Craftsman - Stickley Projects #12: Drawers In

These are great! If you go round it’ll look pretty Shaker…

I think you should stick with the Mission/Arts and Crafts style…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Here is a link to a picture of an original Stickley piece.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Good looking work so far Paul!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://americancraftsmanworkshop.com

Paul,

Given that you’ve used Oak for the project, I would go with the Mission style pulls. The round knobs (usually surrounded with a contrasting wood and a brass or copper inlay) were often part of the Harvey Ellis designs from Stickley. However, those designs were often in maple. I had a similar choice when I did a version of a Harvey Ellis piece (look here). Because I went with QSWO for my project, I went with the Mission pulls.

By the way, the project is looking great so far!

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

Actually guys, I have 3 or 4 reprints of Stickley/Arts & Crafts furniture catalogs that show multiple examples with round knobs. The two separate pieces (line drawings in a cataolg reprint) from which I derived my design show round knobs (no contrasting wood or inlays).

I also have a book that is nothing but pictures of original A&C pieces, and on the chests (all oak) it’s about half and half with round wooden knobs vs. beaten copper pulls.

I haven’t actually sat and read the ordering instructions in the catalog reprints but I wonder if the beaten copper pulls were possibly an “upgrade” one could order. I think the beaten copper pulls are clearly favored though when someone thinks of “Mission.”

Mark, your piece has the chevron shape on the uprights and the curved bottom stretcher. These details “dress up” your piece and I feel, strongly “call” for the copper pulls. My piece has just the subtle chevron on the top but otherwise straight “craftsman” – which seems to me to lean toward simpler round knobs?

Thanks for the input. Keep the opinions coming!

-- Paul, Texas

Paul,

Interesting, I don’t know if I’ve seen examples of the Oak pieces with the round wooden knobs. There are round and also pyramid shaped hammered copper knobs as well. Those could be something that you might want to look at. Try Lee Valley’s hardware catalog on-line. That’s where I got my pulls.

With respect to the legs on my piece, it’s a Harvey Ellis design. The legs actually taper in two directions- toward the top and also toward the bottom. That leg style was characteristic of the Ellis designs done for Stickley. However, most examples I see of the originals of the piece are in Maple with the round knobs and contrasting wood and copper/brass inlay.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

images from catalog reprint upon which I based the design

originals in the picture book – same design, with wood knobs and copper pulls

-- Paul, Texas

Point well taken Paul – thanks for the examples of both styles in the Stickley pieces.

I like the copper pulls..

I still think the round knobs look more simple – more Shakeresque (which I like a lot too).

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I like the mission pulls but they are really expensive. These are really well done chests and would be worth the expense. Great work.

-- Thos. Angle, Jordan Valley, Oregon

So everyone votes for $420.00 worth of pulls . . . .

Lee Valley

Don’t much care for these . . . .

Others

Somewhat better . . . .

Others 2

-- Paul, Texas

Yikes – on the cost…

I like “other 2” too…

Have you peeked at Rockler and Woodcraft for their offerings?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Check out Van Dyke’s Restorer

http://vandykes.resultspage.com/search?w=mission+pulls&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Search

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

Paul,

The pulls that you cited above from Lee Valley are their most expensive ones. The ones that I used on my project were a little less than half that price (look here) I used item A in the picture. For some reason these are hard to find on their site. However, they worked well and I am happy with the quality – the only thing I noticed is a bit of variation in the patina (i.e. dark shade over the brass). But on the chest it all seems to even out.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

Sanding, sanding, sanding

checking with client in the morning about their preference for pulls

gone next week – hope the day time temperature holds up enough to stain and begin finishing upon my return

-- Paul, Texas

The customer chose round knobs.

-- Paul, Texas