Arts & Crafts Coat/Hall Tree

One of my earlier pieces. It’s a relatively simple design that I made up myself. Red oak stained with Minwax water-based Vermont Maple, as that was the closest and easiest finish I could find that matched my idea of what Arts & Crafts furniture should look like. An attitude that is still evolving. The legs are lapped together and were hammered into an intersecting mortise in the bottom of the post. The braces were pegged into the post, flush with the base. Notice the pyramid top. The hooks were purchased online for availability and aesthetic reasons. I highly do not recommend water based conditioners, stains, or polycrylic. Raised grain and bubbles are a problem, especially when applied with a foam brush, not to mention having to condition it also. I’ve been much more happy with oil and alcohol based stains, even if cleanup is less convenient. I will probably use one of the 12 step finishes my father-in-law, TreeFrog and other LumberJocks use on my next piece to get that rich, glowing finish that celebrates medullary ray fleck. I still need to check out WoodWhisperer’s finish to see what he uses. I think someday, I’ll make a Stickley reproduction, as I’m now a little disappointed in my coat tree.

-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails