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.
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
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.
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Where is the Illustration?