August 2010 - watch the building process video -
Federal Bow Front Night Stands (building process)
This matching set of handcrafted Federal inspired night stands (bedside tables) are made of mahogany. They are designed with both tapered legs and a single bow front drawer. Below is the building process of these hand made end tables.
First: All the mahogany is acclimated to the shop conditions. Then all the material is rough cut to the sizes needed for all the parts.
Next, all the parts are milled to the correct length and width. The legs receive all the mortises for the joinery to the side and back aprons, and all the front drawer supports. After this the tenons are cut on the matching pieces.
Once all the joinery is cut, each joint is honed and hand fit. With handmade furniture each joint is precisely fit by hand to ensure the overall strength of each piece. Single and double mortise and tenon, and dovetail joints are used in the construction of these tables.
After all the joints are fit the front curve is cut on the drawer supports. Then the legs are tapered. Hand cut v-shaped slots are cut on the inside of the aprons which seat the screws for attaching the top.
Next up the tables are hand planed and scraped to remove any imperfections in the wood surface before glue up. The tables are then glued and clamped for at least one hour. After this, all the interior drawer parts are glued into place. This includes the drawer runners and guides on the bottom to support the drawer, and the drawer kickers on the top to keep the drawer from tilting down as it slides out.
Next, the drawers. The drawer fronts, sides, and back are milled to size. The dovetails are laid out and then hand cut.
Once the dovetails are all cut and fit, the drawer fronts will be marked for the bow front. The drawer fronts are rough cut then cleaned up with hand tools to match the curve of the drawer dividers.
Next, all the drawer parts are cleaned up with hand planes and a scraper before being glued up. These drawers get and applied bead ( cock beading ) which will go on after glue up.
Next, the 1/8 “ beading pieces are shaped to follow the curve of the drawer fronts. After the shaping the top and bottom pieces are glued into place.
Next, the 1/8 th inch bead is scratched into the drawer fronts with a hand made scratch stock. The blade for this is made from an old bandsaw blade.
After all the applied beading is fit and glued the drawer bottoms are milled out of maple. The drawer bottoms are shaped to match the curve of the drawer front then fit to each drawer.
Next, the top is milled and shaped with the front curve to match the drawers. Then the tops are hand planed, scraped and sanded to prepare for finish.
After the entire piece is sanded to prepare for finish the hardware is installed. Once fit the hardware is removed to prepare for the finish. First, stain samples are made to match the planned color of the night stand.
Next, the night stands are stained with a water based dye. After they dry for 24 hours an oil is applied to all the stained areas.
After the oil has dried for at least 24 hrs a few coats of shellac is applied. After the shellac dries the night stands are rubbed down to the desired sheen. Next, the hardware is applied and the night stands are complete.
The finished night stands are now on our
