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.
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