Mission Headboard

[Dan Gill]

As promised earlier, here's a shot of the Mission headboard I just finished. It's from Wood mag last year. The finish came out darker than I wanted, even after doing a test piece. In the article they said they used Watco Dark Walnut. I used Medium Walnut, and my piece is much darker than the pictures in the magazine. I suspect they touched up the photos.

No matter. I like it, and that's what counts. I made some mistakes, including getting the top rail on backwards. But the grain on all the other pieces was better on this side, so it will remain the front. My other big mistake was where I got the first batch of wood. It had almost no ray fleck, unlike the stuff I purchased later. Live and learn.

[Jerry Olexa]

Very nice work!! You should be proud!!

[Ted Shrader]

Dan -

You did a great job. The finish looks appropriate on my computer screen. If you are happy with it in real life, that is the true test.

Nice work,
Ted

[Alan Turner]

Nice work. I am counting aobut 98 M&T's. Is that the number? Wow. How many mortise chisels did you go through?

[Keith Christopher]

Very nice ! I am partial to mission furniture (curves confuse me; too much math. :p ) a very well executed job !



Keith

[David Fried]

Very nice - way beyond my skills! Looks like alot of hard work.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Dan,

That looks great! That headboard is on my list of things to build! :)

[Jim Becker]

Beautiful, Dan. I think the finish is great and that QS material also is sharp!

[Richard Wolf]

Beautiful job. One tip; pros don't point out their mistakes!

Richard

[Dan Gill]

Thanks for the compliments. The only real mortises were in the legs. The slats are all held in strips cut with a box joint jig. There are grooves in both the top and bottom rail, and into those I put strips cut with the box joint jig. They essentiall look like dentil molding. A real time saver, especially if you don't have a mortiser like I don't. And it looks very good. After staining, you can't see any seam, although I notice I can feel it if I know what I'm "feeling" for.

Jim, the QS Oak from this came from two batches. The majority was a batch I bought at one of our local Hogan Hardwood stores. I was very disappointed in the grain in it and thankful I only bought a little. But later I got the rest of the wood at Austin Hardwoods in Dallas, and it is GORGEOUS. I've interspersed some of the new stuff in with the old here, and that's the grain you see standing out. I'm saving some of the old stuff for places where straight grain will be better, like the rails and stiles of the doors on the dressers I'm building next.

[Bob Marino]

Dan,

Very nice work and the color is perfect. Curious about your finish. Besides the Watco, what other if any, items did you use? I would have thought there's some red mixed in with the Walnut, which I always thought was too brown.

Bob

[Dan Gill]

The finish is just the Watco Medium walnut, top-coated with General Arm-R-Coat. (Is that the right name? Not the sealer, the top coat)

I can't vouch for the color, as I'm colorblind. If there's red there, I wouldn't see it very well.