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This week I just finished my first Arts and Crafts furniture project. I have always enjoyed the Arts and Crafts style and finally decided to make a piece myself. This nightstand is for my wife and from what I can tell--she really likes it.

I followed the plans in Wood Magazine's Arts and Crafts Furniture book (ISNB: 9781402711749), but made a number of adjustments from the original. For instance, instead of red oak, I used QSWO. Instead of 1/4 ply for the sides and back, I used solid white oak. The drawer pulls are different and I also constructed the drawer boxes differently. Lastly, I used a different stain color. The basic style and dimensions are drawn from the book, however. The last photo shows a comparison between the book's nightstand (left) and my version (right).

For the finish, I decided to go simple. I considered fuming the oak with ammonia, but that seemed to be a bit of a hassle. I also considered Jeff Jewitt's recipe, but I was looking for something a little simpler and less expensive, especially since finishing seems to be my least favorite part of the whole process. After experimenting with a few Minwax stains I settled on Early American, which both captured the color I wanted and seemed to highlight the ray flecks.

This has been my favorite project to date and I'm looking forward to building more A&C furniture. Thanks for looking.

Gallery

Comments

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977 Posts
I've always like A&C and that one's a beaut.
 

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3 Posts
I like your version better, the choice of wood, handles, the wood color, the idea of going with solid wood on sides. Very nice. This piece will out live us all.
 

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64 Posts
Your hooked on A & C now!! I just finished my 7th piece in the winter, can't wait to start my next one!!!
Oh bye the way, great looking end table.

Paul
 

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19 Posts
Great project Brandon. Your stand is the better of the two.
 

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3,558 Posts
Very nice! I like the A&C style, too. I've done patination of copper with ammonia and really like the results. You have to be sure to get the right product, and most importantly, be careful with it. It's pretty nasty if you aren't careful. Jeff Jewitt's recipe seems to avoid all the nasty ammonia problems.
 

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236 Posts
Your enhancements to their design make big improvements to the overall look.
Great job, thanks for posting it.
 

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224 Posts
Beautifully done. Nice selection of oak and your finish looks terrific.
 

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411 Posts
I like it. Especially the hardware. Nice job.
 

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Thanks! The hardware was in the clearance bin at Woodcraft. It was a dollar a handle--I cleaned them out.
 

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21 Posts
Much better then the origninal
Great job
The pulls look perfect
 

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13 Posts
EXCELLENT JOB… better than the original.. the tiger oak on the top is amazing and I like the drawer pulls you picked out as well… really great color as well.
 

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55 Posts
I like yours more than the original. Nice execution!
 

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14 Posts
Great job but i would have….. no just kidding, i would not have done anything differently. Good choice on the modifications.
 

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221 Posts
I'll chime in on the "yours is better" side. Nice lines. Theirs looks a bit stocky and thick-ish. But do I see a couple of Kreg joints in there? Is that cheating (for A&C)?
 
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