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by
Jerry Weber
photos: Donna Griffith
illustration: Len Churchill |
MISSION-STYLE TABLE SET |
| There’s
a reason Arts and Crafts furniture never goes out of style |
Clean, refined lines and practical functionality have made Mission
furniture one of the most enduring furniture styles of the last
100 years. As part of the Arts and Crafts movement in North
America in the early 20th century, Mission furniture was and
continues to be a reaction against mass-produced furniture.
As a professional woodworker, I find myself returning to Mission
designs for personal projects again and again. So last fall,
with some spare time to boot, I set out to design and build
this sharp coffee and end table set.
 |
| Classic
mission styling is enhanced by authentic construction
features, such as a single-board top, a rich quartersawn
oak grain pattern and reproduction Mission hardware.
Add careful workmanship to this mix and you’ll
be left with an heirloom |
|
People
often confuse quality furniture with super-expensive building
materials. I built this table out of a grade of white oak that
many people would use for inside drawers and other hidden parts.
I found a 20"-wide board buried among a pile of six-inch
oak boards. This unusual piece was big enough to make the top
of this coffee table without lamination, plus the tops of the
two matching end tables. Although I used quartersawn boards,
it isn’t necessary; flatsawn red oak, cherry or another
hardwood will work just as well.
Start at the Top
Since the top is the most prominent and important feature, choose
the widest, flattest board (or boards) for it. If your planer
isn’t wide enough to handle 19 3/4"-wide stock, prepare
the top in two halves and mill each separately, connecting the
middle with a single glue joint. If, like me, you’re working
with highly figured wood, make sure your planer blades are razor
sharp to minimize grain tear. Take light passes of no more than
1/16", changing the feed direction with each pass.
As you plane you’ll notice
which face looks best. Belt sand with 100-grit sandpaper before
switching to 100- and 120-grit sandpaper discs on a random orbit
sander. Cut the tabletop to final size and sand with 150-grip
paper.
Legs, Aprons and Drawers
 |
| ABOVE:
The wide dovetailed drawers move on a single, centre-mounted
mechanical drawer slide and low-friction drawer
buttons. BELOW: Join legs and aprons with biscuit
joints supplemented by pocket screws. The screws
make gluing much easier |
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|
As a general
rule, I always recommend cutting larger, rough sizes first to
allow for surprises and error correction. I tend to cut an inch
longer, 1/4" to 1/2" wider and 1/16" thicker
than final sizes.
I
made the table legs from two-inch-thick rough-cut lumber. A
less expensive option is to use 1 1/4" stock and glue it
to size. Joint two faces clean and square to each other once
you’re ready to mill the legs to size. Finish by sanding
the legs to 150 grit. Apron joinery is simple—a combination
of biscuits and pocket screws—with no mortises to cut.
Both
drawers are traditional, five-part assemblies running on a centre-mount
mechanical slide with bearing tacks along each side. Because
the drawer fronts are visible and not simply decorative faces,
pay special attention to the grain direction. These drawers
will be flush-mounted, meaning they’ll fit within the drawer
opening with no forgiving overlap. I cut half-blind dovetails
on the front drawer corners and rabbets on the back. If you’re
using the same centre-mount slides as me, keep the drawer bottom
up 5/16" from the bottom edges of the drawer. This holds
the drawers down after installation, ensuring that the plastic
bearing tacks slide in contact with the drawer sides.
When building the drawer frame
assembly, keep in mind it must be the same overall length as
the back apron and should surround the drawers with a 1/16"
clearance all around. Fasten the drawer face rails to the side
and middle stiles using glue and a pair of #8 x 2" screws
for each joint.
Get It Together
Fasten the back and side aprons to the legs with a single #20
biscuit and two pocket screws per joint. Adjust the biscuit
joiner fence to accommodate a 1/4" step between the legs
and aprons. Dry fit and then sand all the parts with 150-grit
paper, slightly rounding any exposed corners.
The next step is to glue the side
aprons to the legs and add the back apron. Flip the table upside
down on your workbench and add the front drawer assembly. Simply
screw it into the legs through the side stiles. Now attach the
low-friction drawer buttons for the drawer slides using a pair
of adjustable pliers. Pinch the tacks into the bottom rail,
about 1/4" back from the front edge. Next comes the curved
rail: cut to final length so it fits between the legs, then
set it 1/8" back from the drawer face assembly. Finally,
glue and nail the tabletop cleats to the side and back apron,
flush with
the top edges. Secure the tabletop by drilling oversized holes
into these strips.
 |
| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
|
Assemble
the drawers with glue; apply a fillet of glue along the bottom
perimeter where the sides and back meet the bottom. Once dry,
install the drawers before fastening the top.
Mission Complete
I finished my table with a medium-brown stain and two coats
of lacquer. If you don’t have a proper ventilation system
in your shop, substitute poly-urethane in place of lacquer;
it protects the wood just as well. |
| You
will need: |
| For
the inner box |
Material |
Size |
Qty. |
| Top |
oak |
7/8"
x 19 1/2" x 37 7/8" |
1 |
| Legs |
oak |
1
3/4" x 1 3/4" x 18" |
4 |
| Back
apron |
oak |
3/4"
x 4 1/2" x 33" |
1 |
| Side
aprons |
oak |
3/4" x 4 1/2"
x 14 1/2" |
2 |
Top/bottom
drawer
face rails |
oak |
2"
x 7/8" x 33" |
2 |
| Middle
stile |
oak |
7/8"
x 2" x 2 15/16" |
1 |
| Side
stiles |
oak |
7/16"
x 2" x 2 15/16" |
2 |
| Curved
rail |
oak |
3/4"
x 2 1/2" x 33" |
1 |
| Drawer
front |
oak |
7/8"
x 2 13/16" x 15 7/16" |
2 |
| Drawer
sides |
oak |
5/8"
x 2 13/16" x 14 1/4" |
4 |
| Drawer
backs |
oak |
5/8"
x 2 13/16" x 15 1/2" |
2 |
| Drawer
bottom |
oak-veneered
ply |
1/4"
x 14" x 14 9/16" |
2 |
| Short
tabletop cleats |
hardwood |
7/8"
x 7/8" x 14 1/2" |
2 |
| Long
tabletop cleats |
hardwood |
7/8"
x 7/8" x 33" |
1 |
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| READ
PART 2 |
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