Sapelle Bed...with dovetailed drawers complete

[Mark Singer]

Today my client picked up the bed and many other pieces I have completed. These are the first pics I have posted of the bed and attached side tables. This furniture is going into a home I designed expected to be completed in June

[Mark Singer]

huh ? Where is the matress...you can't have a bed without a mattress it would be too uncomfortable not to mention the pilows duvey ou vey and come what may:confused:

Two of my favorite methods of transportation are in the backround...the Waste Management Container with the high performance tires and the lumber hauler...lumber rack removed for safety purposes:rolleyes:

[Mark Singer]

nice bed what kind of hardware did you use?
Mark you built it....why do you ask?

[Zahid Naqvi]

Mark, why did you park such an ugly car next to such a nice bed :eek:

Any possibility of a close of the legs. I am about to start work on a bed which asks for very similar legs. Perhaps some details of foot board ot leg joinery as well.

[glenn bradley]

The beauty of the bed and side tables pales against those remarkable bed-boards. What did you cut them with? A chainsaw? :D :D :D

Wonderful work Mark. Thanks as always, for sharing.

[John Timberlake]

Very nice design. Love the color of the wood. Why are the bedside tables moved forward - looks or space considerations? Great job.

[Mark Singer]

Very nice design. Love the color of the wood. Why are the bedside tables moved forward - looks or space considerations? Great job.

Moving the tables forward seperates the elements which helps crete a relationship of back to frame to table. It also places phone, clock ,lamp and other things in ergonomicly handy range...as you get older and go to the bathroom 5 or 10 times in the night it is nice to have the tables to lean on...or trip over:rolleyes:

[Mark Singer]

Mark, why did you park such an ugly car next to such a nice bed :eek:

Any possibility of a close of the legs. I am about to start work on a bed which asks for very similar legs. Perhaps some details of foot board ot leg joinery as well.

Amazing with all that horsepower I couldn't get it out of the way fast enough:rolleyes:

[tim mathis]

i have seen your posts in the past , you do outstanding work. if i had that car that is probably where my bed would be. great bed and car.

[Bruce Page]

Mark, beautiful bedroom set, you never cease to amaze me with your skill. I have never seen it in the flesh but I love the Sapelle.
I do have a question on the drawer fronts. They seem unusually thick and out of proportion to the depth of the gorgeous dovetails. Design statement?

[Jules Dominguez]

That's beautiful, Mark.

[Brett Baldwin]

Your lumber hauler is the obvious choice for the serious woodworker. No wasted time getting to the lumberyard to admire and choose the wood, then the fast trip back to the shop so you can get down to the serious business.
Am I interpretting the pictures correctly that the extention of the drawer face on the bed sides are the "pulls" for the drawer? I have been churning bed ideas around in my head and your latest creation has added a few ideas to the mix. That mid rail for the slats is a nice idea for a firm foundation.
As usual, a superior creation Mark. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the style but I most definitely admire the craftsmanship.

[Mark Singer]

Mark, beautiful bedroom set, you never cease to amaze me with your skill. I have never seen it in the flesh but I love the Sapelle.
I do have a question on the drawer fronts. They seem unusually thick and out of proportion to the depth of the gorgeous dovetails. Design statement?

Bruce,Thanks ! The drawer fronts are thick because I needed to make the overlay to cover the carcass... Houndstooths are easier than you think ...the care is in keeping the fragile parts from breaking...I have been doing this a while and that is the practice I often mention...practice:rolleyes:

[Tim Martin]

nice clean design on the bed Mark.

As for the lumber hauler, is that a Boxster?:eek:

[Charles Green]

Can you tell me what you used for your finishing schedule? I just picked up 300 bdft of Sapele and haven't finished any yet.

Bed looks fantastic by the way.

[Eric Wong]

Beautiful job! I like the sportscar too.

[Mark Singer]

Can you tell me what you used for your finishing schedule? I just picked up 300 bdft of Sapele and haven't finished any yet.

Bed looks fantastic by the way.

Charles,
When you find a finish you like stick with it. Many pieces i have made in my home are finished with Daly's Ben Matte...and I used it here as well. It is a thin modified tung oil that is easy to apply.
http://www.dalyspaint.com/catalog_conditioners.html

The wood was mostly planed with a bevel up smoother...the fabulous Marcou S20A...it made me look good here because sapelle is a bit difficult to plane....the fibers will tear easily and grain direction and some skill in flushing joints and changing direction is important. The clarity of the grain is the result of hand planing and some scraper work....using a scraper well is among the key skills in detailing hand made furniture and 30 minutes on a piece like this makes a very noticable difference. I even planned the end grain and rounded edges on this and faired them with a scraper...It is far easier to sand these surfaces. The sapelle has medulary rays that play increadibly with light and deserve careful finishing. The back of the bed was sanded with 320 and does not pop like the hand planed front..
Here is the post on The marcou on WK Fine Tools.....the techniques here may help
http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/mSinger/marcouR/marcou1.asp

[Mark Singer]

nice clean design on the bed Mark.

As for the lumber hauler, is that a Boxster?:eek:

Excuse me:eek: ...It is a Twin Turbo all wheel drive Carrera....."Turbo Carrera"
http://www.h-c.co.jp/mt-web/news/media/file_20060304T012006491.jpg

[Mark Singer]

Mark, why did you park such an ugly car next to such a nice bed :eek:

Any possibility of a close of the legs. I am about to start work on a bed which asks for very similar legs. Perhaps some details of foot board ot leg joinery as well.

Zahid,
The bed was picked up today and is in storage....I hope these help and feel free to ask any questions...The screw is not tight so the joint is a bit open..
The side long rail is the one that is loose and is held withe the hardware....I added a wood M&T for strength...I used the lower hardware from Lee Valley

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/hardware/bedhardware/94k9210s1.jpg

[Chris Mann]

Mark -

Nice job, the wood turned out beautiful.

How do you like that bed hardware? It's hard to tell from the pics, but is it simple two posts on top and bottom with a bolt in the middle to pull it tight? And what do you mean by adding a m&t for strength (i guess i'm unclear as to where that is)?

Also what did you use for the feet on the night stands and how are those connected to the bed rails?

I'm curious how the legs for the headboard are attached?

-chris

[Mark Singer]

Mark -

Nice job, the wood turned out beautiful.

How do you like that bed hardware? It's hard to tell from the pics, but is it simple two posts on top and bottom with a bolt in the middle to pull it tight? And what do you mean by adding a m&t for strength (i guess i'm unclear as to where that is)?

Also what did you use for the feet on the night stands and how are those connected to the bed rails?

I'm curious how the legs for the headboard are attached?

-chris

The hardware is simple and works very well! I have a wood tenon that extends from the rail into the foot section ...one side is loose to allow for KD. It is about 1/2" by 2 1/2". Same is true into the headboard. The legs are doweled in with 3, 1/2" dowels. I thought about a sliding dovetail , but the cross grain on the back is weak and could fracture. This joint also maintains the "pure" geometry

[Glenn Clabo]

A "Turbo Carrera" and a potty chair (in the box?). What a cool Grandpa.

p.s. Great job on the bed Mark.

[Mark Singer]

A "Turbo Carrera" and a potty chair (in the box?). What a cool Grandpa.

p.s. Great job on the bed Mark.

Grandpa is trying?:confused:
My daughter ,Jessica, just had a little girl "Kate Emily"
My son ,Ryan had a little boy about four months ago, "Ash" named after a wood? He has already been in my shop a few times.

My first 2 grand kids in 3 1/2 months of each other!

[Phil Thien]

Mark,

How did you make those dovetails on the drawers? They look so fine, they can't be machine made. But, they look so precise that they can only be machine made!

[Rennie Heuer]

Mark - as always - superlative work. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[Mark Singer]

Mark,

How did you make those dovetails on the drawers? They look so fine, they can't be machine made. But, they look so precise that they can only be machine made!

Phil,
I don't think there is a jig that makes houndstooth dovetails....these are hand made and with practice are really not too difficult....There are links here for hounds tooth and mitered doves (much harder) check also the Teak sofa w/ mitered dovetails....that is a decent set also
http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/mSinger/index.asp

The most important aspects are sawing and scribing....if those are done with skill and care you are almost there...on tiny houndstooths the pins break easily and when you saw you are splitting hairs...good lighting and a fine saw are important...here the rabbet overlay on the walnut was of no help....I could not make full strokes ....tiny strokes and I choked up on the saw holding the blade and handle at te same time

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

What is the matter Mark? The Missus making you sleep in the Garage and you wanted to make a statement?

Nice bed.

[Mark Singer]

What is the matter Mark? The Missus making you sleep in the Garage and you wanted to make a statement?

Nice bed.
Cliff the bed is for a client I am desiginig a home for and it is under construction....she is in her 50's and said it would get only occasional stress testing...I designed it to for a newly married couple or a single women that entertains often....so it shold withstand a CA sisemic of about 7 depending on the proximity of the epicenter and if no resonance is occuring from other sources of movement...ie... the Tacoma Narrows bridge...engineering is a big part of furniture design...if my wife reads this I will be in the garage.........again:rolleyes:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/exhibits/tnb/over6c.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/exhibits/tnb/&h=345&w=422&sz=26&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=gGlTaM0da1N2TM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTacoma%2BNarrows%2Bbridge%26svnum%3D1 0%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

[Mark Valsi]

mark !


dovetails:
on a scale of 1-10 i would give them a 25 !!! Amazing, and don't say they are fairly easy. That's like Tiger Woods saying paring Torrey Pines is fairlye easy.

car:
I'd rather push my FORD than drive a porch (sic) !! <G>

[JD MacLeod]

Mark - thanks for sharing your work... it's unbelieveable stuff. The houndstooth tails are awesome and the sapele is a really slick choice for the bed. Took me a while to actually respond to this as i was awestruck by the 991 turbo.... again the bed is nice, but next to ze porsche, eh? ;) Woulda thought a guy with your design sensibilities would have a minty vintage porsche, perhaps a '72 911 RS (especially out there where mother nature treats em well).

Here i was thinking of dropping my coupe for a pickup... maybe i should rethink it. PS - let me know if you need an apprentice :D

And congrats on the grandpahood!

[Mark Singer]

Mark - thanks for sharing your work... it's unbelieveable stuff. The houndstooth tails are awesome and the sapele is a really slick choice for the bed. Took me a while to actually respond to this as i was awestruck by the 991 turbo.... again the bed is nice, but next to ze porsche, eh? ;) Woulda thought a guy with your design sensibilities would have a minty vintage porsche, perhaps a '72 911 RS (especially out there where mother nature treats em well).

Here i was thinking of dropping my coupe for a pickup... maybe i should rethink it. PS - let me know if you need an apprentice :D

And congrats on the grandpahood!

JD over the years I have had a number of Porsches some would now be considered vintage....they don't have the comfort, features all wheel drive and they did not go 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds! Other than that I loved them..........but not as much:rolleyes:

[Roy Wall]

Mark - the wood grain if fabulous. Terrific as usual!!! You've convinced me how essential a hand scraper is for detailing the work.

Does the center rail have supports for it?

Also - how did you attach the Head Board to the vertical support beams behind it....?

[Mark Singer]

Mark - the wood grain if fabulous. Terrific as usual!!! You've convinced me how essential a hand scraper is for detailing the work.

Does the center rail have supports for it?

Thanks to all of you for the nice comments and by suggestion the dovetails were not that easy:rolleyes: I was told to say that:confused:

Also - how did you attach the Head Board to the vertical support beams behind it....?
Roy there is a center leg which is not visible....then the "T" shaped support has a loose mortise in the front and back rails...
The Legs are dowled to the headboard and glued. The rails run to the headboard with a dry tenon that slips in and the hardware keeps it together and allows for taking it apart

[Jim Becker]

Mark, why did you park such an ugly car next to such a nice bed

Oh, man...now I need to clean the tea out of my keyboard...:eek: :o :D

-------
Mark....OUTSTANDING!

[Mark Singer]

Oh, man...now I need to clean the tea out of my keyboard...:eek: :o :D

-------
Mark....OUTSTANDING!

Worse yet someone called it a Boxster.....excuse me:rolleyes:

[Joe Unni]

Very VERY nice Mark. The sapele is magnificent!!

-joe

[Ed Costello]

Great work!............I also like the Knoll tables in the back. Why are they in the garage?

Cheers!

[Tim Martin]

Excuse me:eek: ...It is a Twin Turbo all wheel drive Carrera....."Turbo Carrera"
http://www.h-c.co.jp/mt-web/news/media/file_20060304T012006491.jpg

phew!:rolleyes: Should have known a real man wouldn't drive a boxster.

Did you ever consider a GT3? I'm guessing you went for the 4 seater to take the kids for a ride?

[Mark Singer]

Great work!............I also like the Knoll tables in the back. Why are they in the garage?

Cheers!
Those are Herman Miller Sarrinen tables... We bring them in for parties and entertaining. My wife perfers the "Singer" designed stuff inside....she has seen all the mid century stuff for about a half of a century ...or it seems that way:eek: .. I know they are collectable and classic. I have 2 Knoll original Wassily chairs and a Knoll Warren Plantner Table....

[Mark Singer]

phew!:rolleyes: Should have known a real man wouldn't drive a boxster.

Did you ever consider a GT3? I'm guessing you went for the 4 seater to take the kids for a ride?

The Gt3 is the standard Carrera Body 2 wheel drive lighter car...It is very good but harsher ride. It is not turbo charged and has the narrow body and smaller trans

The GT 2 is the 2 wheel drive version of my car and it is really a race car. With 450 HP applied to just the rear wheels it is very difficult for a normal driving experience and actually slower for most driving since the power can not be transmitted effectively to only 2 tires.

The Porsche Turbo is 2 turbos and 4 wheel drive through the Porsche managment system...this controls acceleration , braking, sliding, etc. The Vario Cam allow this very powerful car to be driven in traffic without a harsh engine idle and yet on the highway or track it is a major player. The new ones are turing 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and mine is 3.9 for the six speed manual which I have. It is plenty of juice! Yet inside its Bose stereo, Cd player, all leater everywhere, electric seats on both sides..very fully equiped..

[Ed Costello]

Tulip Design by Eero Saarinen for Florence Knoll Madison Ave. NY NY He also Designed the St. Louis arch.

[Peter Pedisich]

Tulip Design by Eero Saarinen for Florence Knoll Madison Ave. NY NY He also Designed the St. Louis arch.

And also the International Terminal at Dulles Airpot in Northern Virginia!:D

[Dennis Peacock]

Awesome Mark....just plain ol' AWESOME!!!! I love it. :cool:

[Pete Brown]

Excuse me:eek: ...It is a Twin Turbo all wheel drive Carrera....."Turbo Carrera"


Sweet car. Is it the 2007 model pictured in the photo?

Pete

[Mark Singer]

Sweet car. Is it the 2007 model pictured in the photo?

Pete

That is correct...the design is almost the same as my 2002...it is an amazing car!

[Stephen Stokes]

After admiring your work on this beautiful bed, I decided to refer back to the design you posted previously. I noticed the head board is wider in the original design. In other words, it overlapped the side tables more in the design. I am curious, is my observation correct. If so, what drove the design change?

Regards,
Stokes

[Mark Singer]

After admiring your work on this beautiful bed, I decided to refer back to the design you posted previously. I noticed the head board is wider in the original design. In other words, it overlapped the side tables more in the design. I am curious, is my observation correct. If so, what drove the design change?

Regards,
Stokes
Stephen,
Here is the sketch:

You are correct!

If anything , it appears that the drawing shows the headboard wider.. Sometimes it depends on the length of boars I find. I usually don't stick to a design 100 %....I improvise and respond to the bed or other piece as it begins to come together. I think the concept is maintained and the proprtions are close to the sketch...maybe the final build bed is better than the design...once it is in the actual home I will take a picture and we will see.. Thanks for comparing !

[Stephen Stokes]

Thanks for the confirmation. I have to agree, the final form of the bed is more pleasing to me. That being said, I expect the mattress and linen will make a difference in the way the design is perceived. I look forward to pictures with the bed in place! :cool:

Regards,
Stokes

[Paul Zonneveld]

Mark what kind of finish did you use on the wood?

[Mark Singer]

Mark what kind of finish did you use on the wood?
This was a page or 2 back
Charles,
When you find a finish you like stick with it. Many pieces i have made in my home are finished with Daly's Ben Matte...and I used it here as well. It is a thin modified tung oil that is easy to apply.
http://www.dalyspaint.com/catalog_conditioners.html

The wood was mostly planed with a bevel up smoother...the fabulous Marcou S20A...it made me look good here because sapelle is a bit difficult to plane....the fibers will tear easily and grain direction and some skill in flushing joints and changing direction is important. The clarity of the grain is the result of hand planing and some scraper work....using a scraper well is among the key skills in detailing hand made furniture and 30 minutes on a piece like this makes a very noticable difference. I even planned the end grain and rounded edges on this and faired them with a scraper...It is far easier to sand these surfaces. The sapelle has medulary rays that play increadibly with light and deserve careful finishing. The back of the bed was sanded with 320 and does not pop like the hand planed front..
Here is the post on The marcou on WK Fine Tools.....the techniques here may help
http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/m...uR/marcou1.asp (http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/mSinger/marcouR/marcou1.asp)

[Brent Ring]

Mark,

My son would like me to build one of these beds for him. Do you have any of the measurements or deisgn docs for this bed? He chose this design out of 8-10 others. You must be in touch with the younger generations!

Brent