Oak Drop-front desk

Making a drop-front desk in the style of Harvey Ellis when he worked for Stickley. It is only 30 in wide and 11 in deep, but it will be heavy. The carcase and back are all 3/4 in quarter-sawn white oak, and the pigeon-hole assembly is 1/4 in oak, resawn from 3/4 in boards.

This design would be terrific for using a laptop with a wireless connection...especially in a restricted space.

I got some nice oak burl veneer to make the outside of drop-front panel and curly mahogany for the inside.











That pigeon-hole unit was a bear to keep square while glueing. 







Oak burl veneer used for panel front.   Veneer was very gnarly and brittle, but I subdued it with a softener.

Inside panel is curly mahogany... outside is oak burl.

Bathroom Cabinet

Customer wants unique cabinet for a small bathroom. He has personalized and trimmed out his condo with PS Red Oak. The bath has all new decorative tile work that he doesn't want damaged with nails or screws.

The cabinet will be free-standing and fixed in place with a few applications of adhesive caulk. If he moves, he can take his cabinet with him.

The top is to be PS Red Oak, with dovetail splines to keep it stable underneath the vessel sink.
The panels for two drawers and end will be veneered Madrona burl:
Legs are wedged through-tenons for strength and interest

The treatment on Oak trim elsewhere in house in unstained with Tung oil finish. It seems suitable to do the same on this cabinet.

Dry fit of doors on the workbench looks pretty nice.














And, installed with the vessel sink :

Book Shelves

This project might be called an entertainment center, because it has three parts with a flat-screen HDTV in the center. But customer just has the screen and video equipment under it in a small cabinet, with two, 40"x84"x13" bookshelves flanking.

She wants a solid Oak face-frame on a veneered plywood case. Finish with black dye and varnish for an old-world kind of look.





Turned out pretty nice. The black matches a couple pieces of black mahogany furniture and HDTV. The wood tones match the Arts and Crafts rockers in the room . Since they were so big, I moved the completed boxes down the split-level stairs to negotiate a narrow hall. After they were in the room, I finished the crown and foot moldings and installed shelves.

Who knew building furniture involved such a lot of fun moving it into place?