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by: Konrad Sauer
all photos: Roger Yip
all illustrations: Len Churchill |
GREAT GIFTS UNDER $20 - Cherry Serving Tray |
| Ordinary
copper pipe transforms this inspired design |
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| The
graceful arch of this serving tray is complemented
by its jewel-like copper handles |
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My friend
Joanne makes garden sculptures from reclaimed stuff. Over the
years I have collected old things for her: railway spikes, sash
weights from windows and almost all the antiquated plumbing
I’ve pulled out of my house. When I was thinking about
making a modern serving tray, I thought of Joanne right away—she
always finds a good balance between blending new material (usually
wood) with old beat-up metal. While rummaging through the pile
of stuff I was saving for her I found a piece of copper pipe—this
would make great tray handles I thought—and so my design
began. I chose cherry for the wooden pieces of the tray, to
complement the colour of the copper.
The
construction technique is a result of a design requirement:
I wanted the grain of the centre panel to run perpendicular
to the grain on the side pieces.
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| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
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This
meant it
could not be glued over the entire length because of the potential
for cracking with seasonal movement. I explored a number of
joints to make the connection, including pegging the tenon of
the tray through the bottom of the sides—tricky given how
short the tenons are.
Then I recalled a technique which
uses a wedge inside the mortise which spreads and locks the
tenon in place as the joint is pushed together. Called a fox-wedged
tenon in the trade, I tested the joint on a piece of scrap and
it worked beautifully.
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Material |
Size |
Qty |
| Sides |
cherry |
7/8"
x 2" x 24" |
2 |
| Bottom |
cherry |
3/4"
x 10 3/4" x 19" |
1 |
| Handle |
copper
pipe |
1/2"
x 11" |
2 |
|
To
make this joint, start by making the mortise and tenon as usual,
then make three cuts in the ends of the tenon with a dovetail
saw. Use a chisel to widen the mortise to allow the wedged tenon
to spread. Make the wedges out of some scrap hardwood, the same
length as the depth of the mortise. Insert the wedges into the
mortise to gauge if they are the right size. Once you are happy
with the way everything fits, spread a little glue on the middle
third of the tenon before assembly. Once the glue has dried,
apply two coats of tung oil followed a few days later by two
coats of satin polyurethane.
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|
Candlestick Cluster |
| Walnut
pieces come together in endless combinations |
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| Put
a set of these interlocking candlesticks on your
table and your guests won’t be able to resist
rearranging them |
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There is
great satisfaction in designing an everyday object in a unique
and unusual way. In fact the hardest part of this project was
coming up with the design. The inspiration for this candlestick
cluster came while walking past one of the many high-end furniture
stores in my neighbourhood. A striking stool caught my eye;
it seemed like it was made from hundreds of square blocks of
elm all laminated together. I thought if this can work for a
stool why not a candlestick?
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| CLICK
ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
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To
build the candlesticks, start by ripping all the square stock
you’ll need on a tablesaw. Make sure the fence and blade
are set exactly 90° to the table surface or you’ll
have a difficult time gluing the pieces up later. The glue-up
is the most time consuming part of this project. Proceed slowly
and glue up flat sections of four pieces at a time before gluing
up the final configurations. This
allows for any variations
in thickness to be planed down, and any saw marks removed.
| You
Will Need |
| Part |
Material |
Size |
Qty |
| Taller
sticks |
walnut |
1/2"
x 1/2" x 4 1/2" |
12 |
| Tall
sticks |
walnut |
1/2"
x 1/2" x 4" |
12 |
| Short
sticks |
walnut |
1/2"
x 1/2" x 31/2" |
12 |
| Shorter
sticks |
walnut |
1/2"
x 1/2" x 3" |
12 |
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Once
the glued-up block sections are dry, use
a sharp chisel to remove any errant glue and a scraper to smooth
out any remaining rough spots. To complete the holders, drill
the 3/4"-dia. flat-bottomed holes with a Forstner bit.
Finish the candlesticks with two coats of tung oil and a light
coat of paste wax.
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