Shaker Furniture Plans

[David Keller NC]

All - I was searching through my books and online for shaker sewing desk photos/plans for a commission I've been asked to build (specified as all hand-tool work - woo-hoo! - someone that understands the value of the methods and is willing to pay for it!).

Anyway, I ran across these from the tennessee valley woodworking club's site - there's quite a lot of stuff in the main directory, but the following shaker pieces caught my eye, and I thought I'd share:

Shaker sewing desk: http://tnvalleywoodclub.org/Plans/shaker-sewing-desk.pdf

Shaker Lap Desk: http://tnvalleywoodclub.org/Plans/shakerlapdesk.pdf

Shaker Tripod Stand: http://tnvalleywoodclub.org/Plans/shakerpedestaltable.pdf

Shaker Pedestal Table: http://tnvalleywoodclub.org/Plans/shakertrestletable.pdf

Shaker Wash Stand:

http://tnvalleywoodclub.org/Plans/shakerwash.pdf

Enjoy.

[Rob Young]

Excellent! I really like the lap desk.

(I see at the end where these were originally published in the Woodworker's Journal.)

[Gary Radice]

David,
I love Shaker furniture and thanks for the resource. If you don't have the Ejner Handberg three volume set of shop drawings of Shaker furniture: he has three examples of measured drawing of sewing desks. I can scan them and send them to you if you like.

[Deane Allinson]

We actually built up about 15 of the lap desks 3-4 years ago at a shop I worked with. We made them from reclaimed long leaf pine. Over a couple of years a couple of issues popped up. The top is prone to warp, I would a thicker molding on the lid. The other was that the drawer bottom expanded and contracted so much that it would stick at different times of the year, I would suggest using a little more clearance there. It a nice light weight desk.
Deane

[Deane Allinson]

The reason that the drawers stuck was because the grain direction of its bottom ran the depth instead of the width. Our mistake not in the plans.

[David Keller NC]

David,
I love Shaker furniture and thanks for the resource. If you don't have the Ejner Handberg three volume set of shop drawings of Shaker furniture: he has three examples of measured drawing of sewing desks. I can scan them and send them to you if you like.

Thanks for the offer, Gary. I do have a reprint - The countryman press edition that's all three volumes bound as one. I do wonder if I should've searched out the Berkshire press editions in local used bookshops. Many times (I find this particular true of Schiffer reprints), the reprinted editions have lost a great deal of detail in the drawings. When I bought Lester Margon's book, it was a reprint, and I later saw one of the original editions in a local used book shop - the difference was pretty shocking, and I purchased the used copy immediately.

[David Keller NC]

We actually built up about 15 of the lap desks 3-4 years ago at a shop I worked with. We made them from reclaimed long leaf pine. Over a couple of years a couple of issues popped up. The top is prone to warp, I would a thicker molding on the lid. The other was that the drawer bottom expanded and contracted so much that it would stick at different times of the year, I would suggest using a little more clearance there. It a nice light weight desk.
Deane

Good to know, Deane. My main interest area is colonial american furniture, but the Shaker lap desks, as nearly as I can tell, are close to exact copies of those in use in the 18th century, so notes about stability are helpful.