The goal of this Challenge was to motivate new expression of the traditional table and to find other ways to interpret the work. I have benefited from this challenge by enhancing my knowledge of the Greene & Greene style. I have read more about their work in the last few months than I have over the past ten years.

I found other ways to incorporate the Greene & Greene style in my interpretation and perspective of the Thorsen House Side Table.

I stayed fairly close to the dimensions of the project plans since I wanted to stay true to the original size. I decided to use lumber readily available in my shop. I had some 5/4 oak stock that would be perfect for the legs and enough 3/4” oak for the aprons and stretchers.

My design interpretation was to continue the cloud lift designs into the aprons by using inlays incorporated into the apron. I used walnut and cherry as the inlay material. Then I incorporated the oak, walnut and cherry into the table top itself. The table top is oak, walnut and cherry end grain with walnut being used for the breadboard ends. Walnut is used for all the pegs.

The finish is a mix of tung oil and urethane.

I came away from this project with a sense of purpose and encouragement to mix the details of Greene & Greene and incorporate into my own unique perspective into contemporary furniture making.

You can see a slide show of some of the early parts of the project and also more pictures of the finished project.

I hope you enjoy the table as much as I did in making it.

I installed the pegs last week. I used a shim to help prevent installing the pegs too deep. It worked well. I put tape around the peg mortises to help in the clean up of any glue squeeze out.

For the finish I used a combination tung oil and urethane mix. Three coats so far and with some 400-600 grit smoothing in between another 2-3 coats should do it. You can see some of the details of the pegs. They are about 1/8” proud.

I used walnut and cherry inlays in the aprons leaving them about 1/8” proud as well. They seem to pick up the cloud theme.

Next step is to finish the table top and perform the installation.

It looks like I will meet the deadline. This has truly been a handcrafted project. I learned so much and have improved my skills.

In the spirit of a public service announcement and not wanting to hijack the thread, here is some additional information:

Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a “water displacement” compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.

Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

When you read the “shower door” part, try it. It’s the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It’s a miracle!

1.. Then try it on your stovetop… Voila! It’s now shinier than it’s ever been. You’ll be amazed.
2.. Here are some of the uses:
3.. Protects silver from tarnishing.
4.. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
5.. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
6.. Gives floors that ‘just-waxed’ sheen without making it slippery.
7.. Keeps flies off cows.
8.. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
9.. Removes lipstick stains.
10.. Loosens stubborn zippers.
11.. Untangles jewelry chains.
12.. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
13.. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
14.. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
15.. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
16.. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
17.. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
18.. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
19.. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
20.. Gives a children’s play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21.. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22.. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23.. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24.. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25.. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26.. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27.. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28.. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29.. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30.. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools. Yes
31.. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32.. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33.. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34.. Keeps pigeons off the balcony. They hate the smell
35.. Removes all traces of duct tape. I didn’t know that
36.. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37.. Florida’s favorite use is: “cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.”
38.. The favorite use in the state of New York—WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39.. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it’s a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40.. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41.. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42.. Also, if you’ve discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
43.. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
44.. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn’t seem to harm the finish and you won’t have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
45.. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!

P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH

It is starting to look like a table. Saturday I glued up the table ends and stretchers. Sunday I glued up the back and front with the small shelf between the stretchers. It stands up and does not wobble. I feel that is an accomplishment in itself. Before glue up I finished the aprons and cut 30 mortises for the plugs.

About the pegs…

I have been reading about the pegs from my fellow LumberJocks and most everyone uses a different method. The methods are all good. I have been avidly reading the Darrel Peart book about Greene and Greene furniture and decided to use his method for making the pegs while refining my own method as well.

Since I do not have a disc sander and didn’t really want to buy one I bought a disc sanding wheel attachment for the table saw. I got it online from Woodcraft (Ding) and it arrived Saturday. For $25 you can’t go wrong.

I made a “peg” jig that fits on the table saw top with a wooden runner in the miter slot. The jig is approximately 4” wide and 8” deep. On the end near the disc in a 3” thick block 1 ½” high and 4” wide. I drilled a 5/8” hole in it. A 3/8” square rod fits nicely inside of a 5/8” hole. Why the hole? – read on. On the edge away from the disc I put a ¾” rail. (Visualizing required) I could have made the jig raised on the far end to give it a bevel but found it was easier to make it flat. I tipped the disc to about 20 degrees. I experimented first but found 20 degrees worked just fine. Now, what you simply do is put the peg stock in the hole and keep turning it as it meets the disc. With a little experimenting it works great and makes a really good “pillowing” effect.

My pegs will be from Walnut, since that is what I had in the shop. I realize that Greene and Greene used ebony pegs but since they did not start out using ebony then I am not too far off and of course it is my interpretation made in the spirit of my own style.

I made 3/8” square peg stock about 16” long. I made it about 1/64” oversize. Turn on the disc, put the peg stock in the jig and start twirling the stock while moving the jig back and forth. (Can you say walk and chew gum at the same time). Do both ends. Use a piece of 220 grit sandpaper glued to a piece of scrap to carefully sand off the fuzzy edges, use a 20 degree circular motion to clean up the pillow effect and put in the miter box and hand cut the pegs. Repeat until all the pegs have been made.

I have but 30 pegs in the table so I made 40 pegs. Tonight I will back cut each peg with a chisel to make them easier to install. Let’s see 40 pegs and 4 back cuts each equals 160 cuts. Hmmm, no wonder custom made furniture is so expensive.

I also made some wooden shims about 1/16” thick that I will use surrounding the plug during installation to prevent me from tapping the plug flush. The pegs should sit 1/16” proud with the “pillow” top.

I can truly say that the best part of my table will be the pegs.

I cut 30 mortises for the pegs last night. I received some tips from Karson on the making, assembly and finishing the pegs. Thanks Karson.

Don gave me a tip on the pegs. He suggested obtaining the Darrel Peart book: Greene & Greene Design Elements for the Workshop. It arrived yesterday. I read the first 7 chapters and am now starting on the design elements section. This book is absolutley great and I highly recommend it if you want to further your knowledge of Greene & Greene furniture. The book certainly will help me finish this project. Don – many, many, many thanks. There are quite a few tips that I will keep secret and use on my table. LOL

I made new stretchers since the last ones were about 1/4” short. I really like the cloud lifts and saw the emphasis in the Greene & Greene furniture book.

Tonight will be spent in cleaning up the peg mortises. Then the next step will be sanding, making pegs, assembly and finishing. Looking forward, I really hope I can meet the deadline. Due to the limited amount of time I can spend on this project I will not be able to enter the shop video challenge.

So far, I have really improved my skills on using mortise and tenon joinery. For the mortises, except for the pegs, I use a plunge router with my new jig. Since I don’t have a tenoning jig, I use the router table to make the tenons but first I make the initial face and cheek cuts on the table saw. After a great amount of trial and error I can now make pretty good tenons.

My daughter took off last week to visit her boyfriend in England and took my camera. So no pictures to share until after May 20 when she returns.

I hope everyone else is making good progress on their table. Since there seems to be a limited amount of finished projects and some who refuse to share their progress, you know who you are, I suspect that between May 28 and May 31 there will be a flood of completed projects.

I can’t wait to leave work so I can return to the shop.

Good luck everyone.

My shop is 1/2 of a 2 car garage. Of, course I would like a larger one. So, if money were no object (I still play Lotto) I have come up with my ultimate workshop.

First, it would be behind the house. I, like many others, don’t like to have the garage or shop door open and have people seeing inside. I love having the door open to give me cross ventilation and more light.

I would like the shop to be at least 30’ x 40’ with some skylights for natural light. I want wooden walls so there is no problem mounting cabinets or racks.

I would like 12’ ceilings and a raised wooden floor. The wooden floor is for two main reasons. 1 – It sure is more comfortable than a concrete floor. 2 – I could run most duct work and the electrical under the floor. I would have chases built in the floor so I could open them up if I needed to. Plus, you can insulate the floor. Built in vacuum outlets in the floor too.

Cabinets, cabinets, cabinets galore. I like things put away since it appears to be a cleaner and safer shop.

Cyclone dust collection in a separate room. A metal cabinet for finishing products. A 10’ long miter station with cabinets underneath. Plenty of lumber storage. A separate finishing room with spray equipment vented to the outside through a filter. Note to self – what are the OSHA requirements? Mobile stands for most of the equipment, except the table saw. The jointer located next to the tablesaw. A dust filter. Alarm system and TV monitoring for security. Might as well put in a large plasma TV monitor hooked up to satellite TV with a DVR. I could automatically record Norm, David and play them back at anytime. I could also watch Marc (The Wood Whisperer) anytime I wanted to from the comfort of the shop and follow along his podcast while tuning up my own bandsaw. Bathroom. Refrigerator. A shop sink with hot and cold running water.

A separate building for lumber storage with a covered porch for a huge lumber saw to cut logs and a huge bandsaw for resawing purposes. An automatic hydraulic lift and moving system to handle the logs and lumber.

And, What? What’s that? Time to wake up, was I dreaming?

Oh well, I still play Lotto.

What would you have for your Ultimate workshop?

I am staying pretty much with the plan dimensions as to the overall size. I have not yet decided on my personal effect for the aprons. I have not even cut the cloud effect in the aprons.

The stretchers have the cloud effect. I made a template for the stretchers and then used the router table to trim the stretchers to size.

This was a really productive weekend and I had a lot of fun.

The next steps are to determine a design for the aprons and the table top.

More to come…

My first jig was a finger joint jig.

On my recent making of a jewelry box I made a hinge mortising jig.

When I was making cabinet for the dining room and the entertainment center I made a coping sled for the router table.

Most everyone knows how dangerous it is to route small pieces on the router table, so here is my version of a small piece routing jig.

But, there is more. How about a crosscut sled.

Just finished today is my version of router mortising jig. Many thanks to Obi for providing the link for the plans.

Now wait a minute, I know what you are thinking…Hmmmm, that looks like a… correctamundo my friend that is a hard plastic cutting board.

Did I tell you that, I love making jigs.

Enjoy…

I have seen all your beautiful beautiful tables. So, now I have been shamed that I have not made one, I am officially joining the challenge.

I had a slab of beautiful oak that would be just the size for four table legs and another 3/4” piece that would be great for the aprons.

Last weekend I cut the legs and planned them to size and marked all the legs to accept a mortise.

I cut the aprons to size and made the tenons. I still have not established the design of the aprons but will put on my thinking cap over the next week.

I still have not come up with the type of table top I plan to use but know I will incorporate the breadboard ends. But, whatever the design will be I will be using walnut ends. So, I cut those as well.

I also like the cloud design so I will use that on the stretchers and the aprons.

I have used a mortising attachment on my drill press for previous projects and was not completely satisfied with the results and found it a little difficult and time consuming. I have spent the last few days making a mortising jig for the router.

This weekend I will be cutting the mortises and do a dry fit of the table, minus the top of course.

Wow, this will be my first table. I hope it turns out okay, but having seen many of yours I will consider it quite an accomplishment just in making it.

So, there you are, one more LumberJock accepting the challenge.

Oh, by the way, I am proudly wearing my LumberJock t-shirt while I am writing this.

I ordered the box side and foot router bits together with the plans and hardware. When I saw the size of the box side bit at 2 ¾” tall and 1 ½” wide I knew that I would have to use a slow router speed. Thankfully, I had recently purchased a PC 890 variable speed router with a soft start to be permanently mounted in the router table.

Since the box side bit was so tall, I also wanted to hold the work piece snugly to the router fence to prevent any slop. I decided to make a 3” tall feather board.

I could have just stacked some feather boards together but half the fun for me is to make something. I measured an existing feather board so the new one would be approximately the same dimensions. Then I glued 4 pieces of ¾” MDF together and cut the kerfs on the band saw. It is not a pretty feather board but it sure does the job.

I carefully routed the sides and feet from one long board. Then I cut to dimension and marked each piece so I could get matching grain. I mitered the ends then glued it together. I must have used 10-12 clamps and right angle jigs. It turned out square. TADA I then cut the feet at a miter as well. I wanted to have the mitered ends of the feet match the box so I made a temporary box out of scrap and placed the jewelry box inside it and the mitered ends of the feet matched up very well. It would have been real tricky for me to glue the feet to the box since I have experienced slip on glued pieces before.

The hinges supplied with the plans had round head screws. After I mortised the hinges I installed them and found that it would not close all the way due to the round head screws. I tried a number of different ways including deepening the hinge mortise on the jewelry box. I didn’t want to mount one part of the hinge on the back of the lid since I wanted it to overhand the jewelry box by 3/8”. Nothing seemed to work. I then went to my local woodworking store, starting with the letter R, and bought some hinges with flat head screws. I then plugged the mortise on the jewelry box and started again. This worked great. I trimmed the lid and when I placed it on the jewelry box found that I had cut too much. Hint to self measure twice and cut once. So, I made another lid.

After sanding I sprayed a satin PolyAcrylic blend for the finish. After 4 coats and rubbing out between coats I was finally finished. Here are some pictures of the project.