Title: Furniture Making Prologue
1Furniture Making Prologue
Since early childhood I have been interested in
making furniture as a hobby. For many years I
didnt have the room or the money to get all the
equipment needed to equip a shop.
In 1962 I had an opportunity to visit Colonial
Williamsburg. There was a live demonstration of
early American cabinetmaking conducted by an old
Danish cabinet maker making beautiful furniture
with colonial hand tools no power.
He took time to show me how to use the tools,
sharpen them, and told me they could be found at
flea markets. Following his advise, I started my
collection and began making furniture with very
little space required and a very modest
investment.
Except for using an electric drill to make holes
for dowel pins, all cutting, fitting, joining,
sanding was accomplished manually. Furniture was
made from solid birch lumber primarily 2 x 4s
and 1 boards, finished with fruitwood stain and
hand rubbed satin varnish.
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There are 16 slides in this show.
Ron and Fran invite you to ENJOY THE SHOW!
2Dining Table
The dining table was my first major piece of
furniture and was finished in November 1963.
The design is in the style of Shaker Pilgrim
trestle-type table. The trestles are locked in
position with a mortise joint and tendon.
3Top of Dining Table
The lamination of the 2 x 4 birch lumber can be
seen in this photo. The 2 x 4s are internally
doweled then glued together.
Working with a chair manufacturer in Virginia we
bought chairs that most closely matched the
fruitwood stain used on the table.
Worked out great looks like a matched set.
4Coffee Table
The coffee table is a scaled down version of the
dining table using the same type lumber and
trestle design
5Coffee Table Top
The Declaration of Independence was decoupaged on
the table top to carry out the theme of the
Shaker Pilgrim trestle-type design and of the
use of hand-tools for the construction.
6The Unanimous Declaration of thethirteen united
States of America
The poster was purchased at the National Archives
in Washington, D.C.
The poster was cut in half to fit on the
table top. The edges were hand-torn to give
a worn-looking edge, then stained to look aged.
7Buffet and China Hutch
The design for this buffet and china hutch was
prepared for Frans 50th birthday with the
promise it would be built before her 51st. It
was completed in about 11 months. Whew!
Fran had collected many attractive dinnerware and
glassware pieces and wanted a place to display
them. The buffet and hutch was designed
to accommodate all her cherished items.
8Buffet and China Hutch Open
The china hutch displays pewter dinner plates and
goblets used for traditional meals, and
Waterford crystal glasses from neighbors Chuck
and Bobbie Graham. Thanks guys!
Buffet houses our family china and includes my
parents china.
Displayed on the top of the buffet is a tea
server that once belonged to my parents and was
given to Cousins Mary and Jim Cronin. They had
it refinished and gave it to us. Thanks Mary and
Jim.
9Dining Room
View of dining room with the dining table, buffet
and china hutch. Dining table is designed to
comfortably seat eight.
10Living and Dining Room
Partial view of furniture seen from living room.
Upright bookcase/desk will be covered in later
photos.
The rooms have a continuity of furniture style
using solid birch wood with fruitwood stain
finished with hand-rubbed satin varnish.
11Candle Table and Clock
The candle table was made in a woodworking class
I took after making the dining and coffee tables.
Friends were going to trash the clock because it
was so poorly built and heavily damaged. They
gave it to us knowing I would repair and
refinish it.
The chair is part of the dining room seating.
12End Table
Although the dining table was the first major
piece I made, this is the very first piece of
furniture I made. The table legs were purchased.
The table has a large drawer and a unique swivel
top, as shown on the following photos.
That is a picture of Diane in her bridal gown
just thought you might want to know.
13End Table Action
This is the set-up for which the end table was
made. I had no desk at that time and wanted this
piece to function as an end table and a writing
table a dual type design that Thomas Jefferson
might have done.
There is a lazy Suzan turntable between two
table tops. The two tops are separated by wooden
buttons set in the lower top to serve as a
sliding surface for the upper top
This is the working position of the upper top
swiveled over the chair it was designed for.
The following photos show the evolution of my
various desks
14Upright Bookcase and Desk
My next desk! The bookcase is detachable from
the table. The front half of of the table
folds out to make a larger writing surface.
Before folding out the table top
extension, wooden rods are pulled out from the
face of the table to support the extension.
The upper top is hinged open to form an extended
writing surface. The design conserved space
for the intended location.
15Drop Front Desk
This desk, like the clock cabinet,was damaged
plus it had four coats of paint. I cautiously
accepted an offer to keep it if I re-built it.
Stripping the paint revealed a birch veneer with
decorative wood trim.
Voila! My next desk
The internal pigeon holes, drawers, and
center hinged door section was perfect for all
those little bits of paper, bills, and other
things that need organizing.
16Woodworking Tools
Displayed in our foyer are colonial wood-working
tools. Some of these were used in making the
furniture. Below is an enlarged view of the
upper left section of the shelf.
On the middle shelf is a Stanley No. 45 Plane.
I used this unique tool to flute the corner posts
and to groove the door frames for the glass panes
on the china hutch.
On the lower shelf is a Stanley No. 55 Plane and
cutters given to me by Cousin Jim Cronin.
Thanks Jim