Cherry and Maple Side Table

Reflecting the Shaker influence but displaying an original modern interpretation, this side table will complement any decor. Made from solid Cherry and Birds Eye Maple it features hand cut joinery that will last for generations. I chose a hand rubbed oil and varnish mixture for the finish, it brings out the wood grain without adding too much gloss. I use a safe, non-toxic finish from a small company out of New York. Tried & True Traditional Oil and Varnish finish is a combination of highly refined polymerized linseed oil and natural-resin varnish (modified pine sap). Its high resin content produces a durable water-resistant finish that buffs to a warm semi-gloss sheen. It strictly adheres to the standards established by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and qualifies as non-toxic and safe for food-contact surfaces in both their uncured and cured (wet and dry) states.
The hardware I chose for the piece are delicate cast iron pulls that have a nice traditional look. The table top really jumps out with it's wide panels and blond ribbon across the center. This piece I believe is one that would work well in a formal setting as well as perhaps as an entry table. The five drawers make for ample storage in a small foot print.Anyone interested please feel free to contact me for any additional questions.
The dimensions are : Depth: 22" Width: 39" Height: 30"
The unit is priced at $2550.00 CAN


RECENT COMMENTS:

“Stunning piece! Love the modern interpretation of a familiar form and the scale of the whole piece. Gotta love those hand cut half blind dovetails. Going to add this to my favorites. “


“Tom a great design and interpretation on your part. A stunning piece of furniture.”


“Unbelievable! Your craftsmanship and attention to detail are outstanding.”

Making a Pull-Out Shelf Tray

Classic Joinery Highlights this Modern Kitchen Aid

This Arts and Crafts Style kitchen I'm building has a lot of great design features. One small detail is in the interior of the door cabinets. Instead of having a shelf which you have to bend down and reach into to access the interior, this design acts like a drawer and pulls out as well as adding to the over-all appeal of the cabinets. I shaped the shelf fronts so you can easily grab hold eliminating the need for any kind of after market drawer pulls. The box is built in the traditional style using through dovetails on the front and rear. It's made out of solid Cherry and will be finished with a hand rubbed oil suitable for kitchen use. I go through the dovetailing process in an earlier blog, so once I have the basic box complete, I shape the front.

Cutting the Sweep

A gentle curve compliments the lines of the cabinets and I simply draw in the desired shape with a pencil. If you have a few of these to do, make a template off of this first one for continuity among the others. To simplify the cutting out process I take a Forster style drill bit and on my Drill press I drill out the two bottom corners of the sweep.Once the two corners are cut out I clamp the face in my shoulder vise and using my Tenon Saw I cut down the two outside angles. I follow with a Fret saw and cut across the bottom, carefully following the pencil line. I leave about 1/8" of material that will be removed later.


Spokeshave

Now that the main area has been rough cut out, I bring things a little closer using a Spokeshave. I use Canadian made VERITAS Spokeshaves, the three models they manufacture are flat, round and concave; each being designed for smooth, effective, chatterfree shaping of panel edges, paddles, tool handles, and all freehand work. The flat and round bottom spokeshaves are the general workhorses in my workshop. These are the tools you will pick up for practically every kind of woodworking activity. The round shave has a 1-3/4" radius. After shaping the drawer front with the spokeshave I fine tune the inside curves with a cabinet scraper. These are great tools for a wood shop, simple yet effective for smoothing difficult grain patterns, rounding over sharp edges or any other shaping you may do.

Assemble and Finish

Once the front is shaped I assemble the Shelf Trays using the method I described in the Dovetailing a Drawer Blog. Once the boxes are glued up I install the 1/4" Cherry bottoms. These are strong trays designed for generations of use as well as adding a nice touch to this kitchen; when you open up the lower doors, instead of seeing a couple of crowded shelves, you're able to pull-out a custom build tray enabling full access to the bottom and back spaces within.

VERITAS® Detail Chisels

I first purchased the set of five Detail Chisels from Lee Valley Tools a little over a year ago and can say I’ve used them on an almost daily basis ever since. My first impression when they arrived via Mail-order was the size. They’re small, extremely light and almost hobby like. Being used to chopping out mortises and cutting dovetails with heavier European style chisels, I decided to give the Detail Chisels a try and was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered. Using Chisels with only hand force was nothing new to me; however, using chisels designed to be used with only hand force was something new and quite exciting. For cleaning out dovetails and other fine paring style work these small chisels excel. The small size fits comfortably in hand almost like an extension of your fingers slicing and manipulating wood fibers in an effortless fashion. Designed by Yeung Chan, a California cabinetmaker, they have pau ferro octagonal handles and blades of O1 tool steel. The set of five consists of three dovetail-style chisels (bevel-edged to a narrow land on each side), one trimming chisel, and a 1/16" wide tapered chisel perfect for fine detail work. The chisels can be purchased individually however this set of five handles all of my fine detail work. Another advantage of the set of five is the price, at $ 195.00 this high quality set of hand made chisels is one of the sweetest deals I’ve found.