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After all the discussion and praise for my wife's clock, I thought I'd post one of MY projects. Yep, I build something every now and then.

Anyone who is interested in Stickley furniture eventually gets around to building a Stickley end table. After looking at several of their designs, I decided to incorporate a curved leg. I like the look and several other people have commented that the curve softens the appearance.

It's constructed of oak, in the Stickley tradition. And all joinery is mortise and tenon, with some decorate oak buttons to add interest. I'm one of the few A&C builders who thinks the use of quarter milled stock can be a bit over-used. So generally I use it for spindles and accents. I favor the flat-cut stock for the broader componants.

Stain is 2 applications of honey gel with about 5 coats of wax.

I'm presently planning on building a set of livingroom furniture, in the Stickley design using light Cherry with Walnut inlays. Gustov Stickey would roll over in his grave.

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Comments

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your legs are SEXY !!!
beautiful table.
 

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Bob,
I think the legs do make it better. I don't know about "sexy" Deb since I don't have a fetish. To me you are right about the quarter sawn Oak. Back in the '50's my dad went to a lot of farm sales and since we had a big old eight room farm house he couldn't resist a bargain. We wound up with a lot of Mission. Library tables and chairs and side boards, etc. It was all dark and square and to me ugly. I've only recently began to appreciate ol' Gustav and the Green Bros. for what they did. I'm still no great fan of ray flecks. So I like the flat sawn choice. And now everyone will know I must be demented for not being a great fan of Mission.

You did a great job of a new interpretation of the genre. Good work.
Tom
 

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Thanks for your comment Tom.

I kinda thought Debbie was going to be a problem. It's been quite a number of years since my legs were called "sexy." Whether she was referring to the table legs or my legs . . . thank you Debbie. I'll take either as a compliment.

Yep, I too think most of historic Stickley furniture is dark and square. And the historic Green Bro. pieces seem to have a lot of "stuff" stuck on them. But I did appreciate the fact that they were new design attempts and served as a basis for further exploration.

I even tried once to ammonia fume a piece, in the traditional A&C finishing technique, and ended up filling my shop with ammonia fumes to the point I had to open all of the doors and air it out. The old timers actually used livestock urine and sawdust, as I undertand it. There's a new business - livestock urine and sawdust in a can. I can see it in the Lee Valley catalog ar $49.95.

At any rate, I won't be doing that again. By the way, the furniture piece stunk of ammonia for several days and didn't change the color much.
 

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Bob,this is very nice.I am glad to see mods on classic designs as well as using differant woods.Thats how all these designs that are now considered classic came about.There are infinite ways to design a table and the selection of wood is a valuable part of the process.Its personal choice..I believe whats important is that the builder needs to be happy with the design and specie.Thats why I seldom make boxes or furniture for other people.(I guess I have control issues :) In order for me to really be creative,I need the freedom to feel.And not everyone is going to feel what I do when they see the piece,but then,I didnt make it for them,I made it for me.I am not saying that makes me right,there is very little "right or wrong" to it.Fortunately, Marilyn and I want the same things,to a degree,and are able to compromise on the projects we both do for our house.But,when it comes to artsy stuff,like my boxes,I do what I want.
So,be a rebel.Express yourself.
 

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I agree with Andy 100%. The creative process, for me, is the most enjoyable aspect of woodworking. I suppose that comes from 30+ years of writing music before being nitten by the wood bug. It's great to be "inspired" by a certain style, but putting your own stamp on it, as in your table here, takes craftsmanship to another level, in my opinion
 

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me? A problem?
(I won't tell you what I started to type first-haha)
 

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Bob, don't mind Debbie. She's just been up in the frozen tundra too long. After a while, anything that doesn't have ice hanging from it starts to look sexy. :)
 

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yah.. frozen tundra-that's why I've had my beaver hat and plaid jacket on all summer!
 

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Charlie,

I know I'm on my way to Debbie's list. But you seem to be racing me to the finish line.

Debbie, by the way, the home office of my company is in Calgary so I get to deal with a lot of Canadians. As far as frozen tundra is concerned, it reached below freezing here in Black Forest this morning, and will likely be a long cold winter.

I song writer - Hmmm. Ya never know who you'll meet on these sites. I bit of background: When I was younger - about 100 years ago - I spend many years as a drummer for a rock group in and around New York. Yes, I was a long-haired freaky product of the 60's and 70's. Wish I had some of that hair today.

So far as creativity is concerned, As elusive as that is, I think it's somewhere to be found in the thought process. Most of my time in the workshop is spent simply thinking. If I wanted to build furniture…duplicate existing designs… I'd work for a furniture company. Although, I think there is value in duplicating existing classic designs once so that you can learn from them.

For me, thinking, studying, and observing (another lost art) is what its all about. And every now and them something useful, maybe even interesting, squirts out of it. Many more times, I end up cutting perfectly good hardwood up for kindling. One of the things I have learned is that it's the small touchs or changes that seem to make the difference. The table I've posted is a small change, the next one will be a small variation on the last one. Joe Morello (drummer for the Dave Bruebeck Quartet) was a master at that process, IMHO. So are some other musicians. Unfortunately most never get past simply playing other peoples notes.
 

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we've had some cold mornings already but we are back to "nice". Calgary does get some COLD winters. That's when I'm glad to be in Ontario.

re: musicians. My daughter teaches high school music and one of her students is extremely talented and writes her own songs. Last year she was a little panicked because she discovered "how songs are written" and she doesn't follow that same style. ... My daughter reassured her: then you have your own style, then, don't you! Write what feels right.
 

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I'd agree you are one of the few that likes plain sawn oak lumber. I'm a quarter sawn guy if I can sell it.

Good table, nice to see that you put your own tastes into the project, modifying it as you wanted to.
Mark
 

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Bob, you're right about subtle changes making a difference,,,in woodworking or music. There are only so many notes on a keyboard, for example, but an infinite number of ways to combine them into some sort of enjoyable sound.

Debbie, your daughter is right. Writing a song is like joining two pieces of wood…. there are many ways to do it. What matters is being happy with the end result.
 

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We're stuck with alot of plain sawn oak around these parts. It grows on you. Nice table.
 

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A great looking table. Nice modification to traditional designs.
 
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