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Thread: Craftsman Style Coffee Table Build Thread

  1. #1
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    Craftsman Style Coffee Table Build Thread

    This is a build thread for a poplar craftsman/ Greene & Greene style coffee table 22” wide x 41” long x 21” tall. Open shelving on both sides with the central nest of 3 drawers. I didn’t plan to post so some of the early construction doesn’t have pics – sorry my bad. Also I’m struggling getting pictures in the right sequence on Photobucket so some of the pics below are probably out of order.

    Rationale for this build is twofold: using up accumulated shop lumber too small for larger projects and also an attempt at redemption. I built a similar, slightly larger version of this table out of QSWO with an attempted a “Stickley” finish. Turned out bad! The finishing regimen was way over my head with multiple stains followed by surface topcoats etc. Resulted in a terrible, muddy finish-obscuring the compass inlay on the tabletop, in addition to my many other mistakes. My plan is to die the Poplar black, to hopefully hide the green color in the Poplar, while still allowing the figure to show through. Sounds like a very iffy strategy, but I guess we’ll just have to see!

    Here’s the carcass already glued up 2” square legs, joined rails with pegged mortise & tenon joints. Bottom rails have a “cloud lift” design element on the bottom edge typical of Greene & Greene. ½” square vertical dividers are glued into small mortises in the top/bottom rails. I use a sector and dividers to evenly divide spacing for vertical dividers. In previous version of this build I attempted to glue up the side rails, legs and these vertical dividers at the same time which was a headache. For me easier to add the small vertical dividers after the main side components were glued up.










    Prior to assembly, I chopped small mortises in front and back rails that will be used to capture the vertical dividers/ends of the central drawer unit.








    Crosscutting 4/4 stock for panels of central drawer unit. Quick pitch for vintage saws with narrow saw plates. This is one of my favorite finish crosscut saws, Disston # 16, 12 PPI great performer stiff, light and easy to maneuver. Not surprising because the only way a saw plate gets sharpened away this much is because several generations of preindustrial woodworkers liked using it.



    Here is the tabletop glued up. – Gonna take a lot of black dye to try and cover up that prominent green color! All at the breadboard ends and install the tabletop as the last step so that I maintain easy access to the inside of the carcass when assembling shelves and central drawer runners, kickers etc.


  2. #2
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    For the vertical sides of the central drawer unit, I tried to save weight by gluing up panels with Poplar on the show sides and pine in the middle. Every time I plane pine I have the same thought “this is so soft and easy to work with hand tools I really need to find a project that can make entirely out of pine”. Any suggestions?





    Laying out dadoes in the drawer unit that will house drawer runners, kickers and horizontal drawer blade/dividers.



    This vintage, ½” wide dado plane with skewed blade and dual knickers is an absolutely awesome tool for quickly creating clean, cross grain dadoes with minimal fuss. Dry fit of the drawer runners.









    Next is sawing out very shallow tennons on the end of the drawer blade/horizontal dividers that will fit into the existing dadoes.






    Central drawer unit dry assembled. And fitting vertical dividers into the previously cut mortises in the front and back rails. Require little bit of cussing and persuasion with the dead blow mallet, but I thought this was easier than trying to get the drawer unit in place when gluing up the carcass rails and the legs.








  3. #3
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    Here are the finished planes shelving unit dividers and shelves prior to assembly and the finished carcass after glue up.











    I building drawers is one of my favorite parts of every project – simple straightforward cutting/planing parts to fit, followed by dovetail joinery.
    I cut the drawer fronts for both sides out of a single piece of wood so hopefully the figure will match. Drawer fronts overlap pockets, and have a fielded, raised panel. Backs of the drawer fronts will be rabbited on sides and top to ensure a solid fit with the drawer pocket.

    Here are tools I use for race, fielded panels. You probably don’t need them all, but for me it’s nice to have the ideal tool to get the best final result:




    • LV layout tool is one of the most used tools in my shop – ideal for laying out the width and depth of rabbits.
    • Shop built fenced rabbit plane. I use this to establish the initial rabbit on all 4 sides because I like the mass and longer sole.
    • 12 inch wooden rabbit plane; once the rabbits are initially established I like to go to this plane because it has a long sole and is less hassle to sharpen.
    • Small shop built roughing plane rapidly wastes the majority of stock in transitioning the rabbit from flat to beveled.
    • 2 LN rabbit planes; one fence with skewed blade – I like this plane for smoothing the rough bevel on the rabbits – the fence provides a nice guardrail to avoid disaster. The unfenced, straight blade rabbit plane is great for getting final trued up surfaces right up to the edge of the field panel.
    • Lastly, I use the tall, metal LV rabbit plane to clean up the vertical edges of the fielded panel.





    Some pics of the process. I like doing the short, cross grain sections 1st so any spelching is cleaned up when the long grain rabbits are created. Depth layout lines help ensure consistency. Some final adjustment with rabbit planes, card scraper, sanding block help establish the corner miters in the correct position.















  4. #4
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    Final cleanup of fielded central section and completed drawer fronts – show surfaces.





    Dry fitting the drawer fronts, referenced against the straight edge, vertical down the face of the drawer bank allows marking the needed side and top rabbits so the backs of the drawer fronts fit the drawer pocket.




    Here’s some pics of pairing to the layout line, sawing and rabbit planning to complete the rear the drawer fronts. I tried remove most of the waste with a handsaw to allow only minimal cleanup needed by rabbit plane. Lastly dry fit to the carcass. Some final planing of the edges of drawer fronts establishes a consistent, uniform reveal on the show surfaces.











    Drawer sides and backs are gang planed using some kind of a “bench hook” clamp I got from Jim Tolpin’s book the “New Hand Tool Woodworker”, which I highly recommend. For me this is super helpful shop appliance for quickly planing matching parts to identical widths. No matter how hard I try to get uniform, symmetrically sized drawer pockets, it seems I always end up needing to trim drawer sides individually for a tight fit.




    Lastly plowing the grooves in drawer sides/fronts for the drawer bottoms.



    Next steps will be dovetailing, assembling and fitting drawers, breadboard ends for the tabletop and lastly finishing – my least favorite part of woodworking, for me always fraught with potential disaster.

    Permit a bit of digression from the build thread. The larger story of this build is we have absolutely no place to put the finished coffee table! Both our Boys will soon be out of the house and Sherrie and I will be empty-nesters looking to downsize, and get rid of some of the furniture we already have. Problem for me; what am I gonna do with this coffee table and the other furniture/projects I plan to build in the future?

    I’m thinking I might try and sell it, which is certainly both arrogant, foolish and likely to go wrong in so many ways: I’m not a professional furniture maker; who would want to buy my work?, How would I sell it? Etc. Despite these obvious challenges, I’m interested in this option because would be something fundamentally satisfying about a stranger appreciating my furniture enough to pay even a nominal amount for it. Fortunately, this is an issue for another day. First I have to finish this project.

    Thanks for looking!

    Cheers, Mike

  5. #5
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    Great project Mike.

    Sherrie and I will be empty-nesters looking to downsize...
    [edited]
    I’m thinking I might try and sell it, which is certainly both arrogant, foolish and likely to go wrong in so many ways
    Have an estate downsizing sale. It is getting past the best time of year for this. People like to look for yard and garage sales during the warmer months. It could wait until next spring.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #6
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    Mike, I really enjoy your builds - so much detail and great photos. I know how much time and effort goes into this. Thanks.

    There seem to be a few coffee tables being made and posted of late. There is a lot going on in yours, and I would be tempted to think of it as a sideboard rather than a coffee table! Your build inspires me to post the coffee table I am presently building (for my son). I hesitated since it is the antithesis of yours, mine being very simple mid century Danish.

    What we also have in common is being an empty nester. In our case, my son has moved to Sydney and now wants me to build him furniture. I expect that that is what you will do as well - begin furnishing the homes of your kids.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  7. #7
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    Thanks Mike for the build thread and especially the raised panel operation description. I like the Craftsman look and I bet some of your family members will too. Like Derek, I have a son who is always up for something free, and, if not, there is always CL at the very least. I would tend to think more in terms of "build it and they will come" so to speak.
    David

  8. #8
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    Thank You for another fine interesting post Mike.
    I always learn so much from your builds.
    I think anyone with an eye for beauty and fine craftsmanship would wholeheartedly pay for a piece of your work.

  9. #9
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    Mike, many people would buy it, and you can find a buyer by posting to Craigslist or Etsy, just to name a couple places.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    What we also have in common is being an empty nester. In our case, my son has moved to Sydney and now wants me to build him furniture. I expect that that is what you will do as well - begin furnishing the homes of your kids. Regards from Perth
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Derek


    Hey Derek and David,

    I agree with you, nothing better than building furniture for the kids! We have 2 boys 23 and 26 and for each of them I built beds, nightstands, dressers, blanket chest, desks, etc. I think I might be "maxed out" on stuff they're interested in me building for them.

    Likely there future wife/families will send much of it to the bin heap. I'll try and add some pics for entertainment value.

    Cheers, Mike




    11.jpg26.jpg43.jpg1.jpg22.jpg14.jpg3.2 (4) - Copy.JPG2.2 (1) - Copy.JPG

  11. #11
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    That is awesome. Way to step up as a dad!

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Allen1010 View Post

    Hey Derek and David,

    I agree with you, nothing better than building furniture for the kids! We have 2 boys 23 and 26 and for each of them I built beds, nightstands, dressers, blanket chest, desks, etc. I think I might be "maxed out" on stuff they're interested in me building for them.

    Likely there future wife/families will send much of it to the bin heap. I'll try and add some pics for entertainment value.

    Cheers, Mike




    11.jpg26.jpg43.jpg1.jpg22.jpg14.jpg3.2 (4) - Copy.JPG2.2 (1) - Copy.JPG
    A woman thinking of sending any of those to the "bin heap" should possibly not be in the "future wife" consideration. Of course that is just my opinion.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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