Project Information
This is a New York Pembroke table, based on one made by Rob Millard (who, BTW, offers a very good DVD on making this table). Mine differs a bit from his, largely because it's a couple inches smaller and lower, but it's provenance is certainly visible.
(Apologies for the quality of these photos. I'm just not yet set up to take decent shots of larger pieces like furniture. But I'm working on that.)
A few folks around LJ may have seen my boxes, but I've long been interested in other areas of "making" as well, with period furniture one of the longest standing, but neglected areas, at least for the last few years. This table doesn't signal any major shift, but rather a return to making a few pieces that have long been on my project list.
The table is made of Honduras mahogany, with poplar secondary wood. The stringing and bell flowers are holly. The banding is holly and mahogany (cross-banded). The curved-front drawer is hand dovetailed, with an oval inlay of figured mahogany.
The finish is French polish (shellac) and rubbed back to a lightly satin surface, over Cuban red mahogany water soluble dye and dark toned grain filler. The whole thing was given an initial coat of yellow-brown maple dye to tone the holly down to look a bit more aged. The back side of the table mirrors the drawer side; same design and hardware.
I'm not a hand tool purist, but this kind of project lends itself to being done mostly with hand tools, and so it was. The inlays and stringing were done with Lie-Neilsen inlay tools designed by Steve Latta, and they work well indeed. The fly leaves hinge on traditional wood hinges, as did the original.
The cast brass pulls are from Londonderry Brasses, and the steel hinges from VanDyk Restorers. I burned the zinc plating off, soaked the hinges and screws for a day or so in vinegar, and left them outside to weather for a couple weeks to add a bit of patina. Much better.
While not a direct copy of an original piece, it's a table that "could" have been made in New York in 1790 or so. It's true to the general design and joinery of the period. The original probably would have had a single piece top, where I used a glue up, but other than that it's reasonably close.
Thanks for looking in. Next on the bench is a Goddard Newport tall case clock.
Roger
(Apologies for the quality of these photos. I'm just not yet set up to take decent shots of larger pieces like furniture. But I'm working on that.)
A few folks around LJ may have seen my boxes, but I've long been interested in other areas of "making" as well, with period furniture one of the longest standing, but neglected areas, at least for the last few years. This table doesn't signal any major shift, but rather a return to making a few pieces that have long been on my project list.
The table is made of Honduras mahogany, with poplar secondary wood. The stringing and bell flowers are holly. The banding is holly and mahogany (cross-banded). The curved-front drawer is hand dovetailed, with an oval inlay of figured mahogany.
The finish is French polish (shellac) and rubbed back to a lightly satin surface, over Cuban red mahogany water soluble dye and dark toned grain filler. The whole thing was given an initial coat of yellow-brown maple dye to tone the holly down to look a bit more aged. The back side of the table mirrors the drawer side; same design and hardware.
I'm not a hand tool purist, but this kind of project lends itself to being done mostly with hand tools, and so it was. The inlays and stringing were done with Lie-Neilsen inlay tools designed by Steve Latta, and they work well indeed. The fly leaves hinge on traditional wood hinges, as did the original.
The cast brass pulls are from Londonderry Brasses, and the steel hinges from VanDyk Restorers. I burned the zinc plating off, soaked the hinges and screws for a day or so in vinegar, and left them outside to weather for a couple weeks to add a bit of patina. Much better.
While not a direct copy of an original piece, it's a table that "could" have been made in New York in 1790 or so. It's true to the general design and joinery of the period. The original probably would have had a single piece top, where I used a glue up, but other than that it's reasonably close.
Thanks for looking in. Next on the bench is a Goddard Newport tall case clock.
Roger