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| by:
Gary Walchuk
photos: Roger Yip
illustration: Len Churchill |
CLOCK SHELF |
| This
Renfrew County clock shelf is a rustic classic |
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| The
original shelf was built in 1850 |
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| Custom
moulding gives shape to this simple project. Get
the general look with ready-made baseboard, casing
or chair rail, or stay true to the original design
by using a series of router bits to cut the combination
of curves. Cut the curved bottom profile of the
back board with a scrollsaw or bandsaw. If this
shelf is for a smaller clock, reduce the height
of the back board. |
| TERMS
OF UPPER CANADA |
Backsplat
Central vertical member in the back of a chair
Bosses Small rounded
ornaments used in metal or wood
Cricket table A small
three-legged table
Drugget Inexpensive
woven carpet
Feather painting Use
of a feather to create elaborate imitation wood
grain
Fustic Yellow dye made
from West Indian mulberry wood
Ironstone Hard white
pottery, often also called graniteware
Linsey-woolsey Fabric
made from linen and wool, used in making winter
sheets
Muntin bars Dividing
bars in window frames that hold panes of glass
Palliasse Mattress
made of old quilts
Patera Rounded disc
decoration
Press A tall cupboard
for storing linen, clothes and kitchen utensils
Tester A framework
for bed curtains
Trompe l’oeil
A painting that creates the illusion of reality
Settle A high-backed
bench often placed at right angles to a fireplace
Vermilion Bright red
colour made by grinding cinnabar
What-not An ornamental
open shelf
Zommo A small bedside
stand made to contain a chamber pot |
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| CLICK
ABOVE FOR LARGER IMAGE |
|
Whenever
I build a reproduction, I puzzle about how the original design
came to be. After studying a photo of the 1850s clock shelf
that inspired this project, I decided that this piece must have
been built in an attempt to create some sense of home décor
in a rough-hewn world. Through sheer necessity it must have
been made from found materials, probably using a minimal tool
kit. The craftsman wouldn’t have had power tools, sandpaper,
perhaps not even glue. It is a powerful reminder of how much
easier things are today.
Start on the shelf by cutting
a 27" length from standard 3/4"-thick stock, then
straighten and square both edges to create a nine-inch-wide
piece for the back board.
Use a compass to draw a 4 1/2"-radius
arc at the top end, then from the pivot point measure 12 1/2"
down and draw a pencil line across the board’s surface.
This marks the point at which the back board gets wider. Following
the pencil line, edge-glue the back middle to the back sides,
creating a 15"-wide section at the bottom end. You could
use biscuits or dowels with glue to join these pieces, but glue
and clamps work well on their own.
Make a template of the curved
bottom shape, and transfer its outline. Place it 6 1/2"
down from the 90º corners on the side of the back board.
Cut the curved bottom and top profiles to shape, then sand the
edges and the surface smooth, beginning with either 80- or 120-grit
paper, depending on how rough your saw marks are.
Cut the shelf to size, then use
screws to attach it to the back board, three inches below the
90º wing corners.
It’s just a matter of adding
moulding now. You can make it quick and easy by using store-bought
stock, such as baseboard, casing or chair rail, and you can
even combine smaller mouldings that add up to the three-inch
width.
In this case, because I was creating
a reproduction, I wanted to mimic the original as closely as
possible with some shop-cut moulding. First, I drew a full-size
template of the original profile and transferred it to the end
of a 1 1/8"-thick, three-inch wide, 30"-long piece
of pine. Using a few different bits in a table-mounted router,
changing bits quite a few times, and using a lot of sandpaper
and elbow grease, I think my shelf is close to the original.
A lot of trouble? Yes, but worth it.
Miter the mating front corners
of your trim, then glue and nail the moulding to the shelf edge,
top surfaces flush. Fill the nail holes, handsand and apply
a finish. I used prestain conditioner to even out the look of
the pine, then some walnut gel stain and three coats of satin
polyurethane. |
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Size |
Qty. |
| Back
Middle |
3/4"
x 9" x 26 1/2" |
1 |
| Back
Sides |
3/4"
x 3" x 8" |
2 |
| Shelf |
3/4"
x 5" x 15" |
1 |
| Moulding |
1
1/8" x 3" x 30" |
1 |
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