Mission / Arts & Crafts LR occasionals

[jTr]

Shop Bot is used at least a little bit for everything I do, including key parts of this set of Mission occasional tables. Dovetailed drawers, plywood panels and angled face frame rails were executed with the 'bot. Client had specific needs for wire routing and power filter mounting inside back of the A/V stand. Enjoy being able to draft it in Sketchup and smoothly transition from concept to CNC, which very handily executes scalloped passage ways that stay hidden in the back shadows of the case. Really dig the heck out of dovetailing on the Shopbot as well.

Yes, those are true, pinned mortise and tenon joints. Purchased a Powermatic 719T hollow chisel mortise machine to get them done, as I've always wanted one, and client may be ordering more items of this style. Spent about 12 hours chopping mortises and hand paring tenons with planes to dry-fit and assemble the 6 sides for this set . Tenons are 2.25" in length. Next day, they were torn down and grooved to accept the center splitter stiles and 1/4" panels prior to glue ups. I like the fact that I can plot the 4x8 sheet, centering the panel cutouts on the veneer seems of plywood, resulting in a nice balanced appearance.

Really enjoyed my first request to make some authentic Arts & Crafts style pieces requiring square mortises and tenons, (even though some of the internal ply structuring of the AV stand is probably more of a hybrid than a purist would prefer).

As you may imagine, I'm competing with the Amish manufacturers when making this type of furniture. It helps that they've fostered a higher awareness of quality work and established the fact that quality costs. Upon close inspection, it is clear they are using every bit of automation that I am, and more. My pricing is comparable to their retail numbers - client's advantage is they get the craftsman in person and can get it made to their exacting specs.

jeff

[Steve Wonser]

Jeff, your work is amazing. I've always loved the look of Mission style furniture. You nailed it!

[Burkhardt]

I love it. That is the kind of stuff I want to do when I grow up (i.e. retire).

I am also wondering about the Amish. I know they are not supposed to use mains electric power but I believe they do use diesel, pneumatic and solar? How about computer controlled equipment?

[scottp55]

Beautiful work Jeff, Love Mission Style and had a ton of L&JG Stickley and some Gustav before the divorce, but gave it up to keep my tools Still got my Delta hollowpoint so you may have inspired me to bring it back into the heated shop!
G., They do use Diesel I know. Jonas (Amish gentleman we buy hardwood from) uses diesel to run a powershaft that runs full length of his shop(under the floor) to all his belt driven tools and he has a full shop. Certain members of Jonas's group are given dispensation? to use battery powered drill/drivers, but I believe the original power source to charge batteries is Jonas's diesel and a windmill to charge car batteries. Not sure how that works or how strict Jonas's group is, but they do all use the horse and buggys? to get around. I'll have to ask him when I meet him maybe next month.
Keep it up Jeff!

[kevin]

looks amazing the color is right on .thanks for the post
but the mortise could have been on the bot i haven't tried it yet

[myxpykalix]

An antique heirloom in the making! Those will still be around long after you are dust Make sure you brand them in some way so that people 100 years from now can see who the "master furniture maker" was great job

[scottp55]

I'd definitely brand. A table we bought at auction "looked" like an early Gustav Stickley but it only had a small pale patch of wood and a tiny scrap of paper with the "N" on the upper right corner so no one but me was sure. I was able to get it for $600 and as we were loading it up, a dealer who had done further research came up and offered me $1,200. I refused

[jTr]

Jack and Scott,
Guess what color the machine is that makes these in my shop...
These are cut from brushed aluminum Formica sheets.

Kevin,
Have done mortises on the bot in the past. Even considered doing so for these. Problem is, to square them after routing. I resisted temptation to "rough" them out leaving just the rounded corners to clean, because the hollow chisel would not likely stay completely perpendicular as they are cleaned out. They run truest when hogging a full cut - regardless of grade of chisel and amount of iron the machine is cast from, they will deflect if you use a partial or overlapping plunge.

As to the tenons, have plans to, but not yet set up an end jig to cut those, like Brian Harnett does. Hope to do so sooner than later, as it likely would have saved a lot of the hand work these required, having been rough cut on table saw w/dado blade.

jeff