p e ra l o n gt h e l e n g t lo' f t h e w o r k p i e c eU.s ea s p i n d l eg o u g e
t o r o u n do v e rt h e e n d so f t h e v a s e .

55

. o l d i n teh et o o lw i t h
U s ea s k e wc h i s etlo s m o o t h
t h ev a s eH
a n u n d e r h a ngdr i pa n dw i t ht h e l a t h et u r n e do f f ,s e tt h e b l a d eo n
thetoolrestsothat its longpointis abovethe blankand its bevel
i s i n c l i n e idn t h ed i r e c t i oonf t h ec u t ;t h i si s a b o u 6
t 5 " t o t h ea x i s
o f t h ew o o d S
. w i t c ho n t h e l a t h ea n dr a i s et h e h a n d l es l i g h t l y ,
bringing
the cuttingedgeof thechiselintocontactwiththe stock.
lettrngits bevelrub;
Movethe bladealongthe tool rest(above),
. h ec e n t e r
d o n o ta l l o wt h e h e e lo r l o n gp o i n td i g i n t ot h ew o o dT
o f t h ec u t t i n ge d g es h o u l dp r o d u cae s e r i e os f t h i ns h a v i n g s .

FOUR_POSTER
BET)

MAKING
THETANG
J()INTS
thetenons
1t Turnins
-

I O r c ey o uh a v et r r n e da l l t h ev a s e si .t
i s t r m et o p ' o d u c et 1 er a n gj o r n t sS. r a r b
ty
t. -r r" "" 'nb i nl ep n o n as l l h en n l t o m
e r d so f L h e
t i r u nq e n , a r a l ev : s e < o r - i i n n 5a n d I n i a l b a f k .

M a r kt h et e n o ns h o u l d e2r r n c h efsr o mt h e
e n do f t l ^ ew o r k p , eecb y l ^ o l idr g a p e r c
a g a i n st ht es p i n nn g b l a n kT. h e n h, o l d i n g
a p a r t i n tgo o lw i t ha n u n d e r h a ngdr p ,
m a k ea s e " i eos' s i zr p c r . t st o d e f i n e
the
gougeto
tenon(pzgp55). Usea ,oughing
c l e a ro r t t h e w a s t eb e t w e e trh e c u t s .A s
t h et e n o nb e g i n tso t a k es h a p ep, e ro d i c a l i y
c h e c kt w i t l ^c a i p e r ss, t o p p i nw
g l ^ e nt h e
t e n o ni s I i n c hi n d i a m e t eFr .i n a l l yu,s ea
s k e wc h i s e[l o r n d e r c utLh es h o u l d esrl r g h t l y ;t h i sw i l e n s u r teh a tt h e b o t t o me n d so f
t h ev a s es e c to n ss i t f l u s ho n t h es e c t i o n s
b e l o ww i t h o uwt o b b l i n gH. o l dt h ec h i s e l
edge-up
s o i t s l o n gp o r n ta n d b e v e al r e
a l i g n ew
d i t ht h es h o u l d el irn e ,T h e ns l o w l y
rarse
a n dt w i s t h e h a n d l es,l i c i n g
deeper
i n r ot l - es l - o u l d ears t l e c u t t r r ge d g ea p n r o a c n e' \se l e n o t ( r t p h l J .
i

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' r r b r i ! /

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r ) B o r i n tgh em o r t i s e s
Z . R . r o u . t h e b l a n ka n d t o o l r e s t ,a n d a d j u s t h e l a t h et o
t s s l o w e sst p e e d l. V o u n a
t l - i n c hd r r l lb r t i n a J a c o bcsh u c k
a n da t t a c ht h e c h u c kt o t h e l a t h et a i s t o c k l.V o u ntth et e n o n e n do f t h e b a n ki n t h e h e a d s t o cakn ds l i d et h et a i l s t o cakl o n s

I
I
t h e b e du n t i t h e b i t m e e t st h e c e n t e o
r f t h e w o r k pe c e .T h e n
t u r no n t h e l a t h ea n dt u r nt h e h a n d w h e teol a d v a n cteh e t a i l s t o c ks o t h e b i t b o r e ss t r a i g hitn t ot h e e n do f t h e b l a n k( a b o v e ) ;
h p s r r r pl n h n l n t h e w o r k n i p r ^ p . , t p a d v :ttn p < , t a rni f t n p n
r'
v yn
r r o ru :L lr vr rn n

,56

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BED
FOUR-POSTER

TUR N I N
TG
H EF I NIA T S
thefinials
1I Shaoins

I T h ef i n i a l sa t t h et o p o f t h e b e d p o s t s
c o m b i n ev a s e sa n d b e a d sA. f t e rt u r n i n g
t h e s ee l e m e n t ss,e p a r a tteh e t o p e n do f
t h e f i n i a lf r o m t h e w a s t ew o o du s e dt o
h o l dt h e b l a n kb e t w e e cne n t e r sT. o a v o i d
m a r r i n gt h e f i n i a l ' sr o u n d e d
t o p , u s ea
s k e wc h i s e lt o p a r to f f t h e w o r k p i e c e .
H o l d i ntgh et o o lw i t ha n u n d e r h a ngdr i p ,
tf
m a k ea s l i c i n g
c u t w i t ht h e l o n gp o i n o
t h e b l a d ea s y o uw o u l dr o u n da p o m m e l
@age53).Makea seriesof deeperV-cuts
(right).Beforethe finishedturningbreaks
l o o s ef r o mt h e w a s t es, u p p o ritt w i t ho n e
f r e eh a n d ,k e e p i n ygo u rf i n g e r sw e l lc l e a r
o f t h e t o o l r e s ta n d b e i n gc a r e f unl o tt o
g r i pt h es p i n n i nw
gorkpiece.

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r) Smoothing
thefinial
L f o remoue
anytool marksleft on the
f i n i a l sb yt h es k e wc h i s e ls, a n dt h e i rs u r f a c e ss m o o t hY
. o uc a n d o t h e j o b b y
h a n d ,s e c u r i ntgh e s t o c ki n a b e n c hv i s e
a n d u s i n ga s a n d i n gb l o c k .B u t a d i s k
s a n d e lri k et h e o n es h o w na t l e f tw i l l
m a k eq u i c kw o r ko f t h e t a s k .H o l d i n g
t h e f i n i a lo n t h e s a n d i n tga b l e e
, a s ei t
i n t ot h e d i s ka t a n a n g l eo f a b o u t4 5 " .
Applying
l i g h tp r e s s u r e
r o, t a t et h e f i n i a l
u n t i li t i s s m o o t h .

FOUR-POSTER
BED

PREPARING
THEPOSTS
FOR
THEENDBOARDS
ANDRAILS
'l

Laying
outthemonises
I Thebedoosts
areioined
to theend
b o a r dasn di a i l sw i t ht l i n o m o r t i s e - a n d tenons.
Toensure
thatall themortises
l i n eu p ,m a r kt h e mo nt h ep o s t isn a s i n glesetup.
Clamp
theposts
together
with
theirendsaligned
andplacetheassemblyona worksurface.
Holding
theedge
of a carpenter's
square
against
thestock,
m a r ko n o n ep o s ta t a t i m e .M a r kt h e
mortise
length-3 i nches-across
the
pommel;
posthasthree
eachheadboard
mortises,
including
twofortheheadboard
andonefortheendrail,whileeachfootboardposthastwo-oneforthefootboard
andonefortherail,Next,markthemortisewidth-% inch;centerthe mortise
outline
onthepommels.
Usethesquare
to
alignall themortise
lengthmarks(/eff).

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r) Drilling
themortises
1 youcancutthemortises
in theoosts
byhandwitha chisel
andmallet,
or usea
routerf ittedwitha mortising
bit.Butconsidering
thedepthof themortises-1%
inches-ahollow
chiselmortiser,
likethe
oneshownat rightor a drillpress
with
a m o r t i s i nagt t a c h m e nwti,l ld ot h ej o b
mostquickly
andaccurately,
Setupthe
m a c h i nfeo l l o w i nt g
h em a n u f a c t u r e r ' s
directions.
Forthemortiser
shown,
install
a s/e-inch
bit andplaceoneof theposts
onthetable,centering
a mortise
outline
underthecutter.Buttthefenceagainst
thestockandadjustthe hold-down
to
youto
secure
thepostwhilestillallowing
slidetheworkpiece
freely
along
thefence.
M a k ea c u ta t e a c he n do f t h eo u t l i n e ,
thena series
of staggered
cutsin between
(right)Io
complete
themortise.

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MAKINGTHEENDBOARDS
rl*1 he sunrisemotif of the headboard
I featuredin this chapteris a popular
in AmericanCountry
design,particularly
furniture.rv\hatever
designyou choose,
in making
however,
theprimarychallenge
the endboardsfor a bed is cuttingthe
piecessymmetrically.
Theboardsaretoo
on the
unwieldyto do thejob accurately
bandsaw.Youwillbe muchbetteroff
shapingtheboardswith a routerguidedby
templates,
asshownstartingon page61.
Whenthetimecomesto gluetheend
boardsand railsto the bedposts(page
64),lry to enlistthe aid of an assistant
or hvo to help you maneuverthe stock
andthesixlongbarclampsyouwill need.
Formaximumflexibilityat glue-up,use
whiteglueratherthanyellowadhesive;

it takeslongerto set,allowingmoretime
for adjustment
afterit hasbeenapplied.
Jointhe siderailsto the postswith
commercial
bayonetbrackets(page63)
are
or bedbolts(photo,right).Bedbolts
stronger,but thebracketsaresimplerto
installand comeapartwith only a few
mallettaps.

Tofacilitatedisassembly,
are
bedposts
usuallyanachedto thesiderailswith
knockdown
hardware,
suchasthebed
boltshownat right.Theboltextends
throughthepostinto therail and is
threadedinto a crossdowelinstalled
in therail. Theboltheadis concealed
by an embossed
brasscover.

THETEN()NS
CUTTING

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Sawing
thetenoncheeks
in theendboards
andrails
I Youcancutthetenoncheeks
witha router
or a radialarmsaw.lf youdothejobona table
saw,asshownhere,youwill needto setup an auxiliary
table
orworkwitha helper
to keepthelongworkpieces
steady
asyou
feedthemacross
thetable.Startbyinstalling
a dadoheadon
it to itswidest
setting.
Attach
a highauxilthesaw,adjusting
iaryfenceandan extension
boardto themitergauge.
Holda
carpenter's
square
against
thefenceandextension
to ensure
thattheyareperpendicular
to eachotherandadjustthemiter
(above,
gauge,
if necessary
/eft).Setthecuttingheightat
about%inchandmakea cutacross
eachfaceof a scrapboard

asthickastheendboards
andrails.Test-fit
thetenonin one
of thepostmortises,
raising
thedadoheadandmaking
addiuntilthefit is snug.0ncethe blade
tionalcuts,asnecessary,
heightis set,position
thefencefora ll,-inch-wide
cut and
c l a m oa f e a t h e r b o at or dt h ef e n c ea b o v teh ed a d oh e a d .
H o l d i ntgh ew o r k p i e cf leu s ha g a i n st h
t ef e n c ea n dm i t e r
gauge
extension,
andflatonthetable,feedit intotheblades
Thenshiftthestockawayfrom
to definethetenonshoulder.
passto
thefencebythewidthof thekerfandmakeanother
waste.
Turntheworkpiece
overto cutthe
cleartheremaining
right).
cheekonthe otherside(above,

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FOUR-POSTER
BED

r) Markingtheedgesof thetenons
L O n c ea l l t h e t e n o nc h e e k sh a v eb e e n
c u t , m a r kt h et e n o n se' d g e su, s i n gt h e i r
p o s tm o r t i s eass a g u i d e O
. utline
single
t e n o n so n t h e e n dr a i l sa n df o o t b o a r dt h; e
h e a d b o a rsdh, o w na t r i g h t ,h a st w ot e n o n s .
S e tt h e p o s to n a w o r ks u r f a c ew i t h i t s
m o r t i s efsa c i n pr r na n d o o s i t i otnh e m a t i n gp i e c eo n t o p ,a l i g n i ntgh ee n do f t h e
b o a r dw i t ht h e m o r t i s e sT.h e nl i n eu p t h e
b l a d eo f a c o m b i n a t r os n
quarw
e i t ho n e
e n do f a m o r t i s ae n d ,h o l d i n tgh e h a n d l e
o f t h e s q u a r ea g a i n stth e e n do f t h et e n o n
a n dt h et i p o f t h e b l a d ea g a i n stth es h o u l
d e r ,m a r kt h e t e n o ne d g ea c r o s tsh e c h e e k
. u t l i n teh e r e m a i n i nt e
w i t ha p e n c i lO
gnon
edgesthe sameway tight), markingthe
wastewith Xs as yougo.

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Finishing
thetenons
C l e a trh e w a s t ea d j o i n i ntgh e e d g e so f t h et e n o n su s i n ga
r o u t e fri t t e dw i t ha b o t t o m - p i l o tfel u
ds h - t r i m m i n
bg
r t .C l a m p
t h e s t o c kt o a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d a l i g nt h e c u t t e rw i t ht h e e d g e
o f a t e n o n .T h e nb u t t a s t o pb l o c ka g a i n stth e r o u t e b
r a s ep l a t e
a n dc l a m pi t t o t h e w o r k p i e c el f. t h e r ei s a s e c o n dt e n o no n t h e
s a m ee n d o f t h e s t o c k a
, s i n t h e h e a d b o a r cd l,a m pa s e c o n d
s t o pb l o c kt o p r e v e ntth e r o u t e fr r o mc u t t i n gi n t ot h e t e n o n .

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W i t ht h e t o o l ' sb a s ep l a t ef l a t o n t h e w o r k p i e c ae n d f l u s h
a g a i n st th e s t o pb l o c k e, a s et h e b i t i n t ot h e s t o c ku n t i lt h e
p i l o t b e a r i n gr e a c h e tsh e t e n o ns h o u l d e rF. e e dt h e r o u t e r
a l o n gt h e e n do f t h e b o a r ds, t o p p i n g
w h e nt h e b a s ep l a t ec o n t a c t sa s e c o n ds t o pb l o c k( i n s e t o) r t h e b i t r e a c h e tsh e e d g e
o f t h e w o r k p i e c (ea b o v e )C. l e a nu p t h e e d g e so f t h e t e n o n
w i t ha c h i s e l .

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FOUR.POSTER
BED

THEENDBOARDS
SHAPING
theendboard
templates
1 Making
profiles
I Shape
thecurved
of theheadandfootboards
witha routerguidedby
t e m p l a t e sM. a k et h et e m p l a t ef sr o m
plywood,
%-inch
tracing
thecontours
of
theboards'top
edges,
as illustrated
on
page51, on theplywood.
Butinstead
of
producing
templates
thatspanthefullend
boards,
markonlyone-half
the patterns
o n t h ei e m p l a t efsr,o mo n ee n dt o t h e
m i d d l en; o to n l yw i l lt h et e m p l a t ebse
easier
to maneuver,
butbyusinga single
pattern
to outlinebothhalves
of each
youwillensure
board,
thattheyaresymmetrical.
Cuteachpattern
one-half
as
l o n ga st h ee n db o a r dp, l u sa b o u 1
t2
inches.
Onbothsidesof thetemplate,
markoneendof theendboard,
thenthe
pattern
middle,
andtracethecurved
in
between.
Cutthe pattern
on yourband
s a w t, h e ns m o o t thh ec u t e d g eu, s i n ga
(righilor a sanding
spindle
sander
block.

r") Marking
theendboard
stock
L Setthestockface-uo
on a worksurf a c ea n dm a r kt h e m i d d l eo n t h et o p
e d g eT. h e nc l a m pt h et e m p l a toen t o p ,
a l i g n i ntgh ee n dm a r kw i t ht h ee n do f
theworkpiece
andthetwomiddlemarks.
R u na p e n c ial l o n g
t h ec u te d g eo f t h e
template
to outlinethe pattern
on the
endboardstock(/eft).Thenturnthetemplateoverandrepeat
theprocess
to mark
theotherhalfof theworkorece.

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61

FOUR_POSTER
BED

theendboards
Q Shaping
onyourbandsaw,
r.,l Cuttheendboards
leaving
about1/sinchof wastealongthe
and
cuttinglines.Reclamp
theworkpiece
asin step2,
to a worksurface
template
e n s u r i ntgh a tt h ee d g et o b e s h a p e d
e x t e n dosf f t h et a b l eb y a f e wi n c h e s .
bit in
flush-trimming
Install
a top-piloted
yourrouter,
adjusting
thecuttingdepth
willbelevelwiththe
sothepilotbearing
t e m o l a taen dt h ec u t t ew
r i l lt r i mt h e
at one
entireedgeof thestock.Starting
flaton
holdtherouter
endof theboard,
t h et e m o l a taen de a s et h eb i t i n t ot h e
contacts
thepatstockuniilthebearing
along
the
tern.Thenfeedthetoolsteadily
thedirection
of bit
edge,moving
against
against
rotation
andpressing
thebearing
(right).
Onceyoureachthe
thetemplate
s t, o pt h ec u t .T u r n
e n do f t h et e m p l a t e
r n dc l a m pi t t o t h e
t h et e m p l a toev e a
thenrepeat
otherhalfof theendboard,
Smooth
theedges
thetrimmingprocess.
sandpaper.
of thestockwith12O-grit

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PREPARING
THESIDERAILS

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t0 therails
hookplates
1 Fastening
thesiderailsto w i t ht h ee n do f t h er a i l ,h o l di t i n p o s i t i oann dt a pi t w i t ha
I lf youareusingbayonet
brackets
to attach
malletto markthe baseof the hooks
on thewood.Holdthe
theposts,
startbyfixinga hookplateto theendsof therails.
to theendgrainof therailandcutrecesschiselperpendicular
center
a plateontheend,and
Clamp
a railtoa worksurface,
Thenscrewtheplateto therail,makt h eo u t l i n e esforthe hooks(above).
o u t l i niet w i t ha p e n c iTl .h e nc h i s eal m o r t i swei t h i n
plate
plate
will
is
flush
ing
sure
that
the
hooks
bepointing
down.
0nce
the
a
depth
equal
to
the
thickness.
to

62

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FOUR-POSTER
BED

r) Fastening
catchplates
to theposts
L me placement
of thecatchplates
on
thebedposts
determines
theheight
ofthe
mattress;
thebottom
of theboxspringis
customarily
8r/zinches
above
thef loor.lt
is alsocrucial
to locate
theplates
sothe
inside
facesof therailshugtheedges
of
theboxspring;
fora 60-inch-wide
box
spring/mattress
setin a bedof thedimensionsprovided
on page50, centrethe
plateontheedgeof thepost.Markthe
edges
of therailonthepostandoutline
thecatchplateon the post?ighil,cenrailmarks.
teringit between
Chisel
the
platemortise
asyoudid in step2, then
h o l dt h eh a r d w airnep o s i t i oann do u t l i n e
t h eh o o ko p e n i n gosnt h es t o c kU
. s ea
chiselandmalletto cut recesses
in the
postforthehooks,
thenscrew
thecatch
olateto theoost.

t) Fastenins
thecleats
to thesiderails
<'

r . , l 0 n c e a l l t h e b a v o n ebt r a c k e t a
sre
i n s t a l l e dc,u t t h e c l e a t st h a tw i l l s u p p o r t
t h e b o xs p r i n gt o t h e l e n g t ho f t h e s i d e
r a i l s .S p r e a dg l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e sb e t w e etnh e s i d er a i la n dc l e a t t, h e n
c l a m pt h e c l e a ta l o n gt h e i n s i d ef a c e
o f t h e r a i l ,f l u s hw i t ht h e b o t t o me d g e ;
m a k es u r et h e e n d so f t h e t w o p i e c e s
a r e a l i g n e dN. e x t d
, r i l lp i l o th o l e st h r o u g h
t h e c l e a ta n d i n t ot h e r a i l ,s t a r t i n g
2 inche s i n f r o mt h e e n d sa n d s p a c i n g
the
r e m a i n i nhgo l e s8 i n c h e sa p a r t F
. inally,
drivea screwinto eachhole (lefil,

63

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FOUR_POSTER
BED

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ANDENDB()ARDS
GLUING
UPTHEBEDPOSTS
'l

Gluingthe bedpost
vase
I sections
together
A l t h o u g thh e j o i n t sc o n n e c t i ntgh e p o m m e l s e c t i o nas n df i n i a l so f t h e p o s t st o
t h e v a s es e c t i o nasr en o tg l u e d t, h e t a n g
j o i n t sb e t w e etnh e v a s es e c t i o n m
s u s tb e
g l u e dt o g i v et h e p o s t sa d e q u a t rer g r d i t y .
S o r e a da d h e s i voen t h e t e n o na n d i n t h e
m o r t i s eo f t h e t a n gj o i n ta n do n t h e c o n t a c t i n gs u r f a c ebs e t w e e tnh e t w o p i e c e s ,
t h e ns e c u r et h e m i n a b a rc l a m p ,p r o t e c t i n gt h e s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d s .l f t h e p o s t
b e g i n st o d i s t o r at s y o ut i g h t e nt h e c l a m p ,
r e p o s i t i oi nt i n t h e j a w su n t i li t r e m a i n s
straight.Keeptightening(right)unlil a
g l u eb e a ds q u e e z eosu t o f t h e j o i n t .

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r) Gluingthe poststo the endboards
L S e t t h ee n d b o a r d sw i t ht h e i rr e s p e c t i v ee n dr a i l sa n d p o s t so n a w o r ks u r f a c e ,
a n dt e s t -ift t h e m o r t i s e - a n d - t e nj ooinn t s
b e t w e etnh e m .U s ea c h i s e tl o p a r ea w a y
w o o df r o ma n yr l l -rft t r n g
l o r n t sA. p p l yg l u e
t o t h e c o n t a c t i n sgu r f a c e o
sf the posts
a n de n db o a r das n dr a i l sa, n du s ea n o n marring
dead-bloh
wa m m etro t a p t h e
j o i n t st o g e t h e ri f. n e c e s s a rSy e. c u r e
the
^r--^^
^.
n ri eu nu ou sJ uv rvirt Lh i lfr nu rur rr lr nu ni loE p
n l; p^ ^t r L
p
lolllp) UI
q
,
h
n
r
i
p
r
pioht
h:r e l:mns rrcpd in nairs

a s s h o w na t l e f t .P o s i t i otnw oc l a m p s
a c r o s st h e e n d b o a r ds o t h e h a n d l e - e n d
j a w sr e s ta g a i n sot p p o s i t e
p o s t sa n d t h e
+^ir ^+^^^ ^t +L^ ^r^*^^
tdil Jtup) ur L|tr Ltdttp5

n- ,v o_ r, l a n

Prntor.i

t h e p o s t sw i t hw o o dp a d sc u t a s l o n ga n d
w i d ea s t h e p o m m e sl e c t i o n su: s e p l y w o o dp a d st o p r o t e c t h e f a c e so f t h e
^-f, L^^-!^ ^^f, -^ir^ Ti:hipn
trru uudru> dilu rdilJ. rrb...-.. nnp of ihp

c l a m p su n t i lt h e t a i l s t o p sm a k ec o n t a c t .
R e p e awt i t ht w o m o r ec l a m p sa c r o s tsh e
e n dr a i l a n dp a r t i a l lt yi g h t e na l l f o u r
c l a m p st,h e nt u r nt h e a s s e m b loyv e ra n d
i n s t a ltlh e r e m a i n i nfgo u rc l a m p sT. i g h t e n
a l l t h e c l a m p s( l e f t )u n l i la t h i n g l u eb e a d
s o r e e z eos r t o f t h e i o i n t s .

64

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FOUR-POSTER
BED

MAKING
ANDINSTALLING
THETESTERS
theendsofthetesters
1 Notching
I Oncethebedposts,
endboards,
and
r a i l sa r eg l u e du p a n da s s e m b l ei tdi,s
timeto preDare
thetesters
thatconnect
thetopendsof theposts.
Useyourtable
s a wt o c u t t h e h a l f - l a pt sh a tj o i nt h e
testers,
lnstalla dadohead,adjusting
it
to itsmaximum
width,andsetthecutting
h e i g hat t o n e - h atlhf es i o c kt h i c k n e s s .
Screwan extension
boardto the miter
p a r r s eP.o s i t i ot n
h er i nf e n c ef o ra w i d t h
of cut equalto thewidthof thetesters,
t h e nc u t e a c hh a l f - l a ipn t w op a s s e s .
S t a r tb ya l i g n i ntgh ee n do f t h e b o a r d
withthedadoheadand,holding
theedge
of thetesterflushagainst
themitergauge
e x t e n s i ofne,e dt h es t o c ki n t ot h ec u t .
passthesameway,but
Makethesecond
withtheendof the boardflushasainst
Ihefence(right).

Miter 4au4e
exLengion

thetesters
O Installing
L Borea holethroush
thecenter
of each
half-lap
at theendoflhetesters,
usrng
yourdrillpress
f ittedwitha bitthesame
d i a m e t earst h ef i n i a tl e n o n s% i n c h .
To prevent
tearout,
borethe holesin two
steps:Startbydrillinghalfway
through
thestock,thenturnthetesteroverand
c o m p l e th
e eh o l ef r o mt h eo t h esr i d e .
(Youcanalsoassemble
thetesters
and
d r i l lt h et w oh o l e a
s t t h es a m et i m ew i t h
a p o r t a bdl er i l lT. h i sw i l le n s u rteh a t h e
holeslineup perfectly.)
Install
thetesters
at onecorner
of thebedat a time.Sliothe
f i n i atl e n o nt h r o u gthh eh o l ei n t h ee n d
testerand,holding
thesidetesterover
(left),fit thetenonthrough
the bedpost
itsholeintothemortise
in theoost.

65

PENCILPOSTS
known
hetapered
octagonal
bedpost,
I asa pencilpost,is a popularalternativeto theturnedversionfeaturedin
the previoussection.Insteadof being
shaoedin individualsectionsthat are
pencilpostsaremade
then assembled,
from a singlelengthof solidor facegluedlumber-first taperedon ajointer (page67)andthenby hand (page68).
To avoidtearoutasyou shapetheposts,
makeyour blanksfrom 3/,-inch-thick
stockwith straightgrain;if you choose
to glueup thinnerboardsto makeup
the blanks,makesurethe wood grain
of theoieces
runsin thesamedirection.
Shapingthe octagonalsectionsof
of designand
the postsis a challenge

execution.The bevelsthat createthe

octagonmust be laid out so the eight
sidesareequalasthe posttapersfrom
baseto tip. Althoughthelayoutmethod
shown below is straightforward,it
demandsprecisedrafting.

With its solid, squarebasegiving

way to an octagonalsectionthat
gradually tapersto a narrow tip, the
pencil post shown at right offersboth
strengthand refinement.The curved
bevelsthat mark the transition between
the squareand octagonalsegments
are known as lamb's tongues.

POSTS
MAKING
PENCIL

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taper (ahaded area)

thetapers
1 0utlining
through
eachof itsfourcorners.
Then,with
I Fora bedofthedimensions
shown
on page50,marka line square
thatpasses
pencil
from
ruler,
draw
a
second
square
whose
corners
meet
forthestartof thetaperall around
theblank20 inches the a
and
(inseil.
where
lines
intersect
fhe
octagonal
theoctagonal
taperonthecenter
of
thecircleandcenter
bottom
end.Thenoutline
willbecut byfirsttapering
of
a lYq-inch
square
ontheend
shape
thestockto thedimensions
thetopend.Startbycentering
you
planing
parallel
side.Extend
thesidesof the thefirstsquare drew,thenby
thecorners
of that
withsides
to thestock's
Mark
andhorizon- square
downto theremaining
sidesof thesecond
square.
square
to theedges
of thestock,thendrawvertical
pencil
andlongstraightedge
to extend
tal linesthrough
thecenter,
eachbisecting
thesquare's
sides. thefirstcutsbyusinga
Nextusea comDass
to drawa circlefromthecenterof the
thetaperlinesfromtheendto thestartline(above).

66

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FOUR-POSTER
BED

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r) Setting
upandstarting
thetaper
L nn easywayto taperthe postsis witha jointer.
Setthe
machine
fora shallow
cutandposition
thefenceto expose
only
Forthisoperation,
about4 inches
ofthecutterhead.
alsoadjust
t h eg u a r d
o u to f t h ew a yT. h e nh, o l d i ntgh eb l a n ka g a i n st ht e

f e n c e a l i s nt h e t a n e rs t a r tl i n ew i t ht h e f r o n to f t h e o u t f e e d
tableT
. o s t a r te a c hp a s sc, a r e f u l llyo w e trh e b l a n ko n t ot h e c u t ). ake
terhead
w h i l eh o l d i n gi t f i r m l ya g a i n stth e f e n c e( a b o v e M
s u r eb o t hh a n d sa r eo v e rt h e i n f e e ds i d eo f t h e t a b l e .

Tapering
the posts
Q
r - , 1 F e e dt h e l e s a c r o s st h e c u t t e r h e a d
w i t ha p u s hb l o c k ,p r e s s i ndgo w no n t h e
t r a i l i n ge n do f t h e s t o c kw h i l eh o l d i n gi t
flushagainstthe fence(/eft).Keepyour
l e f th a n da w a yf r o mt h e c u t t e r h e a dM. a k e
s s n e c e s s a ruyn t i l y o u
a s m a n yp a s s e a
h a v et r i m m e dt h e s t o c kt o t h e t a p e ro u t l i n e ,r e p e a t i ntgh e p r o c e stso s h a p et h e
r e m a i n i nfga c e s l. f y o u rm a r k i n gasr ec o r r e c t ,y o us h o u l dm a k et h e s a m en u m b e r
o f p a s s eosn e a c hs i d e .C l e a nu p t h e t a p e r
a t t h e s t a r tl i n eu s i n sa b e l ts a n d e r .

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67

FOUR-POSTER
BED

BEVELING
TAPERS

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'l Laying
outthebevels
I Toformtheoctagon,
bevelthecorners
of thesquare
taper.
Thebevelis already
outlined
ontheendof eachpost,butit
mustalsobemarked
Taking
onthesidesof thestock.
thedimenpoststock,
sionsfroma pieceof full-size
anddrawing
onscrap
plywood,
outlinesquares
asyoudid in stepI (above,
left).
yourmeasurement-equal
Transfer
to thebevelwidth-tothe

post,measuring
fromeachcorner
of thesquare
to eitherside.
Thenusea pencilanda longstraightedge
to connect
each
pointontheoctagon
markwithitscorresponding
drawnat the
. n c ea l l e i g hbt e v elli n e sa r em a r k e d ,
t o pe n do f e a c hp o s tO
joining
drawa curved
lamb's
tongue
at eachcorner,
thebevel
markswiththetaperstartlinehbove,right).

Roughing
outthebevels
Tosecure
theoosts.
usethreewood
notches
intoan
blocks.
CutV-shaoed
edgeof eachone,thenplacetwoof the
blocksundertheworkpiece
to support
it
andclamponeontop between
theother
twoof theblocks
two:oosition
around
the
portion
square
of the post.Thenusea
portion
drawknife
to shapethetapered
of
thepostsintooctagons,
beveling
onecorn e ra t a t i m e .H o l d i ntgh ed r a w k n iof en
thestockbevel-side
down,pullthetool
toward
thetopendof thepost(righil.fhe
depthof cutdepends
on howmuchyou
tilt thehandles;
thelower
theangle,
the
shallower
thecut.Takea lightshaving,
following
always
thewoodgrain.

68

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FOUR-POSTER
BED

thebevels
Q Smoothing
r-,f Onceall the bevels
havebeencut,
toflatten
t h ee i g h t
u s ea b e n c hp l a n e
Adjust
sidesof theposts'tapered
section.
thetoolto a verylightcutandworkfrom
thetaperstartlinetoward
thepost's
top
(righil.fo auoid
endto levelthesurface
tearout,
workwiththewoodgrain.Repositiontheoostin thewoodblocks
asnecsides.
essary
to f latten
theremaining

Shaping
thelamb's
tongue
Tocomplete
thepencilposts,
switch
b a c kt o t h ed r a w k n i b
f er i n gt h el a m b ' s
Workasyou
tongues
to theirfinalshape.
didin step5, smoothing
outthetransition
between
thetongues
andthebevellines
(left).Onceyouarefinished
draw-knifing,
smooth
thesurface
using
a sanding
block.

69

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\AINDSORCHAIR
T
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n. Windsorchairis a
incontrasts.
study
Origi-

the seat at whateverangles

suit its user.All of the chair's
parts are joined with round
mortise-and-tenons-afairly
simplejoint to produce.Some
woodworkerscontend that
one of the benefitsof making
a Windsor chair with green
lumber is that you can take
of the hygroscopic,
advantage
moisture-absorbing
characor
By
ter of wood. dryrngthe leg
tenonsprior to assembly
and
"wet"
morfitting them into
tisesin theseat,a snugjoint will
becomeeventighter.Oncethe
joint is assembled,
the tenon
will absorbmoisturefrom the
woodsurroundingthemortise,
swellingthetenonandshrink-

nallydesigned
asan artless
furnishing,it is now consideredto be a sophisticated
of modernchairmakexample
ing.Thesimpleelements
of a
Windsor-the sculptedseat
legs,
and the hand-shaped
stretchers,
arm posts,and
spindles-beliethe precise
engineering
required
to assembleit. Anddespiteitsrelatively lightweight
components,
the
Windsorchairis verystrong
Thetop of a Windsorchairseatis traditionally
anddurable.
Firstmadein ruralsouthsculptedby hand. With shapingtoolslike
Windsorchairs
thespokeshave,
inshave,and drawknife,it is
ernEngland,
possibleto customize
theseatfor its user.
cameto NorthAmericain the
Perhaps
mid-18thCentury.
as
choose
instead
to useseaOtherchairmakers
design
andunsophisticated
construction, ingthemortise.
aresultof itspractical
pioneerhome- sonedwoodfor theseat,whichwill belesslikelyto crackasit
with America's
thestylequicklyflourished
Thejointsin the
the dries,andreinforce
thejoineryin otherways.
Thefoundation
of allWndsorchairs-whether
steaders.
with chairfeatured
in thischapteraregluedandmanyof themversion
featured
in thischapter,
thecomb-back
sack-back
joints-are furtherstrengthened
by
type-is thesolid- suchastheleg-to-seat
its highbackest,or thecontinuous-arm
"green"(or
inserted
in kerfscutin theendof thetenons.
freshlyfelled) wedges
woodseat.Traditionally
cutfroma
A finaladvantage
of buildinga Windsorchairis thatthe
log,theWindsor's
seatrepresented
animportantinnovation
canbedonewith handtools.Althoughthelegs
in chairmaking.In earlierstyles,
thebackof thechairwasan entireprocess
canbeturnedonalathe(page89),theycanalso
of thelegs.Thismeantthattherearlegshadto be andstretchers
extension
(page
a drawknife
withthespindles-using
seating
andwereattached
to the beshaped-along
bentto providecomfortable
(page
joinery.
horse
7B).Theseatcanbe
76)andashop-built
shaving
complex
seatframewith relatively
(page84),thenshaved
andadzed
to itsfinThelegsof a Windsorchairarenotbent.Instead,
theback cutwithabowsaw
ishedshape.
anchored
separately
to
andlegassemblies
areindependent,

Thesack-back
Windsorchairshownat left wasfinishedwith milk paint, a
traditionalfinishfor AmericanCountryfurniture.,fuailablein powdered
milk paint reflects
form and mixedwith waterto a paint-likeconsistency,
thesimplicityof the Windsorchair;it is bestappliedby brush.

7T

ANATOMYOF A SACK-BACKWINDSORCHAIR
anyof the round mortise-andtenonjointsthathold a Windsor
chairtogetherarereinforcedby wedges.
As the illustrationat right shows,the
top endofthe legs,armposts,andspindlesareallkerfedprior to assembly;the
wedgesthat fill the kerfsexpandthe
tenons,ensuringthat theyfit snuglyin
theirmortises.
Buta Windsorchairis morethanthe
sumof its parts.Forstrengthandcomfort, it alsorelieson the interactionof
The legsand
its variousassemblies.
for example,work against
stretchers,
eachotherto supportthe weightof its
with its bow,
user.The backassembly,
functionsin a similar
arm,andspindles,
manner.Thelegssplayout to the sides
and arerakedforwardandbackwardprovidinga broad,stablebasefor the
chair.As with all enduringdesignsthe
seatis tilted back slightly,making
the chairmorecomfortable.
The threeviewsof the sack-back
on page73 provide
Wndsor presented
spacings,
you with the criticalangles,
and dimensions.More dimensions
appearin the cuttinglist belowand
throughoutthechapterwhereeachpart
of thechairis made.
As you prepareyour stock,keepin
mind that you will not be ableto cut
someof thepartsto theirfinishedlength
Thespinuntil youbeginfinalassembly.
dles,for example,shouldall be left at
their maximum possiblelength-22
inches-until youhavebentthearmand
against
thespindles
bow,andtest-fitted
them.In thesameway,sizethestretchers only after test-fittingthe blanks
betweenthe legs.

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LIST
CUTTING

PIECE

OTY.

THICKNESS

Arm
Armposts

%'

Bow

2
I

Legs

Seat
Longspindles
spindles
Small

1
7

Middle
stretcher
Sidestretchers

2',

W.ORDIAM
2',

44',

IYo'

11',

%u

ARr

!3/o'

17'
20'

16'
3/ou

22',

3At

T%'

II%'
17'

Ivi'

I4Yz'

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WINDSOR CHAIR

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Side view

Front view

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Top view

thort apindlee
apacedequally
betweenlon1
opindleand
arm poet

1ocketa in
arm for lonq
apindlee
apaced 2'/o
incheoapart

MAKING THE SPINDLES

indsorchairmakingstartswith a
freshlycut log. Becausegreen

woodis swollenandlubricated
with
moisture,
it iseasy
to cleave
andbend.It
isalsolessworkto shape.
Splittingwood
fromalogoffersotheradvantages.
First,

it is stronger,
because
thebreakfollows
thewoodfibersratherthanshearing
them,asa sawmilldoes.And second,
woodseasons
betterif it isshaoed
while
stillgreen.
A chairspindle,
foiexample,
will season
morequicklyandbe less

proneto cracking
thana board,which
maycupor check.
Ifyou haveaccess
to a woodlot,you
canfellyourowntreesusinga chainsaw.
youmaybeableto obtain
Otherwise,
greenlogsfroma sawmill,a localfirewood supplier,or your local roads
Youcanmakean entire
department.
chairfromhardwoods
likehickorywhite
ash,or oak;butmanywoodworkers
also
usesoftwoods
suchaspoplarandpine
for theseat,whichareeasierto shape
with handtools.
Theprocess
described
onthefollowing pagesfor riving,or splitting,a log
into spindleblanlscanalsobeusedto
producearm,leg,andstretcher
blanks.

Oncea loghasbeencut into manageablelengths,it is time to split it.

Driving an iron wedgeinto theendof
thelogwith a sledgehammer,
asshown
at left,will separate
thewoodftbers
alongthegrain. Weareyeprotection
whenyou strikemetalagainstmetal.

PREPARING
THESPINDLE
BLANKS
a boltintoquarters
1 Splifting
I Onceyouhavefelleda logand
trimmedoff the branches,
sawit into
workable
lengths,
calledbolts.Forbest
results,
usea chainsaw.Splittheboltsin
hall (photo,abovd,usinga sledgehammerandironwedges;
wearsafetygoggles
throughout
theoperation.
Tocleave
the
halves
intoquarters,
standthe pieceup,
markthe centeron the endanddrivea
wedgeintothe mark.Continue
driving
thewedgetighl untilthe boltsplits.

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74

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WINDSORCHAIR

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r)

Rivinga quarterboltintoblanks
h a v es p l i ta b o l ti n t oq u a r t e r sr i,v ee a c hp i e c ei n t o
I
Onceyou
s p i n d l eb l a n k sO. u t l i n e
t h e b l a n k so n t h ee n do f t h e b o l ta n ds p l i t
iI (above,left),thenrivethe blankswith a froeand a f roeclub
m a d ef r o ma n 1 B - i n c hl e n g t ho f d e n s eh a r d w o o sdu, c ha s m a p l e ,

-) Debarkins
theblanks
<.

h i c k o r yd, o g w o oodr e l m . H o l d i n g
t h e f r o ei n o n eh a n dw i t ht h e
bladeoffsetfromtheoutline,strikethe bladewiththe club (above,
ilghil.fwislthe froebackandforth,anddriveit in deeper.0nce
t h e w a s t eb r e a k so f f, r e p e atto m a k et h e r e m a i n i ncgu t s .

r - J R e m o v eb a r kf r o my o u rb l a n k su s i n ga d r a w k n i f o
en a
i n b o t hh a n d sw i t ht h e b e v e dl o w n ,p u l l t h et o o lt o w a r dy o u
h o r s e( p a g e/ B ) . S e c u r e
s h o p - b u i sl th a v i n g
t h e w o r k p i e cbea r k t o s h a v eo f f t h e b a r k( a b o v e )T. u r nt h e p i e c ea r o u n dt o d e b a r k
s i d eu p u n d e rt h e h o r s e 'csr o s s b aTr .h e n ,h o l d i n gt h e d r a w k n i f e t h e o t h e re n d .

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WINDSORCHAIR

SHAPING
THESPINDLES
ANATOMY
OFSPINDLE
-/,."
dta. +i

)/

l:
' ) i

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'/ "

dia.

'>i
!Long epindle

Rough-shaping
thespindles
I Secure
a s p i n d l eb l a n ki n y o u rs h a v r nhgo r s ea n d u s ea d r a w k n i fteo s h a p e
t h e s t o c ki n t oa t a p e r e dc y l i n d e rF. o rb e s tr e s u l t st,h e g r o w t hr i n g so n t h e e n d
g r a i no f t h e b l a n ks h o u l db e r o u g h lvye r t i c aS
l . t a r tb y s q u a r i nagn ds i z i n gt h e b l a n k .
Holding
t h e d r a w k n i foen t h e b l a n kb e v esl i d ed o w n ,p u l lt h e t o o lt o w a r dy o u ,
a l w a y sf o l l o w i n tgh e g r a i n( a b o v e )K. e yd i m e n s i o nasn d d i a m e t e rfso r t h e s e v e n
l o n gs p i n d l eas n df o u rs h o r ts p i n d l eyso u n e e df o r a c h a i ra r ep r o v i d eidn t h e
i l l u s t r a t i oant l e f t .T u r nt h e b l a n ke n d - f o r - e nadn d r e p o s i t i oi nt i n t h e s h a v i n g
h o r s ef r e q u e n t lsyo y o uc a ns h a p ei t u n i f o r m l yP. e r i o d i c a cl l hy e c kt h e p i e c e ' s
k e yd i a m e t e rwsi t hc a l i p e ros r a s h o p - m a dgea u g el i k et h e o n es h o w no n p a g e7 7 .
( l f y o up r e f e ry, o uc a nt u r nt h e s p i n d l e o
sn a lathea
, s s h o w no n p a g e8 9 . )

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WINDSORCHAIR

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r) Evening
outthe spindles
L O n c ea l l t h e s p r n d l eas r er o u n d e d
a n dt a p e r e du, s ea s p o k e s h a vt oee v e no u t
t h e i rs u r f a c e sA. d j u s t h e s p o k e s h a vf oer a v e r ys h a l l o w
c u t . H a n d l et h e t o o la s y o u
d r dt h e d r a w k n i f ea,l w a y sw o r k i n gw i t h t h e g r a i n( a b o v ea)n d r e p o s i t r o n i tnhge w o r k p i e c ea s n e c e s s a rF
y .o r mt h e t e n o n sa t t h e b o t t o me n d so f t h e s p i n d l e w
s i t ha k n i f e ,
r e f e r r i ntgo t h e a n a t o m yi l l u s t r a t i oonp p o s r t e .

jiiilIi ffi dr{il ffi tulil tiJill, iiiji$ ,u{lr,itrjdi d,

1HO?Tt?

,r:

ShoV-madesizinggau6e
//
A ehog-made
oizingqauge
-'//
alloweyouto meaeure
trhe
diamelersof chaireVindleeae youohapethem.
Soreholesinlo a wood
ecrap,eizingLhemaccordinq
to NhesVindleo'
keydiameters.
Dnlla
'/,.,-inch-diameLer
holeinto the qaugeLo
-/

-)t

{,r-,2

checkNhetenon aI Lhe boLLomend of Lhe

e p i n d l e ea, n d a 7 / , , - i n c h - d i a m e t h
ea
r l ef o r t h e
f , o Ve n d o f l h e o p i n d l e s . Y o cua n a l s o c h e c ka k e y
d i a m e l e r a l o n gL h e l e n q l h o f t h e e p i n d l e ob y b o r i n q a h o l et h r o u g h L h e q a u q ea n d e l i p p i n gI h e b l a n k
introf,he hole.Ihe blankis lhe correcl diamet,erwhen iL
j a m e i n N h eh o l ea I L h e a p p r o p r i a t ep o i n l a l o n qi t o l e n g f , h .

S m o o t h i nt hges p i n d l e s
Q
r - . 1 U s ea h a n ds c r a p etro g i v et h e s p i n d l e sa s m o o t hf i n i s h G
. r a s p i ntgh et h i c k
e n d o f t h e s p i n d l ei n o n eh a n da n d ,
bracing
t h e t h i n e n do n a w o r ks u r f a c e ,
u s ey o u ro t h e rh a n dt o d r a wt h e s c r a p e r
. o r kr n t h e
a l o n gt h e s u r f a c e( a b o v e )W
d r r e c t i o on f t h e p r a r na n d r o t a t et h e
spindle
f r e q u e n ttl oy k e e pi t u n i f o r m .

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WINDSORCHAIR

t
Eridge
2" x 10"x 35"

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Eench
3"x10"x72"

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Foot bar

Adiuetment hole
Pivoting arm
aeaembly

Erace
1'1"x3'/2"x13"
Pivoting
lag bolt

Leg
2"x4"x19/2"

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A SHAVIilG
HORSE
Theshaving
horsegripsstocksecurely
in placewhileit isshaped
withdrawknivesandspokeshaves.
Simpleto
horse
features
build,thetypicalshaving
a bench,
an inclined
bridge,
anda pivBystepping
otingarmassembly.
down
ontheassembly's
footbar,youcanlock
yourworkpiece
in position
between
the
bridgeandtheassembly's
crossbar.
To buildtheversion
shownabove,
with
bench,
which
canbe
start
the
from
half
log
10
12
inches
hewn
a
to
in diameter,
from
rough
orcutto length
3-by-10lumber.
Makethelengthof
the benchto suityourneeds.
Next,cut the legsfrom2-by-4
stockandattachthemto the bench

joints,reinforced
T half-lap
withangled
byscrewsandbracestighil. CutIhe
twobracestrom2-by-4stockto fit
between
the leg'soutside
edgesand
screwthemto the legs.To bevelthe
of the legssotheysit flat and
bottoms
level,settheshaving
horse
on a flat
surfaceandbutta squareboardup
against
all foursidesof eachlegto
markcuttinglinesaroundthem(page
79, above,/eft).Sawthe bottomsof
the legsflat,thencutthetopsof the
legsflushwiththebench.
Next,sawtheriserandthebridge
to
size;therisershouldbecut andbevis inclined
eledsothatthebridge
at an
angleof about15'to thebench.
Locate
the riserabout30 inchesfromthe

backof thebenchandscrewit in place

fromunderneath.
Thenscrewthebridge
to the riser(page79, above,right)and
thefrontof thebridge
io the bench.

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WINDSORCHAIR

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N e x tb, u i l dt h ep i v o t i nagr m .T h e
bly.Cutdadoes
in thefootbarto match
a s s e m b cl yo n s i s tosf t w oa r m s a,
thenotches
in thearms,fit thepieces
notchedcrossbar,anda footbar
together,
andreinforce
thejointswith
(right)Thecrossbar
is joinedto the
screws.
Withthefootbarattached.
slio
armswiththrough
roundmortise
and
thearmassembly
undertheshaving
tenons,
whilea bridlejointconnecis
horseandscrewit in placewiththe
thefootbarto thearms.Cutthearms
from2-by-4stockandboretwocountersunk
holes
through
eachoneforlag
PIVOTINGARMAS?EMELY
screws.
Makeadditional
holes
through
the armsaboveandbelowthe f irst
soyouwill beableto adlustthe positionof the assembly
laterto accommodate
thrcker
stock.To oreoare
the
armsfor the bars,cut a roundmortisethrough
themat thetopendand
a notchat the bottom.
Next,cut thecrossbarto length,
making
it about3 inches
longer
than
width
the
of the bench.Cutround
in bothendsanda V-shaped
tenons
notchin themiddleof thebottom
edge
to holdyourstock.Setthecrossbar
asidefor now.Next,cut thefootbar,
m a k i n igt s l e n g t h
t w i c et h a to f t h e
crossbar
to provide
anoctagonal-shaped
footrestoneachsideof thearmassem-

79

lagscrews.
Donottightenthescrews
immediately;
leave
themloose
enough
soyoucanslipthecrossbar
in place.
Do
notglueor screwit, butleavethebar
freeto pivot.Onceit isconnected
to the
arms,f inishtightening
thelagscrews.

Lag screw

MAKING THE BOW AND ARM

-l- h. arm and bow of the sack-back
I Windsoranchorthechair'sbackrest,tying the spindlesinto a strong
and comfortablestructure.The graceful curvesofboth piecesareachieved
that
throughsteambending,a process
part
maywell be the most challenging
of makingthe chair.
of woodThetwo essential
elements
steamingarea steamgeneratorand an
Theversionshownin
enclosedsteamer.
on page
thephotoat right anddescribed

from ABSpipe.Besure
83is shop-made
longerthanthebow
to makethesteamer
and arm,and sealit tightlyto keepthe
steamfrom escaping.Includea small
drain hole at one end and olacethe
to
steameron a slightincline,however,
allowthe condensed
steamto run out.
Ifyou areusinga gas-powered
steam

source,it is safestto do your steaming

outside,If you areusinggreenwood,
l5 to 20 minutesof steamingshould
makethe piecesufficientlypliableto
bend arounda form. Air-driedlumIt
berrequirestwiceasmuchsteaming.
will takeabout one weekfor a bent
pieceof l-inch-thickstockto dry.

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The arm of a sack-backWindsorchair

is extractedfrom a steamingjig with a
pair of tongs. The steamingprocess
leavesthe wood pliable for about a
minute-long enough to bend thepiece
around a form. Becauseof the intense
heatproduced, always wear work gloves
when handling steamedwood.

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ANATOMY
OFA BOWANDARM

r
22" (from end to middle)

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',,>,,

dia.

t
22'/r" (from end to mtddte)

t
%" dia.

80

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WINDSORCHAIR

PREPARING
THESTOCK
thebowandarm
1I Squarine
I

D r a w k n i fteh e b o wa n da r m r o u g h ltyo

c,izp (naop

74)

lhon

rrc.p: hon.h

nlanp

to scuare
t h eo i e c ea
s n df l a t t e nt h e i rs i d e s .
Secure
t h e b l a n kb e t w e e b
n e n c hd o g so n
y o u rw o r k b e n c hS.t a r t i n g
a t o n ee n d o f
t h e s t o c k g. u i d et h e p l a n ea c r o s tsh e s u r f a c et o t h e o t h e re n d :k e e pt h e s o l eo f t h e
t o o lf l a t o n t h e w o r k p i e caen da p p l ym o d eratedownwardpressure(right).Planethe
a r mu n t i li t i s I b y I i n c h e sf ;o rt h e b o w .
r e f e rt o t h e a n a t o m iyl l u s t r a t i oonp p o s i t e .

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r ) S h a p i ntgh eb o wi n t oa c y l i n d e r
L Secu,ethe
b o wb l a n ki n y o u rs h a v i n g
h o r s ea n ds t a r t
s h a p i ntgh e p i e c ew i t ha d r a w k n i f e
B.r a c i ntgh e e n do f t h e
s t o c ka g a i n syt o u rc h e s t d
, r a w k n i fteh e b l a n ki n t oa c y l i n d e r
( l e f t )w
; o r kw i t ht h e w o o dg r a i nt h r o u g h o uAt .s s h o w ni n t h e
diagram
o p p o s i t em, a k et h e f i n a ld i a m e t eor f t h e b o wI i n c h ;
i t s h o u l dt a p e rd o w nt o I i n c hs t a r t i n ga b o u tB i n c h e sf r o m
e a c he n d .A s y o uw o r ko n t h et h i n n eer n do f t h ew o r k p i e c e ,
r e p o s i t i otnh e b l a n ki n t h e s h a v i n g
h o r s es o t h a t l e s ss t o c k
f
r
o
m
e x t e n do
sut
u n d e rt h e c r o s s b a S
r .w i t c ht o a s p o k e s h a v e
to givethe bowa smoothersurfacetinish (above),
handlingit
a s y o ud i d t h e d r a w k n i f e .

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WINDSORCHAIR

'l

BENDING
JIG

B u i l d i nag b e n d i njgi g
I B u i l da b e n d i ntgi g l i k et h eo n es h o w n
at leftto bendthe bowand arm of a sackb a c kW i n d s ocr h a i r .C u t t w o p i e c e so f
%-inchplywoodto the desiredcurveof the
b o wa n d a r m ,t h e ns c r e wt h e m t o g e t h e r
t o m a k et h e f o r m .M o u n t h e f o r mo n a
% - i n c hp l y w o o d
b a s ea n d m a r kt h e c e n t e r
o f t h e f o r mn e a ri t s t o p e d g e T
. h e nc u t
t h e s t o pb l o c kf r o m h a r d w o oadn d s c r e w
i t t o t h e h a s e a n d h o r et h e t w o Z - i n c h d i a m e t edr o w e lh o l e si n t ot h e b a s e T
. he
s p a c eb e t w e e nt h e b l o c ka n dd o w e l sa n d
t h e f o r ms h o u l de q u a tl h e t h i c k n e sosf
t h e w o r k p i e cpel u st h e w e d g e su s e dt o
qc.rrrp it in nlanp

Fin:llv

nron:ro tho

d o w e l sa n d w e d g e st,h e nc l a m pt h e b a s e
to a worksurface.

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Securing
thebowaround
theform
O n c et h e w o r k p i e chea sb e e ns u f fi c i e n t l ys t e a m e dr.e m o v e
i t f r o mt h e s t e a m e(rp a g e8 0 ) a n dp l a c ei t o n t h e b e n d i n g
1ig.
A l i g nt h e m i d d l eo f t h e b o ww i t ht h e c e n t e rm a r ko n t h e f o r m
a n d c l a m pt h e s t o c kt o t h e m i d d l eo f t h e f o r mb y t a p p i n g
w e d g e si n p l a c e .P u l lo n ee n d o f t h e w o r k p i e cteo w a r dt h e
f o r mf i r m l ya n d s t e a d i l yu n t i l i t c o n t a c t st h e s i d eo f t h e f o r m .
Insera
t d o w e li n t ot h e h o l ei n t h e b a s ea n d t a p i n a w e d g e
t o s e c u r et h e b o wi n p l a c e .R e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e
. o r kq u i c k l yt o c o m p l e t teh e b e n d .
w o r k p i e c e( a b o v e )W

Maintaining
thebendwithstring
T i ea l e n g t ho f s t r i n gt i g h t l yb e t w e etnh e e n d so f t h e b o w
( a b o v e ) a nbde g i ns t e a m i n tgh e a r m .0 n c et h e a r m i s r e a d y
f o r b e n d i n gy, o uc a n r e m o v e
t h e b o wa n d b e n dt h e a r m a s i n
s t e p2 . T h es t r i n gw i l l k e e pt h e b o wb e n tu n t i l i t d r i e s .

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WINDSORCHAIR

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PIPE
STEAMER
A SHOP-MADE
anddurable
wood
An economical
liketheoneshownbelow
steamer
from2-by-4s
and
canbefashioned
4 - i n c h - d i a m eAt B
e rSp i p ea n df i t features
support
tings,Thedevice
racksinsidethe pipeanda removablecapat eachendforeasyaccess.
is a watercanconThesteamsource
bya lengthof
nected
to thesteamer
plastichose:thewaterin the can
cooker.
is heated
bya propane-fired
(Thissetupshould
onlybeusedoutThesteamsource
should
doors).
cap.
havea removable,
screw-type
startwitha
Tobuildthesteamer,
lenghof schedule
80 ABSpipelonger
thanthebowandarm.Cutit in half
both
of holes
through
anddrilla series
pipehalves
to accommodate
%-inch
machine
boltsandnuts
zinc-coated

(DETAIL)
STEAM 1OUKCEFTTTING
y?u'

7[aeLtc hoae
to Iteamer

couplinq

Theseboltswillsupport
asshown.
it
to prevent
woodinsidethesteamer
water.(The
fromlyingin condensed
theboltsfrom
zinccoating
willprevent
Drillthe holes
staining
thewood).
thecenterline
of thepipeto
below
provide
roomforthewood.Install
the
washers
bolts,usingsteelandrubber
Kemovableend cap

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' '"(-""
tanK

MachirtenuL
(ineide eream

aaa cooker

83

Kubber 1aokeL

seal.
onbothsides
to makeanairtight
of thepipeto an
Nowgluebothhalves
Drilla %-inch
drain
ABST connector.
moisture
holeat oneendto release
pressure.
Thengluea
andexcess
pipecutfrom1%-inch
ABS
connector
pipeto thespouiof theT connector.
Next,cut a lengthof plastichose
to the
thatwillconnect
thesteamer
for
watercan;thef ittingsrequired
thewatercanendareshownabove.
(Thefittingsforthesteamer
endof
except
thatan
thehoseareidentical,
ABSendcapis usedinstead
of the
watercancap;theendcapisglued
pipe.)
andscrewed
to theconnector
Makesurethef ittingsareairtight.
Lastly,builda 2-by-4frameto supportthesteamer.
Naila smallsupport
will
blockat oneendsothesteamer
andtheexcess
restona slightincline
waterwillrunoutof thedrainhole.
conTo usethesteamer,
carefully
nectthe gascooker
to a propane
tank.Fillthe watercan,attachthe
capandhoseto it, andsetthecanon
end
thecooker.
Secure
theremovable
lightthecooker,
capsonthesteamer,
buildup steam.
andletthesteamer
(Caution:
or
Donot let the steamer
pressurized.)
steamsourcebecome

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MAKINGTHE SEAT
rla he seatof a sack-back
Windsor
I chairisbestcut from a singleplank.
As shownin thephoto at left,theblank
is roughedout by hand with a frame
sawor bowsaw.Then the seatis given
its basicshapeusinga varietyof hand
tools-the edgesareroundedoverby a
drawknife(page85),the top surfaceis
scooDedout with an adze and an
inshave(page86),andsomefinaltouchesareetchedwith a veiner(page87).

Thefinal stepis to boremortisesinto

the seatfor the legs,spindles,and arm
posts(page90).Asshownin the anatomv illustrationbelow.the arm oost
mortises
arethelargest:
%inchin diameter;thelegmortisesare%inchin diameter,while the spindlemortisesmust
bit.
be drilledwith a %-inch-diameter
Referto the diagram for the seat's
dimensionsand for the location and
spacingof the mortises.

SEATDIMENSIONS
ANDANGLES
OVERHEAD
VIEW

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A framesawcutsa Windsorchair
seatblankfrom a pineplank.
Theblankwill beshapedlater
with a varietyof hand tools.It
couldalsobecut on a bandsaw.

i
i<-13/a"

'IDEVIEW
16"

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WINDSOR CHAIR

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THESEAT
SHAPING
0utliningthetopsurfaceof theseat
1
I S a wy o u rs e a tb l a n kf r o ma p i e c eo f
2-inchlhick pine(page84), thenoutline
out. Startby markthe areato be scooped
i n gt h e c e n t e ro f t h e b l a n k ' sf r o n te d g e .
N e x t ,m a r ka l i n e2 k i n c h e si n f r o me a c h
s i d eo f t h e b l a n kt;h e l i n e ss h o u l db e p a r allelto the frontedgeand4% inchesaway
f r o mi t . D r a wa c u r v e dl i n et h a tj o i n st h e
t w os i d em a r k sa n dp a r a l l e ltsh e s i d e sa n d
backedgeof the blank (lefil. Finally,draw
t w o c u r v e dl i n e st h a t c o n n e ctth e s i d e
m a r k sa n d t h e c e n t e rm a r ka t t h e f r o n t
e d g eo f t h e b l a n k t; h e s el i n e si n d i c a t e
w h e r et h e t o p s u r f a c eo f t h e s e a ts l o p e s
towardthe frontedgeand are represented
b y t h e d o t t e dl i n e si n t h e i l l u s t r a t r o n .

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r) Rounding
overtheblank
L Clu^otheblankin a viseandusea drawknife
to roundover
thecircumference
of theblankand
itsedges.
Tobegin,
smooth
f ei t ht h eg r a i n
r o u n do v e ri t su n d e r s i dpeu, l l i n tgh ed r a w k n iw
(above,
lf you
/eff);repositton
theblankin theviseasnecessary.

it gradually,
rather
a knotin thewood,cutaround
encounter
with
stroke.
Then
usethe
to
hack
through
it
a
single
thantrying
along
the
front
form
flat
lip
on
the
top
surface
drawknife
to
the
40'
right).
cut
at
about
edgeof theblank,angling
the
bbove,

85

WINDSOR CHAIR

n<' Dishins
outtheseat

r . , l O n c et h e c i r c u m f e r e n coef t h e s e a t
h a sb e e ns h a p e d r, o u g ho u t t h e w a s t e
f r o mt h e t o p s u r f a c eu s i n ga g u t t e ra d z e .
W e a r i n gs t e e l - t o e db o o t s ,s t e po n t h e
e d g e so f t h e b l a n kt o h o l di t s t e a d ya n d
c h o po u t t h e s i t t i n ga r e af r o mo n es i d eo f
the outlineto the other(lefil.f ry to cuI
w i t ht h e g r a i n ,u s i n gs h o r ts t r o k e sM
. ake
s u r ey o u rf e e ta r en o t i n t h e p a t ho f t h e
b l a d eC
. ontinuu
e n t i ly o u h a v ec u t a b o u t
% i n c hd e e pi n t h e c e n t e ro f t h e s e a tw i t h
a g r a d u asl l o p ef r o mt h e c e n t e ru p t o t h e
s i d e sa n df r o n ta n d b a c ke d s e s .

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Smoothing
theseat
Securethe seatbetweentwo bench
d o g so n y o u rw o r k b e n c hp,r o t e c t i ntgh e
s i d e sw i t h w o o dp a d s .S t a r tw i t h a n
i n s h a vteo s m o o t ht h e r o u g hs u r f a c el e f t
b yt h e a d z e W
. o r k i n fgr o mo n es i d eo f t h e
t o ps u r f a c e
t o t h e o t h e r ,h o l dt h e i n s h a v e
w i t h b o t hh a n d sa n d p u l l i t t o w a r dy o u ;
alwaysfollowthe grain(righil.Usea convexspokeshave,
or travisher,
to refinethe
smoothness
of the seat(photo.page7 l).

86

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WINDSOR CHAIR

thelip
f, Shaping
r-,f Thelip at thefrontedgeof theseat
. orking
h a sa s l i g h d
t o w n w a rbde v e lW
on onesideof theseat'sfrontedgeat a
o c u tt h e
l r a w k n i ft e
t i m e ,u s ea s m a l d
the
comfort,
lip (right).Formaximum
o u tD o r t r a n s i t i obne t w e et nh ed i s h e d
be
should
tionof theseatandthebevels
be
Thesameshould
smooth
andgradual.
between
thebevels
trueof thetransition
thecircumferandthef latsection
around
thelip
smoothing
enceof theseat.Finish
witha sookeshave.

Carving
thechannel
U s ea % - i n c vhe i n etro c a r v et h e c h a n -

nelthatseparates
theseat'sscooped-out
fromtheflatsection
around
topsurface
(left).Thisis a decoits circumference
to sharpen
the
rativegroove
designed
t r a n s i t i obne t w e et n
h ec u r v e a
d n df l a t
oortions
of theseat.

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POSTS,AND
MAKINGTHELEGS,ARM
STRETCHERS
I
I
tlt h. legs,stretchers,
guideto producethe turnings.Referto
andarm postsof
I aWndsorchaircanbeshaoed
with
theillustrationbelowfor dimensions.
and
I
a drawknife,but manywoodworkers usecalipersto checkkeydiametersas
work with a latheinstead,usinga story
thework progresses.
Startby turningthe
I
polefor eachcomponenl(page52)asa
legsand the arm posts.But beforeyou
you haveto bore
canturn thestretchers.
I
the leg mortisesin the seatand test-fit
A handbracefixed with a spoonbit
thelegsin place.By measuringtheexact
I
boresa mortisein onesidestretcher
distancebetweenthelegswith the chair
of a sack-backWindsor
chair.The
test-assembled,
the stretcherscan be
I
mortisewill housea tenonof the
sizedwith precision.
Themortisemust
The tenonsthat join the pieces
middlestretcher.
I
you
beangled;a spoonbit enables
together-at thetop endsof thelegs,the
to start drilling theholestraight
bottomsof the arm posts,and at both
I
the
inch
before
tilting
the
endsof the stretcheri-are taperedto
for
first'/
lock the tenonsinto their mortises.
toolto thecorrectangle.
I

t
ANATOMY
OFTHELEGS,
ARMPOSTS,
ANDSTRETCHERS
LEG

MIDDLE
5TRETCHER

ARMPO9T

SIDE
STRETCHER

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Note: All dimeneione are

dia meters, etaept where
apeaified ao length.

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W I N D S O RC H A I R

TURNING
THELEGSANDARMPOSTS
'l Shaping
thelegsandarmposts
I

I l V o u nitn e b l a r k b e t w e e cne n t e r so n
y o u rl a t h ea n d u s ea r o u g h r nggo u g et o
p r o d u cteh et u r n i n gR. e f etro t h e a n a t o '
m y i l l u s t r a t i oonp p o s i t feo r t h e l o c a t i o n s
a n dd i a m e t e rosf d e c o r a t i veel e m e n t lsi k e
h e a n sa n dc n v p qO n c ev o ua r es a t i s f i e d
w i t ht r e t u r n r n g s' sh a p ef.o r mt h et a p e r e d
. r
I e n o na t t h e a p p r o p r i a Leen d ( r i g h r )O
, s s h o w nt,h et e n o ns h o u l db e
t h e l e g sa
2 , / i n c h e sl o n g t, a p e r i n fgr o m 1 i n c ht o
, / ' n c h i n d i a m e t e rM
. a k et h e a r m p o s t
f r o m / , ,I o
t e n o n s1 i n c h l o n g ,t a p e r i n g
/ , l n c hi n d i a m e t e F
r .r n a l l yt u, r na s h a L
I n wp r o o v e
o n e a c hl p st o i n d i c a t e
the
will
l o c a t i o no f t h e s t r e t c h e r tsh; i sg r o o v e
d o ub l ea s a d e c o r a t i veel e m e n t .
| u

U v v l J .

v | | ! v ,

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r ) S m o o t h i nt hget u r n i n g s
Z R . r o u . t h e r o o lr e s ta n d f o l d a
n i e c eo f 8 0 - s r i ts a n d n a o ei nr t h i r d st o
p r e v e nt th e p a p e frr o ms l i p p i n gS. w i t c h
o n t h e l a t h ea n d h o l dt h e p a p e ra g a i n s t
t h e t u r n i n gW
. o r kw i t ht h e g r a i na l o n g
thp lpnorh nf ihp nipco:c

mrrnh 2q nnq-

s i h l e/ i e f l ) b e i n pc a r e f r rni o t t o r o r , n d
o v e rt h e d e c o r a t i veel e m e n t os n t h e
cJ Lt n
u 'i uopn
Un
L 'k\ . s

q:ndino

n upr rr iU^Uf l, L; ^c l^l iy l

p

, , +L U^ ^ - ^

Prs-

v e n tb u r n r n tgh e w o o d W
. o r kw i t h p r o ,
o r o q q i v o l v f,i ,n,p, r, ,n : n p r c
r * Y - , - . i t o p p l n gw n e n
you reach224 griL

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TUR N I NTG
H EST E T C H E R S
'l
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Marking
thelegandspindle
-

I mortises
on theseat
B e f o r ey o u c a n t u r n t h e s t r e t c h e r sy,o u
n e e dt o b o r et h e l e g m o r t i s e si n t ot h e
s e a t ,t e s t - f i t h e l e g si n t h e m o r t i s e sa,n d
m e a s u rteh e d i s t a n c ebse t w e e tnh e l e g s .
S t a r tb y m a k i n ga t e m p l a t eo f t h e s e a t
f r o m l - i n c h h a r d b o a r dr e, f e r r i ntgo t h e
a n a t o m yi l l u s t r a t i oonn p a g e8 4 f o r t h e
d i m e n s i o nosf t h e s e a ta s w e l la st h e l o c a t i o n a n d s i z eo f t h e l e ga n ds p i n d l em o r t i s e s .D r i l la h o l et h r o u g ht h e t e m p l a t ea t
e a c hm o r t i s em a r k ,t h e ns e tt h e s e a to n a
w o r ks u r f a c ep, o s i t i o n
t h e t e m p l a t ea t o p
it, and marktheholes(right).

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r) Drilling
thelegmortises
t ^ ,

4 , - C l a m pt h e s e a td o w na n df i t a h a n d
b r a c ew i t ha s p o o nb i t t h e s a m ed i a m e t e r
a st h e s m a l le n do f t h e l e gt e n o n sU
. s ea
straightedg
ae
n da s l i d i n gb e v e l t oh e l p
y o ud r i l lt h ec o m p o u n d - a nhgol el e sT. h i s
w i l l e n a b l et h e l e g st o s p l a yo u t f r o mt h e
s i d eo f t h e s e a ta t t h e p r o p ear n g l ea n d
be angled-or raked-towardthe frontor
b a c ko f t h e c h a i r .P o s i t i otnh e s t r a i g h t pdsp anrnqq fhc cp:f ai tf
_ _ _ ._ . . , t ec o r r e csl p t a y
a n g l eo f 1 0 5 " ,o r 1 5 ' f r o mt h e p e r p e n d i c u l a r( p a g eB ) . f h e n a d j u s t h e s l i d i n g
b e v etlo t h e r e q u i r e rda k ea n g l ew
, h i c hi s
I 0 0 " f o r t h e f r o n tl e p sa n d I I 5 " f o r t h e
r e a rl e s s .o r l 0 o a n d? 5 ' f r o mv e r t i c a l .
P o s i t i otnh e s l i d i n gb e v e l o nt h e s t r a i g h t e d s e T h e n c e n t e trh p h i t o n t h e m o r t i s e
m a r ka n db e g i nd r i l l i n gk,e e p i ntgh e h a n d
l t h e s t r a i g h t e d gaen dt h e
b r a c ep a r a l l et o
b i t l i n e du p w i t ht h e s l o p eo f t h e b e v e l
(lef). Repeatthe procedureto borethe
r e m a i n i nlge gm o r t i s e s .

90

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WINDSOR CHAIR

Tapering
thelegmortises
O n c ea l l t h e l e gm o r t i s ehs a v eb e e n
d r i l l e d r. e m o v teh e s p o o nb i t a n d i n s t a l l
a t a p e r e dr e a m e rT. h i sd e v i c ew i l l g i v e
t h e l e g m o r t i s e sa t a p e r e ds h a p et h a t
m a t c h e st h e c o n i c asl h a p eo f t h e l e g
t e n o n s l,o c k i n gt h e l e g st o t h e s e a t .
S e c u r et h e s e a ti n a v i s e ,t h e nt a p e r
e a c hl e gm o r t i s es, t e a d y i ntgh e h a n d
Periodbraceagainstyourchest(above).
i c a l l yt e s t -ift t h e l e g si n t h e i rm o r t i s e s ,
r e a m i ntgh e h o l e su n t i lt h e f i t i s s n u g .

thesplayandrakeofthelegs
,{ Checking
r+
Testjitthefrontlessin theirmortises
a n dc h e c kw h e t h et hr e i rs p l a ya n dr a k e
Tohelpyougauge
the
angles
areuniform.
across
rakeangle,placea straightedge
t h el e g st;h eb o a r ds h o u l db e p e r f e c t l y
lavol /lpff)

Roncaf

fnr the ro:r

looc

lf

a n yo f t h e a n g l e sa r eo f f s l i g h t l yy, o u
c a nc o m D e n s aftoer m i n o ri n a c c u r a c i e s
w h e nt h e t i m e c o m e st o t u r n a n d i n s t a l l
thp circinhcrs

(naoe
\Fvbv

Q2)

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WINDSORCHAIR

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f, Sizingthe sidestretchers
.-,1 Set the seat-and-leg
assembly
on a worksurfaceand meaf
r
o
n
ta n d r e a rl e g so n o n es i d e
s u r et h e d i s t a n c eb e t w e e tnh e
(above),
your
grooves
measure
with the stretcher
aligning
tape
y o ut u r n e di n s t e p1 . R e p e aot n t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e s e a t .T o
t h e l o n g eor f t h e t w o m e a s u r e m e nat sd,d 1 %i n c h e sf o r t h e
t e n o n sa t e a c he n da n da n a d d r t i o n a
%l i n c ht o h o l dt h e l e g s
i n t e n s i o nw h e nt h e c h a i ri s a s s e m b l e dB.y s i z i n gb o t hs t r e t c h r e a s u r e m e nt ht ,e r a k ea n g l eo f t h e
e r sa c c o r d i ntgo t h e l o n g e m
t w o l e g sw i l le q u a l i z e .

thesidestretchers
fi Turning

a n dm o u not n e
\ , f C u tt h es i d es t r e t c h ebrl a n ktso l e n g t h
your
piece
between
centers
on
lathe.
Shape
the
witha roughinggouge,
referring
to theanatomy
illustratron
on page88 for
keydiameters.
Finish
byturning
thetenons
at theendswitha
gouge(above).
sprndle
Repeat
fortheothersidestretcher.

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Turningandsizingthe middlestretcher
I
/ S i n c et h e m i d d l ea n ds i d es t r e t c h e r s
a r ea s s e m b l ebde f o r eb e i n gg l u e dt o t h e
l e g s ,y o uc a n n o td e t e r m i n teh e l e n g t ho f
t h e m i d d l es t r e t c h ebr y m e a s u r e m e n t .
I n s t e a dc, a l c u l a t e
i t s l e n g t hS
. t a r tb y c u t t i n g a b l a n ks e v e r ai ln c h e sl o n g etrh a n
y o u n e e da n dt u r n i t o n y o u rl a t h e ;u s e
. o
t h e i l l u s t r a t i oonn p a g e8 8 a s a g u i d e T
d e t e r m i nteh e s t r e t c h e r l' e
s n g t hs, e c u r ei t
i n a v i s ea n dm a r ki t s m i d d l eT. h e nm e a s u r et h e d i s t a n c ebse t w e e tnh e f r o n tl e g s
a n dt h e nt h e r e a rl e g sa, l i g n i nygo u rt a p e
w i t ht h e t u r n e ds t r e t c h egrr o o v e sa;d dt h e
r e s u l t st o g e t h ear n d d i v i d eb y t w o .A d d
another2/, inchesfor the tenonsand %
i n c ht o p r o v i dteh e p r o p ear m o u not f t e n s i o n .A d j u s at s e to f c a l i p e rtso o n e - h a l f
y o u rg r a n dt o t a la n dm a r ko f f t h i sd i s t a n c e
fromthe centermarkto eachend (right).
C u tt h e s t r e t c h et ro l e n g t ha n dt u r n a
t e n o na t e a c he n d .

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Drilling
themiddle
stretcher
mortises
inthesidestretchers
Todetermine
theangle
of themortises
to
b ed r i l l e di n t h es i d es t r e t c h efrosrt h e
youhaveto measure
middlestretcher,
the
angleformedbythelegsat onecorner
of
t h ec h a i rO
. n c et h em i d d l e
s t r e t c h ei sr
ready,placea straightedge
onthework
surface
alongonefrontandrearlegof the
c h a i ra, n da n o t h earl o n gt h ef r o n tl e g s .
Adjust
a sliding
bevel
to theangle
formed
bythetwoboards(left).Secure
theside
stretchers
in a viseandboreeachhole
w i t ht h e h a n db r a c ea n ds o o o nb i t
(nhnfn
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Assembling
thestretchers
Q
gluein themortises
J Spread
in theside
s t r e t c h ear sn do nt h em i d d l es t r e t c h e r
t e n o n sI .n s e rt th et e n o n isn t ot h e i rm o r tisesandpress
the pieces
f rrmlytogethe r b yh a n dT. h e nh, o l d i ntgh em i d d l e
f irmly,tapthebackof theside
stretcher
stretcher
mortise
witha dead-blow
hamm e rt o s e a t h et e n o nf u l l yi n t h e m o r tise(right).
Turntheassembly
overand
repeat
theprocedure.
Makesuretheside
stretchers
arebothaligned
in thesame
planes.
vertical
andhorizontal

93

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THE CHAIR
ASSEMBLING
aregluedto
i\ lthoughthestretchers
A thelegsandthelegsaregluedto the
steps,theseprocedures
seatin separate
in quicksuccession
mustbe completed
for the chairto be symmetricalandwell
To makeglue-upgo easier,
balanced.
test-fitall thejointsandcorrectanyillfitting ones,then labelthe legsbefore
applyinganyglueto thepieces.

Oncethelegsarefixedto theseat,the
top ends of the legs are kerfed and
wedges
areinsertedinto thecutsto reinforcethejoints (page96).Thearm posts
areinstallednext,thenthearm is setin
place,fastenedto the arm postswith
The final
round mortise-and-tenons.
areinstallingthe
stepsof the assembly
spindlesand thebow (page9B).

TOTHESEAT
ANDSTRETCHERS
THELEGS
GLUING

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havebeenglued
Oncethestretchers
to the legsand the legsfixed to the
seat,it is time to trim the legsto the
shown
samelength.Thetechnique
aboveinvolvescuttingfour wood
blocksfrom a singleboard,then
notchingoneof themtofit arounda
Ieg.Placetheblockaroundthefirst
Iegto becut, then,holdingtheleg
firmly with onehand,cut it to length
with aflush-cuttingsaw.Oncethe
first legis trimmed,removethe
notched
blockand replaceit with
Position
oneof theremainingblocks.
the notchedpiecearoundthenext
legandcut it. Continuein thesame
wayuntil all four legsarecut.

mortises
in thelegs
thestretchel
1 Drilling
posrtion
on the Iegsand
thesidestretchers
I Witfrthechairtest-assembled,
onein a vise.
thelegsfromtheseatandsecure
Thenremove
marktheirlocations.
mortises
Because
thelegsarerakedto thefrontandbackof thechair,thestretcher
to
angle,
referring
bevelto thecorrect
Adjusta sliding
in thelegsmustbeangled.
illustration
on page73. Forthefrontlegstheangleis 15"fromthe
theanatomy
settheslida spoonbit in a handbrace,
rearlegs,it is 20".Install
vertical;forthe
withthebevelbladeasyou
andkeepthebracealigned
ingbevelonthebenchtop,
drilleachmortisebbove),

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r) Gluing
upthelegsandstretchers
L IestliI the lessandstretchers
t o g e t h etrh, e ns p r e a gd l u eo n t h e
s t r e t c h et er n o n a
s n di n t h e i rc o r r e sponding
mortises
in thelegs.
Working
ona flatsurface,
fit thepieces
together;
u s ea d e a d - b l ohwa m m et o
r s e at h e
(above).
tenons
f ullyin the mortises

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thelegsto theseat
Q Gluing
r-,1Sincethe legtenons
will protrude
beyond
thetopsurface
of theseatwhen
youdrivethemintotheirmortises,
set
theseatupsidedownonwoodblockson
yourworksurface.
Fitthelegsintotheir
mortises
byhand,thenf inishthejobwith
the dead-blow
hammer(left).

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a
WINDSOR CHAIR

forwedges
thelegtenons
1l Kerling
-t
in theseatarewedged,
Thelegtenons
thatthe
tightening
thejointsandensuring
t e n o nw
s i l ln o tl o o s e nK.e r tf h et e n o n s
a f irmerchiselwitha hammer;
bystriking
theseat,orient
theslots
to avoidsplitting
s ot h e ya r ep e r p e n d i c utloatrh eg r a i n
of theseattighil. Cutthe kerfsto a depth
thetopof theseat.
slightly
below

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f, Tappingin thetenonwedges
r-,1 Cut hardwood
wedsesto f it intothe
k e r f s ;m a k et h e m t h e - s a m ew i d t h a s
t e n o n sb, u t a f e w i n c h e sl o n g e ra, n d n o
t h i c k e rt h a n Y oi n c h a t t h e b r o a de n d .
Coatthe wedges
withglueanddrivethem
i n t ot h e s l o t sa s f a r a s t h e yw i l l g ow i t ha
hammer(below).Let the glueset,then
trim the wedgesevenwith the end of the
t e n o n su s i n ga f l u s h - c u t t i nsga w .N e x t ,
u s ea w i d e ,s h a l l o wc a r v i n gg o u g et o
of
s l i c et h e t e n o n sf l u s hw i t ht h e s u r f a c e
the seat;strikethe gougewith a wooden
m a l l e t( i n s e t )F. i n a l l yt,r i m t h e l e g st o
the samelength(photo,page94),

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INSTALLING
THEARM

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thearmpost
1 Marking
I mortises
onthearm
Install
thearmposts
asyoudidthelegs,
(page
referring
to theanatomy
illustration
73)forIheangles
at whichtheposts
splay
outto thesidesandraketo thefrontof
t h es e a tD
. r i l tl h ec o m p o u n d - a nmgol er tisesforthepostsin theseat,thensetthe
o o s t si n o l a c eO. n c et h ea d h e s i vhea s
s e t ,p o s i t i ot nh ea r mo nt h ep o s t sa n d
m a r kt h el o c a t i oonf t h ep o s t e n o nos n
thearm(left).f,Aake
suretherewill be
at leastY,inchof solidstockall around
t h e h o l e sr;e p o s i t i ot hnea r ma n dt h e
posts,if necessary.

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r) Boring
themortises
forthearmposts
L Clamo
thearmto a worksurface
with
a b a c k ub
p o a r du n d etrh es t o c kt o p r e venttearout.
Toguideyouasyoudrillthe
mortises
in thearm,adjusta slidingbevel to thesamerakeangleusedto bore
thearmpostmortise
in theseat.Usinga
handbrace
fittedwitha spoonbit,start
d r i l l i ntgh em o r t i swei t ht h et o o la t a 9 0 "
angle
T .h e nt i l t t h eb r a c e
t o t h es u r f a c e
b a c kk, e e p i nigt a l i g n ew
d i t ht h eb e v e l
bladeto control
therakeangle(right);
Ihe
splayanglecanbeeyeballed
byreferring
to thearmpost.Oncebothmortises
are
bored,
taperthemasyoudidthelegmortisesin theseat(nase91).
\rsbe

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WINDSOR CHAIR

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I NHGES P IN D L E S
'l

spindle
Marking
thecenter
I location
onthearm
D r i ltlh es p i n d lm
e o r t i s ei nst h es e a ta; l l
theseholesareat 90"to theseatsurface.
and
Thenfit thearmontothearmoosts
intoitsmortise
insert
thecenter
spindle
of thearm
in theseat.Adjust
theposition
p o s t sa n da r m ,i f n e c e s s a u
r yn,t i lt h e
Thenholdtng
is symmetrical.
assembly
against
thearm,mark
thecenter
spindle
its location
onthetopface(right).

r) Marking
theremaining
L spindle
locations
Adjusta setof calipersto thedistance
e n dt h e
b e t w e etnh ec e n t esr o i n d l a
adjacentones(page73) andmarktheir
for
Repeat
locations
onthearm(below).
s .a r kt h e
t h er e m a i n i nl ogn gs p i n d l eM
them
sothegapbetween
shortspindles
andthearmoostsiseoual.

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WINDSOR CHAIR

thespindle
Q Boring
r-J mortises
in thearm
Clampthearmto a worksurface,
centeri n ga b a c k u b
p o a r du n d etrh eh o l ey o u
w i l lb ed r i l l i n gA.l s oi n s t a al l s p o o b
n i ti n
a h a n db r a c a
e n da s m a l l c l a moont h e
e d g e os f t h es t o c ki n l i n ew i t ht h eh o l e
markto prevent
thewoodfromsplitting
a sy o ud r i l l A
. d j u sat s l i d i n bg e v et lo t h e
placeit
backward
slantof thespindles,
o nt h et a b l ea, n da l i g nt h eb i tw i t ht h e
bevelbladeto borethe holes(rueht).

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Gluing
thearmposts
and
spindles
totheseat
S l i pt h es p i n d l ei sn t ot h e i rm o r t i s ei ns
thearm.Thebottom
endsof thespindles
should
b ea l i g n esdo9 t o 1 0 i n c h eos f
eachlongspindle
extends
above
thearm;
shave
thespindles
to improve
thef it, if
necessary.
Next,gluethearmpoststo the
seat.Spread
someadhesive
onthespindletenons
andin theirseatmortises,
and
onthetopendsof thearmpostsandin
inthearm,thenfit thespintheirmortises
dleassembly
ontotheseat(/eft).Usea
dead-blow
hammer
to tapthearmbetween
e a c ho f t h es p i n d l et o
s s e a t h es p i n d l e
andarmoosttenons
fullvin theirmortises.

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andshoftspindles
thearmposts
f, Wedging
r.,/ Thetooendsof theshortspindles
andbothendsof thearm
postsarewedged
withthechairrightin theirmortises.
Starting
and
sideup,chiselkerfsintothetopendsof theshortspindles
making
thecutsperpendicular
to thewoodgrainof the
armposts,
arm,thentapa wedgeintoeachcuI(left);followthesameproce96).furnthechairoverand
dureusedfortheleglenons(page
endsof thearmposts
repeai
to wedge
thetenons
at thebottom
flushwiththeseatsurface.
Trimthewedges
andtenons
hbove).

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INSTALTING
THEBOW
thebowendsonthearm
1l Markine
I Position
thebowonthearmandsoinbelow
thearmby
dlessoitsendsextend
Tohold
on bothsides.
thesameamount
whileyoumarkits location
thebowsteady
o nt h ea r m ,t h r e a di t i n a n do u to f t h e
(right).
Drilla holeat each
spindles
point,centering
marked
thebit between
thp pdooc nf thp arm

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Thon ianpr ihp

holes(page9l) to ensure
a snugfit.

100

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r) Boring
thecenter
spindle
Z- mortise
through
thebow
M a r kt h el o c a t i oonf t h ec e n t esrp i n d l e
onthebow,thendrilla holeat yourmark,
usinga handbraceandspoonbiI (right).
Angletheholeto matchtheslantof the
s o i nlde .

mortises
theremaining
spindle
Q Drilling
r-J Referring
illustration
to theanatomy
anda setof
on page73, usea pencil
c a l i p e tr os m a r kd r i l l i npgo i n tosnt h e
(below).
spindles
bowfortheremaining
T h e nd r i l tl h eh o l e s .

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101

WINDSOR CHAIR

Gluingthe
bowto thearmandspindles
gluein thespindle
Spread
mortises
in
thebowandin themortises
forthebow
in thearm,Fitthebowin position,
tapping
downalongitslenghwitha malletto seat
the piecefully(ilghil.Installwedges
in
thetopendsof thespindles,
repeating
the
p r o c e d uu
r es e df o rt h es h o r st p i n d l e s
@age100. Makesurethekerfsareperpendicular
to thegrainofthebow.Trimthe
wedges
andspindles
f lushwiththebow.

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Wedging
the endsof the bow
f,
r . , l O n c et h e g l u es e c u r i n tgh e b o wh a s
c u r e d f, i n i s ha s s e m b l i nt g
h e c h a i rb y
w e d g i n gt h e e n d so f t h e b o w .S e tt h e
c h a i ru p s i d ed o w no n a w o r ks u r f a c e ,
clamping
d o w nt h e a r ms o t h e e n d so f
t h e b o we x t e n do f f t h e t a b l eb y a f e w
i n c h e sT. h e nk e r ft h e e n d so f t h e b o w
a n d g l u e i n w e d g e st,a p p i n gi n e a c h
o n e w i t h a h a m m e r( b e l o w ) .

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AMILKPAINT FINISH
rl- he traditionalfinishfor Windsor
I chairsis milk paint,whichis thin
enoughto allowwood grainto show
through.Youcanbuythepaintin powderedform and mix it with wateror
makeyour own by followingthe recipe
presentedbelow.The blend provided
wasusedin colonialtimesasan interior wall paint,whichyieldeda flat,lusoiled,or
terlessfinishthatcanbestained,
waxedoncethe surfaceis dry. To prosheen,eggwhiteican
ducea semigloss
be addedto the recipe.Their usehasa
longtraditionin painting;eggtempera
paintswereusedby someof the great
masters.
Renaissance
Theabilityof milk paintto produce
a finishthat is both durableand moisis somewhatof a mystery,
ture-resistant
but it is known that a chemicalreaction

occursbetweenthelacticacidin the milk

and the lime,which is a base;lime is
not simply addedasa thickener.Skim
milk isusedbecause
thefat in wholemilk
reducinterferes
with thecuringprocess,
ing the paint'sdurability.Buttermilkor
weretrathewheyfrom cheese-making
for wholemilk.
ditionalsubstitutes

A milkpaintfinishis beingbrushed
Windsorchair.
ontoa sack-back
Thetransparency
of milk paint, comparedto otherpaints,alongwith its
tendencyto varyslightlyin hueacross
thehanda surface,complements
sculpted
contoursof theWindsorchair.
Thedarkgreenshownat right is a
traditionalcolorfor Windsors.

A MILKPAINT
FINISH
PREPARING

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Combining
andapplying
theingredients
of Paris.
Testthe painton a scrappieceand
andpour3
addmoreplaster
To makeaboul2 quartsof milkpaint,weargloves
(above).
the hueof thefinish,addmorecoloring.
Sprinkle
2 ounces let it dry.Todeepen
cupsof skimmilkintoa container
frequentLetthepaintsitfor t hour,thenbrushit on,stirring
Thenstirin
limeintothemilkandmixfor3 minutes.
of slaked
pig- ly.Sincemilkpaintraises
thegrainof thewood,sandthesurAddcoloring,
suchasartist's
of plaster
of Paris.
16 ounces
finish.Adda thin layer
coatsfora smooth
usedforcoloring
cement,
or powdered facelightlybetween
mentsor earthpigments
thef inish.
shellac,
oil,orwaxto protect
c h a l kl i k et h ek i n du s e di n c h a l kl i n e sT. ot h i c k etnh es o l u t i o n , of varnish,

103

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A]\TNESE,CRETARY
QTIE,EN

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-l- h. secretary,
of the
Anotherusefi.rl
component
and
a bookcase
deskis thelockablelid. Thissafel- slant-top
deskcombination,
guards
thecontents
ofthe pigeonin BiitainandAmericain
evolved
holes,whileprovidinga quickway
the18thGnturyandhasbeenpopto hideclutterbehindthefall-front.
ulareversince.By settinga bookBoth the deskand bookcase
caseatop a slant-topdesk,the
derivemuchof theirstrenghfrom
embodies
thecloserelasecretary
half-blinddovetails.
Cuttingthese
booksandwrittionshipbetween
jointsby hand(page109)is timebooks
ing.Until the19thCentury,
but well worth the
consuming,
andsometimes
werean expensive
thehand-crafted
effort,considering
rarecommodityto be treasured.
youwill obtain.The
appearance
A secretary
offeredanidealwayto
drawers
canbemadewiththrough
keepa preciouscollectionsafely
jig
dovetails
cutwith a commercial
Theweightof thefall-front in thesecretary
onlyanarm'sreach
behindglass,
116),and
theend
fea- shownaboveis borneby a pair of supportscalled andarouter(page
TheQueenAnneversion
away.
turedin thischapterismoreelegant Iopers.In thedownposition,thefront becomes grainof thetailshiddenwith false
fronts.Youcanalsousehalf-blind
a leather-Iined
writing surface.Theremovable
thanthestolidfurniturethathallpigeonhole
dovetails
to attachthedrawerfronts,
unit issetatopthedeskunit.
but it is
markedthe 17thCentury,
therebydispensing
with falsefronts.
lessornatethansomeof theincarappliedto thefall-front(page121)addsa decsecretaries. Theveneer
it, suchasChippendale-style
nationsthatfollowed
thefocusof theentirepiece.
The orativeflairto thedesk,becoming
usefulfeatures.
Thedeskhalfof thepiecehasseveral
veneer,
but
shownopposite
usesbookmatched
to become
a largewriting Thesecretary
veneered
fall-frontcanbelowered
"pigeonhole" Thisnetworkof
optionsareshownonpage124.Ifyou planto
otherattractive
unit.
andrevealthe
surface
consider
buyinga vacuumpress(page
servedasa primitive do a lot ofveneering,
anddrawers
dividers,compartments,
portable, 124);otherwise,
veneerpress(page125).
usea shop-made
precursor
laptopcomputers.
Completely
to today's
ofthe base(page128)and
Thedesignandconstruction
clerksin bygonedaysto taketheirofficesand
theunit enabled
but the
informationwith themwhentraveling.Youcanadaptthe crownmolding(page134)mayappearcomplicated,
presented
and
methods
arenotdifficultto master
pigeonhole
designshownon page108,addingor removing time-tested
woodmovetheinevitable
more areimportantto accommodate
theirspacing,
or incorporating
compartments,
adjusting
mentatthesewlnerablelocations.
to fit yourneeds.
drawers

Madefrom mahoganywith a clearlacquerfinish, the

shownat left marrieselegance
QueenAnnesecretary
a slant-topdeskwith a bookusefulness,
crowning
with
pieceoffurniture.
to
create
a
single,
striking
case

ANATOMYOF A QUE,ENANNE,SECRETARY
DESK
UNIT

ToP
Jotned Lo eidee wiLh
half-blind dovetaile

109)

Top of drawer seation

Front edqe to hin4ed to fall-fronL:
ende ftt tnto qroove in carcaee etdee

Eack panel
Ftl,etnto rabbetecut alonqback
ed7eeof carcaaepanele

Duet frame (page 112)

9upporLe drawer. AaEembled
wtth plaLe jotnta; etde ptecee fiL
tnT,oqrooveg tn carcaoe aideo

Drawer divider
Aaeembledand fixed
to dustframe below

Loper (page 115)

9upporte fall-front when tn down poeitron.
Dowel4lued tnLo tnatdeface altdea tn elot
in loper houeinq: ptecejotned Lo fronL end
with eltdinq doveLail conceale end qrain

Loper houeing
Featuree slot Lhat. qutdee loper;
t.op edqe ftte tnto qroove tn underetde of drawer eectton Lop

9ide
Joined to
top and
bottom
with halfblind dovetailo

Leather inlay

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Fall-front (page 122)
Hin4ed Lo Lop of drawer eecLion;servee ao
wntin4 eufface in down
poetLton.0utetde face
ie veneered;tneide face
featurea leaLher inlay

Ease
(pase 12o)
Eottom
JoinedLo aideewil,h
half'blinddovetatla

Layered
base

molding

Eracket
feet
Olued1,o
moltiinq

False front
Olued Lo
drawer front

Drawerbottom
FiLgtnto 7rooveern
front, back, and eidee

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Front

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

, hemajorcompoucuts
of theQueen
. Annesecretary
areshorvr.r
in exploclThemostelabedforrr in thissection.
oratepart-the deskrmit (poge106) is
lvith drawers,
essentially
a carcase
a f-allfi'ontandanopening
fbr thepigeonhole
unit.All thecornerjointsfbr thecarc.lse,
thebookcase,
anclthedrarvers
aredovetailed.Thedrarvels
aresupported
b,vdust
fl'arresattaclieclto
thesicles.
Toallorvfor
nrlrlcln"ror,etr-tent
in
asa resultof changes

huuridity,the framesareglLred
to the
sidesonlynearthefront;screu,s
driven
throughelongated
holesreinforce
this
Thefall-frontisflxedto the
connection.
Toease
thestrain
unitu,ithbutthinges.
on thehingeswhenthefall-frontis let
down,a pairof boards,callediopers,
slideout to providesupport.
(below)is
Thebookcase
anothersolwithshelves,
id-panel
cal'case
a backpanel,andcrownmolding.Theshelves
are

ToP
AtLachedLo bookcaee
wiLhwoodbutLone

(page130)
BO0KCASE

Layered crown moldinq (page Ea)

Eack rail
TenoneaL endsftt tnLamorLteeetn etdee.Face
i a n r n - r o 1 r . na r r n r y m n 4 a fe w o o d b u f t o n o f o r
Lop; boLLom edge te rabbeted for back panel

-S5
fl

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ftrll,vadjustable;
the,vsiton pinsthatcan
be inserted
at anyheightin the sides.
Theglass
doorsthatgracethebookcase
anclprotectits contentsarehingedto
thesidepanels.
Thepigeonhole
unit (pnge108)is a
ll ith threedrau,ers
srrallercarcase
anda
series
of i,ertical
dividels.
Theunit rests
atopthedralversection
of thedesk,lvith
stripsof moldingconcealing
the gap
betleen thetrvo.

$f-;-

Eack panel
FitE tnLorabbeLecuLalong
backed7eoor carcabppaiet,
Front facing rail
Frovidea baEe for moldin4;
joined to sidea with plaLejointe

Shelf
eupporE
Ftte tnto
aleevetneerted in hole
dnlbd in
etde panel

BOOKCASE
GLASS
D00R(page135)

door frame

9ide
Jotned to
baltltam with
half'blrnd
doveLaile

Bottom rail
Gluedto backed7eof bottom panel;Lop edqete rab'
beLedfor backpanel
Eottom
JotnedLo eideewiLh
half'blinddovetatle

t07

Rail
TenoneaL
ende fit. int.o
ettle morLteee

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

dadoeacut
acroao dividera

Drawer
Aaaembledwith
rabbeta at front
and dadoeaat
back; bottom

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CUTTING
LIST

1 Molding
frameback

3t

1 Panel

3,6 LO/4 29'l

2 lVlolding
framesides

3/

2 Rails

% 2 % 1 4

6 Bracketfeet

2 Stiles

lo

33X

2%

BUREAU:
Carcase
17% 38
10,a 33)6

/o

1 Top

%
3/4 17U 33rA

I BackPanel

/4

32Y' 37Y,
LT\A 32\A

1 Writingsurface

/,

2 Lopers

lo

2 Loperhousings

lo

33/o 17
331 17

6 Dustframestiles

lo

32y,

6 Dustframerails

1 Crossrail

%
31

1 Drawerdivider

lo

1 Muntin

3 Drawerbacks

8rl.
3 8

3A

4t5/a 15%

6 Drawersides

)lz
'

3
1 2

8%
8 8

4\5/a 17

3 Bottoms

ta

75'A
16rt

B00KCASE:
Carcase

2 Upperdrawerbottoms

5
i5

2 Sides

3/o

8%

35/4

2 Middlefrontandback

%
3l

5t'la

32%

I Top

3l

lr%

38

5t'/ro 17

1 Bottom

32rA

I Frontfacingrail

%
3A

8Y,

3A
-/4

2 Middle
sides
1 Middlefalsefront
2 Lowerfrontand back

32V

3Yo 33

6t5Au 3231"

I Backrail

31tt

3A

6t5/ta 17

I BottomRail

31rl

l3v,

1 Lowerfalsefront

3A

2 Drawerbottoms

Y^

7
33%
3r% 16h

1 Molding
framefront

r3y,

%
,a

15%

BUREAU:
Shallow
Drawer

2 Frontand back

31Va 29\A

2 Sides

311ls 17

2 Molding
sides
1 Backpanel

1 Falsefront

3%

B00KGASE:
Doors

74

28% 16'i

I8%

1 Drawerbottom
BUREAU:
Pigeonhole
Unit

2 Molding
basesides

19',4

1 Molding
framefront

\lz

3A

35/o

3t/"

3 Drawerfronts

2 Upperfalsefronts

',4
/o
3/o 3
,l
3

1 Moldingbasefront

lX

0
r7'l
8

3/

35%

2 M o l d i nsgi d e s

9y,

'lz

4 Uppersides

,a

Bn

6 Arches

2
2
3

2 Lowersides

BUREAU:
Base
1 Molding
front

2 Drawersupports

,l

BUREAU:
DeepDrawers
4 Upperfrontandback

2 Sides
1 Bottom

W
BUREAU:
FallFront

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29%

2 Topand bottom

81n

32tt

B Dividers
andsides

8Y,

10%

r08

2 Molding
framesides
1 Molding
front(builtup)

11

r%

l%

3531

IU
y^

1Y4 10%
29y, 323/o

4 Rails

"4
31

1 Glass-stop
molding
2 Glasspanes

% % r 9 2
',4 l2'/* 275A

4 Stiles

31%

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MAKINGTHE DESKUNIT
rla he carcases
of the deskunit and
I bookcase
form the two main parts
In keepingwith thetwin
of the secretary.
requirementsof elegance
and usefulness,
with one of
both piecesareassembled
themostattractive-andsturdy-joints
availableto the woodworker:the halfblind dovetail.The stepsshownbelow
and on the following pagesfeaturethe
connectionbetweenthe too and sides
of the deskunit; but the sime proceduresapplyto thejoints at thebottom of
the both the deskand bookcaseunits.
Oncethe dovetailshavebeencut,you
canmoveon to makingthe dustframes
(page112)andtheloperhousings.
The
(page113)and
carcase
is thenassembled
A platejoinercutsa slotin thestileof a dustframe;a stopblockdampedin placeholds
the back panelis nailedin place(page theworkpiece
squareto thetool.A woodbiscuitandgluewill beaddedto thesemicir115).Thefinal step,oncethe gluehas
cularcut and thenfitted into a matingslotin a rail. Quickandeasyto make,the
joint will bestrongandinvisible,enablingtheframeto supporta drawer.
resulting
cured,is installingthe lopers.

CUTTING
HALF.BtIND
D()VETAILS

thepinsinthesides
1 Marking
you
gluedupthepanels
I Once have
and
cutthemto therightsize,marktheiroutsidefaceswithanX.Secure
oneof theside
panels
upright
in a vise,thenseta cutting
gauge
to abouttwo-thirds
thethickness
of
thesidesandmarka lineacross
theendto
indicate
theendof thetails.Thelineshould
becloser
to theoutside
face
thantheinside
of thepanel.Adjustthecuttinggauge
to the
stockthickness
andscribe
a lineontheinside
faceof thesideio marktheshoulder
line
of thetails.Next,usea dovetail
square
to
outline
thepinsontheendsof theside;
thewidepartof thepinsshouldbeonthe
insidefaceof thepanel(/eft).Thereareno
pins,
strictguidelines
forspacing
dovetail
butforstockof thedimensions
orovided
on
page108,I%-inchevenly
pinswith
spaced
%-inch
tailsanda half-pin
at eachedge
joint.
willmakefora strong
andattractive
Tocomplete
themarking,
extend
thelines
onthepanelendto theshoulder
lineon
its insideface.Markthewastesections
withXsasyougo.

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109

QUE,ENANNE SECRE,TARY

r) Cutting
the pins
L L e a u i n g t hsei d ep a n e li n t h e v i s e ,
c u t a l o n gt h e e d g e so f t h e p i n sw i t ha
dovetailsaw(lef), workingyourwayfrom
l d g et o t h e o t h e r (. S o m ew o o d o n ep a n e e
w o r k e rp
s r e f e tro c u t a l l t h e r i g h t - h a n d
dd g e s . )
e d g e sf i r s t ,t h e na l l t h e l e f t - h a n e
H o l dt h e p a n e sl t e a d ya n da l i g nt h e s a w
b l a d ej u s tt o t h e w a s t es i d eo f t h e c u t t i n g
l i n e ;a n g l et h e s a wt o w a r dt h e w a s t et o
a v o i dc u t t i n gi n t ot h e p i n s .U s es m o o t h ,
e v e ns t r o k e sa, l l o w i n tgh e s a wt o c u t o n
t h e p u s hs t r o k eC
. o n t i n uteh e c u t j u s tt o
t h e s h o u l d elri n e ,t h e nr e p e atto s a wt h e
p i n sa t t h eo t h e re n do f t h e p a n e l .

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outthewaste
a< Chiseline

r J S e tt h e p a n e li n s i d e - f a cuep o n a w o r ks u f a c ea n dc l a m p
a g u i d eb o a r dt o i t , a l r g n r n igt s e d g ew i t ht h e w a s t es i d eo f t h e
s h o u l d elri n e .S t a r t i n g
a t o n ee d g eo f t h e s t o c k ,h o l dt h e f l a t
s i d eo f a c h i s eal g a i n st th eg u i d eb l o c k ; t h e
b l a d es h o u l db e
n o w i d e rt h a nt h e n a r r o w e spta r to f t h e w a s t es e c t i o nW
. i t ht h e
c h i s e lp e r p e n d i c u ltaort h e f a c eo f t h e b o a r ds, t r i k et h e h a n d l e
w i t h a w o o d e nm a l l e t m
, a k i n ga t / e - i n c h - d eceupt i n t ot h e
) .h e nh o l dt h e c h i s e lb e v e u
w a s l e( a b o v e T
l p a n ds q u a r et o t h e
e n do f t h e b o a r da b o u tt / si n c hb e l o wt h e t o p s u r f a c e
a n dp e e l

. ontinuu
a w a ya t h i n l a y e ro f w a s t eC
e n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e s c r i b e d
s i t ht h e
l i n eo n t h e e n do f t h e b o a r dt,h e nr e p e atth e p r o c e sw
r e m a i n i nw
g a s t es e c t i o n sP. a r ea w a ya n ye x c e s w
s a s t ef r o m
b e t w e etnh e p i n s ,c o m p l e t i nw
g o r ko n o n ew a s t es e c t i o nb e f o r e
m o v i n gt o t h e n e x t .P r e s st h e f l a t s i d eo f t h e c h i s e a
l g a i n stth e
b o t t o mo f t h e s e c t i o n
w i t ht h e t h u m bo f y o u rl e f t h a n d ;w i t h
y o u rr i g h th a n d p
, u s ht h e c h i s etlo w a r d
t h e s h o u l d el irn e ,s h a v ing awaythe lastsliversof waste(insef).Thenpareawayany
w a s t ef r o mt h e s i d e so f t h e p i n s .

Il0

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QUEIIN ANNIl SECRETARY

Laying
outthetails
S e tt h e t o o o a n e o
l u t s i d e - f a cdeo w n
o n t h ew o r ks u r f a c ae n ds c r i b ea s h o u l d e r
i n et h e t h i c k n e sosf t h e s t o c kf r o mt h e
ond nf thp urnrknipnp Spnrrro : qrdp nan-

el n a handscrew
t h,e nh o l dt h e p a n e l
t o p - e n d o w nw i t hi t s i n s r d e
f a c ea l i g n e d
w i t ht h e l i n eo n t h et o p p a n e l l.V a k i ncge r t a i nt l a t t h e s t r a i g het d s e so f t h e b o a r d s
a r ef l u s h ,c l a m pt h e h a n d s c r et w
othe
b e n c h .O u t l i n e
t h e t a i l sw i t ha p e n c i l
( r t g h t ) . I h eenx t e n dt h e l i n e so n L h ep a n e i
e n du s i n ga t r y s q u a r eM. a r ka l l t h ew a s t e
s e c t i o nw i t h X s .

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cuttingthetails
f,
r - , f U s ea d o v e t a isl a wt o c u t t h e t a i l s
the samewayyousawedthe ptns(step2).
A n g l r n tgh e b o a r da, s s h o w na t l e f t ,r a t h e r
t h a nt h e s a w ,m a k e sf o r e a s i e rm
, o r ea c c u
r a t e .c u t t i n gS
. ecure
t h e p a n e sl o t h e
r i s h t - h a nedd g e so f t h e t a i l sa r ev e r t i c a l .
S a ws m o o t h layn de v e n l a
y l o n gt h e e d g e s
o f t h et a i l s s. t o n n i nast t h es h o u l d el irn e .
R e p o s i t i ot hne p a n e rl n t h e v i s et o c u t
l h e l e f t - h a nedd p e sO n r ^ael l t h e s a wc u t s
h a v eb e e nm a d e ,r e m o v et h e w a s t ew i t h

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,achic.pl :s

in c.ipn ?

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cnlittrno

t h e t a i l s ,r e m o v ea b o u th a l ft h e w a s t e ,
t h e nt u r nt h e p a n e ol v e rt o c h i s eol u t t h e
r e m a i n i nw
ga s t e .

lll

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

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MAKING
THEDUSTFRAMES

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thecarcase
sides
1l Dadoine
I U s ea r o u t et ro c u t l - i n c h - w i d e ,
r aebpb e tasr o u ntdh eb a c k
%o-inch-de
c d p eo f t h e c a r c a s et o a c c o m m o d a t e
t h e b a c k .T h e np r e p a rteh e s i d e sf o r t h e
d u s tf r a m e sT. h ee n d so f t h e f r a m e sf i t
i n t os t o p p e d a d o e si n t h e s i d e sT
. ocut
s t r a i g hbt r t
t h e d a d o e si,n s t a lal % - r n c h
i n y o u rr o u t e rs, e tt h e c u t t i n gd e p t ht o
I i n c h .a n d s e c u r eo n eo f t h e s i d ep a n e l s i n s i d e - f a cuen t o a w o r ks u r f a c e .
R e f e tro t h e a n a t o m iyl l u s t r a t i oonn p a g e
1 0 6 a n dt h e d r a w em
r e a s u r e m e notns
p a g e1 0 8 t o o u t l i n et h e d a d o e o
s nthe
s t o c k t, h e nc l a m pa n e d g eg u i d et o t h e
p a n e sl o t h e b i t w i l l b e c e n t e r e o
dn t h e
f i r s tm a r k e dl i n e .A l s oc l a m pa s t o pb l o c k
a l o n gt h e f r o n te d g eo f t h e p a n e sl o t h e
d a d ow i l ls t o p2 i n c h e s h o r to f t h e e d g e .
Foreachdustframe,routa stoppeddado
f r o mt h e b a c ke d g eo f t h e s i d ep a n e l
(above),
stoppingwhenthe routerbase
platecontacts
the stopblock.Squarethe
e n d so f t h e d a d ow i t ha c h i s e l .

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r)

Makingandgluingupthedustframes
L C u t t h ep i e c e so f t h e d u s tf r a m e st o l e n g t ha n dd r i l le l o n g a t esdc r e wh o l e si n t h e
r n dw i d e rt h a n
e n d b o a r d st;o a l l o wf o r w o o dm o v e m e ntth, e h o l e ss h o u l db e l o n g e a
sides.
t h e s h a n k so f t h e f a s t e n e ryso uw i l l u s et o a t t a c ht h e f r a m e st o t h e c a r c a s e
S a n da n yf r a m es u r f a c etsh a tw i l l b e d i f f i c u l t o r e a c ha f t e rg l u eu p .C u ta p l a t ej o i n t
(photo,page109)at eachcornerof the frames,assemble
the jointswith woodbiscuits
a n dg l u e ,t h e ns e c u r teh e mw i t hb a rc l a m p sa, l i g n i n tgh e b a r sw i t ht h e e n dp i e c e sa n d
protecting
the stockwith woodpadshbovd. Makesurethe frontend pieceis recessed
b y a n a m o u ne
t q u a tl o t h e d e p t ho f t h e d a d o e ys o uc u t i n s t e p1 . W h e nm a k i n gt h e
d u s tf r a m ef o r t h et w o n a r r o w edrr a w e r si n
, c l u d et h e c r o s sr a i l ( p a g eJ 0 6 ) .

tt2

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

ASSEMBLING
THECARCASE

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duet.frame

Drawer

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TopduoL
frame

thedrawer
divider
andloper
housings
1I lnstalling
-

I C u tt h e l o p e rh o u s , n gl o
s s t z e( p a g eJ 0 8 ) .u s r n ga s l i d i n g
d o v e t a itLn a d d a n i e c et o t h e f r o n te n d o f e a c ho n et o h i d e
t h e e n d g r a i n .T h e nr o u tt h e , u , - i n c h - w isdl o
e t si n t h e h o u s i n g sf o r t h e l o p e rd o w e l sM
. a k et h e L - s h a p eddr a w e dr i v i d e r
a n d a t t a c hi t t o t h e c r o s sr a i lo f t h e m i d d l ed u s tf r a m ew i t ha
b i s c u i tl o t n I( a b o v el,e f t ) .C U Ia n o t h e b
r i s c u i ts l o t i n t ot h e
m u n t r na n d a m a t c h i n sg l o ti n t h e t o p d u s tf r a m ea b o v ei t .

l n dt o p
N e x t .r o u tg r o o v eisn t ot h e u n d e r s r doef t h e t o p p a n e a
f a c en f t h e r r n n e r m o ds u
t s tf r a m et o a c c o m m o d a l h
ee l o n e r
h n r r q r n pSsn r e a bp
d' l" r" r e"r ' n r h es l o t sa n dp r o o v e tsn. e nf i t t h e
d r r s ft r a m e st o g e t h e u
r .s i n sc l a r n n lso s e c r r r e ' hder a w e r
. "otecr
d i v i d e rt,h e l o p e rh o u s i n g sa .n dt h e f r a m e si n p l a c e P
t h e s t o c kw i t hw o o dp a d sa n d u s ea t r y s q u a r et o c h e c kt h a t
iho:c.c.pmhlv ic c.nrr:rp /shnvp

r)

Fittingthesidesand
L lustframestogether
Working
o n t h e s h o pf l o o r ,s p r e a dg l u e

: l n n o i h p p n r r r p l p n o t h n f l h p c . r d pn e n p l

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d : d n p cf n r l h p I n n n : n o l O ft h e d r a w e r
u n i t ,b u to n l yi n t h e f r o n l2 i n c h e so f t h e
d a d o e sf o r t h e d u s tf r a m e sT. o a l l o wf o r
w o o dm o v e m e ntth, e r e m a i n i nlge n g t ho f
t h e d u s tf r a m e sw i l l b e a t t a c h etdo t h e
qidpc

rnrith qnrprnrq

ann.i.l^
l 2u1j i ji 6l ,sE ; U
L
lltr )lutr

^.n^l
polltrl

o u t s i d ef a c ed o w no n l o n gw o o cp a d s f, i t
t h e d u s tf r a m e si n t ot h e i rd a d o e as n d
. r tt h et o p p a n e il n t o
s c r e wt h e mi n p l a c e F

i i c .d : d n

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riohf)

n:rpfrrllv irrrn ihp:cqpmhlv

nntn

i t s b a c k ,a n ds e tt h e o t h e rs d e p a n e li n
( l e f t ) .D r v et h e r e m a ' n r nsgc r e w s
posit;on
s n ds i d en a n e l
t o s e c u r teh ed u s tf r a m e a

113

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QUEENANNE SECRE,TARY

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g ea s s e m b l y
a C l a m p i nt h
r . J C r t t h e b a c kp a n e tl o f i t i n t ot h er a b b e l si n L h ec a r c a saen ds e ti t i n p l a c et:h e
p a n ew
l i l lh e i pk e e pt h ea s s e m b sl yq u a r e
a s y o ut i g h t e nt h e c l a m p sP
. r o t e c t i nt g
he
s t o c kw i t h l o n gw o o dp a d s i, n s t a lflo u r
c a m p sa c r o s tsh e f r o n to f t h e a s s e m b l y ;
snd
a l i g nt h e b a r sw i t ht h e d u s tf r a m e a
t o p p a n e ol f t h e d r a w eur n i t .R e p e atth e
n r o . e sa
q c r o s lsh e h a c ko f t n ec a r c a s e
( r i g h t )I.o a p p l yp r e s s u rteo t h e c e n t e ro f
+h^ +^^ ^-^^t
L rtr LUp pcrq,.

^t
prcLc

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-,,t h^r,^,^^^ +h^

d Ldur uutvvusil uru

c l a m p sw i t ha s h i mi n t h e m i d d l eT. i g h t e n
t h e c l a m p se v e n l ay t t l ea t a t i m e .

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Attaching
thetopand
bottom
ofthedeskunit
T e s t - f itth e d o v e t a i lj so r n r n tgh e t o p a n d
b c t t o mp a n e l so f t h e d e s ku n i t t o t h e
s i d e sc: o r r e cat n yo v e r l yL i g njto r r t sb y p a r i n ga w a yw a s t ew o o dw i t ha c h i s e. T h e n
s n r e a d q l r r p o n i h p r - n n t : r ^ t i n o. , rr r f , a n p ,<a, n d

t a pt h e p a n e l isn p l a c er s i n ga d e a d - b l o w
h a m m ear n da w o o db l o c kt o d i s t r i b u tteh e
p r e s s J r(el e f t )f.h e j o i r t ss h o u l db e s n u g
e n o u g tho m a k ec l a m p i n ug n n e c e s s a r y .

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Q U E E NA N N ES E C R E T A R Y

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fr\l I n s t a l l i nt sh eb a c kn a n e l
r - , / O n c et h e g l u eh a sc u r e d .r e m o v e
the

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b e t sa r o u n di t s p e r i m e t edr ,r i v i n ga f i n i s h i n g n a i le v e r y6 i n c h e sF. o re x t r ar i g i di t y ,
a l s on a i lr h en a n etl o t h e d u s tf r a m e sa n d

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^t--^L ldlllp)

-^,.t {;,, +h^ h-^t, 626p1 ln fho rah_

dllU llA LllC UdLn p
orrur LU Lrrurou-

tnn nrnpl nf thp drauror rrnit llcp a tanp

' n e 2 q r rtrop m e k pq r r r e
v o ud r i v et h e n a i l s
a t t h e c o r r e clto c a t i o n sc e n t e r e o
dn t h e
oustf ramesand panel(right).

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INSTALLING
THEL()PERS
Fittingthe lopersin place
l V l a kleo p e rb l a n k sa sy o ud i d t h e h o u s i n g s
( p a g el J 3 ) , g l u r n ga l o n g - g r a p
i ni e c et o
t h ef r o n te n dw i t ha s l i d i n g
d o v e t a iTl .h e n
s l i d ey o u rb l a n k si n t ot h e r rs l o t sb e t w e e n
t h e h o u s i n gasn dt h e s i d ep a n e l sa. n c
m a r kt h e mf l u s hw i t ht h e f r o n te d g eo f t h e
l f t h e d ' a w e rL , n i ta: l s om a r k
t o p p a n eo
t h e l o c a t i o on f t h e h o u s i n sgl o t so n t h e
l o p e r sC. u tt h e l o p e r tso l e n g t ha n dd r i l la
d o w ehl o l ei n t oe a c ho n ei n l i n ew i t ht h e
s l o to u t l i n el;o c a t et h e h o l es o t h e f r o n t
e d g eo f t h e f a l l - f r o nwt i l l p r o l e cat b o u 2
l
t o 3 i n c h e sb e y o n d
t h e l o p e rw h e ni t i s
. u tt h e d o w e l s1 l
f u l l ye x t e n d e (dl e f t ) C
i n c h e sl o n g t, h e ns p r e a dg l u ei n t h e d o w e l
h n l e cS l i d pl h e r n n e rIsn l ot h e i rs l o t sa n d

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ian tho dnrniplc in nl:np

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115

MAKING THE DRAWERS

Thedeskunit drawersareassembled
with throughdovetails,thena falsefront
isgluedto thedrawerfront to conceal
theendgrain of the taik. Thechamfer
cut aroundtheperimeterof thefake
front shownaboverecallsthetraditional
practiceofbevelingtheendsand edges
of veneered
drawerfronts,whichpreventedtheveneerfrom beingtorn off
whenthedrawerwasopenedand closed.

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GLUING
UPTHEDRAWERS

Tail-board
template

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thethrough
dovetail
ioints
1 Routing
partsto fit theiropenings
sideswillmatch.Installa top-piloted
dovetail
bit in the
in thedeskunit, drawer
I Sizethedrawer
thetoolalongthetopof the
withdovetails,
cuttingthepinsin thefront routerandcutthetailsbyfeeding
thenjointheboards
Tocutthe
template
andmoving
thebit in andoutof thejig'sslots(aboue,
andthetailsin thesides.
andbackof thedrawer,
jig
against
thesidesof theslot
witha routerandthe shownabove,
screwthepin- left).Keepthe bit pilotpressed
dovetails
Repeat
to routthetailsat theotherendof theboard
boards,
thensecure
oneof
throughout.
andtail-board
templates
to backup
(drawer
sides.Thenusethecompleted
tailsto
endup in a benchvise.Protectingandrntheotherdrawer
thetailboards
sides)
frontsandbacks.
Secure
a pin
to thework- outline
thepinsonthedrawer
thestockwitha woodpad,clampthetailtemplate
piecesotheunderside
template
to theboard
is buttedagainst
the
boardin thevise,clampthepin-board
of thetemplate
andsecure
thestopblock
overtheoutline,
Alsoclampa stopblockagainst
oneedgeof withtheslotsaligned
endof the board.
right).
sidesotheiailsat theotherendandin theother in place.Routthe pinswitha straightbiI (above,
thedrawer

116

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

r) Preparing
the drawers
L torbottompanels
T h e b o t t o mo f e a c hd e s ku n i t d r a w efri t s
i n t oa g r o o v ea l o n gt h e i n s i d eo f t h e
d r a w e rD
. r yf i t t h e p a r t st o g e i h e rt.h e n
ge
c l a m pt h e u n i ts e c u r e l yp ,r o t e c t i nt h
the
s t o c kw i t h w o o dp a d sa n d a l i g n i n g
c l a m pb a r sw i t ht h e f r o n ta n d b a c k .F i t a
routew
r i t h a p i l o t e dt h r e e - w i nsgl o t t i n g
c u t t e ra n d m o u n t h e t o o lt n a t a b l e .
A dj u s tr h e b r t h e r g htto c u l t h eg r o o v e
/ , i n c hf r o mt l ' e d r a w e r ' b
s o t t o me d g e .
Qei iho

d'rzutar riohl qidp rrn nn thp t:hlp

a n d ,s t a r t i n ag t t h e m i d d l eo f o n es i d e ,
f e e dt t e s t o c ki n t ot h e c u t t e ra g a i n stth e
d i ' e c t r oonf b i t r o t a t r o nK.e e pn g t h e p i t o t
b u t t e da g a i n stth e w o r k p i e c e ,
bearrng
(right).Continue
feedthe drawerclockwise
p v o t i n gt h e d r a w e ' o n
t h et a b l eu n l i ly o u
r e t u r nt o t h e s t a r t i n gp o i n t .U s ev e n e e r e d
plywood
f o r t h e b o t t o ma n dc u t t h e p a n e l
t o f i t t h eo p e n i n g .

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Gluina
g n dc l a m p i ntgh ed r a w e r s
Q
r - J F o rg t u eL r p m
. a k ef o u "w o o dp a d sa s
l o n pa s t h e h e r s hot ' t h e d r a w e rasn dc u t
s m a l ln o t c h e si n t h e p a d ss o t h e yo n l y
. preaa
d t h i n ,e v e nl a y
c o n t a ctth et a r l sS
e r o f g l u eo n a I t h ec o n t a c t r nsgu r f a c e s .
t h e na s s e m b lteh e d r a w e r as n d i n s t a l l
t w o b a rc l a m p sa c r o s tsh e p r n b o a r d s .
T i p h t e tnh ec l a . n n as l i t t l ea t a t i m eu n t : l
^r -r,,^ -nilppzps
- ^-^il
-*^,,^r
d >llldll dlllUUllL Ul Bluc JgueuaeJ

vn ut tLl vn lf

t h ej o i n t sl.m m e d i a t e'lnye a s J rteh ed i a g

o n a l sb e t w e e no p p o s i t ec a r n e r s( l e f t ) .
T h et w o r e s u l t s h o ud b e t h e s a m e .l f
n o t ,r r s t a lal n o t h ebr a rc l a m pa c r o stsl - e
l o n g eor f t h e t w o d i a g o n a l s ,e t t i n gt h e
c l a m pj a w so n t h o s ea l r e a d iyn p a c e .
. eaT i g h t e tnh ec l a m pa l i t t l ea t a L i m em
q r r r i n oz q r i n r r o n r r n t i l t h p t u r n n i : o n n : l q

a r ee q u a l .

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

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INSTALTING
THEFALSE
FRONT

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Chamfering
the endsandedgesof thefalsefronts
I C u tt h e f a l s ef r o n t st o f i t t h e d r a w eor p e n i n gisn t h e d e s k
u n i t ,s u b t r a c t i n}g4 'i,n c hf r o mt h e l e n g t ha n dw i d t h .T o c h a m f e r
t h e p e r i m e t eorf t h e f a l s ef r o n t s i,n s t a lal p i l o t e d4 5 " c h a m f e r i n gb i t i n a r o u t ea
r n d m o u n t h e t o o l i n a t a b l e .A l i g nt h e
f e n c ew i t ht h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n g
a n da d j u s t h e h e i g h o
t f the
b i t t o c u t a l l b u t l . i n c ho f t h e f a l s ef r o n t ' se n d sa n de d g e s .
C l a m pt w o f e a t h e r b o a rtdost 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 , t o s u p p o rtth e s t o c k .( l n t h e i l l u s t r a t i oanb o v et,h e f e a t h e r boardon the outfeedsideoJlhe-fencehasbeenremovedfor
c l a r i t y .T) o r e d u c et e a r o u tc, h a m f etrh e e n d sb e f o r et h e s i d e s .
F e e dt h e w o r k p i e caec r o s tsh e t a b l ew i t ha p u s hs t i c k ,u s i n g
yourleft handto pressthe stockagainstthe fence(above).

r) Positioning
thefalsefronts
L Seteachdrawerface-upon a worksurfaceanddrivetwo
b r a d si n t ot h e d r a w efrr o n t ,l e a v i n tgh e i rh e a d sp r o t r u d i n g .
M a k es u r et h e b r a d sa r en o t l o c a t e d
w h e r et h e d r a w e pr u l l
w i l l b e i n s t a l l e dt h, e ns n i po f f t h e h e a d sa n d i n s t a ltl h e
d r a w e irn t h e d e s ku n i t .C a r e f u l lpyo s i t i o tnh e f a l s ef r o n to v e r
t h e d r a w e (r a b o v e ) . 0 n cyeo ua r es a t i sife dw i t ht h e p l a c e m e n t ,
p r e s sf i r m l y ;t h e p o i n t e de n d so f t h e b r a d sw i l l p u n c hi m p r e s s r o n si n t ot h e b a c ko f t h e f a l s ef r o n t .

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n Gluinson thefalsefronts
r - . 1 R e m o v et h e d r a w e ra n d s p r e a da
thinlayeo
r f g l u eo n t h e b a c ko f t h e
f a l s ef r o n t .P l a c et h e f r o n ti n p o s i t i o n ,
w i t ht h e t w o b r a d sr n t h e i ri m p r e s s i o n s .
Hnld the asspmhlv tnocther rrsinoh:r

c l a m p sa l o n gt h e t o p e d g eo f t h e f r o n t
a n dd e e p - t h r o a t C
e dc l a m p sa l o n gt h e
h o t t o me d s e .n r o t e ctth e s t o c kw i t hw o o d
p a d sw h e r en e c e s s a rTyi.g h t e nt h e c l a m p s
e v e n l yu n t i lt h e r ea r en o g a p sb e t w e e n
the falsefrontand Ihe drawer(rtghD.

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BUILDINGTHE PIGEONHOLEUNIT
unit is madetofit
Thepigeonhole
betweenthetopsof thedeskand drawer
Moldingcanbe
sections
of thesecretary.
place
gapbetween
hide
the
in
to
tacked
at left. You
carcases,
as
shown
thetwo
omit
the
molding,
leavingthe
canalso
pigeonholeunit removable.

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THEUNIT
MAKING
thearches
1 Rough-cutting
illustration
to theanatomy
I Referring
unit (page10&, ouIof the pigeonhole
ona piece
linetheshape
of thearches
plywood,
cut it out,andsmooth
of %-inch
thatyou
to fashion
a template
theedges
jie
will useto makea routing btep 2).
assembling
thejig,usethetemBefore
plateto outlinesixcopies
of theshapeon
yourarchstock.Cutoutthearches
to
linesusing
within%inchof yourcutting
the bandsaw.To keepthe bladefrom
of
bindingin the kerfs,makea series
release
cutsthrough
thewaste,stopping
%inchfromthe lines.Thensawalongthe
theworkwastesideof the lines,feeding
piecewithbothhands(righ).I'liake
sure
handis in linewiththeblade.
thatneither

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

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thearches
jig, prepare
C- to complete
the routing
a guidepiecewitha tablein linewith,andalmost
touching,
thebit.Totrimthe
n o t c ht o f i t t h ea r c hb l a n k s y ocuu t i n s t e p1 , a n df a s t e ni t
arches
to finalshape,
holdthejigwithbothhands
andpress
to theiemplate,
centering
the notchoverthearchoutline. thetemplate
at oneendof thearchpattern
against
thepivot
Screwtwotoggleclamps
to theguidepieceandsecure
the
bar.Thenpivotthejig andblankintothebit.Oncethetemfirstblankto thejig. Next,installa top-piloted
flush-cutting platecontacts
the pilotbearing,
shapethearchbyguiding
the
bit in yourrouter,
mountthetoolin a table,andadjustthe
cutteralongit, starting
pressed
withthebearing
against
one
bit heightsothe pilotbearing
will rideagainst
thetemplate. endof thepattern,
ridingit along
thetemplate,
andstopping
pivotbarto the whenit contacts
To complete
thesetup,clampa picket-shaped
the opposite
end(above).

Gluing
uptheunit
Cutthepartsof thepigeonhole
unit
to sizeandprepare
themforassembly.
In
thetopandbottom,
cut dadoes
forthe
dividers
andrabbets
forthesides;in the
middletwodividers,
cut dadoes
forthe
glueonthecondrawer
supports.
Spread
tactingsurfaces
andclamptheassembly
securely;
reinforce
thejointswithfinishing
nails.Makesixcurved
clamping
blocks
to
f it in the middlecurves
of thearches.
Whentheunitis ready,
remove
theclamps
andapplyadhesive
to thestraight
edges
of
thearches,
thenclampthemto theunit,
usingthecurved
clamping
blocks
to dis(left).Refertributethepressure
squarely
ringto the anatomy(pagel08),make
threedrawers
forthepigeonhole
unit,rabbeting
thedrawer
frontsforthesidesand
dadoing
thesidesforthebacks.
Attacha
pullto eachdrawer
front.

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MAKING THE FALL-FRONT

Once theframe for thefall-front has been
assembledand hinged to the deskunit,
the leather top can beglued to the inside
face. The leather should be cut slightly
larger than the recess.Usecontactcement,
hide glue, or thick wallpaperpaste to
anach the material to the surface.Trim it
to sizewith a craft knife, then smooth it
down with a hand roller, as shown at left.
The leathershould be treatedwith glycerine saddlesoaDoncea year.

PREPARING
THEFRAME

theframeedges
1 Shaping
to thefence,oneon
andclamptwofeatherboards
I C u tt h ef o u rf r a m ep i e c efso rt h ef a l l - f r o fnrto ma s i n g l e pilotbearing
Feedthestock
theworkpiece.
eachsideof thebit,to support
making
thesecuts,shapeoneedgeof the
board.
Butbefore
finishing
thepasswitha pushstick.(lnthe
mount facedown(above),
45'chamfering
bitin yourrouter,
board.
Install
a piloted
thefeatherboard
ontheoutfeed
sideof thefencehas
theheight
ofthebitsoit willcuta illustration,
thetoolin a table,
andadjust
forclarity.)
beenremoved
bevelintothestock.Alienthefencewiththebit
%-inch-wide

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

t
r) Preparing
theframeforthepanel
panelsitsin a groove
L me fall-front
cutaround
theinside
edges
of theframe.
Install
a piloted
three-wing
slotting
cutter
in therouter
andalignthefencewiththe
bit'spilotbearing.
Adjust
thebit height
so
thetopedgeof thecutteris centered
on
theedgeof thestock.Sincethegroove
willhaveto accommodate
boththeoanel
gluedto it,youwillneed
andtheveneer
at leasttwopasses
to routa sufficiently
widegroove.
Feed
thestockasin step1,
r r d r ntgh eu n c h a m f e reeddg ea l o n g
the
f e n c ef;i n i s ht h ep a s sw i t ha p u s hs t i c k .
Thenturnovertheworkpiece
andrepeat
(right).
to widenthegroove
Now,cutthe
fourframepieces
to length,
mitering
the
panelis ready,
ends.Oncetheveneered
theframewillbeassembled
usingplate
joints.(Thef inished
frame,
along
withthe
panel,
veneered
isshown
on page104.)

A VARIETY
OFVENEERED
PANETS

5lip matah
Often ueed to dramatic effecL;
reduceedietortion cauoed by
liqht refraction problemowhen
book-matchin4

End-to-end
A mirror-imagepattern featurin4 flat-cut veneerewiLh
promtnent landacape fi4 ure

Eook match
A repeatinqpathern in whichadjoining eheetoof veneerappear1;oradiate from the joint; bef,ween
Lhem,
likethe paqeoof an openbook

Eutt-and-book match
CommonlyuaedwiLhbutt, crol;ch,
and etump veneerato create an
unfoldin4. circuIa r effecL

Herringbone
Veneerfiqure runo diaqonallyoff each eheeL,creaLinn

a zinzaz

effert

r
r

Reverae-diamondmatch
FeaLureefour aheeta of
veneerthat appear to
.Aht/?rnp

a+

rha

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QUEEN ANNE SECRETARY

PANEL
MAKING
THEVENEERED
pattern
theveneer
1l Creatins
-

I C o v etrh e o u t s i d e
f a c eo f t h e f u l l J r o n t
p a n ew
l i t hv e n e e rY. o uc a n b u yr e a d y matched
s h e e t sa n dg l u et h e md o w na s - i s
y
o r m a k e o u ro w nm a t c h r, e f e r r i ntgo o n e
o f t h e p a t t e r n si l l u s t r a t e d
o n p a g eI 2 2 ;
featuredin this chapteruses
the secretary
mka t c h T
. o a p p l ym o r e
a butt-and-boo
t h a no n es h e e o
t f v e n e etro a p a n efl a c e
with a veneerpress(page124),Iapethe
sheetstogetherandgluethem downas a
u n i t .S t a r tb y a l i g n i n tgh e s h e e t se d g et o
e d g eo n a w o r ks u r f a c eg,o o d - s i duep ,t o
p r o d u ca
e v i s u a l l iyn t e r e s t i npga t t e r nT. h e
combined
l e n g t ha n dw i d t ho f t h e v e n e e r
s h o u l de q u atl h ed i m e n s i o n
o sf t h e p a n e l .
0nce you havea satisfactory
arrangement,
tapethe sheetstogetherusingveneer
Iape (left).

press
Setting
upa vacuum
F e a t u r i nags e a l e dv a c u u mb a ga n da
5 - c f m( c u b i cf e e t p e r m i n u t e v) a c u u m
p u m p ,t h e p r e s ss h o w ni n s t e p3 c a n
e x e r tp r e s s u rger e a t etrh a n 1 , 0 0 0p o u n d s
persquarefoot.The pressworksby withd r a w i n gm o s to f t h e a i r f r o mt h e b a g :t h e
r e s u l t i nogu t s i d ea i r p r e s s u rsee c u r etsh e
v e n e e rT. o s e t u p t h e p r e s sc, u t t h e p l a t e n
a n d c a u lt o t h e s a m es i z ea s y o u rs u b s t r a t ep a n e lt i g h ) . f h e p l a t e ns h o u l db e
m a d ef r o mm e d i u m - d e n sfi it by e r b o a rodr
p a r t i c l e b o aar d
t l e a s t% i n c ht h i c k .C u t
t h e c a u lf r o ma n yt y p eo f m a n u f a c t u r e d
b o a r d( o t h e trh a np l y w o o da)t l e a s t% r n c h
t h i c k .T o p r e p a rteh e p l a t e nr, o u n do v e r
i t s c o r n e rtso a v o i dt e a r i n gt h e b a g ,t h e n
c u t a g r i do f g r o o v e Is i n c hd e e pa n d
w i d ea c r o s si t s s u r f a c es, p a c e d4 t o 6
i n c h e sa p a r t .F i n a l l yb, o r ea ' l ' - i n c hh o l e
2 i n c h e sf r o mo n ee n do f t h e p l a t e na n d
i t s e d g e sS
centereb
detween
. l i pt h e
sleeve
s u p p l i e dw i t h t h e p r e s si n t ot h e
holeT
. h es l e e v e
w i l l e n s u r ea t i g h tc o n nection
w r t ht h e v a c u u mh o s e .

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QUEEN ANNE SECRETARY

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/)

Veneerins
the nanel
r - , 1 U s et h e v a c u u mp r e s st o g l u et h e v e n e e d
r o w nt o t h e
p a n e l ,f o l l o w i n tgh e m a n u f a c t u r e ri 'nss t r u c t i o n sF.o rt h e m o d e l s h o w n ,i n s e r t h e h o s ei n t ot h e n i p p l ei n t h e b o t t o mo f t h e
p r e s sb a g .T h e np l a c et h e p l a t e ni n t h e b a ga n ds l i d et h e n i p p l e i n t ot h e p l a t e ns l e e v eS. e tt h e s u b s t r a tpea n e lo n a w o r k
c r r r f : n p : n n l v t h p o l r r o e n d l a v t h o v, o- n
, ,p-o-r , t.a-ny e - s r ouep 0 n

t h e s u b s t r a t eP. l a c ea p i e c eo f w a x p a p e ro v e rt h e v e n e e r ,
r e s tt h e c a u lo n t o p ,a n d p l a c et h e a s s e m b layt o pt h e p l a t e n .
S e a lt h e b a g ,t u r no n t h e p u m pa n d l e a v et h e a s s e m b luyn d e r
. ost
p r e s s u rfeo r t h e r e c o m m e n d el de n g t ho f t i m e ( a b o y e )M
s i l l a u t o m a t i c a lsl yh u to f f w h e nt h e a p p r o v a c u u mp r e s s ew
p r i a t eo r e s s u r e
h a sb e e nr e a c h e d .

Assembling
thefall-front
Oncetheveneer
hasbeensecured,
remove
t h e t a p ea n dg e n t l ys a n ds u r f a c e s
t h a t w i l l b e d i f f i c u l t o r e a c ha f t e rt h e
f r a m ei s g l u e dt o g e t h e rR. e a d yt h e f r a m e
piecesfor platejoints (page109), applyi n gt h e g l u ea n d w o o db i s c u i t sa t t h e
m i t e r e de n do f t h e b o a r d sD
. on o ti n s e r t
l r o o v e st h; e
a n ya d h e s i vien t h e p a n e g
p a n e lm u s t b e f r e et o m o v e .T o p r e v e n t
t h e w o o db i s c u i t sf r o m e x p a n d i n b
gefore
e v e r y t h i nigs p u t t o g e t h e ra, s s e m b lteh e
f r a m ea s q u i c k l ya s p o s s i b l ef i,t t i n gt h e
f ramespiecesto the panel (right).V,'lilh
w o o dp a d sp r o t e c t i ntgh e f r a m e ,s e c u r e
t h e p l a t ej o i n t sw i t h b a rc l a m p s .

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QUEEN ANNE SECRETARY

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VENEER
PRESS
hardwood,
and
Madefromplywood,
pressscrews,
sixf-inch-long
theinexpensive
press
veneer
shop-built
shown
below
willworkaswellasa commercialmodel.
Thedimensions
orovided
i n t h ei l l u s t r a t i w
o ni l ly i e l da p r e s s
c a p a b loef v e n e e r i npga n e lus pt o
1 6 b y2 9 %i n c h e s .
Startbycuttingtherailsandstiles
fromhardwood.
Borethreeequidistantholesthrough
themiddleof each
toprail,sized
slightly
larger
thanthe
diameter
of the oressscrewcollars
jointherails
youwillbeusing.
Next,
frames.
andstilesintotworectangular

into
Theoress
in theillustration
isassem- collars,
thentapping
thecollars
bledwithopenmortise-and-tenon theholesin thetoprailsfromunderjoints(inset),butthroughdovetails n e a t hS. l i ot h et h r e a d esde c t i o n s
joinery
canalsobeused.Whichever
intothecollars
andreattach
themto
youuse,reinforce
method
eachjoint
theswivelheads.
To usethe press,
withglueandthreescrews.
applytheglue
Nowcutthepieces
forthebaseand andlaytheveneer
tape-side
up on
caulto size.Botharemadefromtwo
thesubstrate.
Settheoanelonthe
pieces
plywood
face-glued baseof thepress,
veneered-face
down
of %-inch
Toassemble witha stripof waxpaperbetween
andscrewed
together.
andthebase.Starting
in
the press,
setthetwoframes
ontheir theveneer
sidesona worksurface
andscrew
the
the middleof the panelto prevent
baseto thebottomrails,drivrng
the
adhesive
frombecoming
trapped,
fasteners
fromthebottomof therails. t i g h t e n
t h ep r e s cs l a m p os n ea t a
Attachthepressscrews
to thetoprails timeuntila thingluebeadsqueezes
removing
outfromunder
by
the swivelheadsand
theoanel.

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Kail
1'l"x3"x1B'/."

1tile
1/,"x3"x12"

Open mortiaeana-tenon JotnE

Baee
1 / . 'x 1 6 x 2 9 ' 1 "

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

ATTACHING
THEFALL-FRONT
T()THEDESKUNIT
thehinsemortises
1I Makins
I

U s ey o u rt a b l es a wt o c r , ra - i n c h -

w i d c r : h h p t ( n a p p 5 Q ) a l n n o t h p c . i d p qn f

. e g i rw i t ha s h a l t o w
L h ef r a m e B
d e p t ho f
c u t . i n c r e a s i nt hgeo e p t hb y i n c nw i t h
e a c hn a s sl n t i l t h e f a l l - f r o n tb' so t t o m
e d g ei s i n c ha b o v et h et o p o f t h e d r a w
e r u n i tw h e nt h ef a l l - f r o ni ts i n p o s i t i o n .
0 n c ey o ua r es a t i si fe dw i t ht h e f i t , l a yt h e
f a l f r o n tv e n e e r - f a cdeo w no r t h e l o p e r sa n d b u t t t h e b o t t o me d g ea g a i n s t
t h e t o o o f t h e d r a w esr e c t i o nP. o s i t ' o n
a n do u t l i n et h e t h r e eh i n g e o
snthe
^;^^^^^^;^
+L^ -;t:t^
prtrLq)-uilg
iltItc
ililuutv

-^:
d|u

^^^
uilu

^^^f,
cdLtl

n e a rt h es r d e s c e n t e r i ntgh eh i n g ep r no n
t h e s e a mb e t w e etnh ef a l l J r o nat n dt h e
c a r c a s eT.o c u t t h e h i n g em o r t i s e s .
instaa
l l , 1 - i n csht r a i g hbti t i n y o u r o u t e r .
s e tt h e c u t t i n gd e p t ht o t h e h i n g el e a f
t h i c k n e s sa ,n dc u t o u tt h ew a s t ei n s i d et h e
o u t l i n eU. s ea c h i s e la. c a r v i nggo u g ea. n o
a woodenmalletto pareto the line (left).
T e s lf i l I n e h i n p e si n t h e i rm o r t i s easn d
u s et h ec h r s etro d e e p e n
o r w r d e na n yo f
+h^

Attaching
thefall-front
to thedeskunit
!
Z - S e tt h e h i n g e sn t h e r "n o r t i s e sr nt h e
d e s ku n i ta n dm a r kt h es c r e wh o l e st,h e n
r p hinop lpavpc.
d r r l l n , l n t h n l e s z n d q c r e r , t\ h

i n p l a c el.e a v i ntgh ef a s t e n e a
r s i t t l el o o s e .
M a r kt h ed r r l l r ndge p t ho n t h ed r i l lb l t b y
w " a p pn g a s t r i po f m a s k i n tga p ea r o u ' r d
ir.
Next,extendthe lopersandsetthe fal
f r o n rt r p o s i t i o ns .l r p p , ntgh ef r e eh i n g e
l e a v eisn t ot h e i rm o r t i s e sM. a r kt h es c r e w
h o l e sd, r i l lp i l o th o l e sa, n ds c r e wt h e
h r n g etso t h ef a l l - f r o ntth, e nf i n i s ht i g h t e n inga I the screws(right).lf youareusing
brassscrews.be carefulrot to overtighten
t h e mo r t h e yw r l lb r e a kl.t i s a g o o di d e at o
d r i v ei n a s t a n d a rw
d o o ds c r e wf i " s tr o t a p
t h ep i l o th o l e .

r26

-^^^^^^^

l{

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QUEI:NANNE SECRETARY

INSTALLING
THEFALL-FR()NT
L()CK

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'l
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0utlining
thelockfaceplate
-

I O p e nt h e f a l l - f r o nt to i t s d o w np o s i t i o na n dp l a c et h e l o c kf a c ed o w no n t h e
t o p f r a m ep i e c es o t h e k e ys h a f tw i l l b e
c e n t e r eb
d e t w e etnh e s l d e st;h e l o c k
s h o u l da l s ob e f l u s hw r t ht h et o p e d g eo f
t h e p a n e l l. f t h e k e ys h a f ti s o f f - c e n t ear ,s
i s t h e c a s ew r t ht h e l o c ks h o w ny, o uw i l l
n e e dt o u s ea t a p em e a s u raen da t r y
s q u a r et o m a r kt h e m i d d l eo f t h e f a l l - f r o n t
and alignthe keyshaftwith iI (left).Drill
t h e h o l ef o r t h e k e ys h a f ta n d i n s e rtth e
s h a f t h r o u g ht h e h o l e .O n c et h e l o c ki s
p r o p e r lpyo s i t i o n e tdr,a c et h e o u t l i n eo f
t h e l o c kf a c e p l a t et h, e ne x t e n dt h e l i n e s
o n t ot h e t o n e d c eo f t h e f a l l - f r o n t .

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r)

Routing
the lockmortise
L S t a r tb y u s r n ga c h i s e tl o c u t a s h a l l o wm o r t i s ef o r t h e
f a c e p l a tlei p i n t h et o pe d g eo f t h e f a l l - f r o nN
t . e x t i, n s t a lal
s t r a i g hbt i t i n y o u rr o u t e rs, e tt h e c u t t i n gd e p t ht o t h e f a c e p l a t et hi c k n e s sa,n dc u t a m o r t i sw
e i t hi n t h e m a r k e d
outline.
I J s et h e c h r s etlo s c r . a rteh e. n r n e r q
a r d n a r et n t h e l i n e T o
c u t t h e m o r t i s ef o r t h e l o c kh o u s i n gm
, e a s u rteh e d r s t a n c e
--^r^r^
^-!
-..-:h o l u r p p n l h o p d o p c n, f, f.h, p, rr-a
c e p r a4
l e1 0+I nL -e Lr O
usrng
4 ,1 0l r a n s
f e r y o u rm e a s u r e m etnot t h e m o r t i s eT. h e nJ S ea c a r v , n g
) .e s t -i ft t h e l o c ki n t h e
g o u g et o c u t t h e f i n a lm o r t i s e( a b o v e T
c a v i t ya n du s et h e c i i s e lo r g o u g et o d e e p e o
n r w i c e na r y o f
t h e m o r t i s e si f, n e c e s s a rF
y .i n a l l ys, c r e wt h e l o c ki n p l a c e .

-) Installins
thestrikenlate
<'

J F i t t h e k e yi n t ot h e l o c k .T o l o c a t et h e s t r i k ep l a t ef o r t h e
b o l t ,t u r nt h e k e yt o e x t e n dt h e b o l ta n d u s ea p e n c i tl o c o a t
t h e e n do f t h e b o l tw i t hg r a p h i t eR. e t r a ctth e b o l ta n ds w i n g
t h e f a l l ' f r o ntto t h e c l o s e dp o s i t i o nE. x t e n dt h e b o l ta g a i n stth e
u n d e r s i doef t h e c a r c a steo p t o m a r ki t s l o c a t i o nA. l s oe x t e n d
l n d m a r ki t s s i d e s
t h e b o l ta g a i n stth e e d g eo f t h e t o p p a n e a
o n t h e t n n ( a h n v e )P o s i t i o tnh e s t r i k en l a t eo n t h e c a r c a s e
l a r k sO
t o p ,c e n t e r i ni gt s o p e n i n og n t h e p e n c im
. u t l i n teh e
p l a t e t, h e nc u t a s h a l l o wr e c e s fso r i t a n da d e e p em
r o r t i s ef o r
t h e b o l t .F i n a l l ym
, a r kt h e p l a t e ' ss c r e wh o l e sb, o r ea p i l o t
h o l ea t e a c hm a r k ,a n df a s t e nt h e p l a t ei n p o s i t i o n .

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

Thebonomofthe
desk
secretary's
unit sitson a base
supportedby
bracketfeetat each
corner.Thebottom
edgesofthe carcase
areconcealedby
molding whichis
attachedto the
base,but notglued
to thecarcase.This
allowsthepanels
of thedeskunit to
movewith changes
inhumiditywithout damaging
themolding.

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THEBASE
ANDINSTATTING
MAKING
UNITBASE
ANATOMY
OFTHEDESK

Molding
frame

Moldinq

Front rail
)ide rail

Molding
baee
Eraaket,
feet

lI

r28

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

R o u t i ntgh em o l d i n g
1
I C u ta b o a r dl o n g ear n dw i d e rt h a ny o u
sf molding.
w i l l n e e df o r t h et h r e ep i e c e o
l n s t a l la R o m a no g e eb i t ( i n s e t )i n y o u r
r o u t ea
r n d m o u n t h e t o o li n a t a b l e .A l i g n
t h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n g
w i t ht h e f e n c ea n d
a d j u s t h e c u t t i n gh e i g h t o l e a v ea f l a t
l i p n o m o r et h a n% i n c ht h i c ko n t h e e d g e
of the stockabovethe molding.Mounttwo
f e a t h e r b o a rodns t h e f e n c ea n d o n eo n
t h e t a b l et o s e c u r et h e w o r k p i e c e( l.n t h r s
illustration
t h, e f e a t h e r b o a or dn t h e o u t f e e ds i d eo f t h e f e n c eh a sb e e nr e m o v e d
f o r c l a r i t y .T
) u r no n t h e t o o l a n d f e e d
ihp c.innk lriohf I f n r-nmnlptp thp n:c.s

m o v et o t h e o u t f e e ds i d eo f t h e t a b l ea n d
p u l lt h e s t o c kt h r o u g ht h e e n do f t h e c u t .
M a k es e v e r apl a s s e si ,n c r e a s i nt g
h ew i d t h
o f c u t % i n c ha t a t i m e .R i pt h e m o l d i n g
s t r i p sf r o mt h e b o a r do n y o u rt a b l es a w ,
t h e nc u t t h e mt o l e n g t hm
. i t e r i n gb o t h
e n d so f t h e f r o n tp i e c ea n dt h e f r o n te n d
o f t h e s i d ep i e c e s .

r) Gluinu
g pt h eb a s e
L C u t t h er a i l so f t h e m o l d r n fgr a m ea n d
m o l d i n gb a s et o l e n g t hm
, itering
b o t he n d s
o f t h e f r o n tp i e c e sa n dt h e f r o n te n do f
t h es i d en i e c e s . n mtiht e b a c kr a i lf o rt h e
b a s eJ. o i nt h e c o r n e r os f t h e f r a m e sw i t h
p l a t ej o i n t s( p a g e1 0 9 ) a n d c l a m pt h e m
a s y o ud i d t h e d u s tf r a m e s( p a g e1 1 2 ) .
N e x tg, l u et h e m o l d i n g
b a s et o t h e u n d e r sideof the frameso the sidesof the base
e x t e n db e y o n d
t h e f r a m eb y a b o u t1 i n c h .
Thencut the bracket
feeton yourbandsaw.
S p r e a dg l u eo n t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e s
b e t w e e tnh e m o l d i n gp i e c e st,h e b r a c k e t
f e e t ,a n dt h e m o l d i n gb a s et.h e nf i t t h e
p i e c e st o g e t h ear n dc l a m pt h e a s s e m b l y ,
protecting
the stockwith woodpads(left).
O n c et h e a d h e s i vhea sc u r e d ,r e m o v e
the
^t^-^^
Lrdilrp5

^^i
d||u

^++^^h +h^
dtLdLil L|tr

h^^^
ud5u

+^ +L^ !^^t,
LU Lilc uc5n

u n i tb y s c r e w i nt gh e m o l d i n fgr a m et o t h e
c a r c a s teh r o u g he l o n g a t esdc r e wh o l e s .

MAKING THE,BOOKCASE

PREPARING
THESIDEPANELS
FORADJUSTABLE
SHELVING

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./

Drilling
holesforshelfsupports
_

I C u tt h e s i d ep a n e l so f t h e b o o k c a steo w i d t ha n d l e n g t h ,
t h e ns e tt h e m i n s i d e - f a cuep o n a w o r ks u r f a c eT. h ec o m m e r c i a lj i g s h o w na b o v ee n a b l e ys o ut o b o r et w o p a r a l l erlo w so f
h o l e si n t h e s i d en a n e l sa t 1 - i n c hi n t e r v a lasn de n s u r etsh a tc o r r e s p o n d i nh go l e sw i l lb e p e r f e c t al yl i g n e dC. l a m pt h e1 i gt o t h e
e o g e so f o n ep a n e lt:h e h o l e sc a n b e a n yd i s t a n c fer o mt h e p a n e l e d g e sb. u t a b o u t2 i n c h e sr n w o u l db e b e s tf o r t h e s e c r e t a r y .
F i ta n e l e c t r i d
c r i l lw i t ha b i t t h e s a m ed i a m e t ear s t h e s l e e v e s

give tlrc bookAd.jrtstoltla

slrclvcs
cosesecliotto.l-thcsecretarygre(tter
erurblirtgyott to odnpt to
.flexiLtility,
,Jl,i ttt ilit Itt't'I : rtI trl ot qrl tlzr'.sprtct'
rnostelficierrtly.The solid brass
slnwrt ttt rigltt cttrt
slrcl.f'strpports
Itc slippedirrto urtyof the sleetes
rtlont t/it'..lrir'f,lt,'/s, pcrrrr
i t t i rrt
to Lterrroturted
ot urry
tlrcshclvcs
lrciglrtirr tlrc boLtkcttse.

a n di n s t a lal s t o pc o l l atro m a r kt h ed r r l l r ndge p t he q u atl o t h e

s l e e v el e n p t hS i a r t i n pa t e i t h e re n d o f o n eo f t h e i i g ' sr a r l s .
p l a c et h e a p p r o p r i a b
t eu s h i n gi n t h e f i r s th o l eo f t h e b u s h i n g
r ^ a r r i e(rT h eh r r s h i nkpe e n st h e h i t n e r f e c t lsvn r r a rteOt h e w o r k p i e c e .H) o l d i ntgh ed r r l a
. r i la
l series
l n dc a r r i e rb,o r et h e h o l e D
o f e v e n l ys p a c e dh o l e sa l o n gb o t hr a i l s .R e m o v teh e j i g a n d
r e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs i d ep a n e lc. a r e f u l lpyo s i t i o n i nt hge l i g s o
d i t ht h o s ei n t h ef i r s tp a n e l .
t h a tt h e h o l e sw i l lb e a l i g n ew

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

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$ # f f i * u . r i , i i i l h $ f f i ' 4 fffiiiliiii
fi$ '[iuiru
1HO?Tt?

rl

rl

A ohop-made
jig
ohelf-drilling
T h eT ' e h a p e d1 i qe h o w n \
h e r ew i l le r a b l ey a L l a

d'i,lla'ow of evenly
u???.",1,
h o l e ea e a c c t - a t e l y a s w i L \ \

N
a c o m m e r c i aj il q . f ' l a k et h e j i q
:\
from'-by-3 etoc\. be'tq carel"
L o b c r e wL h e f e n c e a n d a r m
L o q e L h e ra f , a p e r f e c t 9 0 " a n q ' e
M a r k a l i n ed o w n L h e m t d d l eo l t h e a r m
a n d d r i l l h o l e ea t Z - i n c hi n f , e r v a lael o n q
i t w i t h L h e s a m e b i t y o u w o u l du e e l o r
L h e s l e e v e eT. o u s e L h ej i q , c l a m p i t rL o
a
L h e e i d e p a n e lw i t h L h e f e n c e b u I t r e d
a g a i n e t e i L h e re n d o f L h e p a n e la n d L h e
m a r k e dc e n L e r l i n e2 i n c h e si n f r o m i l o e d q e
F i l ,y o u r d r i l l b i L w i l h a a l o p c o l l a r ,b o r eL h e
h o l e Ea, n d r e V a o i L i o L
n h ej i q f o r e a c h n e w r o w

131

r) Mounting
thesleeves
andsupports
L f o tnslall
without
danthesleeves
:" bo"i' nb s i. h' p m

r r q p : q l p p v p - c . p t t i n on r r n r ^ h

P l a c ea s l e e v eo n t h e e n do f t h e p u n c h
a n dp u s hi t f i r m l yi n t oo n eo f t h e h o l e s
i n a s i d en a n e l( a h o v p )l n s e r a
t sleeve
y
o
u
i n t oe a c hh o l e
d r r l l e d . 0 n cyeo u
h a v er r s t a l l e d
a l l t h e s l e e v e sr ,n s e r t
s h e l fs r r n n o r il ns l ot h es l e e v east e a c r
s h e l fl o c a t i o n( i n s e t ) .

QUEENANNE SECRETARY

ASSEMBTING
THECARCASE
upthesides,
bottom,
andrails
1 Gluing
pieces
I Cuttheremaining
of thebookcasecarcase
to size-the bottom,the
rails,andthe backpanel.Next,sawa
rabbet
alongthebackedges
of thesides
andbottom
forthebackpanel.
Cutblind
tenonsat bothendsof the backrail (page
59 anddrilla matching
mortise(page58)
o n t h e i n s i d ef a c eo f e a c hs i d ep a n e l .
Witha platejoiner,makeslotsfor biscuits
in thefrontandbottom
rails,andmating
onesin thesides.
Usehalf-blind
dovetails
(page109)Iojointhesidesto thebottom
of thebookcase,
cuttingthe pinsin the
sidesandthetailsin the bottom.
Then
glueon the contacting
spread
surfaces
of all thepieces,
inserting
woodbiscuits
whereappropriate,
andf it themtogether. Protecting
the stockwithwoodpads,
installtwobarclampsacross
eachside,
positioning
theclampjawsonthefrontand
backrails,theninstall
twomoreclamps
across
the backandbottomrails.Tighten
(left)untila thinglue
theclampsevenly
beadsqueezes
outof thejoints.Finally,
nailthebackpanel(page115)in place.

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r) Routing
a groove
forthetoppanel
L to attachthetop panelto thebookcaseusingwoodbuttons,
asshownin
t h i ss e c t i o ny,o uw i l l n e e dt o r o u ta
groove
forthe buttons
alongthetopof
thecarcase.
Fityourrouterwitha piloted three-wing
slotting
cutterandsetthe
tool'scuttingdepthto locatethegroove
aboulYzinchbelowthe top edgeof the
guide
carcase.
Starting
nearonecorner,
the routeralongthe top edge(right).
Movethetoolin a clockwise
direction,
keeping
the baseplateflatandthe bit's
pilotbearing
pressed
against
thestock.

r32

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

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Making
thebuttons
c u t o f f t h e b u t t o n sa b o u tI I i n c h e sf r o mt h e e n d s( i n s e f ,T) .o
m a k eh o l e si n t h e b u t t o nfso r i n s t a l l a t i ouns, ea n L - s h a p ecdo r n e r
^-^
j i g f a s h i o n efdr o ma s c r a po f I - i n c h p l y w o o a
: c i n o p h n : r d . m : L p t n p i h i c k n p c q n f t h p s r n a k e- lful o' I- r +L ^U r1fi,l ^t r E
d n dt w o p i e c e so f
OP
. l a m pt h ej r gt o y o u rd r i l lp r e s st a b l ea n ds t e a d tyh e b u t
oetweerLnebottonof the grooveand Lie top edgeof the carcase. w o o dC
e t e a c he n do f t h e
n a d ef r o ms c r a pw o o d .D r i l t h r o u g ht h e
t o n sw i t ha h o l d - d o wm
l e s sI i n c h .C u ta r a b b etto f r t t h eg r o o v a
s n t h e u n r a b b e t epdo r t i o nos f t h e b u t t o n s( a b o v e ) .
b o a r dt,h e nr i p t h e b o a r dr n t o1 - r n c hs t r i p so n y o u rb a n ds a wa n d c e n t e r o
Vn, rinrill nppd tn n
l : n p , ru u i n n d h r t t n n e v p n r 6 i n r - h p s a l n n o t h p
P'uuu

t n n p c p e n f ' h e c a r c . : s eC r r ts e v p r a l h v - l - i n r : hb l t r o n s f r o m

Attaching
thetop
C l t h e b o o k c a steo p t o s i z e ,t h e . t
s h a n ei t s e n d sa r d e d g e so n a r o u t e r
I a b l e( p a g eJ J 8 ) , u s r n ga d e c o r a t t v e
m o l d i n gb r t .S e it h e t o p o u t s i d e - f a c e
e n dp o s i t i o n
tie
d o w no n a w o r ks u r { a c a
c a r c a soen l o n . F i t t h e r a b b e t eedn do f a
w o o db u t t o ni n t ot h e g r o o v ei n o n eo f t h e
s i d en a n e l a
s n di r s e r ta n o t l e r r t ot h e
p r o o v ier t h e b a c kr a i la b o u 6
t inches
a w a yD
. r i l la p i o t h o l et h r o u g thh eh o l e
i r t i e b u t t o ra n di r t o t h et o p .L h e ns c r e w
a lt h e b u t t o n si n p a c e ( l e f t ) l,e a v i n g
r n c hg a pb e t w e etrn e l i p p e de n d so f t h e
b u t t o n sa n dt h e b o t t o no f t h e g r o o v e .
I n s t al t h e r e m a r n r nbgu t t o n ss.o a c ; n g
t h e me v e r y6 i n c h e s .

QUEENANNE SECRETARY

MAKING
ANDINSTALLING
CR()WN
MOLDING
'l
t

Making
themolding
andattaching
theframe
-

I F i x e dt o t h e u n d e r s i doef t h e b o o k c a steo p a n d f l u s h
a g a i n stth e c a r c a s et h
, e c r o w nm o l d i n gc o n s i s tos f t h r e el a y e r s
( i n s e t )C. u tt h e m o l d i n gf r a m ep i e c e st o l e n g t hm
, i t e r i n gb o t h
e n d so f t h e f r o n tp i e c ea n dt h e f r o n te n d o f e a c hs i d ep i e c e .
C r e a t teh e b u i l t - u p
m o l d i no
g n t h e r o u t etra b l ea sy o ud i dt h e
b a s em o l d i n g( p a g e1 2 9 ) ,u s i n gt w o d i f f e r e not g e eb i t sf o r t h e
narrow
a n dw i d e rp i e c e sC. u tt h e m o l d i n gt o l e n g t hm
, itering
t h e p i e c e as sy o ud i d t h ef r a m eS
. t a r tb y i n s t a l l i nt g
h em o l d i n g
f r a m eF
. o rt h e s i d ep i e c e sd,r i l la n e l o n g a t ehdo l et h r o u g e
ha c h
b o a r dn e a rt h e s t r a i g het n d ;t o a l l o wf o r w o o dm o v e m e nst ,p r e a d
g l u eo n o n l yt h e f i r s t2 i n c h e so f t h e t o p f a c ea t t h e m i t e r e d
e n d .N o w ,s e tt h e b o o k c a st eo p - d o w o
n n a w o r ks u r f a c e
and
positioo
n n es i d ep i e c eo n t h e u n d e r s i doef t h e t o p . i n s t a l al
b a rc l a m pt o s e c u r et h e m i t e r e de n d a n d d r i v ea w o o ds c r e w
t h r o u g ht h e e l o n g a t ehdo l ea n d i n t ot h e t o p t o f i x t h e b a c ke n d
( l e f t ) .R e p e afIo r t h e o t h e rs i d e ,t h e ni n s t a ltl h e f r o n tp i e c e
s p r e a d i nggl u ea l o n gi t s e n t i r el e n g t h .

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r ) A p p l y i ntgh em o l d i n g
f - l l e c r o w nn o d r n gr sf a s t e n e tdo t h e b o o k c a sien t w os t e p s :
T h ew i d e rs t r i p sa r ea t t a c h e fdi r s t ,f o l l o w e d
b yt h e n a r r o w e r
p i e c e so n t o p .S p r e a da t h i n l a y e ro f g l u eo n t h e b o t t o mf a c eo f
t h e w i d e rs t r , p s t, a k n g c a r en o l L og e t a n yg l u eo n t h e e d g e s
s i n c et h e m o l d t n sg h o u l do n l yb e f i x e dt o t h e m o l d i n fgr a m e ,
a n d n o tt o t h e c a r c a s eS. e tt h e s t r i p so n t h e m o l d i n gf r a m e ,
e d g e sf l u s ha g a i n stth e b o o k c a s em, a k i n gs u r et h a tt h e m i t e r e d
e n d sb u t tt o g e t h ecr l e a n l yb e f o r ec l a m p i n g
t h e m o l d i n gi n
p l a c eO
. n c et h e a d h e s i vhea sc u r e dr, e m o vteh ec l a m p sa n d
r e p e a t h e p r o c e s fso r t h e n a r r o w em
r o l d i n gs t l p s ( r i g h t ) .
C u t t i n gw o o dp a d sw i t h c o n v e xc u r v e sm a t c h i n tgh e c o n c a v e
p r o ifl e o f t h e m o l d i n w
g i i l n o to n l yp r o t e ct th es t o c k b, u ta l s o
h e r pd i s t r r b u ct e, a n p i n gp r e s s u reev e n l y .

134

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An escutcheon
isfastenedto oneof the
shownat left.On
doorsof thebookcase
are
thispiece,thekeyand escutcheons
purelydecorative.
Thedoorsareactually
catches
heldshutbyspringJoaded
on
the
inside
installed
facesof thestiles
bottom
of
the
doors.
nearthe

DOORS
MAKING
FRAME.AND.PANEL

thetenonin therails
1 Gutting
on the
doorsof the bookcase in a testmortise(step4), thenrepeatthe process
I Startmaking
theframe-and-panel
bycuttingblindtenonsat theendsof all therails.To dothe otherendof the boardandontheotherrailshbove,left).To
jobon yourtablesaw,installa dadoheadslightly
setthecuttingheightat about%
widerthan cutthetenonshoulders,
the mitergauge
woodfenceandnotchit inch.Then,withtherailfaceflushagainst
Attachan auxiliary
thetenonlength.
thefence,feedtheworkpiece
andtheendbuttedagainst
by raising
thedadoheadintoit. Setthewidthof cut equal
thecut on the
intothe blades.
Turntherailoverandrepeat
to thetenonlengthandadjustthecuttingheightto about
right).Cutthe restof the tenonshoulders
therailflush
otherside(above,
of thestock.Holding
one-third
thethickness
molding
ontheinsideedges
integrated
against
the mitergaugeandthefence,feedthestockface- thesameway.Fashion
Turnthe board of the doorframeson a routertable(page129) usinga pilotdownintothe blades
to cut onetenoncheek.
e d m o l d i nbgi t .
overandmakethesamecut on theotherside.Checkforf it

135

QUEEN ANNE SECRETARY

r) Preparing
therailsforglueup
Z- me corners
of thetenonshoulders
mustbe mitered
to mateproperly
with
thestiles.
Remove
theauxiliary
fence
from
thetablesawfenceandinstall
a crosscut
or combination
blade.
Settheblade
angle
to 45",makea testcut in a scrapboard,
andchecktheresult
witha combination
s q u a r eA.d j u stth ef e n c ep o s i t i oann d
b l a d eh e i g hst ot h ec u t i s a sw i d ea n d
d e e pa st h ew i d t ho f t h ee d g em o l d i n g .
(Thebladeteethshouldjustprotrude
beyond
thetenonshoulder.)
Tomakethe
cuts,holdthepieceflushagainst
thefence
andmitergaugeasyoufeedit edgedown
i n t ot h eb l a d eR
. e p e at ht ec u t so nt h e
endsof eachmolded
edgeof theremainingrails(left).

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Notching
thestiles
L e a v et h e t a b l es a wb l a d ea n g l e da t 4 5 " , m e a s u rteh e w i d t h the45" cut andeachendof thestilewitha bandsaw(above,

of eachrail,andmarka lineonthemolded
edgeof itsmating
stilea conesponding
distance
fromtheend.Cutintothemolded
edgeat theline,making
certain
thatthecutwillnotmarthe
faceof thestile.Sliceoff mostof thestripof molding
between

/eff).Smooth
thecutedgeusingthetablesaw.Leaving
therip
fencein place,
holdthestileflushagainst
themitergauge,
and
slidethestockbackandforthacross
the blade(above,
righD.
Repeat
theprocess
forallthestiles.

r36

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mortises
inthestiles
Cutting
youcutinstep1
Useoneofthetenons
a s a g u i d et o o u t l i n i n gt h e m o r t i s eos n
ihp pdops of thp stiles
pacipr

.l:mn

Tn m:kc

thp ioh

a l l i h p c . t i l p s t, n o p t h c r f a c p

t o f a c ew i t ht h e i re n d sa l i g n e dI.n s t a lal
mortisina
g t t a c h m e notn y o u rd r i l l p r e s s
a n dc l a m po n es t i l et o t h e f e n c e c, e n t e r i n gt h e m o r t i s o
e u t l i n eu n d e tr h e c h i s e l
a n d b i t . M a k et h e d r i l l i n gd e p t hl . i n c h
; a k ea c u t a t
m o r et h a nt h e t e n o nl e n g t hm
e a c he n do f t h e m o r t i s eb e f o r eb o r i n go u t
t h e w a s t ei n b e t w e e n( / e f t ) .R e p e at h e
p r o c e d u rteo c u t t h e r e m a i n i n m
g ortises.

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Gluingupthe doors
f,
r - , 1T e s t - a s s e m btl he e d o o r sa n d u s ea c h i s e lt o p a r ea w a y
s o m ew o o df r o m a n y o v e r l yt i g h t j o i n t .O n c ey o u a r es a t i s f i e d
w i t h t h e f i t , s a n da n ys u r f a c etsh a t w i l l b e d i f fi c u l tt o r e a c h
g l u eo n a l l t h e
w h e nt h e d o o r sh a v eb e e ng l u e du p ,a n ds p r e a d

c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c eosf t h e l o i n t s R
. e a s s e m btlhee d o o r sa n ds e t
e a c ho n eo n t w o b a rc l a m p sa, l i g n i n g
t h e b a r sw i t h t h e r a i l s .
U s i n gw o o dp a d st o p r o t e c t h e s t o c k ,t r g h t e nt h e c l a m p s
( a b o v eu) n t i la t h i n g l u eb e a ds q u e e z eosu t o f t h e j o i n t s .

t37

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QUEENANNE SECI{ETARY

I
INSTALLING
THED()ORS
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Preparing
thedoors
forglass

I C i a s sp a n e l sl i e i n r a b b e tasn da r e
h e l di n p l a c eb y t h i ns t r i p so f m o l d i n g .
C l a m po n ed o o rf r a m et o a w o r ks u r f a c e ,
t h e ni n s t a lal p i l o t e d - i n c hr a b b e t i nbgr r
i r y o u rr o u t e ' a n o
s e tt h e d e p t ho f c u tt o
t h ec o m b i n etdh i c k n e sos' t h e g l a s sa n d
t h e m o d r n g .H o l dt h e t o o lf i r m l yw i t h
b o t hh a n d sw h i l er e s t r ntgh e b a s ep l a t e
o r t h ef r a m en e a ro 1 ec o r n e rt,n e ng u i d e
the hit into lhp insidpedsp of lhp dnnr

M o v et h e r o u t e cr o c k w i s ae l o n gt h e
e d g e si / e I l ) ,k e e p i n g
r h e p i l o tb e a r i n g
p r e s s eadg a i n st th es t o c kS
. q u a r teh ec o r
n e r sw i t ha c h r s eal n da w o o d e n
mallet.
R e p e af to rt h e s e c o n d o o r .

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L C u ta o o a r dl o n g etrh a ny o l w i l l n e e d
f o r t h e m o l d i n gt ,h e ni n s t a lal : / , - i n c i
c o v eb i t i n y o u rr o u t e ra n d m o u n t h e t o o l
i n a t a b l eA
. l i g nt h e b i t b e a r i nw
g i t ht h e
f e n c ea n d a d j u s t h e c u t t e rh e i g h t o
s h a n et h e b o t t n mr - n r n eO" f L h es t o c k .
M o u na
t f e a t h e r b o aorndt h et a b l ei n l i n e
w i t ht h e b i t t o s e c u r et h e s t o c kd u r i n g
t h e c u t .T u r no n t h e t o o la n df e e dt h e
s t o c k f, i n i s h r ntgh e p a s sw i t ha p u s h
s t i c k .S h a p et h e o t h e re d g eo f t h e b o a r d
. r pt h e m o l d i n g
t h e s a m ew a y ( r r g h t )R
f r o mt h e s t o c ko n t h e t a b l es a wa n dc u t
t h e m o l d i n tgo l e n g t hm
, i t e r i ntgh e e n d s
a t 4 5 ' C u La n df i r o n ep i e c ea t a t i m e .

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QUEENANNE SECRETARY

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-) Installins
thedoorcatches
<

r . J B e f o r ei n s t a lnr g t l ' e g a s s .m o u n t h e d o o r so n t h e b o o k
c a s ea
, t t a c h i ntgh e mw i t h h l n g e st h e s a m ew a yy o uf a s t e n etdh e
f a l l - f r o ntto t h e d e s ku n t ( p a g e1 2 6 ) .f t i s e a s i etro i n s t a ltlh e
s i t h o ut h e g l a s si n p l a c eT. h eb a l lc a t c h e s h o w n
d o o rc a t c h e w
a b o v ef e a t u r ea c a t c hf a s t e n etdo t h e b o t t o mp a n eol f t h e b o o k c a s ea n da s t r i k eo l a t es c r e w e tdo t h e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h e d o o r
t h es t r i k e
s t e s ;t w o s p r i n g - i o a d b
ea
d l l si n t h e c a t c hc a p t u r e
p a t ew h e nt h e d o o ri s c l o s e dA. s s e m b lteh e c a t c h e sh, o l do n e

i n p o s i to n a g a i n sitt s d o o rs t i l e ,t h e nm o v ei t t o w a r dt h e b a c k
n a n ehl v i n c r a n dm a r kt h es c r e wh o l e sD. r r lal n i l o th o l ea t
. e p e atth e m a r k i n g
e a c hm a r ka n ds c r e wt h e c a t c hi n p l a c e R
(above,
process
for the othercatch.To install
left) andfastening
i L w i t ht h e c a t c h ,a n d
t h e s t r i k ep l a t e i. n s e r itt s s c r e w se,n g a g e
s r l .r n a r kr m p r e s s ' o trsn
c o s et n e d o o r t: h e t i p so f t h e s c r e w w
t h e d o o rs t r l e .D r r l la p i l o th o l ea t e a c hm a r ka n df a s t e nt h e
c t r r k o n l : t p t n t n p d n n r . P\ C^ ^p g^o^t + +l U^l - +L lLl g^ U^ L+I hC^l - ^p ltO^L, g^ (t rau hv vnwv, p rt it tot ht Ll )

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Securing
theglass
Unscrew
t h e d o o r sf r o mt h e b o o k c a s e
a n ds e to n ed o o ri n s i d ef a c eu p o n a w o r k
crrrf:np

Cardboard

cam.

i n t h e d o o rf r a m et o p r e v e nt it e g l a s sf r o m
ralllinq

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Spl lhp ol:c.c.:nd rhp mnldino in

p l a c ea n d .s t a r n
L g 2 r n c h efsr o n I h ec o r
n e r sd. r r l nl i l o h
- o l ea
s t6 r n c h , n t e r v a l s
t h " o r r pt h e r r o l d i n a
p n di n t ot h ef r a m e .
T a c kd o w "rrh e r r o l dr g w t h b r a d su. s i n g

: nipnp nf e:rdhn:rd

tn nrntpei thp oL:cq

f r o mt h e h a m m e(rl e f t ) . I of i n i s ho f f t h e

q p . r p ' : ' r r r' up, i n, JsL tu ," r l ltL h" Lc d

u un g 1 5 .
J '

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Spr : drnn of clp:r olstins

n n r r n d p v p r v f p r n ri n e h p q : l n n o i h p r : h h p i

139

GLOSSARY
A-B-C.D
Adze: An ax-like tool with a curved
blade used to carve out concave
surfaces,such aschair seats.
Auxiliaryfencs A wooden attachment
screwedto the rip fence of a table saw
or other machine,to prevent damage
to the metal fence.
Basemolding: A decorativeframe made
from molded stock that supports the
bottom ofa desk.
Bead: A rounded, convex shapecut in
wood, usually for decorationi seecove.
Bending form: A jig used to bend
steamedwood.
Bookmatching: In veneering,a decorative pattern in which successive
veneers
cut from the samelog are arrangedsideby-sideso as to mirror eachother's
image like pagesof an open book.
Bow: The curved upper rail of a sackback Windsor chair.
Brad-point bit: A drill bit featuring a
sharpenedcenterpointand two cutting
spurs on its circumference;produces
cleanerholesthan a twist bit and does
not tend to skateon the surfacewhen
starting a hole.
Carcase:A pieceof furniture with a boxlike construction;madefrom solidpanels.
Caul: Used in veneering or gluing
up carcases,a board placed between
clamps and the workpiece to distribute
clamping pressure.
Chamfer: A bevel cut along the edge
of a workpiece.

Clearancehole: A hole bored in a

workpieceto allow free passage
of the
shankof a screw.
Corner block A triangular block of
wood screwedto an inside corner of a
table'sleg-and-railassemblyto reinforce
and squarethe joint.
Counterbore: To drill a hole so the
head of a screwor bolt will sit below the
wood surfaceand be concealedwith a
wood plug.
Countersink: To drill a hole so the head
of a screwwill lie flush with or slightly
below the wood surface.
Cove:A concavedecorativeprofile cut
in wood, usuallyalong an edge;seebead.
Crown or cornice molding: Molding
attachedto the top of a pieceof furniture.
Cuttinglist A list of the dimensionsof
the lumber neededfor a specificproject.
Dado.:A rectangularchannel cut into
a worKplece.
Dovetailed halfJap joint: Used for
joining the top drawer rail of a table to
the legs;the half-lap at the end ofthe
rail is cut in a dovetail shapeto lock
the joint in tension.
Dovetail joint: A method of joinery
using interlocking pins and tails; the
name derivesfrom the distinctive shape
cut into the endsofthe joining boards.
Drop-leaf tabls A table with a narrow
top and hinged leavesthat fold down
when not in use.
Dust frame: A flat frame used to
support deskdrawers.

CheelcIn a mortise-and-tenonjoint, that

part of the tenon parallelto the wood
grain and perpendicularto the shoulder.

E-F.G-H-I-I
Escutcheon:A metal plate installed
around a keyholefor decoration and
protectionof the surroundingwood.
Falsefront A pieceof wood installed
over a drawer front, usuallyto conceal
the end grain ofthe sides.
Featherboard:A board with thin, flexi"feathers"
ble fingersor
along one end,
clamped to the fenceor table of a stationary tool to hold the workpiece
securely.
Fillet In a rule joint, the short, flat surface
at the top ofthe rounded-overportion
of the joint; the pins of the rule-joint
hingesare alignedwith the fillet.
Finial: An ornament-usually turned
or carved-projecting from the upper
cornersof a pieceof furniture.
Flyrail A short wood piecethat swings
out from a table side rail to support
a drop leaf.
Froe: An L-shapedtool with a beveled
blade that is struck by a club to rive, or
split,greenwood.
Glass-stopmolding: Decorativestrips
of wood usedto hold a pane of glassin
placein a door.
Green wood: Freshlycut, unseasonedwood.
Half-blind dovetail: Similar to the
through dovetailjoint, exceptthat the
pins are not cut through the entire
thicknessof the workpiece,thus concealingthe end grain of the tail boards.
Inlay A decorativestrip of metal, hardwood or marquetry that is glued in a
groove cut into a workpiece.

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K-r-M-N-O-P-Q
Kerf, A cut madein wood by a sawblade.
Kickback The tendencyof a workpiece
to be thrown back in the direction of the
saw operator by a moving blade or cutter on a woodworking machine or tool.
Knuckle joint: A joint consistingof
interlocking fingersfixed togetherby a
wooden pin; enablesa fly rail to pivot
awayfrom a table side rail.
Lamb's tongue: On a pencil-postbed,
the shapeat the bottom ofthe octagonal
portion ofa bedpost.
Loper: On a slant-top desk,a board that
slidesout of a housing to support the
fall-front in the horizontal position.
Mortise-and-tenon joint A joinery technique in which a projectingtenon on one
board fits into a mortise on another.
Mortise: A rectangular,round, or oval
hole cut into a pieceof wood to receive
a matching tenon.
Neoclassicism:An l8th-Century design
movement inspired by the estheticprinciplesof classicalGreeceand Rome.
Pigeonhole: A framework of small
dividers and drawersin a desk:sometimes removable.
Pilot bearing: A cylindrical metal collar
either aboveor below the router bit's
cutting edgethat rides along the workpieceor a template,guiding the bit
during a cut.
Pilot hole: A hole bored into a workpiece to accommodatea nail shaft or
the threadedpart of a screw;usually
slightly smallerthan the fastenerdiameter.The hole guidesthe fastenerand
preventssplitting.

Pocket holq An angledhole bored into

the faceof a workpieceand exiting from
its top edge.

Steambending: The techniqueofsoftening wood for bending by subjectingit

to steamand heat,and then bending it
around a curved form.

Pommet A rounded shoulderproduced

on the lathe;servesto separatesquare
and cylindrical sectionsof a workpiece.

Stile: The vertical member of a frameand-panelassembly;seerail.

R.S
Rabbet A steplike cut in the edgeor end
of a board; usually forms part of a joint.

Stopped dado: A dado that stops before

crossing the full width or thickness of
a workpiece.

RaiL A board running alongthe bottom

edgeof a tabletopto which the legscan
be attached;also,the horizontal member
of a frame and panelassembly;seestile.

Substrate:A piece of plyr,voodor

solid wood used as the foundation
for veneeror leatherthat coversthe
surfaceof a desktop.

Rake angle: The angleat which a chair

leg or post deviatesfrom the vertical when
viewed from the side of the chair: see
splayangle.

T-U-V.W.X.Y-Z

Reveal:The gap betweenthe outside

surfacesofa table rail and the adjoining
legs;servesa decorativepurpose.

Tenon: A protrusion from the end of

a board that fits into a mortise.

Riving: The techniqueof splitting wood

from a freshly felled Iog with a sledgehammer and wedgesto separatethe
wood along the fibers.
Rule joint A pivoting joint commonly
usedin dropJeaf tables;featuresmating
concaveand convexprofiles cut into the
edgesofthe tableleafandtop.
Shoulder: In a mortise-and-tenonjoint,
the part ofthe tenon perpendicularto
the cheek.In a dovetailjoint, the valleys
betweenthe pins or tails.
Sliding dovetail joint A joinery method
in which a dovetailedslide on one oiece
fits into a matchinggroovein the oiher.
Splay angle The angleat which a chair
leg or post deviatesfrom the vertical
when viewedfrom the front of the chair:
seerake angle.

Template A pattern cut from plywood,

hardwood, or particleboard used to
produce multiple copiesof a part.

Tester: A light framework that joins the

tops ofthe bedpostsin a four-posterbed,
often usedto hang a canopyor drapery.
Through dovetail joint A method of
joining wood at the cornersby means
of interlocking pins and tails,both cut
through the thicknessof the workpiece.
Travishen A type ofspokeshavedesigned
for smoothing concavesurfaces.
Urn: A decorativeelementturned in
spindle work; often part of a finial.
Veneer: A thin layer of decorative
wood usedto dressuD a more common
speciesofwood.
Wood button: A small, square-shaped
block with a rabbet at one end that
is used to securethe top of a piece
of furniture.
Wood movemenfi The shrinking or
swelling of wood in reaction to changes
in relative humidity.

Plate joint A method of joining using

oval wafersof compressedwood that fit
into slotscut in mating boards.

t41

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INDEX
in italicsindicatean
Pagereferences
illustration of subjectmatter.Page
references
in bold indicatea Build It
Yourselfproject.

Cutting lists
Pembroketables,25
Secretaries,
108
Windsor chafts,72

A-B.C
Adzes,backendpaper
Americancountry/colonialstyles,
16-19
SeealsoFour-posterbeds;Shaker
style;Windsor
chairs
Armoires,19
Arts and craftstables,21
Beds.SeeFour-posterbeds
Bendingjigs,82
Biscuitjoints, 109
Blanketchests,20
Block-frontchests,l3
Board feet,front endpaper
Bookcases.
SeeSecretaries
Build It Yourself
Pipesteamers,83
Pocket-holejigs,47
Shavinghorses,78-79
Veneerpresses,
125
Cabriolelegs,12
Card tables,12, 14
Chairs
Americancountry/colonial,16,18
Chippendale,l3
Federalperiod, 14
Missionstyle,2l
QueenAnne,12
Shaker,20
SeealsoWindsorchairs
Chair tables,16
Chests
Chippendale,13
Shaker,20
ChineseChippendalestyle,I3
Chippendale,
Thomas,23
Chippendalestyle,13
Commodes
Chippendale,13
Continuous-armchairs.18
Cornercupboards,17
Crown molding, 134
Cupboards
Americancountry/colonial,17,19
Piesafes,20

D-E-F
Desks
Federalperiod,15
Mission style,2l
SeealsoSecretaries
Drop-leaf tables,20
135,front endpaper
Escutcheons,
Federalperiod style,14-15
SeealsoPembroketables
Finishes
Milk paint, 70, 103
Four-posterbeds,16,48-50
Canopies,49
End boards,59-62,64
Gluing up,64
Posts,51,52-56,64
finials,51,57
mortises.58
pencilposts,66-69
tang joints,49,56
Siderails,62-63
Testers,
51,65
Tools,52
usingpresetcalipers
(ShopTip), 54
Frame-and-panel
construction
doors,135-1i9
Glass-panel
Frenchprovincialarmoires,19
Furniture styles
Americancountry/colonial,16-19
four-posterbeds,48-69
Windsorchairs,70-103
Chippendale,l3
Federalperiod, 14-15
Pembroketables,15,22-47
Mission style,21
QueenAnne,12
secretaries.
104-139
Shaker,20
G-H
Germansawbucktables,19
Greene,Charles
Chairs,2l
Greeneand Greenechairs,2l
Half-blinddovetails.109-1
11

r
Hardware,fr ont endpaper
Bedbolts,59
Escutcheons,
135
Locks,127
Highboys
QueenAnne,12
Hutches
Americancountry/coloniaI, 17
I-I-K
lnlays,front endpaper
veneers.29
Commercial
Pembroketables,27-29
Inshaves,backendpaper
Iigs
Bendingjigs,82
Drill presspocket-holejigs,47
Routers,119-120
Shop-madeshelf-drillingj igs
(ShopTip), 131
Shop-madesizinggaugesfor
spindles(ShopTip), 77
Tablesawtaper jigs,26
Ioinery
Half-blind dovetails,109-1I 1
Knucklejoints,25,30-31
Platejoints,109
Rulejoints, 43
Tangjoints,49,56
Throughdovetailjoints, l16
Kassay,
lohn,6-7
Keyed-tenon
stools,l6
Knucklejoints,25,30-i1
L-M-N.O
Ladder-back
chairs.l6
Langsner,Drew
Windsorchair,18
Locks
127
Secretaries,
Logs
Splitting,74
Lumber
Board feet,front endpaper
SeealsoCutting lists
Milk paint, 70, 103
Mirrors
Federalperiod,15
Missionstyle,21
Neoclassical
style.SeeFederal
periodstyle
New Mexicanchairs,19
Oval-backchairs,l8

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P-Q
Paint,70, 103
Pembroketables,15,22-25
Cornerblocks,40
Cutting lists,25
Drawersr23r
4l
falsefronts, 42
runners,4l
Endrais,34-36
drawerrarls,34,35
veneer,36
Gluing up,37-40
Joints
knucklejoints,25,30-31
rail-to-leg,25
Leaves,
23,44-45
Legs,23,26-27
doublemortises,35
dovetailsockets,34
inlay,27-29
rail mortises,37,i8
Siderails,30-33
fly rails,32
tenons,33
Tops,43-46
rule joints, 43
using steeltabletopfasteners
(ShopTip),46
Phyfe,Duncan, 14
Phyfearmchairs,14
Piesafes,20
Pipesteamers,83
Platejoints,109
QueenAnne style,I l, 12
SeealsoSecretaries
R-S.T-U
Riving greenwood,,74-75
Rocki-n[chairs
Mission styLe,2l
Shaker,20
Roll-topdesks,2I
Rulejoints,43
Sack-back
Windsorchairs.
SeeWindsorchairs
Sawbucktables,l9
Secretaries,
12,104-105
Bookcases,
107
assembly,
132-133
crown molding, 134
doors,135-139
shelving,130-131
shop-madeshelf-drillingjigs
(ShopTip), r31

Cuttinglists,108
Deskunits, 106,109
assembly,
113-115
bases,128-129
drawers.116-118
dustframes.I 12
fall-fronts,105,121- 124,126-127
half-blinddovetails,109-1
11
leathertops,121
locks,127
lopers,l15
platejoints, 109
throughdovetailjoints, Jl6
veneer,105,122-124,125
|oinery,105,109-I 11, 116
Pigeonholeunits, 105,119-120
14,18
Settees,
Seymourdesks,l5
Shakerstyle,20
Sharpening,
backendpaper
Shavinghorses,78-79
Shelves
Bookcases,
130-131
shop-madeshelf-drillingjigs
(ShopTip), l3l
ShopTips,46,54,77, 131
Spindles
Shop-madesizinggauges
(ShopTip),7Z
SeealsoWindsorchairs
Spokeshaves,
backendpaper
Steambending,S0
Bendingjigs,82
Pipesteamers,83
Stickley,Gustav,2l
Stickleyrocking chairs,21
Stools
Americancountry/colonial,16
Shaker,20
Styles.SeeFurniture styles
Tables
Americancountry/colonial,16,17
Chippendale,13
Federalperiod, 14-15
Germansawbuck,19
Mission style,2l
QueenAnne,12
Shaker,20
Tangjoints,49,56
Thverntables,17
Teatables,l3

r43

Through dovetailjoints, 116

Tools
Adzes,backendpaper
Inshaves,backendpaper
Sharpening,
backendpaper
Spokeshaves,
backendpaper
Turning bedposts,52
usingpresetcalipers(Shop
Tip),54
Vacuumpresses,
36, 123-124
Trestletables,I Z

v-w-x-Y-z
Vacuumpresses,
36,123-124
Vandal,Norm, l0-11
Veneers
lnlays,29
Patterns,122
Vacuumpresses,
36,123-124
Veneerpresses,
125
Weidman,Gregory,8-9
Window seats,14
Windsorchairs,18,70-73
Arms,80-82
posts,88-89,97
spindlemortises,98-99
Bows,80-82,
100-102
Cutting lists,72
Gluingup, 94,95-96,99,102
Legs,88-89
splayand rakeangles,73,91
stretchermortises,94
stretchers,
88,92-93
trimming,94
Milk paint, 70, 103
Seats,7l,84-87
legmortises,90-9I
Spindles
blanks,74-75
installing,98-102
shaping,T6-77
shop-madesizinggauges
(ShopTip),7Z
Wood
Board feet,fr ont endpaper
Green.74-75
SeealsoCutting lists
Zoar chairs.19

ACKNOWTEDGMENTS
Theeditorswishto thank thefollowing
CLASSICAMERICAN FURNITURESTYLES
Winterthur Museum,Winterthur, DE
PEMBROKETABLE
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; Albert Constantineand SonInc.,Bronx,NY; AmericanTool Cos.,
Lincoln, NE; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; CMT Tools, Oldsmar,FL; Delta
InternationalMachineryiPorter-Cable,
Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeckSawMfrs. Inc. (BuckBros.Division),
Millbury, MA; LesRealisationsLoeven-Morcel,Montreal, Que.;Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL;
StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.;
Vacuum PressingSystemsInc., Brunswick,ME; WainbeeLtd., Pointe Claire,Que./DE-STA-CO,
Troy, MI; The Woodworker'sStore,Rogers,MN
FOUR-POSTERBED
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; CMT Tools,Oldsmar,FL;
Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable,
Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.
Masse,Montreal,Que.;PackardWoodworks,Tryon, NC; RecordTools,
DMsion), Millbury, MA; Jean-Pierre
Inc.,Pickering,Ont.; RyobiAmericaCorp.,Anderson,SC;Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; Stanley
WV
Tools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; WoodcraftSupplyCorp.,Parkersburg,
WINDSORCHAIR
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Anglo-AmericanEnterprisesCorp., Somerdale,NJ; Mike Dunbar,
Portsmouth,NH; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; Drew Langsner,
Marshall,NC; LeeValleyTools,Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Olde Mill CabinetShoppe,York, PA; StanleyTools,
Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT
QUEENANNESECRETARY
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Albert Constantineand Son Inc., Bronx, NY; AmericanTool Cos.,
Lincoln,NE; CMT Tools,Oldsmar,FL; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter-Cable,
Guelph,Ont.;
GreatNeckSawMfrs. Inc. (BuckBros.Division),Millbury, MA; David Keller,Petaluma,CA; LeeValleyTools,
Ltd. Ottawa,Ont.; LesRealisations
Loeven-Morcel,
Montreal,Que.;Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL;
Steiner-Lamello
A.G. Switzerland/Colonial
SawCo., Kingston,MA; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.;
Inc.,Brunswick,ME; WainbeeLtd.,PointeClaire,Que./DE-STA-CO,
Troy, MI
VacuumPressing
Systems
Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted
in thepreparationof this book:
LorraineDord, SylvieGirard, SolangeLaberge,GenevidveMonette,David Simon.

PICTURE CREDITS
Cover RobertChartier
6,7 Ron Levine
8,9TomWolff
10,11RobertHolmes
14,16Courtesyof The HenryFrancisdu PontWintherthurMuseum
18 Martin Fox

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W O R K S H OGPU I D E
SHARPENING
SP()KESHAVES

Sharpening
thebladeof a woodenspokeshave
R e m o vteh e b l a d ef r o mt h e h a n d l eb y p i n c h i n g
t h e t a n g st h a t p r o t r u dteh r o u g h
t h e h a n d l ea n dp u s h i n tgh e md o w n w a r dF.o rs h a r p e n i ntgh,e b l a d ei s h e l dw i t h
the tangsfacingdown.To preventthe tangsfromcatchingon yourworksurface,
setyoursharpening
stoneatopa woodblockto provide
the necessary
clearance.
H o l d i n tgh e b l a d eb yt h e t a n g ss, e ti t s b e v efll a to n t h e s t o n eB
. e c a u steh e b l a d e
i s l o n g etrh a nt h e w i d t ho f y o u rs t o n e h
, o l dt h e c u t t i n ge d g ed i a g o n a l a
l ys y o u
s l i d et h e b e v e bl a c ka n df o r t ho n t h e s t o n e R
. e p e awt i t ht h e b l a d ea n g l e dt h e
o t h e rw a y .R e p e aat g a i nw i t h t h e b l a d eh e l ds t r a i g hbt b o v e ) . 0 n c e
t h es h a r p e n i n g i s c o m p l e t et u
, r nt h e b l a d eo v e ra n d h o n et h e f l a t s i d et o r e m o v teh e b u r r
f o r m e db y t h e s h a r p e n i npgr o c e s s .

Honing
thebladeof a metalspokeshave
To removethe bladefromthe spokeshave,
l o o s e tnh es c r e wi n t h e m i d d l eo f t h e h a n d l e .
Set up a benchstoneon a worksurface;a
w a t e r - l u b r i c a tdeida m o n ds t o n ei s s h o w n
a b o v eI.n s t a l l t h e
b l a d ei n a c o m m e r c i a l
h o n i n gg u i d e .L u b r i c a t teh e s t o n ew i t h
w a t e ra n dt h e n ,h o l d i n tgh e h o n i n gg u i d e ,
s l i d et h e b l a d eb a c ka n d f o r t hf r o me n dt o
e n da l o n gt h e s h a r p e n i nsgu r f a c eA. p p l y
m o d e r a tper e s s u rwei t ht h e b e v etlo u c h i n g
t h e s t o n eT. h e nr a i s et h e a n g l eo f t h e b l a d e
a f e wd e g r e easn dc o n t i n u eu n t i ly o uf o r ma
s e c o n d a rbye v e l - o rm i c r o b e v e l .

SHARPENING
ANINSHAVE

SHARPENING
ANADZE

H o n i na
gni n s h a v e
C l a m pt h e i n s h a vteo a w o r ks u r f a c seo t h ec u t t i n ge d g ei s f a c i n gu p ,a s s h o w n
above.Usea slipstone
to honethe edge.Startwith a rough-grit
stoneand progress
t o a f i n e ro n e .W o r kw i t ha c i r c u l am
r o t i o nu n t i la u n i f o r ms h i n ed e v e l o posn t h e
b l a d eG
. i v et h e f l a ts i d eo f t h e b l a d ea f e ws t r o k etso r e m o v a
e n yb u r r .O n c et h e
b l a d ei s s h a r pp, o l i s ht h e b e v ew
l r t ha l e a t h esrt r o pa n dp o l i s h i ncgo m p o u n df i,n i s h i n gw i t ha f e wp a s s eosn t h e f l a ts i d eo f t h e b l a d et o r e m o v teh e b u r r .l f t h e
inshavehasa knife-edgebeveled
on bothsides-honebothsides.

H o n i na
g na d z e
S e c u r et h e a d z ei n a b e n c hv i s e ,a s s h o w n
a b o v eW
. r a pa s h e e to f e m e r yp a p e ra r o u n d
a d o w ew
l h o s ed i a m e t ecr l o s e l ym a t c h e s
t h e c u r v eo f t h e a d z eb l a d eH
. o n et h e c u t t i n g
e d g eu s i n ga b a c k - a n d - f o rmt ho t i o na l o n g
t h e l e n p t ho f t h e h e v e l H o n et h e f l a t s i d e
o f t h e b l a d ew i t h a s l i p s t o n teo r e m o v ea n y
b u r r .l f t h e a d z eh a sa k n i f e - e d g eh,o n e
bothsides.