Shaker Mirror Design for Make-up Vanity Project

[Stephen Clem]

Hello,

I am building LOML a make-up vanity table, mirror, and stool and trying to keep true to the Shaker design. I've finished the table. All I need to do now is make the drawer, stool and mirror frame. I have a 30" x 36" mirror than I bought cheap and designed around that dimension to save $$ thatnks to reading about the high cost of custom mirrors. I'd like to get some suggestions on how to make the Shaker mirror frame. Joinery, inside and outside edge profiles, etc. I'm drawing blanks, please help! :(

Thanks,

Stephen

[Greg Cole]

Stephen,
I can't remember what the magazine is (all Neander oriented & by Taunton maybe, the magazine name lost for the moment)... but I have one from April that has an Arts n Crafts mirror plan in it... QSWO eith ebony & maple inlay and decorative corbels on the sides.
I'll try to remember to look tonight and post it, or if you can wait a til Thursday, I'll bring it to work and make a PDF file of it for you.

Greg

[John Schreiber]

Shakers didn't have much use for mirrors, so I don't think there are any originals to use as a model, but it is easy to extrapolate designs from Shaker furniture. I did a Google Images Search (http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL%2CGGGL%3A2006-22%2CGGGL%3Aen&q=shaker%20mirror) for Shaker mirrors and their were a couple of quite attractive designs. Some designs which were definitely NOT Shaker also came up.

I especially liked the ones which had a curve along the bottom and a light molding along the top. Not sure how they would look with a mirror that large though. With a mirror that large, you might be best off with a simple square frame.