[BigRedKnothead]

While I love me some Hand planes, Workbenches, Tool boxes and the like….my primary objective in woodworking is furniture making. I just wanna make quality furniture, and lots of it!

So I thought it would be cool to have a forum on the subject of furniture making. We can post questions, techniques, and progress of our current builds…..anything to do with building and designing furniture. We can post just for fun, or in hopes we learn something from each other along the way.

Here's one my personal favorites, it's a walnut bookcase I made for my wife.

I'm a hobbyist furniture maker myself, albeit a serious one. If you want to read more about me, you can find my LJ interview here: http://lumberjocks.com/CricketW/blog/42010

And my website/blog: www.westfallwoodcraft.com

Otherwise, here's some furniture and furniture maker sites we can draw inspiration from.
http://www.doucetteandwolfefurniture.com/
http://www.thejoinery.com/
http://stephenevansfurniture.com/
http://www.michaelfortune.com/home.html
http://www.kelloggfurniture.com/
http://schurchwoodwork.com
http://www.thomashuckerstudio.com/html/home.html
http://www.amanashops.com/category/amana-furniture-shop
http://www.stickley.com/
http://www.thosmoser.com/
http://www.mark-ripley.com/
http://www.finefurnituremaker.com/
http://www.furnituremaker.com/
http://www.mattdownerdesigns.com/bedgal.html
http://www.chbecksvoort.com/
http://www.thwink.org/personal/images/ImagesArtFurniture.htm
http://www.andrewpittsfurnituremaker.com/
http://www.josephwalshstudio.com/
http://www.theunpluggedwoodshop.com/
http://davidbarronfurniture.co.uk/david_barron_furniture.asp
http://www.kagenschaefer.com/
http://www.brianboggschairmakers.com/
http://www.meetsebastian.com/
http://silaskopf.com/
http://www.davidboefffurnituremaker.blogspot.com
https://www.ligneusstudios.com/
http://www.philipmorleyfurniture.com/custom-furniture.html
http://www.diamanwoodcrafters.com/index.htm

 

[BigRedKnothead]

Currently I'm working on a sideboard made from knotty Alder. My first experience with this wood. Here's what I've learned about this wood so far;

- It's kinda soft, but it will tear-out alright. Especially if your knives on your planer are dull (for you Kev)
- The knots can be cool looking, but they must be respected. Be prepared for a couple of those buggers to come loose while machining the stock.

Usually I'm arranging the rays/flecks in quartsawn woods to look good. This time I'm doing it with the knots. Here's a potential bookmatched door panel.

And here's one of those tips that you though were brialliant at the time…only to see someone else post it in a tip section of a woodworking mag:

Ya, I use weatherstripping foam to cushion my solid panels.

 

[lysdexic]

I share your approach and philosophy but lack the big chunks of time away from the "real job."

How many Morris chairs have you made and how did you learn how to make them?

 

[BigRedKnothead]

I sympathize Scotty, I worked like a madman in my 20's. I've got seniority to hold some better jobs now. I imagine its tough to cut back the hours in your line of work;/

I suppose I learned just by following the plans in books and magazines…
The Morris chair above is made exactly to the plans in this book. Well, except the ottoman. I just came up with that to match. I've made two chairs like that. I don't even have pics of the other. I'm getting better about that.

Great book. Highly recommended.

There is another sweet chair Schwarz made in that book pdf here. I'd like to make that one too. I'll need to round up some nice 8/4 qswo for that one.

A frend ordered two curved-arm morris chairs that I'll make this winter. Should be interesting.

 

[renners]

The world of furniture, I find it engrossing. Shapes and forms and manufacturing techniques, there's a lot to wrap your head around. There's all sorts of things I like and all sorts of things I don't, but I have an appreciation for the way any piece can look at home in the right surroundings.
Looking forward to what this thread might bring.

 

[vikingcape]

A little more than a year ago furniture was probably the most boring conversation I could have with anyone. I hated furniture. Whatever I always thought its functional and that's it.

Now I'm absolutely nuts about it. Even cheap furniture I can learn from. I've become a huge student of furniture and love cutting dovetails by hand. But I also love to run my table saw. Now I'm reading every bit of information that I can on the subject. I love seeing the work of others. And I appreciate the comments and critiques from all. I figure all of it can lead to more discovery.

I'm currently working on a dresser for my little wife. It's going to be dovetail heaven.

Case is dovetailed and there will be dovetailed drawers and sliding dovetail groves for the drawer frames. I think I have a sickness…..

 

[vikingcape]

This is definitely going to be a fun thread

 

[BigRedKnothead]

Well said fellas. I'm borderline obsessed with furniture design and theory myself. It started with Stickley's stuff. I was just drawn to the simple, timeless designs. I read everything I could get my hands on concerning the A&C movement. Now I'm on to G&G, shaker, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
As I said, I started by making furniture from plans. And I thought I'd be ok with that. But now I'm getting the itch and confidence to design some stuff myself.

Kaleb- sweet doves. What kind of wood is that?

renners- believe it or not, you are one of the LJs I was hoping would participate. I'm sure I have a little wisdom/technique to share….but there are a lot of LJs who who could fix me a nice batch of humble pie anytime they wanted…and your one of 'em

 

[jmartel]

I posted this in the shop thread already, but here's the coffee table I'm working on:

And the top, which is going to get breadboard ends:

The project got a little sidetracked because I'm building a bedside valet for someone for some extra cash.

 

[vikingcape]

Red: it's good old Jersey maple and cherry from a sawyer I got close to me here. The maple is the top, the cherry is the sides. By the way those knots in your project give some nice character. Should be a cool piece

Jmartel those are some great looking boards glued up there. That should be a show stopper

 

[CFrye]

I'm in Red. Will probably just lurk and soak up a lot of knowledge. Saw my Grandma's rocking chair in this post and started thinking maybe I could…
Your morris chair is beautiful Red and that coffee table is really looking good as well jmartel.

 

[pintodeluxe]

A cherry trundle bed for one of my sons is the current project. He likes the subtle arches I drew in the plans, and is happy with the design. That's what counts I guess. So far I have the footboard completed.

 

[jmartel]

Great looking design, pinto.

After my coffee table is done, a morris chair is next on the list, also out of walnut.

 

[BigRedKnothead]

Pintodeluxe!- another cat I was hoping would join the fun. Great work. Great blogs. Share some of you magic here brother. The headboard looks great. I like the design.

jmartel- I think you said that walnut was pricey…it was worth it. It's reasonable around these parts, but stuff that nice can be harder to come by.

Kaleb- good stuff. As I've posted, here in the midwest I get walnut and white oak pretty cheap. However, I pretty much pay market price on hard maple and cherry. It's probably all shipped in from New Jersey…or some other country

 

[Smitty_Cabinetshop]

Tell us about the upholstery on that Morris chair and foot rest, Red. Have it done, or ?

 

[BigRedKnothead]

Ya Smitty, I had a local upholsterer sew the cushions. I can wrap/staple cushions (like my dining chairs below), even stretch jute webbing, but sewing is another story.

Basically I just asked for referrals at a local fabric/upholstery store. Glad I did. Met this guy who works out of his garage too. We've become friends. Best part…he lets me get leather at his cost He only charged me $100 labor to make the cushions. I try to refer him as much business I can.

 

[jmartel]

I paid $4.75 for the Walnut, Red. It's $6.75 at the lumber store here, and I think a bit more at Rockler.

 

[camps764]

I'm in the home stretch of building the twin to a night stand I built a while back.

I'm also in the middle of building a computer desk based on an A&C Library Table from the Shop Notes for Craftsman Furniture book. It has a zillion M&T joints in it, and is seriously making me consider buying a bench top mortising machine. - no pictures of that one at the moment.

 

[waho6o9]

Cool thread, looking forward to everyone's ideas and furniture.

Here's a commissioned entertainment center for a client that wanted it on wheels
so she could keep the floor clean.

The back had a trough for the wires and each component had it's own hinged door.

It was 8 feet long around 16" deep and 14" tall if I remember correctly. The six wheels
made it easy to move. Oak face frame and oak plywood for the rest.

 

[Tugboater78]

Be nice to see what gets posted here. Hopefully one day I can add my own works