The making of this desk was undertaken as part of an independent study program on introduction to woodworking with Yuri Kobayashi. The focus of the study program was to bring me upto speed with established fine woodworking practices covering processing, detailing and finishing for solid hardwood furniture.
1:4 Scale Model in Poplar
The desk is designed as a writing table with two drawers and a solid hardwood top which appears to sweep down the sides. Beginning with crafting scale models in Poplar to get a sense of the proportions, each joinery detail was designed keeping in consideration wood movement with changing seasons.
Detailed Drawings
First Milling
Laying out the Cut List
Joinery and Jigs
The table apron connecting the legs uses a floating double mortise and tenon detail, with the upper tenon glued for joinery strength, and the bottom tenon meant for alignment, free to move with seasonal variation. The bottom rails and web structure for the drawers use live mortise and tenons, as well as sliding dovetail joints for the front top section to avoid short grain failure.
First Dry Clamping
Table Top Joinery
The tabletop is comprised of four quarter sawn boards edge glued with 5 floating tenons per joint length, fixed to the structure using button blocks to allow shrinkage and expansion towards the rear of the table.
Leg Corner Detail
Final Dry Clamping
Breadboarding on the edges will provide the necessary long grain for rabbeting and gluing the ‘drapes’ on either side, with a CNC milled pattern mirroring a table drape. The edge detail will mirror the corner detail of the legs, a 5/16” V groove sweeping either side of the table. The drawers will be made in Maple, incorporating dovetail joinery for the rear, and a sliding dovetail detail for the front overlapping Sapele facia, which visually merges with the apron detail.
Status: Under construction
Dimensions:
48”Wx21”Dx30”H
Materials:
Sapele and Maple Hardwoods
